Current Events > I need DnD help

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So I'm playing my first ever game of DnD with a bunch of other first time DnD players. I'm a Dragonborn Sorcerer (Blue Ancestory), chaotic neutral, but I'm not sure where to necessarily go from there in a way that doesn't gimp me.

Anyone have any build ideas, cantrip/spell recommendations, etc?

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Is your DM the kind of person to do nothing but combat, or are you likely to see social situations / challenges as well?

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s0nicfan posted...

Is your DM the kind of person to do nothing but combat, or are you likely to see social situations / challenges as well?

Lot of social stuff. We did a introductory game with some random characters he made (we basically just told him race/class) yesterday just to see if this was something we were actually interested in and combat was probably only half of it.

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Arent mods supposed to be better than us?

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What's your character idea? As in, how are you roleplaying him/her? Background? Etc.

5th Edition?
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As your first time, I wouldnt think too much of it. New players get into a mindset where they get really attached to a character, while thats fine, you do need to realize that youre gonna make more characters, and player character death isnt really a finality anyway (DM dependent).

My best advice is to learn the game and have fun with your first character. Make the choices you want to make, and if they turn out not great, well thats the fun of the game. Trust me, some of the better moments of DnD happen when bad dice rolls happen. Nat 1s make for some fun moments.

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You can't ever really gimp yourself long-term.

https://arcaneeye.com/class-guides/sorcerer-guide-5e/

There's some basic ideas, but don't worry about min/maxing... pick some by flavor, some by utility, and try to branch out. Every time you level up you can trade one spell for another, so if you find it doesn't fit the play style or whatever you can change in the future.

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Compsognathus posted...

Lot of social stuff. We did a introductory game with some random characters he made (we basically just told him race/class) yesterday just to see if this was something we were actually interested in and combat was probably only half of it.

Then you might have a lot of fun with abilities like charm person or disguise self. I would just make sure you take at least 1 or 2 attack cantrips since you can cast them an infinite number of times and they'll generally out-damage whatever staff you have equipped.

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Compsognathus posted...

Lot of social stuff. We did a introductory game with some random characters he made (we basically just told him race/class) yesterday just to see if this was something we were actually interested in and combat was probably only half of it.

Then IMO it's a lot less important to build some optimal character. Look through some documentation and go for what looks fun. Try and think of traits, skills, spells etc that would fit your character's story. And if you can't come up with a good story, there are plenty of pre-fabricated hooks that you could use as a baseline

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Be sure to avoid Concentration spells unless they're really efficient. Also, Twinned spell is hilarious.

Edit. Mage Armor spell. USE IT.

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Your first mistake was not being a Gnome.

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mattymad posted...

I think you mean g-not being a g-gnome.

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Is your Dragonborn also a blue? Nothing in the rules says your dragon ancestry has to be the same type as your race.

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DrizztLink posted...

Your first mistake was not being a Gnome.

I'm playing with a Gnome Barbarian. I don't want to steal his thunder.

fate311 posted...

Be sure to avoid Concentration spells unless they're really efficient. Also, Twinned spell is hilarious.

Edit. Mage Armor spell. USE IT.

I heard mage armor isn't great for DragonBall.

lolife67 posted...

What's your character idea? As in, how are you roleplaying him/her? Background? Etc.

Magic for hire, largely out for himself and to get paid, but pleasant enough to work with. Minor gambling problem and has used Prestidigitation to cheat a few wins. Also joined a fashion show to serve as a distraction and won, that kinda just happened.

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Compsognathus posted...

Magic for hire, largely out for himself and to get paid, but pleasant enough to work with.

He should sell arcane and arcane accessories I tell you whot.

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You don't need mage armor if you're draconic ancestry, draconic resilience gives you the same AC as mage armor.

Personally, some of my favorite spells are some of the staples for D&D arcane casters; Fly, Invisibility, Sleep, magic missile, shield, scorching ray, fireball/lightning bolt. If you're more socially oriented, charm person, suggestion. Misty step is pretty nice for an emergency free short range teleport if you don't need your bonus action for something else.

