The Starry Twilight Healer - D&D: Optimized #49

[@DnDDeepDive]

Something I failed to discuss: Metal Armor and Druids! I know not every table has a strict prohibition, but I'm sure many will (and many players will restrict themselves in the interest of RP besides), add to that the fact that we don't have the STR to wear Heavy Armor without a move penalty, and I think most of us probably end up with Hide or Studded Leather and a lower AC!

[@ReverendGreg]

@@skymanta1222 Spiked armor is a rare type of medium armor made by dwarves.

[@varietasVeritas]

Enchanted dragon scale mail. No metal and no disadvantage!

[@yurirobin]

Or you can just pick Tortle as your race and get that 19 armor class with a shield.

[@coltonbench2549]

I made this character for the new campaign I'm playing in, its that exact reason I swapped from druid and went twilight cleric/spirit bard instead

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@yurirobin Definitely an option. Would set us back a bit on our Wisdom progression, but might be worth it.

[@Tusitala1967]

On the Dungeon Dudes' vid regarding the perfect party composition, I suggested a party consisting of a Gloom Stalker Ranger, Shadow Monk, Twilight Cleric, and Starry or Moon Druid; kind of a Conclave of Night. So I approve of this theme. :-)

[@rorybeckstrom9602]

Can definately get some of those weapon fist spells going like caduces and bo crom critical roll with this type of combo plus pretty much all of them benefit from shadow or dim light so things will get dark ;)

[@MrDavidKord]

Sounds like they belong in Curse of Strahd :)

[@trevorgreenough6141]

I suggested a similar party composition. It's nice to find someone like minded 👍

[@chacepassmore6474]

I'd say shadow sorcerer or Hexblade warlock (their power also comes from the shadow fell) before I'd say shadow monk. Otherwise, heck yeah

[@Tusitala1967]

@@chacepassmore6474 I prefer the alternate perspectives represented in the first list to the "common source of power" theme. Both are cool though; in different ways.

[@BLynn]

Level 1:(see above) [cleric 1, sub-class & race] Level 2:(see above) [cleric 2] Level 3:(@29:26) [cleric 3] Level 4:(@30:52) [cleric 4 & ASI] Level 5:(@31:05) [cleric 5] Level 6:(@34:59) [cleric 6] Level 7:(see above) [druid 1] Level 8:(@42:08) [druid 2 & sub-class] Level 9:(@48:54) [druid 3] Level 10:(see above) [druid 4 & ASI] Level 11:(@54:18) [druid 5] Level 12:(@54:58) [druid 6] Level 13:(@56:12) [druid 7] Level 14:(see above) [druid 8 & ASI] Level 15:(@58:40) [druid 9] Level 16:(@1:01:18) [druid 10] Level 17:(@1:02:50) [druid 11]

[@Plantomancer]

Ty B

[@SuperGrizz91]

What background do we choose..

[@BLynn]

@@SuperGrizz91 Colby always includes the background with the 1st level if it is necessary or if it fits the story he is building around the concept for, but if he doesn't mention it, it means PYF (Pick Your Favorite).

[@SuperGrizz91]

@@BLynn thanks for the speedy reply I'm planning on using this build in a campaign I'm joining here soon I went ahead and used faction agent for the extra languages and skill (from a previous build by Colby)

[@crunchydragontreats6692]

@@BLynn I know this is an older post, but I hope you can respond. What am I missing here? In the lvl 9 report, Colby says the character has lvl 5 spell slots. How?

[@pharaun159]

Just recently found your videos. I have to say this in regards to "op" builds. I got into table top dnd for my son. He was having trouble with grasping the "reality" of his situations and making educated decisions. Dnd, ironically helped with this. I was able to build stories for him that forced him to take in his surroundings and make decisions. After getting killed by traps over and over, he started thinking about those things. After getting frustrated by boss fights being "too hard" he began to start using tactics. So its been good for him... All that being said, builds like this are great for getting new players started, or helping to keep new players "alive" so they can have fun. This is also a great "npc" follower to help small party sessions..... So, this is my scattered way of saying thanks!

[@TheRobversion1]

this is very fresh take on optimization. i applaud this POV.

[@Kurse_of_Kall]

@@TheRobversion1 This is exactly what I am doing for my nephews/nieces that I'm playing with (they're all elementary-school age). My character is optimized like crazy... to tank and support and keep everyone else alive so that they can have fun no matter what "bad" choices they make (in terms of optimizing their own characters and gameplay).

[@greyingproductions]

This preamble is his slow descent into being the BBEG of real life D&D.

[@DnDDeepDive]

ROFL

[@GrompEconomics]

I feel that supports are really appealing at least to me, is that I am someone that my friends label me as a person that ONLY plays crazy optimized builds. I love your builds, but I’d never use them out of the fact that my group wouldn’t let me. BUT a support build is a lot more “under the radar” to optimized detection ha. Great videos, seriously :)

[@ryansprenkle6356]

@@Anton_Jermakoŭ I don't actually see it that way. I think a lot of the time is just a difference in philosophy causing contention. I have found there's typically 2 core groups of players. Either you develop a build around a concept or a concept around a build. I think min-maxing tends to get a bad rap because if you aren't explicitly building for power it feels like the min-maxer is either 1. intentionally not letting anyone else shine or 2. that you are actively forced to build for optimaztion over flavor/what fits the character or you won't be able to compete. And then as a min-max it can feel hypocritical when someone ends up with a powerful build, even if it was just because they thought it was cool or they just accidentally fumbled into a powerful combo. I don't think either way is wrong, I just think if everyone at the table didn't approach their build from the same axis, it can cause issues. I personally am lucky that everyone in my playgroup builds from a character concept or just thinks a subclass looks neat. I've literally built a character around a name I thought sounded cool. I'm here for the flavor and if a powerful build comes out of that, than that's great.

[@charliescheirmann2926]

They can't really get mad for being too good at healing lol What are they going to say? "Hey' you're healing me too much!!!"

