Introduction
Initially, we were going to just tell you to be the kind of hero that you'll enjoy being and just leave it at that... after all, that's what we do and we're pretty good at Honor Mode, you know? So if it works for us, it should work for you, or so our thinking went.
But... you were right. We were viewing things from the perspective of a couple of seasoned adventurers who work well together. We're good at this, and we're supposed to be teaching you how to be a skilled adventurer.
So like... yeah. Let's talk about realizing your hero and their companions so you can get good at it too!
Or, you know, you could just totally rely on the fates and use the random hero generator!
Origins or Originality
If you've got an amazing hero in your head or you want to interact with those Origins heroes we all know and love, you're best served by creating an original (custom) character. This will offer you the most flexibility in channelling a hero that resonates with you.
If you'd like to explore the backstory of a particular Origins character then you should totally choose an Origins character! Elle's tagged along with Shadowheart on her first Honor Mode run. Exploring some of the inner monologue she has during her interactions with the party was enlightening!
If you're choosing an Origins character, you can pretty much skip ahead to the "assigning stats" section of Character Creation, as your race and class are already set! We do have some suggestions on changing a few Origin heroes' classes or sub-classes to suit them better, but we'll talk about that later.
If not... let's get started on discovering our new hero!
Challenge: Self-Insert
If you want what might be the most tense, rewarding Honor Mode experience ever, why not show off your own personal adventuring mettle? To do so, you'll basically be going through the Hero Creation process but instead of channelling a different hero, you'll be thinking about what you might be if you were a Faerunian hero. Probably our favourite Honor Mode run was the one where Vul played herself as a Moon Druid Forest Elf and Elle played herself as a Abjuration Wizard Tiefling. Surviving the story as yourself just hits different.
Of course, it's entirely possible that you might die a horrible death, bones snapping and twisting as you vom out your internal organs and tentacles tear your teeth out as they rip through your throat, but I mean... YOLO?
Hero Creation 101
Faerun can be a terrifying place. Evil dragons, demons, and creeping slimes pale in comparison to the most terrifying enemy of all...
...the character creation screen.
I mean, we're kind of kidding, but there are so many options to choose from that it's easy to get stuck for hours trying to realize your next hero. That's extra true in Honor Mode, where not selecting the exact right race and class will doom you at the outset.
Or, so the sad, wannabe heroes would have you believe.
The truth, hero, is as we said. Anyone can be a hero. We strongly believe that it isn't about picking the most powerful race and class combinations, but picking a race and class combination that complements your style and resonates with you.
Adventuring Style
Before you start thinking about your hero's race and class, we want you to think about your adventuring style. Are you the kind of hero to rush in, sword swinging, relying on your allies to keep you alive? Do you like to sit back and orchestrate the flow of the fight? Are you more worried about keeping everyone alive than in dealing with the enemy directly? How you adventure is vitally important to the path you choose.
But, we realize that unless you have an idea of what the Faerun we're talking about, it'll be nearly impossible to figure it out. So, allow us to offer you a simplified assessment of our adventuring styles and how our they complement our choices when we're trying to save yet another Faerun.
Elle & Vul's Styles
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Warning: Don't complain to us if you try to copy our style and you die. We're telling you what our play styles are to help you come up with your own, not to turn you into us. |
Elle's Style
In combat Elle is a natural tactician; she has excellent battlefield awareness and a strong grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of her allies and enemies, though she prefers to avoid the risk of combat if she can find other solutions. On the battlefield, she values mobility and area control, changing position often to pressure her opponents or relieve her allies. Elle often takes the role of support, using her abilities to keep her allies alive, effective, and energized.
Elle is at her strongest when she has a diverse package of skills or spells to draw on and allies who trust her enough to follow her direction. She is at her weakest when her options are limited by circumstance or her allies do not play well with others.
Elle strongly favours wizards (she is an amazing abjurer) and life clerics. Wizards offer unparalleled flexibility through their extensive spell lists, while life clerics allow her to ensure that her allies stay alive long enough to win the day. She is also a capable if not particularly extraordinary sorcerer and a surprisingly adept paladin.
