Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Pheonix9955 Aug 30, 2014 16:58:13	Hi guys, as you can see from the title i'm new to d&d. What i need help with is character creation, i have the basic rules for 5e but it confuses me little and i need a little help. What i had in mind was a dragonborn fighter(dont judge me) and since the dragonborn are not in the basics i was wondering if they're pretty much like  the DB from 4e if so i can just wiki their racial abilities & etc, if not vould inform me on whats new this time around. But the main thing i need help with is with my stats. I plan on being a melee fighter and i know that i need to make my strength the highest stat but after that i'm pretty much clueless. So if somebody could help me with that please do so and thanks in advanced.
#2 Thoughts_My_Aim Aug 30, 2014 17:11:00	For your bog standard Fighter I'd suggest STR, CON, DEX in that order (Dex for ranged weapons and AC if you're not in heavy armour), with INT/WIS/CHA in whatever order you like (I don't think Fighters get much that runs off them).
#3 Pheonix9955 Aug 30, 2014 17:30:48	And also, is it possible to start with an animal companion/mount if my back story says so or is that up to the DM?
#4 Captain_Kobold Aug 30, 2014 17:46:17	Only Rangers get an option for a real animal companion. The best that you could hope for as a fighter is a pet or horse bought with starting money.   Obviously DMs can break the rules, but may need a good reason to just give you abilities from other classes.
#5 Captnq Aug 30, 2014 18:13:55	Dragonborn is in the PHB. Oh, wait... you only got the basic set. Right.   They get a breath weapon attack once, then you need a rest. Long or short, don't matter. Energy Type of the dragon and it's either 5x30 line or 15 foot cone. DC 8+Con Bonus +Prof Bonus All attacks are resisted by Dex save, unless it's poison, then it's Con. Damage 2d6 +1d6 every 5 levels. max 5d6 at 16th level Damage resistance to energy type by type of dragon. (Duh) Str +2, Cha +1   And that's all you really need to know. There's a whole lot of background and crud, but that's the bottom line, stat wise.
#6 Devils-Advocate Aug 30, 2014 21:21:08	Stat allocation depends on your build. If you want to do two-handed or sword-and-board, use heavy armor and put everything into Strength and Constitution. If you want to do ranged or dual-wield, use light armor and put everything into Dexterity and Constitution. If you want to go for a more combat generalist approach rather than specializing in one style, use medium armor and get your Dexterity to 14 (or 16 if you take the Moderately Armored feat) so you hit your AC cap as early as possible, then put the rest into Strength and Constitution. Everything else is pretty much just flavor, though you probably want to prioritize Wisdom over Intelligence and Charisma, since Wisdom saves come up more often, and it's the perception ability.
#7 Pheonix9955 Aug 31, 2014 7:35:44	All right, taking advice from you guys how do these stats look for an all around fighter (which i'm guessing uses both close & long ranged weapons) Dragonborn Fighter Str.- 17 Dex.-13 Con.-15 Int.-9 Wis.-10 Char.-10 These include racial bonuses/stat bonuses So how do these stats seem to you guys?
#8 OrwellianHaggis Aug 31, 2014 10:24:34	I would try to drop strength by a point and use whatever you have left to increase dexterity or intelligence (preferably dexterity). Odd stats do nothing. Other than that, I'd say it's good.
(Reply to #8) Pheonix9955	OrwellianHaggis wrote:
(Reply to #9) Jordan175	Pheonix9955 wrote:
#11 baronspam Aug 31, 2014 12:08:19	My $.02 on stats.   Str first, unless you are going with an archer/finess weapons build, which is entirely possible.   The Con.  Its good for everyone, but espeically fighters.     The main reasons to take dex: You want to focus on bow or finess weapons.  You want to be stealthy.  You have a character/story concept that requres dex based skills.  If none of those apply then IMHO take a 10 in dex,  put on some heavy armor the way the goods intended,  and put some points into  Wisdom.  Perception is key for everyone.  Wisdom checks are often "save vs bushwack".