[@chrismodica2885]

Just EASILY earned my subscription ONLY from his attitude towards people having fun in D&D. *I* am one of those weirdos who LOVE healing classes, and I'm pumped to run my first Twilight Cleric. Fortunately, playing with GREAT FOLKS and having reasonable DMs who will work WITH players to balance the game. Bravo!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Awesome - thanks and welcome :)

[@paralaje8979]

Haven't watched the video yet but just wanted to say I love your content. In an ocean of loud, clickbaiting "personalities", your channel is like an island of sanity.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thank you!

[@brackcarmony6385]

Also for any DM struggling with the twilight temp HP bubble. Remember stun, paralyze, and petrify, as well as many spells ie. hypnotic pattern; all apply incapacitated without requiring to knock out the player.

[@fluffy_walrus]

Yeah, for most campaigns, TC players will have 1 or 2 uses of Twilight Sanctuary between rests. It's a very limited resource, and fairly easy to disrupt. Even if it does manage to stay up, it's easy to adjust when the only factor that's really changing is people getting temp HP.

[@tarlison2k1]

As a DM i really love clerics maling support

[@dunmeroverlord]

Doesn't hypnotic pattern charm? Probably won't work on a twilight cleric

[@dapperdrifter5449]

As soon as you said Custom Lineage I was like "I hope the feat is Chef." It's a nice one for some power and can be nicely fluffy for RP that gets overlooked.

[@mrjek01]

Ikr, it just fits so well for someone who is watching over those at night at the campfire/ hearth. I made the same choice on my twilight cleric for Strahd.

[@jagondal8378]

Speaking fluffy RP, your party wakes up every day to Hot 'n' Ready Krispy Kreme 🍩.

[@atomicpork]

I actually gave my Life Cleric / Lore Bard the Chef feat. He's the only healer/primary caster in the party so he's mostly focused on keeping the party alive through various tactics, and he is meant to be a bit of an epicurean.

[@diablerietandino1941]

I agree, I think too often the actual RP in RPG gets overlooked. It's nice to crunch numbers and optimize and tweak, but I think it's all for naught if the character just doesn't make any sense. If it's just a sum of subclasses and feats that tell us little of the actual character other than "yeah this is a good dpr choice"

[@OzPsych0]

After only recently (two days ago) finding this channel, I have to admit, your deep dives into builds is really inspiring me to create more characters and actually have them be a choesive build (usually I'd just go for damage or whatever with no real plan in mind). Between this video and the Abjuration Wizard Tank video (my two favourites so far) my imagination is going crazy, so thanks!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Woo hoo! Glad you're enjoying, and welcome :)

[@OzPsych0]

@@DnDDeepDive As I haven't watched all of your videos (yet) was just wondering if you have made a build that utilised the Battlemaster outside of the Damphir one? It's my favourite martial subclass :-)

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@OzPsych0 I'd say it's probably the most commonly used :). Here was the first... kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXexYZ-do9p4qtE

[@OzPsych0]

@@DnDDeepDive Holy hell, that's an amazing build! Thank you for linking it to me, I now know what my next character is!

[@frog8220]

Circle of stars is a genuinely cool idea. Depending on the stats this character lends itself so nice for friendly role-play opportunities!

[@johncostello4565]

My favorite subclass!

[@TheGeopigMan]

I've been playing it with a 1 level dip in Life Cleric and it's great 😁

[@embergeos]

Imo the way that you’re quantifying healing is the right way to go, but in the interest of accuracy, you should call it something like “possible damage negated”, because temp hp negates damage just like healing, but works differently. Just my 2 cents.

[@brucemaximus3797]

I believe the next level after Overkill is Killtacular.

[@RavarSeer]

4 in a row, 4 seconds between

[@brucemaximus3797]

@@RavarSeer Elite at this s*it since Marathon!

[@brycepeebles5765]

"match made in heaven" is an underrated pun here.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Blast! Missed opportunity :)

[@Nigthmar]

I took the Feat Chef in two different artificers, the extra healing and THP are nice, but the flavor (je) of the feat is just amazing. Been the chef of the group is so much fun, and my Battlesmith already has a famous dish in a Curse of Strahd Campaing, literally raised the moral of the whole town after the city was devastated by giant spiders.

[@rachelespiritu4215]

One big thing that needs attention is the new Tasha's feature for Druids- Wild Companion. At 2nd level, you can expend a use of Wild Shape to cast Find Familiar. It's a huge boon for a build that makes little use of Wild Shape, but could definitely make use of an owl familiar, both for thematic reasons and so you can spread the Cure Wounds love a bit easier.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Truth - my biggest concern is that it takes a use of Wild Shape and we only get two per short rest, meaning we might be without our starry form unless we’re pretty sure we won’t have another fight before our next rest, and that makes me sad :(.

[@TheHandgunhero]

Take Magic Initiate in Wizard if you want a free usage of Find Familiar without competing with Wild Shape, but using it as an ambulance is great for consistently using cure wounds over healing word.

[@GundamAngelicDevil]

I was pondering a Twilight Cleric the other day (needed a backup character) and crazy enough, I thought Chef as a Feat as well! Though it was more because we had a joke at the table that any Darkvision is considered Vegan Vision so I wanted to make the cleric that's a super vegan (since 300 ft. Darkvision) and she'd make vegan lunches and snacks.

[@DnDDeepDive]

ha!

[@dunmeroverlord]

Dude, im gonna flavor this cleric as a follower of artemis, using a small bow as their holy symbol. This is so awesome!!!

[@Tanthalasa83]

So I will look forward to the D4 compendium, where every build is presented in a booklike or homebrewery pdf with suggested items and drawing of each build fitting their stories...

[@KevinVideo]

As someone who's always forced into the healer of the group (because absolutely no one else ever will even if it's a TPK every time because they demand to fight constantly), this build is something I can get behind. The DM has banned the Twilight Domain so I'll have to make do with the Life Domain.

[@luciusvoldaren]

I don’t know why people ban things. It just shows that the DM can’t handle what’s thrown at them and it’s a huge red flag. It’s a lot easier to just have the “you can do whatever bullshit you want, but just know that whatever you pull on me, I can pull on you.” Mindset. Plus You can stun or incapacitate a Twilight cleric and completely lock them.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

I imagine the larger your party is, the more a dedicated healer would get to do and the more relevant they would become. I've heard of old-school parties that were more like 9 fighters, a thief, a mage, and a cleric. Then a heal-happy cleric would be worth it.

