#definitely a Barbarian

[danwhobrowses]

Since Critical Role's big endgame battle has begun (as of ep. 113) and looks to give us a fair handful of Lv. 20 combat across the board with VM and later the Nein - and also since the Omen Archive are yet to do a level up overview for Bell's Hells to Lv. 15 like I expected them to do after ep. 112 - I find myself optimistically and curiously wondering how Bells Hells would shape up should they reach Lv. 20.

Admittedly, I do remain worried about how underleveled they are; I know it's intended since the Hells are the 'underdogs not meant to be in this position' group but still, for comparison Essek debuted at Lv. 15 in C2 and Vox Machina ended their campaign at Lv. 18 when the stakes were slightly lower than what we have with Ludinus, the Vanguard, the Imperium, and Predathos. Still, with nothing we can do but pray they make it out alive - and I hope they do - I've decided to indulge that rare bout of optimism and deep dive into what would their Lv. 20 state look like? While also considering what they may add during this final arc should they level up in between like they did the last time they were on Ruidus.

We're gonna go through each character one by one for this, so I'll start with my favourite (aka the one I wanna talk/ramble the most about).

Ashton is perhaps the easiest endgame build to tell class-wise, it's likely Tal will have them go the full 20 since Grog has already done the Fighter dip and there's not many other multiclasses that can be of a greater benefit to them; the intrigue however with Ashton focuses on the ASI they get at levels 16 and 19, the first one particularly if there's still a level up mid-battle. The obvious route for the first ASI is to get back the CON they lost in the shard incident - which I still find an unfair penalty since they gained nothing from surviving the bold and deemed impossible action, 'your reward is you get to live' doesn't stick with me given that the 10 rolls (well, 9 plus the resurrection ring) are proof of survival anyway - and absorbing Dusk Hunger sadly didn't give back, adding to their DEX instead - which, also kinda stubborn of Matt, adding 1 AC isn't exactly worthy of absorbing a legendary item especially compared to what Orym got with Ishta, they were better off trying to dual wield it if Matt's not gonna give stats that'll suit Ashton's wheelhouse, STR and CON, and let the tank be a tank - so it will likely fall into Tal's hands to get Ashton's stats to where they want them to be. Either way, Ashton's STR and CON are going up if they hit Lv. 20 as pure Barbarian, Primal Champion adds 4 to both and increases their max to 24, so without ASI Ashton will have 22 STR and 20 CON by Lv. 20 anyway, with ASI however Ashton can go 24/22 in either direction - and we can't rule out more absorption in the future, since Legendary loot may be yielded from this endgame battle plus Otohan's Backpack, Zathuda's storage cloak and maybe any other armour from the two could be Legendary items just gathering dust among the group, but if Ashton were to take any of them they'd have to wait a day since the Harness only grants 1 permanent and 1 temporary buff per person, and each person who uses it on the same day risks it breaking by 20%. However, we also can't rule out Ashton taking a feat instead of ASI, it's a slim chance but there are some feats that can be of use for Ashton in general or specifically vs Ludinus; Mage Slayer, Strike of the Giants (Hill or Stone Strike, of the two I'd go for Hill because of it causing the prone condition, which will help Ashton and allies, like Orym with that 1d6 extra Force Damage, stack critical damage), and Great Weapon Master could be powerful if they don't focus on ASI. The Tough feat is always good for being tanky too, but such a feat would likely only be used at the Lv. 19 ASI/Feat domain to get the most out of it. The only other places Ashton can get major potential buffs - outside of any new enchanted items that aren't armour - are from Dunamancy and their Titan powers, but neither have provided a clear opening for improvement as of yet. Ashton hit their final Dunamancy path at Lv. 14, where they got Mark of the Messy End (which compared to Essek getting access to stuff like Reality Break doesn't seem to balance out but I guess Wizards are glass cannons so Dunamancy does more with them), but there is a quiet, lingering mystery over how Potions of Possibility and Luxon Beacons will behave if Ashton and their Dunamancy brain interacts with them, given how they have many potions on hand, in general and gifted to them by the Kryn Dynasty before they met with the Nein, and Ludinus using Luxon Beacons as power sources, there is potential for Ashton's Dunamancy to increase that way - or simply through Matt adding an extra Dunamancy path in place of an ASI/Feat, a Dunamancy-based feat, or swapping Primal Champion with something else. The Titan Form could also improve by level, and I kinda hope it does, it's powerful but given the time limit and Exhaustion it's still below the level of Grog's Titanstone Knuckles in terms of utility, if more power or less limitations are imposed the higher their level it could scale Ashton up further in a similar manner to having a Vestige or, in Orym's case, a Relic of the Red Solstice.

