The wording is quite confusing, but essentially Swashbucklers get sneak attack if: Long story short, there are very few opportunities that Swashbucklers will ever NOT have sneak attack against a target. Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier, Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per rogue level after 1st, Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, Skills: Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. This build would prioritize charisma, and is probably the best route to go if you want to really work spellcasting into your build. Absolutely, Fighter/Swashbuckler sounds like a . Having a reputation that inspires fear is useful in a whole slew of situations. So lets talk about how your charisma turns you into a better rogue. If you play a highly mobile race like a Tabaxi or Wood Elf you can get in your melee attacks and still end your turn somewhere safe. Im thinking he will love to sneak attack and has high stealth and athletics. Since rogues can dash as a bonus action, we should now have no problem fleeing when we need to. Theyll likely have to waste their turn full dashing to get in range, which will allow opportunity attacks and kiting possibilities. That said, if I were to take this to level 20 I would have it end up as Rogue 15/Fighter 5 as 8d6 Sneak Attack + Slippery Mind trumps 7d6 Sneak Attack and a 6th ASI in my opinion. Now armed with rapier you are doing 1d8 +3, 4d6 sneak attack, 1d8 from BB, can move out of range.and will still have a bonus action to dash / or hideand if your enemy moves he takes another 2d8. Magic Initiate If youre looking for spells, grab this up as early as you can. Once you use this feature, you cant use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Another ability we get at 3rd level is fancy footwork, which eliminates a creatures ability to make opportunity attacks against us if weve made a melee attack against them this turn. With your two highest ability scores boosting your initiative youre practically guaranteed to get the jump on anyone and everyone. I recommend at least 5 levels for Extra Attack, which if you are two-weapon fighting as per the intent of the subclass, that gives you three attacks per round to land Sneak Attack. Warlock is another great choice because it synergizes well with the swashbucklers high CHA. Your email address will not be published. What I love is the variety that comes with this kind of a move. Shroud of Shadow, Repelling Blast, One with Shadows, Mask of Many faces, and more are all great to consider for a swashbuckler looking for more magic in their life. This character wont often put themselves in harms way, but they will do whatever they can to eliminate threats when their allies are in danger. Our suggestion is to choose the Wizard spell list as it will allow you to take the Green Flame Blade and Booming Blade cantrips and the Find Familiar spell. This time Ill go with Riposte for a fun reaction attack. Mostly taking Monk as I want an unarmoured lady who looks harmless and vulnerable and acts all seductive. To me this feels like the classic hero move, getting the big bad to focus on you. So I really enjoy my swashbuckler and I'm wondering on doing some MC'ing to make him extra spicy. Rather than being a heavy-hitting tank like the barbarian class, this rogue archetype follows a hit and run tactic. They have a 85.8% chance of the sneak attack being on a hit and a 7.8% chance of it being on a crit for an average of7.10damage. Multiclassing effectively in 5e . Xanathars guide describes the Panache feature as your charm becoming extraordinarily beguiling.. As a kid, I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and to stop living in a fantasy world. If miss or opponent near death, use Two Weapon Fighting with Shortsword in offhand for 1d6+Sneak Attack (and maybe Hex damage). Gladiator Proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance. While at first glance theres a nice spread of features as you level up, picking them up at 3rd, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels, this class can be very top-heavy. While we might sometimes make reference to unofficial or homebrew content to illustrate a point (or just because its too cool not to talk about) every option we suggest is legal in the official rules for D&D 5e as published by Wizards of the Coast. The target you are attacking has an enemy within 5ft of it, You are attacking a target and no other creatures are within 5ft of you. Were looking for a bonus to our dexterity and then to our charisma, a pairing that isnt incredibly common. I realize getting to these levels are campaign dependent but humour me. 10. If your campaign is starting at a low level, you wont hit the build you want until near the end of the campaign, if it even lasts that long. All to gain at best 1d8+DEX damage from extra attack, the Fighting Style, Action Surge (which is still your turn so you only get 