Im thinking 4th level per class but narrowing it down to three is so difficult. They getthe rest of the Bard package, too. Find yourself in any fight club or pit and get some exciting one-on-one combat to pull in a steady income. This allows you to get around the battlefield with more ease than your average combatant and create more opportunity for sneak attacks. The species of animal you choose is called your companion's type. I dipped 3 levels into Swashbuckler from my dual wielding dex Battlemaster Fighter. Eldritch blast is an amazing cantrip to have at your side no matter what. I realize getting to these levels are campaign dependent but humour me. Gladiator Proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance. Published on October 26, 2020, Last modified on February 20th, 2023. On another note, I see a lot of people playing their swashbucklers as gunslingers. I don't even have the Eldritch blast cantrip, instead I have booming blade. Defensive Duelist This is a great way to boost your AC if youre using a finesse weapon. 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. This guide is meant as a deep dive into the Swashbuckler Rogue subclass. All Rights Reserved. Answer (1 of 2): The best multiclass options are, of course, those that build upon your character in a way that makes sense within the story where the character exists. 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. CHA: Face skills and bonus to Initiaitve makes CON a priority for Swashbucklers. 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. We also get elegant maneuvers at 13th level, which lets us take a bonus action to prepare us for an acrobatics or athletics check so that we make the roll with advantage. My only complain is that Investigation (INT) checks to detect traps are terrible and have no bonus, which sucks when you are also the scout (because Rogue.) (B) A Rogue(Swashbuckler) 3/Fighter (Battlemaster) 5 with the Two-weapon Fighting Style would make 3 attacks each dealing 1d8+4 damage. 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. 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. 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). Now, that being said, youre also going to want to take Booming Blade, since its a cantrip that will let you add more damage to your melee attacks, stacking on top of your potential sneak attack damage for a whole lot of dice rolling at one time. Learn how your comment data is processed. To me this feels like the classic hero move, getting the big bad to focus on you. Well start off with expertise in persuasion and acrobatics. Pretty sure I'll stick with Hexblade for the rest of the ride, as long as it lasts. Stroke of Luck: Refer to the 5e Rogue Guide. Swords Bard get all those cool flourishes, and the ability to use their weapon as their spellcasting focus. Zorro, Robin Hood, Inigo Montoya, Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and even Han Solo are all characters who fit the archetype of swashbuckler. Not to mention we gain a feature later on that gives us advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks. Technically, this is the sailor background, the pirate is just a variant form. 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. I think the fighter multiclass also fits the theme well. You now have 3 attacks a round each dealing 1d6+3 and once a turn 2d6 Sneak AttackOnce per Short Rest you can gain an extra Attack Action for 2 more attacksfor 1d6+3 each, but Sneak Attack only applies once a turn.If you're Battlemaster with Ripose and Parry you can possibly get more Sneak Attacks a round with your Battle Master ability per Short Rest for 4 chances for 1d6+3+1d8+2d6 (shortword+dex+superiority die+sneak attack)Not having Uncanny Dodge it's good to have Parry, so you can return the attack on a hit or a miss. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. Privacy Policy. 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. Balefor for free! A Swashbuckler is a flashy, showy, bombastic adventuring type, usually but not necessarily a swordsman. For a Swashbuckler I would also recommend levels in Fighter in the case that you wish to multiclass. In this post, we will be examining the Swashbuckler rogues class features and how you can optimize your Swashbuckler rogue through choosing your race, background, ability scores, and feats. @swamp_slug That's some solid math. I like the idea of a field bladelock swashbuckler, but thats just me. Talk about value for a subclass feature. Swashbucklers dance . God, I just realized some of you reading might not have seen The Princess Pride. Finish the round No matter how you want to fight, the swashbuckler subclass is going to let you do it better. It doesnt have to be, but it can become pretty annoying. The Fighter also gives you access to the Two-weapon Fighting Style (or Dueling if you are going single rapier). Was thinking about making a Swashbuckler multiclassed with College of Swords bard to proper zone into being a swave mouthy sword figther , Great use of the additional CHA score! This is a great start for Swashbucklers. On a successful check against a non-hostile target, the target is charmed for 1 minute or until you or your allies harm it. Deception (CHA) Of the charisma options, this is one of our least likely choices. A 5e Guide to Fighter / Rogue Multiclassing. You focus your training on the art of the blade, relying on speed, elegance, and charm in equal parts. Fight me! every time you want to use this feature. Also, it depends on the level split but Fighter can quite easily increase your damage output, although you do trade survivability for this damage. Second Wind and get to pick either TWF of Duelling Style giving a little extra damage at will. 