I’ve been playing a war wizard with a 1 level dip into the order domain. Being able to have an ally make a reaction attack feels really tactical and strategic on that wizard. even if the spell isn’t a buff and circumstances require AOE options that they happen to be affected by... works out pretty cool. Rogue with evasion usually doesn’t take damage from it.
Storm Rune: In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action to enter a prophetic state for 1 minute or until you're incapacitated. Until the state ends, when you or another creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to cause the roll to have advantage or disadvantage. Once you invoke this rune, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. This lasts for 10 rounds, not just for one reaction. This is absolutely bat shit insane.
knock them prone for extra fun since they can't get up with movement 0. And even if they pass the save, they will still be prone until their next turn since concurrent saves are made at end of turn.
This is the 5e content I've been waiting for. Tasha's has added so many interesting options and no one seems to be really putting them to work. Thank you for the detailed breakdown for one of the subclasses I was most interested in. Another topic I'd like to see more discussion on is the new blind fighting style. Seems like it has gone under the radar for most people.
Awesome! My pleasure, and very glad to have you on board! I did do a video on the Fighting Styles and put Blind Fighting at the top! It's significantly more powerful than any of the others, IMO.
Yup I spotted that too and I was like OOF he's going into a lot of detail on something that you can't actually do cos of the on your turn part at the beginning of the sentence. One extra D6 per turn and only during your turn is just not very good. It would have been a lot better as an additional D4 on any successful attack you made.
Neat bonus to being two sizes larger than most enemies is that you no longer move at half speed while grappling them. The way I see it is that you can basically hold them off the ground. Combine that with the tavern brawler improvised proficiency and The right DM and to could probably use the grappled creature as a great club against other creatures. This would double the damage output. As a bonus action you can make a grapple attempt on a creature you hit with an improvised weapon, so when your first weapon breaks, you can grapple the person you broke it on.
Your channel got recommended to us so we subbed. We don't really do the whole "optimized" thing over here, but as fellow RPG-tubers we thought we'd sub and show our support!
The wording of Giant's Might prohibits adding the damage to reaction attacks. It specifically says "Once on each of YOUR turns, one of your attacks with a weapon or unarmed strikes can deal extra 1d6 damage ....." Given the multiple attacks per round a fighter can make, and the size increases, I think stacking Bugbear on top of this would be bananas. Bugbear's bonus reach only applies to attacks made on their turn, but it's still the only race with a bonus to reach. IF you used a bugbear, and a polearm, and had the level 18 ability.... you'd be knocking teeth in 20' away. Bugbear also has powerful build, so the "push drag lift" bonus from the race would stack nicely with the advantage on Str checks with Giant's Might in non-combat situations where you need to lift heavy stuff. OR he could just tote a Pluss Sized weapon around for when he goes swoll.
One thing to be noted about Rune Knight is it can apply the most single target incapacitation attempts in a turn as far as I am aware. This is fantastic for doing things like eating up legendary resistances to end a fight instantly, or to shut down multiple high priority targets. The thing about the runes is they generally just win action economy in the turn 1 of combat sense. Stone rune is a reaction that can be used before you even get to your turn in initiative to attempt to incapacitate. At the point in which you get 2 casts of fire rune, those can both be used on the same turn provided you hit with at least 2 multiattacks (and can be applied with ANY weapon attack, not just melee). Bonus action's best use is variable, but one way to use it is to cast storm rune to give enemies disadvanatage to saving throws on any effect has already afficted them, making it more likely to maintain a stun lock. Given they run on your Con modifier, you don't have to commit to any stat that you wouldn't otherwise use to improve the DC on these runes. Also, you have action surge. The best way to make use of action surge imo is to multiclass into Costal Druid of Land for 5 levels. This gives you access to fantastic spells to improve both your survivability and your stun lock ability. This includes web, entangle, earthbind, misty step, hold person, conjure animals, and mirror image, to name a few, as well as goodberry and healing word to help your friends. This build gives you access to the ability to turn one in combat do: stone rune, double fire rune, any spell that would incapacitate, then another stone rune as a reaction, all on the first run of initiative. That is 5 different saving throws you force an enemy to make, all of which take an enemy out of the fight, and it is possible to make most of those saving throws have fantastic DCs only by getting Con. Obviously this is more than would be necessary for most fights, and it does expend all your resources quickly, but it is the most "burst single target CC" you can get on a single character in the game. It destroys bosses that aren't immune to said conditions simply by means of making them incapable of doing things. All of this is recovered on short rests too, the spell slots even as long as they are 1st or 2nd level. Given, to get the full power of this build, you need a high level. But, I still think its worth mentioning just how turn efficient rune knight can be, even if the resources run out quickly. It makes for a really cool alternate tanking style, where you tank by making the enemies incapable of attacking in the first place.
The way I read that tattoo, it says "a weapon or unarmed strike can reach a target UP TO 15 ft away..." To me that means it wouldn't stack past the 15 ft, just allow you to hit out to 15 ft.