[@ariashkenazi9211]

Thanks for another cool build video. The issue I've always run into when working on ideas like this is that it pushes your gm towards strategies that aren't super fun at the table. Every game I've played in does some level of spread damage where enemies attack different members of the party. This is obviously not an optimal play but gms do it to make sure 1 person doesn't feel targeted. With a character like this one present that spread damage goes from suboptimal to functionally useless. Now the gm has to choose between targeting someone down at the risk of hurting their fun or making encounters much easier because all that spread damage isn't doing much.

[@TheRobversion1]

actually, if a dm isn't pulling their punches, the DM should be focus firing the squishiest party member. the party also can mitigate this easily by playing tactically, playing optimal builds and not doing something stupid in the middle of combat like looting chests or choosing not to participate (we played with a pacifist once who even refuses to heal or cast buff spells). of course the above assumes dms are playing intelligent monsters/npcs. if the monster/npc arent intelligent then they can attack whoever is closest or hit it last. i've never felt bad being targeted alot because usually my party has my back and makes sure it doesn't happen for long. i think it only becomes an issue for tables like yours if the players aren't really working together or playing alot of sub-optimal builds.

[@constablebrew]

The Monsters Know What They Are Doing - everyone should use this resource to control monsters in a reasonable way without meta gaming to pull punches or optimize. Get that book. Read the blog.

[@tobak952]

i love this! you are one of my favorite DND content creators also.. aura of vitality doesent poof just because combat end, you can totally stay in it and just heal back up as much as the minute duration allows. Thats 20d6s NICE

[@derekburrows8122]

Wonderful video! The long-form format of your videos lends itself to such high-quality content.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! Definitely not for everyone I've realized but I have a hard time recommending something without talking for an hour about why :P.

[@Rillikual]

Really enjoyed the blend of thematically made concept and optimizing with preexisting subclasses combined for sole purposes of supporting allies to such a potent degree. With options too! Makes it an interactive venture than just a 1, 2 combo every encounter

[@herohalv4543]

id like to imagine having this character in a campaign, and the DM just getting progressively more insane with his combat encounters in a desperate attempt to actually deal damage to the party

[@luciusvoldaren]

Made this build with a Centaur Stars Druid 2/Twilight Cleric 18. It was insane. Take Resilient Con and War caster and you will virtually never fail a Concentration check and can never roll below a 16 as long as dragon constellation is up. Also gave him horseshoes of speed for 70ft movement/flight speed. That means I can reposition twilight Sanctuary anywhere within 100 feet EVERY turn.

[@sebastianduesing2150]

omg, this is almost exactly what i'm playing right now! my starlight cleric/druid is level 8 currently, and i've got her at 3 druid for healing spirit + 5 cleric for beacon of hope. she's also custom lineage, though i took shadow touched for invisibility and inflict wounds. the build is so much fun. i'm an optimizer playing with a group that runs the gamut from non-optimized to semi-optimized, and playing such a powerful support makes me feel like i'm making the whole party more optimal.

[@johngleeman8347]

When every other character in the party is a barbarian. XD

[@fredericbard6523]

My goodness...your comment is so on point. I can totally imagine it and it would totally work.

[@birubu]

I recently played this build in a Lv 12 one shot and goddamn, once you get all your spells and abilities active nothing around you can die. (I decided bumping Twilight Sanctuary is better overall for protection so I went Twilight 10/Stars 3) 3 unconscious allies? Slap the big tank with 37 health, Chalice gives another one 13 health, third fella has advantage on death saves, and everyone gets around 13.5 temp hp. Total healing done that round: 104, aka 9th level upcast Heal spell for the price of a 4th level slot. Also, Mass Cure Wounds can do 28 healing per person, so if you got 6 people needing healing, you can dump potentially up to 180 hp healed with chalice, with 81 temp on top of that. Even outside if this, you can do standard cleric/druid BS. Primal Familiar to scout, Revivify, Restoration spells, Aid, Spirit Guardians + Thorn Whip + Spiritual Weapon, Bless + Guiding Bolt + Archer Constellation + Steps of Night, etc.

[@greypilgrim9967]

[FINALLY 😁] Playing this build in a Strahd campagn! We're only going to level 9-10 according to the DM but still excited!! 😁

[@kegkkego8991]

How is this going?

[@troyyrob]

This is a really good build. I like this. I think you should make another one using these metrics and looking at a Life Cleric (1-6) and Shepherd Druid (14-19). Unicorn Spirit + Life Cleric's Level 1 and 6 abilities are fantastic.

[@TheMikeLyons]

Someone probably already mentioned this but: On your final damage report; beacon of hope doesn't last 17 rounds so you'll have to cast it twice. Also: your ninth level spell slot should be used for Cure Wounds. It's a whopping 2 points better than Heal. ;)

[@TheMikeLyons]

... assuming the Beacon is up.

[@davidpritchett855]

Something a lot of folks don't think about is the fact that you can cast a touch spell through a familiar. Especially considering most of our spell slots are theoretically being used as cure wounds this really helps us heal from the back row with an owl, very thematic, that flies by briefly alighting on our allies so we can pulse them with cure wounds. The only thing is it will tie down a bonus action to command our familiar to fly by.

[@DnDDeepDive]

*great* idea

[@TheRobversion1]

why would it tie your owl's bonus action? commanding familiars are free actions.

[@davidpritchett855]

@@TheRobversion1 ah, I didn't realize It was a free action, I haven't used a familiar in game yet. All the better. I just assumed it was like a ranger beast that you had to direct with a bonus action.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@davidpritchett855 it's free like the summon/conjure spells and find steed/greater steed.

[@loboradix7921]

eyes of night can also be applied to pet, and mounts (if you're party doesn't need it) I really want this character in a paladin aura, just... because, for thematic reasons, I really want to get into Monk at least 1 level (fairy so it helps with AC any how, because I want to be able to actually use those wings!)

[@gdtms28]

Late to the comment party, but I'm doing a variation to this build: Mark of Detection Half-Elf for the race (it has spells I want/need), and Gift of the Metallic Dragon for one of the feats (frees up a prepared spell and free, shareable shield.) I don't know how that feat made it to print, but it will be fantastic. Starting from lvl 10 for a 5e reskin of Tomb of Horrors. When my party mentioned the desire for a healer, I knew where to look!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Sounds like a blast!