#12 Devils-Advocate Aug 31, 2014 12:28:04	Pheonix9955 wrote:
#13 Pheonix9955 Aug 31, 2014 12:31:26	After taking both jordan175's and baronspam's posts into condideration these are my new stats    Str. 13+2 Dex. 11 Con. 14 Int. 12 Wis. 13 Char. 11+1 tell me what you think and sorry about all the hassle.
(Reply to #12) Pheonix9955	Devils-Advocate wrote:
#15 OrwellianHaggis Aug 31, 2014 13:32:19	Pheonix9955 wrote:
#16 Captain_Kobold Aug 31, 2014 13:37:47	If you're going to do something like pick up Heavy Armour Mastery feat at 4th level, you can probably survive with an odd Strength score until then.
#17 Devils-Advocate Aug 31, 2014 14:03:31	Pheonix9955 wrote:
(Reply to #17) Pheonix9955	Devils-Advocate wrote:
#19 Devils-Advocate Aug 31, 2014 15:51:47	That would be weird if it wasn't, it's a pretty essential part of the game's core resolution mechanic.
#20 Pheonix9955 Aug 31, 2014 16:17:36	It might have been in there, if so it was one of those things that i overlooked.
#21 Pheonix9955 Sep 01, 2014 15:15:17	Would it help if i gave a background story or something because i got a rough idea of my DB fighters story. If so tell me and i'll post it.
#22 Leugren Sep 01, 2014 17:08:34	First, let me say that you're not likely to get a consensus opinion on these boards, so you will have to weigh the recommendations yourself in order to make an informed decision.  The main point that a lot of people (including me) seem to agree on is that you should try to avoid having odd-numbered ability scores if at all possible.  This is only important if you care about being the best that you can be, of course.  If so, then you definitely want to start with a 16 in Strength. Constitution is your next most important attribute, so a 14 is the most appropriate score there.  In combat, your Dexterity will influence your initiative modifier, which can be important if you want to be among the first to act so that you can position yourself at strategic chokepoints in the terrain.  It also influences the ease with which you succeed at Dexterity saving throws, which are incredibly common in 5E.  Wisdom influences your Perception modifier, which is important if you want to avoid being surprised, as well as the ease with which you succeed at Wisdom saving throws, which aren't quite as common as Dexterity saving throws, but still quite common.  After Strength and Constitution, you should therefore try to focus your next best set of scores in Dexterity and Wisdom.  Charisma and Intelligence are the least important to you in terms of combat effectiveness because the saving throws associated with either of these two abilities are quite rare.  So to summarize, here is how I would prioritize my stats:   1. Strength 2. Constitution 3. Dexterity / Wisdom 4. Intelligence / Charisma     With all of that stated, if being the absolute best in combat is not your top priority, then you should feel free to ignore any or all of what I have just said.  This is a role-playing game after all, so you should assign your stats in whatever way most closely matches the character that you imagine yourself to be, so long as you are doing it with an awareness of the consequences.  If you don't imagine him as quick and agile, for instance, then feel free to give him a Dexterity of 10.  Just be aware that you will often be one of the last people to act in the initiative order, and that you are very likely to fail your saving throws against such things as dragon breath, fireball spells, and pit traps on a fairly regular basis.   The next big decision for you involves what sort of fighting style you are interested in.  If you want to do a ton of damage, then your best option is to fight with a big two-handed weapon such as a greatsword or a maul.  If this is the case, then you should choose the Great Weapon Fighting Style.  If you are more interested in survivability (at low levels, the game can be pretty lethal), then you should fight with a one-handed weapon (e.g. a longsword, a battleaxe, or a warhammer) and a shield.  In this case, you will probably want to choose the Duelist Fighting Style so that your damage output doesn't fall too far behind.  If the thought of doing less damage doesn't bother you, then choose either the Defense or the Protection fighting style.  Whichever option you choose, make sure you get the best heavy armor you can afford in order to maximize your armor class.   Just My 2 Cents,   Leugren   EDIT: Personally, I would lean towards something like the following, though you might swap the Dexterity score with the Wisdom score depending on which you feel plays a bigger role in combat (I lean towards Dexterity myself):   STR: 16 (+3) DEX: 14 (+2) CON: 14 (+2) INT: 9 (-1) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 10 (+0)
#23 Whir Sep 01, 2014 18:56:07	Phoenix9955, I'd like to see the background story! The concept is the most important part of a character to me. If that concept includes what kind of melee fighter you want to be (two-handed, sword and shield, dual-wield, etc) that would be great. And is there a limit on starting gear/gold? Some DMs enforce them strictly and others are much more liberal.
