This is true right here! My critfisher paladin almost never gets the finishing blow but he does weaken the enemy significantly so that it’s dead before the round is over
"Fighters are the only class that gets more than two attacks in the game" (without using bonus actions) * Cries in Monk * I do agree with the argument that a powerhouse in D&D is the most consistent in combat. The three sides of this are: Staying Power, the ability to take hits and keep fighting. Steady Damage, enough that an opponent would be foolish to ignore you. Enabling Synergy, by creating the space for everyone else to play to their strengths.
I found out the secret formula to make Monk work. Multiclass into a barbarian for 1 lvl, hard to roleplay thought. Don't over think It, It Is true that some abilities like unarmored defense don't stack, but It Just works. It Just fixes every problem of the class with rage, low healt? Rage. Low damage? Rage. You have to put low point in constitution becouse you Need dexterity, wisdom and strenght to be viable? Don't worry, Just trust the rage and put your third best score in wisdom. Since you are attacking a lot, might as well bank on crits with an half orc and spam recklesss charge. Since you are at It, might take a third level in barbarian as to move around with the Eagle totem, or bear totem. How Is this different from playing a normal barbarian you Ask? You are right, It isn't. Don't play Monk, play a barbarian that punches people with 1 Monk lvl. Or play Monk and Ask yourself "to be honest, what Is damage? Honestly damage Is over valued, Roleplay Is Much Better" every time you hit something 37 times and deal less damage than the fight First Attack.
@@stefanomartinelli7344 this is very inaccurate. monks specialize in constant damage that can be spread out or focused on one target, just try going toe to toe with a monk in pvp. monks also have stunning strike, which can end a fight sooner than any ability any other martial class can muster when used right. monks are deceptively strong and have very consistent dpr
@@stefanomartinelli7344 I'm doing this mc but you're looking at it the wrong way imo. Barb is a very front loaded class, utilize that. I started 1 level Barb to get the better unarmored defense based on Con and the rest into monk until I get my asi. Went way of the long death monk as the temp hp is very easy to generate, literally step on a bug. And shores up your lower hit die that gets more value from your rages. Then get to level 3 in barb for bear totem for that sweet resistance to everything you don't even lose out on not getting extra attack from 5 since you were making 2 sometimes 3 attacks ages ago. I personally went minotaur for the flavor and d6 horns from the get go though any race with an inherent natural attack or now just getting unarmed fighting style with a feat and you're golden. By level 10 3 totem barb/7 way of long death monk you can walk through a meteor swarm and take 30ish on a failed save a 3rd of which probably got eaten by temp hp.
@@afrosamurai3847 This sounds good, I Will try something similar with Xanathar, since rage requires weapons kensei seems like a good option. Half orc barbarian Monk, using rage as a focus in Battle. Then I Will probably pick storm barbarian for either extra damage as desert or extra health as thundra. Either that, or a storm Cleric + storm barbarian, the lighting man.
12:30 Artificer Armorer is pretty good for powerhousing. You can max out AC, have pretty good damage from your special weapons, get 2 attacks, and still have some utility.
I've played a bladesinger elf, that in combat, with her buffs on, she had something like 22 Ac, plus shield and absorb elements as reactions, in case anything actually hits. She dealt consistent damage, had an amazing constitution and warcaster, so not only she could dish out booming blades as opportunity attacks, but her concentration saves were amazing AND as a wizard, she could always just throw fireballs at enemies who stabbing with a sword wasn't gonna cut it.... But she had a wisdom score of just 5 and like 6 in charisma. Yep, just 5 and 6, the luck of the dices was something wild the day we rolled our characters. And this built this amazing party dynamic where me and the paladin were at the frontline trying to absorb as much damage as we could, while dishing out tons of damage, and the rest of the party supported us or prepared for the killing blow while we kept the enemies distracted. But as soon as we were in anything where social skills mattered, the anger issues vengeance paladin, and the absolutely socially awkward and somewhat crazy elf were the party's biggest weakness. And not only that, during exploration and dungeons, the rest of the party HAD to handle it for us. The paladin was the kind of people that once given a target would just walk in a straight line to that target, regardless of traps, stealth, enemies or obstacles. And on the other side I had terrible survival checks, perception, and an absolute lack of common sense, so unless I was constantly accompanied by someone I would just run off, either fall for a trap or get lost, and start panicking. If it was a situation that couldn't be solved by stabbing or fireballing said situation, my character was quite literally incapable of solving it. And it was super fun! It didn't matter that our characters were unbalanced in terms of raw combat, because the rest of the part had strategized around our weakness, and were in charge of solving most of the actual problems and obstacles we faced, or at least, figure what was the best way of getting me and the paladin in stabbing range. So instead of us taking the spotlight, the gm was always providing a wide array of challenges, instead of just combat, and the spotlight was ALWAYS on the rest of the party until it was stabbing time.
