The Rogue Tank - D&D: Optimized #35

[@jadude378]

1:00:18 WOAH 319 hit points sounded like way too much, I tried to figure out how that number was gotten and only got 219. the first level in rogue would give 8 hit points, the other ten levels in rogue would give (10*5) 50 hit points. the six levels in barbarian would give (6*7) 42 hit points. the twenty constitution would give (5*17) 85 hit points. Finally, the tough feat would give (2*17) 34 hit points. all added up is (8+50+42+85+34) = 219hp. Am I missing something? where did the extra 100hp come from?

[@Samuel_Kabel]

Considering a level 20 barb with 24(+7) con and tough would have 320 HP, I think it's safe to say you're right here.

[@DnDDeepDive]

What's 100 hp between friends? >.> great catch - I totally fat fingered that one! Pinning this and editing the spreadsheets/graphs (it changes the numbers, of course, but doesn't really change the overall result of - "this build is middle of the pack vs. other tank builds against direct attacks, and much better against dex save spells") :)

[@danielmennel4565]

@@Samuel_Kabel you're off by 5, that barbarian would have 325 HP. You get max hit at level 1 is where you're missing the 5.

[@Samuel_Kabel]

@@danielmennel4565 Your're right. I thought I included that in my quick maths, but must've lost it when adding it all up, whoops.

[@frieddbacon4052]

@@Samuel_Kabel You can actually get 345 HP if you are a hill dwarf

[@chiekohoki]

"To protect those who cannot protect themselves" don't think I didn't notice that Stormlight reference :P welcome back!

[@atjosvold]

These words are accepted

[@SeanBook001]

Y'all are my favorite

[@SeanBook001]

No mating!

[@shadowknightgladstay4856]

I love that as a rouge barbarian you can quietly rage or silently rage.

[@DesignatedHealer]

"Unarmored Defense: Might as well go naked." I smell merch incoming.

[@DnDDeepDive]

lol! Time to start looking for T-shirt makers...

[@JoschiChr]

@@DnDDeepDive Wouldn't you need a tattoo artist for that one?

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@JoschiChr ha ha!

[@gregfornero4794]

This is a shirt I'd wear!

[@alangalantin8614]

New idea: The Disadvantage master. The character who has the ability to annoy every single enemy. - Disadvantage - Condition - The Legendary STUN

[@tabulaaaa]

Im thinking mercy monk + warlock

[@yeahnaaa292]

I call that 'my ex-wife build'

[@alexandrudorries3307]

The Disadvantage Master: does everything at disadvantage You mean the berserker barbarian, right?

[@alangalantin8614]

@@alexandrudorries3307 Hahahaha, no. The focus is to cause disadvantage to the enemy, debuffs, stun, reduce move speed from the enemy, etc.

[@zeevorourke6876]

Tank via battlefield control, that's a pretty good way to build survivability

[@prostatus7190]

The critlander is back on the grind

[@matthewhironymous837]

I think something you forgot about swashbuckler, is its mobility ability pairs very nicely with ancestral guardian. Move in tag for your guardians, if an alley is there you get sneak, if not you still get sneak if they are solo monster; then you dash away. Then monster attacks your ally at disadvantage and giving ally resistance, and you don't take damage

[@TheRobversion1]

yup. i think swash would've been the better pick as well. increases your survival.

[@Enaluxeme]

The thing is that a multiclass character doesn't jump between being a rogue and being a barbarian. They are both a rogue and a barbarian. If anything, it makes more sense to mix the levels than to take every class all at once.

[@JSephH76]

I always love a good tank build. The only thing more badass than dealing a ton of damage is being able to shrug off a ton of damage. Cool guys don't look at explosions. Super cool guys CAUSE the explosions. And BADASS guys don't even notice they're IN the explosion. Another great video! Can't wait for the 10k celebration video!

[@okuni12Q]

For roleplay: rogues don't have to be seen only as "the thief." Rogues are the most skill based class of the martial classes. Going back into rogue can be seen as returning your focus onto honing your craft. In this case, your agility and prowess in making the killing blow. Looking at the phantom subclass the roleplay opportunities are just *chief kiss* so I feel I would be more inclined to go that route but maybe one of your ancestors was a powerful wizard. Think it could be fun to have a bickering fight between your mother's and father's side of the family. One was more martial and the other were casters.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Love it.

[@juriendejong5201]

Would love to play this but with rogue lvl 3 Phantom to gain the spirit murder guy. And then maybe to death cleric for speak with dead and spirit guardians.

[@grizzlednerd4521]

Conan spend a lot of his book career as a thief.