[@annaandcoelparkes]

@@DnDDeepDive OOOOooowwwww YEAH! in a Curse of Strahd game and what an MVP this lad has been. The theme of this guardian of night protecting his allies in a gloomy dark setting is on brand. I know magic items don't usually make it into your builds but another little synergy I gleefully snatched up was "The Moon Sickle" from Tasha's. Just another free 1D4 of healing or a flat 4 HP when Beacon of Hope is up. Just another Twilight/Moon/Stars themed cherry on top.

[@KigerrTLON]

Aura of vitality is great, just wish it was anywhere are good as healing spirit. Also, assuming everyone is the same level when we get to level 8 in this build if you took the healer feat you could heal for 1d6+12 from healer feal and bonus action healing word to either heal more single target then the other level 1 healing spell, or heal two people at once. This point is mute though if you are using aura of vitality, just responding to the other concentration spell that was mentioned we were moving to instead.

[@Izuall69]

I LOVE the concept. As I am planning on playing a twilight cleric I definetly now want to do a 2lvl dip into star druid ! But I think I would rather go cleric 18 - druid 2. As i think the twlight sanctuary upgrade would ultimately bring more to the table. (+2AC and advantage on dex saves might just result in a lot of damage negation wich is another form of healing) Like you mentioned your build is about crunching numbers and its unrealistic to imagine having to heal every single round with EVERYTHING you got.

[@blairbrook1336]

I think I like the feel of twilight cleric Shepard Druid. Mass temp hp from cleric. Mass hp from druids unicorn spirit. When people would be using bear. Now you do both. And you can switch up play styles from concentration heal and summoning.

[@hadeszero4526]

still don't get why twilight is problematic.

[@ciroformenton]

Because the Paladin said so.

[@g_vost]

the chef feat is so fun and i feel cool using it. i got the chef feat for one of the characters i have. me and the rest of my table was playing squishy ranged characters, so we decided that our support should be pretty balanced between everyone. our ranger is our skill monkey and scout, our artificer often uses artillerist's shield cannon and tinkering/infusions, and i make use of support spells and focus fire (this focus fire actually being from a version of the tempest cleric/storm sorcerer build, actually!). the chef feat also is part of my contribution to the team's support.

[@JCToro-lt7vg]

Quick question here: Starry form "This form sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet." so this form will prevent me from flying: "As a bonus action when you are in dim light or darkness, you can magically give yourself a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 1 minute." right? (thanks for all the builds, really enjoy the channel)

[@propertystuff7221]

I needed a GMPC who would a) not out-shine the PCs in damage, b) fill the role none of them wanted, c) be relatively simple for me to run while also dealing with the monsters. This fit the bill perfectly, and just so happened to have other features besides to give the character more personality than merely being a heal bot. Thanks!

[@lulassist95]

I like the idea of taking the Fey Touched feat for misty step and silvery barbs just to turbo charge the Twilight domain even more.... And enrage my DM.

[@dainslatton9877]

Misty Step would no doubt be useful at times, but what would you be using Silvery Barbs for? It's a great spell, but it seems like it's not gonna be particularly amazing for your own stuff on this build. Just a way of trying to make sure other people's spells and features land?

[@luciusvoldaren]

@@dainslatton9877 and something to do with your reaction. Twilight clerics have a total of 0 things that use their reaction, so it’s just free action economy.

[@jeaugust]

One thing that can help with survival is Sanctuary! Pop that on yourself the turn when you activate Twilight Sanctuary, then activate your Starry Form in the second round.

[@Plantomancer]

Starting a long campaign called Princes of the Apocalypse and I just made a Twilight Domain Cleric who will dip into Stars Druid *inspired by this build. She's an Air Genasi named Aurora and will select many of the "air" and weather related druid spells. Had to think hard about the backstory to make it plausible and one I loved; after a couple of days work it's done and my DM loved it :) Came back to re-watch and just had to say thank you Colby for the inspiration!! Love you and appreciate all the passion and hard work you put into these.

[@DnDDeepDive]

[@rorybeckstrom9602]

As a dm i dont think i would buff the encounters so much as make sure that the adventuring day is longer since they can go longer and faster.

[@scotttremblay45]

I’ve been playing a low charisma circle of stars druid for about 6 months now and I have him blabber on about astrology all the time and give people horoscopes they didn’t ask for. Augury is flavoured as my own horoscope. I actually took two levels of Div Wizard for additional flavour (I was feeling a little too optimized for the particular group).

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

I'm new to D&D, been "chosen" to be my group's primary healer. I love animals, so like most newbies, picking a build that feels like an idealized version of myself. Leveling up to level 2 shortly, decided my half elf (I'm half Swedish, half American, half Jewish, half Lutheran IRL) would join Circle of Shepherd. But your Circle of Stars Druid with the random sharing of horoscopes is TOO FUNNY!! Maybe "next time", lol! That idea makes Circle of Stars much more appealing as a character, I think. I hope you have fun with it!!😁💖😘

[@loswavy_1351]

@@Karina-Loves-Andreas man is two people

[@DnDAnalysis]

Aura of vitality outpaces prayer of healing for out of combat healing, 20d6 that can be split up into 2's and taken by anyone who needs it. It generally tops off a bruised party. Also, if combat ends while it is still active you don't lose the remaining charges, you just hand them out every 6 seconds til they're gone. It is insane with extended spell metamagic, bringing it to 40d6.

[@Trip1ikeMe]

I was thinking about taking metamagic instead of cooking, didn't realize you can extend concentration spells, thanks!

[@Nitsua1201]

Something to think about with this one: Try again from the perspective of self-healing as a Divine sorcerer twin casting Warding Bond.

[@Vazurik]

Minor thing, but when you use Starry Form, you shed bright light in a 10 foot radius, which I would assume means you are in bright light. This would mean that while in your Starry Form, you can't use Steps of Night, maybe making the enhanced form of the dragon constellation a bit more appealing. Love this character idea, btw!