Vulpine's Style
Vul enjoys the feeling of being up close and personal with her adversaries so she can squish them personally. In her battle guise she favours overwhelming offence, preferring to deal damage to vent the pent up rage the terrible people of the world inflict. When her temper is cool, though, she is a switch; she prefers to find other solutions to her problems. She also performs well in a support guise, she provides buffs and healing to her allies while they destroy the enemy. She prefers leaving the command and control function of the battlefield to others, though.
Vul is at her strongest in her combat persona when she can use her abilities to move through the battlefield dealing damage and escaping before her enemies can retaliate. In her support guise, she is strongest when her allies are communicative about what they need and make good use of her buffs. She is weakest in her combat guise when her allies aren't offering support, and in her support guise when her allies squander her buffs and overwhelm her ability to heal.
Vul is a near perfect moon druid, as being a druid allows her to switch between her favoured roles. She is also an amazing bard for similar reasons, and does well as a barbarian too. She's also an amazing rogue assassin, putting upstart high elf vampires to shame.
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I can't heal stupid. |
Your Style
Now that you have an idea of what an adventuring style is, let's figure out what yours might be, hero! Succeeding in Honor Mode is going to require you to learn to think like an adventurer. Your very first step on that path is a little bit of self-introspection. So... sit down. Close your eyes. See the vision of your perfect adventuring style in your mind's eye...
- Are you a thinker, looking for creative non-combat solutions to encounters?
- Perhaps you're an aggro, preferring to bull through encounters and situations, relying on your magic or sword of whatever to do all that talking?
- Or maybe you're a tactician, instead, directing your allies and your talents where they are needed most.
- Or lastly, perhaps you're a support, using your abilities to bolster your allies with status buffs and healing.
Next, let's break this down into something we can use to help you choose your hero's class and subclass! We're going to be assigning 12 points amongst the styles.
Step 1: Determine Your Primary Style(s)
You're going to assign a (5) to what you consider your primary play style. This should be the style you most enjoy playing from the list above. This will be the strongest factor in determining what class your hero might excel at, so give it some thought!
Torn between two tied items? Then assign a (4) to each of them!
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I assigned a (5) to aggro, because I like being up close, tearing off faces and stabbing the people who annoy me. In the game, I mean. Yeah. In the game. |
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Oh I have to participate too? Fine. I'm pretty evenly balanced between thinker and tactician. So, I've given each of them a (4). |
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Step 2: Determine Your Secondary Style(s)
If you're an adventurer with any experience, you're not a one-trick. You're probably more rounded than a single style would suggest. Secondary styles are styles you still enjoy, but you're not as enamoured as you are with your primary style(s). Now, let's determine your secondary style or styles!
If you have one primary at (5), assign (4) points if you choose one secondary, or (3) to each secondary if you have two.
If you have two primaries, then you should choose one secondary style, assigning (3) points to your secondary style choice.
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Thinker and support, I choose you! I assigned a (3) to each of these because I like both of them equally. Think it through and heal if it goes sideways. |
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I do enjoy a support role, though not as much as I love outsmarting my enemies. I'm assigning a (3) to support; I'm good at strategic warding and buffs. |
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Step 3: Determine Your Tertiary & Off Style(s)
Your tertiary style isn't your favourite function. You can do it, and you're competent, but you prefer other styles to this. Your off style is the style you tend to avoid because you prefer other styles; this does not mean that you're bad at it, just that you prefer to be doing other things.
Not everyone has tertiary styles; if you've only got one of your 12 points left, you'll only be assigning an off style.
If you have (3) points left, you'll be choosing a tertiary style for (2) points and an off-style for (1) point.
If you have (1) point left, assign it to the only style left.
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So, I get to assign one point and I'm putting it into tactician. I mean it's okay, but Elle is more interested in that than I am and her handling it lets me focus on what I enjoy, which is tearing off faces! |
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One point in aggro, hn. I guess that tracks. I'm not averse to ending people, but I end people with precision immolation and well-placed elemental destruction. Vul is explody fury, I'm an arrow through the neck. Necks. Whatever. |
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Final Step: Understanding the Results
Okay so full confession, this exercise was more about making you think about how you adventure and less about the points meaning anything. But before you rage, there was a point to making you do it. Having to decide how to allocate your 12 points meant that you had to really think about what you really enjoy... and having to pick an "off" forced you to decide what you least enjoy. Now you have a general map of what your inclination are and bonus, if you choose to adventure with friends... you'll have a general understanding of each other's style!
