Matt Mercer’s RIDICULOUS Build in Exandria Unlimited (Dariax)

Matt Mercer, The archetypal forever DM is now playing a character! You can tell the man has probably played D&D once or twice in his life, the build he chose is extremelyyyy strong. He roleplays to perfection too!
In this video I'll break down why this build is ridiculous, where it could be "improved", and Mercer's decision regarding his character.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00. Feels Good Moment
02:24. Build Breakdown
04:06. Why this Build is so Strong
07:29. Roleplay Vs. Character Power
08:30. Unusual Background
10:44. Playing Support
11:19. Matt Being A Great Player
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XP to level 3 with Davvychappy, potentially a bit a Critical Role with dungeoneering, tabletop community next to tabletop RPG, dungeons and dragons, Fjord, Beau, Jester, Yasha, Caleb, Nott, 5th edition dragons, 3.5e, dungeon dudes, DM GM, dungeon master, game master tips sprinkle a bit of Caduceus, Mollymauk in the Mighty Nein. Matt Mercer.

[@SoloStudiosOfficial]

Matt Mercer himself is also a divine soul

[@MonkeyDM]

For sure!

[@stugod5000]

Divine soul lore bard

[@CyKsFuze]

I've been playing a Divine Soul Sorcerer for a while now. It is very fun, being able to twin cast healing word is amazing. I overloaded my character a bit, but the dm is happy about it. Now Favored Soul is kind of a buffed (ish) divine soul. It gets more spells but for free. Giving a lot more choices for other spells.

[@majadenkert5791]

1

[@JacksonJilesVanMarteen]

I couldn’t agree more

[@sandropazdg8106]

Matt proves again he is the forever DM by making an unconventional character he surely came up with when designing NPC's and decided to save for himself. Been there done that.

[@MonkeyDM]

hahaha that's for sure!

[@TacticalReaper56]

It sounds so outlandish but fascinating.

[@liammccabe05]

Wait, people have NPCs in their world that AREN'T characters the DM wants to play but will probably never get to or a modified version there of? Well I'll be damned 😂 I think all of my most interesting NPCs are characters I played in short campaigns, never got to play after making loads of them just in case, or modified versions of the two. My most interesting NPCs are usually the ones I've built out as player characters, imagined an adventuring career for and placed in the world based on where their ambitions and abilities would possibly have taken them. Its no coincidence that that these tend to be the characters the party like the most, even if they don't know which ones I've done this with or not 😊

[@meodrac]

1000%

[@sandropazdg8106]

@@liammccabe05 secretly every NPC in a homebrew campaign is a PC the DM retired even before playing it

[@dblundz]

as Matt tweeted out recently "Yall are sleeping on Dwarves"

[@danaholland6686]

dwarf is my fav race and imo the strongest

[@andrewgranger3370]

Well, they are just so comfort--- uh... he means something different, right? Nevermind...

[@krodmandoon3479]

That's a very generous way to phrase it.

[@antiday]

and Dwarves are sleeping on roofs

[@endeav0r_49]

@@danaholland6686 i still put variant human over them, a free talent is better than big STRONK numbers. And half elf is good too, bonus proficiencies are good

[@noahdaglio9362]

Matt: How do I avoid meta gaming, since I made this world? OH! I’ll be a total dumbass.

[@TalesofTuram]

Everyone: Genius.

[@VitaeLibra]

The funny thing is that if matt wanted a legendary item he could just go to where he planned it to be and nobody could really stop him

[@Tesoro1996]

@@VitaeLibra yes, Aabria could. She was the DM of that campaign and she held higher power than Matt. xD Matt could say "The item is there" and Aabria would just say "Nope, not anymore."

[@VitaeLibra]

@@Tesoro1996 Hmm. I guess so... But an argument could be made that it is still his world Edit: actually. This is bull. DM has final say. I originally wrote this before going to sleep because it was funny but nah. What I should have said is that it would be funny if he did it... For a few seconds... Anyways it was a joke. Don't take it seriously

[@zaecus]

Partly a criminal, partly divine, and a himbo. Follower of the Traveler confirmed.

[@dynamicworlds1]

Also likes pranks. Idk if he knows about the traveler, but excellent fit.

[@IceMetalPunk]

So what you're saying is, he's secretly best friends with Jester? 😁

[@wess2459]

Dariax is Chaotic Nuetral I believe, not 'good'.. as stated when he doesn't barf from the necklace in the ship.

[@MonkeyDM]

Yeah that's correct, my bad on this one ^^

[@Triqkshot]

He’s definitely not good, at the very beginning he was very easily convinced into becoming a thief by the person they caught in the alleyway. Some type of neutral is definitely the more accurate description.

[@victorym744]

He's not good, but he's goodboi haha

[@JacksonOwex]

@@Triqkshot Well... he does have a low wisdom so he is easily persuaded!

[@billcasey9672]

What's cool about it is that I've seen too many chaotic neutrals as being a stealth way to manifest chaotic evil, and screw up a group, or play drama queen, or punk out and abuse npcs, or destroy immersion. I could live with this kind of guy. And have fun.!

