The Melee Fey Wanderer Ranger - D&D: Optimized #53

[@Wicked_Ways09]

I’m not sure why, but every time you say “welcome home” I feel so wanted and appreciated and I can’t thank you enough for that.

[@zerix8073]

I feel the exact same way.

[@DnDDeepDive]

This makes me so happy, and it's why I say it :)

[@timscott7151]

It's part of what drew me in as well. A calm welcoming place with awesome builds.

[@dwightweiers830]

Ditto.

[@fredslipknot9]

@@DnDDeepDive you have a very soothing voice :)

[@gmkgoat]

I love the idea of a Fey Wanderer who accidentally bungled into their subclass and it just completely done with Fey nonsense. They wake up every morning and have to pick a dozen daisies out of their hair and swat at pixies flitting around them like giant gnats.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Lol

[@jamesmullen3068]

Tolkien is responsible for assembling the combination of archetypes that we now consider high fantasy, as well as breathing life into this concept of the ranger. The rangers were descendents of the Numenoreans, a lost civilization of supermen who patrolled the borderlands to defend them from orcs and worse. The name "ranger" was originally intended as derogatory by indoor folks blissfully ignorant of their true peril. The Numenoreans adopted it with pride. Thanks Colby, I am glad we finally got our Shileilegh build.

[@azidal3755]

We really can't forget the Rangers of Ithelien.

[@jamesmullen3068]

@@azidal3755 you mean Faramir's crew? Were they referred to as rangers? I did forget that.

[@srchellis]

Always thought rangers came from military units that were fighting at "range" hence a ranger... But as for ranger the concept was used back in holy crusades of England, like Robin hood myths. not sure if that's before or after numerions you mention

[@azidal3755]

@@jamesmullen3068 Yes they were referred to as rangers though I can't remember if it was retroactively said in the appendices of Return of the King or during the main story. Either way it wouldn't surprise me to know they adopted the name due to Aragorn's clan's use of it.

[@azidal3755]

@@srchellis That probably is the origin of the word but the way they are depicted in fantasy seems to have been heavily influenced by Tolkien's works. In then Rangers are more skirmishers who use many varied tactics to deal with enemies, usually in isolated wilderness areas, keeping more civilized areas safe.

[@Synetik]

For a second, when you said you would choose something other than custom origin, I thought you would say variant human. lol

[@DnDDeepDive]

ha ha

[@pdubb9754]

The Underdark doesn't have to own Circle of Spores. Mushrooms are very fey. So much so that a common mushroom growth pattern is referred to as a fairy ring. Plus, haven't you ever seen pixies using mushrooms as umbrellas? Or heard of hallucinogenic mushrooms?

[@ATierney85]

But Undeath isn't exactly a Fey characteristic

[@danielc1977]

I’m playing a Fey Wanderer/College of Eloquence build and let’s just say, it’s super op outside of combat. Adding wisdom to charisma skills and college of eloquence you can’t roll below a 9 on social checks. At 3/3 split and depending on your stats, youd have +16 persuasion as the highest you can peak depending on your charisma/wis. And it only gets bigger.

[@robmongar7933]

I'm playing a Fey Wanderer (with 16 Wis+ 16 Cha) so I've got +8 on each at 4th level. I'm planning on taking a 1 level rogue dip and then going to Battlemaster to take Commanding presence. At level 9 I'm going to looking at +14 to persuasion + a d8!

[@jameshernandez4112]

I'm thinking of dipping redemption pali on my elo bard for similar reasons

[@srchellis]

I just recommended that build ur saying last video

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

3 levels in eloquence bard. 3 levels in fey wanderer ranger. 3 levels in battlemaster fighter with Commanding Presence and Tactical Assessment as your maneuvers. 3 levels in inquisitive rogue. Can't be lied to, can't miss clues, can't fail a charisma check, and you're pretty good at perception. Plus with sneak attack, hunters mark, and dreadful strikes you're rolling a minimum of 5 damage dice on one attack each turn. All you need to start is a 13 in Dex, Wis, and Cha. If you absolutely have to leave dex as low as 13 one level in hexblade warlock makes your rapier attacks rely in Cha. Take any of the classes to 4 for any feats or ASI you need and then dump the rest into bard for higher spell caster levels and more expertise.

[@predwin1998]

@@robmongar7933 You could also take another 2 levels in Rogue (Soulknife) to get Psi-bolstered Knack and add psionic dice to your checks as well. This could either replace Commanding Presence or stack on top of it; your choice.

[@richardb2942]

I've been running my rendition of this build in a campaign for about a year now and it's a blast, specifically last night. Thanks Coby.

[@commodoreblood]

That picture was amazing. As always, great build. In regards to Goodberry on a downed ally, we had an Aarakocra druid that constantly cast GB and handed them out at the end of the day. He got downed and no one else in the party was around to heal him, so my character popped the berry in his own mouth, chewed it up, and baby-birded into the druid's mouth. The DM ruled it worked, but only because of the description.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Gross and awesome!

[@BLynn]

Level 1(see above) [ranger 1 & race] Level 2:(see above) [ranger 2 & fighting-style] Level 3:(@17:24) [ranger 3 & sub-class] Level 4:(@21:45) [ranger 4 & ASI] Level 5:(@22:59) [ranger 5] Level 6:(@26:59) [ranger 6] Level 7:(see above) [ranger 7] Level 8:(@34:06) [ranger 8 & ASI] Level 9:(@36:32) [ranger 9] Level 10:(see above) [ranger 10] Level 11:(@44:43) [ranger 11] Level 12:(@48:03) [druid 1] Level 13:(@51:42) [ranger 12 & ASI] Level 14:(see above) [druid 2 & sub-class] Level 15:(@1:03:59) [druid 3] Level 16:(@1:04:10) [druid 4 & ASI] Level 17:(@1:05:14) [druid 5]

[@briegroncal1551]

If you aren’t happy with the synergies of spore Druid, then I’d recommend going circle of the land (grassland) for the spell list and some spells on a short rest. The spell list also includes haste, so you can attack and cast a spell like summon fey! Also, a leonin from a grassland isn’t a stretch in the slightest

[@Xynth25]

Dying to see where you take this one. I'm a Ranger player at heart, finally been getting some love for the class recently. This subclass fit a concept I had three years ago, and I can't wait to see what you go with.