Neat, right?
When we get to the class selection section, you can use what you learned to choose a class that suits your style. We feel like it should at least offer up a hero you enjoy working with, but hey... nothing is ever... Absolute.
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Too soon, Elle. Too soon. |
Selecting Your Race
Let's be honest, most people choose their race because they like the way it looks or because it has some cool perks or because they 'accidentally' removed the template's clothes are were like 'oh uhm so I get to see this one naked then?[3]' That's an okay way to choose, I guess, but since we're trying to find someone who resonates with you, let's try something new!
First, though, let's look at the races available for this adventure in a way that is more than a one-line description and a block of perks, yeah? Let's look at them as they fit into the Western Heartlands of Faerun!
Dragonborn
Dragonborn are new (relatively speaking) to Faerun, having arrived a bit over 100 years ago during the cataclysm following the previous Mystra's death.[4] The Dragonborn in Faerun came from a world wracked by a war with slaver Dragons, which almost certainly left its mark on their families. Dragonborn are rare, as nearly the entire population of Faerunian Dragonborn are descended from the denizens of single city displaced during the aforementioned cataclysm.
There are ten distinct colors of Dragonborn. While they're not predisposed toward good or evil like their draconic progenitors, they may share some of those dragons' quirks. For example, red dragonborn might tend toward materialism, while gold dragonborn may tend toward binary good versus evil thinking.
You might enjoy a dragonborn hero if you enjoy the idea of a proud, displaced people trying to find their way in an alien world, you intend to contrast Dragonborn tradition with your hero's own views, or you really, really like Dragons.
Dragonborn are descendants of those displaced by the Spellplague, but here are rumors of a ritual would allow one to transform one's self into a Dragonborn in service to the draconic fiend Tiamat. Perhaps there similar rituals for the dragon god Bahamut?
Dwarves
Dwarves believe they are one of the few truly native races in Faerun, having "sprang fully formed from the heart of the world itself."[5] Whether truth or no, their history is incredibly ancient. Wars with other races have left them somewhat distrusting of others, while the schisms that divided their once-united people leave their empire a distant racial memory. Modern dwarves, though not particular populous, have an outsized impact on the world around them due to their expert craftsmanship and mastery of the art of war. Whatever else is true, the number of dwarves seems to dwindle from decade to decade for reasons unknown to most.
Your hero may be a gold dwarf[6], known for their focus on wealth and status, a shield dwarf[7], warriors and traditionalists, or a duergar[8], a bitter group of psychically twisted dwarves who were once counted amongst the illithids' many slaves.
The people we've known who enjoy dwarven heroes like the tough, gruff, gritty attitudes of these people who were born of the earth, want to explore the expanding horizons of a highly insular race, or just have super strong beard envy.
I've not known many dwarves, but we should remember that their outlook and attitudes are shaped by culture. A dwarf raised in a cosmopolitan environment like Baldur's Gate may have a decidedly different view of the world.
Elves
Elves' ancient ancestors were immigrants from the feywild[9], arriving over millennia in waves, with the sun, moon, and drow being the oldest immigrants and the copper elves being the most recent. Theirs is a history of bitter bloodshed, betrayal, and war. Undoubtedly talented, absolutely touched by faerie, and with lives measured in hundreds of years, elves should be the dominant force in Faerun. Their inability to check human expansion, though, compounded with their subsequent retreat to Evermeet, left them without the lands they once called their empires. Though elves have since returned, they are a distinct minority in the world.
For the purposes of this quest, you may find your hero is a high elf[10], noble and talented in magic, a wood elf[11], denizens of the wilds and mistresses of the same, a Lolth sworn drow[12], servant of the spider queen, or a seldarine drow[13], a drow who has returned to the fold of the elven gods.
You may enjoy an elven hero if you feel a connection with the wild, fey places of the world, you want to explore the idea of ill-fated romance, or you've been wondering whether elves really hide in trees making cookies.
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Older elves treat elves are children until they're around ninety but for fuck's sake, we mature as fast as humans do! Those of us who grow up outside of elven cults, sorry, 'enclaves' say into the bin with that stupidity.