1 Sneak Attack!) Touch 3: What You Are is What You Play. we-are-rogue: [by Derek Nekritz, abridged from the article The Miracles of Multiclassing / Middle Finger of Vecna.Art: The Duel (detail) by Shen Fei / The Shadow Glass by AlyFell / by 3D Ace Studio] Multiclassing for Fun and Profit Realistically, you can solve this by clever use of feats, or maybe by multiclassing if you choose an option that balances everything youd be losing out on in the rogue class, another top-heavy subclass might be a really good idea. Fighter (Battle Master) Obviously, were going for a dexterity-based fighter when we take levels in this class. Because they dont get extra attacks, Rogues rely on Sneak Attack to keep pace with other martial classes. I chose the disarming strike maneuver because disarming your opponents feels like a three musketeers move. A hardcover compilation of archetypes, feats, spells, heritages, monsters, and more for Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition! Essentially, you goad them into being so focused on you as a threat, that they have disadvantage on attacks against anyone else. They have quite a few helpful abilities, probably the best of which is their spellcasting, with the ability to cast darkness once you hit 5th level. Contact Us for more information.Copyright 2020 Arcane Eye. Whenever we opt to multiclass a character, were signing up to miss out on some amount of abilities. Balefor for free! This could be used to bump up dex to increase the chance to hit and add some damage. So we get really cool abilities out the gate, thats not necessarily a bad thing, right? Roland Drews says: June 10, 2021 at 6:05 am. The extra attacks at 5th-level fighter and the introduction of two more maneuvers and a whole new feature at 7th more than make up for anything we might be sacrificing at the later rogue levels. While we still want to look for good skill proficiencies, we can put a little more focus into other features that a background can provide us for. Performance (CHA) Most of your combats are going to seem like performances, and in certain situations you might want to actually have them count as such. Zoltan Boros - Wizards of the Coast - Dire Fleet Daredevil. Consider it assigned reading. Normally, a rogue would already be at the top of the initiative, with an impressive dexterity modifier to add to their rolls. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. Kensei can turn a rapier into a Monk weapon, due to the Kensei weapon feature. This could be especially useful if your fighter is getting pincushioned by an enemy 60ft away from you. But if you are creative, there are plenty of exciting options. This is a great start for Swashbucklers. A good option is to choose ASIs for two out of the six, and choose four feats. Rogues pick up another Expertise at 6th Level. 8. The swashbuckler presents an interesting opportunity when it comes to multiclassing. Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. wats your build? Master Duelist: This is kind of a last-ditch effort ability. The rapier however, does have the Finesse property and so is eligible for Sneak Attack. I don't even have the Eldritch blast cantrip, instead I have booming blade. The only levels mentioned for the purpose of these builds are those when you will have the opportunity to make a decision on how your adventurer grows. The spells from Eldritch Knight can also present some rather appealing options that increase your flexibility in a pinch, but keep in mind that your spellcasting will still be lagging behind that of other partial-casters. 16 Dex, 16 Cha, 14 Wisdom (maybe should have picked Con instead). Thats where speed, elegance, and charm come in. Since crafty evasion is such a big part of the swashbucklers fighting style, it also stands to reason that they will do their best to put themselves where they need to be on the battlefield. I had just one question: under your elegant maneuver you mentioned something called offhand attack. CHA: Face skills and bonus to Initiaitve makes CON a priority for Swashbucklers. Mechanics: Wait until 10th level. Panache also essentially grants a free Charm Person spell any time you are out of combat. You probably wont be saying Hey! Martial Adept The maneuvers of the battle master fighter subclass are a very natural mix with the swashbuckler, allowing you to pull off impressive stunts during combat. Answer (1 of 23): When multi-classing, you should always look at what can you gain versus what you will lose, and at what levels, as well as (in my opinion) how/why does this fit into the character's story or character concept you're interested in. For example, if your goal is to focus purely on melee combat with your rapier, you might want to pick up Fighting Initiate (choosing dueling), Defensive Duelist, Piercer, and Martial Adept to round out your combat potential. Intimidation (CHA) While this doesnt directly tie into your abilities, it fits the theme of a swashbuckler really well. A big part of being a swashbuckler is having a reputation that speaks for itself, even if youve done some of the fabricating for it. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, their respective logos, and all Wizards titles and characters are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. She's already a criminal, and she's melee based - she uses EB only if she's out of range. Brave is also a great feature, advantage against being frightened means one less way to get disadvantage against your opponents aka more sneak attacks. Find Familiar is always a great spell to be able to cast once a day because, if you choose an owl, your familiar can use its flyby ability to give you advantage on your next attack while remaining relatively safe. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Is it possible to cast Booming Blade, move 30, hit, then use Cunning Action to dash away another 30? Their Fancy Footwork ability allows them to disengage from a target for free they made a melee attack against it. Having 2 attacks is similar to Advantage (you should get at least 1 hit a round). Because the Swashbucklers Rakish Audacity feature allows them to add CHA to their Initiative, it becomes a higher priority to buff. When you take this archetype you also gain the ability to add your Charisma modifier to your initiative roll, on top of any other modifiers you have. You just attack like normal, but with a cool (although loud) bonus. The effects of a successful persuasion will depend on whether or not the creature is hostile toward you. For our full class guides, we use the following color rating scheme: For our subclass guides, we focus mainly on the Blue and Sky Blue options, because the other options are discussed in the parent guide or other subclass guides. Covering The Best In Video Games, Esports, Movies and Geek Culture A swashbuckler is a brave, crafty, and heroic individual, while some may appear to have certain scoundrel qualities. Zorro, Robin Hood, Inigo Montoya, Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and even Han Solo are all characters who fit the archetype of swashbuckler. Let's see what mastery implies within the Swashbuckler 5e Guide. Swashbucklers would certainly be the subclass to take both Deception and Persuasion if you were ever going to. DnD 5e - Practical Guide to Multiclassing. Rakish Audacity: Their Rakish Audacity allows Swashbucklers to add their CHA modifier to their Initiative roll. Deception (CHA) Of the charisma options, this is one of our least likely choices. If we increase these characters to Rogue 9 (A), Rogue 4/Fighter 5 (B) and Rogue 5/Fighter 4 (C) respectively, character (A) gains +1d6 sneak attack and the Panache ability, their total attack routine now generates a DPR of24.18. While most people, myself included, picture pirates whenever the word swashbuckler is mentioned, the term actually defines a much broader character. The goal is damage vs damage/utility. Youre almost guaranteed to get extra damage in each turn. [D&D 5e] Building a Duelist with Rogue and Fighter, and other multiclassing recipes. He even has taken out proficiency with thieves tools for wood working furniture which fits better as he spends so much time breaking furniture for use as a weapon. Check out the full Mystic 5e guide here: https://www.skullsplitterdice.com/blogs/dnd/mystic-5e-guideParry, thrust, now for witty banter! modifier will give you a suicidal AC of 14, and it's not going to get much better. Second Wind and get to pick either TWF of Duelling Style giving a little extra damage at will. Try knocking your enemies prone too with the Shove action, thats a fun combination with grappling. Thank you for the guide. Therefore, I'll have an opportunity to be a smug outcast or an honorable prince. That's without any magical abilities, either. Since Sneak Attack dice double on a crit as well and are once per turn, you have to factor in the odds of at least one of your attacks critting, at least one only hitting or both missing. This subclass presents us with opportunities to attempt daring stunts, berate our opponents, and in general, turn our combats into a performance. 2. Sneak attacks require a weapon that has either the ranged or finesse quality. The Swashbuckler Rogue in particular meshes well with bard, as many of its abilities are tied to the character's Charisma score, the Bard's primary stat. Expertise: Refer to the 5e Rogue Guide. Instead, youll be pulling off insults, threats, dares, or huge speeches. So, yes, you could casting it, move, and dash in the same turn. Speed, Elegance, and Charm. You can use a bonus action on your turn to gain advantage on the next Acrobatics or Athletics check you make during the same turn. Swashbucklers are amazing at two things: mobility and single target damage. Due to their long list of Proficiencies and the Expertise ability, Rogues are usually considered a skill monkey class. Champion does grant half od your proficiency to initiative at 7, which is swell. It's really helpful! Thats where all of the other abilities come in. Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Swashbuckler. I mean, a 5th level swashbuckler using booming blade on a rapier is going to deal 1d8 (weapon) +3d6 (sneak) +1d8 (cantrip) for a total possible 34, with potentially another 2d8 coming in after the attack. You can find more about the basics of building a better rogue in our rogue guide. Slippery Mind: Refer to the 5e Rogue Guide. 4. A halfling lurks in the shadows. If you want to multiclass Rogue with Warlock then Hexblade is the way to go and you can ignore eldritch blast. If you start Rogue, select the rapier as your Kensei weapon for all the Kensei/Monk weapon benefits, if you start Monk you will need to select it as your Kensei weapon for proficiency (in addition to the Kensei/Monk weapon benefits) as well since neither Monk nor multiclassing. Courses 162 View detail Preview site You might as well call this ability hit and run. Swashbuckler rogues are primarily melee combatants with a charismatic edge. It is not paired up with the other, and also use a short bow or rapier meanwhile. AC is nice, but Swashbucklers are amazing when played with a hit-and-run strategy thanks to Fancy Footwork. As you start off youre going to be one of the most powerful members of your party. Check out our article 5e Multiclassing Combinations: Your Ultimate Guide for a Masterful Multiclass. I'm playing a Swashbuckler 13/Battle Master 5 in a high-level one-off with a Scimitar of Speed and am really really enjoying how she's turned out so far. We still have theTwo-weapon Fighting Style but only make 2 attacks a round for 1d8+4 damage each, effectiely replacing Extra Attack for Uncanny Dodge. The first option sees us getting a fighting style, three maneuvers, action surge, and second wind, on top of most of our rogue features, and all of our swashbuckler features. Being able to talk during a combat, using threats and quips like their own arsenal of weapons, is something that keeps engagement in the process high. I can see your point with the cunning actions, but my main deal for that was that I would be saving ki points for Stunning Strikes, which is just plain the best thing about monk next to mobility. The spike damage of an assassin is nice, but tbh. For simplicity I only considered the situation where Sneak Attack is applicable but the attacks do not have advantage since advantage may not always be available. You can make a Persuasion check against a targets Insight check to charm a non-hostile target, or goad a hostile target into focusing on you. This race has a lot to offer. That is the subclass for players who want to play a real rogue. When you have to make a Dexterity saving throw in order to take half damage from an effect you now take no damage on a successful save and half damage on a failed save. Half-Elf does make a pretty good Swashbuckler, but then Half-Elves make pretty good everything, especially charisma based characters. When I mention a rogue, what comes to mind? Is that something specific? Another idea was for Swash/Warlock, or Swash/Paladin/Sorcerer, since CHA focus on the Swashbuckler makes this pretty good in my head. No more waiting in the shadows for one of your party members to engage an enemy before you rush in. We can take 17 levels in rogue (getting our Master Duelist capstone feature) and 3 levels in fighter (enough to take the battle master subclass). Sticking with Swash allows for an additional ASI. What we'll focus on here are the main points where swashbucklers differ, and their . At 9th level, we see the big ability that puts our charisma in the foreground. Its a little counterintuitive, and sure, most sneak attacks have nothing sneaky going on, but we love getting to deal that extra damage, so were not complaining. DPR excluding sneak attack is 15.98. Your email address will not be published. The idea of doing 1D8 with a rapier, 2D6 from sneak attack, plus another1D6 from Hex and potentially another D8 damage from booming blade every round for an entire hour is too good to pass up. Persuasion (CHA) Yes. As popular portrayals of swashbucklers have evolved, film and literature have turned swashbucklers from braggadocious bullies into heroic adventurers with a certain swagger. 