[@AyamesChronicles]

Steps of night only requires you start in darkness or dim light. Afterwards you can fly into the sun if you want

[@WunDumDorf]

Starting a campaign this weekend (hopefully) playing a character based off this concept. Starting at level 2. He’s a Feylost Tortle who’s parents died very shortly after his birth. Unable to fend for himself he was lured to the Feywild by a pixie named Glimmer who befriended/kind of raised him. He eventually returned from the Feywild to learn about his origins, but feels a call back to the Feywild that continues to grow as his adventuring life continues on. I thought the Tortle (with their beliefs about the sun and moon) was a good fit for this concept.

[@imakuniaw]

The Warcaster feat is botherline mandatory on a stars druid because of VSM component rules. The wording on Star Map makes it so that you only known (and can cast for free) Guiding Bolt if you're holding the map in your hand, but if you have a shield on the other, you then lack a free hand to actually cast the spell.

[@varietasVeritas]

Put the map on the inside of your sheild.

[@dainslatton9877]

@@varietasVeritas That still wouldn't be holding the map in your hand. And combining items isn't RAW or people could just attach a sword to their shield and dual wield while holding a shield. Fire1520 is right. And Warcaster is amazing for this build for other reasons as well.

[@dainslatton9877]

Warcaster is amazing for this build anyway. I'd go Eladrin (flavored as a Star Elf. Star elves were said to be Eladrin.) and keep them in Spring. Winter if you prefer, but i think Spring is gonna come in clutch sometimes. I'd take Warcaster, Fey Touched (+1 Wisdom, Silvery Barbs), +2 Wisdom, And Resilient (Constitution). Probably in that order. If you want the Extra Feat/ASI and dont mind being Custom Lineage or Variant Human, then by all means. But I dont think Chef is the best pick for this build for several reasons. And honestly, the healer having advantage against saves against Charm is really really good. So is being able to automatically succeed at moving themselves or others out of really bad situations pretty much anytime you want, and getting a bit of extra movement to get to someone and get that Spare the Dying on them if they have somehow gotten too far away from you or on the other side of some obstacle. As someone mentioned, you can't take the Resilient Feat twice, so Resilient (Dexterity) is out, and as I pointed out you have Absorb Elements as a druid anyway. His other recommendation was Tough, but let's be honest. You have temp HP every round, you have a very upcasted Aid spell, and you're an insane healing machine with d8 HD and probably a 15 or 16 Con at any point in your career. You don't need to raise your max HP. If you still have room in your Feats/ASIs, +2 Constitution isn't a bad choice and I'd also consider +2 Dexterity or even Eldritch Adept (Armor of Shadows) if you haven't found better than basic non-metal armor and you already have a Dexterity of 16 or above for some reason (like you rolled Ability Scores and got a great Wisdom and Dex) or are planning on it. It also fits the theme well. Could be worth mentioning that you can also dump Dexterity on this build, get a 15 Strength and wear Ringmail (which never states the rings are necessarily metal) in the hopes that someday you'll find or create some non-metal Full Plate armor. Less likely, but it's an option for those unconventional build-loving folk that like taking advantage of this rare heavy armor proficiency for a druid.

[@frog8220]

Oh nice, pausing the Preview-video at the right frame was worth it!

[@AzureIV]

I think if you are going to Level 20, you could consider the following: Race: Human Variant or Custom Lineage Class: 1st: Cleric 1 (Life Domain) 2nd-20th: Bard 19 (College of Glamour) Feats (in any order): Chef Healer Inspiring Leader You get five Ability Score Improvements + the bonus feat at 1st level, so you can get the three feats by 9th level, and still have three Ability Score Improvements left. At 11th level (10th level Bard) you can get Magical Secrets to grab Aura of Vitality, Beacon of Hope, and/or Healing Spirit; and maybe Goodberry (to top people off after combat, unless you take a feat in Magic Initiate to get it from the Druid spell list). This way you don't need to go down the Druid class. Mantle of Inspiration from College of Glamour gives CHA mod allies temporary hit points within 60 feet as a bonus action by expending a Bardic Inspiration die (which you will have CHA mod amount and will regain them all on a short rest by 7th level (6th level Bard)). With Song of Rest + Chef + Inspiring Leader, you will regain a ton of hit points every short rest and have a nice buffer of temporary hit points going into the first combat. Healer will allow you to 1/short rest per Player Character to heal a bit (a decent amount with Beacon of Hope active), which saves on spell slots. Although if you also have something like Healing Spirit anyways, you will probably be at full health at the end of every combat (just spend ten rounds having everyone walk through the spirit for a lot of hp recovery). You could also probably grab three levels of Druid to grab either Circle of Stars OR Circle of Shepard, and Healing Spirit + Goodberry. That takes away the last Song of Rest, Magical Secrets, and Ability Score Improvements by maxing your Bard level to 16, but I think that is a worthwhile trade. My only concern is whether you can get strong enough defense with non-metal armor (but with all the healing and temp hp you have you should be okay).

[@TheRobversion1]

healing spirt has been nerfed in the latest errata and nerfed hard. you can't full health heal your party out of combat most of the time anymore. "The spirit can heal a number of times equal to 1 + your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum of twice). After healing that number of times, the spirit disappears." if i wanted goodberry, i'd probably just get it from magic initiate. giving up that magical secrets for wish is painful. you're getting a spare asi anyway at 19.

[@AzureIV]

@@TheRobversion1 Oh really? Thanks for the information. Sounds like I don't need Druid then.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@AzureIV yup. Plus since you arent a druid, you can wear better armor.

[@alvaroelmanco43]

I think that as lvl 1 feat it would be better to get fey touched, still a +1 wis, you can get silvery barbs and have a free use of it every day.

[@deathiscoming7]

As a druid you have a prohibition against wearing armor or shields that are made of metal. Unless DM fiat your AC probably won't be as high.

[@adamkaris]

Mechanically, there isn't a prohibition. Nothing mechanically happens to them if they do. So if your dm is "enforcing" it, then you should also be able to make a a similar type of armor out of creature parts. Heck, Scale Mail has it in the name and that would put you at potentially an 18 ac

[@deathiscoming7]

@@adamkaris agreed. But once again up to how much the DM is going to enforce.