Speaking of Orym, you'd assume that he'll also go for the clean 20, but this is Liam O'Brien we're talking about - he gave Vax a Druid level for his love of Keyleth, so you can't put it past him to add a level in Bard for Dorian. Like Ashton, Orym has 2 ASI waiting for him at levels 16 and 19, due to maxing his DEX - and absorbing Ishta overclocking it (a DEX increase that actually makes sense as a Finesse blade Fighter, adding +1 to AC and attack rolls and a higher DC for enemies to save against superiority die attacks) - Orym has already dipped into feats a lot but could always find room for more. Great Weapon Master, Shield Master, Mage Slayer, and Tough again at level 19 are viable options for Orym and his build, but there's also a unique option of, instead of taking a level in Bard, Magic Initiate: Bard in lieu of Dorian; taking the feat lets him gain the 4th attack Lv. 20 Fighter yields while adding some handy Bard magic such as Friends, Thunderwave, Command, Bane or Cure Wounds - all of which are Level 1 Bard spells. While adding a level in Bard would be a nice gesture, the Magic Initiate feat would probably work better for Orym's build if he wanted to reference his connection to Dorian this way, since he doesn't need 4 extra 1st level spells and he already has a lot of proficiencies and bonuses to cover his rolls anyway, plus he still carries the sending stone if he doesn't want to do either. If he went for ASI, Orym could try to rival Ayden's passive perception by buffing his WIS, but I doubt anybody would hold it against him to be less perceptive than a god. Regardless of ASI and feats, a pure 20 in Fighter does up Orym's lethality immensely, getting a potential 12 attacks with two Action Surges - the second gained in Lv. 17 - in one round (16 attacks if hastened and 17 if hastened and a Time Rage Mark of the Messy End - which I believe allows you to attack with Bonus Actions - is used on an enemy), which would make him an extra efficient killer and protector for combat, which suits his character as well. While multiclassing is an uncommon trait to reference a partner, in Orym's case it's probably moreso cute but unnecessary flavouring.