Githyanki
Rumors suggest that the githyanki were once human or human-like before their millennia of slavery to the Illithid Empire,[14] but years of experimentation and magical enhancements shaped them into the people they are today. After their namesake, Gith[15], disappeared and the Lich Queen Vlaakith[16] stepped in as their god queen, the gith split into two philosophical camps. The githyanki evolved into interplanar pirates and raiders, justifying their actions as the means to the end of ending the Grand Design, the illithids' plan to once again dominate the multiverse. Githyanki are rare in Faerun, mostly seen during raids on helpless settlements and during suspected illthid incursions.
A githyanki may be appealing if you want to explore the effects of toxic culture and its sudden absence on someone, you like the idea of playing an interplanar pirate, or you enjoy stumbling over unpronounceable words every other sentence.
Okay so the githyanki are interplanar racist assholes led by a duplicitous wannabe goddess, but that's not really their fault. They're not predisposed to be bad people; the githzerai, who are literally the same race, told Vlaakith to piss off millennia ago.
Gnomes
Faerunian gnomes are known as the forgotten folk for a reason; they're both present in most ever major settlement in the Western Heartlands and quite often overlooked unless someone has need of their services or a plan to exploit them. As a people, they tend towards talent with both illusion and mechanical things; in fact, most all of the techno-magical [17] inventions of the age seem to be of gnomish make. Artists, inventors, scholars... they may be the forgotten folk, but their impact on society is far from minor.
Perhaps your hero is a deep gnome, survivors scratching out a meager existence in the harsh Underdark. Or perhaps she is a forest gnome, reclusive and shy denizens of the forest with a talent for illusion. Lastly, it's possible that she's a rock gnome, masterful inventors found throughout the settlements of Faerun.
Gnome adventurers are interesting because they're so rare, especially those of the forest variety. You may find that the life of an inventor of interesting things is appealing, or that telling your hero's story of her exodus from the Underdark is intriguing. Or perhaps you're a newly minted adventurer, venturing forth from your forest for the very first time!
You could also try an Ironhand Gnome. They throw in with the worst people and have a huge victim complex to show for it. You could help them confront their intolerance and anger. Fuck Wulbren Bongle.
Halflings
Halflings, contrary to beliefs rooted in other lore, are primarily nomadic in nature, possessed of a wanderlust that sees both individuals and entire communities moving throughout Faerun. Indeed, it is not unheard of for entire communities to decide to leave their homes to find newer, more interesting locales. Despite their small size, they're born wanderers and adventurers. Halflings, due to their penchant for wandering, are present in almost every region of Faerun.
Lightfoot halflings are the more independent of the halfling races, having spread throughout Faerun, adapting to the cultures they find themselves in. Strongheart halflings, on the other hand, are more likely to wander within their home region of Lurien as communities, valuing the camaraderie their established communities bring.
Halfling adventurers are interesting because they're natural wanderers and work well with others. Because every halfling's journey is unique, exploring their motivations and goals as a wandering adventurer could make for a very interesting story!
Stereotyping halflings is difficult because they tend to adapt and adopt the traits of their communities. Halfling adventurers aren't all reluctantly so; in fact, they make great adventurers because they've already got the wandering part down!
Half-Elves
Half-elves can be found wherever elves and humans co-exist. As the children of two worlds, they often find that they're forever the outsider in the communities of people with whom they share blood. That isn't to say that half-elves are distrusted... with the exception of half-drow, who may be subjected to the same bigotry suffered by their full elf kin... but they do often struggle to find acceptance among both the comparatively short-lived humans and their elven kin. Half elves, generally, whether high elves or wood elves, reflect the society in which they were raised.
Perhaps your hero is a high half elf, adventuring in hopes of finding a place to belong. Or maybe they're a wood half elf, raised in elven parent's society and eager to see the world. Or are they a drow half elf, struggling against the reputation your drow kin have spread across Faerun.
Half-elves make great adventurers because for many half elves, the struggle to find true acceptance drives them. Others are exploring to experience the culture of their other parent.
Half-elves are usually outsiders; accepted and often respected, but never belonging. But there is an exception to the rule; in Aglarond, liberal intermarriage between elves and humans has resulted in a society where they can find true acceptance. I imagine that a half-elf from Aglarond would have a decidedly different outlook.