[@VestigialLung]

In defense of the conceptual side of alternating levels when you multiclass, for me it comes down to how you look at it. On the one hand, you could view it as X levels of class Y and Z levels of class (didn't think this through when I started at X) A. That does feel a bit odd if you're alternating. The other way to look at it is in planning out your build, you're essentially constructing a new "class" that consists of a mixture of abilities from the classes you selected, so a fighter 10 wizard 10 is really a fighter-wizard 20, and whatever order you gain those abilities in the process is just the natural progression your character goes through. I can't imagine in the in-game world, characters are sitting around talking about taking a 5th level of fighter before multiclassing into sorcerer; they're just a mage knight, spellsword, or some other term that would be associated with the skillset combining those classes would represent. This character's rogue barbarian mix could represent a scout, or it could be explained away as some synonym for rogue with the caveat of desperately needs anger management classes.

[@TheRobversion1]

x3000. your character in game doesn't know his a fighter 2, cleric 2, ranger 1. He doesn't know he's taking a ranger level next level up. All he know is he's improving his martial skills, training to be more at home in the wild or building a stronger connection to his god. his multiclass is basically his own personal take on his archetype. People should really stop pigeon-holing themselves into classes and think of themselves as unique archetypes. Each class just provides a suite of abilities you should be able to mix and match as you please as you build your own character. much like when people build their backstory and borrow from different concepts/ideas/fiction.

[@Tomrash]

This. It bugged me to no end how he went back and forth trying to explain his levels. This charakter is not Rogue 1, Barbarian X and devinately not just defined by what class he took last... he is a very angry stabby guy who can do some lockpicking. And whatever else he is depends on you. And while we are at the topic of rage: If you wanna play into both classes archetypes, your rage could even be calm anger, the charakter just staring others down and the enemy just knowing he is pissed without him having to scream and shout.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@Tomrash exactly. Rage can be anger contained within.

[@tomtomlinson2835]

Aaaand, Tuesday's are great again. Hi Colby, welcome back.

[@kingaquarius009]

Yo you really have that ASMR voice man. Its so calming!

[@grill170]

I have my own quite effective and strange version of this build. Basically you abuse the Ancestral Protectors by running away after you strike a creature. The build relies on running in, dealing damage and then running away. By not requiring a high AC you can boost strength and utilize reckless attack, without the downside of enemies attacking you at advantage. You start off with Custom Lineage and pick up the Mobile feat. This gives you a 40 ft movement speed and makes it so that creatures you make an attack against don't get attacks of opportunity against you. Your stats should prioritise strength followed by constitution. You start of in rogue for the dexterity saving throws proficiency. After that you take 5 levels in Ancestral Guardian Barbarian, this gives you extra attack and now 50 ft movement. After that you take the rest of your levels in Rogue. You wield two shortswords and use strength to attack with them. A typical turn would look like this: You run 25 feet towards your enemy, you strike them twice at advantage with reckless attack. You deal your sneak attack damage and your rage damage. If you want you can bonus action dash as a rogue to make your total movement this turn 100 ft or attack again with two weapon fighting. The enemy you attacked can't make an opportunity attack against you so you run away. You run either 75 ft or 25 ft away depending if you attacked with your bonus or used it to for example disengage from other enemies or even to hide. Now the enemy has disadvantage to attack any of your allies in range of it and even if they hit they would deal half damage. Neither can the enemy hit you with the advantage from your reckless attack. There is also great synergy between evasion and danger sense making you unbeatable at dexterity saving throws. I'm aware of the many situations in which this tactic fails, such as when against many fast creatures. But even when this tactic fails you're essentially still in a great position. If an enemy hits you you're still quite bulky and at higher levels you can uncanny dodge. This build also does great damage by doing guaranteed sneak attack and rage damage, with advantage on the attacks. All this while most often greatly reducing the threat of the most dangerous enemy on the board.

[@evilspongebob6233]

Your DM will hate you for this. They'll probably drop a boulder on your character

[@keeganmbg6999]

I made a build like this using a Longbow and then just utilizing steady aim to give myself Advantage from 80+ ft away. You rage on your first BA and just hope one attack hits and then keep on attacking the rest of the time. You lose out on most Barbarian features but it works pretty darn well overall.

[@DMKen]

Welcome back! Also, that is the whitest shirt I've ever seen.

[@DnDDeepDive]

ha ha - I got a new camera and apparently needed to tweak with the settings a bit more :P

[@binolombardi]

That white T is fresh. Im partial to crew necks myself though.

[@davidjohnson4657]

The screen was glowing.

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@davidjohnson4657 😂

[@cannastartover1720]

He looks like the guy to play Jesus in some pantomime performance. High praise.

[@tylerstahl4483]

“If you enjoy creating characters in dungeons and dragons almost as much as you enjoy playing the game, then welcome home.” sold

[@connerkeintz9171]

On the subject of AC versus being a Damage Sponge I've found it matters heavily on your DM. If you have a somewhat vengeful dm they can ensure that monsters have a high to hit modifier.

[@mikevreeland8889]

if you have a vengeful DM, find a different game

[@davey1852]

You're so close to hitting 10k subscribers! Keep up the good work Colby.

[@biscuitknight5609]

I love the background music! Great decision to include that. And thank you for the inspiration you're providing to now 10000 people!