Adding an element of their partner into their build is something Imogen has done already with decent effect, however. Imogen is another pure 20 likelihood; she has 2 ASI, a Metamagic choice, her final Origin Feature - Warping Implosion: essentially you teleport and anyone within 30 feet will be caught in a gravity fissure - and Sorcerous Restoration - 4 sorcery points restored per short rest - waiting for her at the full 20. As alluded, she already has Laudna influences in the Shadow Touched feat and a vial of her blood in her equipment so she needn't use a feat or a multiclass in further reference to her, which means it comes down to what options she chooses for her ASI/Feats and future skills. With her CHA maxed out already, the two ASI would need to go elsewhere or to feats; War Caster could be used to help her concentration spells, such as the reskinned Hunger of Hadar, Telekinesis, and Investiture of Lightning, unused spells such as her mother's Reverse Gravity, Hold Person, or Globe of Invulnerability, or future 8th-9th level spells such as Dominate Monster, Gate, and Mass Polymorph (turn them all into horses!). Otherwise using one of those ASI to add 1 to INT and WIS will add to saving throws of those stats (+1 for INT and +2 for WIS), she can also remove all her stat negatives by adding an ASI to her STR in place of a feat. Imogen also has options with choosing a final Metamagic from Sorcerer; she has Quickened, Distant, and Twinned Spell already, so the next one needs to also be helpful in combat; the potential of Extended and Transmuted Spell are decent, but Heightened Spell may be the best fit for her - spending 3 Sorcery points to impose disadvantage on a spell save can be very useful when using Imogen's spells such as Psychic Lance, especially against powerful magic users like Ludinus. Going a little extra meta with things, Imogen at Lv. 20 is only going to exist in one-shots or guest appearances - which means short rests aren't likely to faze her as much, also recovering 4 out of a total of 20 Sorcery Points per short rest isn't a lot when you get all of them back after a Long Rest. If Imogen were to pull a swerve and multiclass she could simply sacrifice an ASI for an 18/2 split or just take a 19/1 dip without it doing any negative effect to her current build. Of the multiclassing options, I find that the Tempest Cleric could gel pretty well with her build; connecting her lightning magic and her storm analogies (and her attempt to reach out to the Stormlord) from a narrative perspective, while combat-wise she'd get to use Wrath of the Storm to damage anyone that attacks her (as many times as her WIS, so 1-3 depending on her ASI usage) and, if she goes for the 18/2 split, she can use the class' Channel Divinity to max out a spell's lightning damage - which if used on a 9th Level Lightning Bolt is 76 damage without enhancements! - she also gets some minor healing to add to her repertoire, and with a group without a pure Cleric you can't really have a shortage of players who can heal even if it's a little bit. I can't see any other dip doing her as much benefit, so the full 20 is more likely, even if the maxed out Lightning Bolt would work wonders.

You know who also knows Lightning Bolt? Well, a fair amount of players and NPCs but also Dorian! Let's talk our Boy in Blue - no I did not say 'Blue in Boy' in my head when typing, shush! - he's our last PC likely to be a pure 20 of the group, also because the rest have already multiclassed, but like Imogen there is also the opening for a little bit of multiclassing. The ASI in levels 16 and 19 are probably best put into maxing his CHA stat that's currently at 16, DEX could also go up to 20 for additional Gambolcleft damage but the sword is pretty powerful as it is - it depends if Robbie wants Dorian to focus on Spell or Melee output for stats, but casting is probably the better way to go. Not many feats would help Dorian outside of maybe Tough and War Caster, perhaps Slasher but they do seem like minor additions he can go without, so ASI is likely the best route to take for him. Unlike with Orym where a dip in Bard wouldn't do much good mechanically, Dorian could easily take a dip in Fighter and have it be a solid investment; the Bard's Lv. 20 ability Superior Inspiration only helps if you've used up all of your Inspiration, and as said with Imogen that probably won't come up in a one-shot scenario where Lv. 20 Dorian would likely appear, but by Lv. 19 he will already have added spells from any magic class via his final dip into Magical Secrets - and honestly I have no clue what one he could take because like, all of the spells! Wish is probably the go-to one but Dorian doesn't want anything from the gods so maybe not? - and he'll already have a 9th level spell slot from earlier levels. A 1-level dip in Fighter can give Dorian Second Wind for some self-healing and another Fighting Style to choose from: either Superior Technique - like Orym has - or Duelist would suit best, and if Robbie sacrifices an ASI he can go up to a 2nd level for Action Surge, which is handy should he focus on melee. There aren't many other 1-level dips that would suit Dorian narratively, there was probably Warlock potential in EXU: Prime when the crown was in play but since, again, the group lacks a pure healer, Dorian is probably better off investing his stats and skills towards Bard spells - which in turn bolsters DPS as well as healing.