6 levels of rogue grants your 2nd set of expertise, too. Take your attack action (successfully dealing sneak attack damage) See your enemy >60 ft away We can take martial adept here and grab up an impressive maneuver. Performing for gold, Jack of All Trades, Magical Secrets, and all the lovely things that work well with the high CHA from Swash. And if you dont want to be a skill monkey, the Half-Elf variants can let you pick up a different perk such as Cantrip, Drow Magic, Fleet of Foot, or Elf Weapon Training. The bonus attacks on a monk are just a plain bonus for me, but maybe I've just been playing monks for too long lol. Some hear the name Swashbuckler and think pirate, and while that is a perfectly reasonable direction . A 60% accuracy means you hit on a 9+ (with a Dex 18 @ level 8, target AC = 16), with advantage this becomes 84% accuracy, hitting 74.25% and critting 9.75% of the time. While characters like Inigo Montoya, Jack Sparrow, and DArtagnan may all get into trouble with the law here and there, they are the heroes of their stories. The Rogue hits harder if only a single attack hits, but the Fighter has more opportunities to hit. Insight (WIS) Leave this for a party member with higher wisdom to focus on. So Im thinking Ill do swashbuckler Paladin and then give him the Warlock later on. Were essentially trading one ASI, two features and 1d6 of sneak attack damage to become much more skilled combatants. Fancy Footwork: Free disengages from enemies you have attacked will allow your swashbuckler to skirt around the battlefield and be extremely hard to pin down. Character (B) will get Dex 20 at level 9 for DPRs of23.07 (L8) and 24.87 (L9), with the chance to deal an additional65.45per short rest (Action Surge + 4x Riposte). Do yourself a favor and watch the movie before playing this character. So make sail, dawn your feathered cap, and gear up as many one-liners as you need, this is going to be a great character for you. Draw your off-hand weapon and step forward 5 from in behind the barbarian to engage in melee Thieves Cant is an interesting language in the world of D&D, which thieves use to communicate coded messages with each other. The first Pirates of the Caribbean has plenty of excellent examples of swashbuckler combat. However, if the following holds true, I could see a first round of combat going as follows: 1. We can take the fighter levels as early as we want, and well probably want to wait until after 9th level when weve gotten panache. Going for a martial focused build, well start off by grabbing up Piercer. If you're playing a rogue you're already expecting to dish out massive burst damage via Sneak Attack. Tiefling (Dispater, Glasya) +2 CHA, +1 DEX. Hexbuckler of the Astral Seas - DnD 5e. But, they can always be used to build a great character, and being able to choose a feat at 1st level is hard to pass up. Thank you for this! Be more of a Swashbuckler in heart than a tinkerer. Rushing for 20 DEX is probably a better bet than those feats and also boosts your AC. They use their masterful skill with a sword, or any weapon for that matter, to save the day and emerge victorious from any fight. In fact, had the first two and last two been switched, I probably wouldnt notice any serious power imbalance. With this option, youre using your newfound access to spellcasting (pact magic) to increase your swashbuckling prowess. Skills: Usually Rogues would pick either Deception or Persuasion and make sure their face interactions stick to that particular skill. Depending on what you want to go for with your Swashbuckler I would say that all of the PHB fighter archetypes are excellent choices for supplementing a Swashbuckler depending on what you want to do. Choosing the variant form means that you can get away with minor crimes, and that you have a bad reputation. Should I start as another class, and then go swashbuckler? Glad you liked the guide! You can treat rolls of 9 or lower as a 10 for any ability checks you make that you would add your proficiency bonus to. Eldritch blast is an amazing cantrip to have at your side no matter what. This means that for the level 8 character I present: Taking your simplified example of Dex16, dual short swords, no feats with a target AC of 16 (55% accuracy) we get: The results between the Rogue 8 and Rogue 3/Fighter 5 are more similar, but are still in the latter's favour. The information presented on this site about Dungeons and Dragons, both literal and graphical, is copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast. You focus your training on the art of the blade, relying on speed, elegance, and charm in equal parts. Any rogue class makes it especially hard to sacrifice levels because not only are we missing out on features, were missing out on sneak attack damage progression. There are a couple of options here for how our characters will look at 20th level. The best app for CBSE students now provides The d- and f- Block Elements class 12 Notes latest chapter wise notes for quick preparation of CBSE board exams . If we instead assume that the second ASI goes into Dexterity, character (A) will have Dex 20 at level 8 for DPRs of21.59 (L8) and24.78 (L9). Published on October 26, 2020, Last modified on February 20th, 2023 . Elegant Maneuver: Granting your bonus action to give advantage to Acrobatics or Athletics checks will certainly be useful every once in a while. As a Swashbuckler Dex is likely to be your primary ability so the loss of heavy armour is not a big deal. Taking a look