[@MrNicster]

See you finally got around to this one. Excited to see which improvements I can bring to my build idea ^^

[@dragonhowto]

Very few people optimize the tank in creative ways and quantify their builds- I appreciate it!

[@tankdempsey1818]

The real best tank is in a 2 person party, have a gnome barbarian ride the medium sized party member and take mounted combatant so they can force the attacks to hit the Barbarian

[@yeahnaaa292]

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome! Master-Blaster!

[@TheCoverOfficer]

Seems like your reason to go back to Rogue is that you find out that those ancestral guardians included some rogues... That mage hand legerdemain is literally your ancestors picking a lock on your behalf.

[@kylesommers6243]

the purity of this immaculately white v neck I love the tank builds. Just started playing a redemption paladin and have been theory crafting day and night about to make him better and support my teammates who are less knowledgeable about the game. I like being able to help them shine.

[@Kusabiii]

Cool build, I love the idea of taking a class and building it in a very unconventional (but effective/interesting) way. Thanks critlander! 💪

[@AnoNYmous-bz2ef]

♪Guess who's back♪ ♪Back again♪ ♪Colby's back♪ ♪Tell a friend♪ ♪Guess who's back, guess who's back♪ ♪Guess who's back, guess who's back♪ ♪Guess who's back, guess who's back♪ ♪Guess who's back♪

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

🎵The man behind the mask🎵

[@theMrLife]

Truly, the part I like best about your videos is: "...welcome home."

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@caste.chronicles]

I just found out this channel and... WOW! This is a goldmine! Great content my dude! Amazing! +1 sub for lifetime

[@DnDDeepDive]

woo hoo! Thanks and welcome! :)

[@mikevreeland8889]

Different but somewhat similar, I've thought about a swashbuckler/battlemaster (5th lvl) as a sort of rescue tank (not the front-line tank). I love the combo thematically because swashies really should have reposte, and in this case it also means 4 extra sneak attacks per rest. So, Dueling with rapier and shield (with your studded leather). Once the dex hits 20, your AC is 19, and hopefully you'll improve that with magic armor and/or shield. Also, two attacks, so even if you don't have advantage you are still likely to hit at least once, triggering your sneak attack (combat-wise, the whole point of rogues). So, at the cost of two sneak attack die (because of the non-rogue levels) you gain a better AC (the shield), two attacks (and still have your bonus action), +2 damage, 4 ripostes (extra sneak attacks), and you are still thematically a swashie.

[@Bootsofwings]

Everytime you say welcome home, I feel warm, thank you for honestly just being a friend for us to come to when times are tough

[@DnDDeepDive]

This makes me happy! Thank you and you are welcome :)

[@TankaSaurus23]

Welcome back! Been looking forward to this one:).

[@9mmage529]

I just built a hexblade/bard tank, I’m super excited to see how much scarier your rogue is!

[@cmckee42]

I feel like it bares mentioning that after you have most of your rogue stuff, barbarian 7 is going to be way more useful than rogue 14. Advantage on initiative is good for any build.

[@TheRobversion1]

Agrred.

[@timothyhayes5175]

Great character arc potential, and a super fun build to play! I just found this channel a few weeks ago and I've been steadily going through the catalogue. This is the first one where I thought: "That's 100% my next character". Thanks for the excellent videos and analysis!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Awesome! Glad you're enjoying :)

[@Krookinator]

Exciting! Im ready to be fed more numbers of one of the worlds greatest games that ive never played :) cant rly explain why this excites me haha

[@DnDDeepDive]

Me either, but it totally does!!!

[@jeremynowak2800]

Are you saying you have never played D&D? I highly encourage you to get a group of friends together and dive in already. Now if you don't have friends in your area I recommend checking for games online. You could use roll20, fantasy grounds, shardtabletop, or whatever others are available. It kind of hurts my heart to hear about so many people that show interest in D&D but have never played. So, as a long time ttrpg vet I would love to welcome you to this wonderful hobby.

[@Krookinator]

@@jeremynowak2800 not even once unfortunetly, i rememver trying through roll20 once way back in the days when I first watched itmeJPs RollPlay series where so me gaming personalities played, but I remember it being very diffucult as the success of that series (and ofc CriticalRole) sent an influx of new players to the forums and it was just a mayham trying to connect with good people

[@jeremynowak2800]

@@Krookinator That's such a bummer. Hope that you haven't gotten too discouraged as it really is a great game. Maybe try discord if you can wade through the not so great groups to find one or more that really jibes with you. Or once the restrictions loosen up you could try to get in adventurer's league at your FLGS. Anyhow good luck on your future adventures!

[@leonardoellis5033]

Wouldn't a creature that targets one of your Mirror Images have disadvantage on the arrack roll if its affected by your Ancestral Protecrors? That would add additional tankiness to the build. Also if you pick the Sentinel Feat it would provide another chance to use your Sneak Attack out of your turn.

