Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Rastapopoulos Sep 29, 2014 15:01:44	So I was going by the PHB and noticed it's possible to make a character with ludicrous amounts of HP. I decided, merely for fun, to try and reach the maximum HP possible (without resorting to spells that buff HP) with a 5e character.   Here's what I came up with: - First we pick the Barbarian class. This gives us 12 HP at first level and 7 each extra level (I'll just use the fixed value offered by the class). - Then we make it a Dwarf for the Dwarven Toughness feature. - Finally we pick the Tough feat for an extra 2 HP per level.   Now it isn't crazy to assume a barbarian can have a CON of 20. Especially if he's a Dwarf. It shouldn't be hard to reach even if we're not ignoring STR on the side. Plus CON gives the barbarian goodies such as more AC, meaning it's a reasonable stat to bump for the class. More or less an obvious choice.   This would give us the following amount of HP at each of these levels: 10 -> 155 HP 15 -> 230 HP 20 -> 345 HP   (Remember that at level 20 we get a +4 bump to CON for a total of 24.)     Now for the icing on the cake, we get the Bear Totem sub-class ability, which halves the damage we get from all sources (except psychic damage which normally doesn't come up that much). Effectively this doubles our HP while raging, and at higher levels we should be able to maintain Rage for enough minutes to cover entire fight, or at least the really tough fights during a given day.   So effectively we can have a Dwarf Barbarian with 690 HP.   Woot! That's more HP than the Tarraske has!   (Unless it's all psychic damage, that is.)         Am I forgetting something here that could bump HP even more? (No magic allowed!)
#2 Lawolf Sep 29, 2014 15:31:53	Level 20 circle of the moon Druid effectively has infinite HP (and resistance to damage from non magical weapons).   Warlock 2 | Wizard 2 with the armor of shadows invocation effectively has infinite HP as well.
#3 ankiyavon Sep 29, 2014 15:42:42	Lawolf wrote:
#4 Lawolf Sep 29, 2014 15:53:03	ankiyavon wrote:
#5 Rastapopoulos Sep 29, 2014 17:34:16	Druid Well, I assume you mean using the bonus action from Circle of the Moon to transform into a new beast every round, thus raising your HP to the maximum of that beast every round.   It's an interesting combo but I see a few issues here: 1- You actually need to get to level 20 to have infinite wild shape uses, while the meat-sponge Barbarian will gradually benefit from massive HP always having huge amounts of HP for his level, and he gets the damage resistance to everything very very early. 2- The maximum CR of a beast even a Moon druid can transform is 6 at druid level 20. I don't imagine that for level 20 gameplay the HP of a CR6 beast will be that much. If you're taking low damage every round you could in theory always cope with it, but massive damage could overcome your CR6 hit points. (Then there are elemental forms, but I don't have the MM for elemental stat blocks so I can't comment on those.) 3- This one's more open to interpretation... The PHB isn't clear whether you need to regain your original form to enter a new form or not. It just mentions you need a bonus action to regain original form, and you can spend another wild shape use to maintain the same form. If you maintain the same form, however, you don't regain the beast's HP. You'd need to switch between at least 2 forms every round, and the book isn't clear as to whether you'll need to revert to the original form before doing that. If you interpret that you don't, then it works better, but if you do, then to do it you'd need to use a bonus action to return to the original form, and then your action to gain the new form. It would still work in theory but then you're not doing anything other than transform back and forth.   Plus... resistance to non-magic at level 20 play isn't really that big a deal, as a lot of enemies should easily have means to bypass that. The barbarian gains resistance to basically everything, except psychic damage.     Warlock/Wizard With this combo I'm not impressed, though. It's a good defensive boost, all right, but the damage it soaks is not much, especially at high levels. It'd only be effective if taking very little damage. Plus, even if you can cast mage armor at will you still need an action for each casting and it recharges slowly.      Barbarian Both combos above are fine, but they're more effective for restocking HP between fights or between smaller burst of damage, while the Barbarian can count on a massively huge amount of HP as a single pool. Plus, it's just plain HP, it's not magic, and so it's no subject to several things that could screw up with magic. You'll still have 690HP even inside an anti-magic zone.
#6 Illithidbix Sep 29, 2014 17:42:45	Rastapopoulos wrote:
#7 Rastapopoulos Sep 29, 2014 17:46:22	I have half a mind to say a level 20 Barbarian can go toe-to-toe with the Tarraske.   It would depend on how much damage the Barbarian can out-put, really, to see who manages to bring down each other's HP faster. The tarraske deals an average of 130 damage per round. All this damage is halved by the barbarian's resistance so for practical purposes we could consider the full damage and the 690HP barbarian.   This means the barbarian can take and average of 6 rounds of the Tarraske before hitting 0 HP.    Then comes in Relentless Rage, which with a +17 CON save should give you still a few more rounds up.   The Tarraske still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Fright, Grapple and Swallow, all of which gives you disadvantage to attack rolls, and all of which you can ignore by using Reckless Attack thus nullifying the disadvantage. Plus, swallowing you would be a pretty bad idea as the damage you'd take inside him would be much much lesser than his attack rolls and you can still attack without disadvantage from inside him due to Reckless Attack.   All in all I'd say it would depend A LOT on dice rolls, but that this level 20 Barbarian has a fair chance of taking down the Tarraske on sheer damage rolls alone.
#8 Rastapopoulos Sep 29, 2014 17:50:41	Illithidbix wrote:
#9 Sword_of_Spirit Sep 29, 2014 18:02:16	Rastapopoulos wrote:
#10 Zardnaar Sep 29, 2014 21:10:47	It depends onhow the DM structures encounter. We had a 5th level moonDruiod and the DM likes using lots of CR 1-3 encounters using largeamounts of fodder. Rather than a CR 20 beastie a dozen giants is really a lot more scary IMHO.
#11 Rastapopoulos Oct 01, 2014 8:45:01	Zardnaar wrote:
#12 cranebump Oct 01, 2014 8:57:50	I am now convinced to never play beyond level 12 in this system.:-)
#13 dmgorgon Oct 01, 2014 12:09:01	Thanks the gods for SoD.
#14 mellored Oct 01, 2014 12:11:07	Cast summon woodland beings, get 8 pixies.   Have them ready their actions to turn you into a mamoth * 8 = 1008 HP.
#15 Karnos Oct 01, 2014 16:08:06	Sword_of_Spirit wrote:
(Reply to #14) CriticalBastard	mellored wrote:
#17 mellored Oct 02, 2014 6:02:37	CriticalBastard wrote:
#18 Qmark Oct 02, 2014 21:26:26	And to think that all this time I thought a "meat sponge" was that pad thing on the bottom of a package of steaks.