I kept it loose on this one, as far as scripting and editing out the 'ums' and such. Constructive criticism welcome ^^

I think the idea with Barbarians having light armor proficiency is that WoTC considers armor to be in tiers, where light armor is the weakest, and heavy is the strongest, so to have medium armor prof, they also need to have light armor prof for some reason. It's probably just a lay-over from previous editions when the tiers actually made some sense.

Almost every optomized build takes a Fighter dip. It works with every class and is always worth doing.

I take a dip into some sort of caster because I primarily play rogue. It gives me so many options for cantrips and variety of very useful low level spells that make my characters in game responsibilities far easier to accomplish. Like rn I have been playing a Dankwood Goblin Scout Rogue for the past 3 almost 4 years in a very difficult and homebrewed campaign and I’ve picked up a fair few magic items that give me some basic spell casting and it’s been incredibly helpful. I plan on multi classing into one of the many homebrew classes my DM has scattered about the world which is called Deep Lore Magic and it encompasses all the spells lost to time. So the only way to get your foot in the door with it is to find a spell. The big thing about it is that it does make you very powerful but at great cost one of the NPCs is a Deep Lore caster and his mind is pretty well gone at this point. He is insane and eccentric.

This is my advice for anyone who is going to be playing a Wizard into high levels. If you're going clear to 20, dip two levels in Fighter. Action Surge will be an absolute game changer, and having a little bit of healing with Second Wind is nice. Your 20th level Wizard capstone is kinda lame when compared to your 18th level feature, and you'll get a lot more out of those two levels of Fighter than you will from those last two Wizard levels. And, since you can get them early on, they'll help you out for much longer.

@jonathanrich9281

5 ай бұрын

Also you get medium armor, or Heavy *and* Con proficiencies if you start with Fighter. But yeah, that Action Surge. Drop a control spell right away and then drop a blaster spell, or even just “I can throw two fireballs” to either completely devastate one patch of area, or do lighter damage to two groups.

@H4LFsanity

5 ай бұрын

Absolutely agree. I have a Bladesinger 18/ Fighter 2 in Adventure League and she's immensely strong.

Just want to say one thing, Barbarians do have proficiency on medium armor +3 on CON and +2 on DEX gives them 15 AC meanwhile Scale mail gives them 16 and Half plate 17 or even more with magic armor I think the only reason no one talks about this is because Scale mail isnt part of their starting equipment

@H4LFsanity

5 ай бұрын

That's very true. In the early game especially medium armor can be helpful.

Starting with fighter also gets you CON proficiency if you care about that kinda thing

@Aedi

Ай бұрын

prof & adv yo con saves to maintain concentration combine to make the most melee friendly caster ive ever had

Rogue is also decent to get a couple of levels in for the bonus movement options.

@H4LFsanity

5 ай бұрын

I actually made a Cunning Action video during the pandemic :P

Unanmored defense for Barb is a trap. Get 14 Dex and wear Halfplate. The only way no armor is worth it is if you max out Con and Dex, which isn't optimal or necessary for a Barb.

@irakhlin

3 ай бұрын

Dex is a trap for barbarians past 14 but con is worthwhile. going up to 18 or 20 con as a barb has huge benefits. You are still generally better off with half plate but can do just fine unarmored if you lean into con. 1 ac won't make a difference at 18 con. It's just an aesthetic thing. you are absolutely right about optimization but some play barbs for the unarmored defense as part of their reason for choosing the class in the first place. There are also some items like Bracers of Defence that come up and might change the math in favor of unarmored. Finally, some campaigns like Dark Sun or a Sea-based campaign might lead someone to lean into unarmored AC. Con has the benefit of increasing your HP to the point you can outlast most combats regardless of AC.

@chrisg8989

3 ай бұрын

@irakhlin If you are multiclassing into a Rune Knight, then getting a CON higher than 16 could be worth it for their abilities maybe. But if you're straight Barb, you're better off taking the Tough Feat if you're just looking for a Hit Point Buff. Taking 18 or 20 con means you are sacrificing Dex or Strength. Or even worse, your Mental Saving Throw stats, which are more likely to mess you up than damage ever will. Bracers of defense are OK. It gives as much AC as a shield, tho. No amazing. I would much rather take a Ring/cloak of Protection for that juicey saving throw Buff. If you really wanted to build a defense focused Barb you're better off going 16 STR, 14 DEX 16 CON, and then buffing your mental stats for saving throws. Getting Tough Feat and Resilient Wisdom Feat. Take a shield, half plate, and a 1 hander of hour choice. Then you're rocking a 19 AC, resistance to all damage (totem barb), and your saving throws are half decent enough to give you a chance to save. STR AND Dex save is never an issue with Danger sense and Rage. CON saves you're proficient, nothing to worry about. But that's just my opinion. Play what you like and what's fun for you.

@chrisg8989

3 ай бұрын

@@irakhlin biggest thing Unarmored has over Half-plate is Stealth. If you want a sneaky tank or are part of a stealthy party. Then Unarmored is a Solid option if you build around it.

Don't forget about proficiency in Constitution Saving Throws for Concentration spells. Wizards start Artificer 1, Bards and Warlocks can go Sorcerer 1, but Clerics and Druids usually take Resilient: Constitution. Fighter 1 with Fighting Style: Defense would help them with Concentration and AC (even though Sorcerer 1 is the better choice because of Shield) Not to mention there are Clerics that play closer to the frontline, like Clerics of the Light Domain and Tempest Domain. More HP, Second Wind and Fighting Style: Duelist or Fighting Style: Great Weapon Master come in handy at low level when you start to run out of spell slots

@H4LFsanity

5 ай бұрын

Goood point. I was focused on the 'feats' aspect, but Con save proficiency is huge too. 3 levels of Eldritch Knight can grab Shield and Absorb Elements too, though that's a lot more investment.

Great take

Good observation. Though it's also worth pointing out that you can often lose more by multiclassing than by taking a feat. Prime examples would be delaying the extra attack feature, or delaying spell slots and spell level on a caster.

@H4LFsanity

5 ай бұрын

True, timing is important.

Fighting Style, Heavy Armor proficiency, CON save, action surge is worth a feat or maybe better, and the now new use for Second Wind (which now can be used 2 times) Tactical Mind that is worth a feat in my opinion. All of that +prof. in all weapons makes the fighter the best dip for any weapon based build.

Huh keep these up they'll catch on, good content

Accurate.

Dips are not free, you'll reach level 5 and won't be casting fireballs. You'll reach level 7 and won't be casting polymorph. Feats don't do that. There's another better way to get armor: playing a dwarf, or any race that gives armor proficiency.

@H4LFsanity

4 ай бұрын

These feats won't raise your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, though. The dip delays spells, but doesn't replace them. You're right that there are other ways though, for sure.

Show me an optimized build that doesn't include at least a one level fighter dip and I'd argue that you're not showing me an optimized build