I really like what you said about letting the party shine. I'm planning a Sorcadin build that's primarily going to be in the front line, buffing allies or controlling enemies, and being more defense/utility focused. Doesn't mean I can't break out the Nova Smites when necessary, but I only plan on going full nova when it's warranted, if a party member is in danger or my character gets especially pissed off. And using the nova selectively will make those moments hit even harder since they won't be happening every fight. I love being supportive, and helping the rest of the party shine at what they're good at. Himbo/Golden retriever group dad vibes lmao
My best powerhouse was a battle master/swashbuckler combo. I had a lot of out-of-combat utility and could play the party face as well as being able to deal a ton of damage both on my turn and on my reaction. The biggest challenge with that build is having to be a chess master on that reaction.
I'm currently playing a multiclass eldritch knight bard and they are so versatile they can continue fighting while others can't. They can give the wizard bardic inspiration and heal with life transference giving huge hp boosts in exchange for their own
Yeah, my session 1 of playing a power house went something like this: I am the only remotely social character with my CHA of -1 so I have no idea about any of my allies since I got a name out of only 1 of 4 of them. As a fight began, we rolled for initiative, I rolled Nat 1. Giant Scorpion struck me and I got poisoned before being able to move. Following 5 hours irl I had a disadvantage due to being poisioned, So I was unable to hit anything except small fries. Since I failed to achieve anything that session, I wanted to get creative, and in a dungeon filled with traps I send my Echo (I am an Echo Knight Fighter) to cleanse to path by triggering traps before the party. I did so. The tunnel collapsed due to traps being stupid. Party decided to beat me up putting me on death saving throws 3 times. Great session I got to say.
What a fucking terrible party holy shit. Not to make judgements based off of very little information but…. I’m bouta make a judgement off of very little information. Your dm, who knows u rolled low for initiative and didn’t get to do anything, decided to poison you making it even worse. After combat ends, literally the one thing powerhouses were made for, he decides to screw u over one more time when u actually have a clever idea on how to get through traps. The goddamn cherry on top is that ur party then beats u up? What the fuck, that is literally kicking someone when they are down. Either they fucking hate you, they have a weird sense of humor, or they are just assholes.
I think barbarian is the ultimate powerhouse personally. Every time I play one, I end up as the de facto leader. Currently, I'm playing a stealthy bugbear barbarian that leads a party tactically through dungeons and combat instances by planning ahead and using opportunism. Said party has both a vengeance and conquest paladin.
I have another idea for an ice theme reborn When a necromancer travels and takes its horde of zombies with it one of them happens to be stuck in the icy mountains or falls into icy water or gets crushed by an avalanche something like that and being left there because clearly is not needed anymore which results in him remaining there for centuries the cold preserving his body to have him waking up not having any memories and technically living again without being controlled
Imagine talking about caster powerhouses and leaving out warlock... Cast hex literally once and it's up all day at high levels, eldritch blast spam with hex buffing it is wildly good for damage and consistent. All their spells are cast at max power and regen on short rests to be up more often despite limited uses per combat. Warlock is the true straight up all out powerhouse blaster mage by design
You are describing what I wanted the war wizard from Xanathar to be, and I'm saddened by this on a personal lvl. War wizard was a class in 3.5 and I loved It, It was straight up Better than any other arcane caster in the base manual by a long shot, Xanathar only got the name right Damn It.
