#dnd optimization

I will have plenty of notes throughout that describe useful tips or make how effective a feature is clear, however I do want to state at the top. If you are playing single player, it is possible to get a full party of custom characters from the beginning. What this allows you to do is have 3 extra characters for Camp. For me personally I would have these spare Custom characters do camp builds rather than Origin characters (except Gale, but we'll get into that later). Combined with the 3 Hirelings you can get from Withers means you can have 3 free characters whose sole purpose is to provide value to your party (said value will be tallied up at the end).

Note: you don't need the 3 custom characters, you can just use regular companions, I won't judge. You can also make the 3 custom characters and use companions, and frankly you'd make me proud.

Build 1: Pharmacy Wizard

Wizard 2 (Transmutation) → Rogue 1 (expertise Medicine) → Wizard 6 → Cleric 3

17 str / 8 dex / 14 con / 10 int / 16 wis / 8 cha

Experimental Alchemy (Wizard 2)

You brew two Alchemical Solutions instead of one when combining extracts, if you succeed a Difficulty Class 15 Medicine Check.

By level 5 (first ASI for this build) with 18 wisdom, it has a +10 to this check

At level 12 with 20 Wisdom, it +13 to the check

When making solutions, give them guidance and self cast owl’s wisdom for +1d4 and advantage on the checks.

Camp Spells (Wizard)

Light, Longstrider, Mage Armor, Darkvision, Enhance Ability (Owl’s Wisdom on Self)

Transmuter’s Stone (Wizard 6)

Store some of your transmutation magic in a small stone. A creature carrying the stone gains a benefit of your choice.

Transmuter's Stone: Constitution: Create a stone that grants the carrier Proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Transmuter's Stone: Darkvision: Create a stone that lets the carrier see in the dark out to a range of 18 m / 60 ft.

Transmuter's Stone: Speed: Create a stone that increases the carrier's movement speed by  3 m / 10 ft.

Transmuter's Stone: Resistance: Create a stone that grants the carrier Resistance to Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder.

Camp Spells (Cleric)

Aid, Protection from Poison, Warding Bond

Note: By 12th level (or 11th without the rogue levels) this character can cast max level Aid

Note: Gale has the NPC feature Regains hit points while not in your party, so Gale can cast Warding Bond on all 4 party members and likely never die. The game will tell you it's 1d8+3 restoration and be usable a number of times equal to his level, this is a lie. It's unlimited use and fully restores him. The only instance where he can die is if he takes too much damage before he can heal (taking Warding Bond damage staggers him, delaying his heal by about 3-4 seconds). If you want him, and by extension your warding bonds to be as safe as possible, make him go Cleric 3 / Barbarian 9. Get him to 20 Con (18 Con from an ASI, and +2 Con from The Dwarven Splintmail or Enraging Heart Garb) and grab Tough. Even if he is your Pharmacist and not this damage sponge build, Enraging Heart Garb, and him being in the radius of Aid/Heroes' Feast Spells when give him more survivability. Damage he can take can also be reduced by resistances.

Note: You can very easily have 4 stay at home Transmutation Wizards so your full party can have Transmuter Stones. The strongest stones are Con save Proficiency and Speed, the weakest is Darkvision (effectively useless). You only need 1 character to have a level in Rogue for the expertise in Medicine, and that will be your Alchemy Solution crafter for the whole game.

Build 2: Tons of Healing

Life Cleric 11 / Druid 1

Camp Spells

Goodberry, Warding Bond, Freedom of Movement, Deathward, Heroes’ Feast

Spell Slot Usage: 4th level on Deathwards. 6th on Heroes’ Feast. Everything else on Goodberry

10 Spell slots (4 1st, 3 2nd, 3 3rd, 2 5th): 48 Goodberries

Build 3: A spare Bard

Valor Bard 10

Gives the whole party a d10 inspiration and Freedom of Movement. Can also give Goodberries via magical secrets or a level dip into Druid. This character also gives you an extra short rest.

For example it is difficult to account for enemies varying resistances, weaknesses, and combat strategies. It also doesn't take into account how the terrain can shape combat.

For example, a DnD optimizer might assume a combat is taking place in an infinite 2D plane (amateur mistake) for simplicity's sake and to reduce the number of variables, and come to the conclusion that being a horse archer is optimal (historically correct)

This is because you can shoot safely from nearly half a mile away with a long bow, which is well beyond the range of almost all spells and abilites, while riding a horse that moves 120ft per turn (by dashing, which can be done seperatly of your attack action(180ft per turn if you have horseshoes of speed)), which is as fast or faster than most enemies when they're dashing. The safety with which you can commit murder in this manner as well as the damage potential the sharpshooter feat. provides is most enticing.

Dungeons & Dragons 5e Tier List

After seeing a number of tier lists for DnD 5e that are too complicated or miss the point I thought I would take a stab at it.

Before I start I should mention what I think is important in a tier list- calling back to my 5e review I think most of the classes are balanced in combat or at least pull their weight, so I’ll be focusing on overall campaign impact rather than making a tier list for every…