Half-Orcs
To be a half-orc is to be a perpetual outsider in the lands of the goodly folk, forever associated with the depredations of the savage clans of your orcish parent's heritage. Where half-elves find themselves respected outsiders, half-orcs find themselves tolerated at best, begrudgingly allowed to exist because of the value their natural physical prowess brings. If that sounds like much of Faerun is bigoted against half-orcs, well, you're reading it right. Half-orcs are treated poorly by both orcs and the people of their non-orc side, and many people assume that every half is the product of rape, beliefs born of most peoples' belief that the worshipers of Grummsh represent the whole of orc-kind.
Half-orc adventurers are uncommonly common, as society often closes all but the most physical and menial jobs to them. Some half-orcs adventure to prove that they are not the monsters people believe them to be, while others seek to form friendships with people who see them for the heroes they are.
People can be shitty if you're different. Half-orcs aren't monsters, they're just people who want to be loved and accepted. Humans and elves and whoever saying half-orcs are evil should look in the mirror because it's not like they don't have their own histories of genocide and murder. Leave my strong girls alone!
Humans
Humans are the most populous race in Faerun, found almost everywhere from the deserts of Calimshan to the frozen wastes of Icewind Dale. And their sheer variety is astounding... humans, in their comparatively short time on Toril, have managed to create a kaleidoscope of culture unheard of before their arrival. To do humans justice, one would need to delve into each culture and each ethnic group in turn.
Having said that, there are a few ethnic groups of humans most commonly found in the Western Heartlands. The Tethyrians, the most populous group, are a tolerant, freedom loving people who trace their lineage to disparate groups of former slaves. Calishites are a proud, traditionalist culture from the southern deserts. Chondathans are consummate merchants and traders, while the northern Iluskans share many traits with Earth Realm's Norse folk.
Why a human chooses an adventuring life is as varied as their cultures, but for many, adventuring is a way to seek fame and fortune. Others seek excitement and danger, while still others are out to make the world a better place.
Most of the people reading this are human, so I feel a little silly explaining what humans are to a bunch of humans. Honestly, if you want to understand your human hero better, I really recommend reading up on Faerun humans. The Races of Faerun book is an excellent source!
Tieflings
The tieflings likely to join you on your quest to save Faerun represent only a small subset of the tieflings across Faerun. They are, as far as we can tell, tieflings from bloodlines affected by what some call a blood curse... remaking their bloodlines in the image of Asmodeus himself. As such, their bloodlines will forever look 'devilish,' suffering the prejudice, fear, and outright hatred that comes with being the descendant of a devil. Much like half-orcs, tieflings are considered tainted by association, experiencing racism so casual that many simply come to accept it as the price of their continued existence. Despite what many believe, though, tieflings are no more prone to evil than any other race.
Though there are three "sub-groups" of tieflings that may join us on our quest, they are not distinct in the cultural sense. Given that the tiefling 'race' borne of Asmodeus's ritual is only a bit over 100 years old, there has not been enough time for them to form a true culture, much less split into others. Having said that, tieflings do, out of both necessity and camaraderie, tend to stick together.
Tieflings choose to adventure for all kinds of reasons, but proving that the world is wrong about them is a popular one, as is protecting their people from harm. They also often set out to right injustices, due in part, perhaps, because of their own persecution at the hands of those who see little beyond appearance.
Tieflings are amazing people, but I might be biased. And they get shit on all of the time. We've heard rumors that in Thay, they use tieflings as slaves, pets, and *shudder* spell components. I'm terrified of getting anywhere near Thay, but I still want to rip the faces off of the people who do those things.
Selecting Your Class
Remember that assessment you took back in the figuring out your style section? Well, adventurer to be, you get to use it now to figure out the class your hero is going to choose! So, walk with us in rigid lockstep as we force you into...
...jkjk. Okay, look. We're not telling you that you have to choose a hero that fits with your adventuring style above because that exercise was a way to get you to think about your hero style. It wasn't meant to pigeonhole you. So if you are vibing with a hero who doesn't fit your style, we say... tag along! The worst than can happen is death!
Where we've adventured with particular sub-classes, we've called out how we think that changes the assessment, where it does.
