13 Successful Character Builds In D&D For Advanced Players

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13 Successful Character Builds In D&D For Advanced Players

Looking to take your Dungeons & Dragons play to the next level? Here are 10 successful character builds for advanced players. Long-time players of can sometimes find themselves playing the same character types over and over, or maybe there are some players reading this that have been playing Dungeons & Dragons long enough to want a more complex character build to try. This list will help both of these types of players. Here are ten character builds for players that want characters that are not only powerful in battle but great for role-playing. Some entries give specific archetypes for a class, others simply give the base class. The Archetype is up to the player with the later entries. Players might want to consult their Dungeon Master to see if some of these builds will be off-limits. Updated by Kristy Ambrose on February 11th, 2021: The Dungeons & Dragons games continue to grow in popularity, and the wide variety of supplemental materials available gives players even more to work with when it comes to character builds, adventure modules, and complex storylines. The downside of this is that with so much to create and experience, the choices can feel overwhelming. In light of this, we've added a few more options to our list of character builds specifically intended to challenge more experienced players. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Half-Elf Battlemaster Sorcerer

This can be one of the most potent combinations of classes if the right feats and skills are selected. The first and most obvious benefit is the character will have the martial skills of the fighter class coupled with the arcane spellcasting ability of the sorcerer class. If the Quickened Spell meta-magic option is taken then the character can get their full attacks and still cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, as long as the character has sorcery points to spend. It is recommended the character starts as a Fighter to get the bonus armor and weapon proficiencies.

Tabaxi Monk Rogue

The combined abilities of the Tabaxi race and the Monk class are almost game-breaking, and when the abilities granted by the thief class are added it is just plain unfair for the DM. For this build, it is best if the Monk learns the Way of the Shadow tradition. At 2nd level, this character will have a small assortment of spells, like Silence and Pass Without Trace, that are great for rogue-ish activities. At 6th level this allows this character to move from one shadow to another within 60’. The Tabaxi and Monk combination will allow for unrivaled speed during combat.

Hexblade Warlock

Warlock art via Wizards of the Coast Best as a , which is an essential stat for your spellcasting ability, this is one of the more popular advanced builds. This versatile build can be simple or complex, so it's also ideal for newer players who are looking for a challenge. Essentially, this is a Warlock that overlaps into melee combat, and the extent of that is really up to the player. Your Hexblade can lean more into melee damage or keep the distance of a spellcaster with abilities like Eldritch Blast.

Lizardfolk Swarmkeeper Druid

thanks to the +1 they get to wisdom, and the +2 to Constitution they get is always nice for the extra hit points. The character should start as a Ranger for the bonus armor and weapon proficiencies. The armor restrictions of the Druid are negated (for the most part) by the natural armor bonus of Lizardfolk. The bite attack of Lizardfolk will complement the fighting abilities of the ranger class should the character use melee weapons. The swarm of insects/spirits the Swarmkeeper gains is a decent multi-purpose tool in battles, and the bonus spells granted by the Swarmkeeper class are also helpful in a fight.

Elf Fighter With The Sharpshooter And Crossbow Expert Feats

For this build the Elf race isn’t too important, will do. This build also relies on the use of a hand crossbow. Larger crossbows do not work with this build. With the Fighter class, the player will, of course, choose archery for their fighting style, giving a +2 to attack rolls with the crossbow. The Crossbow Expert feat allows the player to ignore the loading time for crossbows, avoid being at a disadvantage when in melee, and most importantly allows the character to use their bonus action to fire their hand crossbow. At 5th level, this build allows for three attacks per round, the only limitation being that the player needs bolts for the crossbow.

Moon Druid with Grapple

Druids are one of the most versatile and complex characters available to players, and there's a myriad of choices available for more advanced players that have experience with the class. Druids who are part of the Circle of the Moon, or Moon Druids, have the ability as early as level 2. That can be a benign, helpful animal like a draft horse or a giant insect. The key to this build is the Grapple ability, which is great for defense, offense, and crowd control. Combine the Moon Druid with the Grappler ability at level 8, and the Druid can turn into a giant scorpion that can use the Grapple action with their pincers, making their attack that much deadlier.