From one Bard/DPS healer to another, Braius debuted with some pretty high stats to begin with, with only WIS being a negative modifier. As a 12/3 multiclass he can go a few different directions - much like his character arc and selection of deity - but it leaves him at a crossroads - also like his character arc. The 12 levels in Oath of the Ancients Paladin means he's locked out of getting Bard's Magical Secrets, if he maxes out his remaining levels in Bard he gets 2 ASI, a College of Tragedy feature (make crits be at rolls 18, 19 and 20 after an ally is hit with a crit plus a '+10 on a roll but a -10 penalty on the next' skill), Countercharm, and his Bardic Inspiration dice will go up to 1d8, but all of those are kinda covered by Dorian's higher level Bard class and Ashton's Mark of the Messy End while in Luck Rage to a higher or better extent. The 3 levels in Bard however has locked Braius out of Paladin's Aura improvements and the big Elder Champion buff, which is a big loss, if maxed out in Paladin they'll get Cleansing Touch - end a spell on yourself or anyone you can touch as many times as your CHA, one ASI, a 5th level spell slot (handy for Banishing Smite, Circle of Power, Destructive Wave, and Summon Celestial), and Undying Sentinel - which is just a once-a-long-rest Relentless Rage with no CON save. Build-wise, it would be best for Braius to go one of three different paths; either go for a 15/5 split - so no 5th level spell but he gets 1 ASI, Undying Sentinel, and Font of Inspiration for the 1d8 inspiration - a 14/6 split - where we swap Undying Sentinel for the college feature, or go the unique path and add a third class - while the 5th level spell slot has powerful spells Braius' combat is much more melee-based so it is a less likely option. A 14/3/3 triple split sacrifices his ASI/feats but 3 levels in Fighter gives him another Fighting Style, Action Surge, Second Wind, and a Fighter subclass to add to his combat prowess. One unlikely Fighter subclass that could suit Braius is the Rune Knight; with 3 levels Braius will have access to 2 runes, which can be tied to his character's artistry, to add to his gear - the Fire and Cloud Runes being the most useful to him from what I see - they would also get Giant's Might as a skill for an extra 1d6 of damage once per turn. Fighter isn't the only class Braius can benefit from though; he would only need to dip 2 levels in Cleric or Druid to gain their subclass-based abilities; a Shepherd Druid would give the group a slight benefit with the Hawk Spirit skill, using a reaction to attack with advantage and having advantage on perception checks, but similar to Imogen he'd probably benefit a bit more from dipping into Cleric - particularly Grave, War, Ambition, and Peace Domain Clerics, who each have abilities that can further empower him. A dip in Barbarian would be handy for Danger Sense - not so much Rage because you can't use spells - maybe opting for the Zealot path subclass, which also suits narratively, for an extra 1d6 damage, or a dip in the Monster Hunter Ranger to aid in picking out weaknesses. A 12/4/4 split could also work, forgoing Cleansing Touch to grant Braius 2 ASI or feats if Sam wanted them; with that they can balance their WIS to 10 and then max out their CHA and another +1 elsewhere, or just do a feat like Fey Touched - since he was touched plenty by a Fey Hag all across her manor - to max the CHA and gain a spell like Hunter's Mark to aid in combat.

Speaking of Hunters, Chetney may not have been designed to survive the campaign but with Travis rolling the fatal 0 when playing as Grog that old man is still, somehow, kicking. If Travis doesn't pull a Bertrand and allows him to continue defying the odds and live to Lv. 20, Chetney would be in a similar position to Braius - having gone the Tealeaf route and locked himself out of the full 20 in Blood Hunter by having a dip in Rogue - in being in a crossroads of classes. If he invests his remaining levels in Blood Hunter to 19, he still gets a lot from the class; 2 Order Features (advantages on bloodlust saving throws and on any branded creature, then unlimited hybrid transformations on the next feature), 2 ASI, and an extra Blood Maledict. Chetney's 1-level dip in Rogue however means he could also invest into any Rogue subclass for a 17/3 split (or a 16/4 split if he sacrifices a Blood Maledict for 2 ASI over one) instead; Assassin would help his damage output especially since he likes going Invisible, but the Revived subclass would be funny implying that he died but miraculously came back and no longer needed to risk dying in his sleep because he doesn't need to sleep anymore. Chet could also triple class like we suggested with Braius; 3-5 levels in Artificer - since he's a toymaker his toys can be infused beyond the enchanted distractions, going for the Armorer subclass can also be handy for the Thunder Gauntlets ability too, 2 levels in Fighter - for Action Surge, 2-4 levels in Monk - which has decent potential if his chisel is made a dedicated weapon plus the possible boons from Kensei, Mercy, or Open Hand paths, or even 3 levels in Ranger - where Hunter, Gloom Stalker, and Monster Slayer subclasses each have skills that could help Chet in combat, can all be seen as options, but it can also run the risk of being overcomplicated. Despite a Feat sidestepping Chet losing control in his Hybrid Form, logic says that Chet would likely stick with the 19/1 route since the feat only imposes a disadvantage against losing control and he can still do collateral damage, character-wise he'd likely want to keep his Lycanthropy on lock as much as he can. Plus, going to 19 Blood Hunter levels yields unlimited transformations and the second ASI hits at Lv. 19; with the two ASI - which he cannot get from triple classing - he can max out his STR and buff up his CON, DEX, and/or CHA for any additional bonuses, he has no negative stats so any are fair game. I don't see any feats that'd be too helpful, but outside of AC or DC boosts from increasing CON or DEX, upping CHA could also help with persuasion and being persuasive and tricksy.