[@brandonolar3217]

You and me both. People shit on rangers but I played a horizon walker at 11th level, had a +2 bow, that common magic eye thing on a necklace that another party member wore, and sharp shooter. I was dishing out around 80 damage a round from 600 ft. Camouflage and pass Without Trace made me undetectable. Misty step and the teleports between attacks made me untouchable. Shit was broken.

[@cory849]

@@brandonolar3217 everything to do with sharpshooter being too good. You need to work really hard to make an archer with sharpshooter that doesn't destroy.

[@brandonolar3217]

@@cory849 oh yeah no doubt. that's the only thing keeping rangers in the game. They're supposed to be to druids what paladins are to clerics and they just fall way short of that without it. But hey with haste, that's 4 sharpshots at +19 dmg per arrow. Palies rely on dice, rangers rely on dpr. I call that balance.

[@Xynth25]

@@brandonolar3217 Honestly, it's really an issue of how classes are looked at. Most players I've met evaluate them purely on the damage they do, when Ranger was clearly designed to be hell on wheels at the Exploration pillar of the game. It's really an issue of DMs and Players collectively changing the style of game they play as compared to what WotC is designing for. Also, Ranger has some really good summons and has always had okay crowd control abilities that can help group damage as a whole. Again, it's a perception problem with players looking at personal damage when evaluating classes and builds. Will never argue that Ranger is the least effective martial class in a martial sense, but it has its strengths that often get overlooked.

[@samircancel1802]

Always nice to see a Ranger build since they're often overlooked in favor of their Fighter and Druid counterparts.

[@TheRobversion1]

i'd say druids are more often overlooked than rangers. rangers are quite popular in optimization circles (in particular gloomstalkers). druids on the other hand, aside from moon druid, don't get as much mentions... especially with people shying away from druid due to the armor thing.

[@101tac101]

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate the approach taken in this video and other recent ones to focus on a theme such as Fey for both the feel of the character and the abilities they posses! Super useful as a way to get ideas for characters using some of the features and traits you highlight in your builds. Appreciate the work you're putting into these episodes and looking forward to seeing more of them!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks!

[@taejaskudva2543]

Your, "You guys! Hi! *chuckle* Welcome to..." sounded so earnest and pleasantly surprised, it almost felt like being in person. I haven't reacted that way to a video before. Maybe it was my day today. I know it was just the intro, not for me particularly, but thank you.

[@DesperoVitae]

I played a Fey Wanderer a few months ago in a Dead in Thay game. I played a Bugbear that kept insisting he was a handsome prince transformed into a beast by the fey. I went two weapon fighting, but this build is fantastic.

[@usagi-sama8595]

He's like the Bob Ross of DMs, painting happy little Treants. Fey wanderer isn't my first choice but throw some warlock into the mix and you've built a ranged fear monster.

[@jots083]

I was thinking about this build the other day. With MotM, there's another very good non-custom lineage race for a melee Fey Wanderer - the Eladrin elf. I think it may even beat out the Leonin. The "Autumn" Eladrin elf gets to attempt to charm 2 enemies within 10 feet FOR ONE MINUTE when the FW arrives after using misty step AND they get free casts of misty step proficiency bonus times per long rest. You could also go Winter for a chance to fear monster when you depart with misty step FOR ONE MINUTE. I think having the chance to charm and/or fear 2 targets by arriving with misty step versus 1 by departing when you're a melee focus build is the stronger play though. Either of these are an improvement over leonin though as it's roar only lasts until end of turn. Once you hit level 7 with autumn, you can misty step into the thick of combat, potentially protect yourself from 1-2 sources of attack, and assuming one fails, attempt to fear a key mob on the battlefield ALL WITHOUT USING A SPELL SLOT. You also get to do this MORE as you level up where leonin is always stuck at 1 per short rest. Also, by having solid tactical choices for the first 1-2 rounds of combat, it may make casting hunters mark unnecessary in many smaller engagements Also, this will be adventurer's league legal assuming MotM is added next season

[@leonardoellis5033]

Psilofyr, also known as the Carrion King, is an Archfey and ruler of the Myconid race. His philosophy is basically renewal through decomposition and would fit perfectly for this character. Also imagine myconid-style fey, spore-infected beast summons amd charm and fear effects refluffed as spores.

[@Onorel]

I don't know if you're going to read this, but I was blown away by your nova burst bladesigner build, and now I'm blown away by this one too. Great job! I'm a bit of a min-maxer myself and I'm making my way slowly through your videos, and man, I wanna play a lot of them! I even convinced a friend to try the cheese grater for a one-shot. That was hilarious.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Awesome - thanks! :)

[@chickenmanphil]

I think another good race to mention is Eladrin elf, can also afflict fear and charm (although maybe a bit less efficient) and is super flavorful!

[@lordcoyote2000]

I agree with the Druid multi-class and resilient constitution. I would go with the Circle of Stars instead of Circle of Spores.

[@Ouch193]

Quick question: what exactly does Stars (a ranged/healing focused druid) give to a melee build thats better than the damage rider that Spores gives you?

[@PuppetSoul]

@@Ouch193 Dragon form makes you unlikely to fail a concentration save unless you're incapacitated, and is actually legitimately useful because it's a bonus action: first turn is Summon Fey and Dragon Form, second turn is Shillelagh and attack. 8 temp hp form, at lvl14, that takes your action to set up, on a melee character, is egregious white box optimization and actually makes a build worse if used in reality. No DM is going to let you do a DBZ training arc in the corner of the room before every fight.