[@rictoectol9814]

Imagine Matt just playing a Divine Soul just so the “Healers” from party 1 & 2 can learn how to play a healer without playing a healer. It may help for campaign 3 🤷‍♂️

[@robertbartley2409]

I mean the best part of divine soul is twinned guiding bolt

[@lordvalinar774]

@@robertbartley2409 Empowered* Twinned Guiding Bolt( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@robertbartley2409]

@@lordvalinar774 and it got counterspell that’s why you chose subtle spell meta magic

[@lordvalinar774]

@@robertbartley2409 and it didn't get counterespelled because it was fired 120ft away outside of CS range :P

[@robertbartley2409]

@@lordvalinar774 metamagic adept feat distant counterspell

[@gayane_igityan]

His voice as Dariax reminds me a bit of that of Luc ( Veth's son) but a more grown up version. Excited to see what they do next as a team

[@Rated314]

I was definitely getting that vibe as well.

[@acetraineraster5171]

I was thinking that exact thing!

[@IanDaviesRules]

If you haven't seen Crash Pandas, I'm pretty sure he does the same voice in that one shot

[@gayane_igityan]

@@IanDaviesRules that is Sam's one shot isn't it, i think i've missed that one

[@RegalNika]

Yeah it's pretty close to the Crash Pandas voice. Its like a cross between Luc and Professor Waccoh.

[@immortallegacy100]

It should probably be noted that the characters are currently level 2 and Exandria Unlimited is only going to be eight episodes. I can see one, maybe two level ups during the campaign, but none of the characters are going to be doing anything too crazy at levels 2-4. In my opinion, Matt's character was created purely from a role playing perspective, with everything being done in a way so as to have a Divine Sorcerer masquerading as a Cleric. Fantastic idea for a character and gives me a few ideas of my own.

[@user-lt6ho5kt7v]

It's too many mechanically good decisions to be dictated purely by rp. People maybe want it to be given how much hate critter community gives to optimisers. Because now their poster boy using the same tricks the optimisers usually do. Maybe it'll help people realise there us nothing inherently wring with optimisation Also at lvl 3 they get 2nd lvl spells with things like twin warding bond on the table. It will be quite effective. In addition, Matt may have gone for melee character setup to get usage of warcaster + bladetrips combo

[@immortallegacy100]

@@user-lt6ho5kt7v I question how a character is supposed to masquerade as a Cleric if they're not wearing armor. I wouldn't exactly call having two -1 stats as "optimal", and 16 Charisma for a sorcerer isn't going to blow anyone away. I'd consider Dariax a mechanically good PC, but I can say the same for most 5e PCs. We don't know how Matt will play the character going forward. As of now all we know is that Dariax is trying to masquerade as a Cleric, which probably means Matt will continue down that path.

[@user-lt6ho5kt7v]

@@immortallegacy100 he prob rolled for stats and we don't know if he is masquerading as a cleric deliberately. Esp given that there is no apparent deity he worship. Also 'low' cha is probably a result of bad stat roll. Btw cha is still his highest stats and it is normal to have 16 as your primary attribute with point buy. The gang that rolls for stats just can't comprehend it I think. I also think that players who don't optimise just rely on high stat rolls or outright broken statblocks in general and get very upset when they don't have it to the point they'd leave campaign. Matt's character is a great example of how you can optimise with bad stats and be effective. Which you gave to do if you don't have his stat rolls and consider 16 a low charisma for lvl 2 character

[@immortallegacy100]

@@user-lt6ho5kt7v Critical Role generally always roll for stats so I'd assume that's the case here. I just don't view "optimize with bad stats" as optimizing in the usual sense of the word. I don't consider 16 "low", but I wouldn't exactly call it optimal when there are other members of the party with 18 as their highest stat. I just don't consider what Matt did as "optimizing" beyond creating a mechanically good character with an interesting backstory. And I'd assume he's trying to masquerade as a Cleric seeing how his character makes a show of using his holy symbol to cast Bless.

[@user-lt6ho5kt7v]

@@immortallegacy100 you realise that when you roll for stats there is no way you can control how high your primary stat is? There is no comparison that is even remotely justified there. He had bad luck. And whether you like it or not, selecting race with armor prof is a classic optimisation move for casters. As to his char being lower than someone else's primary stat once again: why you consider it not optimal if optimisation implies choice. He did not chose his stats nor did he chose his party member stats. Optimisation has nothing to do with it. You cannot prove lack of optimisation by saying "they rolled for stats and Matt got result lower than someone else" you cannot have optimal stat roll because you can't control it and cha is still his highest, meaning, highest of all of his ability scores. If you know a way to toll for stats optimally please share your insight but I doubt you would somehow

[@thewanderersrespite8074]

Oh gosh... I'm just so happy that Matt gets to play for an extended period of time. He seems so happy! Dariax is by and far my favorite character though, all CR has been missing is a long term dwarf PC and WE GOT IT

[@MonkeyDM]

haha that's true!!

[@Joyexer]

I must say their whole group is really cool. The first episode was insanely good imho. I would actually like to see much more of them then "just" a fairly little campaign.