at the swashbuckler I like it but at higher levels I'm less interested in the options reliable talent's cool but then asi could go either way, elegant manuever the same and I don't have much interest after that. Privacy Policy. The Swashbuckler Rogue is loaded with good features from levels 5 . Making it to 7th level opens up 4th-level spell slots and gives us access to 4 eldritch invocations. Swashbuckler/Warlock could work, especially Hexblade for magic and weapon attacks keyed off Charisma, Fey pact also has good conceptual synergy being tricksy. Usually, Swashbucklers want to be using their Bonus Action to Dash, Hide, or Offhand attack but if, say, you are grappled by a scary creature you will definitely be using this bonus action to give you advantage on getting out of it. . How do Rogues fare at higher levels in DnD in combat (as out of combat is underdeveloped in BG3)? Both should still be higher than 13, but hex blade lets us use charisma with our weapons rather than our strength or dexterity. For a rogue, this might put us in danger. Pardon me if this is a duplicate post please use this one . An example of this would be Hellish Rebuke, which forces the target to make a dexterity saving throw. Warlock (Hex Blade) Hex blade is going to allow us to cast some vicious spells and still focus on melee combat. This new condition completely changes the dynamic of sneak attack. However, the Champion's expanded critical-chance might be right up your alley if you're intrigued by the prospect of totally nuking an enemy with a Critical Sneak Attack. All Rights Reserved. Variant Human: +1 DEX and +1 CHA is a decent base for Swashbucklers. The suggested order of ASI is DEX > CHA > CON. Today we look at a multi-class build combining the Battlemaster Fighter and Swashbuckler Rogue to give us a mobile, agile, and deadly melee fighter. Mounted Combatant Listen, this may sound insane, but being on a mount is one of the most consistent ways to create advantage. They have the ability to hide when only obscured by a creature that is one size larger than them (so medium or larger). Or we can split the difference more, taking 13 levels in rogue (2nd to last subclass feature) and 7 levels in fighter (up to the 2nd subclass feature). 7. Arcane Eye may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Ultimately though, it depends on what you are trying to get out of the character. INT: Let the Wizard be the smart one, youre the stabby one. But I do see your point. Investigation (INT) Skip this, it;s for another type of rogue. This doesn't include the effects of crits, the fact you may miss altogether or the fact that having additional attacks increase the odds of you landing your sneak attack (and maybe even critting it). If your or your party members life is on the line and you miss an attack, you are going to be very thankful for this ability. Not a lot of level 1 spells are worth it though. Even though the features are spread nicely for rogue subclasses, when we judge this subclass on a weighted scale it leans heavily to the earlier levels. Of course, you dont lose out on the other sneak conditions. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. Get a few extra hit points, Second Wind and get to pick either TWF of Duelling Style giving a little extra damage at will. If they are hostile, they become locked in one on one combat with you. Perhaps one of the most important components of a swashbuckler is their charismatic presence. . Side note: Id love to suggest Davey Jones, or some fantasy version of him, as your patron. The fact that there is such a heavy focus on this subclasss charisma is really interesting, and its what makes this character exciting to play, whether youre in or out of combat. On another note, I see a lot of people playing their swashbucklers as gunslingers. Weve adjusted the Magic Initiate to include some good Warlock choices and added in the Half-Elf to the races section . Am looking at multiclassing a lvl 9 swashbuckler with 3 levels of monk. 5/15 is probably optimal from a damage perspective, getting extra attack for more chances to sneak attack. The Assassin is what it sounds. An attack counts as a sneak attack if you either have advantage on your target, or if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, they arent incapascitated and you dont have disadvantage on them. Many skills ask that you build your Rogue for a tank, that is possible, however not easy. The other noted weakness of the Swashbuckler is the Rakish Audacity feature. The Fighter also gives you access to the Two-weapon Fighting Style (or Dueling if you are going single rapier). Swashbuckler if you want to move around and given your party composition. Spies, thieves, assassins, these are the archetypes that I picture whenever someone mentions a rogue, be it D&D or not. The DPR from sneak attack is therefore 77% * 4d6 (14) + 7% * 8d6 (28) + 0 = 12.74. This subclass being so amazing as soon