Best lightning damage themed PC?

[Spacehamster]

So what class combination would you guys say make the best lightning damage type char? 2 tempest cleric rest evocation wizard maybe?

[coredump]

So what class combination would you guys say make the best lightning damage type char? 2 tempest cleric rest evocation wizard maybe?

I think it depends on how you define 'best', and at what level? I had a blast playing a stormsorc6/Tempcleric6.

[Innocent_bystan]

Do you have access to the Sword Coast Adventurer's guide? There is a sorcerer subclass called Storm Sorcerer in it you might want to check out.

There is also an Unearthed Arcana article with the playtest version.

[Waazraath]

So what class combination would you guys say make the best lightning damage type char? 2 tempest cleric rest evocation wizard maybe?

Difficult question. As I see it, there are 3 obvious options (tempest cleric, evocation wizard and storm sorcerer). One less obvious, the lore bard, who can pick all the relevant spells but has nothing of the 'storm caster' flavor, so I ignore it.
- Tempest cleric: has some of the best / most flavorful class features (next to spells): max damage few times/day, free 10 ft shoves when doing lightning damage, and a reaction attack for 2d8. BUT: no lightning bolt, and no chain lightning. Which are imo the most important spells.
- Evocation wizard: ok but not great class features (potent cantrip doesn't work with shocking grasp; empowered evocation is nice for a few extra points of damage, but at lvl 10 this isn't making the difference; scult spells is nice, but with lighting spells less needed compared with a wizard tossing fireballs; overchannel is good). Has access to all the spells.
- storm sorcerer: the class features are very flavorfull, lvl 18 immunities and fly (also for party!) is great, but very late game. Storm fury and heart of the storm are nice, IF you are in melee range - where you don't want to be. Tempestuous magic the same, very nice free disengage, but you usually won't want to be in a situation that this is useful. Bad thing: no class features that increase the damage of the spells that you cast. Good thing: access to all the relevant spells.

As for multiclassing: about the cleric 2 / wizard 18 build, biggets problem is imo the loss of high level spells (for most of the levels you play on). The cleric gives heavy armor and shield proficiency a few extra hp, 2 or 3 times a day a maxed damage spell, and 1 or 2 times/day a reaction attack for 2d8 (wis won't be higher then 13/14 I assume). Main gain is of course the maxed damage on a short rest recharge, but defensive stuff is nice as well. But the price for that is steep: 2 levels later lightning bolt, 2 levels later chain lightning. But then again, maxed damage, mhhhh, nice.

When making a melee build, I think cleric 20 is very nice (though best would be a mixture of lighting and thunder damage, combined with melee attacks and booming blade). Alternative: cleric 2 / storm sorcerer 18. Both get nice options for melee, you can wear heavy armor and even use a shield, and you have the great sorcerer 18 ability as sort of capstone, and access to all the spells that matter (but again: delayed due to cleric levels).

All definitely viable. 'The best' probably depends on the rest of the party, what options the other characters bring to the table.

[Spacehamster]

Does the extra d8(later2d8)Lightning damage once per turn on attack from tempest cleric apply on ranged weapons(afb atm)?

[Waazraath]

Does the extra d8(later2d8)Lightning damage once per turn on attack from tempest cleric apply on ranged weapons(afb atm)?

Yes it does; it's thunder damage though.

[Spacehamster]

Yes it does; it's thunder damage though.

Ah ok I always mix those two up(they should be one and the same tbh), then a wood elf hunter ranger 5 / tempest cleric 15 would be pretty fun, fluff your arrows as streaks of lightning that explodes in a thundering crash on impact, go horde breaker and use longbow for having bonus action free for moving hunters mark. :) not optimal but fun, can also use bless instead of hunters mark for +3-6 on attacks which would work very well with sharpshooter. :3

[Waazraath]

Ah ok I always mix those two up(they should be one and the same tbh), then a wood elf hunter ranger 5 / tempest cleric 15 would be pretty fun, fluff your arrows as streaks of lightning that explodes in a thundering crash on impact, go horde breaker and use longbow for having bonus action free for moving hunters mark. :) not optimal but fun, can also use bless instead of hunters mark for +3-6 on attacks which would work very well with sharpshooter. :3

Yeah, sounds fun! The extra damage from cleric is only 1/turn though, unfortunately.

[Arkhios]

There's also the ever-so-popular draconic bloodline sorcerer with bronze or blue dragon heritage.
At level 6+ your lightning spells gain a "small" boost to damage.