Barbarian
Barbarians are as pure an aggro class as there is, so if your style is aggro you're probably going to enjoy tagging along with a barbarian as they wreak havoc on enemy forces. We find that barbarians make excellent tanks, excelling at wading in to deal damage while ignoring damage of their own. They may not be as technical as a fighter or put out as much raw damage in a strike as a paladin, but they often surpass both fighters and paladins in raw staying power.
Wildheart bear heart barbarians are super tanky when they're raging. They feel less pain and they can channel their rage or maybe their ki into healing, letting them stay in the fight after others would have been dead.
Bard
Bards are probably the most versatile class as they're great for thinkers, tacticians, and support minded people alike. Their natural charisma and charm allows them to talk their way out of, or into many situations and places while their natural talents and spell libraries give them the tools necessary to provide aid and direction.We find that Bards are excellent switch heroes, capable of filling in where the party is struggling. Choose a bard if you like being the face of the party, you enjoy using your talents to bolster allies and demoralize enemies, or you are comfortable leading from the front.
Lore bards are so underrated. Wizards and sorcerers like to shit on them because they're 'just musicians' but they learn more spells than sorcerers, so who's the real arcane magic user now?
I tagged along with a school of swords bard briefly. I rather liked their blade flourishes; though I don't it much altered the overall assessment of bards as primarily flex heroes.
Cleric
As cliche as it is, clerics are the classic support heroes. They have the best healing potential, a plethora of buffs and debuffs, and are tanky enough to stand side by side with the more aggro classes as well, capable of filling in as aggro heroes as needed due to their armor proficiencies and reasonably broad range of options for weaponry. Choose a cleric if you enjoy healing and bolstering allies and you occasionally want to indulge your more violent side.
I've adventured with a lot of life clerics and I love them because they are what I'd consider the purest supports. They're, hands down, the best healers in the game and with the right equipment, are crazy good at keeping the party healthy and buffed. Sera the death cleric is hot a bit of a different feel; she feels more aggro than support at times!
Druid
Druids are the aggro side of support heroes, capable of wielding magic and wild shape to crush their foes, control the environment, and offer capable healing to their allies. They lack the pure healing potential of clerics, but work well as a switch with bloodied claws. Thinkers sometimes enjoy druids too as their many forms can offer a party means of solving problems that might not otherwise exist. Choose a druid if you enjoy being up close and personal with foes as a raging beast, you want to use nature magic to kick ass, or enjoy filling in where needed.
Moon druids are the aggro adventurer's druid. We focus a lot of our mystical talent into shapeshifting, so when it comes to a fight we're ready to rip some faces off. Land druids are better for thinkers and support because they learn more traditional spells than we do.
Fighter
Fighters are the classic aggro class, equipped with the most complete kit of martial talent of any of the classes. Fighters are masterful talents on the battlefield, capable of dealing with groups of enemies and singular foes with equal talent. Though not as tanky as a barbarian or as powerful as paladin, they're well-balanced combatants with a variety of possible specialties to indulge. Choose a fighter if you like to be the most capable martial character on the battlefield.
I've observed the battle master a lot. Though they're aggro, I enjoyed their maneuvers; de-buffing enemies to support allies is right up my alley, though I prefer the greater flexibility magic brings me.
Monk
Monks are an interesting class, offering the aggro adventurer who enjoys multiple attacks and extreme battlefield mobility the means of maximizing their preferences. Thinkers often enjoy monks because of their supplemental powers; they're quite capable of incapacitating enemies in ways that can end a fight before it really begins. For battlefield control and resistance to status effects, a monk is amazing. Choose a monk if you enjoy flitting around the battlefield dealing damage or you like the idea of using your martial skills to inflict de-buffs on otherwise difficult opponents.
Four elements monks will zip around punching the shit outta you, throwing ki spells. Open palm monks punch the shit outta you then detonate your ki like a gods damned smokepowder bomb. Monks are scary as heck under the calm exterior.
Paladin
Paladins offer aggro people the means to deal a lot of pain to powerful villains in short order, but they're also casual supports as well, providing buffs to their allies by virtue of their very existence. Though they sometimes struggle when dealing with groups of enemies, they are the aggro class most capable of dealing massive damage to single foes. Choose a paladin if you like slaying boss enemies in embarrassingly short order or you want to give your friends the edge with your aura of awesome buffs.