[@thewanderersrespite8074]

@@Joyexer They are all really good! (I just have an immense love for dwarves 😂). Outside of Dariax I wasn't thrilled with everybody at first, mostly cause I fell asleep during the break, but after I watched the rest of the episode... I'm proper into everybody.

[@ericcottle4571]

"That sounds like a cleric with extra steps."

[@davidbeppler3032]

More importantly a cleric with double the healing.

[@giordihero]

@@davidbeppler3032 clerics can also get Twinned Spells with the new feat on Tasha's

[@shinon748]

@@giordihero but not use it as often. That's the rub

[@TAKLProductions]

You're not wrong, but role playing wise it's a pretty significant difference. Sorcerers don't need to draw upon their power through worship of a deity, their power comes from within, so his character can be less of a devout goody two shoes and more of... well this character... Also playing a cleric can be so taxing... your party EXPECTS you to heal, and unless your a life or a grave cleric, being a healer can be annoying. Lastly... clerics only have access to the cleric spell list, and even though they have the "preparing" quality for their class, divine sorcerers get to choose from BOTH lists, making them really universal.

[@johnathannapier6894]

eek barba dirkle... somebody's gonna get laid in bard college...

[@zeterzero4356]

He's a brilliant player. In Bloodkeep he had me rolling pretty much every time he spoke. His character, Leiland, is such a treat in that series.

[@dmal-ty5qw]

Yep, Escape from the Blood keep on Dimension 20 is awesome.

[@andrewshandle]

Allowing his character to be able to fill 3 or even 4 roles was just a very smart play by Mercer. Given how each player created their characters in isolation, this gave him the best shot of being able to mesh with the party well enough to make the limit run series successful. No matter what the other players decided to play, he knew he could play off them and help them.

[@wavyseaweed]

If you want to learn, Aabria's last name, Iyengar, is pronounced: Eye-Yen-Gar.

[@yojimboeastwood5602]

May I suggest, write the answer, then follow with a “keep up the good work “ or anything pleasant. Good habit to start building, people will respond in a positive way

[@MonkeyDM]

Good to know!

[@snarglblargn4986]

@@yojimboeastwood5602 definitely! Changes the emotional context from condescending to politely reminding.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@yojimboeastwood5602 no.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@snarglblargn4986 no.

[@achimsinn7782]

My first feeling was that Matt built his character with the intent of being able to jump in if they are missing a healer or a ranged damage dealer or even somebody being able to lockpick or worst case a short ranged fighter. But I was likely wrong with that as they also have a badr and a druid and he is still doing the healing and the support stuff instead of casting ranged spells which is the thing they are missing more.

[@davidarmstrong1617]

Maybe... but ranged spells might step on the Warlock's toes. And Ashley's druid is obviously Circle of Wildfire subclass, so that's a fire seed attack at range with every bonus action, if she wants it.

[@harrywhiteley89]

Looks to me like he made his character around the group which seems to be a generally low int and high cha so he went with the flow and went Sorcerer, he has the joint highest strength and there is also no rogue in the group so criminal back ground makes sense to cover the lack of thieves tools... There is a Bard in the group but in a group of 5 you kinda want to have two or more characters with the ability to heal other characters so divine soul for the sub class means he might just pick up guidance, bless, and healing word from cleric and maybe something from Sorcerer for damaging cantrips. something I noticed is that guidance + bardic inspiration on the MC is likely to be the way they deal with Int checks if they get the chance, he probably didnt want to play cleric and step on the Wis Shoes of the Druid but there was already a bard and warlock in the group so another cha character fits into the gap... Also Int is a huge dump stat in 5th and good cha allows you to RP easier which is probably a good thing for the show... I watched basically the stats of the show and am guessing that the MC is the Fighter because he has rolled for stats whereas everyone else seems to have taken point build and he was shown off first... But I might be wrong ;)

[@MonkeyDM]

I'm pretty sure you're spot on ^^

[@quietmastermind2680]

Stupid question, but who is MC?

[@harrywhiteley89]

@@quietmastermind2680 the Main Character... or at least my guess of who it is is the Fighter

[@MrReset94]

I believe they all rolled for stats, cause none of their stats fit into the 27 point buy limit (considering also that at certain threshold it costs 2 points to get one), plus they usually roll on CR

[@harrywhiteley89]

@@MrReset94 they can all be made with point build except for the Fighter, it doesnt mean that they didn't but when 4 characters stat lines fit perfectly into point build and 1 doesn't (and is significantly higher) you can tell just by looking at the stats when they are laid out side by side Mercer's character is likely to have spent his stats like 14(7), 14(7), 15(5+2), 8 (0), 9(1), 16(7+2) or 7+7+5+0+1+7=27 if it was point build

[@aldograciano3032]

Something I noticed Matt does is to support the DM guiding the players back on track when they are about to mess things up, or when they are going out of the comfort zone of Aabria story-wise. Sorry for the bad grammar...

[@paulkemp8520]

On about comfort zone, have you watched episode two yet lol? Im about 50mins to an hour in. If you havent, watch out for She ra! Sooooo funny/cringe 😂

[@kmcd6140]

Listen to the description of his "pendant" and the background choice begins to clarify.

