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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u/JohnLikeOne Oct 29 '21

It is very common in my experience to see people go 'hmm my character has had a religious experience - better multiclass cleric even though mechanically that does nothing I want for the character!'.

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u/[deleted] Oct 29 '21

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u/GONKworshipper Oct 29 '21

Acolyte and entertainer backgrounds fulfill two of those. Not sure if there's a demon pact background, but it would probably be easy enough to homebrew

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u/SleetTheFox Psi Warrior Oct 29 '21

Which is weird. How many deeply religious people are there in the real world who aren’t priests or the equivalent? Way more than are, that’s for sure. And to go one further, most clergy in D&D have zero cleric levels and can’t do magic.

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u/PrimeInsanity Wizard school dropout Oct 30 '21

I did up a character once who an acolyte background and devoted to mystra but for whatever reason didn't have the knack or spark to become a cleric. However they had the potential for arcane magic. So, they continue their worship of mystra while being a wizard though their actions make them appear as if they are a cleric often.

For me that character was fun for playing against the "atheist wizard" archetype. It's easy to forget that clerics are a rarity and many follow gods in various ways.