Sure, rogue has low hit dice, but doesnt his dodge or ability to halve the dmg balance it out? Also, steady aim with sneak attack? Also, if you dont want to embrace stereotype then dump charisma instead of INT, haunted one fighter that is beeing possesed so his social interactions are lacking.
I once played a Beasthide Shifter Barb. I dumped charisma having 9. I played this as the character having common as a second language (his native language being beast speak). He ended up developing a Han and Chewy sort of relationship with the bard. I really miss Ren he was fun.
Note on wizards, they are best controllers and utility casters in DnD. You foresee, whats coming, use your knowledge to know your enemies and surroundings, then you control battlefield and let your party's glass cannon/powerhouse truly shine, they are here to deal damage, not you. Mind sliver, grease, web and sleet storm are your best friends. Casting fireball as a wizard means you are in dire situation, probably last one standing on battlefield and this is the last resort to kill enemies and save your dying party members. If you want spellcasting damage dealer, just pick sorcerer. (speaking here about classic 5e wizs, not about gishy subclasses)
One really important thing about powerhouses: The best thing a Powerhouse can do is to keep silent about being a power house and hope your DM never discover what you actually are capeable. Your Dm will balance stuff around how your party deals with stuff, having a nova in your pocket as a last resort is really great for your party when stuff gets nasty but when its your opening hand and you play it over and over again, every combat will take that in consideration and there will be a lot of TPK or Fudging. Good to know you can deal 200 dmg in one turn quite easily, but how about your party? do they share the same resorces and tanking to deal with stuff that can endure those 200 points and keep going? About RP behaviour another thing about dumb stats is that you can be a really great tool for your DM's railroad. Sometimes we have players that think D&D is a competition to frustrate DM's plans and how to avoid everything he prepared, no matter what. You know your group, your DM and how things usually goes. If you find necessary, being impulssive or naive at the right time could unfold a great session that would be skipped just because of someone's ego trying to outsmart the DM. Your dumbs stats are tools as usual as what you are invested. You can be very good to solve problems, but also to start problems for the party solve, and its much more about player decision making than your stats. You can have a negative Charisma and being the most beautiful person in the helm, but being shy and lacking confidence, or being the perfect archetype of a hero, inspiring leadership as you walk, but as soon as you open your mouth, everything goes downhilll. or might be a very wellspoken individual who is a scholar and studies a lot, but have a lot of trouble being misunderstood because of lack of social interaction. And that can be just a quirk of how your character is seen by the world without any implications or roleplay requirements, or can be something that you can use to engage in situations to unfold something. "I will talk to the guard and see if he lets something slips" while being something with low charisma but high wis or int and having you low char being roleplayed as you not being able to express how much knowloge and how smart you are and just coming out as liar, ignorant or someone that people don't take seriouesly. Every stat is strong and important. It may suck to having to do a saving throw with that stat, but that doesn't mean you can take advantage of having a low stat in something to do a job as good as someone who is the expert in that subject.
I'd argue that a lot of clerics can also be power house characters. Forge clerics are some of the most hard to kill builds out there, getting a significant bonus to AC and fire resistance/immunity. I've had encounters where my forge cleric maintained a concentration spell from start to end by virtue of never getting hit. Likewise the tempest cleric has heavy armour proficiency and a very high consistent damage output.
The powerhouse is not the reason the party always wins, they're the reason they never lose.
This is true right here! My critfisher paladin almost never gets the finishing blow but he does weaken the enemy significantly so that it’s dead before the round is over
"Fighters are the only class that gets more than two attacks in the game" (without using bonus actions)
* Cries in Monk *
I do agree with the argument that a powerhouse in D&D is the most consistent in combat. The three sides of this are:
Staying Power, the ability to take hits and keep fighting.
Steady Damage, enough that an opponent would be foolish to ignore you.
Enabling Synergy, by creating the space for everyone else to play to their strengths.
I found out the secret formula to make Monk work. Multiclass into a barbarian for 1 lvl, hard to roleplay thought. Don't over think It, It Is true that some abilities like unarmored defense don't stack, but It Just works.
It Just fixes every problem of the class with rage, low healt? Rage. Low damage? Rage. You have to put low point in constitution becouse you Need dexterity, wisdom and strenght to be viable? Don't worry, Just trust the rage and put your third best score in wisdom.