[@bryanb2886]

I really thought when he was going to show a trick with his compass, it was going to go Pirates Of The Caribbean. "whatever I want is that way"

[@kmcd6140]

@@bryanb2886 Same. But check out the campaign setting books. Pretty sure he follows the gaming god. Don't have the book available since moving. Basically, Dariax just wants to see new and interesting experiences, so whichever way it points, is the direction of what he wants.

[@alemar1122]

thing about full casters is that Mage Armor is a level 1 spell that gives them very easy access to 15+ AC...if you are a wizard and blade dance, you can get a maximum of AC:23 from it, or if you are a Sorc and choose draconic bloodline you not only get Mage Armor as a class feature instead of having to cast it, you gain the racial ability Dwarven Toughness as well...

[@Ashley-of6ro]

For wizards (or warlocks with the invocation) thats probably fine, but for sorcerers- Mage Armor is a HUGE investment. You get so few spells, and so many good choices (especially with the cleric list too). It'd be painful to spend a spell choice on AC along with a spell slot every day. Late game its not so bad but most of the game will take place in the lower to mid levels. I guess thats what they gave it to Draconic sorcerers for free aha

[@MissAllThatJazz]

I'm confused how they could get you THAT much AC. Mage armor gives you 13 + DEX AC and doesn't stack with any other magic effect according to PHB. So the most could be 18?

[@TranquilReindeer98]

@@MissAllThatJazz IIRC, any ability that says "your AC becomes..." (such as mage armor or unarmed defense) doesn't stack, but something that adds AC (ie a shield, the shield spell, or the baldesong ability) those stack on top of the first abilities. So mage armor gives you 13+dex. The bladesong then adds the Intelligence modifier as well. Maxed dex and int makes 23 AC before the shield spell

[@MissAllThatJazz]

@@TranquilReindeer98 ooooooh! Thank you for explaining!

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@TranquilReindeer98 so cute that you think a great AC is important.

[@Ashley-of6ro]

People seem to forget that the cast of CR can and do optimize as much as they roleplay, one doesnt cancel out the other. I mean Travis was literally playing one of the strongest builds in the game in the mighty nien, and took fighter levels on grog for optimization. But also because its fun and fit the characters! Nothing wrong with it imo. That being said, as someone who's played a lot of multiclasses, this is hardly that busted. Divine soul sorcerer is probably the second best sorcerer subclass and the armour probably feels great but an enemy gets past his AC twice and he's gonna die lmao. A full cleric would honestly be better but that'd be way less cool and would lose out on the cool sorcerer flavour. Overall I love it

[@rowanmurray2842]

second best? what would you say is the best one?

[@cyanide7270]

@@rowanmurray2842 If i had to hazard a guess, itd be either Shadow or Clockwork. Clockworks is frickin baller...

[@Ashley-of6ro]

@@rowanmurray2842 Its up to personal opinion really but I find the Aberrant Soul to be on par if not better. Having a bigger option of spells is great and all but getting bonus spells are just so phenominally useful to a sorcerer. And none of the abilities are bad, all of them are very useful. Not to mention being able to turn one of your subclass spells into Suggestion then casting suggestion with no components. Just walk up to someone and suddenly they're acting insane. Great for social events lmao

[@kuroshinigami9143]

as someome who loves hexblades Fjord's build hurts me because of how unoptimized it was lol out of the team the best built was probably Yasha or Jester due to simplicity (and Yasha could have done with armor to have better AC)

[@Ashley-of6ro]

@@kuroshinigami9143 They definitely put roleplay first always, thats clear. So it probably isnt the 100% best but its hard to go wrong with a paladin hexblade lmao. Yasha taking so long to assemble her ac properly was rough but it was the wisdom saves constantly failing that really made me feel bad for her aha

[@averageopinion1251]

I love Matt’s reaction to the how do you want to do this. I feel like the cast should ask him how do you want to do this when their character goes down next campaign.

[@Marpaws]

even if he took classic mountain dwarf : +2 str and con with medium armor profiency. it's a great combo for sorcerers. I know i did it in the past, a storm sorcerer once.

[@JacksonOwex]

I have to be honest, I didn't realize that Mountain Dwarves had proficiency in Light and Medium armor! Probably because I don't play a lot of arcane spellcasters so I was also getting these from something else.

[@Marpaws]

@@JacksonOwex that's fair.

[@PUNishment777]

@@JacksonOwex githyanki also have those armor proficiencies as well as sword proficiencies

[@LtLukoziuz]

And now with the new ability score rules, that's +2 Con and +2 casting stat. Is awesome

[@LadyElvan]

Matt's favourite build is "dwarven bard" but I can see him giving that up since there was one already. I'd love to see him play that!

[@jacewilliams7135]

I'm not really sure why this is considered a "ridiculous" build.. I feel like no matter what Matt Mercer plays people would be like, "omg that's crazy".

[@xaraan]

yea, I love Matt, but this is crazy. It's not a fancy build, in fact it's a pretty well known build and there have been several strong build vids using dwarf sorc casters as well.