@@KatanaKamisama yes but since reach reads... “This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it.” Too me that gets you 20’. Then Bug Bear “Long-Limbed. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.” Gets you 25’. And if you are large boom there’s your 30’. I interpret the adage of specific over general here as my assumption being correct. But I do see where yours could also be correct seeing as the tattoo explicitly says “reach a target up to 15 feet away from you.” May be just that ONLY 15’. But seeing as the others say add 5’ at my table (till sage advice weighs in) I would add it all up. I just hope now of my players relies this.
@@Captainbigmike86 My problem with your interpretation, besides the wording, is that melee DPR is typically higher than ranged DPR because of the risk involved. That's why divine smite is melee only. I think if you allow players to deal melee damage at that range it will disrupt game balance, and given the exiting wording I would argue against it at my table. Even if I wasn't the DM. WoTC already changed the wording of the melee cantrips to have a range of self to prohibit boosting the range with spell sniper for this exact reason. And I think to prevent confusion regarding PAM procs and using War Caster to deal cantrip damage. I think WoTC makes an effort to be unambiguous with their word choice. If the Tattoo read "increases your reach by 10ft.." I would agree with you. But precisely because it does not use the same language as other reach mechanics I think it's fairly clear they didn't intend for them all to stack.
@@KatanaKamisama very well put and it is very likely that you are correct. The tattoo is quite explicit in its limit of 15’. And you are 100% correct in this would completely break game balance (especially if you toss the sentinel feat into the mix). Typically things do not stack in 5e in order to keep it all balanced so I hope your right. SOMEONE WITH A TWITTER REACH OUT TO JEREMY CRAWFORD FAST!!!! We need answers hahahaha. Until then I hope my players don’t catch on.
I'm imagining an armorer rock gnome with a rune Knight dip. The room full of enemys when the shortest player decides to take up half the room. I was invisioning a character like that with the dual weilder feat and guardian armor. Charm one, flame shackles on another beating them both to death with the lightning gauntlets.
Fairy Race gives you fly and enlarge once per long rest, if you go dex build you can gain AC to tank with and Attack with a Rapier My Brother started his as a UA and got grandfathered in with his heavy armor and is a strength build
I disagree with your opinion about Fire Rune - I see it as superior rune to use vs enemy Casters, who tend to have really really low strength checks. Not only you make them restrained and allow your Rogue and rest party to attack him with disadvantage, but you also lock him in place and you deal 2d6 dmg per turn on top of everything else, making sure he will have to roll that concentration. It's not a Rune you use on Adult Red Dragon. But it's a rune you use on Archmage.
Worth noting, it is magical restraint that doesn't bind enemy to ground or anything like that. So technically, they shouldn't be able to escape it with shit like misty step for example. Misty step is often abused to ditch restraints but almost all restraint options are based on something pinning a creature to ground etc like entangle or chains to surfaces, or grapple to other creature when distance to source of the effect would be a condition for restraint. These are magical and aren't bound to the caster in any way so they should travel with someone using misty step. After all, Misty step spell description doesn't mention dispelling restraints etc. Freedom of movement is lvl 4 spell after all.
Im doing a rune knight minotaur focused on the horns so im not using any weapons using unarmed fighting style. Crusher, giant foundling firestrike background feat, and ember of fire giant feat. Still working on it. Not sure what else to go for
I would argue that no matter what your suze or reach if you are hrappling a creature they CAN hit you as some part of your body is in contact with them. A gaint grapples me Im stabbing his hand. To this point make note that in giant stat blocks as well as othe creatures with reach/grapple attacks like a t-rex there is never a condition applied not to allow the grappler to be attacked.
The inceeased size from Giant's Might does not confer increased reach. Runic Jugegrnaut at lvl 18 specifically says you gain 5ft in reach and become huge, but that's it.
I played one while it was still ua and it was probably the most fun ive had, went variant human sharpshooter(long bow) with fire and storm runes. Probably the strongest character ive played yet.
I could definitely see dipping Shadow Monk at 15. Extra BA attacks with either dedicated weapon or punches. Silence and Darkness which are great with grappling. Pass without a Trace. Mixing stuns and fire Rune. Slow fall. Extra speed to close the combat distance. That said.... I really want to be huge... so I probably still wouldn’t.
for a 3lvl dip the sentinel/pam feat is nice, but going deeper into rune knight your cloudrune/stormrune/runic shield are going to eat up ALL reactions.
There are some really nice tool options outlined in Xanathar's, and I as a DM have had plenty of fun implementing them in my games. Some standouts there are Mason's and Carpenter's tools to deal extra damage to structures, and cooking utensils for a slight healing bump. Also, with a RK dip, I'd seriously consider taking it to 7th or 8th level on many martial builds, if I don't need to get to 5th level on those other classes. There's a tonne of ASIs, which martial characters always love, on top of the storm rune and runic shield, which may well be some of the best support in the game for party casters. Cancel any crits on them to save their concentration and impose disadvantage on enemy saves? Yes please! It also works terrifically for social encounters, in my experience with this in its UA phase.