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. Kensei can turn a rapier into a Monk weapon, due to the Kensei weapon feature. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. This is especially true since both of these subraces have some great stealthy spells to add to your arsenal. I noticed on SB the best features are pretty much at 3 and everything else is sneak attack. Hexbuckler of the Astral Seas - DnD 5e. / Hasbro, Inc. We can take martial adept here and grab up an impressive maneuver. Green Flame Blade is a solid option to squeeze out some more damage when you get the chance but the real winner here is Booming Blade. They use their masterful skill with a sword, or any weapon for that matter, to save the day and emerge victorious from any fight. Surprisingly, this rogue archetype focuses on one-on-one combat, rather than hiding in the shadows. While good in theory, most Rogues dont find a whole lot of trouble scoring Sneak Attack against enemies once per turn as long as they have another martial class at their party. I concur. 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. Master Duelist: This is kind of a last-ditch effort ability. Ultimately though, it depends on what you are trying to get out of the character. Making it to 7th level opens up 4th-level spell slots and gives us access to 4 eldritch invocations. They have the ability to hide when only obscured by a creature that is one size larger than them (so medium or larger). Instead, a rogue now takes half of 2d10 on a failed save and no damage on the successful save. Rocco Giusto August . document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Well want to get a full 7-level dip into this class, even though a 3 or even 1-level dip would still yield us benefits. They would lose Uncanny Dodge, Expertise in 2 skills and Evasion, which are all very good abilities. If youre someone who enjoys getting spellcasting in any build you can, go for a class with racial spells. You can either increase one ability by 2 points or two abilities by 1. They are incredibly fast, and can essentially quadruple their speed if they use the dash action and their feline agility together. Touch 6: The Knowledge from Without. In fact, had the first two and last two been switched, I probably wouldnt notice any serious power imbalance. A swashbuckler build would be a complete and utter failure if it was not a fantastic duelist. D&D 5E Swashbuckler/warlock multi class. 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. If you're playing a rogue you're already expecting to dish out massive burst damage via Sneak Attack. 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. Both should still be higher than 13, but hex blade lets us use charisma with our weapons rather than our strength or dexterity. Xanathars guide describes the Panache feature as your charm becoming extraordinarily beguiling.. I personally like using Unseen Servant to create opportunities for sneak attack. This character would have Action Surge for an additional 2 attacks once per short rest (+10.65) and would have 4 superiority dice (d8) to use per short rest (+11.7) which could be spent on trip attack to grant advantage (+DPR) or use Riposte for an off turn attack (+12.80including sneak attack and the superioty die). Were essentially trading one ASI, two features and 1d6 of sneak attack damage to become much more skilled combatants. Rogues pick up another Expertise at 6th Level. STR: Leave the heavy lifting to your friends. I love this article and am glad I found it. While you could get away going completely unarmoured, Cunning Action completely replaces Step of The Wind,Sneak Attack requires the weapon to have the Finesse property so you can't Sneak Attack with a longsword via Kensai or with your unarmed attacks and you will need to have 11 levels of Monk before the bonus damage exceeds that of a short sword or 17 if you are using Rapiers. A little later on, 9th level gives us Panache, letting us dial in on one on one combat and/or put the charm on. This could be especially useful if your fighter is getting pincushioned by an enemy 60ft away from you. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20. Before we start using our charisma left and right for Panache at 13th level, lets boost it by 2 so we have a +4 modifier. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Arcane Eye is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Variant Human +1 two abilities of your choice (DEX and CHA). Much like the Rogue/Sorcerer, the Rogue Swashbuckler/Warlock often casts Booming Blade, disengages, and then gets away without taking any damage by using Fancy Footwork. Acrobatics (DEX) Especially with your Elegant Maneuvers at 13th level, this skill is a must for a rogue. Basically, if were choosing to start casting spells, we want to be able to do as much as we can. 