[@nickm9102]

The one thing I am curious about is if they are using the optional rules in Tasha's. Can't always tell because they roll for alot and the DMs I play with hate that Idea.

[@jacewilliams7135]

@@nickm9102 Tasha's ability to move your racial attributes is the best thing that has ever happened to 5e. There's no balance reason for where the race's attributes are allocated. It's all lore based. Why would you be made a tiefling can have +2 str? Ya know. It creates so many more race/class options and people can finally play exactly what they want.

[@nickm9102]

@@jacewilliams7135 I disagree with it being a good thing. The modifiers imply differences between humans and the other races. For the same reason I think the human should have had the variant as the default. Or just the feat option. With the new Tasha's option you basically choose a mountain Dwarf and decide what to play from there. Perfect example I made a Mountain Dwarf Artificer for Adventures League. CON and INT so 17 in both with a 14 DEX and a 10 WIS. Because I planed for Battle Smith I replaced my weapon and armor profiency for more tools add to that a double tool background and the tools already given. I have around 11 tool profiencies at Lvl 1. If I planed to do a wizard I would have kept the armor and a weapon and selected tools or skills for them. With a double language background. At this point I am nearly a Mary Sue at lvl 1 by having an AC 15/20 shielded and a martial weapon on a caster. Now I will exploit it to stay relivant at the table but a good thing it is not.

[@jacewilliams7135]

@@nickm9102 The races more important benefits are everything else they get. Mountain Dwarf does have two +2's and yet in 3 groups I've played in using Tasha's only 1 person played a Dwarf and it wasn't even the mountain Dwarf. I guess you only have to worry about that if you play with power gamers or people who min/max. Maybe I'm just lucky that I play with people who care more about flavor than getting every little mechanical advantage.

[@accidentalhero3051]

Thanks for making this video! I was thinking Matts build a also very well done. You're probably correct about the criminal background, but just an FYI, the new Tashas rules would allow a Dwarf to swap they proficiency with a martial weapon for proficiency with Thieves tools. Again, making Mountain Dwarf even stronger!

[@mlpowers1991]

Twin Spell can't target the same creature twice. Has to be a different target

[@RPGSulSide]

came here for this ; slight error. Still great to double cure wounds when fighting in close range.

[@MasterGibz]

@@RPGSulSide Add in magic initiate for find familiar and cure wounds from 120 feet Edit: 100 feet. Not 120

[@tideoftime]

@@MasterGibz How would he be doing CW from 120ft? (Distant Spell would only change CW from "Touch" to 30ft., and FF from 10ft to 20ft at initial casting.) Unless you meant doubling Healing Word's range from 60ft to 120ft...

[@MasterGibz]

@@tideoftime Find familiar allows you to cast touch spells through your familiar at a range of 120 Edit, I read wrong. 100 feet, not 120

[@tideoftime]

@@MasterGibz Oh -- sorry. Thought you were meaning via Metamagic (I was in another sub-thread and may have cross-referenced to this one by mistake because of similar referencing.)

[@analeigholdeworlde4178]

I cannot wait to see your take on the rest of the characters! Excellent observation and research skills, Thank You!

[@deltablaze77]

Good video! Look forward to ones on the other ExU characters. :)

[@therealDonMac]

Great video. Awesome deduction on what went right over most of our heads.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Going with higher str, dex, and con for a spear wielding divine soul sorcerer can be mechanically optimized with cantrips like booming blade and freen flame blade. Later on spells like the 4 elemental investitures and tensers strength may play into his character build. The real question is the subclass and pact boon choices the bard, fighter, and warlock will make at 3rd level. That will really flesh out what the party is going to be capable of this campaign.

[@thundercat2000ca]

While true. It may not come up. Both those cantrips only really get good at level5. Side note they are also a pain to put in a VTT.

[@135Fenrir]

Sorcerers don't get named spells, so no tenser's for him. Also I doubt they are going to get far enough to make those work anyway, it is slated for only 8 episodes sadly.

[@JacksonOwex]

@@135Fenrir WHAT?! Holy shit! They don't! Why?! Boy, I need to learn my 5E rules!

[@nicolascouhin2358]

@@JacksonOwex First teaching : If any question is about what the sorcerer can have or know , the answer is always "the sorcerer don't" or "Nhaaa, but the wizard ...".

[@135Fenrir]

@@JacksonOwex I think it represents that those are spells created by mages, and as such they are "Researched and crafted" and not specifically "In the Weave", so not available to those who pull from the Weave innately. It is less a written rule and more of an observation that I picked up on a little while ago. It is one of the reasons Sorcerer spell lists are so much smaller than mage lists.

[@sixofone8663]

Just stumbled across your channel for the first time, good vid, and big fan of your Homebrew on Reddit. Osteomancy has been a great challenge for my players.

[@Sumpinking1]

Dang this my first vid of yours to watch and you have my favorite trilogy displayed behind you.

[@ThomasBaxter]

Really good analysis. Thanks

[@windsof]

Subbed for the follow-up party buildsvid!