Okay so, I'm not like... an aggro, right? But tagging along with Dys, the smol and absolutely adorable oath of vengeance paladin was fucking amazing. I mean, that girl was insane on the battlefield. I'm a little crazy sometimes myself, but like... holy wow.
Ranger
The ranger is the rare martial character whose focus is primarily thinker and tactical, though they are still quite capable at aggro. Rangers do not have the battlefield dominance of fighters, barbarians, or monks, and they lack the raw power of paladins. What rangers do have, however, is a diverse kit that allows them to work the battlefield as a whole. Favored enemy offers a means of shoring up weaknesses in the party, for example, and their spells offer supplemental support to the party's specialists. Choose a ranger if you like shoring up the team's weaknesses and finding solutions other than direct combat.
Rangers are sweet right? Well clearly you've never encountered a swarm keeper ranger. Just doing your thing as a swarm of ethereal jellyfish zoom past your head to shock the shit out of somebody... Its pretty cool, but I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that.
Rogue
Rogues are a strange class, equally balanced between thinker and aggro. Where most of the aggro adventurers prefer direct combat, though, rogues excel in the art of handling foes from the shadows. However, rogues are not simply assassins; their diverse skill set offers them the means to avoid conflict altogether, whether through diplomacy or a door 'found' inexplicably unlocked. Choose a rogue if you enjoy being the party's problem solver, you think fair fights are for suckers, or you enjoy the idea of plundering the villains' treasuries for the cause.
Assassins are terrifying. Just a flurry of arrows and blades coming from what appears to be nowhere. Do you have any idea how unnerving it is to have someone just pop up behind you and take out a flanker, to then disappear again straight after? He's lucky he's hot.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers are powerful arcane magic users, suited for thinkers who indulge in a fair bit of aggro or support. As with most arcane magic users, sorcerers are also excellent for tacticians; their mastery of magic offers them a unique set of spells that they can tailor to their party's strengths are they grow together. Sorcerers have the advantage of never having to prepare spells and their metamagic allows them to manipulate the rules of the magic. Choose a sorcerer for your hero if you like the idea of using magic to solve problems, you don't want to manage a spell book, and you enjoy breaking the rules of magic when it suits you.
Okay, so wild magic sorcerers are kind of... unique, right? If you're tagging along with one, you're really tempting fate. If you're trying to train yourself on quick thinking and tactical adeptness, the randomness of the wild sorc is great.
Warlock
Unlike the other arcane casters, warlocks are strong aggro magic users who focus on using a very limited number of full power spells to dominate the battlefield. Because of their limited arsenal, they also appeal to thinkers; their full power spells can be game changers when applied to the right situations. Warlocks are, to a degree, magical brutes, throwing a very limited number of full power spells at their opponents in a show of overwhelming power. Choose a warlock if you like the idea of using magic to crush foes quickly, you find the spell slot system intimidating, or you just want to wade in with your Eldritch Blasts singing the song of your people.
Filia is... was[18]... a great old one warlock with a pact of the tome. She was still light on spell slots, but the additional cantrips and spells made her a little more flexible. She excelled in first strikes and clean-up of the squishies, but she definitely suited a more aggro style than mine.
Wizard
Wizards are classic magic users and also probably the hardest class to pin down because a well kitted out wizard is capable of filling most any role. As such, we believe that wizards are primarily tacticians with strong thinker vibes because being good at being a wizard requires forethought and planning, every single rest. Wizards not only learn the most spells as they progress, but they also have the ability to use the scrolls you find to learn most any spell, including unique spells that would otherwise be single use. Choose a wizard if you are eager to master every spell you can find, you have an analytical approach that lets you choose the most appropriate spells for the day, and you can avoid burning your party alive with fireballs.
As an abjurer, my arcane ward gave me the flex to get into the mix to better direct, letting me switch between thinker, aggro, and support. Lana, the standoffish Candlekeep diviner, used her portents to turn her turn successes into failures and vice versa, making her incredible at support.
I tagged along with an evoker and wow, they throw hands when it comes to offensive magic so they're great at aggro. I liked that they could just drop damage into a group without hitting anyone except the enemies... spell shaping is awesome! Ice to the face!
Should I Multi-Class?
