I got gifted a level-4 Fighter (freaking Toddy!) from a Deck of Many Things, and we're a level 10 party running through Doomvault. I'm not sure whether I should focus on raising his defense (so that he doesn't die with random attacks from higher level monsters), or on his attacks (assuming it's pointless to try and keep him alive).
Since I'm a Rogue/Bard skill monkey, I really just want Toddy to either do as much damage as possible, or to soak/protect as much damage as possible. He will be a Half-Elf, using any legal method to determine ability scores, and I see 3 specific paths for Toddy:
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Strength-based DPR-focused Champion – Plate, Greatsword, GWF, and probably the ASI invested on STR
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Strength-based Protection-focused Battlemaster – Plate, Longsword + Shield, Protection fighting style, and probably the ASI invested on a feat (Tough?). His maneuvers would be Commander’s Strike (helping the Rogue), Disarming Attack, and Trip Attack.
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Dexterity-based DPR-focused Champion – Studded Leather, Longbow, Archery, and probably the ASI invested on DEX
I'd prefer Toddy as a frontliner, which is better in our party and also has higher DPR. So, can a low-level melee fighter do noticeable DPR on a higher level party, or should Toddy focus on the defensive side of things? With either, are there better build suggestions I can use?
Or are both terrible ideas, and should he just be a ranged DPR-oriented Fighter? If a melee Toddy will just die by the 2nd round of combat, I might as well have him in the backlines.
Best Answer
With HP and damage being the main difference, Toddy should play it safe
A 4th level character will have very little HP compared to everything you will come across. He will have around 35 HP, where most of your team will have around 75. Any attack or area spell that would drop one of you to half HP would drop him instantly. This is not ideal for a front liner.
To work around this, I’d recommend playing it as safe as possible. Getting him the Sharpshooter feat as an Arcane Archer would be an ideal solution, considering many of the enemies you face will be resistant to nonmagical damage. The burst effectiveness of an Arcane Archer also works in your favor, as he can put in as much as he can before meeting his unfortunate (inevitable) death.
If a ranged magic weapon is available for your Fighter friend, you can afford to have him be a more versatile combatant, as long as he focuses on defensive capabilities. To utilize ranged weaponry, he should stay Dexterity-based.
A few other options that fit this niche are:
Once the Knight is near your party's level and has HP to spare, he can afford to shift over to using Two Weapon Fighting as a melee combatant, or he can continue to use ranged attacks as he has been.