[@bigbabycraig3850]

Very cool build! I am playing in D&D Celebration this next weekend and am going to make a Fairy version of this. Thank you for the continued Inspiration!

[@abderrick00]

Wheel of Time reference!! Matrim Cauthon is my favorite! Thanks for that , made me smile big. For anyone that is a fantasy buff Wheel of Time series from Robert Jordan is incredible. Eye of the World is the first book. Love your channel and your content. It makes we think and that makes me a better player and DM.

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@arvarion5151]

Love that build! Here is my version of a melee Ranger: for the race go variant human or custom lineage and pick polearm master. 1st lvl Nature Cleric, grab Shillelagh as a free cantrip, heavy armor prof. and all the good stuff of a Cleric (Guidance and other spells). Next up 3 lvls of Ranger for Swarmkeeper, take dueling fighting style, favored foe and deft explorer. Now you're a pretty good melee char with heavy armor at a low level (4). Hit the ememy, let yourself be pulled back by the swarm and use the reaction for an opportunity attack from polearm master when they follow you. From here on you could go up to lvl 5 in Ranger for extra attack and 2nd lvl Ranger spells or go for Cleric lvl5 and get spirit guardians which you could upcast at this point for crazy good damage to those enemies near you (good in melee as well). In higher levels you should then definitely pick up extra attack if you haven't already and at lvl8 in Cleric you can get Divine or Blessed Strikes to beef up that melee hits. Also Dampen Elements from the nature Cleric lvl6 is pretty nice. At lvl5 Ranger and lvl8 Cleric you can go wild, get flight at Ranger lvl7 and boost your swarm at Ranger lvl11 or go all the way to Cleric lvl15 for those lvl 8 spells. Druid levels are an option here, but at the cost of heavy armor. I know the whole fey theme and control aspect is missing here, but I just love the Spwarmkeeper flavor and the versitility from Cleric. I'm playing this chracter in a campaign and I love him :))

[@peterlochmaier5887]

Very clever with the leonin roar and 7th level ability! I feel like you could totally build the character’s flavor off of the leonins roar. Such as every time you summon fey or animals your character would roar as a call to summons. A call of the wild character

[@jbw065]

Love the Mat Cauthon reference Colby. Such a great series of books.

[@syrupchugger421]

Neat build and wonderful flavor. Really shows how lackluster rangers are in general but still sounds like a fun fey build. Thanks again!

[@thebitterfig9903]

Fun build. The Fey Wanderer of my imagination is a Dwarf Soldier, grim until one night of guard duty under the full moon. When the rest of his companions wake up the next morning, he’s gone. But shortly thereafter, he wanders back, having spent a month wandering the Feywilds alone, in those few hours that everyone else slept. His beard is streaked with green, his crossbow and axe are now a bow and scimitar, his plain armor now ornate with carvings of vines, and he’s full of joy and awe. He’d never considered before how majestic the mountains of the Feywilds would be. There’s such storytelling potential in the subclass. Two thoughts on some of the optional choices in the build: for the second cantrip from Druidic Warrior, Magic Stone would have a lot of value. The build is all-in on Wisdom rather than Strength or Dexterity, so neither Ranged nor Thrown weapons will work that well for you. Having a good ranged backup would be a lot of utility. If the wizard locks all the melee baddies in Web, being able to plink them good with some Magic Stones is really useful, and someone else probably has Guidance. I’m not sure if it’d work with Extra Attack or Dreadful Strikes, but there’s a case for it when there wouldn’t be for Produce Flame. If the DM agrees, that becomes a really solid backup when you need to attack at range, without giving up on much which is core to the build. Second, for the level 8 half feat, Resilient (Wisdom) seems worth considering. Upping Wisdom saves is going to be handy in general, and there’s potential Beguiling Twist interaction. Many effects an enemy might use to charm or fear you will have Wisdom saves, so this might lead to a bit more control. Might not be super common, but the saving throw proficiency should be fairly handy overall.

[@meeplfuse2682]

Never seen this guy’s videos till today but I have never subscribed faster. Partially because the video was actually informative and interesting, but mostly because this guy’s read Wheel of Time. Tai’shar Manetheren

[@rachelespiritu4215]

So happy to see this video! I'm really glad you found ways to improve on the fear/charm effects the Fey Wanderer already has. I really was partial to my High Elf with Elven Accuracy, but seeing the Leonin in action is really inspiring. I also like the idea of going to Druid 2 earlier in the character progression to get Wild Companion sooner, but of course it comes at the price of pushing Fey Reinforcements back to level 13.

[@Murray5867]

Awesome! I have been enjoying your videos since I found your channel! I just became a member! Keep up the great work Colby! I think it would be awesome to see a video of your process when coming up with a character!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks Shawn! I *do* get into the process a little bit in the Q&A video that Torrey did a few months ago... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKa5YaKCes6tZ8k

[@johncostello4565]

Starting Fighter adds a lot, including Con save prof and the ability to take a (Menacing Attack) Maneuver as a fighting style.

[@danielbeshers1689]

Genuinely feel like Cleric (Nature) is a better option than any Druid choice. You still get to take Shillelagh, you get more versatility in spells, and instead of having to figure out if you can wear metal armor or not, you get to wear heavy armor instead if it suits you to do so. The Tasha's option to use your Channel Divinity to regain a spell slot will definitely help you keeping your summons available, and being able to Charm animals and plants actually isn't terrible with Beguiling Twist available. Your damage will be lower, but the option for heavy armor can lead to getting hit less, which means fewer Concentration saves (and therefore fewer failures), which makes your damage more reliable, which for sustained damage is a good thing! If you lean into the Cleric a little harder and get to Cleric 8, you would actually be able to hit pretty hard, and Spirit Guardians/Spirit Shroud will scale better against 3 or more targets than a summoned Fae or Beast, which plays to your strengths with the multiple target aspect of Dreadful Strikes.