[@ReverendGreg]

Druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal. So this being a role-playing game means your druid chooses not to wear metal armor. Scale Mail. This armor consists of a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Good call - I often forget about this little never-ending argument because our DM doesn't tend to stick to this prohibition. Many will have to find a way around it!

[@ReverendGreg]

@Remy B LOL, no punitive action need if you are role-playing your druid.

[@Calebgoblin]

I've never tried anyone else's build ideas other than my very own, but I think I'm going to try this one for an epic boss battle one shot. And I know it's not the most accurate metric but I'll let you know how it goes!

[@zombieninjapitbull3856]

How did it go?

[@WIld_MOnkey123]

I play a variant of this in my current campaign, 2 levels of star druid and the rest into life cleric. Has been very effective at keeping my team alive in very sketch situations. Especially the turns with the life clerics Channel Divinity, been able to almost heal people to full. Channel Divinity to half health, then a bonus action amped healing word the rest of the way.

[@WIld_MOnkey123]

healing word goes from 1d4+5 to 1d4+1d8+13 at level 1 casting

[@BrentDnD]

I completely get the rationale in adding the circle of stars druid multiclass, but building this out to cleric level 20, and your twilight sanctuary now grands 1d6+20 temp hp to every player within the sanctuary. That's huge. Add to that your huge healing capabilities, and the +2 buff to AC to everyone within the sanctuary and you've got a super survivable party.

[@frostkitsunelive7661]

I ended up making a simpler version of this that just adds 3 Levels of Swords Bard in order to keep enemies away from me. Adding in Aid with the Twilight Cleric Temp HP can give my team over 50+ extra HP, making it near impossible to break through them. That, plus the half-cover Twilight Sanctuary grants at Level 17, makes you a living wall. I also added in Spiritual Weapon for non-Concentration damage, but I’m not entirely focused on healing. I tend to switch between multiple Auras to support my party depending on the situation, or use Spirit Guardians when I need to (flavored as Silver Moths, for Eilistraee).

[@dienezdarcprowlyr9406]

Appreciate the diversion from just damage dealing builds. There are many different ways to play than just combat and its great to see optimizers in other catagories.

[@craigauty8874]

Love these videos, they keep me thinking of new ways to combine abilities from different classes. I did theory craft a build that can heal an average of 3,648 points or max 5,168 points as an action once per short rest from level 17. The circumstances are impossible to meet in a regular game and it requires a friendly wizard and 1 rare item to set it up, but if your DM likes mass combat between armies it is possible.

[@russelllong3561]

Colby: My name's Colby Me: Okay, Homelander...

[@TheRobversion1]

nice. we need the homelander skits back.

[@haroldwelsh6688]

absolutely love this build and concept the circle of stars druid is my favorite subclass

[@jymbeautuesday]

I usually like your videos (and push the like button) and today, the flavorful pun had me push the like button faster than any other build video you've done so far. Thank you very much for that! Now, to go back into watching the video...

[@DnDDeepDive]

lol thanks ;)

[@yurirobin]

Great job! I am a little curious of how another cleric/druid combos would compare to this, especially a Shepherd druid with a Life cleric dip.

[@DnDDeepDive]

I'll probably do an episode on that one day :)

[@spencervance8484]

Imaging a twilight/star druid and life cleric/shepard druid in the same party.

[@emerson1818]

damn that Randall Hampton art for this build is so good im excited for the collab

[@fasterpet]

At level 14, I would take the interception FS to allow us to use our reaction to also block some damage aimed at an ally near us. adds extra support!

[@Hyorikatsu]

I imagine this character as a master chef that serves dishes that heal. The twilight sanctuary could take the form of a dumpling shop or restaurant, then the smell and aura bring so much comfort it gives the temp hit points. Passing out dumplings or dishes that heal.

[@Jaeger_Bishop]

In my experience the best supports do 2 things very well; They ensure the rest of the team can do what they do without being interfered with or surprised by traps/ambushes, 2nd they make sure the enemy can't catch a break by sabotaging their traps/defenses, shutting down their detection ability, creating concealment to hide friendly teammates (or rescue downed ones). Basically the best support is a combat engineer crossed with a medic, the more you can sabotage your enemies while covering your allies (including killing certain enemies quickly), the better your team overall will perform. As you can guess I have a lot of experience in this role though not in tabletop games.

[@TheRobversion1]

I think i'd summarize this as supports are great at making their teammates perform better and making the enemies perform worse.

[@hielispace]

32:39, Aura of Vitality is a bomb of healing outside of combat. The spell lasts 1 minute, or 10 rounds. that 20d6 of healing to hand out to a party of 5th level characters. You can spend one third level spell getting the party to full most of the time in these early levels.

[@tuaa33]

This is my favourite healing spell. This is why I choose usually Halfling mark of healing and get metamagic to extend the spell. And that’s all heals party need. Additionally I can build the character for any purpose I want.

[@carsonlake3842]

Love this build and I'm playing it this Sunday against a tarrasque. I went with cleric 17, druid 3 so that i could get Mass Heal. One issue I found with the numbers is that Beacon of Hope only lasts 1 minute, same with twilight sanctuary. So you would need to restart them in a long fight, and account for the extra spell slot needed to recast Beacon of hope.

[@dainslatton9877]

Great build. Had some thoughts. How are you using one concentration spell with a duration of one minute to last 3 combat encounters? You said you're only using one slot for it, but you're including it in every one of those three hypothetical combat encounters in your first damage report. Youre also talking about using two channel divinity uses over three combat encounters. Pretty darn unlikely. Also you mention potentially not being able to change your cleric spells from Guiding Bolt to something else? Why would you ever not be able to? You know all cleric spells and choose which you prepare. It's not one of your subclass spells from cleric. Changing your cantrips is a little more dependent on a couple factors and may not be able to happen depending on whether youre using optional feature and whether you're planning ahead enough (you may have to go without guidance for 2-3 levels), but changing most leveled cleric spells is just a part of the basic rules. Anyway, keep the great multiclass ideas coming!

[@damianjaviervediamcmahon7149]

@1:04:30 Can someone clairfy where this build gets its 9th level spell slots? Shouldn't it cap out at 6th level as the max attainable due to the multiclassing?

[@theresnoracelikegnome]

You can’t choose the Resilient feat twice. I know it feels like one of those where you could choose each option once, but it doesn’t allow that.