Yeah the DM I play with pulls in community developed crafting systems for 5e. It's more work for him but it makes having tool proficiencies good, and classes like Artificer that get expertise in every tool get the spotlight as they should.
@@KatanaKamisama DMs using homebrew is a nice solution for sure, but honestly, Xanathar's already provides plenty of support for people who wanna make use of tool and skill proficiencies more, and I encourage many DMs to read those optional rules. Just the other day, our party used two people with mason's and smith's tools to break down a door to a dungeon instead of suffocating in some kind of Feeblemind gas
@@imbetterthanyoubyfar Making stuff takes too long, and the Downtime rules are bad. They need to better account for the extra 8 hours in the day that people aren't sleeping or adventuring, IMO.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons honestly? I don't think that PCs really need to be crafting stuff in dnd; they're adventurers, not labourers. That's why I quite like the XGE rules that show how a character's background as a normal person may give them a slight edge as adventurers.
New to your channel and your statement about tools being pretty useless except for thieves tool in 5e had me wondering could smithing tools be used alternatively to thieves tools to get through a locked door by going through the hinges instead of the lock?
Thanks for checking us out! I think that sounds feasible, but it would be up to the DM. One can always destroy the door too, as objects are real easy to break in 5e.
I like the stuff they get at level 7, but the later stuff seems kind of minor. You have to wait to 15 to be able to use rune abilities twice. If I was going to multiclass, it would probably be after level 7 or 8.
I disagree with your assessment on tools - their only limitation is your creativity and DM, and Xanathars gave us a bunch of extra intended uses for each of them. Every proficiency is a chance to get your proficiency bonus to apply to a situation and potentially save the day 😃
Heh. "Thematically funny if base race is small." Half the reason why I picked Fairy for the current game I'm in. The other half is because I can become Huge, which pairs well with the concept of a Summer Knight who's supposed to fight Fomorians.
Huge size at lvl20, if we apply the oversized weapons rules: 3d12 x4 + action surge for 3d12 x4, so in a turn 24d12. So, no, don't apply oversized weapons for your players
Giants might damage only applies on YOUR turn. Reaction attacks do not work. Oversized weapons are DMG for monsters. they are very very obviously not for players. The insanity of implying this is just absurd. Imagine a gargantuan (enlarge + lv 18 rune knight) doing 16d6 (56) damage with his greatsword while action surging to 9 attacks..... Nothing in the DMG unless it specifically says so applies to players. especially not the monster section. or have you seen lv 5 players casting cone of cold? The assumption that a PC can just walk into a shop and buy items for average price of their rarity is crazy. Especially to recommend that as a standard thing to do. Where do all those potions come from?! and if thats a thing we got far far more broken things we can come up with thanks to how useless magic prices are.
I tend to bring up a lot of stuff that MAY work at your table if you ask your DM and he approves. Sorry if that turns you off. I'm not assuming that PCs can do so, I'm saying that at some tables they CAN do so, and I feel compelled to point these things out. Obviously if things work differently at your own table, so be it. I tend to like to cover all the bases.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons hm doesnt that seem... like bad intent? I mean... the very definition of theoretical optimization is to interpret something that isnt in the rules in a favorable way and convince a DM that thats okay to create something thats potentially game breaking. You bring it up and make it seem like it is something a player should inquire or even argue for to become more powerful. (You make arguments for it, even say you consider it RAW) not as something to tell a player that its not allowed and recommend the DM to never allow. It sounds very much like the rope trick trick or alert obscure or these kinds of shenanigans to me... at that point why not go MMEvoker? i mean that one is even RAW and JC confirmed... You introduce the channel as "powergaming" what is your understanding of that term? Because I always think of it as the negative connotation when comparing it to optimizing (I therefore describe myself as an optimizer, never a power gamer or munchkin)
@@geniumme2502 No, to me it seems like good intent (or else I wouldn't do it). My experience is that the DM decides, and sometimes he chooses to make a ruling that I consider OP. Making people aware of such things can be fun, IMO. I don't like Blasting, or selling out for a particular tactic if it impacts overall playability. But who knows? Maybe I'll do that build someday, if I feel like it. I thought "powergamer" was a neutral term... silly me. Having learned that many think of it as a pejorative, I've renamed the channel and rebranded as "Bilbrons & Dragons". But I can't change the actual videos where I say "D&D 5e PGTR".
"Tools are useless except for thieves tools." Interesting, how exactly is your rune knight going to carve the runes into their weapons and armour without a set of smith's tools. By wanting it really hard?, by sheer force of will?, by screaming to the heavans "It says I can do this on my character sheet!"? No the rune knight carves the runes with smith's tools thats why wotc gave the subclass proficiency. For the party with a dm who says "explain to me how exactly you are doing that", tools are incredibly useful.