[@wacpas]

Exactly my thoughts as well (though Trickster Cleric would work great with the theme as well...). Glad I've checked the comments first before posting :P

[@TheRobversion1]

agreed with nature cleric over druid though personally i'd rather he went fighter for action surge to solve all of that setup clog.

[@DnDDeepDive]

I did take a hard look at Cleric options tbh. I didn't really love any, since I was looking for damage, but Nature was at the top of my "if I go Cleric" list :)

[@danielbeshers1689]

@@DnDDeepDive I wonder if a high tier 2 sustained damage/debuff+control build that is naturally already modestly tanky can be reworked into a strong tank/control build with high and versatile damage.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@danielbeshers1689 i think this is asking for too much. it's like you're saying lets ask for everything. high dmg, control and tanking all in 1. there will be sacrifices and it will be hard to achieve if not impossible especially at lower tiers. as colby said, he had to make sacrifices dmg wise to achieve more control. if you want to make them into a tank too (which is redundant if you have control. both are dmg mitigation archetypes) control or dmg will have to be sacrificed so the high dmg you want will just keep getting lower. what's you'll end up with is a jack of all trades, master of none character. if your party mates are in any way at all optimized, you will feel inefficient and underperforming as a dedicated striker will outdmg you. a dedicated controller will be more efficient at controlling. a dedicated tank... well will join you in sucking (as tanking is one of the more suboptimal archetypes).

[@M3MY5ELFI]

As a DM I had a Dwarven culture in one of my games that had an order of Druids that could use metal armor but they gave up the Druidic language. They worshipped the Elements of Nature which included earth and it seamed strange not to benefit from the gifts that the Earth element could offer.

[@timscott7151]

20k!! 20k!! 20k!! 20k subs let's go!!! Keep up the momentum d4 network!! Best of luck growing in your 2nd year!

[@christopherboylan9793]

Showed up for the squad, liked for the content, commented for the algorithm :D Keep it up d4 - great team doing great work.

[@Xynth25]

Knew you were going PAM with Shillelagh pretty early. Love how heavily you went into a melee Wisdom caster, there. Personally I would still go with Archery and Sharpshooter because that's my vibe, but it was great seeing your take. As for the druid subclass...Spores feels so wrong, there. Swarmkeeper/Spore Druid would be something interesting to play around with if you're going that route, a character inspired by Taylor Hebert from Worm, but for this build I would have gone Wildfire still. Imagine it as summoning a Kitsune spirit, get your third summon going. Clashes with the bonus action attack from Polearm Master but it's an option that thematically fits better.

[@DnDDeepDive]

My biggest issue was that Wildfire Spirit takes an action to summon - maybe if I just kind of ignored my own attacks for the most part, not taking PAM etc. I could see justifying it in some situations, but it was just too many actions to summon creatures for me.

[@Xynth25]

@@DnDDeepDive Totally get that, don't really have the best choice to go with. I think it's better for stretching your resources across multiple fights than packing it all into one. I could feel your pain going Spores lol. Might have been best off just picking your favorite type of Land druid.

[@MyynMyyn]

I didn't know I wanted to build Worm characters in 5e until now. I've been too busy with Pact characters until now^^ Wildbow writes so much great inspiration!

[@TheRobversion1]

nice concept colby! been looking for a shillelagh build i could get ideas from. great art from randall as well. goodberry's value is the ability to rest trick it on non-combat days and thus get healing without using your spell slots. as for shillelagh, you don't need to cast it in combat. just keep casting it while walking around. then just negotiate with your DM the duration it has left once combat starts. i would suggest picking up fighter 2 for action surge to solve your action economy problem after you pick up the level 11 ability. i did a fey wanderer burst skirmisher build as well as a variation of my booming blade one-shot builds. sharing it here too. level 10 theorycraft as usual: 4 rune knight, 4 fey wanderer, 2 grave cleric custom lineage: magic initiate (half-high elf is fine too) asi: great weapon master, slasher (greatsword) fighting style: superior technique (precision attack), great weapon runes: fire, cloud tactics: bonus action: zephyr strike move towards bbeg action: path to the grave action surge: booming blade move away familiar: help (for next turn) reaction: cloud rune upon hit activate gwm (precision attack if you roll low), fire rune, dreadful strikes. it was so fun to play with zephyr strike. anyway keep up the good work.

[@sadfawefsd]

Really excited to listen. Been toying with a ranger quarterstaff build using that druidic warrior for quite a bit!

[@wacpas]

It also works quite well with the Tashas Beast Master as all you need is Wisdom...

[@Nazinsky]

You're awesome, dude! I mostly just play Cleric, I used your guide awhile ago for help with my Death Domain Cleric. I'm excited to branch out though!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks!

[@alexbookbinder3634]

I’ve been looking forward to this build forever!

[@gnawedwick]

i absolutely loved this build, such a fluid, mid range DPR character with massive flavor and control abilities. i really love what you did with the leonin. as well as given me new reason to play my favorite, yet often underpowered ranger class, again. this subclass i hadnt thought much about at all, and now i kinda cant wait to play it!

[@gnawedwick]

you asked for a subclass with possible synergy bonuses better than the druid... cleric, so you get to keep using your wisdom bonus for spells, and such, but domain of order. (i redub it domain of choas. but really chaos and order are fey either way) lvl 1, heavy armor and proficiency w intimidate or persuasion(no pesky druid metal aversion, higher ac) voice of authority lvl 1 cast any 1st lvl spell upon an ally(or summoned creature) that creature can use a reaction to make one weapon attack(ranged or melee not specified) against a creature you can see. we can assume adjacent for melee or anywhere for a ranged attack. lvl 2 orders demand(channel divinity ability) 30 ft radius charm. lasts until the end of your next turn or damage. vs each creature of your choice(doesnt target allies)within 30 ft. also. you can force them to drop what ever they are holding.... lvl 6 embodiment of law 1 time per wisdom modifier per long rest, when you cast a lvl 1 enchantment spell or higher the enchantment spell becomes a bonus action.