Thunder damage is not, and should not be same as lightning damage.
Thunder damage is essentially the sonic damage of previous editions (before 4th edition). Sonic damage is just noice that can hurt. FYI, there are anti-riot devices that are based on emitting high frequence sound waves, and they are very effective at their job, dispersing crowds.
It's true that thunder and lightning are thematically similar, but not mechanically.

My suggestion would be Blue/Bronze Dragonborn with Blue/Bronze Draconic Sorcerer 12/Tempest Cleric 8. This way you'd get access to the chain lightning and more importantly, lightning bolt.

And you would have a thematic addition to the lightning schtick: lightning breath weapon.

Tempest Cleric gets proficiency in both heavy armor and martial weapons, and tossing javelins or tridents with extra boom could be very thematic (que: Zeus or Poseidon, both deities of storms).
So strength from dragonborn could prove useful (with heavy armor and shield proficiency you'd be quite safe from being hit most of the time), and a bonus to charisma helps when you multiclass with sorcerer.

Merely with standard array I came up with this (includes +2 str, +1 cha):
14, 8, 13, 10, 15, 15,
with 5 ASI's you could get these (in any order):
+1 wis, +1 cha (both to 16)
+2 wis (to 18)
+2 wis (to 20)
+2 cha (to 18)
+2 cha (to 20)

or if you prefer, bump con with a feat (resilient if you started with cleric, durable or Tavern Brawler if you started with Sorc), then leave both wis and cha to 18, and maybe boost con even further to 16, or take war caster.

[RaynorReynolds]

Difficult question. As I see it, there are 3 obvious options (tempest cleric, evocation wizard and storm sorcerer). One less obvious, the lore bard, who can pick all the relevant spells but has nothing of the 'storm caster' flavor, so I ignore it.
- Tempest cleric: has some of the best / most flavorful class features (next to spells): max damage few times/day, free 10 ft shoves when doing lightning damage, and a reaction attack for 2d8. BUT: no lightning bolt, and no chain lightning. Which are imo the most important spells.
- Evocation wizard: ok but not great class features (potent cantrip doesn't work with shocking grasp; empowered evocation is nice for a few extra points of damage, but at lvl 10 this isn't making the difference; scult spells is nice, but with lighting spells less needed compared with a wizard tossing fireballs; overchannel is good). Has access to all the spells.
- storm sorcerer: the class features are very flavorfull, lvl 18 immunities and fly (also for party!) is great, but very late game. Storm fury and heart of the storm are nice, IF you are in melee range - where you don't want to be. Tempestuous magic the same, very nice free disengage, but you usually won't want to be in a situation that this is useful. Bad thing: no class features that increase the damage of the spells that you cast. Good thing: access to all the relevant spells.

As for multiclassing: about the cleric 2 / wizard 18 build, biggets problem is imo the loss of high level spells (for most of the levels you play on). The cleric gives heavy armor and shield proficiency a few extra hp, 2 or 3 times a day a maxed damage spell, and 1 or 2 times/day a reaction attack for 2d8 (wis won't be higher then 13/14 I assume). Main gain is of course the maxed damage on a short rest recharge, but defensive stuff is nice as well. But the price for that is steep: 2 levels later lightning bolt, 2 levels later chain lightning. But then again, maxed damage, mhhhh, nice.

When making a melee build, I think cleric 20 is very nice (though best would be a mixture of lighting and thunder damage, combined with melee attacks and booming blade). Alternative: cleric 2 / storm sorcerer 18. Both get nice options for melee, you can wear heavy armor and even use a shield, and you have the great sorcerer 18 ability as sort of capstone, and access to all the spells that matter (but again: delayed due to cleric levels).

All definitely viable. 'The best' probably depends on the rest of the party, what options the other characters bring to the table.

As someone playing this now, the wait is totally worth it.

[numerek]

I created this build when Storm origin Sorcerer was released Cleric-Sorcerer Build "They sicken of the calm who know the storm" - Dorothy-Parker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?413824-Cleric-Sorcerer-Build-quot-They-sicken-of-the-calm-who-know-the-storm-quot-Dorothy-Parker)

[BurgTurdler]

It's funny, I just had this idea a few weeks ago. Fry ALL the things! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?486736-MF-LIGHTNING!-Fry-ALL-the-things!&p=20746414#post20746414)