Questions tagged [optimization]
For questions pertaining to the positive aspects of character optimization, often abbreviated as CharOp. (If dealing with player problems relating to optimization, use the [powergaming] tag instead.)
1,073
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What's the greatest number of hands I can have to annoy my mother-in-law with?
My mother in law is coming to visit tonight, for dinner. She hates me, and will criticize my food. But tonight is my night. I've prepared the dish she most hates, a beautiful roasted Tarrasque chop, ...
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11
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Does Warlock combat just equal Eldritch Blast spam?
Been looking over the warlock because I thought it would be cool to make a spellcaster that can also mix it up in melee combat. After all how awesome is it to conjure up a magical weapon and start ...
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What are "tiers", and what tier is each class?
I tend to play Wizards, almost exclusively, though I have branched out and played Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, and, at some point each other core class. I would like to play something different for my ...
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What is the highest possible AC?
Assuming you are level 20, and have access to any magic item, how high can you get AC (permanently or for a set duration)?
Constraints:
Magic items are those on the tables in the D&D 5th ...
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What is the Stormwind Fallacy?
In the context of another Question here, the Stormwind Fallacy was brought up. What exactly is the Stormwind Fallacy and how is connected to optimization?
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Is Greatsword superior to Greataxe?
Greataxe
6.5 (1d12) slashing Heavy, Two-Handed
Greatsword
7 (2d6) slashing Heavy, Two-Handed
This is why I think Greatsword is superior to Greataxe:
Slightly higher average damage
Higher ...
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64
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2
answers
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Weapon attacks compared with damaging cantrips?
Cantrips scale automatically with character level. Weapon attacks only scale with ability score and any extra attack features you might get.
How could the damage of weapon attacks keep up?
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8
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Can characters reach Mach 1 and higher?
A few years back our group tried to come up with the fastest possible D&D character. If I remember correctly we could build a character that could go faster than the speed of sound, but I can't ...
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13
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How can we optimize a monk (especially for offense)?
I have complaints from someone in one of my groups that the 3.5 monk isn't good for anything offensive, only for defense and disarming (defenestration wasn't mentioned).
My experience has only been ...
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What is the Fastest a Character Can Move in One Turn?
At level 20 with any magic items in the DMG, and any spells, what is the fastest a DnD 5e character could move using their movement? (i.e., not including teleportation)
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Does roleplaying inherently put you at a disadvantage?
My friend is going to be DMing DnD 3.5 with me and 4 other new players. I want to be the best player I can be.
One thing I have always struggled with is roleplaying. I am an analytical, competitive ...
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6
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Do I have to worry about players making “bad” choices on level up?
When I came back to RPGs (after 20 years) I discarded pathfinder after reading about the complexities of the systems and the fact that there was a real chance of getting “bad characters” if you made ...
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Is Dexterity overpowered compared to Strength?
Finesse weapons allow you to use Dex for attack and damage rolls. This allows most of classes, including even some first-line fighters, to dump Str for Dex - you do not lose in attack rolls, only a ...
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5
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How high can a PC's initiative bonus get?
Usually, most PCs rely solely on their Dexterity ability score modifier for their initiative; however, there are ways to get bonuses to initiative. How high can this bonus get?
For example, there's ...
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41
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7
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Are 3.5 Bards mechanically weak?
People frequently seem to think that Bards are mechanically weaker than other classes, and I was wondering if this was true?
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What Wizard schools are best to specialize in? Which schools are best to sacrifice? [closed]
The Wizard gains the ability to specialize in a school of spells, gaining a bonus spell slot per level that must be used to prepare spells of that school. In exchange, he must ban two other schools; ...
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How many characters using PHB rules does it take to be able to have access to any PHB spell at the start of an adventuring day?
I originally read this related question as wanting to find out how to have a party with access to every spell during an adventuring day with as few members as possible. It turned out that the linked ...
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39
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8
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What is the lowest level at which a human can beat the 100m world record (or: the presumed human limit) without using magic?