Since you are attacking a lot, might as well bank on crits with an half orc and spam recklesss charge.
Since you are at It, might take a third level in barbarian as to move around with the Eagle totem, or bear totem.
How Is this different from playing a normal barbarian you Ask? You are right, It isn't. Don't play Monk, play a barbarian that punches people with 1 Monk lvl.
Or play Monk and Ask yourself "to be honest, what Is damage? Honestly damage Is over valued, Roleplay Is Much Better" every time you hit something 37 times and deal less damage than the fight First Attack.
@@stefanomartinelli7344 this is very inaccurate. monks specialize in constant damage that can be spread out or focused on one target, just try going toe to toe with a monk in pvp. monks also have stunning strike, which can end a fight sooner than any ability any other martial class can muster when used right. monks are deceptively strong and have very consistent dpr
astral self monk
@@stefanomartinelli7344 I'm doing this mc but you're looking at it the wrong way imo. Barb is a very front loaded class, utilize that. I started 1 level Barb to get the better unarmored defense based on Con and the rest into monk until I get my asi. Went way of the long death monk as the temp hp is very easy to generate, literally step on a bug. And shores up your lower hit die that gets more value from your rages. Then get to level 3 in barb for bear totem for that sweet resistance to everything you don't even lose out on not getting extra attack from 5 since you were making 2 sometimes 3 attacks ages ago. I personally went minotaur for the flavor and d6 horns from the get go though any race with an inherent natural attack or now just getting unarmed fighting style with a feat and you're golden. By level 10 3 totem barb/7 way of long death monk you can walk through a meteor swarm and take 30ish on a failed save a 3rd of which probably got eaten by temp hp.
@@afrosamurai3847
This sounds good, I Will try something similar with Xanathar, since rage requires weapons kensei seems like a good option.
Half orc barbarian Monk, using rage as a focus in Battle. Then I Will probably pick storm barbarian for either extra damage as desert or extra health as thundra.
Either that, or a storm Cleric + storm barbarian, the lighting man.
Your thoughts about Thor and Hulk were unexpected, but they make sense! Very interesting 😊
Thank you for the compliment! I always default to the avengers but, hey! They're basically a DND party as is you know?
If you have more time, watch the video that inspired this comparasion: th-cam.com/video/0N2IiV6VMqU/w-d-xo.html
12:30 Artificer Armorer is pretty good for powerhousing. You can max out AC, have pretty good damage from your special weapons, get 2 attacks, and still have some utility.
I've played a bladesinger elf, that in combat, with her buffs on, she had something like 22 Ac, plus shield and absorb elements as reactions, in case anything actually hits. She dealt consistent damage, had an amazing constitution and warcaster, so not only she could dish out booming blades as opportunity attacks, but her concentration saves were amazing AND as a wizard, she could always just throw fireballs at enemies who stabbing with a sword wasn't gonna cut it.... But she had a wisdom score of just 5 and like 6 in charisma. Yep, just 5 and 6, the luck of the dices was something wild the day we rolled our characters. And this built this amazing party dynamic where me and the paladin were at the frontline trying to absorb as much damage as we could, while dishing out tons of damage, and the rest of the party supported us or prepared for the killing blow while we kept the enemies distracted.
But as soon as we were in anything where social skills mattered, the anger issues vengeance paladin, and the absolutely socially awkward and somewhat crazy elf were the party's biggest weakness. And not only that, during exploration and dungeons, the rest of the party HAD to handle it for us. The paladin was the kind of people that once given a target would just walk in a straight line to that target, regardless of traps, stealth, enemies or obstacles. And on the other side I had terrible survival checks, perception, and an absolute lack of common sense, so unless I was constantly accompanied by someone I would just run off, either fall for a trap or get lost, and start panicking. If it was a situation that couldn't be solved by stabbing or fireballing said situation, my character was quite literally incapable of solving it.