[@blairbrook1336]

Yes and yes

[@callummaciver7597]

It's nice to have the clarification on what calculation for "rounds to die" is being used. I had been wondering if it was Average(rounds taken to die) or Total Health/Average(damage per round)!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks for this feedback - hopefully I'm explaining myself a little more clearly here than I have thus far :)

[@MittenNinj4]

Loving the idea of a Ancestral Guardian Barb with Phantom Rogue, just so much cool flavor that really meshes well together.

[@ikelos_sg_v1.0.22]

Definitely sticking with your channel man, I'm loving these, especially this build, good bit of gritty min-maxing, keep up the good work Colby :)

[@DnDDeepDive]

Hey thanks! Glad you're enjoying :)

[@Nodjia]

Given the discussion on "tank calculation", it may be a lot of extra work, but for things like casting shield you could recalculate AC after depleted, so as round count gets higher the damage per round will likely increase so turns to die gets shorter. But... that is a lot of additional work. I love these videos, keep up the nice work and cool discussion.

[@L0stHumanity]

Thanks a lot for your content. Gonna have a session 0 for my rogue tomorrow, watching\listening all of your rogue videos for this class atm. Lots of inspired ideas, thanks again, good stuff

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying :)

[@jakobchaney6819]

Ok hear me out, Artificer (battle smith), wizard (bladesinger), bloodhunter (mutant) you can use intelligence for attacks AND AC with an increase to intelligence from your mutagens

[@MrDavidKord]

Making Intelligence in 5e into an overtuned stat 😂 I like it.

[@jakobchaney6819]

@@MrDavidKord gotta pump those numbers up, them is some rookie numbers 😂

[@eatme982]

Alchemy artificer feels more congruent with the mutant bloodhunter. Both thematically and gameplay-wise

[@RollInish]

@@eatme982 unfortunately it's such a crap Subclass that it murders the build.

[@JSephH76]

T-Shirt of blinding. Rare magic item. Requires attunement. While wearing this shirt you may use your bonus action to attempt to blind your enemies. When you do so your enemies must make a DC 17 constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the video. Love the build! 😁

[@DnDDeepDive]

😂

[@cultivatedjerk5574]

Welcome back, hope you’ve been catching up on your R&R! Are we really going to hit 10k already? And yes, I also voted for beholders.

[@DnDDeepDive]

so mean.

[@riccardoconti6682]

Me too 😈😈😈

[@mikebieser4175]

Regarding tables with over 3 encounters per long rest: I have played in one campaign where the DM had us fighting 5-8 encounters per long rest, during Tomb of Annihilation. The warlock and monk were great, the barbarian and paladin really suffered. These types of tables do exist, but they are pretty rare in my experience too.

[@headquarters447]

Finesse weapons allow you to chose to use strength or dex as the modifier. If you use a Rapier as a strength weapon you then get your damage bonus from Rage, you can use Reckless Attack, and since Sneak Attack only requires that the attack be made with a Finesse Weapon this attack qualifies. Up the tank factor by being a Wild Hunt Shifter so nothing can get advantage on attacking you within 30ft while shifted.

[@DnDDeepDive]

You could definitely do this. Unfortunately, you'd either seriously hurt your AC if you tried to maximize strength, or your damage if you tried to maximize Dex. I think the best of both worlds is to still max dex and use it for attacks, though we'd miss out on the 2 rage damage per attack.

[@grizzlednerd4521]

re swapping back and forward when multiclassing (34:09): You generally get your ASI's quicker when focusing on one class at a time, but if a multiclass as a synergy as a goal; then I drive pretty hard towards that...as it's why I'm playing that build. The decision can very much be driven by the table though. Does the DM like targeting squishies? Then going hard after Ancestral Protectors makes sense. If the DM often buffs enemy HPs to 'balance' encounters but enemies are dumb and attack what's closest (so you can taunt by positioning) then getting more rogue might make more sense. I think a hard-and-fast rule is a great way to reduce your flexibility to build your best charcter for the table. e.g. If the table's in a "one combat per SR and 2 SRs per LR" mode then 2 rage is probably OK for a while.

[@Veradun88]

The Return of the King!

[@CasparLapthorne]

Hey Colby. I just found your channel last week and I've been loving every video. I'm so glad to see you growing and if you want a mammoth challenge for 15k subs when it comes, I have an idea. Building on your team-up videos, it'd be awesome to see if you can make the ultimate party build. So 4 to 5 super optimized characters who are optimized for each others' skills. Then maybe running them through Tomb of Horrors or some other equally deadly module to see how they hold up. Just a thought but I understand it's a big task, so just keep up with the already great content either way

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks and welcome! Sounds like something I'll need to quit my job for :P

[@troylebaron6683]

I am SO glad I found this Chanel I will be watching for a while

[@DnDDeepDive]

Me too :). Welcome!

[@muskrat7444]

The preambles are my favorite part!!! Don't stop!