[@dainslatton9877]

As a druid you get access to Absorb Elements anyway, which is gonna do the same thing as succeeding on a DEX save effectively in the majority of cases. It's better to take Warcaster in my opinion. Aside from these options, he's talking about getting more max HP on an OP healer build. Not really super necessary if you are giving yourself temp HP every turn and you have Aid upcast. It's way better to maintain concentration so you can maintain healing efficiently.

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

Just started listening. Will pick up again tomorrow when walking my dog. Why the EF would ANYONE want to be a Heal-Bot?? A FRIGGIN "Heal Vending Machine"? I'm a nurse & Army Medic IRL. A new player, I agreed to play a Shepherd Druid for my group's primary healer....but I need to have fun, too!!!!

[@TheRobversion1]

ikr but some players do. plus healing is a suboptimal archetype. better to be a controller, support, burst striker, summoner or tank to mitigate dmg.

[@Karina-Loves-Andreas]

@@TheRobversion1 If my DM kills me off (he seems to be going for TPKs with a group of "newbie" players), then I'm coming back as an entirely different Druid build he probably won't like as much, lol. My character is sweet, sheltered, Scandinavian flavored Circle of Shepherd half-elf build, looking to heal as much as she can (I originally considered Circle of Dreams for healing at his request, but God, that's WEAK & BORING, Circle of Shepherd has nearly or more arguable "healing" mechanics). Next up will be a nasty Orc Druid, or something like that!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@TheRobversion1]

i agree the shepherd has more healing than dreams. circle of dreams pretty much sucks as a druid subclass.

[@Hyde_Hill]

With the release of silvery barbs would you recommend Fey touched instead of telekinetic? Misty step + Silvery Barbs on a cleric is just powerful. And silvery barbs is a sort of heal as you prevent damage.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Definitely worth considering!

[@donavonaroix9850]

Flying question: Steps of Night provides the ability to fly if you're in dim light or darkness. Starry Form sheds bright light in a 10' radius from you. Would you technically be "in" dim light or darkness if you're providing bright light 10' out from you. Technically you're not in dim/darkness but your bright light is

[@paralaje8979]

Sounds like a really fun build. One possible weakness is that, if your table abides by the druid restriction on metal armors (which most do), your AC is going to be really low and so being in movement rage of most enemies (30ft) can lead to a quick death. Build really sounds great tho. From all your videos this is the one I'm stealing for my next character assuming my DM agrees to at least let me wear medium armor made of animal scales or something.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Thanks! Pinned a comment on this :)

[@evanborchardt1862]

One problem with op is outshining other party member but this supports! I think that’s the perfect place for a twilight cleric.

[@acolytetojippity]

I expected Circle of Dreams to show up, but I love the idea behind Stars. It combos so well with Beacon of Hope. I think the only situation I can think of that would out-pace this build in raw potential healing might be Grave Cleric, *IF* they wait until their allies are dying before dropping any heals.

[@AVJHalonen]

Still watching the video and don't know if it'll come up but I have a character on the backburner which among other stuff is 1 level dip in life cleric and the rest is divine soul sorcerer with a metamagic option that is often regarded as "kinda meh": extended spell. It means outside of combat (or during combat and after the fight just resume) you can cast a 2 minute Aura of Vitality that heals 2d6+5 in 20 nice, little instances for a 3rd lvl slot and 1 sorcery point.

[@AVJHalonen]

Obviously now with Tasha's it would be possible to just go Life Cleric and take the Metamagic Adept feat and you can do the same twice per long rest without multiclassing.

[@Rat_McPissum]

Great video, but I feel like a really missed opportunity here is the second level spell “warding bond”. If you have a moderate con and thus a sizable hp pool, a mountain of temp hp, and access to some of the best healing spells, then you are going to be giving your frontliner one of the biggest buffs with little downside. Made my twilight cleric and my friends moon Druid the goats of my gauntlet campaign and all it cost me was my amicable relationship with my dm lol.

[@Avigorus]

An idea I've had for a support role for a while: The God of the Dice, or alternatively the Pokeparty Trainer (cause the various party buffs + Order domain has a "I choose you!" feel IMO lol). Halfling (eventually take Bountiful Luck) Rogue Mastermind 3 (maybe 4 if an ASI is deemed more valuable then a Bard level) / Clockwork Soul 1 / Divination Wizard 2 / Cleric 1-2 (go Order 1 if you want to give your party extra attacks, Peace 1 if you want to buff ability checks, Grave 2 if you want to both buff damage and get more dramatic heals, Trickery 2 to play around with different perspectives + improve ally stealth, or Twilight 2 to get some more party buffs) / Bard X (Creation to both make your BI a little dynamic while summoning additional allies, Spirits if you just want a wider range of BI effects, Glamour to boost your party and boss around your enemies, Eloquence to boost BI and debuff enemies, or Lore if you really want extra MS spells and/or trash talking reaction), possibly take 2 or more additional Sorcerer levels at some point if Twin Haste is deemed worth losing some end-game spell levels. Highest stat should be Charisma for Vicious Mockery, albeit this will be MAD af regardless. Basically you weight the dice in the party's favor and in general put yourself at a high risk of having a DMG thrown at you. Not sure I'd ever play it given the risk of the last bit, but still if you can swing the MC requirements and feel confident your DM will not be driven off the deep end by this, go for it!

[@michalchik]

Build starts at 11:30

[@syvajarvi2289]

My favorite 100% support character that is a good healer was for a mid to high level campaign. 6 levels in Fey wanderer ranger with the rest in Battle Smith Artificer so I could be in two places at once on the battle field with access to a healing spirit. Probably my favorite character I have ever played. I had good rolls in CC but not OP. Could fight and tank but spent most of my time healing the party with my defender and my spells.

[@tylersockington]

"druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal" so what armor do we wear now?

[@johncostello4565]

Whatever you want, it’s a suggestion with zero mechanical consequences for violating.

[@tylersockington]

@@johncostello4565 it's not a suggestion. it's explicitly stated in the PHB that druids can't/won't wear metal armor. Sure, it can be homebrewed out but, from what i can tell, this channel makes builds that don't rely on homebrew. hmm, but technically, the PHB states that druids can wear light armor and medium armor (nonmetal). it doesn't say anything about heavy armor having to be nonmetal. feels like that's kind of bending the intention of what a druid is though.