Rune knight makes you the best at the worst thing in DnD grappling. I believe it to be a trap. I'd go ranged archer support. At level 7 you are a death turret that gives a disadvantage to enemy saves. Before then lower-level runes still work with ranged attacks. You can still grapple pretty well without all the feat investment, just don't fall into the trap
Bilbron - I have to take serious issue with your statement that "tools are not important in fifth edition," I suppose it's true if all you ever do is play paint by numbers D&D in adventurers league. If you think that tool proficiencies are used only for repairs you are selling it way short. Why is “guild artisan” an option as a character background? Why is there a feat called ”skilled” in the players handbook if tool skills are not important? All the tool proficiency skills are there for a reason. Is it possible that you lack the imagination of how to apply those skills? Mending doesn't fix everything. A thing can be damaged beyond repair and need to be replaced entirely. People with tools can do that. Modification and even creation of unique items are another completely viable options for tool skills. There's not a lot of existing structure for how tools are used, but Xanathar's guide pages 128-129 does cover the use of tools to create magic items. That just scratches the surface of the iceberg of potential in tool skills. Not everything in the game comes with a pre- made flow chart, or ready made instructions. The human imagination isn't so limited it can fit on a single page. If one or more of my players wants to use tools to solve a problem then its my job as the DM to figure the specifics of how that happens. I allow them to make anything within reason or at least try to. Downtime and resources are always factor. The things they make themselves can be just as full filling as a items quested for. They get experience for it too, particularly if they show innovation and attention to detail.
It's great that you help out your players as a DM... I just think that the whole crafting department is pretty lackluster in 5e, RAW (even with Xanathar's). I'm doing an Artificer series right now, and it's impressed upon me more than ever how critical a favorable DM is to making crafting work for a PC. My latest Level 1 Artificer PC has Arcana and an herbalism kit, so I'll be cranking out Scrolls and Potions of Healing and such. I'll take it, lol.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons One of my favorite characters is a Warforged Artificer. He can create magic stuff, but what he really enjoys is engineering and inventing.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons I've been playing since the 70's, (not constantly). So I have some experience, in life and game. Lessons can be learned in game that can apply to life and visa versa. I have worked decades as a automotive tech. Maintenance, repair and diagnosis are what I do. It's one thing to remove and replace parts, I understand how things work. I'm a hobbyist "maker" in real life and I see potential projects everywhere. Exploiting mechanical advantage, using PVC pipe like tinker toys, tying knots and rigging ropes are just some of the ways I have fun. I would rather go to Makerfair than Disneyland. D&D is a way for me to pipe dream some ideas. I can conceptually create a wheellock blunderbuss or a compound crossbow, or a staff and short sword that combine into a wolf spear. With that all said you might see how saying that tools aren't important in D&D struck a nerve. A blacksmith is the D&D version of a welder. They can shape, cut and join metal with fire, (and in Ebberon, with lightning.) The same way a person enjoys cooking a really fine meal themselves a Rune Knight would take immense pride and infinite care in making their own weapons and armor, also knowing their very lives depended on their attention to detail. In real life I use the best quality tools to make a living, because time is money and the best tools make me super efficient. A professional adventurer would feel the same way. Making their own tools guarantees they know their quality and limitations so when crisis strikes there will be no nasty surprise failures. That's another factor I do in my game. If players want to be cheap buying equipment and supplies, then they can have problems later when things fail. Those are lessons and concepts that can be applied to real life.
Voice of authority from order cleric could give you reaction attacks if you have one in your party.
Nice! Thanks for calling that out!
I’ve been playing a war wizard with a 1 level dip into the order domain. Being able to have an ally make a reaction attack feels really tactical and strategic on that wizard.
even if the spell isn’t a buff and circumstances require AOE options that they happen to be affected by... works out pretty cool.
Rogue with evasion usually doesn’t take damage from it.
Divine soul sorcerer with a 1 level order cleric dip is awesome too. One of the best buffers with voice of authority and 19AC.
Storm Rune: In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action to enter a prophetic state for 1 minute or until you're incapacitated. Until the state ends, when you or another creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to cause the roll to have advantage or disadvantage. Once you invoke this rune, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
This lasts for 10 rounds, not just for one reaction. This is absolutely bat shit insane.
Fire storm.
Use storm rune to give disadvantage on enemy checks to break out of the fire rune restraint. So keep them restrained and taking 2d6 damage
That is juicy. I'm going to remember that one. :)
@@chadnorris8257 you're welcome :)
knock them prone for extra fun since they can't get up with movement 0. And even if they pass the save, they will still be prone until their next turn since concurrent saves are made at end of turn.
Play as a bugbear. The whole room is a 'danger' zone for your huge hugs.
