Lae’zel — Battle Master Fighter (Honour Mode)

Final composition: Battle Master Fighter 12 (pure single-class)

Character Creation

Stats (point buy, Githyanki)

Racial allocation: +2 STR, +1 INT (Githyanki fixed in BG3). INT 11 is stranded but irrelevant — you’re a fighter.

Githyanki Racial Features

These are significant — Lae’zel’s race is a core part of her power:

How Superiority Dice work (read once)

• Base pool: 4 × d8 at L3, +1 die at L7 (5 total), upgrade to d10 at L10.
• Refresh: Short Rest. With a Bard in the party (Song of Rest), that’s 3 SRs per Long Rest = up to 20 Superiority Dice per day.
• Manoeuvre DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + STR modifier.
• Manoeuvres add the Superiority Die to damage on top of their effect.

Level-by-Level

L1 — Fighter 1

Fighting Style: Defence (+1 AC). GWF style (reroll 1s/2s) adds only ~1.33 damage per hit — +1 AC is permanent and matters more in Honour Mode. Second Wind: 1d10 + fighter level heal, bonus action, Short Rest.

L2 — Fighter 2

⭐ Action Surge — extra Action, once per Short Rest. Your nova button.

L3 — Fighter 3 — Battle Master

Superiority Dice: 4 × d8. Manoeuvres (pick 3):

L4 — Fighter 4 — first feat

Feat: Great Weapon Master — toggle All In: -5 attack / +10 damage with two-handed melee weapons. Bonus action attack on crit or kill. Auntie Ethel’s Hair: Available but Storm Sorc gets it. You’ll get to STR 18 at level 8 instead.

L5 — Fighter 5 — power spike

⭐ Extra Attack — 2 attacks per Action. With Action Surge: 4 attacks in a nova round.

L6 — Fighter 6 — second feat

Feat: Savage Attacker — roll all melee damage dice twice, use highest. Applies to weapon dice AND superiority dice AND any smite-like riders. +~2 damage per hit with a 2d6 greatsword. Proficiency bonus increases to +3.

L7 — Fighter 7

Superiority Dice: 5 × d8 (one more die). Manoeuvres (pick 2 more):

L8 — Fighter 8 — third feat

Feat: ASI STR +2 → STR 19. Hit chance and damage both up.

L9 — Fighter 9

Indomitable — reroll a failed saving throw, once per Long Rest. Proficiency bonus increases to +4.

L10 — Fighter 10

⭐ Improved Combat Superiority — Superiority Dice become d10s. Manoeuvres (pick 2 more):

L11 — Fighter 11 — pinnacle spike

⭐ Improved Extra Attack — 3 attacks per Action. With Action Surge: 6 attacks in nova round. This is the biggest power spike in the game for a martial.

L12 — Fighter 12 — fourth feat

Feat: Alert — +5 initiative, cannot be Surprised. In Honour Mode, going first prevents TPKs and surprise rounds are the #1 cause of party wipes.

Permanent STR Bonuses

• Hag’s Hair: Goes to Storm Sorc. Skip.
• Potion of Everlasting Vigour (Act 2, Araj Oblodra, Moonrise): +2 STR permanently. Give it to Lae’zel → STR 19 → 21 after ASI.
• Mirror of Loss (Act 3): +2 STR (DC 25 Religion or Necromancy of Thay sacrifice). STR 21 → 23.
• Alternative route: Skip Mirror STR, use Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength (STR 23) or Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength (STR 27), freeing feats for other choices.

Key Items

Getting Silver Sword Early (Act 1)

In Act 1 at Mountain Pass (X: -139, Y: 561), Kith’rak Voss and his githyanki patrol land near the bridge. Voss wields the Silver Sword. To disarm him before he flies away:

1. Requires level 5+, a Beastmaster Ranger with Bear companion (Ursa Major), and a Divination Wizard with a Portent die ≥15.
2. Turn bear invisible (potion/spell). Approach Voss.
3. Honeyed Paws auto-disarms on hit — no saving throw, no attack roll needed (Portent die guarantees it).
4. Leave Lae’zel in camp during the attempt (she goes hostile if present).
5. Pick up the sword. You still fight the githyanki patrol but the sword is yours.
6. ⚠️ This causes out-of-order Lae’zel dialogue but no gameplay issues. You cannot get a second copy in Act 3.

If you skip the early grab: use Soulbreaker Greatsword until Act 3, then get Silver Sword from Voss in the sewers normally.

