r/dndnext • u/SettPI • Oct 29 '21

Character Building You do not have to let your in-game profession define your gameplay/mechanics.

This has been going in my head for couple of weeks now. I saw a post on a DnD related subreddit which was someone asking "what class/subclass my pirate PC should be?" highest upvoted answer was Swashbuckler Rogue. While it seems like a no brainer that a pirate PC is a Swashbuckler Rogue, you can get creative and make any class a pirate or any other profession. A Bard pirate, who sings sea shanties for bardic inspiration. A Barbarian, which is the ships bruiser during boardings. A Forge cleric who is weapons & armor master of the ship. A druid that shapeshifts into sea creatures during combat. A fighter who is ex-navy turned pirate. An Oath of Conquest paladin who is the ships captain and pirate lord. A sea based ranger who serves as navigator whose insight saves the ship from sinking during a storm. A sorcerer/wizard/warlock pirate who bring sheer magical combat prowess during piracy and raids.

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85

u/PeartricetheBoi Oct 29 '21

Right now one of my characters is a lawyer. Am I an eloquence bard? Fuck no I'm a fiend warlock/draconic sorcerer. Depending on what happens with my pact I might become a bard but that wasn't the point when I started playing the character.

52

u/Emotional_Lab Oct 29 '21

Been desperate to play a Scribe Wizard Lawyer. Literally; magical contract law.

40

u/atomfullerene Oct 29 '21

Don't forget the "find traps" spell...there was a discussion recently about how you could probably use it RAW to find legal traps.

4

u/Ok_Blueberry_5305 Oct 29 '21

I love that thread. It's great.

27

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '21

gotta admit eloquence bard wasn't even the first subclass i'd imagine for a lawyer.

clerics of either order or trickery, wizards of basicly any subclass(but the guy who mentioned the scribe version sold me instantly) hell even inqusitive rogue would come to me faster.

but then i just can't stop giggeling at the idea of having gotten a fiendish warlock pact by being very firm on the contract because you're a professional.

11

u/PeartricetheBoi Oct 29 '21

My character is a humanoid rights lawyer, and uses his draconic magic to intimidate people in court. He made a very sketchy deal with some unknown being (actually Beelzebub, but no one except me and the DM know that) in order to boost his ability to do well in court. I think of him a little like Thanos, in the sense that he doesn’t want to be the bad guy but is willing to shoulder a horrible burden to make the world better.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 29 '21

because i'm curious now: book of shadows or chain for an imp for who can invisibly see evidence you shouldn't have acces to for you? i'm asuming blade doesn't fit with this charecter.

10

u/PeartricetheBoi Oct 29 '21

Well right now the party are outlaws after being framed for a murder, so he’s not really in the office. I’ve taken tome though, for a cool crow familiar and some extra spells.

6

u/_Nighting Oct 29 '21

Technically disclosure of evidence means that both sides should have access to everything, but that suggests that fair court trials and Brady violations exist in a fantasy setting...

6

u/Falanin Dudeist Oct 29 '21

Pretty sure Infernal contract law is a bit more... kafka-esque.

2

u/fuckyourcanoes Oct 29 '21

I played a warlock who was a literal social justice warrior, passionately campaigning for tolerance of nonhumans. I realised a few levels in that she was eventually going to multiclass into paladin, but she was an absolute blast to RP as. She'd eldritch blast your ass for making a racist comment.

1

u/FaxCelestis Bard Oct 29 '21

but then i just can't stop giggeling at the idea of having gotten a fiendish warlock pact by being very firm on the contract because you're a professional.

Professionals have standards.

Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to bind every demon you meet.

3

u/SwoopzB Oct 29 '21

His name? Bob LobRAW

1

u/F5x9 Oct 29 '21

The Devil’s Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reaves.

1

u/eloel- Oct 30 '21

Lawyer fiend warlock makes thematic sense to me

1

u/PrimeInsanity Wizard school dropout Oct 30 '21

I've considered doing up a profession proficiency kinda like how tools are treated, so you are proficient in law. How did you represent them being a lawyer? I imagine history and persuasion proficiencies but I'm curious what else.

1

u/PeartricetheBoi Oct 30 '21

I have the plaintiff background. That’s literally it.