*Correction!* “innate spellcasting” is different from “spellcasting” so pixies keep their magic! 📜 Patreon Sample Encounter Pack: www.patreon.com/posts/36929606 🧡 Support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bobworldbuilder ❤️ Subscribe on KZread: kzread.info

Having The Avatar of Death as a sidekick is basically an Episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. I am 100% for that.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Bingo 💀

If I'm going to give my party an avatar of death as a sidekick, im going to flavor him as grim from the grim adventures of billy and mandy

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Exactlyyyyyy

My players tend to rarely pick healing spells when making their characters, so thanks for making this video for inspiration! It'll be really useful when we start playing again

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Happy to help! Yes, having a character who can heal is a little more a immersive than finding healing potions in every monster's loot! haha

Ok, but imagine an awakened shrub with thorn whip, primal savagery, and good berries that grow out of it. Might not be strong, but it is thematic as hell. I know I can't be the only one who loves this idea.

I don't think that the Pixie loses it's Innate Spellcasting! The spellcaster sidekick rules say that the new spellcasting replaces the Spellcasting feature, which is distinct from Innate Spellcasting, which is a different feature.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Mayyybe, I looked briefly for creatures with just "spellcasting" rather than innate spellcasting and couldn't find one. That would be awesome if they keep it!

@DatedSandwich

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder Lots of humanoids have it, the lowest CR one is I think the Acolyte in the MM, or the Apprentice Wizard in Volo's

I like the scout as a spellcaster sidekick. Get spells from the druid spell list and you basically have a ranger with features like extra attack and advantage on certain perception checks.

Imagine: an Undying Warlock who’s patron has sent them an Avatar of Death to keep an eye on them until they’ve fulfilled their purpose. Death is a cleric, healing the warlock and pumping them with Lesser Restoration. “The King says it’s not your time yet. We don’t want to lose you.”

Last week I started a modified LMoP campaign with a friend and gave him an awakened cat for a sidekick. The cat can cast Produce Flame (which ignites at the tip of it’s tail), Primal Savagery, and Cure Wounds as her first level spell. The first session was a lot of fun.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Love the lighted tail! Kinda like charmander haha 😁

Pixie’s *doesn’t lose* her abilty to cast spells when she becomes a spellcaster sidekick. Because pixie’s trait is called *innate spellcasting* , not spellcasting (the spellcasting sidekicks loose their traits called “spellcasting”)

@an8strengthkobold360

2 жыл бұрын

He already made the correction in the comments

My players are in love with sidekicks/companions. I started with the awakened shrub in Lonelywood, and now I am working on others for my players. At the top of my list are an awakened bear and a sentient doll.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Ooh sentient doll! That's creepy. I love that for a good edgy character lol

I sort of feel that the top 2 are a bit of a cop out. Legitimate choices sure but I'm not sure how my DM would react if I turned up with Death itself as my sidekick at level 1... Basically I'm not sure I like using CR less monsters on lists like this, but your ideas are valid and a swarm of spiders that turn their venom to healing injections with touch spells is an incredible image. Story time: a friend has just acquired a sidekick through accidentally wild magicing a town guard into a 'Dragonwrought?' the half dragon template from MM and is now forced to look after him by the local lord until he changes them back. So that's our next quest!

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

That's amazing! And yeah, I think I take for granted that my groups typically discuss this stuff very collaboratively. Like we wouldn't go to the DM saying, "this is my sidekick." It would be, "how can I get a sidekick like this?"

@mslabo102s2

2 жыл бұрын

The statue is clearly out of CR range if we went out and calculate it via the formula on DMG. The avatar depends on the summoner's HP but its 20 AC may easily launch its effective CR above 1/2.