Persuasive and Tricksy are some of many words you can use to define Fearne, who is also a Rogue multiclass. Her current 10/5 with Wildfire Druid as the majority allows her some wiggle room for her to go a few different directions. The 5 levels in Rogue have locked her out of a second ASI in Druid, the timeless body (not really a big deal for a fey), additional Wild Shape perks, and the 9th Level Spell Slot though, but if she invests only into Druid levels for the full 15 she does still gain one ASI and her Wildfire Feature 'Blazing Revival' - where once per long rest Mister can sacrifice himself (I don't think it's a permadeath sacrifice just like an 'off the board until resummoned' sacrifice) to revive her to half HP if she's downed - alongside a 6th, 7th and 8th level spell slot. If she goes for an even spread of 10 levels each with Rogue's Arcane Trickster however, she gains 2 ASI, 2 more proficiencies, Evasion, Magical Ambush, and a few more lower level spells. Both have valid directions - and as much as Fearne is a 'collector' I think a third class probably won't suit her and will perplex Ashley further - for her character even with mixing the level splits; a 12/8 split will grant her 2 ASI and a 6th level spell slot, while a 14/6 split grants one ASI, a 6th and 7th level spell slot, the Blazing Revival, and 2 proficiencies. Since Fearne doesn't do many sneak attacks and uses her Rogue abilities more for pickpocketing, it would probably be sensible to lean more towards Druid; a 15/5 split if she wants that 8th level spell slot for Sunburst, Incendiary Cloud, or Feeblemind, but a 14/6 split if she can do without - Plane Shift could narratively be on her radar so she can travel to the Feywild as she pleases, but Fire Storm is still a mighty 7th level spell that can be additionally buffed by her titan form which as mentioned with Ashton could also potentially scale up with levels - would give her more stuff to work with, plus extra Druid Levels buffs up Mister's health so he could be looking at 75-80 total HP (5+(Druid Level x 5)) depending on whether Fearne goes level 14 or 15. Since Fearne took War Caster already from her last level and her WIS is already maxed out, ASI to CON could be looked into to add health, AC, and DC, while also improving her chances at holding concentration for her saving throws, alternatively she can up her DEX to improve her pickpocketing so she can finally claim one of those eggs, since she's tragically 0-2 on that. Feat-wise, there is still the Elemental Adept: Fire feat to bypass enemy resistances to Fire too, lots of enemies will have Fire Resistance after all, so if she doesn't want to use ASI there is still that to use it on. So level-wise there is some wiggle room but class-wise she is better off picking one to focus on.