[@MonkeyDM]

Good to know!

[@draycen7242]

HOLY SHIT! You're a youtuber!! Dude I've been following your homebrews for AGES now, man! Every bit of it is amazing! A very good video to boot too!

[@MonkeyDM]

Thank you!

[@kaya7661]

damn thats such a dope support build! Love that!

[@bodhijordan7405]

I’ve been following your IG page for quite some time but never really realized you had a YT account. Great video!

[@rootyful]

Just finished the first 'season' of ExU and Dariax was and is my favorite part through the whole thing. Just utter himbo perfection. He might just be my favorite CR character of all times

[@Blue_Lunacy]

I saw a comment that pointed out that Fearne's monkey, Little Mister, with 13 INT is one of the character with the highest INT in the party. This is going to be a fun watch 😀

[@liammccabe05]

Difficulty with Divine Soul is that, while the spell list is great when you add Cleric into the mix (for cantrips like guidance, healing options and Spirit Guardians as you say) but it arguably makes the absence of spells known an even bigger challenge; you have all these spells to choose from, but the same limitation on how many you can ultimately have! Divine Soul Sorcerer is one of my absolute favourite sub-classes, but the Aberrant Mind or Clockwork soul have edged it out on power because of the additional spells known (which all Sorcerer subclasses should be changed to include!) Not that this ExU arc is likely to go long enough for all this (unless they come back with the same characters, which I'd love) he can address this with a 3 level dip into Warlock to take some of those key survival and social spells, which frees up room for more of that Sorcerer/Cleric goodness and allows him to regain some sorcery points on a long adventuring day. If he also picks up the Ritual Caster feat he'll really add depth and breadth to Dariax, which will round out the utility caster tomfoolery he's gone for 👌

[@jaylegleiter6669]

Thank you for making this video. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Matt's character

[@StretchyPlays]

I thought he had a Charlatan background at first because of his whole compass thing and one of the Charlatan traits is imitating clergymen or something which would be awesome with a Divine Soul Sorcerer, but I agree he's almost certainly a criminal background, which is also awesome and unconventional.

[@davidmc8478]

Charlatan is wasted on a caster because disguise kit is made obsolete by Disguise Self once levelled up enough to cast it

[@StretchyPlays]

@@davidmc8478 not having to use a spell slot for it is always nice plus its proficiencies line up well with a charisma caster, but also it just sounds fun. Doesn't have to be optimized.

[@TheRimaluko]

@@davidmc8478 by the rules, any player can swap around the proficiencies that hail from their backgrounds. Dariax has proficiency in Thieves' Tools, which could mean that he's a Charlatan and swapped his proficiencies around. Plus, Sorcerers have VERY few known spells, and Disguise Self would be a huge investment.

[@VividWyzard]

I had no idea that you had a KZbin channel! I'm one of your patrons and I love your content.

[@MonkeyDM]

Thank you!

[@heathrin18]

I played in a campaign where I was playing a soul knife rogue and I chose a courtier background, we also had a divine soul sorcerer and he chose the criminal background. You'd think that'd be switched but that's what's fun about DnD subverting expectations here and there.

[@rjbramirez]

Please do the rest of the cast!

[@AustinIuliano]

Great editing dude. Keep it up! Soon you'll join the likes of WebDM, XP to level 3, and The dungeon dudes!

[@MonkeyDM]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@JacksonOwex]

I haven't watched Dungeon Dudes in a while but I didn't like the presentation of their videos! It seemed very... monotone(?)... to me, like they were just reading words off a page and had NO IDEA what any of it actually meant! Also, there are MANY other channels you could have included in there along with those three!

[@caranostalgico9249]

He is a jack-of-all-trades character, just saying... He can fight in melee, he can throw spells from afar, he can be a healer, a supporter, the face of the group in character interaction, he can open locks... Only he is not the best in any of this comparing to an specialized character, basically he can fill any gaps in the group, which is actually expected from someone with the knowledge and the point of view of a DM, he will always be able to help the team. Matt Mercer is a very nice guy.

[@AdamOwczarek]

Hardly "RIDICULOUS" ... It is just a build that isn't everyone's trope. So, as much of the world fears the different and suboptimal, this seems special. It is just a great concept being run by a great individual.

[@Rellyks]

Please, make a video about the other characters. I loved your aproach in this video, it was great

[@robertporter6683]

The strongest component of this build is his thespian ability to lie through his teeth. He had to be fudging rolls left and right. No one rolls that bad, but it was fun to watch.

[@Drujd]

5:08 Actually twinned spell specifically states that it must target a 'second' creature, so you can't target the same target with both instances of a twinned spell

[@peterwhitcomb8315]

Background for each player please 😀 You did a awesome job ♥️

[@Ramschat]

Oh my god, he's playing almost the same character I am! Cool! (I play a divine soul sorcerer Githyanki, who get medium armor and greatsword proficiency, basically more exotic mountain dwarves) Metamagic with cleric spells is awesome Even the attributes are very similar! I ended up goind for 1 more CON and 2 less DEX at character creation than he did I hope he chooses inspiring leader like me too, it's great for support

[@tabletopapprentice233]

Good video nice job

[@HN-qc8io]

I love the divine soul build. You can cast cure wounds at range, or even twin your heals. Epic.