Warforged Fighter Artificer

via Pathfinder Fandom The Warforged race was definitely a class best left to those who are very familiar with the rules, but in 5th edition, they have been better balanced. Combining the Warforged race with the fighter class makes for a great tank character, and by adding Artificer, the character can now heal party members, cast support spells, and empower items with infusions. The infusions and replicated magic items an artificer can provide are incredibly useful. The Many-handed Pouch is great for holding healing potions. Since a Warforged does not require sleep this character can make healing potions while the party rests.

Aarakocra Hunter Zeal Cleric

The Aarakocra’s ability to fly works well with a Ranger that is specialized in distance weapons. The Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert combination works well with this character build as well. By combining an Aarakocra hunter with a Zeal Cleric the character now has the ability to get to wounded party members on the battlefield quickly and heal them. The Zeal Cleric class will also boost (for a few rounds) the number of attacks and provide devastating area-of-effect spells that can now be cast from above. At 5th level Zeal Clerics get a fireball bonus spell, and at 2nd level, they can elect to deal maximum damage with fire or lightning damage with their Channel Divinity ability.

Half-Elf Paladin Warlock

The Half-elf Paladin Warlock seems like an odd pairing, and it is, but this multiclass combination can be extremely deadly in a fight. The Paladin class should be taken first to benefit from . At 2nd level, the warlock gains access to the eldritch invocation devil’s sight which allows the warlock to see in normal and magical darkness. At 3rd level, the warlock gets the ability to cast darkness. These two abilities, when used together by a Paladin in melee, are scary. The Oath of Ascetic works well with this build for the bonus hit points, armor class, and for the bonus immunities at 15th level.

Dragonborn Barbarian

Are you a D&D player who likes ? Here's a possible . These humanoid dragons are intimidating already, with their tapered dragon noses and six-foot stature, so let's take that to the next level and combine it with a class that has a range of abilities to make them even more terrifying, the Barbarian. An ideal character for an advanced player who wants something fairly complex, but not a spellcaster, just a warrior that breathes fire. Benefits like Path of the Berserker and Fast Movement make an already large and dangerous character even more savage.

Yuan-ti Bard Trickery Cleric

This build is an excellent support character and is also great for immersive role-playing purposes. The Trickery Cleric domain and the Bard class are very complimentary – the Bard isn’t a class built for close combat and the trickery bonus spells help with this deficiency. The Illusionary Duplicate gained via the Trickery domain can be used to cast spells, which now includes selections like Cloud of Daggers and Psionic Blast. Since Bards are proficient with hand crossbows this would be another class that could benefit from the Sharpshooter/ Crossbow expert combination. If heavier armor is desired then the Cleric class is anothr option.

Goliath Rune Knight With Polearm Master and Sentinel Feats

First off, Goliaths probably in their race’s history, so playing a Goliath Rune Knight just seems appropriate. They can speak the language of the giants at 1st level after all. With the polearm master feat, the character gets an opportunity attack if a creature moves within weapon range. With the Sentinel feat, any enemy hit by an opportunity attack has its speed reduced to zero for the rest of the turn. With this tactic and the goliath’s size, which can be made bigger with rune magic, this character build is great for standing at a choke-point and keeping opponents away from the arcane spellcasters.

Half-Elf Sorcerer Warlock

Also called the “Sorlock”, this multiclass combination is absolutely devastating in a battle. For this build, the Warlock should take the Pact of the Tome for the unlimited use of three cantrips – one of which should be Eldritch Blast. The Warlock has many invocations that improve this cantrip. The sorcerer gains the ability to quicken spellcasting by expending sorcery points at 3rd level. Any spell with a casting time of 1 action can now be cast as a bonus spell. Eldritch Blast is a great spell to use for this quickened bonus spell since this build will have an infinite supply of them – and they can be improved using invocations.