Our final member of the Hells Laudna has already picked her focused class; on a 12/3 Sorlock with her patron bound to a soul anchor - get fucked Delilah - she has implied to go pure Sorcerer from herein. Marisha has previously stated that she saw no gain in any more Warlock levels even when Delilah was still active and while a 6th level in Warlock would grant her an ASI at Lv.4 and unlocks Grave Touched - change damage to Necrotic plus 1 extra damage die when in Form of Dread, which is pretty solid - it does indeed suit narratively for Laudna to avoid more Warlock levels. The 3 levels she has gained from Warlock though have (war)locked her out of her final Sorcery feature of Umbral Form - which would've made her resistant to everything but Force and Radiant Damage, so like Braius' Primal Champion it's quite the loss - but she still looks to get Shadow Walk which aids her mobility, providing that there's darkness or shadows in the vicinity, as well as one ASI and another Metamagic option by continuing the Sorcerer's path, not to mention a dangerous 9th level spell slot. Unlike Imogen, Laudna opted for Empowered Spell in her current Metamagics alongside Quickened and Twinned, doing Heightened or Transmuted probably wouldn't suit Laudna like it does her partner though. Instead, Careful Spell could be a good choice for Laudna since her CHA is maxed out, so she could pick 5 creatures to auto-succeed a saving throw to a spell she sends, but since she doesn't have many AoE spells Extended Spell may be the better fit to keep up concentration on spells like Animate Objects, Mirror Image, or any future powerful concentration spells she'll have access to like Eyebite, Globe of Invulnerability, Reverse Gravity, or Blade of Disaster - which Delilah used pretty effectively in Aeor - ongoing. Even so, the one ASI remains; the Amulet of Health puts her CON to a fixed 19 so if she added one CON it'd be 16 without attunement, which is still pretty good but worthless if she just keeps using the amulet, she could put +1 in her woeful STR so it's a -2 rather than -3, or opt for feats such as War Caster - for those powerful concentration spells - or another Eldritch Invocation with Eldritch Adept, such as Armor of Shadows or Eldritch Spear, which may be more fitting for her fun scary nature.

And that's all of them, for a TL/DR I expect Ashton, Orym, Dorian and Imogen to do the pure 20 for their classes, while Chetney will go 19/1, Braius and Fearne go 14/6, and Laudna goes 17/3. But if it were me, the only ones I'd adjust from those would be Dorian (19/1, adding Fighter), Imogen (18/2, adding Tempest Cleric), and Braius (14/3/3, adding Rune Knight Fighter) just from a meta/fun perspective. Either way I'll just be happy to see them make Level 20, so fingers and every other digit I have stay crossed for whichever route they choose.

[iamknullu]

his fantasy!au design is something..

[teamappare]

Just saw the DnD movie, they're all blorbos from my shows now

[narelleart]

I'm absolutely obsessed with my current D&D character which is great for D&D but it makes it hard to focus on work sometimes. I super need to write my thesis whoops.

So anyways let me tell you about my dumb clown son.

This is Pascal:

I've found a love for medival clown fashion design? Pascal likes to sew and designs his own costumes so I get to draw lots of fun clothes for him. He makes them all kind of modular so he can mix and match pieces and be dressed differently every day.

Here's some more of his outfits. This one was party wear, for a masquerade:

We recently got winter gear which he dismantled and turned into clowny stuff, so here's his winter outfit:

I forgot his necklace and didn't color the earring in the winter one, but I was slapping this together in a rush to be able to show my party what I did with the nice practical warm weather gear they bought for me. ^^;;

Odds are low my party will ever see this, but just in case - MASSIVE SPOILERS below the cut! Pascal's got hella secrets!

Pascal has spent his life as a clown to hide that he is actually a tiefling. He is the son of a half elf and the archdevil Levistus (though he has no idea who his dad is), so he claims he is a half elf and does all he can to hide his tiefling traits. His horns are very short and about the same color as his hair, so he can just tease his hair really big and/or wear a hat to hide those. His tail he binds to his leg then hides that under poofy shorts. Exposed white except for his face and ears in the above images is all fabric (long gloves and stockings), and his face and ears are covered in thick makeup. He's blue, actually.

-cut-

All party members gone? Good.

Like this:

My party has just arrived at our first major plot destination and it's turned out to be a place cursed by Levistus. The rest of the party has only had fairly vague allusions to this and doesn't know Levistus has anything to do with me (all they know is Pascal is a clown and probably a half elf or something). To be fair, it's not like Pascal knows he has anything to do with Levistus either.