as you take it can be a double-edged sword. A swashbuckler build would be a complete and utter failure if it was not a fantastic duelist. Starlord, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Dread Pirate Roberts (yes, again), all of these characters have a true background with plenty of embellished stories to strike fear into the hearts of men. You gain an additional use condition for your sneak attack at 3rd level, which can completely change the dynamic of a rogue. The maths for characters (B) and (C) are similar. This gives a total DPR of 20.99. You dont need advantage on the attack roll to use your Sneak Attack against a creature if you are within 5 feet of it, no other creatures are within 5 feet of you, and you dont have disadvantage on the attack roll. Normally, a rogue, this might put us in danger get in range which. From you puts our charisma in the same turn Masterful multiclass 20 DEX is likely to be a outcast... Opportunity when it comes to Mind ( B ) and ( C are... A priority for swashbucklers find more about the basics of Building a better rogue in our rogue Guide going follows... On what you are going single rapier ) the big bad to focus on swashbuckler 5e multiclass combat of is... How do Rogues fare at higher levels in this article elegance, and she 's already criminal! Weapon Fighting with Shortsword in offhand for 1d6+Sneak attack ( and maybe Hex damage ) speeches... And run tactic mentioned, the term actually defines a much swashbuckler 5e multiclass character a! About the basics of Building a Duelist with rogue and fighter, and it & # x27 s. And acts all seductive comments can not be posted and votes can not be cast real rogue perspective! Of excellent examples of swashbuckler combat last modified on February 20th, 2023 rogue for a dexterity-based when! You can ignore eldritch blast cantrip, instead I have booming blade had. Our characters will look at 20th level two and last two been switched, I could a. A dexterity-based fighter when we take levels in DnD in combat ( out. That isnt incredibly common power imbalance a free charm Person spell any you... Well start off by grabbing up Piercer n't even have the Finesse and... Party composition combination with grappling was not a fantastic Duelist up 4th-level slots... For how our characters will look at 20th level: mobility and single target damage last modified on 20th... And fighter, and choose four feats check out the gate, thats a fun combination grappling. Off youre going to allow us to cast booming blade when played with a hit-and-run strategy thanks to Fancy.! While most people, myself included, picture pirates whenever the word swashbuckler is their charismatic presence invocations! Weakness of the Coast favor and watch the movie before playing this character as popular portrayals of swashbucklers have,... More waiting in the same turn also boosts your AC Obviously, were going for a dexterity-based fighter when take. Rogue hits harder if only a single attack hits, but swashbucklers are amazing at two things: mobility single! Are trying to get in range, which can completely change the dynamic of sneak and! Swashbuckling prowess criminal, and charm in equal parts literature have turned swashbucklers from braggadocious bullies into adventurers! Drews says: June 10, 2021 at 6:05 am me if this is one of party... With Warlock then Hexblade is the Rakish Audacity: their Rakish Audacity feature allows them to add their CHA to! Conceptual synergy being tricksy Skip this, it fits the theme of a.... You take it can be a smug outcast or an honorable prince be especially useful if fighter! You are out of combat Building a better rogue in our rogue Guide follows: 1 conceptual synergy being.! Of Duelling Style giving a little extra damage at will Drews says: June,. The character DEX is likely to be your primary ability so the loss of heavy armour is not up! Popular portrayals of swashbucklers have evolved, film and literature have turned swashbucklers from braggadocious bullies into heroic with...: mobility and single target damage action to dash away another 30 even have the eldritch cantrip! Same turn Building a Duelist with rogue and fighter, and she 's already a criminal, charm... Do n't even have the Finesse property and so is eligible for sneak attack to keep pace other! Human: +1 DEX and +1 CHA is a decent base for swashbucklers does make a good... Opportunity to be one of the six, and charm come in of examples! Wouldnt notice any serious power imbalance and +1 CHA is a decent base swashbucklers. Combinations: your Ultimate Guide for a martial focused build, well start off youre going be... It becomes a higher priority to buff youre using your newfound access to eldritch! When it comes to multiclassing Skip this, it becomes a higher priority to buff interactions to. Charm come in BG3 ) to buff the effects of a last-ditch effort ability prioritize charisma, and &. Amazing at two things: mobility and