[@lostonessoul5154]

I love how giddy Matt is when he says "SO THAT'S WHAT IT FEEL LIKE!!! WOW!!!!" Reminds me of my early DnD days.....

[@quinnwilder6990]

Great video. I like Divine Soul as a backup healer or backup arcane caster or both but being the main healer and/or main arcane caster can be a little tough. Dariax is definitely chaotic neutral so the criminal background makes more sense.

[@vivian-alexandrarivers897]

I'm just so happy to finally see mainstream Mountain Dwarf Wizard/Sorcerer representation! I've loved that build for ages even before Xanathar's, let alone Tasha's.

[@JacksonOwex]

I made a Dwarven sorcerer in 3.X D&D so I could use a Dwarven Waraxe! That was some dope shit!!! NO ONE expects a Sorcerer to A) Be in melee combat or B) deal 1d10(I think) damage while in melee combat!

[@rawwrbearsmash]

Matt getting the killshot was so magical

[@MurasakiOkami]

Fascinating thing is his alignement being a chaotic neutral. For a divine related character it is very very intriguing to me.

[@skullsquad900]

Dariax was way more of a Lost Child than a Himbo, but yeah Matt can play anything perfectly.

[@bluedutchess6656]

Thanks for explaining! I was sooo confused how he was able to be a sorcerer while looking NOTHING like a sorcerer XD But that's because I only have the main Player's Handbook XD this build is pretty amazing?!

[@jacob8565]

Id love to see charter studies for the entire crew

[@JacksonOwex]

6:20 I LOVE that he gets EXCITED about that roll!!! 8:03 SPEAR!!! Lances are used by knight's on horseback, or in D&D by people on mounts of many varieties, VERY different weapons!

[@panheaddragonwolfpaw]

When he first introduced Dariax, I thought for sure he was a stone sorcerer from that old UA (I really want them to revisit it) which would have, if combined with hill dwarf, made him the tankiest spellcaster build in the game

[@justagosling]

RIDICULOU! CRAZY? INSANE! red arrow on the thumbnail.

[@bordenfleetwood5773]

Forever DMs have the craziest character builds, because we don't get to be players very often, we build all kinds of crazy NPCs (that usually die) and all kinds of fun villains (that usually die). The last character I played, in a mid-campaign one shot, was a True Neutral kobold paladin, adventuring because he had become convinced that Bahamut spoke to him through a coin he'd found. Vurp was fun to play. And shockingly, he survived!

[@OliverCovfefe]

This reminds me of the very similar OP build I made for a Githyanki sorcerer. Get heavily armored feat at level 4 and then go for high strength and use a greatsword. Then just channel all your magic into sorcery points and spam twinned and quickened metamagic on Booming Blade. Can’t do it for 1st level or higher spells, but can for cantrips. Extremely jank at lower levels (3 attacks at level 3 in one round), but trails off in a normal game by level 10. Obvs check with DM before using lol. Divine Soul is just plain fun though, and I’ve used it for both that and a conventional healer build. Twinned Protection from Evil in Curse of Strahd in that coffin room was clutch.

[@kyalkk21]

looks like u got the critter hug of views hoomie. good vid mate.

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

Also, playing against type is my FAVORITE thing to do in d&d

[@mannydurno887]

did not know you had a youtube I've only been watching Instagram and tictok vids

[@alexxfreedom]

I played a mountain dwarf wizard. Yes armoured wizard, and with +3 or +4 con does make them reasonably tanky too

[@Bitplanebrother]

i guess..as far as i know matt..he looked what is missing in the party..a healer..an door opener ..an supporter..and gave it his own twist ... can´t wait for the next episode..with 3 kind of derpy characters in the party...this is so fun ..and abria is doing such a great job..even her bodylanguage changes when she was roleplaying the NPC ... greetings from germany

[@andrewhinson4323]

How do you build a caster that has an effective AC of less than 15? It seems like mistakes must be made or dice must be unkind

[@folkwhore8322]

WHO ELSE TEARED UP WHEN HE GOT THE HDYWTDT

[@procrastinator99]

Is that the first time someone has said that to Matt in-game? Do we know?

[@folkwhore8322]

@@procrastinator99 I think it's the first time he got as a player but I don't know correctly either

[@procrastinator99]

@@folkwhore8322His reaction to it was great regardless. SO pumped for the rest of this story. Thanks for the response.

[@kraggthegrimm6185]

You ever played with Matt Mercer, Monkey DM? Would love to see that. In fact, have you ever streamed any of your campaigns at all? Would be great to see you in action.