This is the 5e content I've been waiting for. Tasha's has added so many interesting options and no one seems to be really putting them to work. Thank you for the detailed breakdown for one of the subclasses I was most interested in.
Another topic I'd like to see more discussion on is the new blind fighting style. Seems like it has gone under the radar for most people.
Awesome! My pleasure, and very glad to have you on board! I did do a video on the Fighting Styles and put Blind Fighting at the top! It's significantly more powerful than any of the others, IMO.
You actually cannot gain the extra damage from giants might on reactions. the text is written as "once on each of your turns."
Yup I spotted that too and I was like OOF he's going into a lot of detail on something that you can't actually do cos of the on your turn part at the beginning of the sentence. One extra D6 per turn and only during your turn is just not very good. It would have been a lot better as an additional D4 on any successful attack you made.
Wouldn't it work because it's not your turn when you use it? In the case of an AoO?
Yay, my grapple comment was acknowledged! :D
Many thanks for your input!
Neat bonus to being two sizes larger than most enemies is that you no longer move at half speed while grappling them. The way I see it is that you can basically hold them off the ground. Combine that with the tavern brawler improvised proficiency and The right DM and to could probably use the grappled creature as a great club against other creatures. This would double the damage output.
As a bonus action you can make a grapple attempt on a creature you hit with an improvised weapon, so when your first weapon breaks, you can grapple the person you broke it on.
I recently found your channel and you deserve FAR more subs then you currently have!
Thanks! I hope you're right :-) Welcome aboard!
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons Definitely second the above comment
Your channel got recommended to us so we subbed. We don't really do the whole "optimized" thing over here, but as fellow RPG-tubers we thought we'd sub and show our support!
Thanks, both to you and whoever recommended us! Glad to have you aboard, and I look forward to checking out your channel :-)
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons You can thank the algorithm for the recommendation! :)
@@gameon_ct Sweet! Glad to know I'm getting some traction with the AlGODrithm :-)
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons 😂
The wording of Giant's Might prohibits adding the damage to reaction attacks. It specifically says "Once on each of YOUR turns, one of your attacks with a weapon or unarmed strikes can deal extra 1d6 damage ....."
Given the multiple attacks per round a fighter can make, and the size increases, I think stacking Bugbear on top of this would be bananas. Bugbear's bonus reach only applies to attacks made on their turn, but it's still the only race with a bonus to reach. IF you used a bugbear, and a polearm, and had the level 18 ability.... you'd be knocking teeth in 20' away. Bugbear also has powerful build, so the "push drag lift" bonus from the race would stack nicely with the advantage on Str checks with Giant's Might in non-combat situations where you need to lift heavy stuff. OR he could just tote a Pluss Sized weapon around for when he goes swoll.
Ah, nice catch!
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons My pedantic tendencies have their uses.
One thing to be noted about Rune Knight is it can apply the most single target incapacitation attempts in a turn as far as I am aware. This is fantastic for doing things like eating up legendary resistances to end a fight instantly, or to shut down multiple high priority targets. The thing about the runes is they generally just win action economy in the turn 1 of combat sense. Stone rune is a reaction that can be used before you even get to your turn in initiative to attempt to incapacitate. At the point in which you get 2 casts of fire rune, those can both be used on the same turn provided you hit with at least 2 multiattacks (and can be applied with ANY weapon attack, not just melee). Bonus action's best use is variable, but one way to use it is to cast storm rune to give enemies disadvanatage to saving throws on any effect has already afficted them, making it more likely to maintain a stun lock. Given they run on your Con modifier, you don't have to commit to any stat that you wouldn't otherwise use to improve the DC on these runes.
Also, you have action surge. The best way to make use of action surge imo is to multiclass into Costal Druid of Land for 5 levels. This gives you access to fantastic spells to improve both your survivability and your stun lock ability. This includes web, entangle, earthbind, misty step, hold person, conjure animals, and mirror image, to name a few, as well as goodberry and healing word to help your friends. This build gives you access to the ability to turn one in combat do: stone rune, double fire rune, any spell that would incapacitate, then another stone rune as a reaction, all on the first run of initiative. That is 5 different saving throws you force an enemy to make, all of which take an enemy out of the fight, and it is possible to make most of those saving throws have fantastic DCs only by getting Con. Obviously this is more than would be necessary for most fights, and it does expend all your resources quickly, but it is the most "burst single target CC" you can get on a single character in the game. It destroys bosses that aren't immune to said conditions simply by means of making them incapable of doing things. All of this is recovered on short rests too, the spell slots even as long as they are 1st or 2nd level.
Given, to get the full power of this build, you need a high level. But, I still think its worth mentioning just how turn efficient rune knight can be, even if the resources run out quickly. It makes for a really cool alternate tanking style, where you tank by making the enemies incapable of attacking in the first place.
Add Eldritch Claw Tattoo and use the eldritch maul feature to add 15’ of reach on top of all this!!!!