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@muskrat7444]

@@DnDDeepDive I noticed you have been doing a few tank builds using the Armorer Artificer. I have had an idead for a build since Tasha's came out and was wondering what an D&D: O version of it would look like. Here's the idea: I currently play a lv. 9 drunken master Tortle. He has a lots of movement and gets to disengage every time he uses flurry of blows. He has a 13 in intelligence so I was thinking that he would multiclass into artificer and eventually take armorer. His shell would become his arcane armor as Totrtle's have natural armor. My dm will still let me use unarmored defence but I wonder what RAW would mean. Anyways. I think it would be pretty cool zipping around with a pretty high AC while stunning enemies and forcing others to get disadvantage against your allies. Also, the infusion "Mind sharpener" would make it helpful to keep concentration for a few rounds of Haste. The build would be a bit MAD (we rolled for stats) but I think worth it. I know you have done quite a few armorer builds already so I don't expect this to pop up as a video but I though I would share for some inspiration. You're free to take that idea and run with it Colby. Awesome stuff so far, keep up the great content👍.

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@muskrat7444 Thanks - will put it on the list! :)

[@jameshicks1114]

Yay, he's back. Glad you had a good holiday.

[@ajmacewan7285]

Hey critlanders... WE'RE BAAACK! Good to have you back Colby and hope your vacation was great. Keep up the cross-typing builds! Loving the challenge they pose to optimization.

[@SleepyMistyMeow]

Why does the white shirt make the background look fake

[@OnigoroshiZero]

A Warforged with Composite Plating (attributes: 13, 14+2, 15+1, 10, 12, 8 with standard array and racial bonuses) plus shield. Composite Plating has a 13 base AC + DEX (up to +2) and another bonus to the base equal to Proficiency Bonus (+6 at lvl 17) for a total of 23 base AC without any other bonuses. Rogue Scout (9), Ranger - Hunter (7), Barbarian - Beast (4). This means a good damage bonus with Colossus Slayer from Hunter, a flat +1 to AC with Defense Fighting Style, an amazing +4 AC on enemies with multi attack (most of the enemies after level 5-6), and the bonus from Beast's tail with reaction (1d8) which will also look cool on a Warforged. As for the ASI, spend one for +2 DEX (18), and another for +1 STR (14) +1 CON (17), then get Resilient Feat for CON (18 plus save proficiency), and finally the Lucky Feat for those saves that you really don't want to fail or an attack you don't want to eat (Lucky is probably way better than maxing DEX here). That's a bonus from +5 to +12 to AC for at least some of the attacks each round, for a total AC 29 - 36 for multi attacks, yeah, some times NOTHING in the game will be able to hit you. Add the Lucky to that, plus all the advantages to saves with DEX at +11 and CON at +10 for the saves, and a total of 198 HP.

[@richardchisenhall387]

Another thought on that resist stacking with uncanny dodge, that would be an excellent into to an intimate check. If the big guy in the fight makes a big swing at the tank and you eat it at a quarter damage and shake it off that should at least be worth advantage on an intimidation check if not a better supplement

[@chacepassmore6474]

I haven't watched yet Colby, but I am so ready for it

[@mailman336]

Re: your earlier tank builds and spell damage - some small changes to the Artificer-Armorer tank make it competitive. Run a forest gnome to get the advantage on Int, Wis, and Cha spell saves and take Shield Master at 4th for the Dex saves. You can follow with Lucky later if you want. That greatly increases your tankiness to spells and you can afford to use the feat slots.

[@N20Joe]

For Arcane Trickster: Take *Mage Armor*! Base AC becomes 13 then add you Con and Dex, and you can still use a shield. Plus it does not require concentration and you can cast it 8 hours before, so it's still on while you're raging.

[@benhauser730]

You can't use unarmored defense and mage armor. If you have two competing AC calculations you only get to choose one, not combine the two.

[@venxfortesque]

These guides are really amazing and really fun to play. I'm playing your version of the Swashbuckler and I'm loving it! Thanks a lot and keep up the good work bro! I'd double check the links in description; I don't know if it's me, but the Social Links don't work properly.

[@timuking5762]

Welcome back brother, we missed you too!

[@chrisframe2227]

If you haven’t done the beholder fight yet...use a character with devils sight or the blind fighting and access to the darkness spell. Cast darkness on yourself. Beholders can negate the darkness with their anti magic eye, BUT if they choose to do so they cannot target you with their eye rays since the anti magic would prevent them. If they don’t negate the darkness, then they cannot see you which means that they cannot target you with their eye rays.

[@richardchisenhall387]

This makes me want to look into homebrewing a barbarian with dex based attacks that's mostly involved in defending with some powerful precision strikes

[@thundyrcat]

This is a super interesting build. I never would have thought roguish barbarian...kinda like it...

