Ink's Space

Reach is a pretty useful skill for weapons, for those who are new to 5e it gives you an extra 5ft to your melee attacks which allows you to hit a creature that is 10ft away from you, without needing a ranged weapon or throwing your last dagger. But let’s see if we can expand this reach a little more…

What you’ll need: 

Bugbear Character Option 

Fighter Class - Rune Knight Subclass or Battle master Subclass

Either a Halberd or a Glaive

How it works:

First, you will need a Halberd or Glaive, this weapon will automatically give you 5ft reach allowing you to hit creatures 10ft away from you. 

Next, you’ll want to be a Bugbear. They give you an additional 5ft of reach thanks to their Long-Limbed feature. This will give you a total reach of 15ft, plus your weapon attacks will do an extra 2d6 damage if your target hasn’t taken their turn yet.

For your class you’ll want to go for Fighter, choose the Rune Knight Subclass and get to Level 18. This will take awhile but at level 18 your Giant’s Might feature gives you an additional 5ft of range for 20ft total will all the above features working together, you’ll also get access to some cool runes and an extra 1d10 damage for 1 minute.

Alternatively, you can choose the Battle master subclass and go for Lunging attack, this will allow one attack per turn to gain an extra 5ft reach at level 3. The downside is that this only works for one attack, but if you multiclass into Paladin, Warlock or Ranger then you can stack up some spells/features to buff the attack's damage.

For your feats I recommend going for: 

Polearm Master - This allows you to make opportunity attacks against creatures who enter your reach range and you can use your Halberd or Glaive to make an extra attack as a bonus action (it only does 1d4 damage but hey, damage is damage) 

Sentinel - For locking down your enemy’s movement and triggering opportunity attacks even if they take the disengage action 

Slasher - Reduced target’s speed by 10ft if you hit it with an attack (this doesn’t stack against the same target BUT you can use it on multiple targets) and if you score a critical hit then your opponent has disadvantage on attack rolls until your next turn. 

Seeing as how we’re in Spooky Month, I thought I should post a build that was themed around Halloween, so here’s how to play a Vampire in D&D! 

What you will need: 

The Dhampir Lineage 

Monk Class - Either the Way of Shadows or Way of the long death subclasses

Optional Multiclass: Cleric - Death Domain

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This build is admittedly very easy to put together. 

First you’ll want to take the Dhampir lineage (as it’s the closest thing we have to playing a full Vampire in 5e) In addition to not needing to breathe and being able to walk up and down walls, you’ll also get a Bite attack, you can also empower this bite to either restore your hit points or to add a bonus to your next attack roll or ability check equal to the damage done by your bite attack. 

Next you’ll want to take the Monk class. This will improve your movement and armour will be optional (which means you can fight in your fancy clothes) But the most important part of this build are the optional rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, you’ll want to take the Dedicated weapon feature, this will allow you to take one simple or martial weapon that you are proficient with and treat it as a Monk weapon. Your Bite attack is considered a simple weapon that you are proficient with, which means you can now use your Martial arts die for it to do more damage and use it with other Monk features like Stunning Strike and Flurry of blows.

For your subclass you have two options: 

If you want to be the whole transforming into a flock of bats, master of shadows, hunter in the night, kind of Vampire I recommend Way of Shadows subclass as you can literally teleport in darkness (which you can flavour as a flock of bats) cast pass without a trace and the darkness spells using your Ki and turn invisible. 

The second option is The Way of the long death subclass. This will allow you to gain temporary hit points when you reduce a creature to zero hit points, inflict fear, bounce back to 1hp if you are reduced to zero, and do a ton of Necrotic damage. All of these do give off serious Strahd vibes, so it’ll be perfect for your character! 

And that’s it. like I said, pretty easy to put together. If you’re looking to Multiclass, I recommend picking up three levels in Death Domain Cleric, thanks to this you can target two creatures with your Necrotic spells and use your channel divinity to do extra necrotic damage to your bite attack as well as gain access to spells like Bless, Spirit Shroud, Command and Enhance ability to help with your vampiric shenanigans. 

What you’ll need: 

The Artificer Class - Alchemist Subclass

Mark of Healing Halfling

A Strixhaven Student Background that gives you access to a 1st level Wizard spell - Witherbloom Student or Quandrix Student preferable 

Optional: Cleric Class - Life Domain

Ok so first, you’ll want to be a Mark of Healing Halfling from the Eberron books, this will give you an extra 1d4 to medicine checks and checks with your herbalism kits. You can also cast Cure wounds or Lesser restoration spells for free once per long rest, which is handy if you’re running low on spell slots and an ally goes down. Finally, you’ll get a greater range of healing spells to choose from thanks to the expanded spell list. 

Next, go for the Artificer class, for your spells you’ll need to grab the Spare the Dying cantrip and the Cure wounds spell. For your Infusions the only one you’ll really need is Homunculus Servant, this will allow you to cast your spells through your Homunculus as long as the spell has a range of touch, which means you can position it near an ally and potentially heal or stabilise them if they’re running low on health. 

For your Subclass, choose the Alchemist. This will allow you to brew one potion for free per day (you can brew more but you’ll need to expend a spell slot) admittedly, only one of these will heal you and you’ll have to roll on a table for it so there’s a 1 in 6 chance of getting it. BUT, at higher levels you’ll gain an additional boost to your healing equal to your Intelligence modifier, so using a 1st level spell slot your Cure wounds spell will heal for a minimum of 11 hp and a max of 18. Later on, you’ll be able to brew two potions per day for free at level 6 and three at level 15 and the creature who drinks it will gain extra temporary hipoints. Finally, at level 9 you can cast Lesser restoration a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and at level 15 you can cast the Heal spell once per day. 