And it was super fun! It didn't matter that our characters were unbalanced in terms of raw combat, because the rest of the part had strategized around our weakness, and were in charge of solving most of the actual problems and obstacles we faced, or at least, figure what was the best way of getting me and the paladin in stabbing range. So instead of us taking the spotlight, the gm was always providing a wide array of challenges, instead of just combat, and the spotlight was ALWAYS on the rest of the party until it was stabbing time.
I appreciate this video! I try not to be overbearing with my group as a fighter and this helped me put things in perspective
Voice sounded crazy good for being so taxed! Must be due to your Powerhouse Knowledge Drop
I really like what you said about letting the party shine. I'm planning a Sorcadin build that's primarily going to be in the front line, buffing allies or controlling enemies, and being more defense/utility focused. Doesn't mean I can't break out the Nova Smites when necessary, but I only plan on going full nova when it's warranted, if a party member is in danger or my character gets especially pissed off. And using the nova selectively will make those moments hit even harder since they won't be happening every fight.
I love being supportive, and helping the rest of the party shine at what they're good at. Himbo/Golden retriever group dad vibes lmao
Great video topic! I think a lot of people focus on casters being more powerful but consistency is left out of that conversation a lot.
Good stuff man! Yeah powerhouses can be a lot of fun! I think mixing powerhouses with couching moron hidden badass is pretty fun too
My best powerhouse was a battle master/swashbuckler combo. I had a lot of out-of-combat utility and could play the party face as well as being able to deal a ton of damage both on my turn and on my reaction. The biggest challenge with that build is having to be a chess master on that reaction.
I'm currently playing a multiclass eldritch knight bard and they are so versatile they can continue fighting while others can't. They can give the wizard bardic inspiration and heal with life transference giving huge hp boosts in exchange for their own
Yeah, my session 1 of playing a power house went something like this:
I am the only remotely social character with my CHA of -1 so I have no idea about any of my allies since I got a name out of only 1 of 4 of them.
As a fight began, we rolled for initiative, I rolled Nat 1.
Giant Scorpion struck me and I got poisoned before being able to move.
Following 5 hours irl I had a disadvantage due to being poisioned, So I was unable to hit anything except small fries.
Since I failed to achieve anything that session, I wanted to get creative, and in a dungeon filled with traps I send my Echo (I am an Echo Knight Fighter) to cleanse to path by triggering traps before the party.
I did so. The tunnel collapsed due to traps being stupid.
Party decided to beat me up putting me on death saving throws 3 times.
Great session I got to say.
What a fucking terrible party holy shit. Not to make judgements based off of very little information but…. I’m bouta make a judgement off of very little information. Your dm, who knows u rolled low for initiative and didn’t get to do anything, decided to poison you making it even worse. After combat ends, literally the one thing powerhouses were made for, he decides to screw u over one more time when u actually have a clever idea on how to get through traps. The goddamn cherry on top is that ur party then beats u up? What the fuck, that is literally kicking someone when they are down. Either they fucking hate you, they have a weird sense of humor, or they are just assholes.
Great video, though I'm a little surprised that you didn't mention cleric when talking about spellcasting powerhouse.
your content is great, man, here's a little engagement for ya
I think barbarian is the ultimate powerhouse personally. Every time I play one, I end up as the de facto leader. Currently, I'm playing a stealthy bugbear barbarian that leads a party tactically through dungeons and combat instances by planning ahead and using opportunism. Said party has both a vengeance and conquest paladin.
Good stuff
Very good, I like your way of thinking. I think I need to reconsider my opinion on paladins ^^
I have another idea for an ice theme reborn
When a necromancer travels and takes its horde of zombies with it one of them happens to be stuck in the icy mountains or falls into icy water or gets crushed by an avalanche something like that and being left there because clearly is not needed anymore which results in him remaining there for centuries the cold preserving his body to have him waking up not having any memories and technically living again without being controlled
Imagine talking about caster powerhouses and leaving out warlock... Cast hex literally once and it's up all day at high levels, eldritch blast spam with hex buffing it is wildly good for damage and consistent. All their spells are cast at max power and regen on short rests to be up more often despite limited uses per combat. Warlock is the true straight up all out powerhouse blaster mage by design
You are describing what I wanted the war wizard from Xanathar to be, and I'm saddened by this on a personal lvl.