Sidekicks we have in ToD Half elf warrior- on her own sidequest repairing Greennest Kobold warrior- Bard's sidekick that performs very little but is his robin to his batman Steel Defender- Thats a boy, max A busboy Duodrone who will be a suicide bomber in the next session in Waterdeep

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Ooh the duo drone sounds really interesting! They definitely make good sidekicks roleplay-wise

@prtwriter4660

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder I manged to build one in waterdeep. But its a busboy at the tarven we have (Dragon Heist)

What I'd do for making a Spellcaster is first off, don't use something that's already a Spellcaster (Innate Spellcasting exempted), as something like a Frontline Medic from Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica or a Barovian Witch from Curse of Strahd already come with a bunch of cool/useful spells - the Witch would make a great Expert and the Medic would make a fine Warrior (comes with Plate Armor). After that, see to it that they aren't wearing/wielding Medium or Heavy armor, or Martial Weapons (granted, those can be swapped out as need be), and that the desired Mental stat - Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma - is above 10, 14+ would be preferable. A couple that spring to mind are Changelings from Ebberon, and Tabaxi Minstrels from Tomb of Annihilation, although a Tortle from MToF wouldn't be a bad pick actually.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

That Barovian Witch recommendation is very familiar! And man, you have a great mind for builds!

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder Probably because I've mentioned it a half dozen times. Lol! But, yeah, unless I thought that the pre-existing spells were meh (or the Acolyte or Apprentice Wizard, which are only 1st level spellcasters anyways), I probably wouldn't make a pre-existing spellcaster, especially those of the 3rd level or higher, a member of the Spellcaster class - Expert or Warrior for them.

Swarms don't know a language but a swarm of ravens would be a cool sidekick.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

They do if they’re awakened by a druid!

@Randomdudefromtheinternet

2 жыл бұрын

I had a paladin that tamed a swarm of bats, it was awesome, now with this it would be EVEN MORE awesome.

Great content as always. I don't even play anymore but I still enjoy your vids.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I hope you start playing again!

Just watched the Expert Sidekick video and still think the CR 0 Chwinga from Rime of the Frostmaiden or ToA might be the most broken... Evasion, At Will Pass Without a Trace, and 3 cantrips including Guidance... 3 skills at +7 (Acrobatics, Perception, and Stealth); Magical Gifts (1/day) are insane! Never sure I’ll understand how CR is calculated by the development team if this gets CR 0 next to a Badger or Rat or a talking shrub...

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Whoa that's a good call!

I just want to point out that Pixies DO NOT lose their Innate Spellcasting. Only monsters with the Spellcasting trait do. So creatures such as the Acolyte or Enchanter. Innate Spellcasting is totally different, it does not list a Spellcaster level, and many times allows the casting the spells with modified components.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Oof okay that is a big oversight then! Thank you, I’ll add a note in the pinned comment!

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

Um, Enchanter is a cr 5 - you might be thinking of Apprentice Wizard, although there are some spellcasters that are setting or story specific.

@apweaver3498

3 жыл бұрын

@@lockwoan01 I mentioned Enchanter just to show a reference, not that it meets the CR requirement.

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

@@apweaver3498 Understood, but a better example might be the Barovian Witch from Curse of Strahd or the Frontline Medic from Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica - both are third-level spellcasters who'd lose out on some cool spells (with the Medic losing their Plate Armor) if they were given the Spellcaster class - Witch would be better off as an Expert (it's physical stats aren't that great) and the Medic would be a decent pick for a Warrior (it shows up wearing Plate Armor anyways).

How would you calculate Deaths hit points if he became a sidekick? I might allow this for my players in the campaign I'm running.

I think you are looking into loop holes a little too closely. I can't imagine as a DM allowing either of your 2 or 1, as I would feel like my players asking for them would be trying to be all "well technically it breaks no rules"

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah #2 does pretty much break the rules because it is inanimate unless it's possessed. #1 I imagine using in a one-on-one game

@geoffreyperrin4347

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder maybe in a one player game, but I'd be hard pressed to imagine it in a classic 4 player party. Plus, it would he hard to imagine getting such a thing at low levels, it would mean at lv 4 or lower or so the party would have already found a deck of many things and drawn that card. Sure, as the DM if you want it you can just say it happens

It wasn't statistically good at all, let's be honest, but I gave a party in a game I was DMing an Awakened Shrub healer sidekick. They never did learn what language it spoke, which led to some interesting attempts at interaction. I just found the image of a little shrub running after them on root-legs throwing the occasional healing spell their way very amusing.

