For all the math involved in Pathfinder, they certainly had their creative character concepts down.  
  When Vigilante dropped, where the player has a literal alter-ego to manage, I was getting excited.  When alternative classes were introduced, like the Antipaladin or the Samurai, I knew we were on to something special.  The third in the latter's introduction is the Ninja.  

The Ninja introduced an interesting concept (at more for me than the others).  Though it was an alternate class for the Rogue (makes sense), its progressive powers were an uneven split between Rogue and Monk through the introduction of Ki, with added Ninja flair in the form of Tricks.  This seemed to open the door for Pathfinder to introduce Hybrid Classes - classes inspired by and borrowing from two main core classes as "parent classes."
  One such that springs to mind for 5E conversion today is that of the Skald.

In Pathfinder, a Skald is a hybrid between the rage-filled Barbarian and the charismatic musical Bard.  A Skald wields music and rage together to bolster her allies with courage and mettle, and crush her enemies with doubt and fear.
  Now, when I present this idea in conversation in 5th Edition, I am too often met with the image of a half-orc barbarian picking up instruments he doesn't know how to play, playing them badly, then smashing them against foes (with the Brawler feat, to boot).  The image ends up being more like:

​Which I must admit, is pretty cool from what it looks like...  But the whole thing's often played for comedy only, unfortunately.  The awesome artistic rendition above serves well in a Battle of the Bards scenario, which is intended to be silly and over the top.

But this concept should be fueled by the power of both classes; not a bard who's bad at barding, or a barbarian who just happens to be (hilariously) a poet.  Take for example this image instead:

Now THAT'S a Skald.  A warrior who fuels their talent with rage and power, spreading that sonic force to its allies.  It fills them inspiration and power, not comedy at its absurdity (which still has its place in certain games, don't worry).  So how do we build this guy?

Something John and I discuss often when we try to build multi-class concepts is the problem of too broad a spectrum of necessary attributes in order to be effective, and this concept does not convert well out of the gate.  We've got three of six (arguably four if we're going strength) that will be essential to our build, and that's Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma (duh).  Normally, I'd say Strength too, but we'll be spreading thin - we're going Dex Barbarian already.
Race: Tiefling (Charisma bump is nice, and I'm sick of the Half-Orc Barbarian trope)
  Standard Array: 15-14-13-12-10-8  
Welp.  You don't need to be smart to sing.
STR: 13
*DEX: 14
*CON: 15
INT: 9 (+1 Racial)
WIS: 10
CHA: 14 (+2 Racial)

This tweaks my nerves a little bit, as I often want one stat at its highest possible run as early as possible (my gut reaction is to put the base 15 in CHA, then +2, for a total of 17...but then we're left with slim pickings for our DEX and CON scores, and we need all three decent to make this work).  Not to mention we won't qualify for Barbarian multi-classing without at least a STR of 13.

This might feel tricky, but our taking a look at what we get up front makes this decision for us.
Barbarian First: Light and medium armor, shields, Simple and Martial weapons
Barbarian Second: Shields, Simple and Martial weapons
Bard First: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords; THREE skills; THREE instruments
Bard Second: Light armor, ONE skill of your choice, ONE musical instrument

Now, take into account that by going into Barbarian later I STILL get unarmored defense, so as long as I have a Shield (which I will), I'm still fine.  Barbarians get all weapons regardless, so Bard makes sense up front for skill versatility and a plethora of instruments with which I can sing my wrath.

The most glaring issue up front here is the fact that you cannot cast spells or concentrate on spells while raging, but my solution is pretty simple: ready?  You can cast spells while raging, and you add your Rage damage to your spells (where applicable, like a spell that deals damage).  In order to do this, you must have at least 1 level in both Barbarian and Bard.

Instead of a brand new archetype, or building a new feat structure, sometimes a little flavor swap and rules switch is all you need.  This way, we still support the benefits of both classes.
  
Now, this build REQUIRES a home-brew allowance, which makes it contingent upon your DM's allowance, but since you're not delving into Unearthed Arcana territory, this feels very smooth.  And I don't feel that it is exploitive in any way.
Giant thanks to John Tanaka for helping me streamline my thought process on this one.  

More insanity on the way.
I'll see you at the table.
-Adamus

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This past weekend marked the beginning of something, and I would be lying if I wasn't the best mix of terrified and exhilarated.
  I was invited/demanded/reserved-my-spot-immediately-following-the-last-one to attend a cool little shindig at Questers' Way called Quest Fest.  At the close of every official semester, we hold a weekend event on Saturday and Sunday where we invite local artists and small businesses to take up space in the center and sell their wares, along with big deals, free classes, and our fantastic D&D Dinner Theater for charity on Saturday night.  It's always a blast, but this time...something was different.  

For one, I wasn't working.  Well, I mean, not for the center.  I was one of those local artists.  And after having a YouTube channel (to middling success) for years now, becoming a professional dungeon master, and beginning to step into the very complicated and rewarding lens of painting miniatures just over the last year, it is a singular experience to be fully transitioning into legitimately selling my wares like some sort of underground fantasy resource.
  I don't really have a business, mind you.  I'm just a dude with a Patreon trying to make his way in the universe by providing good stuff for my fellow gamers that isn't going to break their wallet, and I'm happy to meet you where I can if it means you get more playing at your table.  And it was that level of wheeling and dealing (and being on my feet, actively engaging with nautical tons of kids and adults) that I wasn't expecting.  
  I.  CRAVED.  IT.  
It was beautiful.  I had parents bringing back memories of when THEY played, kids lighting up as they imagined unlimited worlds unfolding before them, held insightful discussions with old and new players alike, and sold out of dice almost immediately!  It was magical.  I love talking with peeps about games, podcasts, stories, and painting styles.  Got a lot of tips from some vets in the business, and got a few compliments too.
  And D&D Dinner Theater finally starting to hit its niche.  We've got a few more kinks to work out (don't worry, we've FINALLY got a sound guy secured for next time), maybe a little more plot to follow, but it's clear that its heart has settled into place.  The rest will be easy.  ;)

But the next day brought about a unique, surreal, and humbling observation.  
  My dice sold in under 90 minutes.  10 deals of miniature lots sold in the 30 minutes before D&D went live.  No one knew what minis they were getting, but they bought them anyway.  Barely anyone physically visited the shop on Sunday, yet I made back my investment through private messages and updates on available stock.  The response rendered me speechless for a time.
 
Our world is overrun by access.  Technology, internet, sharing, tweeting, instagram...  Sometimes we catch things, sometimes not.  But for those that subscribe value actively to something, they will commit it to their personal world.  They will share it to the stars and hope that another sees its rays and finds the same value in it that they did, and share it again.  This core of a perpetually rippling collective memory and experience is what drives a tribe nowadays.  A tribe; a group of people who have rallied behind an idea, a concept, a mission, a neighborhood, a person.  Something, or someone, they trust.  They'll give them the benefit of the doubt, back them when they need help, and shout their praise when their voice isn't loud enough.
  My success that weekend was in no small part because of the small tribe of people that frequent Game On, that like my Instagram, that listen to my podcast, that read this blog.  Your love, your joy, your stories, your value...it warms my soul.  And I hope I can do better for you, always.
Thank you for playing with me.  It is an honor, My Tribe.

See you at the table.
-Adamus

I knew this day would come.  It's the close of week 7 and I can feel it.  I've hit all my muscle groups, with extra days allowed to hit arms a second time and *finally* get a bodyweight-only workout...and I feel awesome.  But I've noticed a few things.

See you at the table.
​- Adamus