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Unless everyone is min-maxing, don't worry about being "optimal". Like flat out, don't.

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Compsognathus posted...

Magic for hire, largely out for himself and to get paid, but pleasant enough to work with. Minor gambling problem and has used Prestidigitation to cheat a few wins. Also joined a fashion show to serve as a distraction and won, that kinda just happened.

Lol sounds fun. As Chaotic Neutral, though he needs to be whimsical (think Harley Quinn.)

Funcoland posted...

Unless everyone is min-maxing, don't worry about being "optimal". Like flat out, don't.

Also this. DnD is a best when it's a "team effort." God-mode characters always suck and their players tend to be annoying.

Also keep in mind you can change things around through Level 4 (if doing AL rules) and that's generally when you really learn to use your character. Right now, just go for what you like and see how it works out in the adventure. You can always switch things up afterwards.

Funcoland posted...

Unless everyone is min-maxing, don't worry about being "optimal". Like flat out, don't.

I'm not necessarily worried about min/maxing. I just don't want to realize I picked nothing but shit spells and now I'm sitting around in all the fights being a liability while a 30 lbs gnome barbarian is smashing everyone with an axe bigger than he is.

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Compsognathus posted...

I'm not necessarily worried about min/maxing. I just don't want to realize I picked nothing but shit spells and now I'm sitting around in all the fights being a liability while a 30 lbs gnome barbarian is smashing everyone with an axe bigger than he is.

At level 1, you're not going to have a lot of choices in spells. Everyone sucks at the beginning, relatively speaking. Melee characters will probably look better initially but as you level up, it will even out (and you casters can even surpass them.)

Compsognathus posted...

I just don't want to realize I picked nothing but shit spells and now I'm sitting around in all the fights being a liability while a 30 lbs gnome barbarian is smashing everyone with an axe bigger than he is.

That's probably how it will be through the first 5 levels or so anyway. Melee classes shine more in the lower levels and spellcasters shine more late game.

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Also if your DM is reasonable, he'll let you re-spec things if you're unhappy.

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scar the 1 posted...

Also if your DM is reasonable, he'll let you re-spec things if you're unhappy.

And even if he doesn't, you can replace one spell whenever you gain a level.

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Oh. right. Dragonborn. Use shield then and don't worry about MA

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At low levels you're going to have a hard time out dpsing a melee class, but you come with far more versatility.

Use prestidigitation or minor illusion to create a distraction and then get the whole party a surprise round at the beginning of combat.

Use mage hand to convince one enemy that the other enemy pushed him and try and get them to start fighting with each other.

Use the light spell so that characters without dark vision can actually hit their opponents in a cave. Enemy lives naturally in a cave? Use the light spell like a flash bang and convince your DM it should get you one round of blindness.

Break stuff in a shop, buy it for cheap, and then use mending to repair it.

If you have a little creativity, and a DM willing to listen, you can be incredibly useful at low-level even if the raw numbers from your attacks aren't as high as your friends.

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s0nicfan posted...

If you have a little creativity, and a DM willing to listen, you can be incredibly useful at low-level even if the raw numbers from your attacks aren't as high as your friends.

For example, if you were a Gnome and cast Reduce on yourself, you would be less than 5 pounds. Therefore, if you cast Mage Hand and grabbed yourself by the collar, you would be able to fly.

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Sorcerors can use Twinned Spell to target two people with usual single target concentration spells like Haste. As a result they make *excellent* battlefield control makes either buffing allies or ruining enemies with things like Slow and Hold Person. Don't forget you can still cast other spells while maintaining concentration
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sorcerers are fun. have some fun with it. as people have pointed out, Haste with Twinned Spell is extremely good as a buff

if you want to deal obscene amounts of damage, take 2 levels of Warlock for the Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast invocation, and take Quickened Spell as one of your Metamagic options

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scar the 1 posted...

Also if your DM is reasonable, he'll let you re-spec things if you're unhappy.

yeah, when i built my Bard i changed spells like 4 times before i was happy with it

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I'm jealous TC, hope it turns out to be fun for you!

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