Death, as a Sidekick? Nah..... but I can see them as a "Patron" to a reskinned Oathbreaker - Oath of Death - Paladin dies, or has a near-Death experience, or a party member has one, and thus encounters Death. Death looks at them and goes "Tell you what Mortal, agree to assist me in tracking down those who have disrupted the balance between Life and Death, and I'll grant you and your buddies an extension on how much longer you have to live. Also, I can get some of my underlings to possess corpses to help you out (Animate Dead and such). What do you say? Do we have a deal?" Useful if dealing with a lich or some such powerful undead.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Now that's a whole campaign arc!

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder I'm great at coming up with ideas.

Interesting What about the giant owl? Or am I wrong about them being a sidekick?

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

I included them in the Expert sidekick video, but they would work well for this too! I just didn't feel like they made my top 5

I'm a little confused about a certain aspect of this sidekick spellcaster business, primarily in the detailed prerequisite that the creature must know a language to qualify, which makes sense as some spells have verbal components, but does this allow creatures who can understand a language but not speak it to become a spellcaster? For otherwise, the list of candidates grows slim, and the trusty blink-dog is sadly relegated to the Warrior Subclass alone.

I hadn't considered swarms as sidekicks 🤯

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

I’m getting more and more into the spiders idea...

@khayyin359

3 жыл бұрын

I'm tempted to use sidekicks as villain henchmen (sparingly), to add a little variety, and a villain with a swarm of spiders or a swarm of ravens as their sidekick could be really fun.

K listen.... I was going to say the death side kick was absolutely absurd..... but for explanation won me over. That sounds Awesome. I just wouldn't use the stats I'd also like to throw modrons into the ring somewhere

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Haha glad you like it! And yeah I considered modrons for each type of spellcaster, but for some reason they just lacked whatever I was looking for to make it on any of these lists

@broke_af_games9661

3 жыл бұрын

Bob World Builder that's fair.... They just make me happy ;)

can a worg be a cleric side kick ?

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

Technically, yes, but due to the lack of hands for Somatic components (hand signs), you'd have to work with the DM to allow spells from all spell-lists - I did a similar check for the case of Awakened Animals and the like.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the response!

@lockwoan01

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder Yeah, had a mild case of curiosity a while back, and was like "What spells don't require hand signs?", in case someone had an Awakened Elk or something as a buddy. After all, as Kuzco in "The Emperor's New Groove" pointed out - "When it comes to handshakes, you need hands!"

Pixies have innate spellcasting which is not spellcasting so you can have both.

I played a ua sidekick in a one shot of 10 people and everyone agrees it was the best character I ever played

Shadow is the most OP sidekick

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah they were an honorable mention for the expert sidekick (they don’t have a language so technically can’t be an expert),and they’ll probably make a comeback in the upcoming video for best warrior sidekicks!

@nicka3697

3 жыл бұрын

@@BobWorldBuilder I like the idea of your own shadow becoming your sidekick.

I don't bellieve that spellcaster sidekciks lose inate spellcasting only regular.

Isn't speaking a language a prerequisite ? I know its a bit arbitrary, I would DM on a case by case basis.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

It is!

I hear people mention needing a healer in 5e a lot. However, you get so much passive out of combat healing in 5e, the only reason Id want a healing spell in my party is to be used to pick up partners for the action economy. Not having a healer is such a constant meme, i can't figure out if people legitimately want one.

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

I see a big need for it in combat like you said. I prefer to keep my party on the edge in combat, and having a healer to bring people back up allows me to do that. Combat is more tense when one or two characters are being knocked down again and again! You're totally right that outside of combat healers are not really that necessary unless you like to blind/curse the party.

@apweaver3498

3 жыл бұрын

A Healer in the traditional MMORPG sense is not needed, healing someone from 0 to 30 HP isn't very useful as the game goes on because higher CR monsters can deal 30 or more damage per attack and might have 3 or 4 attacks. Because of that healing 1 HP is plenty, it resets Death Saves and a player can take just as many Actions at 1 HP as at 30 or 100 HP. With that in mind I do think a "Healer" is important but only in that spellcasters that get Bonus Action heal spells is much more effective then using Healing Potions. Out of combat healing does not require a Healer, Short Rests, potions, and Feats now provide plenty of healing and Temp HP to keep a smart party alive. A Prodigy and Healer Sidekick can be useful though due to getting access to Healing Word.

