fighter or ranger party leader?

[Klutch]

i'd like to make a human leader, should i raise charisma initially for persuasion/intimidation rolls?

[lordgizka]

Just play a Cha dependent class. Judging by the stats Larian put out, everyone does. You've got four to choose from.

[Blackfrost]

Def not Ranger, they're a meme.

CHA-based classes work best.
Bard is arguably the best due to how high their ability checks bonus become.
Then Sorcerer and Warlock ( CHA is their main stat ), then Paladin ( CHA should be secondary, STR should be main ).

[Xiwang]

rogue, since togues are skill monkeys that only use dextery and get 2 expertise skills at lvl 1 and 2 expertise again at lvl 5. you are better using a rogue as the face of your party since with 16 char it reaches +7 in social skills.

i think 8 str - 16 dex - 12 con - 8 int - 14 wis - and 16 char is the best build for the face of the party. use your expertise in social skills and thats all. probably get insight too.

[Toblm]

Originally posted by Klutch:

i'd like to make a human leader, should i raise charisma initially for persuasion/intimidation rolls?

I would go ranger. Certain cantrips are really useful and the ranger list is more druid-y than the cleric and wizard you have early access to.

You can get by on most persuasion roles with 12 or 14 CHA with guidance, friends or other supporting spells and abilities. However, there are discussion rolls you are expected to fail unless you've spec'd strong into diplomacy.

Addendum: I'm not saying Ranger is a better class, but it makes a better face then a fighter due to "adventure skills" and spell access.

[felmari]

Ranger seems like it would be more interesting.

You do not need crazy charisma unless your looking to pass most checks easily. Charisma based classes does flow better if your looking to be some diplomat though. Both fighter and especially ranger seem like they would be less in those fields but could be played as a charismatic leader but does not synergize with them.

[Xiwang]

idk man, anything that needs to roll above 5 to pass is likely to fail.

[belangf]

Bards not only get expertise, they also have the Friends cantrip giving you advantage on persuasion each time.

If you really want to be a fighter or ranger you could take the feat Magic Initiate : Bard to get that cantrip. Also make sure you get the Persuasion and Intimidation proficiency during character creation.

[LegendaryBilly]

fighters get more feats and have battle master as a cool specialization to do more than hit stuff, eldritch knight could give you some buffs later on, such as blur. Ranger can give you more variety from the get go and having access to more skill proficiencies, also some cantrips and spells and possibly an animal companion.
in regards to charisma, having it at 10-12 for non cha builds should be enough for you to not lose your mind save loading if that's your thing. 14 is the most you should go for non-cha classes and even then you might be sacrificing some initiative or wisdom saves

Experiment. Roll a character that you enjoy aesthetically(Race and appearance) and grab a class you find interesting, if you end up not liking it or want to try something else you unlock a way to reset class pretty much immediately after the intro zone. Explore a certain ruin close to where you find more companions if you don't wanna miss it.

Edit: If I may suggest, go bard. Pick either the sword bard or the valor bard, Sword bard imo is the pick. Get access to Jack of all trades so it's +1 on all checks, get access to spells, a cantrip mocking enemies, get 'flourishes' which are pretty much 3 battle maneuvers from battle master. Mobile Flourish being my personal favorite as your attack pushes the enemy and you can teleport after, which is great at lvl6 when you get an extra attack, you will have high charisma and with a feat invested in heavy armor proficiency or a dip in paladin/fighter you can dump dex and have high strength. Alternatively you dump strength and go for high dex and medium armor. It's more squishy than a fighter but it mores than makes up for it in utility and options available outside of combat.

You can always multi-class and have a perfect balance of what you are looking for but if don't wanna have to do some lvling planning and such just experiment with what you find interesting and don't be afraid to try. some classes might need a few levels to hit their stride but remember who your characters is and bring in the Role Playing aspect of the game and you will have a nice rewarding journey.

[Rabidnid]

I use a Rogue and then have shadow, Karlach and Lae'zel as a party.

[Tootsy]

If you are doing a heavy armor fighter, you can probably drop your dex to 10 and move those numbers into charisma. Given that you also get extra feats in comparison to other classes you can easily pick up the proficiency for dialogue skills. Is it optimal? no, but the game isn't hard enough that it should actually be a problem.

[Hobocop]

Been rolling with a druid party leader and have been able to talk my way out of most everything between Guidance, Enhance Ability and Inspiration rerolls even with no face skills except Insight and 12 Cha.

[Bourne Endeavor]

My current run is with a Fighter whose stat spread was: 16-13-16-8-10-12

So far I've managed just fine with them as the party face. Pull some of your Inspiration points to cover some bad luck strings and you'll be golden. If you're also willing to use illithid dialogue options for this character, you'll be able to skip some of the harder checks.

[Nordil(Hun)]

Ranger, and i use Lae'zal, Shadowheart and Karlach/Wyll. Wyll can bypass most cha checks:D

[Klutch]

Originally posted by belangf:

Bards not only get expertise, they also have the Friends cantrip giving you advantage on persuasion each time.

If you really want to be a fighter or ranger you could take the feat Magic Initiate : Bard to get that cantrip. Also make sure you get the Persuasion and Intimidation proficiency during character creation.

this is super interesting, kind of what i was looking for. maybe if i take the right feats it could work pretty good