The way I read that tattoo, it says "a weapon or unarmed strike can reach a target UP TO 15 ft away..." To me that means it wouldn't stack past the 15 ft, just allow you to hit out to 15 ft.
@@KatanaKamisama yes but since reach reads... “This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it.” Too me that gets you 20’. Then Bug Bear “Long-Limbed. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal.” Gets you 25’. And if you are large boom there’s your 30’. I interpret the adage of specific over general here as my assumption being correct.
But I do see where yours could also be correct seeing as the tattoo explicitly says “reach a target up to 15 feet away from you.” May be just that ONLY 15’. But seeing as the others say add 5’ at my table (till sage advice weighs in) I would add it all up. I just hope now of my players relies this.
@@Captainbigmike86 My problem with your interpretation, besides the wording, is that melee DPR is typically higher than ranged DPR because of the risk involved. That's why divine smite is melee only. I think if you allow players to deal melee damage at that range it will disrupt game balance, and given the exiting wording I would argue against it at my table. Even if I wasn't the DM. WoTC already changed the wording of the melee cantrips to have a range of self to prohibit boosting the range with spell sniper for this exact reason. And I think to prevent confusion regarding PAM procs and using War Caster to deal cantrip damage.
I think WoTC makes an effort to be unambiguous with their word choice. If the Tattoo read "increases your reach by 10ft.." I would agree with you. But precisely because it does not use the same language as other reach mechanics I think it's fairly clear they didn't intend for them all to stack.
@@KatanaKamisama very well put and it is very likely that you are correct. The tattoo is quite explicit in its limit of 15’. And you are 100% correct in this would completely break game balance (especially if you toss the sentinel feat into the mix). Typically things do not stack in 5e in order to keep it all balanced so I hope your right. SOMEONE WITH A TWITTER REACH OUT TO JEREMY CRAWFORD FAST!!!! We need answers hahahaha.
Until then I hope my players don’t catch on.
I'm imagining an armorer rock gnome with a rune Knight dip.
The room full of enemys when the shortest player decides to take up half the room.
I was invisioning a character like that with the dual weilder feat and guardian armor. Charm one, flame shackles on another beating them both to death with the lightning gauntlets.
Blood Hunter + Rune Knight sounds kinda fun
Fairy Race gives you fly and enlarge once per long rest, if you go dex build you can gain AC to tank with and Attack with a Rapier
My Brother started his as a UA and got grandfathered in with his heavy armor and is a strength build
I disagree with your opinion about Fire Rune - I see it as superior rune to use vs enemy Casters, who tend to have really really low strength checks. Not only you make them restrained and allow your Rogue and rest party to attack him with disadvantage, but you also lock him in place and you deal 2d6 dmg per turn on top of everything else, making sure he will have to roll that concentration.
It's not a Rune you use on Adult Red Dragon. But it's a rune you use on Archmage.
Worth noting, it is magical restraint that doesn't bind enemy to ground or anything like that. So technically, they shouldn't be able to escape it with shit like misty step for example. Misty step is often abused to ditch restraints but almost all restraint options are based on something pinning a creature to ground etc like entangle or chains to surfaces, or grapple to other creature when distance to source of the effect would be a condition for restraint. These are magical and aren't bound to the caster in any way so they should travel with someone using misty step. After all, Misty step spell description doesn't mention dispelling restraints etc. Freedom of movement is lvl 4 spell after all.
Im doing a rune knight minotaur focused on the horns so im not using any weapons using unarmed fighting style. Crusher, giant foundling firestrike background feat, and ember of fire giant feat. Still working on it. Not sure what else to go for
I would argue that no matter what your suze or reach if you are hrappling a creature they CAN hit you as some part of your body is in contact with them. A gaint grapples me Im stabbing his hand.
To this point make note that in giant stat blocks as well as othe creatures with reach/grapple attacks like a t-rex there is never a condition applied not to allow the grappler to be attacked.
As a DM, I would allow an enemy to hit you even if you grapple him 10' away.
Your hand and your arm will be close enough to do it imo.
That's fair, I wouldn't argue too much.
You’ll be glad your DM rules it this way when you’re caught in a Kraken’s tentacles.
The inceeased size from Giant's Might does not confer increased reach. Runic Jugegrnaut at lvl 18 specifically says you gain 5ft in reach and become huge, but that's it.
I played one while it was still ua and it was probably the most fun ive had, went variant human sharpshooter(long bow) with fire and storm runes. Probably the strongest character ive played yet.
Nice! Being immersed in it these last few days has given an appreciation for the subdomain, for sure.
Nice! Did you multi class into anything or did you go rune knight the full way through?
@@tehepicator968 i went straight rune knight.
@@tehepicator968 I did the build in the next video! :-)
I believe Tasha Cauldron version is probably nerfed compared to UA, right? But how has it been changed from the UA version?