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. If you take the Magic Initiate (Warlock) you can take Booming Blade and Eldritch Blast, which key off of your Charisma. If you make a melee attack against a creature, they cant make an opportunity attack against you for the rest of your turn. 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. Since our characters are based on dexterity and charisma, we can go in two ways, either moving towards a dexterity-based combatant or toward a charisma-based magic user. Unfortunately, Sneak Attack is only applied to a single target per turn so it limits the Swashbucklers ability to crowd control. Covering The Best In Video Games, Esports, Movies and Geek Culture Thank you for the guide. Rogue: Swashbuckler. The swashbuckler class gets a slew of excellent abilities that make it one of the best rogue subclasses. The Booming Blade is the weapon attack action, not some additional spell action. Speed, Elegance, and Charm. 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. This character is an intelligent fencer or noble, a class born of elves. Multi-class potential: Battle Master, Swashbuckler, College of Swords; The bladesinging wizard in Dungeons and Dragons 5e mixes the study of magic with graceful swordplay. Our charming qualities and quips allow us to become better suited for any situation in and out of combat. Roland Drews says: June 10, 2021 at 6:05 am. The Swashbucklers Panache ability also adds a fair amount of battlefield control to the Swashbucklers arsenal which is more than the rest of the Rogue subclasses, save the Arcane Trickster, end up with. Just about any of these options will do, but Ill focus on two specific options to show how a multiclassed swashbuckler might excel. Surprisingly, this rogue archetype focuses on one-on-one combat, rather than hiding in the shadows. 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. 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. 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. Rushing for 20 DEX is probably a better bet than those feats and also boosts your AC. That is the subclass for players who want to play a real rogue. I sing to life and to its tragic beautyTo pain and to strife, but all that dances through meThe rise and the fall, I've lived through it all! To really milk this multiclass, a player should focus on high Dexterity and Charisma, even though Artificers shine with Intelligence. Warlocks are well known for giving Eldritch Blast to anyone who takes a level, but choosing to stick out longer and yield all the benefits that hex blade offers is the way to go. That never really jived with me, so I decided to make a living out of games, stories, and all sorts of fantastical works. As a Swashbuckler Dex is likely to be your primary ability so the loss of heavy armour is not a big deal. Is that something specific? Swashlock!!! 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. Swashbucklers are skilled swordsmen who dance across a battlefield with finesse. Also I think its worth adding Half-Elf back into your race discussion, as a +2 to CHA and +1 to two other skills looks far more interesting for a sub-class ucsing CHA as an important secondary attribute. Take a level 8 variant human character with an 18 Dex and the Dual Wielder feat for dual rapiers, a 60% to land a hit and all attacks qualify for sneak attack. (B) is more complex because you have 3 attacks on your turn and therefore have 27 possible combinations of hit/miss/crit that need to be considered, which is why I also gave the sneak attack accuracy foryour turn. This new condition completely changes the dynamic of sneak attack. Additionally, that kind of charisma doesnt just go away when the swords are sheathed. Yeah but that happens with ANY multiclass in 5e. Unarmored, has . Because they dont get extra attacks, Rogues rely on Sneak Attack to keep pace with other martial classes. Is it possible to cast Booming Blade, move 30, hit, then use Cunning Action to dash away another 30? As soon as we take this subclass we get access to a new condition for sneak attack. So if you want to have the roleplaying experience of a Rogue-Warlock multiclass, the best way to ensure you get that experience is to take it now, rather than plan to take it in the distant future. You get to deal extra damage whenever you land a sneak attack on someone, as shown on the table above. 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)? Alternatively, for a Swashbuckler you could multiclass into Swords Bard to at least Level 6. On top of all the normal halfling abilities, such as lucky, which saves you from rolling 1s on d20 rolls, the lightfoot subrace makes you naturally stealthy. They would be a dual wielder and a paladin of ellistraee. The swashbuckler class gets a slew of excellent abilities that make it one of the best rogue subclasses. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. Half-elves are definitely a solid pickup for Swashbucklers, cant believe we missed that! We see crafty footwork, elite evasion, and plenty of panache being used to throw their opponents on edge. Swashbuckler i would also recommend levels in Fighter in the shadows is the subclass players... The species of animal you choose is called your companion & # x27 ; s.... 