[@elitesmiley]

@@tylersockington It’s not a rule. It’s a sentence in a paragraph of flavor text. If it was a rule, the Druid would have a listed class feature stating they can not wear metal armor. That same book also says things like “Druid circles do not worship gods”, “Druids hate undead”. While this may be true for many Druids, it’s not a defined rule. You can make a Druid devoted to a god. You can make a Druid who has some relation to Undead. You can make a Druid who wears metal armor. Until it is added as a class feature, flavor text =/= enforced feature.

[@tylersockington]

@@elitesmiley TIL. Thank you!

[@jadude378]

@@elitesmiley I mean it isn't a sentence in a paragraph of flavour text, its literally written as a part of their armour proficiency

[@Maddmax26]

@d4: D&D Deep Dive, how do you interpret Twilight Sanctuary's "Dim Light" in regards to Natural Light vs Magical Light, specially in regards to using Twilight Sanctuary to activate Steps of Night? I've had a DM rule that a simple Torch will defeat the channel Divinity "sphere filled with dim light".

[@TheRobversion1]

there was clarification on this already: fills-overrides light conditions in the area. so if it's brightly lit, twilight sanctuary/moonbeam will override that light condition with dim light which will allow shadow blade to work with advantage sheds/produces/emanates/radiates (basically any of the other verbs aside from fills)-takes the brightest light condition in an area. so if you shed dim light in an area of bright light, it doesnt work. bright light remains.

[@Maddmax26]

​@@TheRobversion1 Any chance you could link (or cite) that clarification? I presented the case of Twilight Sanctuary's effect overrides the area within the sphere regardless of the natural light. (How that interacts with the spell Darkness/Daylight, I'd leave to the DM). Said DM said "no", it only "creates" light (e.g. shed, not fill, even though it states fill.)

[@TheRobversion1]

@@Maddmax26 I'll look it up and get back to you. iirc it was discussed in rpgstackexchange then that's where the link was embedded. here's a disussion post. just have to find one that states has a tweet/link. rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/158021/does-dim-light-created-by-an-effect-override-bright-light-in-an-area. either way, i think though it's clear that fills and some other verbs apparently (like reduces or turns) changes the light in the area. otherwise, spells like moonbeam would be pointless.

[@blackgaurdsmash]

I think you forgot something crunching numbers. You would use your highest spell slot to cast aid each time adventure day. If you count all hit points as "healing" with a party of 4.. that's a huge boost on each damage report. For the feat I would go a little different and grab ritual caster to get summon familiar for delivering touch spells (cure wounds) and the ritual book to add some great utility options. Possibly I would grab lucky just to make the enemy reroll crits 3 times per day as that would save a lot of damage.

[@DnDDeepDive]

I didn't count Aid at all, though yes, you'd very likely be using it, and potentially at a high level slot for maximum benefit.

[@billygnosis8820]

I love Circle of Stars. My current character is a Stars Druid/Bard. You to pass a skill check, attack roll, saving throw? Between Guidance, Bardic Inspiration, and Cosmic Omen, I got you.

[@Hyde_Hill]

Okay so seeing some disagreement online. Anyone have sage advice or another source on if the temp hp granted by twilight sanctuary lasts after the sanctuary or not? As temp hp does state if the feature granting temp hp ends it is also gone. Question is if the one minute duration on the sanctuary applies to the temp hp or just to the 30 radius twilight and not the actual granting of the temp hp.

[@ZomgLolPants]

One of my favorite characters in this line is a hybrid life domain cleric and College of creation bard that I'm currently playing. The ability to animate objects and have them basically be a free party member is great for soaking hits that otherwise would have hit one of your allies, and with the chef feat stacking with song of rest your buds get back on their feet easily.

[@anthonyhernandez7799]

1:04:33 I’m kinda confused on how you have 9th level spell slots available since at this point you only have 11 levels in druid and 6 levels in cleric. If you could help me understand this I would really appreciate it.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Yep. You don't have 9th level *spells* from either class, but your spell *slot* progression is different when you multiclass. See here: www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/customization-options#Spellcasting

[@hmhmoinsdk]

If the Dragonmark race options are allowed one could take the mark of handling human and pick druid first. With mark of handling you get beacon of hope on your spelllist - thus you can get the chalice + beacon of hope combination at level 5 - which would result in you being able to heal like crazy in very low levels I feel like it might be an option to just pick up 2 levels of twilight cleric this way - not getting fly seems bad - but with the dragonform you can fly with twinkling constellations.

[@MonkeyAtTypewriter]

I just realized a weird interaction...you can't fly while using the star ability. It causes you to emit bright light, and flight for twilight clerics is contingent on being in dim light. But if your aura makes dim light...my head hurts

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha ha - I think as long as you start flying before you use Starry form you're ok, but as always, you'll want to check with your DM!

[@luciusvoldaren]

Two effects that trigger at the same time or conflict: you can choose how and which abilities go first. You can just make it that since your Twilight level is higher, your twilight sanctuary overpowers your Starry forms light, without canceling it’s activation.

[@grendlew1487]

Could use warding bond to help keep the damage spread around as it is not concentration i dont think

[@Clanjade22]

It’s super late, but a strong case could be made for sorc after Druid 2.. twinning that level 6, BoH and star form cure wounds. Blows heal out of the water, plus can do it long before you would get the heal spell. Would also get shield, absorb elements, silvery barbs; divine souls allows all the cleric stuff you want later too. So cleric 6 Druid 2 sorc 9? Can get extend spell if you want to make that aura of vit twice as good. That maxed cure wounds hitting 3 people…

[@Snockooz]

1 level Life Cleric and the rest in Shepherd Druid I think has better healing. At Least till you get the height level healing spells. Throw Up Bear Spirit Totem before adventuring for a 5 + druid lvl in Temp HP for the entire party. When Combat starts Throw up Unicorn Spirit Totem and everyone in the aura regains HP equal to you druid level when you cast a healing spell. Then there is also the Improved Good Berries that you use all your spell slots on the previous day.