In the interest of full disclosure, Vul and I rarely multi-class. It isn't because we are against it, necessarily, it's just... not really fit the heroes we've had. Of our many adventures, Tash has been our only truly multi-class hero. If you're going to multi, the best advice we can offer you is to consider how those classes might work together, what your hero might miss out on if you do, and how it might affect your overall approach to adventuring.
Should I Respec?
We're not against respeccing a hero, but we recommend that you do so no later than 5th level. 5th level is where you really start to come into your own as a hero, where your kit starts getting complicated. While it isn't impossible to adjust after 5th, we find that having full mastery of your kit is vital to success.
We do not recommend respeccing to gain temporary advantage. You're a hero, not a cheeser. It's not worth your cred as a hero to respec just to clear a particular quest. If you're stuck on how to proceed, we would much rather you ask us for advice versus acting like one of those sad little Reddit boys who are desperately looking for cheats every time they choose poorly.
Don't. Cheese.
Our Respecs & Subclasses
Okay yeah. we realize this is probably going to be controversial and honestly we don't much care. We've been through Honor Mode a lot now, and we feel like we have a feel for what our Origin friends really are. Obviously this is just our take... so take it with a rotten carrot.
Origins
Astarion feels very Rogue Thief to us. He's not aggressive enough to be an assassin, and we sincerely doubt that Cazador would have encouraged his spawn to learn magic given his own obsession with the Black Mass. Therefore, we think Astarion is a charismatic, manipulative thief.
Gale is canonically an Illusionist; he creates masterful illusions and even ends up teaching illusion magic in some Faeruns. We don't want to steer him from his chosen path, so we've kept him as his illusionist self.
Karlach is a Battle Master Fighter. Sorry, not sorry. Sometimes a combination just clicks and for Karlach, that click has always been a battle master fighter. We're not sure why she shows up specced out as a barbarian but we nix that every time.
Lae'zel has so far avoided telling us exactly what she is, because that's Lae'zel for you. We've tried her as a fighter and while she sucked at most of it, she was passable as an Arcane Archer of all things. We're starting to wonder if she might actually be a Ranger.
Shadowheart, Jen, is a Life Cleric. This is one of those Honor Mode things that we're absolutely sure about. Jen has more Honor Mode time than anyone in our parties, and she's spent most of that as her proper, accurate, life cleric self.
Wyll finally gets his proper dues; he is one hundred percent a Hexblade Warlock. His rapier, his swashbuckling attitude, his absolutely epic talent when he's equipped with an actual hexblade make this the perfect, obvious, not at all possible until now choice.
The Dark Urge is dead with his dick out in Orin's bedchamber. Next.
Non-Origins
Halsin is a Moon Druid, just like it says on the tin. There's not much more to say about that except that he's probably also a lycanthrope.
Jaheira is one we have not really figured out entirely. We strongly suspect, however, that she is more like her portrayal in earlier adventures. In those, she was a balanced Fighter/ Druid and we think, based on her style, that she's the same here. We guess that in the context of BG3, she'd be a level seven druid and a level 5 fighter when maxed out.
Minsc is... Minsc. What do you want us to say? He's got a canon character sheet and sir is 100% a Ranger Hunter.
Minthara is appropriately configured because we don't care. Honestly, she's lucky we didn't kick her down a spider hole again. Oath of Vengeance suits her.
Assigning Ability Scores
Okay. So. We're absolutely against min-maxing and creating 'optimized' characters at the expense of personality and uniqueness. Unfortunately, though, Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is designed to favor the sorts of people who enjoy things like "maximized builds" and "irritating Diotima when she's trying to tell a story-forward tale."
So yeah. As much as we don't want to, we're going to advise you to ensure that your hero's primary ability score is maxed out. Yes, it sucks. but that's how the game is designed.
Of course, that does not mean that the reality of your hero is what those abilities score say. Shadowheart's quick wit and sass is absolutely not reflective of the 8 in Intelligence that her stats say she has, and Wyll, Gale, and Astarion do not all have sub-average Strength. So tell your story, tweak that primary stat to play to your hero's class strengths, and know that we know that you'd choose differently if 5th edition had not tied your hands.
I've seen Dio lifting things, she does not have the eight Strength they gave her while we were saving Faerun together.
I mean yeah, that's true but I am also not that dexterous either. I'm like, okay at that I guess, probably average.
Yeah, I'm the bendy one! Elf life best life.