(His secrets come in layers, so there's more to uncover down the line. 1. He's a tiefling. 2. His dad's Levistus. 3. His mother's curse is from her trying to break a pact with Levistus, which he was supposed to be the payment for - as a warrior for Levistus to do his bidding in the material plane.)

The party has been super nice and respectful of Pascal's quirks and dodginess (he will only sleep alone, in his own tent or a separate room; he doesn't eat in front of them; if he gets cuts he gets away from them and focuses on stitching up his clothes and ignores the bleeding). It's very sweet but it means they take zero bait to be nosy about what his deal is.

So my DM has checked with me about setting something up to expose his secrets in some way? I'm excited. 👀 Can't wait for the party to realize he's a liar. He's going to be so upset, it'll be great.

[famewolf]

I can't believe I forgot that my familiar has dark vision and I can literally see through his eyes ....

[unhonestlymirror]

If I got a nail every time I got a piece of cake out of nowhere from my colleagues, I'd have two nails. Two cakes.* Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice PER DAY.

[devsash]

Tav let out a shaky breath. His wings twitched again and he shivered. Silent tears spilled down his cheeks.

The back of his neck prickled as though he was being watched. Sniffling quietly, he glanced at the other sleeping companions, only to meet Astarion's gaze.

The vampire was in his bedroll, but his head was turned towards Tav. His gaze was thoughtful, as though he was considering Tav anew.

Tav glanced away. Hugging his knees to his chest, he rested his head on his arms, hiding his face from Astarion. His wings curled around him, blocking out the world and allowing him a measure of solitude in his despair.

[dice-n-antlers]

You know what would be cool?

If you could pick a deity to worship as any class in BG3. (With an Agnostic option for those Tavs who are not particularly religious)

I know folks have wanted it for their paladins, but it could really bring some cool flavor to Tavs of all classes. Perhaps you could be a bard that worships Eilistraee, or an elven wizard that follows Corellon Larethian, or a fighter with the guild artisan background who worships Moradin, or a rogue who prays to Tymora… Maybe you have a druid that you want to romance Shadowheart with, but you also want some spicy Selûnite dialogue without dipping a level into cleric.

And so on and so forth.

It would just be nice to have those extra dialogue options.

[garruscoochie]

So just a quick rambling thought on one of the aspects of Barbarian (2022) because this wild movie really has got me thinking! Spoilers and TWs in tags

So while Keith turns out to be one of the "good" guys in the movie, it's subtly shown that even he does not fully understand Tess as a woman. When Tess comes to him in a panic he doesn't listen to her, sealing his own death in the process. Showing that scene and the scene where he's yelling at her in the tunnel as a parallel is super interesting. He got upset, believing he was right and wanting her to understand and listen to his fear when just before when she was terrified he didn't fully believe her, even telling her to calm down. And Tess's fear is warranted, just from the glimpse of the initial room alone. She knows what a room like that is for. Girls are aggressively warned about sexual violence from a very young age, hence her caution when first staying with Keith. There's also something to be said about his own realization of making her a drink and how she viewed that. He makes her one after she says no, then realizes her trepidation, and then he sort of jokes about it. He feels awkward and doesn't want to say the wrong thing so he jokes that she could watch him make it or have some unopened wine with him. There's something about that scene for me, its more of that not fully comprehending her and dismissing her worry because hes not a "bad" guy in his own eyes. So he's not fully capable of putting himself in her shoes. Though he wakes up with her touching him while sleeping, past the initial alarm, it's not really indicated that he fears for his safety around her, unlike like her POV staying with him. I mean, they're human and they did only meet like one day ago and he didn't grow up femme so like, it's mostly understandable!