Optimizing a character build for ridiculous Movement in order to break the sound barrier or even the speed of light is a well-tried source of fun with numbers in DnD. Such speed optimizations usually ...
- 4,919
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5
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How can I make a character that wields only daggers as good as other characters?
I want to make a character that uses two daggers, but I know that a character using daggers would not be as good as a character using shortswords or almost any other weapon. By "good", I mean ...
- 6,151
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5
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Can an 18th level hastened mobile wood-elf monk move at over 100 mph?
One of my players wants to say his monk can kill a T-Rex in a single blow, by simply ramming it. The pitch goes like this:
As a wood elf he has a base speed of 35 feet.
The Mobile feat increases ...
- 6,838
35
votes
11
answers
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What is the maximum number of attacks a single character can make themselves during their turn?
In a recent D&D game, I believe a member of the party was able to make six attacks during his turn (I actually lost count, so it might have been 5-7). Other characters seemed able to consistently ...
- 1,343
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5
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Does the Resilient (Con) feat or the War Caster feat most improve the chances of maintaining concentration?
The Resilient feat (PHB, p. 168) allows you to increase one ability score by 1 and gain proficiency in saving throws using the corresponding ability. In essence, taking the Resilient feat and picking ...
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1
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What is the most amount of election fraud I can commit using necromancy?
I have deemed the ignorant masses of several nearby regions to be unfit to rule themselves. Unfortunately, they've established a democracy to determine leadership of their region and continuously ...
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5
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What is the lowest level character that can unfailingly beat the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure's starting encounter?
For a lot of players, Lost Mine of Phandelver from the D&D Starter Set was their first 5e adventure. The first encounter from that adventure is rather swingy, like many level 1 combats. PCs may ...
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2
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When is an ASI better than the Dual Wielder feat?
Many people ask questions about dual wielding (even though two-weapon fighting is subpar for everyone after level four). Most of them seemingly can't wait to pick up the Dual Wielder feat (PHB, p. 165)...
- 58k
32
votes
14
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Repercussions to DM-mandated limit on books allowable for characters?
When running a campaign, especially one with newer players mixed with optimizers, is it a fair call to limit the variety of books available for play? For feats, classes, prestige classes, magic items ...
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8
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What is the statistically superior character creation method, twelve 3d6 or six 4d6?
The D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook gives (among others) two preferred methods to roll ability scores for a new character: a) roll 3d6 twelve times and keep the preferred six results, or b) roll 4d6 and ...
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What's the maximum (average) damage that can be dealt in one round by a 20th level character with at least two levels of Fighter?
What is the most effective way to use a level 20 character's (with two or more levels in fighter for Action Surge ability) in order to maximize single target damage done in one round?
Rules/...
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3
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How can I play monsters and NPCs up to their potential?
In many cases discussions about balance in 3.5 will, inevitably, involve one side or another invoking an anecdote of the time they fought this monster, or a member of that class, and they didn't ...
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4
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What is the maximum number of Cantrips you can get by 20th level?
This originally started out as a concept to get a lot of the utility cantrips for an entertainer build: control flames, gust, shape water, mold earth, mage hand, dancing lights, minor illusion, ...
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What build maximizes reach?
A Bugbear (Long Limbed: reach +5 feet) wielding a reach weapon (10 feet of reach) can make a melee weapon attack with a reach of 15 feet.
If said Bugbear is a Battle Master with the Lunging maneuver, ...
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32
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7
answers
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What is the most DPR possible at level 1?
My question is fairly straightforward: What is the combination of feats/race/class/etc that gives the most damage per round at level 1? I'd also be interested to see the maximum possible damage, but ...
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2
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How dangerous can I make my tankard?
I bore of the savagery of combating my many adversaries, so I should like to outsource this chore to my tankard. By casting tiny servant on a single object (ie. my tankard) and presumably other spells,...
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10
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One PC is too powerful. What should I do?
I am currently playing DnD 3.5 with three friends of mine. I am Game Master and I let my players create 4th level characters in the beginning of the campaign.