[@gnawedwick]

i really liked how you made excellent use of the leonin! and wondered if the dragonborn could do something similar. maybe a faerie dragon-born fey wanderer... lol! leonins fear is a 10ft radius fear that lasts until the end of your turn once per short/long rest dragonborn get a feat for dragon fear + 1 str, con, or char. 30ft radius, creatures you choose( excluding your allies) vs wisdom save. charisma based. (dragonborn breath weapons are con based, but the feat says charisma...) but the fear lasts for 1 minute. instead of breaking on dmg. they get a chance to save when they take dmg. dragon breath is now(fizbans) once per PB times per long rest, so a few more uses spread out.

[@brennennestvogel3983]

To answer the question, Tolkien was certainly not the first to use the word Ranger; it was a Middle English word used around the 1590s to denote a gamekeeper/warden or a rover/wanderer and around the 1660s to denote a person, often mounted who polices an area. Tolkien likely picked up the word and brought it back into modern parlance because he had a bit of a fondness for it.

[@marcel7077]

The etymology dictionary even dates the word to the 14th century as a gamekeeper/ sworn officer of a forest to "protect and walk through" (the meaning of "to range"). Tolkien obviously found the right profession for Aragorn.

[@DunsmoreFamily]

I tend to think that skirmisher was the more common name for this type of warrior, before Tolkien brought the word back into common usage.

[@myrrhbear]

Divine Providence, serendipity, and synchronicity!!! About an hour and a half ago I was talking with my mother on the phone, and in chatting about creative writing and specificity/creativity with language I mentioned how about twenty years ago I was in a class where the teacher asked me for an alternative phrase specifically for completing two tasks with one action instead of saying "kill two birds with one stone" since that has violent/callous tones, and what I came up with was "giving birth to twins". :) "Befriend two birds with one bird feeder" is really good : ) I just think it's awesome that I "just happen to" mention something that came up decades ago... and a little later that same day I hear this!

[@z_movie_dan]

Thanks for the suggestion for this for the face sir. Do like it. Adding wisdom to charisma type stuff is great. Had a bit of fey wanderer in my bog witch character for it. Really does help adding it in. Even better when also intelligence with flash of genius.

[@SuperEagle112]

These videos are great on their own merits but now that all of the OneDnD play test materials are out they only enhance the dynamic. Thank you!!!

[@iskiebae]

The only person ever to defeat Artur Hawkwing....was a farmer with a quarterstaff

[@AssafStone]

Almost - it was Jearom, the greatest warder to ever live, not Artur Hawkwing that was defeated by nobody but a farmer with a quarterstaff.

[@Christofascist_Hup]

SPOILERS

[@AssafStone]

@@Christofascist_Hup no, not really.

[@McSpuds]

Well played sir.

[@TRosati26]

I’m sure you know, but the title card at the top of the episode on this is from the previous episode (Bladesinger nova). Excellent video, though!! As always!

[@bencorbett8605]

This is honestly one of my favorite builds you have done...going through the videos i was getting tired of just custom lineage or variant human. This is definitely a nice change in pace and hope to see more that are of non standard races like you did with the kobold drakewarden Edit: ignore me...i am noticing more of your recent videos are like this. Keep up the good work and keep using different races.

[@khilorn]

I'd love to see a Dragon Fear Feat feat combined with Fey Wanderer. So much more targets to fear + with fizbans more uses per long rest + we could roar as a replacement of an attack.

[@honorablevalor6337]

Great build this week! I do enjoy that I've enjoyed every book reference you've ever made in a video. You've got a good eye for fantasy authors. We need a reading list! I'd love to see if you've found some books I haven't yet.

[@DnDDeepDive]

d4 bookclub!? First up: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch :)

[@honorablevalor6337]

@@DnDDeepDive next Audible credit accounted for. 😋

[@patricks9704]

The only thing separating this from asmr is that damn flute in the background. Thanks for this, been playing a fey wanderer lately and its been fun. My dm is allowing me to use primal savagery with extra attack instead of having to take shillelagh

[@tristanmitchell1242]

As far as I know, Tolkien was the first to use Ranger in a high-fantasy setting (mostly because Tolkien was THE high fantasy setting and basically defined the genre until Sword&Sorcery became more popular), but the term existed before that. Rangers were basically the scout corps in medieval levie-armies, made from hunters and general woodsmen from the local villages. A lot of them were skilled in bowmanship, yes, but were mainly about tracking, local herbs and edibles, and wildlife. If you want to know where the wolves are denning, where to cross the river, or where to gather berries, ask the local Ranger. Technically, Aragorn was trained in a bow, though he was also trained in horsemanship, swordmanship, a bit of magic, and so on. He was like a Rogue that, instead of picking up a lot of skills, picked up class features.

[@landremon]

This week is actually my favorite. Proceed to says this each week. I know the feeling

[@Inogat]

I'm really happy! I wanted to make a Fey Wanderer dual Wielding character and wanted a Leonin but wasn't sure it was good enough. It wasn't even on my list anymore so I was trying to make a Harengon or Bugbear or Thri-Kreen work but the fantasy just isn't the same. The Leonin choice made my day basically also maybe I'll be able to get some sleep since I won't be trying to come up with solutions while in bed. Thanks a ton!