I could definitely see dipping Shadow Monk at 15.
Extra BA attacks with either dedicated weapon or punches. Silence and Darkness which are great with grappling. Pass without a Trace. Mixing stuns and fire Rune. Slow fall. Extra speed to close the combat distance.
That said.... I really want to be huge... so I probably still wouldn’t.
for a 3lvl dip the sentinel/pam feat is nice, but going deeper into rune knight your cloudrune/stormrune/runic shield are going to eat up ALL reactions.
There are some really nice tool options outlined in Xanathar's, and I as a DM have had plenty of fun implementing them in my games. Some standouts there are Mason's and Carpenter's tools to deal extra damage to structures, and cooking utensils for a slight healing bump.
Also, with a RK dip, I'd seriously consider taking it to 7th or 8th level on many martial builds, if I don't need to get to 5th level on those other classes. There's a tonne of ASIs, which martial characters always love, on top of the storm rune and runic shield, which may well be some of the best support in the game for party casters. Cancel any crits on them to save their concentration and impose disadvantage on enemy saves? Yes please! It also works terrifically for social encounters, in my experience with this in its UA phase.
That's cool that you were able to find a use for them! Honestly I find crafting in 5e to be terrible.
Yeah the DM I play with pulls in community developed crafting systems for 5e. It's more work for him but it makes having tool proficiencies good, and classes like Artificer that get expertise in every tool get the spotlight as they should.
@@KatanaKamisama DMs using homebrew is a nice solution for sure, but honestly, Xanathar's already provides plenty of support for people who wanna make use of tool and skill proficiencies more, and I encourage many DMs to read those optional rules. Just the other day, our party used two people with mason's and smith's tools to break down a door to a dungeon instead of suffocating in some kind of Feeblemind gas
@@imbetterthanyoubyfar Making stuff takes too long, and the Downtime rules are bad. They need to better account for the extra 8 hours in the day that people aren't sleeping or adventuring, IMO.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons honestly? I don't think that PCs really need to be crafting stuff in dnd; they're adventurers, not labourers. That's why I quite like the XGE rules that show how a character's background as a normal person may give them a slight edge as adventurers.
Giant might should go to d10 and ends at d12
New to your channel and your statement about tools being pretty useless except for thieves tool in 5e had me wondering could smithing tools be used alternatively to thieves tools to get through a locked door by going through the hinges instead of the lock?
Thanks for checking us out! I think that sounds feasible, but it would be up to the DM. One can always destroy the door too, as objects are real easy to break in 5e.
I like the stuff they get at level 7, but the later stuff seems kind of minor. You have to wait to 15 to be able to use rune abilities twice. If I was going to multiclass, it would probably be after level 7 or 8.
I disagree with your assessment on tools - their only limitation is your creativity and DM, and Xanathars gave us a bunch of extra intended uses for each of them. Every proficiency is a chance to get your proficiency bonus to apply to a situation and potentially save the day 😃
Heh. "Thematically funny if base race is small." Half the reason why I picked Fairy for the current game I'm in. The other half is because I can become Huge, which pairs well with the concept of a Summer Knight who's supposed to fight Fomorians.
Imagine being a huge gnome
👍🏻
Huge size at lvl20, if we apply the oversized weapons rules:
3d12 x4 + action surge for 3d12 x4, so in a turn 24d12.
So, no, don't apply oversized weapons for your players
Is that really that crazy for a lvl 20?
Giants might damage only applies on YOUR turn. Reaction attacks do not work.
Oversized weapons are DMG for monsters. they are very very obviously not for players. The insanity of implying this is just absurd. Imagine a gargantuan (enlarge + lv 18 rune knight) doing 16d6 (56) damage with his greatsword while action surging to 9 attacks..... Nothing in the DMG unless it specifically says so applies to players. especially not the monster section. or have you seen lv 5 players casting cone of cold?
The assumption that a PC can just walk into a shop and buy items for average price of their rarity is crazy. Especially to recommend that as a standard thing to do. Where do all those potions come from?! and if thats a thing we got far far more broken things we can come up with thanks to how useless magic prices are.
I tend to bring up a lot of stuff that MAY work at your table if you ask your DM and he approves. Sorry if that turns you off.
I'm not assuming that PCs can do so, I'm saying that at some tables they CAN do so, and I feel compelled to point these things out. Obviously if things work differently at your own table, so be it. I tend to like to cover all the bases.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons hm doesnt that seem... like bad intent? I mean... the very definition of theoretical optimization is to interpret something that isnt in the rules in a favorable way and convince a DM that thats okay to create something thats potentially game breaking.
You bring it up and make it seem like it is something a player should inquire or even argue for to become more powerful. (You make arguments for it, even say you consider it RAW) not as something to tell a player that its not allowed and recommend the DM to never allow.
It sounds very much like the rope trick trick or alert obscure or these kinds of shenanigans to me... at that point why not go MMEvoker? i mean that one is even RAW and JC confirmed...