@___i3ambi126

3 жыл бұрын

@@apweaver3498 but now a "healer" means anyone that knows healing word and/or mass healing word. And while that spell is busted, id argue thats it. Its a busted spell every group is very happy to have. Lets to compare this to something I think every group does has to have: a talker. If everyone in the group dumps cha then there are some challenges they will not be able to overcome. But just having 1 charismatic face of the party fixes that problem in its entirety. Having a 2nd has almost no benefit, and the face being better at talking through enhancing spells and abilities makes the whole group better for it. By comparisson, having 1 healing word is amazing since you can pick people up. Have a 2nd is really good since now healing word will always be able to pick up a single downed pc. And then every healing word beyond one makes it that much more likely the downed PC wont have to waste their first round after the monster hits with a death save. Even more so with mass healing word since it encreases the likelyhood of having a single PC picking up the rest in a single turn (busted). Unliking talking, having more healing word just makes the party improve and any individual being better at healing beyond this spell exsisting is basically unhelpful. So I'd say a group of [Silver tongue elequence Bard, high Dex trickster Cleric, tanky Moon Druid, and a spell slinging tempest cleric] is extremely powerful and covers all their basis. Even more so because they all know healing word. Meanwhile a group that doesnt have healing word is only missing out on a very powerful single spell. Kind of like when groups are missing out on darkness+devil's sight, polearm master+sentinal, or crossbow expert+sharpshooter. Theyre worse off for it, but arent missing an entire necissary skill set.

@apweaver3498

3 жыл бұрын

@@___i3ambi126 I would say your argument is a little flawed, since you are comparing a role "Party Face" to Healing Word which is a spell, after just saying that the "Healer" role isn't needed. Also being taking on that role takes more then one feature or spell, it takes Stats, Skills, Features and Spells in various combinations depending on the situation. Healing really just takes being able to get an unconscious player from 0 HP to 1 HP which anyone can do with a Healing Potion at minimum with no specialization. Healing Word is powerful, but the Healer Feat on a Rogue Thief is just as effective. Additionally Healing Spirit and Aura of Vitality also does the same thing multiple times over 10 rounds with only a 2nd/3rd level spell. Balm of the Summer Court, Healing Light & Hand of Healing are all features that allow healing without spell slots as well. Furthermore I would say it is an oversight to have only have one person who can talk. You only need a party face, but every character benefits from having some social skills. There are going to be situations where the Party Face cannot speak, or where their engagement in the conversation has no sway. You can also argue that the game allows for Fighting through, Sneaking through and Talking through challenges, so talking doesn't have to happen. And finally you also pointed out that as has been pointed out with healing, there are alternatives to needing a Party Face, such as features and spells that can allow anyone to fill the role via Charm Person, Guidance, Bardic Inspiration, etc...

@___i3ambi126

3 жыл бұрын

@@apweaver3498 I would say having those spells at the end also make you the face, but that versatility is why its a category and not a single ability. Though for the main point, I like "healer" a lot more now that youve given options that arent healing word or healing word but worse. I legit hadnt thought of anything other than that for picking people up. Having 1 person in the group who makes sure no one slowly bleeds out (especially after a fight is won) is very important. And thats a utility where having at least 1 is super important while each additional doesnt help as much. (Unlike the action economy of very specifically healing word, which is what stacks). So I'll agree. MMO/moba players will definitely be confused when you say the "healer" role is covered by our rogue, but the name makes sense in a different way.

1 & 2 DON'T fulfill the CR requirements because their CR is null. Not 0, null. There is a huge difference. 0 is less than ½, but null isn't "less than" anything because it's not a number, therefore it isn't less than ½.

I have no idea why they seem so resistant to making a 2/3 caster table. They overnerfed all the sidekicks, but especially spellcasters from the UA. Sidekicks really should be about as good mathetmatically as normal classes but just much simpler with fewer choices to make. They also made a mistake by not making Battlemaster core fighter and then letting warrior be the "simple fighter" archtetype for new players wanting to try a super simple class. I'm doing a soft rewrite of all of these things.

I don't think Flumph qualifies. It only understands undercommon, it does not speak.

Flumph can't be a caster sidekick as it can't speak

This is waaaaay too DM fiat

@BobWorldBuilder

3 жыл бұрын

😎 guilty as charged

Flumphs don’t speak, sadly, so they can’t be spellcaster.

Flumph can't be a spellcaster, it does not have a language it can speak.