[@LoudAngryJerk]

I recently started one of these. Carries a flute that he uses the sheleighly spell on to make it function as a quarterstaff. Multi-class into genie warlock and rogue. He is 18/18/17 for wisdom/charisma/and dex, at fifth level, he has a +18 to all charisma skills because of expertise. Oh, and he's a changeling who uses the friends spell. So I can cast it, quickly leave the room, change my form and they're none the wiser. So plus 18 at advantage, I can pretty much convince anybody of anything

[@batly1122]

Forgot to change the Bladesinger words on intro 😋

[@DnDDeepDive]

Dang it! There's always something :P

[@janprochazka6600]

I really enjoyed this episode, as I also love Fey Wanderer Ranger. My own idea was a bit different. I went for an wood elf using two scimitars and later changing to double-bladed scimitars with Reverent Blades feat. As multiclass, I went for Warlock instead with Undead patron (I know, it is weird, but I picture it as a dark faerie or Winter Queen styled patron, which is mechanicaly an undead). I focus on Dex and Wisdom, from warlock, I chose rather utility spells so I am not hindered by not having maxed up charisma. The main combo I saw in this multiclass is utilizing Form of Dread, Pact of Blade and blade invocations. I did not have chance to try this character in play (forever DM here), but I think this could make pretty decent character.

[@Inogat]

wait so NOW you're dual wielding, this is such an emotional rollercoaster for me >< 52:32

[@Inogat]

misunderstood, you're duelling, my bad, less traumatizing but still >< Also not a fan of multiclassing but I see your point.

[@T-Mo]

Thanks for the shout out to The Prince of the Ravens. ♥ Mat & ♥ Nynaeve ... aaaaaaaand now on with the rest of your video 😊

[@Crestlinger2]

*Reads subclass flavour text. Oi Ranma! Got another Spring for you!

[@Paul-nn9oj]

Eladrin Race for 8str 13dex 12con 8int 15+2wis & 15+1cha Autumn: Immediately after Fey Step, 2 creatures you can see within 10 feet of you must Wisdom save or be charmed Strixhaven Silverquill Background for Persuasion & intimidation, 2 languages, 2 cantrips & a 1st level spell 'SANCTUARY' (or silvery barbs or maybe animal friendship) Deft Explorer Expertise in Persuasion +2 more languages Druidic Warrior= Guidance & shilelagh to reliably add dreadful strikes + favored foe Otherworldly Glamour adds your wisdom mod to charisma checks lvl 4 SHADOW TOUCHED +1 wis=18now invisibility+cause fear(coz not all can be charmed) or Telepathic +1wis detect thoughts (& telepathy helps to persuade charmed targets without alerting its allies) lvl 7 Beguiling Twist so if anyone saves, use your reaction to fear/charm another (affects non-humanoids, unlike charm person) lvl 8 ASI +2 WIS=20now lvl 11 Cast Summon Fey spell concentration free (u been using it since 9th lvl for Myrthful fey) Your both flitting about charming 3 people per round with just your bonus fey-steps (under sanctuary or invisible effect) & persuading the (now friendly) charmed to fight for you. In DMG chapter 8: Social Checks: it says 20 is the DC to convince a friendly creature to risk itself on your behalf. You are rolling expert persuasion & adding +5 Wisdom from 'otherworldly glamour' minimum roll is a 17, even a roll of 4 would persuade them to fight for you (Add +1d4 'Guidance' to that check, if u got the free time) Add 3 levels of Fighter Battlemaster for superior technique for 5 superiority dice for menacing attack Round 1 Extra Attack to hit & fear 2 targets, Action Surge to hit & fear 2 more and bonus fey step charm 2 more + your reaction to Beguiling Twist & turn a save (on a one turn fear effect) in to a one minute fear or charm

[@bruteflorist]

You could make your summon beast terrestrial form be that of a feral human child for a gnarly Calvin and Hobbs vibe.

[@collinkelch7764]

Shileilegh, the much overlooked SAD melee option. My tomelock took Shileilegh and Green Flame Blade as a melee option in case the DM threw rushers at us. After rolling iniative four times last session I can say Shileilegh with GFB cleared Mobs like a champ.

[@Cerruci]

Excelent video as always! PS: You used the #52 lettering in the first seconds ;)

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! Editing fail!

[@a99barnsey]

I have started ruling in my games that you can feed a goodberry to someone once combat ends, but not during combat. RAW you can only eat them yourself, but i've seen a lot of games where it's allowed (even in combat).

[@Verendus0]

Where does RAW say you can only eat them yourself? "Up to ten berries appear in your hand and are infused with magic for the Duration. A creature can use its action to eat one berry."

[@a99barnsey]

@@Verendus0 Spells do what they say they do. The spell says a creature can eat it with their action. It doesn't say anything about feeding them to someone. Hence, doing so is not allowed by the RAW.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@a99barnsey agreed but maybe what he was clarifying is only you as the caster can eat it? to be clear, RAW as long as a creature spends an action to eat it themselves, they can benefit from it. so you can pass the goodberries around to your allies and they can use it when they need to.

[@Verendus0]

@@a99barnsey yeah, I thought you were saying only the caster could eat them, my bad.

[@jacobreichert6239]

Maybe not numbers wise but thematicly dreams druids are said to draw power from the feywild so that could be a very appropriate choice

[@MonStarGuy]

50:01 Eberron Campaign setting has ironwood armor. There's also Dragon scale mail armor. These could be discussion points to bring up with your DM if they are willing to houserule. I could also see bone or chiton breast plate or half plate armor. I'd consider these options at my own table, because it sounds cool, and could offer a story beat (i.e. if you want dragon scale mail armor made, you're going to have to slay a dragon and bring back its hide).

[@quendi5557]

I thought about maybe taking circle of the land when it comes to druid since that gives you the ability to get more spell slots overall even if it's just for summon beast.

[@vincentkeith5259]

Cody - you could have also picked the Eladrin in Winter, which causes fear after a fey step, which they get PB times per day. Although the Leonin can target more than two. The Eladrin is already Fey, so you could use that feat for something else. (like resilient constitution). A note on Druidic Warrior choices - Magic Stone would give you a ranged attack that pretty effective with a very high WIS (as you so aptly pointed out in your Swarmkeeper Sling build). It also works nicely against skeletons if you just use plane rocks - although I'd still use the magic stone. I've also never had a problem getting a DM to up the range on Sling to at least 60' and usually 100' - considering the effective range (damage wise) probably exceeds 100m - although your accuracy is going to suck - but as an army tactic it worked quite well - a hail of stones from the sky. Much cheaper than bows, less maintenance, weight, space, you name it. I am curious - it seems Silvery Barbs is on the list for Fey Touched - are you avoiding it because it's just stupidly OP?