(Reply to #23) Pheonix9955	Whir wrote:
#25 Whir Sep 02, 2014 18:28:11	It sounds like you want to have a fighter that can take some abuse when necessary. I'm a fan of tank fighters; I like to wade in with heavy armor and a big shield and muscle around the grid, smashing down opponents and protecting my party. As I said before, I put concept before optimization -- though I won't purposely make useless character, that's no fun either -- so my loadouts might not seem as good as others who play by the numbers.   Since you are going with point-buy, here is what I would do.   STR 17 (+3) (15+2 Racial) DEX 10 (+0) CON 15 (+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 13 (+1) CHA 11 (+0) (10+1 Racial) This is not super-optimized, but let's consider your character's background. He's a dragonborn so he's exceptionally strong; he's a protector so he's going to be exceptionally tough; and his dedication to protecting his friends helps him overcome mind-affecting events and magic. If he was all about busting heads and breaking legs, I might put the 13 in CHA to help with intimidation, but that doesn't seem to be his style.    You've already decided on sword and board, so there's no reason to go into that. For armor, just take the highest AC piece you can out of your DM. As a tank, you want the best armor class you can have. Go with defensive fighting style for the armor bonus. Depending on your DM, you're now starting at an AC of 19 for chainmail, or 21 for full plate, both with shield. Pretty buff!   It sounds like you have a good background, and one not necessarily covered in the backgrounds available in the Player's Handbook or Basic Rules. For skills I'd consider Athletics, History (Your Clan's), Perception, and Survival. You could definitely drop the History and go with Insight for a more mechanical bonus though. If your character is a proud member of his clan, he's going to know its oral or written history and how it interacted with the surrounding people and lands. For proficiencies, I'd definitely take Artisan's Tools (Smith's Tools) and follow it up with whatever you felt was a good fit or even another language (DM allowing).   That leaves fighter archetype and progression bumps. I would say that in this case, the Battle Master would be more advantageous since it has maneuvers that allow you to keep enemies focused on you, move your allies around to safety or better attack position (very handy if you have a rogue laying around), and just generally harry them by tripping them, disarming them, and making their day bad. If you don't want to worry about having so many options, going with Champion is a solid choice for every fighter, from the archer to the zweihander.   At 4th, bump your STR to 18 and your CON to 16. At 6th, bump your STR to 20. At 8th bump your CON to 18. At 12th bump your CON to 20. That still leaves you with three bumps, or feats if your DM allows. There are handful of useful feats for defensive/protector fighters: Alert, Durable, Heavy Armor Master, Lucky, Mobile, Resilient, Sentinel, Shield Master, and Tough. Unfortunately, Heavy Armor Master is less and less powerful the higher level you get, and both HAM and Durable come with a useless stat bumps as you are already maxed on those scores. My first pick would be Shield Master for the +2 bonus on targeted DEX saves and being able to take no damage on a successful DEX save for half damage. YMMV. You could always boost up your WIS score as well since WIS saves are usually bad things to fail -- if you go that way, take Resilient and pick WIS (boosts attribute 1 point and gives you proficiency in that save) at 14th and then you could hit 16 WIS at 16th and 18 WIS at 19th. The possibilities are really crazy and by the time you get to that level, you'll have a good understanding of how your character plays and how you want him to improve.   Feel free to use all or none of this. It's most imporant that you enjoy your character. At worst, you've got a lot of good advice from people previously in this thread and you'll come up with your own take on your character. Good luck out there!