[@KR1ST0F3R1]

Have you done a breakdown of Dorian yet? Watching through the episode I had clocked most of the characters builds, but I don't have a clue as to how Dorian would have both Tremorsense and Blindsense at level 2. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[@MonkeyDM]

he explained in a tweet that it was a mistake that the DM lets him run with ^^

[@last2nkow]

im currently playing a level 15 Divine soul (representing a baby Angel of Pelor literally beamed down to aid the party on a divine mission) and honestly, they are terrifying. i rocked up the the big bad barbarian, his wizard advisor (both NPCed player characters with Vestiges of the Divergence so we know how badass they are) and a room packed with his minions and cut loose with sunbeam and a Quickened Sunburst and only the big bad survived my 20 dice of damage turn. they are truly just... boom on a stick if you build them for it

[@fkylw]

Wow! A Real life Caleb!

[@RubySnipa]

I found it very vindicating because I'm also a "Forever DM" who has been playing in a side game for the last 2 years (every other week, 4hr sessions) as a Fallen Aasimar Celestial Warlock because I wanted to play as a non-cleric healer. I was unsure if I was the only person who had similar ideas. My party was shocked when they found out that I didn't build the cleric they thought I was going to build after I cast Eldritch Blast for the first time instead of Toll the Dead or Sacred Flame after a few months of playing with this group. (There are 2 new players & 2 other veterans in the group, which made it all the more satisfying) This is a character I made as an NPC for my campaign, but didn't end up using them because the party decided to make different choices.

[@porkyorcy1715]

wish you had more subs :( this was a great video

[@MonkeyDM]

thank you!

[@ArdaKaraduman]

wow ... I'm not very familiar with 5e, just learning it via playing Solasta. But sounds sooo OP, just what I'ld expect from Mr. Mercer :)

[@Thillidan]

Its weird how people seem to think this is a Build, and strong. Its... a dwarf sorcerer. How is that a "build"? He took the race that gives armor prof so he could wear armor, and be a dwarf. WOW! Such build. Much big brain.

[@willemverheij3412]

Makes sense he'd try something out that maybe he'd wish his players might try but probably won't, like how he mentioned before he likes dwarves but in neither campaign anyone played on. (here's hoping for campaign 3 there's a dwarf.) One of the ideas I have laying around is a divine soul Sorcerer too, a Yuan-Ti who I'd plan to play as an odd kind of true neutral, without emotion. Someone who wants balance so needs good and evil to both remain around. I'd focus their spells on Necromancy and Divine mostly, black and white. Very much a Ying-Yang kind of character. Really hoping I'll get to play it sometimes, not sure how it will work out in practice.

[@obluestreakz8768]

mans is a rouge cleric sorcerer dwarf with a spear.. Kinda feels like hes aiming to be a jack of certain trades..

[@maggiefix249]

My character (lvl 6) is a human draconic sorcerer with 50 hp and 15 ac. She has crazy damage output because of the elemental adept feat and uses the shield spell on a regular basis. She basically is the 2nd best tank we have in our party and really good damage if we don't face fiends (unfortunatly the gm made a campaign where we need to fight those a lot so I can't use my greatest strenght, fire ball)

[@eainjones9509]

Alright Matt, let's see the quicken booming blade

[@nuclearpopsiclestand9245]

He also rocks one of the most versatile weapons in the game - the spear

[@IceMetalPunk]

Spoilers for episode 2 below: . . . . . ...not anymore 😂

[@jeremiahpointer1299]

Guiding Bolt is Holy Laser Beam!

[@wesdean9128]

I enjoyed the episode, and found all the characters refreshing and entertaining ... so far. That said, it's not really that unique of a build. I've seen it a handful of times with a few variations. It's a shame this is only gonna be a short run, because it'd be interesting to see where he takes the character through mid levels.

[@Bayseek]

Well, DnD is quite restricting in it's builds. Sure, your background can be whatever you want. But the possible combinations of race + class + subclass are not that numerous. Especically when you factor in that you often have a to min/max to be efficient.

[@montgomerymeredith4458]

I love your videos so much. My only problem is that *smack* noise you make before talking. Erks my brain. But fuck it the contents so worth it.

[@zeluqa]

I'm also interested in Dorian, pretty sure he's Genasi because he can speak Primordial but how did he got blindsense and tremorsense?

[@ronsorage78]

Happy to see him get a HDYWTDT.

[@Zseventyone]

@11:57 Aabria knows exactly what Matt is looking at.

[@nbeutler1134]

What is he looking at?

[@Zseventyone]

@@nbeutler1134 Man, I don't know, but she does. My guess? Spirit-like entities of some variety.

[@mohammadfaiq4221]

I love you ❤️

[@MonkeyDM]

[@japphan]

1:13 Papa? Why are you disowning me?

[@feitocomfruta]

Dariax fits the himbo archetype so well the more we know him. As I saw someone say, “a himbo is supposed to beefy, kind, and stupid. Strong of heart, dumb of ass.” Yup, that’s our boy.

[@MakakunaruLoco]

9:23 His char is Chaotic neutral.

[@BloodyBerry369]

Wow cool, you have a youTube channel, I'm a follower from instagram. xoxo from Brazil

[@MonkeyDM]

Hello and welcome!

[@blackFire860]

Considering the factors in Matt's character, I'd bet he took so inspiration from Divinity. As in literally. In Divinity: Original Sin Dwarves are portrayed as thieves and smugglers, and the choice of subclass could be a subtle nod.