[@Blobby3822]

Speaking of the druids from the Circle of the Shepherd, their 6th level feature says that when you summon feys or beasts, the damages made with their natural attacks are considered magic for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to non magical attacks and damages. There's no point in providing this feature if it's the general rule. So I'm afraid you're going to have to find a nice magical short sword for your adorable fey. Anyway, good job as always.

[@TheRobversion1]

agreed. the force dmg will punch through though unresisted.

[@Blobby3822]

@@TheRobversion1 That's true. Force damage is very reliable.

[@PatRiot-le7rd]

If you want a dip or multiclass to get Shileilegh and more spell slots, but you don't want to deal with the debate over Druids wearing metal armor, Nature Domain Cleric can resolve this. Taking this build to FeyWander 12/Nature Cleric 8, you would still get all your ASIs, and you would cap off with Divine Strike for added DPR. Hat tip to the Flutes Loot blog for pointing out the Nature Cleric as a solution to avoid the Druid related armor problem.

[@mornethompson3850]

I think the Leonin fear plus beguiling twist combination was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thank you!

[@Fangoros]

Pretty cool sponsor actually. Gonna check it out

[@connormcconnell7805]

My table changes shillelagh a tiny bit making the quarterstaff still versatile where the one hand is 1d8 and the two hand is 1d10 just an interesting small thing that can change a build a lot

[@taejaskudva2543]

Your, "You guys! Hi! *chuckle* How's it going? Welcome to..." sounded so earnest and pleasantly surprised, it almost felt like being in person. I haven't reacted that way to a video before. Maybe it was my day today. I know it was just the intro, not for me particularly, but thank you.

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@deadpoolrwbyfan8419]

I feel like the easiest way to tie Fey Wanderer ranger and Spores Druid together would be you learned your magic from hags. They’re Fey beings that love darkness, death, decay, etc. and when combat begins they generally use their claws and powerful physical abilities if they can’t rely on spells to get them out of there. Plus bumping around so many different charm/fear effects, it feels like a twisted character to play.

[@BunnyWitchcraft]

Wild. Melee Fey Ranger was the build I've been sitting on for my next game. They're reflavored with Vampire stuff.

[@bluesman2050]

So, so happy that you did this build. I have been looking forward to this build for a long time. I was excited that you used Druidic Warrior instead of a strength build. I think I would mullticlass into Nature Cleric in order to bump my spell levels, get shillelagh, and hold on to my armor, but that is just taste. Spore Druid is certainly symbiotic. (Groan…)

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha!

[@androlgenhald476]

Love the Wheel of Time reference. I built the Prince of the Ravens for a one-shot as a hexblade/battle master with a glaive (ashandarai). Lucky and polearm master feats at lvl 11. He jumped into a kraken and shredded it from the inside.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha ha! Awesome!

[@lucaconnor6943]

Hey guys, I am aware I'm a little late to this one but I was hoping to get some guidance. Looking to make a Fae Wanderer with the pre requesites being that he must be a changling and use a rapier. I am aware that this is not ideal but can anyone offer advice on how to best optimise this (Make the best of a bad situation kinda thing). Thanks!

[@AtaraxianWist]

Colby. You're not enamored by the fey. You're charmed. You failed your saving throw. Granted, so did I, willingly.

[@BLynn]

So I am @1:00:15 in & you asked about justification for Circle of Spores, my thought is at some point the PC collects the Shadowed Touched feat after the Fey Touched feat & that their connection to the Feywyld is revealed to be part of the Unseelie Court (a.k.a Winter Court) which is ruled by the Queen of Air & Darkness (which is why I say add Shadow Touched). As a result, it is all those who have been exiled from the Seelie Court or those who were never considered one of the "Shining Ones", so death & undeath are available as elements under their control.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Like it!

[@beckerscantbechoosers6768]

This video has given me the kick in the pants to finally finish my Max Persuasion Fey Wanderer build. They can fight, but you don't NEED to be good at fighting when not even a good could reject your offers o.o

[@sanguiniusthegreatangel6834]

Love the Matt Cauthon reference. My favorite character from Wheel of Time.

[@RalphusAdolphus2]

I'm not sure if you included it in your damage calculation but when you described the damage the Summoned Fey's shortsword does, you did not mention that 1d6 of the damage is force damage on top of the 1d6 + 3 + spell's level piercing damage. The force damage would overcome the non-magical resistance for sure and would obviously boost the overall damage they do in that case.

[@DnDDeepDive]

I just mentioned it as being 2d6 +x. But yes, *if* the DM says their damage isn't magical *and* you can't equip them with a magical short sword *and* the creature you're fighting is resistant to non magical BPS damage, then it'd be a help for sure.

[@RalphusAdolphus2]

@@DnDDeepDive Yeah, I guess that's a lot of "ifs".

[@rhotonj1]

I put together a character with a similar on dnd beyond after seeing this video...but I eschewed the druid portion altogether. I figured I'd get more mileage, as well as flavor points, by going with a Order Domain Cleric and Leonin. Always having a method to spread charm or fear just felt...good. Add in how clunky Spore Druids feel, and the ability to dole out extra attacks for your teammates made it feel like a true support/CC build instead of a one-trick pony. Again, this is a support idea instead of damage, but Divine Strike plus Dreadful Strikes feels really good as a burst each round. It also feels a little safer to wander into combat in heavy armor, and although you end up slowed by the armor...you still end up with 30 movement. There's two different ways you can go with this build as well: 8 Ranger/12 Cleric vs 12 Ranger/8 Cleric. It really depends on whether you'd rather have an 8th level spell slot or a d6 Dreadful Strikes.