Anyway, Keith is not the monster that AJ and Frank are. But there is a message subtly shown here that even the best intentions or views of self morality don't keep you from making poor decisions especially at the expense of others. Because of Keith's disbelief, this leads to Tess running after him to help when he puts himself in harms way. Though understandable, his yelling for help when he knows, or at least hopes, that she will help him puts her in danger. He is expecting more from her than he gave her just a minute before. And the thing is, he is one of the better guys in the film! Again, it just goes to show that though you think you're a good person, you can fail to make the best decisions and indirectly affect those around you.

One last thing, the only other good man in this movie is the homeless man in the neighborhood, Andre. He helps and let's Tess into his home. Selflessly, he does these things. I would just like to point back to the scene immediately after he rescues her. When she wants to go back in to rescue AJ, he dismisses her. He finds her empathy unreasonable, favoring self preservation ideals instead. Which, again, totally understandable! This is a man who has learned street smarts and safety for survival for years. What I find interesting is that he doesn't necessarily rescue Tess at any expense to himself at that time. He knew that Mother wouldn't come out in the sun when he pulled Tess out. And he settled to go separate ways from Tess until she winds up on his doorstep that night. Of course his hospitality is more at his expense because he knows Mother will come for her "babies" that night but still let's them stay. And even his initial warning when he runs after her is just poorly thought out. In what world does yelling "Hey little girl, don't run in that house" while running full speed at her a good idea? Again, it's just poor critical thinking regarding women and how they view their safety.

I guess my point is, no one seems to care or feel things quite as much as Tess does. And because of that, she seems to be disregarded by the men in the film as...dramatic? The movie paints the picture of how she, a woman, is regarded by society. There are the glaring displays of sexism, misogyny, and gender based violence but there is also the subtler instances of lesser versions of the same things. Especially the ones not done intentionally. (This last sentence doesn't pertain to anything to do with AJ or Frank, may they burn in hades.)

In conclusion, Idk if I could watch this again anytime soon. It genuinely is disturbing but I do enjoy a movie that makes you think deeply. I've heard many people call this a unique story and at first, I was conflicted because I was stuck on how sexual violence against women is not a unique thing at all in our world. And how horror movies tell them, most of the time, pretty damn poorly. But the storybuilding and the complexities surrounding the base storyline and Mother, it just really works. This isn't a gratuitous horror movie at all imo. Yknow the kind I'm talking about, where it's just torture porn and exploitative. There's layers here and something to be thought about. I would recommend this movie, it's quite the watch. This is just my opinion ofc, I can readily see why this movie wouldn't be people's cup of tea. Anyway, this movie is gonna live in my head paying absolutely no rent.

[xaallo]

[battleonthebigbridge]

Most normal guy in the entire world.

[terresdebrume]

So I previously assigned Booker as Druid because of the rule of cool, though being the explosives specialist makes him a good candidate for Artificer also

BUT

I just realized

He's highly skilled (like everyone else in the Guard lbr) and distinguishes himself by his ability to use multiple methods to win a fight and get what he wants

You know what DND class is also a literal Jack of All Trades? Bards!

So I submit for your perusal

Bard Booker

[creepyscritches]

I'm curious what people have trouble w on Astarion's romance (irt getting chronically rejected)?? Idk if my natural paths are just syncing up w him or what but he just fucked my barbarian stupid and we're still working through the tiefling/grove/goblin intro quest 👁️👁️ he is inescapable

[rainedroptalks]

The thing is I really wanna see Gorgug flip off the barbarian teacher but I know that should just make Porter like him

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

rpg au? like it But i see Yang like a Barbarian Fallen Aasimar

That would be cool! I haven't seen Aasimars as much since most of my game group plays elves, dwarves, and feyfolk (with the exception of one dude who is on his fourth aaracokra), so I'll have to look into that a little more.

Now that I've had some more time to think about it, I can see Yang being a Fire Genasi barbarian or fighter. Second Wind from the fighter would be beneficial, but Barbarian is just so Yang. Maybe double class.

[somelazyassartist]

Fuck it maybe I will multiclass Kora into a class that objectively sucks!! We're a heist team it's not like we do much combat anyways maybe I'll just do it for the Flavor of it All, you know, to be a Silly Little Guy.