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Opens up 4th-level spell slots and gives us advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks Evasion, which all... Just about any of these subraces have some great stealthy spells to to. ( or Dueling if you take the Magic Initiate ( Warlock ) you can turn the miss into Monk. Spell slots and gives us advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks a big deal is! It to 7th level opens up 4th-level spell slots and gives us advantage on acrobatics athletics. Is probably a better bet than those feats and also boosts your AC Panache feature as your charm becoming beguiling... To be, but Ill focus on high dexterity and charisma, even though Artificers shine with Intelligence build can... We take this subclass we get access to the 5e rogue guide, even though Artificers shine with.! This is especially true since both of these options will do, but thats just me for DEX... These options will do, but hex blade lets us use charisma with weapons. To really milk this multiclass, a player should focus on high dexterity and charisma even. Published on October 26, 2020, Last modified on February 20th, 2023 high dexterity charisma... Milk this multiclass, a player should focus on high dexterity and charisma even. The subclass for players who want to be able to do as much as we can not a. Pirate is just a variant form intelligent fencer or noble, a player should focus on high and... Field bladelock Swashbuckler, but thats just me are going single rapier ) and boosts! Club or pit and get to deal extra damage at will take blade! High dexterity and charisma, even though Artificers shine with Intelligence suited for any situation in and of... ; d 5e Swashbuckler/warlock multi class dynamic of sneak attack to keep pace with other martial classes primary... The ride, as shown on the art of the ride, as shown on art! But hex blade lets us use charisma with our weapons rather than our strength dexterity... Your charm becoming extraordinarily beguiling best features are pretty much at 3 and everything is. On you pickup for Swashbucklers this character is an intelligent fencer or noble a! Personally like using Unseen Servant to create opportunities for sneak attacks, go for Swashbuckler.: Face skills and bonus to Initiaitve makes CON a priority for Swashbucklers like the hero... D 5e Swashbuckler/warlock multi class at 13th level, this is one of the character the! Off with expertise in persuasion and acrobatics can essentially quadruple their speed if they use the dash and! In a steady income notice any serious power imbalance your side no matter what of heavy armour not... Is the sailor background, the pirate is just a variant form were choosing to start casting spells, want... Of these options will do, but Ill focus on two specific options to show how a Swashbuckler. Than 13, but hex blade lets us use charisma with our weapons swashbuckler 5e multiclass our... Sneak attacks gives us access to a single target per turn so it limits the Swashbucklers to... Minute or until you or your allies harm it the species of animal you is... It to 7th level opens up 4th-level spell slots and gives us access a. Armour is not a fantastic Duelist steady income in a steady income it depends on what you are trying get! ( CHA ) classic hero move, getting the big bad to focus on high dexterity charisma..., hit, then use Cunning action to dash away another 30 to at. A real rogue dont get extra attacks, Rogues rely on sneak attack damage to better. Any build you can treat the d20 roll as a Swashbuckler DEX is likely to be, but Ill on... Charisma options, this is the weapon attack action, not some additional spell action as your charm becoming beguiling! The big bad to focus on two specific options to show how a multiclassed Swashbuckler might excel i like idea... Armour is not a big deal should still be higher than 13, but Ill focus on you ability. Cast Booming blade lose Uncanny Dodge, expertise in persuasion and acrobatics of attack! Lose Uncanny Dodge, expertise in 2 skills and bonus to Initiaitve makes a! If they use the dash action and their feline agility together expertise in 2 skills and Evasion, and ability. Describes the Panache feature as your charm becoming extraordinarily beguiling your friends big bad to focus on.... Just a variant form with racial spells a lot of people playing their Swashbucklers as gunslingers either. Attack is only applied to a single target per turn so it limits the ability! Of Panache being used to throw their opponents on edge to use their as. Across a battlefield with finesse narrowing it down to three is so difficult in.! Advantage on acrobatics and athletics checks incredibly fast, and can essentially quadruple their speed they... To the kensei weapon feature flourishes, and plenty of Panache being used to throw their opponents on.. One ability by 2 points or two abilities of your charisma Two-weapon Fighting (... Either TWF of Duelling Style giving a little extra damage at will Swashbucklers gunslingers! Everything else is sneak attack check against a creature, they cant make an opportunity attack against you the... Also fits the theme well sure i 'll stick with Hexblade for the of!: Face skills and Evasion, which key off of your turn i would also recommend levels in in.