[@TheRobversion1]

i think you're misunderstanding what's burst and what's sustained. what you mentioned is more for sustained dmg than burst. burst is about maximizing your dmg, accuracy and actions all on one round, using resources as needed, to possibly takeout or help takeout the biggest threat on the board. 1d8 and 1d4 isn't burst. that won;t take out anything without any multipliers or even significantly dent any bbeg at those level ranges.

[@3veraj]

I love the Fey Wanderer so much! It's one of my favorite subclasses in the entire game. However, I don't feel it leans far enough into the chaotic nature of the Feywild. It's a bit disappointing to me that it seems like a huge missed opportunity to retool Wild Magic for another class. Not like they haven't done it before, just look at the Wild Magic Barbarian. I need like optional features or some kind of build that allows them to synergize a bit.

[@Rom2814SK]

Right there with you on the fey. I've been playing D&D since 1981 and usually DM, but I'm playing a Warlock/Oath of the Ancients paladin in a campaign now and just loving the flavor of it. (Started as a paladin sword to Queen Mab, discovered I was stolen as an infant and replaced with a changeling, then switched allegiance to the Summer Court as a Warlock). The Fey are just fascinating and a font of storytelling/RP. (Speaking of which - have you read the Dresden Files?)

[@DnDDeepDive]

I have! Well, not all of them... I think I burned out at around book 5 or 6? Really enjoyed them for awhile there though...

[@Rom2814SK]

@@DnDDeepDive They really pick up around book 9 and the Fey stuff gets amazing.

[@Mr_Kyle_]

Super fun build, I love the flavor and abilities! I'm seeing young adult Simba as the character living his hakuna matata life (ticked into by Scar if course, that tricksie evil fey uncle of his) summoning a wrathful Timone (as fey) and Pumba (as beast) charging in. 😂

[@kevinmorris150]

For Druid subclass, why not Circle of the Land? A little bit of spell slot recovery and access to just a small spattering of additional spells could be fairly nice.

[@ryadinstormblessed8308]

12:34 hell yes, Matty C! Destroyer of swordsmen's egos, slayer of Couladin and he who defeated the Gholam!

[@williamtaylor6886]

Fun build. I too wonder about the Flavor with Spores Druid. Also wonder if Nature Cleric might be a good way to get Shillelagh and spell progression while avoiding the metal armor debate.

[@TheRobversion1]

yup. nature cleric is a good way to do this. getting ranger 2 is also another way if you're ok to give up 1 spell slot progression level for expertise.

[@batsbunny3494]

ah yes.. that's the stuff for my evening. Thanks a lot!! :)) side note for us monk lovers. Hope to see a long death monk tank someday. keep up the awesome work!!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks and on the list!

[@iSeeNarwhalz]

I remember reading this subclass when it got released thinking it would be incredible melee, I love what you did with it :0) I'm not sure if you take suggestions here but I'd love to see you make an Illusion/trickster character! It probably wouldn't be very number and damage heavy like your videos typically are but I think it could be such an interesting character style to build especially with some of the things the higher levels in the wizard illusion school lets you do! Love what you do though thanks again for this video :0)

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! On the list :)

[@FinalTroop]

I really like this build. It feels like an alternative to playing a pact character. Its also flavorful with how deceptive fey are to turn into a harmless animal and suddenly enemies are getting their face beat in.

[@jbowers56]

Thought: since Shillelagh is only a cantrip it's actually quite reasonable to think that in a situation where you might be expecting a fight that you would try and keep it up as you are exploring/travelling. Perhaps you could roll a d10 to randomise exactly how long you have left on it when combat starts?

[@DnDDeepDive]

I'd allow it!

[@TheRobversion1]

this is how he do it at my table as well. same with magic stone, guidance, etc.

[@pumpkineater2519]

Honestly love these videos man

[@crownlexicon5225]

Dreams seems like a pretty thematic choice for your druid circle. Not as powerful for DPR but it's thematic and you get some good features. Stars will make sure you (almost) never lose concentration on your spells with the dragon constellation. It's also a bonus action use instead of action.

[@DnDAnalysis]

I hadn't thought of the repeated uses of beguiling twist (when they eventually make their save at the end of their turn, just use it again). Are we sure it works that way? I could see an argument that only the initial save against charmed or frightened triggers beguiling twist, and that saving to end the effect is different. Thoughts?

[@DnDDeepDive]

Obviously your DM may rule differently, but so far as I can tell, there's nothing that would indicate that we couldn't continue to use the ability on a different target if the one we've used it on fails their save. That said, I think once a creature has saved out of beguiling twist, they can't be affected by it again, so like, if there are two enemies you can't just bounce it back and forth between the two of them, but as long as there are enemies out there who you haven't used it on yet, I think they're fair game.

[@DnDAnalysis]

@@DnDDeepDive Interesring take. I don't actually see anything in the description that prevents bouncing the charm/fear back and forth between the same enemies. There is no "once a creature makes the save or ends the effect they are immune for 24 hours" like there is for a dragon's frightful presence. To be fair, I think that rider only comes up in monster stat blocks, not class features or spells, but I may be missing some examples of exactly that. Overall I think beguiling twist is amazing and one of the main reasons to play fey Wanderer. The part of the language I was referring to was "when a creature . . . succeeds on a saving throw AGAINST being charmed or frightened." I am wondering if that applies to someone already charmed or frightened. Is ending an ongoing effect mechanically the same as preventing the effect in the first place? As with all things that are somewhat unclear as written, whatever table ruling people can agree on is the way to go. I just enjoy finding these gray areas and exploring them.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@DnDAnalysis your right. there's nothing in the description. you can bounce it back and forth as long as someone saves. succeeding on the save is what's important regardless of whether you failed initially and saved subsequently or saved on the 1st try.