Combat Pattern

Opening Nova Round

1. Bonus Action: Misty Step (Githyanki Psionics) into position.
2. Action 1 (3 attacks at L11+): Trip Attack → Trip Attack → Disarming/Menacing Attack.
   • First Trip knocks target Prone.
   • Subsequent attacks have Advantage (melee vs prone).
   • Toggle GWM: All In ON if hit chance ≥65%.
3. Action Surge (3 more attacks): Precision Attack (fix any misses) → Trip → Attack.
4. GWM Bonus Attack triggers on any kill or crit — free extra attack.
5. Reaction: Riposte on any enemy melee miss.

Full nova at L11+: 6 attacks (3+3), potentially +1 from GWM bonus, +1 from Riposte = up to 8 attacks in one round.

Sustained Rounds

1. Action: 3 attacks. Manoeuvre priority:
   • Trip Attack first vs standing enemies (advantage chain setup).
   • Precision Attack to salvage GWM misses.
   • Disarming Attack vs weapon-wielding threats.
   • Menacing Attack vs melee bruisers to keep them away.
2. Bonus Action: GWM bonus on kill/crit, or Jump (Githyanki racial) for repositioning.
3. Reaction: Always Riposte when available.

Manoeuvre Priority Order

1. Trip Attack (setup)
2. Riposte (always — free damage)
3. Precision Attack (accuracy fix)
4. Disarming Attack (threat neutralization)
5. Menacing Attack (control)
6. Goading Attack (protection)
7. Pushing Attack (ledge kills / reposition)

Act-by-Act Priority

Act 1

• L1-L2: Prologue. Grab Everburn Blade from Commander Zhalk on the Nautiloid (Command: Drop).
• L3: Battle Master online — Trip, Riposte, Precision.
• L4: GWM feat.
• Goblin Camp: Gloves of the Growling Underdog (Dror Ragzlin’s treasure room behind iron gate).
• ⭐ Grymforge: Forge Adamantine Splint Armour (use mithril ore, heavy armour mould).
• Mountain Pass: Early Silver Sword via Honeyed Paws method (optional, risky but game-changing). Alternatively get Soulbreaker Greatsword from Crèche Y’llek.
• Get Ring of Protection from Mol’s quest.

Act 2

• L6: Savage Attacker feat.
• L7: Disarming + Menacing Attack.
• L8: ASI STR +2.
• Last Light Inn: Cloak of Protection from Talli.
• Gauntlet of Shar: Killer’s Sweetheart ring (Self-Same Trial).
• Moonrise: Potion of Everlasting Vigour (+2 STR).
• Stock up on Elixirs of Bloodlust (extra action on kill).

Act 3

• L9-L12: Indomitable → d10 dice → 3 attacks → Alert feat.
• Normal Silver Sword acquisition from Voss in sewers (if not from Act 1).
• ⭐ House of Hope: Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength (23 STR), Amulet of Greater Health (CON 23), Helldusk Armour.
• Armour of Persistence from Dammon (alternative heavy armour, permanent Blade Ward + Resistance).
• House of Grief: Mirror of Loss → +2 STR (or skip if using gauntlets/elixirs).
• Wyrnway: Ansur questline for Balduran’s Giantslayer (alternative +3 greatsword, doubles STR mod vs large+).

Honour Mode Reminders

• Alert at L12 is non-negotiable. Cannot be Surprised prevents the #1 cause of Honour Mode TPKs. +5 initiative means you delete a threat before it acts.
• GWM toggle discipline. Against AC 19+ targets, toggle GWM OFF. Better to hit for 2d6+5 than miss for 2d6+15. Use Precision Attack to offset when needed.
• Riposte is action economy king. Position Lae’zel to draw melee attacks, fish for misses, and Riposte. Each Riposte is effectively a free extra attack.
• Trip Attack before Disarming. Prone targets have disadvantage on STR/DEX saves. Trip → Disarming makes the save nearly impossible. Trip → Menacing locks them down completely.
• Short Rest often. With a Bard (Song of Rest), you get 3 SRs per LR. That’s 5× d10 Superiority Dice + Action Surge refreshing 4× daily = 20 Superiority Dice per day.
• Silver Sword charm immunity is huge. Many Honour Mode boss mechanics rely on Charmed/Dominated. Lae’zel is straight-up immune while wielding it.
• Legendary Actions. Some bosses can act between your attacks. Trip Attack forces them to spend half movement standing up. Disarming removes the weapon they use for legendary actions. Menacing prevents melee legendary actions entirely.