The slow trickle of new options has added up over the years for 5e Dungeons & Dragons, allowing for a variety of character builds, which now include some that are essentially useless in battle. While DnD campaigns typically include elements of exploration, investigation, and social encounters, combat remains the central pillar of the game. Creating a character that has utility in other situations, but lacks any meaningful contribution in a fight, is a risky proposition. There are some tactics that can let even a non-combat-oriented hero offer aid in battle, but these typically rely on teamwork and pre-planned strategies.
Players should discuss these builds with their Dungeon Master at Session Zero to ensure such a character will have a place in the campaign. Adventuring heroes in DnD are typically powerful warriors who might bring other skill sets to the table. Despite this, a character optimized for non-battle encounters, like the arguably overpowered Dungeons & Dragons skill master build, can provide a valuable contribution in skill-based challenges. If the DM is running a pre-written adventure module, or a typical dungeon crawl, however, a character with little combat ability might have no place in the game.
Polymorph Lets A Skill-Based Dungeons & Dragons Character Contribute In Combat
A properly built DnD skill master can still pull their weight in combat at level 20, but if the player prioritizes the skill aspects of the character, they will have little to offer in battle at lower levels. The complex multiclass split of Rogue 11/Ranger 5/Bard 3/Cleric 1 can yield Proficiency in all 18 of the 5e DnD skills and Expertise in more than half of them. Feats like Prodigy grant skill training and Expertise, but they come at the cost of raising a base statistic or selecting a combat-oriented feat like Sharpshooter.
If the player focuses first on their skill mastery, with class levels in the Knowledge Domain Cleric and the College of Lore Bard, instead of mastering D&D’s best weapons like hand crossbows and polearms first, they will excel outside of battle, but struggle to do anything useful with their combat actions. There are some workarounds that can let these heroes aid in direct conflicts, but without advance planning, the skill master could be seen as a liability in battle. Higher-level parties with access to the Polymorph spell may find the skill master is an ideal character to target, for example.
Players have discovered the best creatures in the DnD Monster Manual to transform into using Polymorph but finding an appropriate target for the spell can be tricky with some groups. The caster must maintain Concentration on the spell, so turning themselves into a monstrous form that wades into the frontline can be a dubious strategy. Martial classes like Fighters and Barbarians are typically better optimized for damage than the forms yielded by Polymorph, and full casters have access to useful battle spells. Polymorphing a skill master into one of Spelljammer’s best new DnD monsters lets the caster and the skill-focused hero cooperate to achieve victory in a fight.
A D&D Mastermind Rogue Can Use The Help Action From A Distance To Grant Advantage
For lower-level games, or parties without access to the Polymorph spell, finding a function in combat can be more complex for many characters. Another workaround is to ensure the character has at least three Rogue levels and the Mastermind subclass. The Master of Tactics ability lets the Mastermind use the Help action to grant an ally Advantage on an attack against an enemy within 30 feet instead of the usual 5-foot limitation for Help. It also lets them use Help as a Bonus Action, enabling two Help actions per turn.
While there are many ways to generate consistent Advantage at higher levels, the Mastermind’s ability is very helpful at low level. Advantage lets any ally improve their odds of landing a hit, but it is especially useful for characters with many Rogue levels, enabling Sneak Attack. A powerful DnD polearm Barbarian build deals high damage by making multiple attacks using the Great Weapon Master feat, taking a -5 to accuracy for +10 to damage. The Mastermind can help the polearm- offset the accuracy penalty with Advantage, and they can do the same for a ranged specialist with the Sharpshooter feat.
Campaigns that focus on urban intrigue can make feats like Actor appealing, along with Attuned magic items like the Hat of Disguise, both of which provide many options for subterfuge, but no efficacy in battle. Dungeon-centric games can still leverage feats like Observant to maximize ive Perception to spot traps, secret doors, and ambushes. Selecting multiple non-combat feats makes for a unique and interesting character, but the struggle to aid their troupe when swords are drawn complicates things. The Session Zero discussion should touch on this, as the DM may run a game where battles involve more than reducing the enemy’s Hit Points.
Characters Built For Social Encounters Have Flair In D&D, But Players Can Rarely Neglect Combat
The 4e DnD rules have a regrettably complicated reputation, as they provided the best tactical combat system the game has ever known but changed many core elements that tabletop RPG fans had grown comfortable with over the years. Veteran DMs recall the ways that fourth edition DnD integrated skill checks into combat, and some may apply the same paradigm to their 5e DnD encounter design. Many 4e-inspired DMs routinely include elements like in-combat traps that can be disarmed during a character’s turn, or enemy reinforcements that can be cut off by applying skills like Athletics.
If the DM confirms at Session Zero that every combat will be a complex set piece that offers opportunities for skills to contribute alongside attacks and spells, a non-combat build might not need to fall back on tactics like Polymorph or subclasses like Mastermind. This should never be assumed, however, and the majority of official 5e adventures are not designed in that manner. The DnD Dragonlance campaign contains harder battles than prior adventures, and there are many other campaigns where players should focus on their role in combat first and foremost.
Character concepts like a Life Domain Cleric portrayed as a pacifist can still play a vital role in combat through healing, and most spellcaster players lean towards party buffs or enemy control over direct damage. These builds still have a clear role in battle, unlike the characters that forgo a combat focus altogether. A character built solely for skill optimization, or a caster whose spell list consists only Divination and utility magic, can be exactly what the party needs in some situations. In most adventure modules and homebrew campaigns alike, combat is central to Dungeons & Dragons, so players should thoroughly discuss any plans for a non-combat hero.
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