You introduce the channel as "powergaming" what is your understanding of that term? Because I always think of it as the negative connotation when comparing it to optimizing (I therefore describe myself as an optimizer, never a power gamer or munchkin)
@@geniumme2502 No, to me it seems like good intent (or else I wouldn't do it). My experience is that the DM decides, and sometimes he chooses to make a ruling that I consider OP. Making people aware of such things can be fun, IMO.
I don't like Blasting, or selling out for a particular tactic if it impacts overall playability. But who knows? Maybe I'll do that build someday, if I feel like it.
I thought "powergamer" was a neutral term... silly me. Having learned that many think of it as a pejorative, I've renamed the channel and rebranded as "Bilbrons & Dragons". But I can't change the actual videos where I say "D&D 5e PGTR".
"Tools are useless except for thieves tools." Interesting, how exactly is your rune knight going to carve the runes into their weapons and armour without a set of smith's tools. By wanting it really hard?, by sheer force of will?, by screaming to the heavans "It says I can do this on my character sheet!"? No the rune knight carves the runes with smith's tools thats why wotc gave the subclass proficiency. For the party with a dm who says "explain to me how exactly you are doing that", tools are incredibly useful.
Rune knight makes you the best at the worst thing in DnD grappling. I believe it to be a trap. I'd go ranged archer support. At level 7 you are a death turret that gives a disadvantage to enemy saves. Before then lower-level runes still work with ranged attacks.
You can still grapple pretty well without all the feat investment, just don't fall into the trap
Bilbron - I have to take serious issue with your statement that "tools are not important in fifth edition,"
I suppose it's true if all you ever do is play paint by numbers D&D in adventurers league.
If you think that tool proficiencies are used only for repairs you are selling it way short. Why is “guild artisan” an option as a character background? Why is there a feat called ”skilled” in the players handbook if tool skills are not important?
All the tool proficiency skills are there for a reason. Is it possible that you lack the imagination of how to apply those skills? Mending doesn't fix everything. A thing can be damaged beyond repair and need to be replaced entirely. People with tools can do that. Modification and even creation of unique items are another completely viable options for tool skills.
There's not a lot of existing structure for how tools are used, but Xanathar's guide pages 128-129 does cover the use of tools to create magic items. That just scratches the surface of the iceberg of potential in tool skills. Not everything in the game comes with a pre- made flow chart, or ready made instructions. The human imagination isn't so limited it can fit on a single page. If one or more of my players wants to use tools to solve a problem then its my job as the DM to figure the specifics of how that happens. I allow them to make anything within reason or at least try to. Downtime and resources are always factor. The things they make themselves can be just as full filling as a items quested for. They get experience for it too, particularly if they show innovation and attention to detail.
It's great that you help out your players as a DM... I just think that the whole crafting department is pretty lackluster in 5e, RAW (even with Xanathar's). I'm doing an Artificer series right now, and it's impressed upon me more than ever how critical a favorable DM is to making crafting work for a PC.
My latest Level 1 Artificer PC has Arcana and an herbalism kit, so I'll be cranking out Scrolls and Potions of Healing and such. I'll take it, lol.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons One of my favorite characters is a Warforged Artificer. He can create magic stuff, but what he really enjoys is engineering and inventing.
@@Bilbrons-and-Dragons I've been playing since the 70's, (not constantly). So I have some experience, in life and game. Lessons can be learned in game that can apply to life and visa versa. I have worked decades as a automotive tech. Maintenance, repair and diagnosis are what I do. It's one thing to remove and replace parts, I understand how things work. I'm a hobbyist "maker" in real life and I see potential projects everywhere. Exploiting mechanical advantage, using PVC pipe like tinker toys, tying knots and rigging ropes are just some of the ways I have fun. I would rather go to Makerfair than Disneyland. D&D is a way for me to pipe dream some ideas. I can conceptually create a wheellock blunderbuss or a compound crossbow, or a staff and short sword that combine into a wolf spear.
With that all said you might see how saying that tools aren't important in D&D struck a nerve. A blacksmith is the D&D version of a welder. They can shape, cut and join metal with fire, (and in Ebberon, with lightning.) The same way a person enjoys cooking a really fine meal themselves a Rune Knight would take immense pride and infinite care in making their own weapons and armor, also knowing their very lives depended on their attention to detail. In real life I use the best quality tools to make a living, because time is money and the best tools make me super efficient. A professional adventurer would feel the same way. Making their own tools guarantees they know their quality and limitations so when crisis strikes there will be no nasty surprise failures. That's another factor I do in my game. If players want to be cheap buying equipment and supplies, then they can have problems later when things fail. Those are lessons and concepts that can be applied to real life.
idk, rune knight is okay i guess, id prefer battlemaster and eldritch knight above this tbh
did you pronounce kobold as k'bold??? are you new?
Local internet user discovers: accents.