[@BDTS101]

Rules as Written, (as you like to use to be able to hit the most tables), sneak attack requires a finesse weapn, but does not say it requires you to be using dex, and rage bonus damage only requires you to be using your strength on a weapon attack. Even with a lower strength, you may still be better off attacking with strength to benefit from both sneak attack and rage, and maybe ever reckless attack to give yourself advantage each turn. Nothing against anything you said here, just informing these numbers could be even higher for damage output.

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

That's what Ive been making. If only natural weapons were finesse because the beast Barbarians claws would be perfect

[@TheRobversion1]

Wow it feels like it's been so long. Hope you had a good long break. :) Good discussion on what the tank is supposed to do. Personally i call taunts as threat redirection. I'd take perception and stealth to start. i doubt thieves tools are that relevant at level 1. The tables i've seen and the tables i play in generally have 3-4 combats per day with 1 short rest + 1 catnap if someone picked it up. I'm glad you went with threat redirection by going ancestral guardians. Now this is a tank! Only ways i'd do this differently is i'd stop rogue levels after 5 then either get more ancestral guardian levels or pick a 3rd multiclass like a clockwork soul for bastion of law for more ways to protect allies without using your reaction or battlemaster for action surge and more maneuvers to help you redirect threat. I'd also pick swashbuckler over AT to help you increase your own survival (fancy footwork works very well with battlemaster menacing attack).

[@archetypebuilds9929]

Hey Colby! Long time watcher, first time commenter! I have been playing around with a duo build, with a Shepard Druid and a Conquest Paladin. The idea is to summon as many little minions as possible and use aura's/crusaders mantle to buff them as much as can be done. Is there a better way to do this "Recruiter and Quartermaster" style of play? Would love to see a short or even a full video on the subject!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Will put it on the list! Also, you might enjoy next week's video, though the theme is quite different, the idea is similar :)

[@KatanaKamisama]

I would actually just leave the str score at 13. Using point buy, it costs 2 points to go from 13 to 14, so you could raise any other ability score by 2 points between range of 8-13. I'd rather have +1 to wisdom or int/cha saves than +1 to athletics and weapon attacks I'm not using.

[@chrisperry4014]

I think Colby forgot that finesse means you can pick str or dex when you attack, meaning barbarian/rogue multiclass works exceptionally well if you go full strength. You won’t be as agile and your ac won’t be as high either, but you can still go full body stats and dump int, wis, and cha. Not to mention the medium armor proficiencies.

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

It's definitely more thematic.

[@josephgladney4136]

This is a generic comment for the boostings of your KZbin janks. I really like your lectures. They are easily the best format. I really like how you don’t have “fake energy” concerning your passion for this nerd stuff. Thanks again. Optimized is what this channel is.

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@williamking7800]

I think Colby is basically saying in this video that Arcane Trickster is strongest rogue subclass just because Find Familiar is THAT broken.

[@v1talsign393]

He's back!

[@caster-]

Your videos are always awesome!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thank you!

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

I don't know, think I'd be more happy with the lower ac and higher damage. High ac means less peeps target you.

[@billygnosis8820]

Here's a good time: monk/cleric (arcana domain). mobille buffing/debuffing machine with some blasting capabilities. Patient Defense and Deflect Missiles helps mitigate attacks that might force a Concentration roll. You can even snag Mind Sliver to help debuff saves for Stunning Blow. Additionally, there's optional Focused Aim if you really need to make a ranged spell attack connect

[@jackmcgeehan328]

I'm already playing this character, but I'm mainly going Barbarian since we already had a rogue! Currently a Level 6 barbarian but the next level is when I start the multiclass for swashbuckler.

[@jackmcgeehan328]

I also took tiefling as the race, aiming for infernal constitution eventually

[@CardboardLord]

Yayyyyy he's back!

[@nomeperiltubo]

Found the channel "all right, seems to be ok to listen while I work, let's give it a try..." smooth buttery voice comes in "Ok, I'm in"

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha ha - yay! Welcome!

[@elric58]

Crown of Madness doesn't work like many people think, and you seem to be making the same error. The charmed humanoid needs to use its action to make the melee attack BEFORE it moves. If there isn't an ally of the humanoid in melee range, it either attacks one of the party (if in melee range) or just acts normally (move, run, stand still, whatever). If they never get near an ally of theirs, they never attack one of them.

[@andreyrojasmadrigal6940]

Theorycraft is such a delight! Wonder if you've done a monk tank build, stunning strike seems to be a great CC tool in order to keep allies safe

[@DnDDeepDive]

Not yet (unless you count the Anti-Mage) but have it on the list!

[@neilbosher4350]

Welcome back looking forward to this one for tomorrow morning. Sorry to see you getting some grief from another KZbin channel.