One of them chose Forsaker as his ...
31
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6
answers
10k
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What is the maximum distance you can cause damage from?
What is the maximum distance a creature can cause damage from, without moving?
This can be via any method (making an attack roll, forcing a saving throw, using an item), aside from the Wish spell.
...
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3
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What is the maximum PC carrying weight?
My fellow purveyors of fine cheese, I require some assistance in importing some expensive aged cheeses from my home lands. While I would normally call on my Barbarian associate to bring my cheeses ...
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8
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Is a character with the Polearm Master and Sentinel feats unbeatable in a duel?
One of the benefits of the Polearm Master feat (PHB, p. 168) is:
While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they ...
- 58k
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5
answers
5k
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How can I optimize Chicken Infested?
I'm soon going to be a guest player in a Pathfinder game where silliness is the theme. (The party has been drawn into the Demiplane of Dinosaurs, which is reportedly a lot like Ravenloft, except with ...
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4
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What is the maximum number of Simulacra I can have?
Simulacrum seems like a powerful spell; I assume that the duplicate gets all my known spells and spell slots due to this part of the description:
Otherwise, the illusion uses all the statistics of ...
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7
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Is a Dexterity-based paladin build competitive with a Strength-based paladin as a front-line fighter?
After the release of Volo's Guide to Monsters, I was bantering with some friends about character concepts with the new races. One that came up was a Kobold Paladin—and once that seed was planted, the ...
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4
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What is the maximum number of PC-controlled undead?
I decided to make an unreasonable demand from nearby town and to gain an advantage in upcoming dispute I want an undead horde reinforcing my arguments. I am not looking for quality (after all, those ...
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13
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What is the most damage that can be done in a single melee attack?
So, I was attempting to theory-craft a character that could deliver a massive amount of damage in a single melee attack. I know that there are builds to deliver a massive amount of damage in a single ...
- 1,753
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10
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Is there any way to see through the Darkness spell without removing it?
Simply put, the Shadow Monk gains the ability to cast the Darkness spell, but I'm struggling to see a use for it except as concealment during an escape.
Way of the Shadow monk receives Darkness (among ...
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28
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3
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What rules or guidelines are there about when to allow a party to acquire plate mail?
I have heard it said that 5e does not balance its encounters with respect to magic items; in other words it does not consider possession of magic items when defining appropriately challenging ...
- 3,804
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7
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What is the greatest amount of temporary hit points you can have at once?
Title says it all, what is the greatest amount of temporary hit points a character can have at one time? I think it's 45 from using Armor of Agathys with a 9th level spell slot, but is more possible?
...
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27
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3
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3k
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Is it possible for a character at any level to cast all 44 Cantrips in one week without Magic Items?
As a DM, I enjoy [metaphorically] playing with fire.
For no particular reason, I am considering introducing the following Rite to my campaign:
Rites of Destruction. When the world was created, the ...
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27
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6
answers
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Why is two-weapon fighting considered subpar for fighters?
I know this has been discussed before, but I've yet to find a mathematically sound explanation of why two-weapon is vastly inferior to two-handed. I could understand if there are ultimately negligible ...
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8
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What is the highest AC possible for a sorcerer?
What is the highest Armor Class achievable for a Sorcerer with the Sorcerous Origin of Draconic Bloodline?
Player's Handbook Chapter 6 variant rules included. (Multiclassing, Feats, etc.)
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How does an Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 20 compare to a Fighter 10/Wizard 10 for both damage dealt and durability?
With the release of the PHB we have the Eldritch Knight fighter archetype as an innate, class-driven way for the fighter to compete with the wizard in the AoE department. This prompted a discussion ...
- 40.7k
26
votes
5
answers
24k
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How to optimize a character for the greatest number of skill proficiencies with the fewest number of levels?
I want to build a character with the maximum number of skill proficiencies, 18. 20 levels to work with, multi-classing, feats, all official published books, starting with standard point array.
The ...
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