I’m playing a DnD-5e campaign with some co-workers; it’s my first role-playing in, oh, decades and something like my 4th character ever. I know when to ask for help. Help!
I’m instructed to create a 4th-level character to join an existing party, and I had in mind to create a very, very old female Forest Gnome Warlock; something akin to a wizened medicine woman. I’m using the PHB as a reference, as well as roll20 and other online resources.
I feel this character is quite powerful for its level, so please tell me all the mistakes I did in interpreting the build rules.
Looking at cantrips, a forest gnome gets two right out of the gate; Minor Illusion and Speak with Small Beasts (which refers to Beast Speech, which refers to Speak with Animals — if accurate, I’m still going to limit it to tiny creatures). As for the warlock, at 4th level she’d have 3 cantrip slots; adding Pact of the Tome is said to yield three additional cantrip slots. The total comes to 2+3+3 = 8 cantrips for a 4th-level forest gnome warlock. Really?
Looking at spells, at 4th level a warlock would have two 2nd-level spell slots and five slots for “known spells” (which, I gather, can only be swapped out when you gain a level).
Looking at invocations, at 4th level a warlock would have two invocation slots. I’m not quite sure about the difference between invocations and cantrips; for my character I have chosen Agonizing Blast (which functions as a permanent booster for a separate cantrip) and Mask of Many Faces (which, it seems, might as well be a cantrip?).
Then, stats. My base stats are:
STR: 8 DEX: 10 CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 13 CHA: 15
but then I can add:
- +1 DEX from Forest Gnome race,
- +2 INT from Gnome race,
- +2 from Warlock Level 4, which I have split between CON and CHA,
so my final stat block becomes:
STR: 8 DEX: 10+1 = 11 CON: 12+1 = 13 INT: 14+2 = 16 WIS: 13 CHA: 15+1 = 16
and for Hit Points that should give me 8 (base) +2 (CON modifier) + 3×5 (fixed increase from each level above 1st) = 25 HP.
Does this all seem reasonable, or am I way off base here? I really don’t intend to be a munchkin; I had this person in mind before I looked into its construction.
That is the core of my question. For additional information, here are the spells I thought I could be choosing:
- Cantrips:
- Blade Ward
- Eldritch Blast (with Agonizing Blast)
- Mage Hand
- Minor Illusion (comes with Forest Gnome)
- Speak with Small Animals (comes with Forest Gnome)
- Message (free with Tome)
- Cure Wounds (free with Tome)
- Spare the Dying (free with Tome)
- Spells:
- Hellish Rebuke (as 2nd level, would gain an additional 1d10)
- Misty Step
- Spells known:
- Eldritch Blast
- Hellish Rebuke
- Unseen Servant
- Misty Step
- Spider Climb
- Invocations:
- Agonizing Blast
- Mask of Many Faces
I extend to you most humble and sincere thanks.