[@TheMikeLyons]

For what it's worth, in the first few levels your STR bonus is only one point less than your DEX bonus so you COULD make STR attacks if you really want the Reckless Attack at the cost of the d6 for sneak attack. Numerically, it's two points less damage per round (+2 for Rage instead of +3 for Sneak Attack and -1 from using STR instead of DEX) but your hit chance actually goes up a little thanks to the Advantage. And yes, if you COULD stack the advantage from Reckless with the rules for Sneak Attack it would be SO sweet. Alas and alack. (edited to fix my math)

i like this, my only complaint would be that it takes a bit long time to come online. I mean, seeing as most campaigns dont make it past lvl 10, but as a theorycraft i like it, and it sprobably possible to make modifications

[@TheRobversion1]

Yeah. i think most tables end by tier 2. our table ends mid-tier 3 so when i theorycraft my builds i make sure it's done by level 10.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Yep - could always take Rogue after Barb 3 if you wanted to get more sneak, uncanny dodge, evasion, etc sooner.

[@antoniczarnecki9455]

Oh, I'd love playing this one! I'd dress him up as a scaredy-cat, who avoids most troubles with sheer luck and a host of his ancestors keeping watch over him. The last scion of a dead noble house, that was culled to the ground in a single night. As a sole survivor, a child with unprocessed trauma and unable to make a living, they became an urchin and learned the ways of a rogue. So far so clishe, but that's good. Here's a twist, as the very last member, the familiy's patron deity/friendly silver dragon/a blessing passed down makes the ghosts of his dead family cling to them and help them in any way they can, so that the house may be restored. Spirits are, of course, visible to everyone when they act. Including the Rougebarian, absolutley terrified and in denial that this is even happening, seeing the faces of his long dead relatives. The helping host of spirits is first encountered when they happen to save the rogue or his ally (on their 4th lvl). Roguebarian, going into every fight scared for his life and too terrified to even bother with being hurt, just points to his allies when they are about to get hurt and goes "No, [name]! Oh... you're ok? Good, good...". Should anyone ask him about the ghosts, the Roguebarian, certain it's just hallucination, will likely ask them something else or pretend they didn't hear the question - after all, this is just in their poor, tired head. Party, obviously caught on, could just "What about the dragon's den? -We'll just send Rougebarian, they can probably slip by.", camera zoom to a hunched silthuette, clutching a cup of hot coffe spiked with anti-stress meds, blissfully unaware of how exploitable their condition is. Oh, curse the exam season, I'd be already looking for a party to try this out with.

[@beckerscantbechoosers6768]

I think my favorite part of the video so far has been getting medium armor proficiency twice at 15:40 xD

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha ha... I noticed that little editing fubar but I didn't want to give Mr. Rogers a hard time about it - he was up late last night with this one :P

[@beckerscantbechoosers6768]

@@DnDDeepDive Well he did a great job! :) I just find little stuff like that humanizing and funny.

[@MrRogersReviews]

ah crap! haha. *chugs energy drink in shame.

[@HBStone]

I think when WotC says "6-8 encounters" they're including things like: party makes survival checks as they bear cold weather, and athletics or acrobatics to avoid shaky ground. Roleplay around that for a little while. Encounter over. So they don't necessarily need to fight anything, but "an encounter" means there's a chance to use up resources (spells that boost ability checks, creation of food or water after days in the desert, removing poisons or curses or exhaustion levels, etc.).

[@TheRobversion1]

correct. it could include environmental encounters such as a chase throughout the city or social encounters such as currying favor from a person of authority at a dinner. moreover, the DMG specifies that some of these encounters are supposed to be "easy" wherein they won't have to spend resources or just spend very little. so in reality, the way most tables play # of combats (1-4 combats) is more realistic as most DMs wont waste time throwing trash combats. even if we stick to the 6-8 combat thing, if we subtract 2 easy combats which DMs will rarely run, you'll end up with 4-6 combats and in that you still have a couple of medium combat, a couple of hard and then a couple of deadly. if you substitute social/environmental encounters then you'd probably subtract those 2 medium combats and/or 2 hard combats. so yeah the pcs are meant to use their abilities and spell slots instead of having combats where you're too concerned about conserving resources and playing with cantrips and normal attacks for multiple combats.

[@Wiseblood2012]

Just my two cents, you can use barbarian rage and strength to make a sneak attack. The requirement states that you must make an attack with a finesse weapon. If the weapon has the finesse property it is a finesse weapon. Thusly you could rage and use reckless attack and strength modifiers when sneak attacking provided you use a weapon that has the finesse property. Done and done

[@peebleshamster5189]

I chose sentinel as my feat replacing tough. This allowed me to hit a target, then dash towards a squishy caster and hit someone charging the caster, stopping them in their tracks and dealing sneak damage.

[@DnDDeepDive]

A great option!