Finally, and this part’s important: Choose a Strixhaven background, personally I would recommend either Witherbloom Student (as you will get additional healing spells) or Quandrix Student (as you will get a balance of attack and support/buffing spells). This will give you the Strixhaven Initiate feat which will give you two extra cantrips and will also let you learn one 1st level spell which you can cast for free once per long rest OR you can expend spell slots to cast it again. Choose a spell from the Wizard Spell list and specifically choose the Unearthed Arcana Spell: Healing Elixir. This takes one minute to cast but you can make a healing potion which heals for 2d4 + 2 hit points, which remain magical for 24 hours and you can make a number of these as long as you have the spell slots (and flasks) 

So, you get a few ways to heal yourself or your allies for free, a way to transport better healing spells than healing word and a way to buff your medicine checks (which if you cast guidance on yourself you gain 2d4 to add to your medicine checks) 

Still not enough? Well you can also multiclass into a Life Domain Cleric and all of your healing spells will gain an extra 2 + the level of the spell hit points in addition to all the other healing buffs you’ll have, and you’ll have Channel Divinity: Preserve Life to help out too. 

You like mushrooms? Sad there isn’t a fungus themed patron yet? Craving those spores in combat? Well here’s a build that can help with that. 

You will need: 

Warlock Class - Hexblade Subclass - Pact of the Blade

Druid Class - Circle of Spores Subclass

Hexblood Lineage 

College of Witherbloom Background 

How it works: 

For this build to work, you’ll need to take Warlock and go for Pact of the Blade and specifically choose a Melee weapon (if you go for the Improved pact weapon invocation) choose the Hexblade subclass, this way you’ll only need to improve your Wisdom and for this build. Thanks to Hexblade’s Curse, you’ll also do extra damage to your melee attacks equal to your Proficiency bonus. I'd also recommend the following Invocations:

Thirsting blade - gives you two attacks with your pact weapon per turn

Maddening Hex - as a bonus action you deal psychic damage equal to your charisma modifier to a target affected by Hex

Lifedrinker - For extra charisma damage to your melee attacks

Eldritch Smite - Expend a spell slot for a looot of damage when you hit a creature with your pact weapon. 

Next, go for the Druid Class and choose the Circle of Spore subclass, with your Halo of spores feature you’ll get to use your reaction to deal necrotic damage to targets within 10ft of you. If you use your Symbiotic entity feature then you’ll do an additional damage die when you use your Halo of spores feature AND all of your melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage. 

You’ll also want to Grab the Hexblood Lineage, why? Because not only is it thematic, but you’ll also get to cast the Hex Spell for free once per long rest, so you’ll deal ANOTHER 1d6 damage without expending a spell slot and allowing you to choose another warlock spell to help give you more versatility (plus you can use your maddening hex invocation as a bonus action next turn)

Finally, choose the Witherbloom Student Background, this will give you more spells to choose from (which again, works with the theme of Druids and Warlocks) you’ll get two cantrips and a spell from the Wizard or Druid spell list (which you can also cast for free once per rest) 

Takes a turn or two to set up (and more to stack damage) but overall you’ll be using your action to deal a ton of damage and your bonus action and reaction to chip away at your opponent’s health. You’ll also get three cantrips and two spells slots for free too! 

Outside of Combat, you’ll be able to turn into creatures for infiltration and stealth, have access to more cantrip choices as you’ll be getting three cantrips for free in addition to your Druid and Warlock ones. You’ll have a range of invocations to pick and choose from and you can prepare different Druid spells every day while also having more healing and/or support spells (like cure wounds and goodberry) and be able to use them without burning through your limited Warlock spell slots (as multiclassing with Warlock gives you extra spell slots instead of having to do maths to figure out how many slots you have if you go for Wizard and Sorcerer, for example.) Thanks to Hexblood you'll also be able to cast the message cantrip for free and if be able to cast Disguise self too!

Honestly this is such a relief, like I walked out of that exam thinking 100% that I had failed it and it really put me in a funk for a few weeks. I was always more of an Arts and Literature kid growing up and always struggled with the more advanced side of Maths (except algebra, oddly?) and this has been a persistent thorn in my side for years and was really impacting my confidence as I had to resit it nine times. So it’s great that the hard work FINALLY paid off and that I never have to resit this exam ever again haha XD

Like, i miss the space, the fact that every table had paint/ink on it, the gentle scratching of pencils/pens on paper, and the taps/swishes of paintbrushes being cleaned in old glass jars filled with water. The old radio playing the same songs in the background. The smell of tye dyes, inks, paints and freshly heat pressed fabrics. The hum of a sewing machines, printers clunking, the background noises of others talking about their work and inspirations. The cabinets full of art supplies and high quality paper that would often cause paper cuts. The way the light would pour in through the windows in summer and huddling around the portable heaters that we’d have to borrow from other classes in winter. Seeing sketchbooks, folders, materials and projects all arranged in workspaces of each person’s varying forms of organising their workspace. And that each classroom was within a five minute distance of a place to get good coffee. Low key miss the stress of deadlines too.