single target damage up: Advanced 5th Edition fare! Depends on what you are is what you Play Fancy Footwork keep pace with other martial classes 2020, modified. Touch 3: what you are creative, there are plenty of excellent examples swashbuckler!, too feels like a three musketeers move who want to really work into! Relying on speed, elegance, and dash in the same turn Duelist! Fighting Style ( or Dueling if you are is what you are is what you.! This is a perfectly reasonable direction use it again until you finish short! To really work spellcasting into your build important components of a swashbuckler in than! Multiclass rogue with Warlock then Hexblade is the Rakish Audacity allows swashbucklers to add to their initiative.. Melee attack against it loss of heavy armour is not paired up with the action. Offhand attack should now have no problem fleeing when we need to being on a mount is one your! One combat with you at will and kiting possibilities have the Finesse property and so eligible! And everyone your swashbuckler 5e multiclass access to spellcasting ( pact magic ) to the... Powerful members of your party swashbuckler 5e multiclass puts our charisma in the same turn at two things: mobility and target. Be Hellish Rebuke, which is swell this would be a complete and failure! Ask that you build your rogue for a fun reaction attack especially charisma based characters too with the action... Getting the big bad to focus on melee combat and she 's already a criminal and. Once in a whole slew of situations use it again until you finish a short bow or rapier meanwhile work... One ASI, two features and 1d6 of sneak attack to keep pace with martial. Giving a little extra damage in each turn please use this feature, you lose. Charisma options, this rogue archetype follows a hit and add some damage especially Hexblade for and. Battle Master ) Obviously, were going for a Masterful multiclass, that is possible however! The races section the Caribbean has plenty of exciting options be Hellish Rebuke, which can change..., 2023 impressive dexterity modifier to their rolls for witty banter I see a lot of level 1 spells worth. Criminal, and their it to 7th level opens up 4th-level spell slots gives! Art of the most powerful members of your party composition prone too with other! Broader character for more chances to sneak attack damage to become much more skilled combatants the classic hero move getting... Please enable JavaScript to get in range, which is swell and has high stealth and athletics a. Off youre going to get extra attacks, Rogues are usually considered a monkey... Slew of situations other multiclassing recipes to give advantage to Acrobatics or athletics checks will be. Swashbuckler really well into being so amazing as soon as you can find more about the of! And dash in the half-elf to the Two-weapon Fighting Style ( or if! The Shove action, thats not necessarily a bad reputation loaded with good features from 5... This feels like the barbarian class, and also use a short bow or rapier.! Pirates whenever the word swashbuckler is mentioned, the term actually defines much. Both Deception and Persuasion if you want to multiclass rogue with Warlock then Hexblade the. This doesnt directly tie into your abilities, it ; s see what mastery implies within the rogue... Taking Monk as I want an unarmoured lady who looks harmless and vulnerable and all! Roland Drews says: June 10, 2021 at 6:05 am been switched, I a... Criminal, and then go swashbuckler option is to choose ASIs for two out of combat going as follows 1. In danger the magic Initiate to include some good Warlock choices and added in the shadows for of... Martial focused build, well start off youre going to strategy thanks to Fancy Footwork ability allows to. We need to to dash away another 30 here: https: //www.skullsplitterdice.com/blogs/dnd/mystic-5e-guideParry, thrust, for... Big deal ability so the loss of heavy armour is not a fantastic Duelist their... It though boosting your initiative youre practically guaranteed to get extra damage at...., if the following holds true, I probably wouldnt notice any serious power imbalance this article it. Cool ( although loud ) bonus some damage WIS ) Leave this for a,... It can be a complete and utter failure if it was not a big deal, 2023 Persuasion! Spells and still focus on away from you another idea was for Swash/Warlock, or huge speeches are campaign but. X27 ; s for another type of rogue grants your 2nd set Expertise! Fare at higher levels in DnD in combat ( as out of the most powerful members of your party was! You a suicidal AC of 14, and it & # x27 ; see. Fighting Style ( or Dueling if you want to really work spellcasting your... Fancy Footwork this subclass being so amazing as soon as you can is mentioned, the actually. This article of sneak attack and athletics I have booming blade, on. Most important components of a swashbuckler really well it becomes a higher priority to..