[@binolombardi]

I like the build. I’d probably stick to 14 dexterity, prioritize strength, and go soul knife for my subclass of rogue. The psi die wouldn’t interfere with rage or reckless attack. The psi resources aren’t expended if they fail. Psi bolstered knack easily makes up for slightly lower dexterity for skills, and can be used for any checks when needed. Psi whisper is a great way to communicate while your being sneaky alone(like you know you shouldn’t be) and your a barbarian so you might actually let be until reinforcements arrive. Homing strikes is like precision attack for the battlemaster, except if it still fails you keep that resource. Great to use to ensure your barbarian tank feature actually lands. Psychic teleportation is basically a variable misty step, but you can use it while raging since it’s not actually a spell. All psychic blades make use of the rage damage bonus, so the damage would be pretty effective. The blades can be grown 60ft with dex or str, and there’s no range limitation on the ancestral barbarian tank feature.

[@tuaa33]

Didn’t get supriced this time but loved your rogue pick. Nice level balance between the classes. A bit less utility than the beast barb druid but more tankiness. Loving the beast barb druid build, my new favourite build

[@DnDDeepDive]

You called it exactly on the Poll thread. I was like... "crap! Spoiler warning!"

[@theblindbuildergrandminuti5648]

Great at its role and gets to enjoy all pillars of play. A+

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@Byrenious]

So danger sense doesn't say you get advantage if you can see it coming. It's if you can see the effect. Important distinction because you probably didn't see that trap coming but you can certainly see the big bang after which is the effect

[@snapshotdm]

This needs a revisit with 15:26 motm shifter wild hunt form.

[@raymondsandalphonrahon6124]

I have also the same cha concept but I started level 1 barb vhuman (+1 on dex and con) with dex resilient. S 13, d 14, co 15, i 10, w 8, cha 12 in standard array. Becomes 13,16,16,10,8,12. The reason why he started as a barb is because of their clan tradition, then the reason why he became rogue is that he is considered the weakest of the clan, even children can lift heavier than him so he became rogue. The build is barb 1/ swashbuckler rogue x, it would be a bummer to missed out slippery mind. With ASI's at level 5, 9, 11, 13, 17, 20 2 +2 dex first then 2 +2 con then Tough then i think slasher (str) would be good as a capstone to round up the stat. At level 20, there would be 4(s,d,co,w) saving throw proficiency with also having advantage on dex and have ac of 20 and hp of 242. Two attacks per round using bonus action and action with short swords. And an initiative mod of 6 plus advantage. You can also get a sneak attack when doing solo.

[@bonzwah1]

I actually feel that bouncing back and forth between two classes is the MORE organic storytelling way of doing it. That way, both classes are a part of your character the whole way through. It's much more jarring, imo, to have to manufacture a crisis of faith to describe a class switch, rather than having a coherent identity the whole way through. Unfortunately, extra attack encourages you to sprint to level 5 in a martial class before branching off, rather than simultaneous progression, so it's much more MECHANICALLY satisfying to stick with one class for a run of levels before going back

[@Mithrandork]

I'm actually playing this build! I'm a level 7 character now and have been playing for a bit over a year now but I took variant human for Tough at level 1 but otherwise very similar

[@blairbrook1336]

I took mobile at first. And played it like a swashbuckler. Then the DM is like I’m gonna attack the rogue I’m like ok. Around 100 damage 0.0 I got crit My table was silent. I just half the damage twice and I took like 25-27 damage. DM was mad.

[@evilspongebob6233]

@@blairbrook1336 rip DM

[@evilspongebob6233]

@@blairbrook1336 rip DM

[@blairbrook1336]

@@evilspongebob6233 yeah I took sentinel as well so when I’m not on the hit run tactics I’ll front line with the others and if he does not attack me I’ll just sneak attack twice a round till he does then I half the damage again 0.0

[@hansolo9686]

Is it some sort of a Variant rule to be able to change the plus 2 Str to a plus 2 Dex on Mountain Dwarf?

[@alangalantin8614]

Welcome back!

[@IanLCar]

Soooo awesome seeing rogues get some love! Potential idea here for next tank build? Hill Dwarf Monk w/ Dwarven Fortitude feat (+ optional Periapt of Wound Closure, if *uncommon* magic items are allowed). The dodge + healing as a bonus action and potential damage mitigation via stunning strike every turn seems too good to pass up. If you're not too ASI-starved, (and let's face it-- monks are MAD as it is--,) you could take Tavern Brawler as well to auto-succeed a grapple check after a stunning strike, drag the target away from your squishies using your super monk speed and disable them for 2+ turns, because A. they're already stunned, and B. they'd need to spend another turn just to break your grapple! Might even be *optimized* as a single-class? Wouldn't that be something? No idea what subclass would be strongest here, though Long Death, Open Hand and Kensei seem like the tankiest options... Would loooove to see your take on this class/race/feat combination!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Will put it on the list!

[@biscuitknight5609]

Thanks for the answer! :D

[@justinwolf3311]

College of creation bard and any artificer, maybe armorer. Specifically in a campaign where gold = Exp Bard creates item, artificer infuses item, bard uses charm person, make friends or a high persuasion roll to sell the item at max price or higher. You can use alter self, disguise self or alter memory to keep from getting caught. While strictly useful outside of making money and thus leveling up, it might work well in a less combat heavy campaign where bribes are common