War wizard was a class in 3.5 and I loved It, It was straight up Better than any other arcane caster in the base manual by a long shot, Xanathar only got the name right Damn It.
Okay but you only take 2 levels of warlock and 18 of sorcerer to make the iron man build, so i see why he mentioned sorcerer over warlock.
lmao.... I FEEL BAD! for the two hours lost /cry
Truly when I realized my heart sank
Oh hey I'm playing the big guy in a campaign rn.
Sure, rogue has low hit dice, but doesnt his dodge or ability to halve the dmg balance it out? Also, steady aim with sneak attack?
Also, if you dont want to embrace stereotype then dump charisma instead of INT, haunted one fighter that is beeing possesed so his social interactions are lacking.
I once played a Beasthide Shifter Barb. I dumped charisma having 9. I played this as the character having common as a second language (his native language being beast speak). He ended up developing a Han and Chewy sort of relationship with the bard. I really miss Ren he was fun.
Note on wizards, they are best controllers and utility casters in DnD. You foresee, whats coming, use your knowledge to know your enemies and surroundings, then you control battlefield and let your party's glass cannon/powerhouse truly shine, they are here to deal damage, not you. Mind sliver, grease, web and sleet storm are your best friends. Casting fireball as a wizard means you are in dire situation, probably last one standing on battlefield and this is the last resort to kill enemies and save your dying party members.
If you want spellcasting damage dealer, just pick sorcerer.
(speaking here about classic 5e wizs, not about gishy subclasses)
AKA Grog Strongjaw
Swashbuckler: "What did he say?"
One really important thing about powerhouses:
The best thing a Powerhouse can do is to keep silent about being a power house and hope your DM never discover what you actually are capeable. Your Dm will balance stuff around how your party deals with stuff, having a nova in your pocket as a last resort is really great for your party when stuff gets nasty but when its your opening hand and you play it over and over again, every combat will take that in consideration and there will be a lot of TPK or Fudging.
Good to know you can deal 200 dmg in one turn quite easily, but how about your party? do they share the same resorces and tanking to deal with stuff that can endure those 200 points and keep going?
About RP behaviour another thing about dumb stats is that you can be a really great tool for your DM's railroad. Sometimes we have players that think D&D is a competition to frustrate DM's plans and how to avoid everything he prepared, no matter what. You know your group, your DM and how things usually goes. If you find necessary, being impulssive or naive at the right time could unfold a great session that would be skipped just because of someone's ego trying to outsmart the DM.
Your dumbs stats are tools as usual as what you are invested. You can be very good to solve problems, but also to start problems for the party solve, and its much more about player decision making than your stats. You can have a negative Charisma and being the most beautiful person in the helm, but being shy and lacking confidence, or being the perfect archetype of a hero, inspiring leadership as you walk, but as soon as you open your mouth, everything goes downhilll. or might be a very wellspoken individual who is a scholar and studies a lot, but have a lot of trouble being misunderstood because of lack of social interaction. And that can be just a quirk of how your character is seen by the world without any implications or roleplay requirements, or can be something that you can use to engage in situations to unfold something. "I will talk to the guard and see if he lets something slips" while being something with low charisma but high wis or int and having you low char being roleplayed as you not being able to express how much knowloge and how smart you are and just coming out as liar, ignorant or someone that people don't take seriouesly.
Every stat is strong and important. It may suck to having to do a saving throw with that stat, but that doesn't mean you can take advantage of having a low stat in something to do a job as good as someone who is the expert in that subject.
engagement
Always there for me Beansmith, you're a legend
I would say that barbarian is the best powerhouse because they are consistance and simpel like a hammer
I'd argue that a lot of clerics can also be power house characters. Forge clerics are some of the most hard to kill builds out there, getting a significant bonus to AC and fire resistance/immunity. I've had encounters where my forge cleric maintained a concentration spell from start to end by virtue of never getting hit. Likewise the tempest cleric has heavy armour proficiency and a very high consistent damage output.
Amen, Brother! Clerics rock!!!
Ever played a bear totem barbarian+oath of vengeance paladin? Yeah, not mucn is gonna stop that trainwreck from hitting your enemies.