This is the character (not my artwork, taken from deviantart).
I'm thinking of giving him 15 in STR, CON, WIS and 8 in DEX, INT, CHA, and I'm not sure where to put my other two points (I'm using variant human). We'll be starting at level three, so I think barbarian 2/monk 1 would be the better start.
I could do with some advice about which feat to give him, whether or not my multiclass choice is okay at this point, and if I've made the right choices for his ability scores. I don't have the PHB yet.
I'm not bothered about optimising him, but I don't want him to be useless, either.
I'll probably give him the folk hero background, as he's a prize fighter and well known around the touring circuit, and a bit of a celebrity to the common people.
Why 8 in DEX? You need it for either form of unarmored defense you choose.
For a non-variant human you could try:
STR 15, DEX 15, CON 13, INT 8, WIS 12, CHA 8, giving 16, 16, 14, 9 ,13, 9. AC of 15 with Barbarian UD.
Or use that but swap the STR and CON to give AC 16. Or swap STR and WIS for AC 16 using Monk UD, better difficulty mod on your stunning strike etc. later.
just to clear up, you get either Unarmored Defense from Monk OR Barbarian, but not both. Sounds fun, though!
Hmm, I mis-remembered the unarmoured defence feature.
In that case, swapping STR and DEX could be good. It's a shame for Athletics checks, which I saw him being good at.
Cheers for your advice. I'm sticking with the human variant, though.
You can't swap STR and DEX from your array, you need 13 STR to multiclass a Barbarian. Just as you need 13 in WIS and DEX to multiclass a Monk. Besides, your character wouldn't look like that picture :P
Basically you can't use the 15/15/15/8/8/8 array without cratering your CON. Consider a different array.
For variant human feat you'd want something like Mobile, Lucky, Alert or Observant, possibly Mage Slayer, Tough.
Ah, maybe I should've mentioned. We ignore multiclassing requirements, so that isn't an issue. But you're right, for a body like that he really needs a high STR and CON. Tell me, do the PHB class for barbarian and monk at all resemble the playtest ones? That's what I'm mostly basing my ideas on until the book arrives.
Playtest or Alpha? There's quite a bit of difference from the playtest, mostly in the sub-classes and some number crunch. Not much difference from the alpha, mostly crunch there.
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
The character concept will rely heavily on unarmed combat. I'm taking barbarian levels for access to the rage abilities, which will boost some of his physical skills, but his biggest class will probably be monk. I just got word that my PHB should arrive on the 1st September, so it shouldn't be too long before I can puzzle it all out myself.
Just in case it wasn't clear (as you have no PHB) : barbarian get their donus damage only on STRENGTH attacks.
I got it, thanks.
Which features stop working if you wear armour? Unarmoured defence, obviously, but are there others? Can a barbarian still rage in armour? Can a monk still use ki for flurry of blows, etc?
Barbarian can rage in non-heavy armor, monk gets maybe half his abilities in armor RAW, though I imagine some DMs might be stricter about that.
Is it worth looking at perhaps pure Barbarian, or maybe a bit of fighter, with the Tavern Brawler feat perhaps? Or is the character concept going to need the mystical abilities that Monks gain?
When wearing armour, a Monk can still flurry, but they won't get their increased unarmed strike damage, be able to use Dex to hit and damage, or get their bonus unarmed strike when not flurrying.
It's worth looking at all the options, to be sure.
Honestly, the main reason for monk levels is for the increased unarmed (magical) damage. I'm basing this guy off a small town legend called Jim Strong, and I have this image of him using a sword against some zombies, then a wraith turns up with resistance to non magical damage, so he drops his sword, cricks his neck, and lays in with his fists.
He's going to be a legend in his community, the strongest man in town. If a bar fight breaks out, people don't shout for the watch, they shout for this guy (who's probably drinking in the corner), who smacks a couple of heads together to bring things to an end.
Tavern brawler might be a good choice for him (based on the name alone it would fit) for the grappling. As for the monk's mystical abilities, I'd be refluffing them to be more appropriate, e.g. water walking would be rejigged as a spell, and the slow aging thing... I'd ask the DM if I could swap it out for another feature, or just ignore it altogether.
It's his BAC keeping him looking younger. Are you kidding, some of the oldest people I've seen have aweful eating drinking and smoking habits. Too much whiskey in the system to die of old age!
In terms of averages, the Rage Damage from barbarian is pretty close to the increased unarmed damage of a monk. Particularly if you have Tavern Brawler. You won't be throwing as many punches, but you will be much tougher when taking punches.
Or use fighter and build up to more punches in a two-fisted weapon style and possibly some signature attacks using battlemaster.
Would rage and the monk's unarmed strike work together, do you think? Or are they mutually exclusive?
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
After reading through the PHB, I see that this multiclass won't work for me.
I've decided instead to go barbarian 1/fighter 2.
STR: +3 (16)
DEX: +0 (10)
CON: +3 (16)
INT: +0 (10)
WIS -1 (9)
CHA: +1 (12)
Fighter as my first level gives me proficiency in all armour and simple and martial weapons, and it will be my main class. In two more levels I'll go down the eldritch knight path. I'll wield a long sword mainly, and wear mail for a decent AC (16). His fighting style is archery for +2 to hit with ranged weapons, and I'm re-skinning a sling to him being able to throw pebbles etc.
EDIT
I was going to take a level of monk, until my wife pointed out to me that the fest Tavern Brawler gives me everything I want from monk, with an extra stat boost and a bonus action to grapple to use every turn. With this, I can kill a commoner in one hit without having to roll damage (if I chose not to knock him out), which fits nicely with the theme.
/EDIT
A level of barbarian gives me the ability to rage, which will increase my unarmed damage to 1d4+5 when not wearing armour and raging, enough to all but ensure a kill on creatures like goblins. Plus the resistance to damage and the unarmoured defence from the barbarian class, this combination means he'll never be completely vulnerable if disarmed/caught by surprise. And it fits with the image I have of him sitting in the pub, enjoying a drink, and stepping in if things get rowdy.
Skills are Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Perception, and Persuasion.
Background is Entertainer: gladiator (which I'm renaming "bare knuckle boxer"). Again, this fits in well with my image of the character.
Personality 1: I'm always ready to help those in need.
Personality 2: I enjoy showing off my strength.
Ideal: Material goods come and go, bonds of friendship last forever.
Bond: I used to be a bully and walked a dark path, but my grandfather taught me the wisdom of not fighting.
Flaw: once I start drinking, it's hard for me to stop.
I'm thinking about the best ways to roleplay these personality traits. For personality 1 it's easy enough, personality 2 I can bring in when he participates in fights or goes to the pub (arm wrestling/contests of strength). His ideal might not crop up often, same with his bond, but the flaw should be a frequent one. I'm going to talk with the DM about how to bring this in without it getting repetitive, maybe imposing the intoxicated condition on myself for the first encounter of the new day.
I think that's everything... as you can see, my choices don't necessarily make a greatly effective character, but I'm really looking forward to playing him. Thanks, everyone, for your advice and for taking the time to comment. Game on!
Don't have the PHB in front so I don't know if slings are special, but most ranged attacks use Dex.
Throwing Axes work with Archery style and use strength though. Then again, you're going for unarmed. You set on unarmed, or do you think you could swing "throws axes then fights unarmed"?
You're correct about the sling being DEX based. I'll replace it with hand axes, reskinned into pebbles/sling bullets. I'm not set on him being unarmed all the time, as long as he's capable of fighting unarmed.
I'm sure this has been asked before, but can you dual wield your fists? I would imagine so...
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
Captain_Kobold wrote:
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
Devils-Advocate wrote: