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wyllzel · 11 months ago

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🔗 Link to Google Doc.

This is how I built Wyll in my Origin Wyll playthrough. This keeps Wyll in his canon Warlock class, while also ensuring he’s handy with his trusty rapier.

The vibe of this Warlock is a spellcaster (Eldritch Blast, AOE, and Enchantment spells) with good melee action. (Very gishy! 👽) The goal is to build up both Arcane Synergy and Arcane Acuity.

Leveling up is fairly flexible, so the focus for this guide is on gear interaction. Key pieces of gear include the Ring of Arcane Synergy (Act 1), Helmet of Arcane Acuity (Act 2), and Band of the Mystic Scoundrel (Act 3).

Overall, this is a fairly standard Fiend Bladelock build, and is not so much an “end all, be all” as it is a basic (but strategic!) approach.

(Fair warning: Possible spoilers ahead!)

Leveling

Please note that this guide is really just my personal preference! I recommend fully reading through the Wiki page on BG3’s Warlock so you get a good idea of what this class can do. In this guide, I’ve added a star (⭐) next to each of the class features or spells that I especially like.

To start with, this is my Wyll’s base stats:

Since Pact of the Blade Warlock’s “Bind Pact Weapon” feature scales weapon Attack Rolls and Damage Rolls off your spellcasting modifier, I recommend heavily prioritizing Charisma. The Warlock class becomes very SAD (Single Ability Dependent) with Charisma which is very convenient.

I prioritized Dexterity after Charisma because your Dexterity modifier affects your Initiative – and the higher your Initiative, the easier it is to get a leg up in combat. Additionally, your Dexterity modifier is added to your AC (when wearing Robes or Light Armor, which this build will be utilizing).

The next prioritized stat is Constitution, which is good for maintaining Concentration spells as well as boosting your total HP.

Level 1

One Level 1 Warlock Spell slot

Select:

Subclass: The Fiend

Two Cantrips: ELDRITCH BLAST 💥, Minor Illusion ⭐

Two Warlock spells (Level 1): Hellish Rebuke, Command

The Fiend subclass gives you:

Dark One’s Blessing (Temporary bonus HP when you kill a hostile creature)

Access to the Spells: Burning Hands, Command

Eldritch Blast genuinely solves any and all problems. (Force Damage is especially good in BG3, where 99% of your enemies do not have Force Resistance.) And Minor Illusion is a really good utility spell – especially if you’re into barrelmancy and need a safe and reliable method to cluster enemies.

The added HP from Dark One’s Blessing is really good, especially in earlier levels (Act 1) when your party is extremely squishy.

Level 2

Two Level 1 Warlock Spell slots

Select:

Eldritch Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Repelling Blast ⭐

One Warlock Spell (Level 1): Armour of Agathys

Replace a Spell: N/A

Level 3

Improved Warlock Spell Slots: Warlock Spells are now Level 2

Select:

Pact Boon: Pact of the Blade

One Warlock Spell (Level 2): Cloud of Daggers

Replace a Spell: Armour of Agathys → Hold Person

Level 4

Select:

Feat: Ability Improvement (ASI) = +1 CHA, +1 DEX ⭐

One Cantrip: Mage Hand

One Warlock Spell (Level 2): Shatter

Replace a Spell: N/A

Level 5

Deepened Pact: Pact of the Blade → Gain an Extra Attack with your weapon ⭐

Scaling Cantrips (ie., Eldritch Blast fires an additional beam) ⭐

Improved Warlock Spell Slots: Warlock Spells are now Level 3

Select:

One Eldritch Invocation: Devil’s Sight ⭐

One Warlock Spell (Level 3): Hunger of Hadar ⭐

Replace a Spell: Hellish Rebuke → Counterspell

The Fiend subclass gives you:

Access to the Spells: Fireball, Stinking Cloud

Level 6

Select:

One Warlock Spell (Level 3): Fireball

Replace a Spell: N/A

The Fiend subclass gives you:

Dark One’s Own Luck: Add +1d10 to an Ability Check once per Short Rest

Level 7

Improved Warlock Spell Slots: Warlock Spells are now Level 4

Select:

One Warlock Spell (Level 4): Banishment

Replace a Spell: Cloud of Daggers → Wall of Fire

Eldritch Invocation: Armour of Shadows ⭐

Armor of Shadows is excellent if you’re wearing robes. Because you��ll probably be wearing the Potent Robe at this point (early Act 2), this Invocation is particularly useful.

Level 8

Select:

Feat: ASI +2 to Charisma

One Warlock Spell (Level 4): Fear

Replace a Spell: N/A

Alternative Feats:

You may want to consider Alert to get the jump on enemies, especially when playing in Honor Mode.

War Caster is a good idea if you plan to lean heavily on Concentration Spells such as Hunger of Hadar or Wall of Fire.

Another good Feat for Concentration Spells is Resilient, which you’d take for Constitution. However, your initial Ability Score numbers would probably look different than how I have mine set up!

Spell Sniper is fun if you plan to lean heavily on Attack Roll spells – like Eldritch Blasts!

Level 9

Improved Warlock Spell Slots: Warlock Spells are now Level 5

Select:

One Warlock Spell (Level 5): Hold Monster ⭐

Replace a Spell: N/A

Eldritch Invocation: Life Drinker ⭐

Hold Monster is extremely useful in Act 3, where a lot of the major bosses you face (Orin in her Slayer form, Raphael, etc.) are Monsters.

Level 10

Scaling Cantrips (ie., Eldritch Blast fires an additional beam) ⭐

Select:

One Warlock Spell (Level 5): Flame Strike

Replace a Spell: N/A

The Fiend subclass gives you:

Fiendish Resilience: Once per Short Rest, choose a Damage Type to become Resistant to

Level 11

Gain an additional Warlock Spell slot (for a total of 3 Warlock Spell slots)

Select:

One Warlock Spell (Level 5): Cone of Cold

Mystic Arcanum: Eyebite

Any of the Mystic Arcanum spells are good, though! I just find that Arcane Gate, Circle of Death, and Flesh to Stone are only useful situationally. Create Undead is good for summons-focused teams.

Level 12

Select:

Feat: ASI +2 to Dexterity, or see Level 8.

One Warlock Spell (Level 5): Blight

Replace a Spell: N/A

Eldritch Invocation: One With Shadows

Final Composition

By Level 12, Wyll can have the following notable qualities:

Three Level 5 Warlock Spell slots

One Level 6 Warlock Spell that can be used once per Long Rest

Three Damage die on Damaging Warlock cantrips – AKA three bolts of Eldritch Blast for 3d10+5 Damage (the +5 applies to each Blast bolt)

An Extra Attack (Weapon) from Pact of the Blade

Spells List and Invocations

Note: Scaling Cantrips (Level 5, Level 10) is based on your overall caster level rather than your Warlock level. As such, if you multiclass Wyll with a class like Bard or Paladin, he’ll still get the fully scaled three bolts per Eldritch Blast at Level 10.

Gear

The goal of this gear selection is to maximize the effectiveness of Wyll’s spells – particularly Enchantment spells. With the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel, Enchantment spells can be cast as a Bonus Action. Without this Band, Wyll generally won't be doing much with his Bonus Action as a Warlock – so let's fix that!

To align with his backstory, Wyll should be a formidable swordsman as well as spellcaster. As such, the weaponry in this build enhances his spellcasting, and ensures that his spellcasting enhances his sword fighting as well. (Synergizing!!!)

Headwear: Helmet of Arcane Acuity

Battle Acuity: Whenever you deal damage with a weapon attack, you gain Arcane Acuity (+1 to Spell Attack Rolls and Spell Save DC) for 2 turns.

+1 to Dexterity Saving Throws

Armor: Elegant Studded Leather

14 AC + Dexterity Modifier (18 AC)

+2 to Initiative Rolls

Can cast Shield once per Short Rest

Alternatively, you can use the Potent Robe and cast Armour of Shadows to bump your AC. However, you cannot wear the Helmet of Arcane Acuity if you do so (the helmet qualifies as Light Armor, meaning it cannot be used simultaneously with Armour of Shadows). If you’d like to use the Potent Robe instead, an alternative headwear is the Diadem of Arcane Synergy.

However, I wouldn't recommend the Potent Robe for a Fiend Warlock once you get the Elegant Studded Leather or an equivalent Light Armor. This is because the Potent Robe's added temporary HP (equal to your Warlock's Charisma Modifier) overrides the Dark One's Blessing, which will grant your Warlock temporary HP equal to your Warlock's Charisma Modifier plus your Warlock's Level.

Cloak: Cloak of the Weave

Arcane Enchantment: Gain a +1 bonus to Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Rolls.

Absorb Elements: Absorb elemental damage once per Short Rest. Take half damage from the next elemental attack targeting you, and deal an additional 1d6 of that element type on your next attack.

Alternatively, if you expect Wyll to regularly be in melee range, I’d recommend the Cloak of Protection (defensive, +1 to AC) or Thunderskin Cloak (offensive, pairs well with the Spineshudder Amulet).

The Nymph Cloak pairs well with the Band of the Mystic Scoundrel.

Handwear: Daredevil Gloves

+1 to Spell Attack Rolls

Daredevil Proximity: Can make Ranged Spell Attack Rolls as Melee Spell Attack Rolls

For boosting the effectiveness of Eldritch Blasting! Alternatively, the Gloves of Battlemage’s Power would be perfect for this build, but apparently they’re currently bugged (as of Feb. 20, 2024, Hotfix #18).

The Spellmight Gloves, Quickspell Gloves, Gemini Gloves, and Helldusk Gloves are also interesting options.

Footwear: Helldusk Boots

Ignores Difficult Terrain

Cannot be forcibly moved by spells or actions

Use a reaction to succeed on a Saving Throw

Hellcrawler: Teleport to an area and deal 2d8 Fire Damage upon landing in a 3m/10ft zone

Utilizing infernal gear is very synergetic with Wyll’s story. However, these boots are good for characters who want to move into melee range. Alternative teleportation boots include the Disintegrating Night Walkers or the Spaceshunt Boots.

Additionally, the Boots of Stormy Clamour pair well with the Spineshudder Amulet.

Amulet: Spineshudder Amulet

Inflict Reverberation when you deal Damage with a Ranged Spell Attack

Eldritch Blasts are Ranged Spell Attacks. :)

Ring A: Ring of Arcane Synergy

Synergetic Cantrip: When you deal damage with a Cantrip, you gain Arcane Synergy for 2 turns

When you have Arcane Synergy, your Weapon Attacks deal additional damage equal to your Spell Casting Ability Modifier. This makes a lot of sense since Wyll’s highest stat should be Charisma (aka his Spell Casting Ability Modifier), and because Wyll will probably be Eldritch Blasting (Cantrip) a lot.

Ring B: Band of the Mystic Scoundrel

Illusion Quickening: After hitting a creature with a Weapon Attack, you can cast Illusion or Enchantment spells as a Bonus Action

This item is why this build prioritizes Enchantment spells! Otherwise, the only thing Wyll can really do with his Bonus Action in combat is chug a potion (or teleport), haha.

Melee Main Hand: Infernal Rapier

High Spellcasting: +1 to Spell Save DC

Planar Ally: Cambion (Summon a Cambion as an ally)

However, being able to Bind Pact Weapon via Pact of the Blade means Wyll can wield any weapon in the game! So this slot is very flexible depending on the encounter. I favor the Infernal Rapier for the +1 to Spell Save DC and the RP value.

Melee Off Hand: Viconia’s Walking Fortress

Rebuke of the Mighty: When a foe hits you with a melee attack, you can use a Reaction to deal 2-8 Force damage and possibly knock them Prone

Spellguard: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against spells; Spell Attack Rolls against you have Disadvantage

Swires’ Sledboard is also interesting for potential Force damage. Ketheric’s Shield is good for casters in general (+1 Spell Save DC and +1 to Spell Attack Rolls), although I usually have this shield on my party’s Wizard (Gale).

Ranged Main Hand: Darkfire Shortbow

Grants Resistance to both Fire and Cold Damage

Can cast Haste as a Level 3 spell once per Long Rest

This weapon slot is less important since Wyll will be Eldritch Blasting if he needs to make a single-target Ranged Attack. The only reason he might be using a Ranged Weapon is if he’s Silenced.

As such, it’s nice to just benefit from this bow’s passives. With Fiendish Resilience, Wyll can potentially have four Resistances at once in (very late) Act 2 – Fire and Cold from the Darkfire Shortbow, Necrotic from Selûne’s Blessing, and another from Fiendish Resilience.

Additionally, an emergency Haste is great to have on the backburner.

The Bow of Awareness is another such bow that grants a useful passive (+1 to Initiative).

Ranged Off Hand: N/A

Number Crunching

If you’ve followed the above gearing, you should have 20 AC on Wyll. Hooray!

The following table should give you an idea of how Wyll performs on the battlefield as a result of his gear synergy.

Because this Warlock build has a lot of flexibility in what it can do (#gishy 👽), it’s hard to say how much damage Wyll can regularly dole out. However, in an ideal world, Wyll can take the following actions to get the most out of his gear:

Combat Round #1

Cast Eldritch Blast on three separate enemies, inflicting Reverberation on each and gaining Arcane Synergy.

Combat Round #2

Land a Weapon Attack (which uses Arcane Synergy) on an enemy, gaining Arcane Acuity.

Use Bonus Action to cast Hold Person or Hold Monster.

Land a Weapon Attack (which uses Arcane Synergy) on the held enemy; this Attack is automatically a Critical Hit.

Conclusion

Of course, this is just one way to class Wyll (or a general Warlock)! I prioritized thematic gearing over pure Damage output, so there are definitely ways to get this build even more powerful. For example, Wyll would probably be ethically opposed to using the Bhaalist Armor even though it would greatly enhance his rapier attacks.

As an aside, there’s a funny bug with Warlock’s Pact of the Blade Extra Attack – in Explorer, Balanced, and Tactician, this Extra Attack adds to (instead of overlaps with) any Extra Attack you get from another class.

So instead of having an Attack and Extra Attack like most other martial classes, the Lockadin gets an Attack, an Extra Attack, and an extra Extra Attack, for three Attacks total, LOL. (This bug is unfortunately resolved in Honor Mode.) Subsequently, the Pact of the Blade is a great multiclass with martial classes, but especially a Paladin (5 Warlock / 7 Paladin). 😁

Additionally, a lot of this gear is also excellent on a College of Swords Bard (another Charisma-based gish type). To that end, it may not be a good idea to have both a Bard and Warlock on the same team, as they’ll be fighting for the gear listed here.

Thanks for reading, and hope this gave you some ideas for your Warlock builds! :)

#chelle.txt #ch.build #wyll ravengard #hooray!!!!!!!#oops i need to sleep LOL

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jadeazora · 9 months ago

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A new Message from the Masters Team is out!

New Mysterious Stones Chapter (A Fateful Reunion) coming on May 1, 2024! You'll need to have collected a total of 600 Mysterious Stones to unlock this story's area. Volo and Rei finally meet face-to-face on Pasio. What will Rei do in response to Volo's intentions?

In addition, they've made improvements that will allow you to easily check successful teams when you are unable to win a battle, and also revamped each 5⭐-Guaranteed Sync Pair Scout found in the General tab of the Ticket Scout menu so that you can scout either x5 or x10. (It sounds to me like you would need to have collected 150 to 300 5⭐ Scout Tickets.)

Rika will star in Story Event Good Ol' Rika Here beginning on Apr26, and by teaming up with Rika & Clodsire from their Poké Fair Scout that will be available at the same time as the event, you'll be able to invite Rika as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge! You can also get a Clodsire photo frame for the Photo Creator by teaming up with them. Rika can be invited as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge starting May1.

Rika & Clodsire are a Ground-type Support Sync Pair. Their EX Role is Field. Their Rampant Mud Slap Buddy Move can lower all opponents' accuracy by two stat ranks and leave them poisoned. It can also create a Ground Zone and increase all allies' Physical Moves ↑ Next and Special Moves ↑ Next effects by two ranks each. They can also use their Think Fast! Trainer move to raise all allies' Attack and Sp. Atk by two stat ranks. Plus, they have a Passive Skill that restores all allies' HP when Rika & Clodsire get hit by an attack move, and another Passive Skill that lowers one of the following stats of an opponent that attacked them by two stat ranks at random when hit by an attack move: Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, or Speed.

Three different Triple Feature Poké Fair Scouts will begin on Apr27, featuring Sync Pairs such as Skyla (Anniversary 2022) & Tornadus, Palmer & Regigigas, and Gloria (Dojo Uniform) & Urshifu! For each lineup, there will be a regular Triple Feature Poké Fair Scout, as well as a paid-gems-only Triple Feature Poké Fair Scout that comes with a Roll Cake present. Each featured Fair-Exclusive Sync Pair will have an EX Role added, so we hope you look forward to it. (Note: Palmer & Regigigas already have an EX Role.) Also, looking forward to being able to boost Lysandre 👀

The sequel to the ongoing Costume Event New Heroes Are Born will start on Apr30. Two figures have appeared before our heroes as villains! (Cool how we're getting the PokeStar Studios alts as villains, but pretty predictable. Would have been cool to see some actual villains getting in on the fun, add that sense of urgency/seriousness, but was thinking it might be too much of an ask lol)

The next High Score Event "Water and Fairy Conqueror" will begin on May 7, 2024. This High Score Event will have two recommended types. Taking into account the difference in battle difficulty based on the available Sync Pairs of the recommended types for this High Score Event, the maximum number of points needed to obtain the featured reward will be changed from 180,000 to 200,000. They plan to make more adjustments to this point total based on the difficulty of future events as well.

Also scheduled are returns of Solo Event Pasio Gold Rush, Daily Battle The Golden Magikarp, and Story Event A Golden Future, as well as the addition of an Ultimate Battle and a new Trainer Files.

The next message is scheduled for late May.

Edit, here's the event schedule from Reddit:

#pokemon masters #pokemas #trainer rei #pokemon volo #merchant volo #guzma #champion leon #elite four rika #lysandre #trainer gloria #rival hau #gym leader sabrina #gym leader brycen #pokemon b2w2 #pokemon sun and moon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv

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hp-soulmates-secret-santa · 5 days ago

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HP SOULMATES SECRET SANTA REVEALS

It's the moment you've all been waiting for - our amazing creators are revealed!

Giftees, if you've not yet left a comment on your gift fic to thank the author for their hard work, please consider doing so. There's been so much effort put into this exchange and we all know how much a comment means.

Thank you all for being so amazing to work with and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

UltramarineOrchid and Jellie xx

⭐Master List⭐

☃️a golden string ties two hearts together☃️ by Gcldxnsnitch for Jiraffas

🎀A Soulmate for Christmas🎀 by @gaeilgerua for MarinaJune

✨Addictive✨ by @elisedonut for @gaeilgerua

💞And Thus With a Kiss💞 by @kidansong for @ultramarineorchid

🎀Back in Time, once more🎀 by Elvira_Kamgut for @skywatcherrose

🎀Be Still, My Foolish Heart, Don’t Ruin This On Me🎀 by @hunterswithcell-phones for @midnightstargazer

🥂Between Two Hearts🥂 by SomnophiliaSweetheart for @billowingangel

✨Compass and Witch✨ by OrangeColouredSky for mrsprobie

❄️Confessions Under A Starry Sky ❄️by @dramioneendgamealways for @chaosophia

🦌Does one really want to know if they have a soulmate?🦌 by consumedly for @its-the-allure

✨Doomed to Tell the Truth✨by @chaosophia for Gcldxsnitch

🎁Endorsed by Fate🎁 by @jelliewrites for ronaldweasleys (left0utsideal0ne)

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🐍One last shot🐍 by pink_x_eye for @tumblingghosts

🎀One Night🎀 by @skywatcherrose for @fiestylilmetalbendingqueen

🌿Peels🌿 by @browneyesandhair for MitsukiSirya

❄️Rare Discoveries❄️ by @billowingangel for GimletSour

❄️Senses❄️ by @browneyesandhair for @strixxinxiang

🌿Silver and Gold🌿 by Jiraffas for razzleberrie

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🐍Soulmates?! Merlin No!🐍 by Elvira_Kamgut for @p0intless-p0et

⚡Sweet like candy to my soul⚡by @its-the-allure for @mintyelbows

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☃️tempting fate☃️ by @nyenke for Dreadful_Pears

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💘The Inevitability of Choosing to Love You💘 by D4nce for Tardis_Magic93

⚡The Glow⚡by @digthewriter for @itsphantasmagoria

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💞The Sparks of the Golden Glow💞 by @drwhoisginnyholmes for @fluxweedstem

🐍To Be Friends🐍 by The_Fourth_Queen for Maxymumu

✨Two Inches Above The Knee✨ by @ultramarineorchid for @emilyrickman

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#hp soulmates #hp fanfic #hp fic exchange #hp fandom #hp fests #soulmates #secret santa #fandom event #fic exchange #gift exchange #reveals

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aidairoarchivetwo · 2 months ago

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『地縛少年花子くん-The Musical-』いよいよ今月22日から開幕です！千秋楽ライブ配信もあります♪ 詳細は公式HPをチェック⭐

"Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun -The Musical-" finally opens on the 22nd of this month! There will also be a live broadcast of the final performance ♪

For details, check the official website ⭐ http://musical-hanakokun.com

#tbhk #jshk #toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shonen hanako kun #year: 2021 #yashiro nene #event: musical

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thecouchsofa · 2 days ago

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My 2024 year in fic

First up: some stats!

Fics posted: 22, for 3 different fandoms (HP, Captive Prince, Dark Rise)

Total written: 415,488 words

My favourite fic I wrote in 2024: Us, Infinite (unfortunately)

My most kudos'd fic of 2024: Future Histories

My most productive writing month was January, with 63k written, while my most productive writing day was December 1st, with 9k written on that Sunday alone! I participated in 10 fests, wrote 10 unique pairings, and ended up with a total of 289k words posted in 2024.

My goals for next year are to finally finish Something in the Orange (an angsty Drarry fic that I started writing nearly a year ago), post at least one fic a month (I have a backlog of like 7 already), and write 500k by the end of the year. Here's to a creative 2025! ⭐

Fics listed below the cut alphabetically, by pairing/fandom.

✨ Drarry ✨

💛 A Wizard’s Guide to Co-Parenting with Your Ex-Arch Nemesis | T | 38k | Tags: Eighth Year, Temporary Children, Humour, Fluff, KidFic

Harry had expected a few things when returning for his Eighth Year. Rooming with Ron, a cheeky Firewhisky down at the pub, leaving his assignments to the last minute – those were all but certain to occur. His list of certainties definitely hadn’t included McGonagall’s shake-up of the curriculum, which tasked the Eighth Years with the responsibility of parenthood for three weeks. Caring for a baby Transfigured from a sack of flour would have been alright if: 1) Malfoy wasn’t Harry’s assigned partner, 2) Their baby’s one goal in life wasn’t to spite Harry, and 3) Malfoy wasn’t infuriatingly good at fake parenthood.

❤️ As Per Request | E | 17k | Tags: Virgin Harry, Loss of Virginity, Praise Kink, a PWP in a trench coat

Harry decides that it’s high time to lose his virginity, and figures that asking Malfoy is his best option. He’s fit, he won’t go to the papers, and he’ll be fine with Harry’s ‘no emotional attachment’ plan. Surely nothing could go wrong there.

🩶 Bare Moon Rising | E | 15k | Tags: Bets & Wagers, Charity Calendars, Wizarding Nudes, Humour, Quidditch, !Greg Goyle!

Potter moved towards him, sticking his hand out. “If that’s the case, we’re both doing it. You do the nude Tornados calendar, and I’ll do the Auror one. Most sales wins.” Oh no. “Are you backing out already?” Potter leaned in closer, voice dropping to a whisper. “Finally admitting that mine’s bigger than yours, then? Or do you want to cop a feel first?” Charities could bugger off. Nothing good ever came of them, really.

🩷 Catch the Snitch | T | 2k | Tags: New Years Eve, Pining, Harry in a Snitch costume

Ron grabbed Draco’s shoulder and pulled him out of the room. “We’re going to play something. A game.” His eyes were rather maniacal. Draco wanted to ask if he’d gotten into the Mallowsweet, but he could not, for he was very committed to the mime costume and his resulting vow of silence. “You’re going to go into the garden and catch a Snitch.”

💜 Effervescence | E | 4k | Tags: PWP, Established Relationship, Daddy Kink, Praise Kink, Soft Dom Draco, Veritaserum

Harry has trouble asking for what he wants in bed. Draco uses Veritaserum to help him along.

🩵 Future Histories | T | 6k | Tags: Temporary Amnesia, Established Relationship, Draco's canon-adjacent obsessive crush, Fluff

After an accident at work, Draco finds that two decades of his memories have been temporarily wiped. His Healers are reluctant to tell him the identity of his mystery husband, thinking he’ll react badly. Oh, how wrong they are.

🖤 Knot Your Average Coworkers | E | 22k | Tags: Werewolf Draco, Oblivious Harry, Knotting, Humour, Ron-themed crafts

It takes Harry a while to work out that every month, almost like clockwork, Draco is given an assignment in the field that takes him out of their shared office for days on end. After each assignment, Draco returns looking so bloody exhausted that Harry gears up to file a complaint with their boss. When questioned about it, Draco’s explanations range from mildly suspect to intensely suspicious. Harry takes it upon himself to find out what’s going on. Or: Harry makes a bunch of unintentional knotting jokes while an increasingly baffled Draco is driven insane.

💚 Like London to a Brick | T | 4k | Tags: Eighth Year, Clothes Sharing, Quidditch, Getting Together

“Malfoy? Blond wanker of epic proportions. Goes around with a sour look on his face all the time. Comes up to about yay high.” Ron held his hand a few inches above the top of Harry’s head. “Ring any bells?” Harry bent down to tighten the strap on his kneepad. “Still no idea what you’re on about.” “You…” An odd spluttering noise left Ron’s lips. “You’re taking the piss.” “Harry,” Ginny shouted from the changeroom door. “Why the fuck is Malfoy wearing your Quidditch jersey?” Ron made a face that very plainly said ‘there it is’.

🧡 My Good Name | M | 13k | Tags: Homophobia, Coming Out, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Complicated Family Relationships

Standing there, in the foyer of Draco’s parents’ house, was the most visible display of love that Draco had ever been shown. Harry loved him. He loved him. And Draco was about to throw him to the wolves.

🤍 Sons of Aphrodite | E | 11k | Tags: Small Cock Size Kink, Party Games, Meddling Friends, Praise Kink, Friends to Lovers

“So … yeah.” Harry ducked his head as he pulled Draco’s hand towards him. “It’s not that I didn’t enjoy doing that to you, it’s that my cock is like … that.” Draco reached out to touch, running a finger down Harry’s hard length. “You have a small cock, Harry, not a tentacle or something equally terrifying. It’s incredibly fucking hot, actually.” Featuring twenty push-ups that nearly broke Draco’s brain, meddling friends with the best of intentions, Draco admitting his crush on Harry under party-game-themed duress, a pet cat named Willow, and a small problem that isn’t actually a problem at all.

🤎 Stretched Out | E | 5k | Tags: Friends With Benefits, Fisting, Rimming, Edging, Soft Dom Draco, Fluff

Harry looked at him for a moment, thumb tracing the line of Draco’s cheekbone. “I’ve never trusted anyone like I’ve trusted you. Isn’t that mental?”

💙 Us, Infinite (unfortunately) | E | 77k | Tags: Time Loop, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Breaking the Law, Magaluf, Cooking as a form of intimacy, 'last day in the time loop' vibes

It’s very fitting for how Harry’s life has gone thus far that he gets trapped in a time loop without rhyme, reason, or warning. To make matters infinitely worse, the one other person stuck on the same hellish chronological ride is Draco Malfoy, git extraordinaire.

✨ Other HP ✨

🤍 August Storms over Devon | Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley | T | 1k | Tags: Summer of 1998, the Burrow, Emotional Intimacy

“What if…” She clenched her hands into fists, pressing them against her thighs to stop them from shaking. “What if I can’t? What if they never…” Ron’s voice was even-keeled, steady as an oak in a storm. “Do you want to try?”

🩵 Cornerstone | Scorpius Malfoy/James Sirius Potter | E | 6k | Tags: Consenual Infidelity, Loss of Virginity, Humour, No Angst, Topping From the Bottom

James is a virgin, so Albus lets him borrow his boyfriend.

💚 Jasmine and Cherry | Pansy Parkinson/Ginny Weasley | E | 8k | Tags: Clubbing, Friends to Lovers, Face-Sitting

Pansy’s lips brushed Ginny’s ear as she tilted her head back. “That gloss is flavoured, you know. Cherry.”

🖤 New Gods | Sirius Black/Harry Potter | E | 4k | Tags: POV Sirius, Sirius Lives, Age Difference, Ambiguous Sirius/James Potter

It rocks Sirius to his core every time he thinks about it, because they aren’t the same – Harry and James. Sure, Harry pushes his glasses up with the knuckle of his pointer finger. James used to do the same thing when he had dirt or sugar or random potion essence on his hands. Other people do that too. Sirius has never seen it, but they do.

🧡 One Night in Bristol | Regulus Black/James Potter | E | 10k | Tags: Everybody Lives, Post-Hogwarts, Complicated Sibling Relationships, a horse statue that is canon to my IRL life

Regulus eyes the statue, forces himself to pull his gaze away from James as he pats down the back of his blue jeans. “How’d you even get up there? It’s, what, a full storey?” “If you include the base bit, yeah.” James slaps a hand on the brick stack under the horse’s bronze feet. “And I couldn’t tell you how I get up to half the shit I do.” He wiggles his eyebrows, looking far more lecherous than he has any right to. “Trade secrets, Reggie.” Regulus raises an eyebrow, leaning his weight against the base of the statue. “And your trade is…?” James shrugs and offers him a smile, slow and bright. “Fucking about, mostly.” Or, Regulus happens upon James on a chilly night in Bristol.

❤️ Some Nights | Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley | E | 23k | Tags: Eighth Year, Dorm Sharing, Friends with Benefits, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Threesome, Switching, Harry + Ron = 1 braincell

Ron fucks up his Silencing Charms in the dorm one night. Then Malfoy does. The rest, as they say, is history.

✨ Captive Prince ✨

💛 Golden Starbursts | Damen/Laurent, Damen/Auguste | E | 5k | Tags: Canon Divergence, Auguste Lives, Arranged Marriage, Marriage Consummation, Damen's Canonical Blond Kink

Damen has only ever fucked two men in his life. Both have worn the golden starburst emblem.

�� Lay Me Down | Damen/Laurent | E | 5k | Tags: PWP, Canon Divergence, Tent Sex, Comeplay

Two princes walk into a Vaskian camp. Aka, what if the tent scene in Prince’s Gambit had gone differently.

✨ Dark Rise ✨

💜 Give/Take | Will Kempen/James St. Clair | E | 2k | Tags: PWP, Dom/Sub Undertones, Topping From the Bottom, Old Language Kink

James takes control. Until his concentration breaks.

🖤 Scheggino | Will Kempen/James St. Clair | E | 3k | Tags: Missing Scene, Spoiler for book 2: Dark Heir, PWP, Loss of Virginity, Dom/Sub Undertones,

As Anharion was Sarcean’s, James was Will’s. Regardless of their past selves, the reverse was also true here; Will was James’ before he was even his own. “I’ve always been yours,” Will whispered. “Thousands of years ago, longer, since the grains of sand on the beach were still stars, I have been yours.” Or, Will gives James what he asks for. An alternate ending to Chapter 44 of Dark Heir.

#my stuff #year in review #ao3 wrapped #drarry #drarry fics #hp #hp fics #hp next gen #hp next gen fics #captive prince #captive prince fanfic #capri fics #dark rise #dark rise fics

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lumosatnight · 8 months ago

Note

💗 Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love! 💗

Hi @wilfriede, thanks for the ask! Honestly, it changes every other week (just like my favorite ship 😅) but I will try my best. Excluding anything on my author's favorites list, here are some of my recent faves:

he has my heart [Sirius/Harry/Severus, E, WIP] ⭐ Currently posting daily for @microficmay, I really wanted to write a Snirry fic and what better than in a Voldemort Wins AU??

up here, i'm floating [Bellatrix/Molly, M, 1.2k] ⭐ One of my favorite femslash ships. I am absolutely feral for Mollytrix canon-compliant lovers to enemies with Molly dealing the final blow to Bellatrix.

The Hunting Hat [Sirius & Regulus, G, 2.0k] ⭐ The Black brothers in a Supernatural AU. Some brotherly bonding and mentions of monster-hunting. I really do need to write more gen fic. So many character dynamics to explore!

Death and Undeath [Fred/George, George/Harry, E, 3.1k] ⭐ A dead dove fic focusing on George's obsessive goal of bringing Fred back to life and his unhealthy relationship with Harry. I ADORE this fic.

Just Wednesday [pre-Wednesday/Enid, T, 2.2k] ⭐ A non-HP fic that I am particularly fond of. Some gender exploration and trying out pronouns. I love the format, I love the vibes, I love Wednesday's dynamic with Enid.

BONUS! Kinktober 2023 Series [Multi-ship, E, 15.5k] ⭐ What it says on the tin! This was me challenging myself to write more smut and more kinks: 31 kinks, 31 ships, 31 days.

I'm too lazy to do asks so I'm tagging instead: @elisedonut @mischiefmandied @mugsdontlie @mundrakan @leda-timeandspace

#asked and answered #tag game

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agustdiv1ne · 1 year ago

Note

🍚🍙🍱

(for the ask game thingy)

hi hp!! ^^

🍚 What genre do you have the toughest time writing?

hmm..probably angst? in terms of literary genres, i would say fantasy bc if i don't have the worldbuilding and lore all thought out and written down i simply cannot get myself to write it </3

🍙 Is there a fic you wish had gotten more attention?

i have a few, but the main one is definitely ticket to nowhere (but your heart) !! i will never forgive tumblr for immediately sending that fic to the void...

🍱 Do you read your own fics?

not typicallly LOL, most of the time once i post a fic i will never ever touch it or read it ever again. sometimes i'll skim but that's the extent of my rereads (bc i get a little embarrassed) hdjhshfh

fic writer ask game!

#hp ⭐#moots!#hyukalyptus asks #asks #ask game

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ourgreatergood · 6 months ago

Note

⭐star⭐

Thank you so much! <3

So, let me tell you about the evolution of "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore"

Even though "all too well" is definitely more popular and also close second in my favorite stories, its older sister is still even closer to my heart.

I literally started writing Life and Lies almost ten years ago. I wrote it in German (my first language) and I wrote it in the span of one summer. I wrote it after I experienced terrible heartbreak and (at least emotionally) the whole impact of my dysfunctional family dynamics came crashing down on me and honestly it just felt like my world was collapsing - in short, I was suffering from severe depression and adjustment disorder. And I did what I've done my whole life to survive: I started living in my head even more than usually and I wrote to stay some kind of sane. And what did I write? Which fictional character had to suffer for me? Of course Albus. Always Albus.

You have to imagine at this point in time all the grindeldore information I have is from the HP books and from a couple interviews with the author. No CC in sight, not even dreaming of FB ever happening.

In the beginning it was three parts: Summer of 1899, Ariana incident and the Duel in 1945 and they were actually written in that order. Only much later I put them together and filled the blanks to form one cohesive story.

Now, in the very first version of the summer of 1899 Albus and Gellert kissed exactly once. I was still going by the whole unsure if Gellert returned Albus's feelings kind of vibe - I always believed he did, but at this point I believed he was only going to be aware of it much much later in life. (At this point shout out to some exceptionally inspiring fanfic, a character study of Gellert in Nurmengard. It's German, but if you understand that, give it a read! Nebel über Nurmengard)

I wrote Albus very in love and Gellert being very manipulating.

And there's more: The first version of the 1945 duel? Albus was almost ready to confront Gellert, after years of everyone begging him. Almost. He went to meet him and he still tried to talk Gellert out of his whole war one last time. Gellert, in turn, offered Albus to join him again and when Albus declined, what was the breaking point for Albus to get his courage up to fight? It was Gellert telling him that he had been manipulating him all along - and believe me, he was cruel at that. (Of course it was always up to the reader to decide whether to believe Gellert or not and the story was always going to end with making it clear that at least in later life Gellert realised that he'd loved Albus all along.)

I swear to you I think I have never written anything as painful as those early versions of Life and Lies. I remember very well that I cried writing some of it, but I'd sworn I would stay true to canon (at the time) and just fill in the missing scenes. I think, looking back now, that it was very cathartic for me, that I needed exactly that but, boy, am I glad that I get to write a different story today - canonically!

That story was edited so many times over the years, I can't even count and tbh I would have to edit it again with FB and all, but I won't. That's what it's got its sister for now.

(Honestly, feel free to ask further questions about this. I'm not sure I've still got the early versions, but I remember them so well lol.)

#grindeldore #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #fb #hp #nicolas fantastic fanfiction #nicolas nerdy musings #nicolas ordinary life

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bookgeekgrrl · 7 days ago

Text

My media this week (29 Dec 2024-4 Jan 2025)

this show is so good y'all

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😐 A Right To Die (Nero Wolfe #40) (Rex Stout, author; Michael Prichard, narrator)

😐 The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1) (Agatha Christie, adapted by Anna Lea; full voice cast) - this interpolation certainly made some choices (they really leaned in to Hastings as a tormented Sad War Boy™) but short & entertaining enough to finish, largely due to the cast which features: Peter Dinklage as Poirot, Himesh Patel as Hastings, plus Jessica Gunning, Harriet Walter, Rob Delaney, Phil Dunster, Patsy Ferran, John Bradley, Vivian Oparah with a score composed by Johnny Flynn in collaboration with cellist and composer Joe Zeitlin

😍 if I'm gonna get back to you someday (napricot) - 46K, forever fave post-Endgame fix-it with "a clusterfuck of Steves" from different multiverses - reread before starting mistaken for strangers, a new side story following modern Steve's return to his timeline and his quest to find his own Bucky

😍 And like the cat I have nine times to die (treefrogie84) - really fantastic TOG/Leverage fusion

💖💖 +224K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Small Talk (GoldStarGrl) - Justified: Boyd/Raylan, 16K - fantastic AU where Boyd escapes Harlan & works for NASA but ends up tangled up in Raylan's shit anyway. Fantastic characterizations!!!

North (masterassassin) - HP: Drarry, 25K - "A story about unlikely friendships, novelty mugs, expensive wood, a Vietnamese snake with an Irish name, Indian food, and things taking a turn for the better."

Unmapped (Jerakeen) - TW: Sterek, 11K - Sterek sentinel AU

Pineapples Are Not The Only Fruit (alassenya) - H50: McDanno, 28K - H50 sentinel AU

No Sign of (Goddamn, Motherfucking) Soulmates series (thisapplepielife) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 5K - short, funny soulmates series - one fic from each POV, truly charming

If our two loves be one (phoenixflight) - Wimseyverse: Harriet/Peter/Bunter V polycule, 10K - absolutely fantastic, really nailed the character voices

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Nobody Asked - s1, e3

The Sam Sanders Show - Rachel Bloom Confronts Grief with a Heckler Named Death

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #20

Handsome - Ego Nwodim asks about doing bad things

Dirty Laundry - s4, e11

Elementary - s7, e3-13

D20: Adventuring Party - s9, e5-6

D20: Coffin Run - s14, e5-6

Doctor Who: Joy To The World (2024 Christmas special)

⭐ A Man on the Inside - s1, e1-8

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2025 Pop Culture Predictions

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2025 Pop Culture Resolutions And What's Making Us Happy

⭐ One Song - Heart's "Barracuda"

The Curious History of Your Home - Carpets

Vibe Check - Alive in 2025

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Squid Game

It's Been a Minute - 2025 Predictions: social media is OUT & food politics are IN

It's Been a Minute - All hail the queen of rom-coms

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Hits: '50s

The Greatest Hits Album (The Best Of) [The Everly Brothers]

Ultimate Star Collection [Gene Vincent]

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #fanfic ftw #ao3 my beloved #fan makers are a *gift*#dropout tv #michael schur hit another one out of the park #now i am living with people so my music & podcast listening are wayyyyy down #'50s music #gene vincent #the everly brothers #pop culture happy hour podcast #one song podcast #handsome podcast #the curious history of your home podcast #vibe check podcast #it's been a minute podcast #the sam sanders show

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diiisplxced · 15 days ago

Note

⭐

My OC's Isabelle, Gabriel, Ryker, Axel, and Josh have HP verses.

I'm also tempted to bring back Millie and see if her muse will return. I used to write Cormac, but he was one demential.

#thechosengryffindor #hp mention //

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wyllzel · 1 year ago

Text

🔗 Link to Google Doc.

This is how I built Vampire Ascendant Astarion in my latest Tactician playthrough. As a dual-wielding Gloom Stalker Thief, Astarion has his canon Rogue flavoring with the added bonus of the Ranger class’s Extra Attack and other sneaky, more martial abilities.

I like to run Astarion as a Thief Rogue, but Assassin Rogue also works well (though possibly with different gear – for example, you may want to use a longbow instead of dual hand crossbows).

The vibe of this example of a Gloom Stalker Thief is a stealthy, consistent damage dealer. When you reach Act 3, Astarion can focus on a 100-200 HP enemy and take it out (or at least whittle it down) easily. Or, he can spread his many attacks across lower HP minions and take out a bunch in one round.

Ranger has some good control-type spells, but I primarily run the Gloom Stalker Thief as a ranged martial.

This build is not reliant on elixirs, illithid powers, or mods. While I don’t think this multiclass is dependent on gear, the gear I’ve listed will go a long way in ensuring Astarion is a very competent machine gun. 🤗

Disclaimer: While I tried to powergame as much as I could with this build, I also wanted to keep it easy to follow and fairly thematic. I'm not claiming that this is the most powerful Vampire Ascendant build ever!

(Fair warning: Possible spoilers ahead!)

Levelling

I like to start Astarion out in Rogue for the canon flavoring and Extra Bonus Action (Thief Rogue Level 3). But once my party reaches Level 5, I’ll go to Withers and restart Astarion as a Ranger instead for the Extra Attack (Ranger Level 5).

How you progress in the levels is up to you – I recommend reading through the BG3 Wiki pages on Ranger and Rogue and see which of the classes’ benefits you think are most useful! These are just my personal preferences. I’ve also added a star (⭐) next to each of the features I tend to prioritize or take advantage of.

To start with, this is my Astarion’s base stats:

Astarion’s Wisdom Score should be higher than his Intelligence score; any spells he’d be using are Ranger spells (and Rangers cast off Wisdom).

This build guide assumes that Astarion is not the party face – therefore, it’s fairly safe to dump his Charisma stat.

Level 1: Rogue (Level 1)

Sneak Attack ⭐

Select:

Expertise: Stealth, Sleight of Hand

Level 2: Rogue (Level 2)

Cunning Action: Dash

Cunning Action: Disengage

Cunning Action: Hide

Level 3: Rogue (Level 3)

Improved Sneak Attack Damage (+1d6) ⭐

Select:

Subclass: Thief

The Thief subclass has the following benefits:

Fast Hands (Extra Bonus Action)

Second-Story Work (Resistance to Falling Damage)

Level 4: Rogue (Level 4)

Select:

Feat: Ability Improvement (aka ASI) = +1 DEX, +1 WIS ⭐

This should take his Dexterity to 18 and his Wisdom to 16.

Level 5: Rogue (Level 5)

Proficiency Bonus

Improved Sneak Attack Damage (+1d6) ⭐

Level 6: Ranger (Level 1)

Weapon Proficiencies: Simple weapons, martial weapons

Armor Proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, shields

Select:

1st Favored Enemy: Bounty Hunter

1st Natural Explorer: Urban Tracker

Level 7: Ranger (Level 2)

Select:

Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting ⭐

Spells: Ensnaring Strike, Hunter’s Mark

The Archery Fighting Style could also be good, but I run Astarion as equally reliant on his standard Actions and Bonus Actions – therefore Two-Weapon Fighting works for my build.

Level 8: Ranger (Level 3)

Select:

Subclass: Gloom Stalker

Spells: Fog Cloud

The Gloom Stalker subclass has some awesome benefits:

Dread Ambusher (Extra Attack during the 1st round of combat) ⭐

Dread Ambusher: Hide (Basically another Cunning Action: Hide)

Umbral Shroud (Become Invisible if Obscured)

Superior Darkvision (Darkvision is now 24m / 80ft)

Disguise Self (Gain the ritual spell Disguise Self)

Dread Ambusher, Umbral Shroud, and Superior Darkvision are probably the best features for the stealthy machine gun Gloom Stalker Thief.

Level 9: Ranger (Level 4)

Feat:

Sharpshooter (-5 to Ranged Attack Rolls, but +10 to Ranged Damage Rolls) ⭐

Level 10: Ranger (Level 5)

Extra Attack ⭐

Misty Step (from Gloom Stalker Subclass) ⭐

Select:

Spells: Spike Growth

Level 11: Ranger (Level 6)

Select:

2nd Favored Enemy: Mage Breaker

2nd Natural Explorer: Wasteland Wanderer: Fire

I selected Mage Breaker because I had Astarion’s backstory in mind – Cazador, Astarion’s ultimate antagonist, is primarily a caster during Astarion’s final quest battle. However, True Strike is a notably unhelpful cantrip, so you may want to choose a different Favored Enemy.

I selected Wasteland Wanderer: Fire because Fire is a common Damage type that enemies dole out. For the same reason, Wasteland Wanderer: Poison is also a good selection.

Level 12: Ranger (Level 7)

Select:

Spells: Silence

I picked Silence since it’s almost always useful, but if you have a Cleric (or another caster with access to Silence) on your primary team then you may want to pick a different spell.

Alternatives…

If you went 4 Rogue / 8 Ranger, you’d lose Rogue’s Uncanny Dodge and additional 1d6 damage on Sneak Attack (Level 5) – but gain Ranger’s Land’s Stride: Difficult Terrain (Level 8) and an additional Feat (Level 8).

If you went 5 Rogue / 5 Ranger / 2 Fighter, you’d lose Ranger’s additional Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer (Level 6), and additional spell (Level 7) – but gain Fighter’s Second Wind, Fighting Style (Level 1), and Action Surge (Level 2).

I picked a lot of offensive Ranger spells, but the Ranger class also has some great buff spells like Longstrider and Enhance Leap.

Final Composition

By Level 12, Astarion should have the following notable qualities:

Extra Attack and Extra Bonus Action, resulting in 4 possible Attacks per round.

Sharpshooter: On a ranged weapon hit, deal an extra +10 Damage.

Sneak Attack: On a Sneak Attack hit, deal an extra 3d6 (3-18) Damage.

Two-Weapon Fighting, which adds your Ability Score Modifier (+4) to the damage of your offhand attack.

Gear

I like to equip Gloom Stalker Thief Astarion with the following gear. The evil flavoring on some of the pieces (Helldusk, Bhaalist) definitely adds to the ambience of a Vampire Ascendant Astarion.

I’ve made a small note of why I equipped each piece of gear, but you can visit each Wiki link for the full benefits on each piece! None of this gear is really necessary (except maybe the Risky Ring), but I do recommend having Astarion dual-wield to take advantage of Thief Rogue’s Extra Bonus Action.

Headwear: Marksmanship Hat

+1 to Ranged Attack Rolls

Also, he looks cool in it. LOL.

Armor: Bhaalist Armor

Aura of Murder: Enemies within 2m / 6.5ft become Vulnerable to Piercing Damage (unless they are Resistant or Immune to it)

+2 to Initiative Rolls

Cloak: Shade-Slayer Cloak

Reduces the number needed to roll a Critical Hit while Hiding by 1

Handwear: Helldusk Gloves

+1d6 Fire Damage per Weapon Attack

+1 to Weapon Attack Rolls

Footwear: Helldusk Boots

Any boots that give Astarion the option to position himself more aptly are excellent. For example, the Disintegrating Night Walkers or Spaceshunt Boots are also very good.

Amulet: Amulet of Bhaal

On a hit, inflicts Bleeding on targets that have maximum HP

This feels very apt for a Vampire Ascendant.

Ring A: Risky Ring*

Advantage on Attack Rolls

Disadvantage on Saving Throws

*This ring is extremely important to the build, IMO! The Advantage on Attack Rolls does a lot to offset the -5 to Attack Rolls from the Sharpshooter feat.

Ring B: Caustic Band**

+2 Acid Damage per Weapon Attack

**This ring can add up to +10 Acid Damage, since you have four Attacks and an additional attack on your first round of combat from Dread Ambusher. However, this +8-10 may not be negligible by the time you reach Act 3 – instead, the Killer’s Sweetheart ring (basically one free Critical Hit on demand per long rest) may be more overall effective.

Melee Main Hand: Crimson Mischief

+1d4 Piercing Damage when you have Advantage on targets with <50% of their HP

+7 Piercing Damage when you have Advantage on a target

If you’re wearing the Risky Ring, you’ll almost always have Advantage, so the added Piercing Damages are basically a guarantee.

Melee Off Hand: Rhapsody

Scarlet Remittance: Gain +1 to Attack Rolls, Damage, and Spell Save DC for each foe you slay (up to +3)

Sweet Bloodletting: Possibly inflict Bleeding when hitting a target with this weapon while Hiding or Invisible

Rhapsody used to belong to Cazador – so I find it thematically fitting for a Vampire Ascendant Astarion to now use this knife. But if you’d rather avoid it, Knife of the Undermountain King is also a good one!

Ranged Main Hand: Ne’er Misser

Deals Force Damage rather than Piercing Damage

Gain one use of Magic Missile Level 3 per Short Rest

I like this hand crossbow a lot because some enemies are Resistant to Piercing Damage – but very few (if any?) are Resistant to Force Damage. But since it doesn’t deal Piercing Damage, this hand crossbow won’t benefit from the Bhaalist Armor’s Aura of Murder.

Ranged Off Hand: Hellfire Hand Crossbow

+2 Weapon Enchantment

Hellstalker: Possibly inflict Burning when attacking while Hiding or Invisible

Damage Numbers

After you finish leveling and equipping Vampire Ascendant Astarion, your final Damage stats should look something like the following table. When calculating these numbers, I assumed the following:

The target isn’t Resistant to Piercing, Force, Acid, Necrotic, or Fire Damage

No conditional Damage on Crimson Mischief

Sharpshooter is toggled on

(I tried to calculate the above numbers by hand… So apologies if my calculations are fudged due to an incorrect understanding of Damage rolls, haha! This should be approximately correct, at least.)

Example: Combat Against Githyanki

For an example of how this build plays, here’s how Level 12, Vampire Ascendant, fully equipped Gloom Stalker Thief Astarion did against a group of Vlaakith’s githyanki warriors (Elfsong Tavern) in Tactician:

Here, Astarion did 43+75+26+35 Damage, or a total of 179 Damage in one round. (And that’s with four Attacks instead of five.) This is pretty standard for how my Act 3 combats tend to go, so I think this is a fair representation of this Astarion build’s abilities.

Conclusion

Of course, there are many other builds for Vampire Ascendant Astarion that can also do ridiculous (if not far more!) Damage. For example, some powergamers will class Astarion as a Monk (usually with the Tavern Brawler feat) – whether that’s Way of the Open Hand for maximum Damage output, or Way of Shadow for more vampiric vibes – with a multiclass dip in Thief Rogue for the Extra Bonus Action. This gives Vampire Ascendant Astarion a standard six Unarmed Strikes per round of combat; he adds 1d10 Necrotic Damage to each of those for an additional 6d10 Necrotic Damage total.

And, of course, even without the Vampire Ascendant trait, this build tends to do a good deal of Damage and can work for any character (whether that be an edgy Tav, the Dark Urge, or a different Companion). For example, a lot of the infernal gear might be cool for a post-Pact Ranger Wyll.

Thanks for reading, and hope this gave you some ideas for your ranged martial builds! :)

#chelle.txt #ch.build #astarion #i have been working on this for a while now LOL #happy to finally post this!#apologies if the damage table looks wonky - i'm sure i messed up some math somewhere haha #and yes this build requires being a bit amoral since 1) ascension and 2) bhaalist gear #so it's definitely not for everyone #but i think it's fun!

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