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 Originally Posted by Vinland
I’m a barbarian one one campaign and a paladin in another - any pointers for when I start levelling up?
My attitude on level ups is that they should reflect your personal growth as a PC in-game. Taking "sub optimal" feats instead of maxing out stats is fine with me. It's more fun than repeating only the optimal builds year after year.
BUT that last line means a lot to me. I've been playing D&D for years and I'm bored with the optimal builds. I'm old enough to really get it deep in my bones that D&D isn't a game you "win" with stats or fighting monsters. It's a game you win by making the other people at the table laugh and/or cry with good RP.
For newer players, or players in unfamiliar groups, it may indeed break your or their fun if you aren't optimizing your builds, though. So that gets us back to the top by applying the "fun is more important than mechanics" argument. Another way to get to this point is through the DM. If your DM is running Strahd, they're probably expecting you to be able to be more than basically capable in combat. BUT maybe they don't care about playing their bad guys optimally, and it would be a breath of relief to have a party more interested in shenanigans than hard-core monster slaying.
So when choosing which way to handle your level ups - read the room.
OK, so all that said... Here's my advice on optimizing:
Your level 4, 8, 12, 16, 19 level ups are the ones with a real choice for you. Go for ASI or ask for a feat?
Early on, go for the ASI. Top priority for most builds is getting your main stat up to 20. That additional +1 bonus will affect a lot of things including probably your main attack and damage numbers, and plenty of saving throws and ability checks. It's more powerful than it seems at first glance. You will use it every combat and even outside of combat occasionally. If you have 2 stats with odd numbers, it can be worth splitting your ASI to bump them both up to even numbers - as that will convey 2 +1's across your stats.
Feats tend to be highly situational. When you take a feat, you should mentally prepare to try to make those situations happen now as part of your RP. Like the Chef feat (from Tasha's) is widely regarded as quite good. But if your party has never RP'd meals, then you're going to need to start making the meal parts of your rests to be more involved with your RP.
It's just that ASI's are boring - they do a lot, but it never feels like your choice to take the ASI mattered. It's a powerful choice that disappears on the character sheet. Whereas taking a feat is never like that. It's not used as often, but when you use it, it feels great. It's not a hidden talent in that regard. I find the latter more fun.
Originally Posted by Vinland
first session of Strahd was yesterday. Seems pretty gloomy. We are about to go in a large house in search of an unknown monster. Basically a dungeon crawl from the sounds of it but in a town setting. It’s pretty good so far. One bar room brawl in the books and two dire wolves went to meet their maker. I’m a paladin in the Strahd campaign. Dwarf for race in both
Strahd campaign is gloomy, yeah. It's set like a Victorian era vampire story. All gloomy and dark with a brooding noble who's the central BBEG.
What's your sub-class for the Paladin?
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