is swashbuckler rogue good

Hitting level 13, the Swashbuckler Rogue lets off the gas a little bit. There are few substitutes for the tried-and-true strategy of hitting the enemy fast and hard! Good for initiative checks and Face skills, though we should already be winning those all the time with our Expertise and Reliable Talent. We could increase our Constitution, but its better to do Tough first and then later increase Con if we still want more. Finding hidden things is nice, but the range is rather short. This could come in the form of taking Magic Initiate to getbooming blade so they can prevent enemies from following them. If the creature fails, it has disadvantage on its attack rolls against all targets but the Swashbuckler. Answer (1 of 2): Same as most rogues. add evasion, uncanny dodge, and expertise. Best is the ability to grapple as a bonus action. The nice thing to notice is that this isnt resistance to the attack, so it stacks with resistance. Now Tallulah can murder at will. That said, a Swashbuckler doesnt need to go this route if they just want to do damage. The one I chose for Drake is in fact not the most powerful of feats, but for me it rounds off the perfect set of skills a swashbuckler needs. With so many ways for the Swashbuckler Rogue to outmaneuver their opponents, its rare that you wont hit your mark. ago That's just because Rogue kind of optimises itself. A subreddit dedicated to the various iterations of Dungeons & Dragons, from its First Edition roots to its One D&D future. The Complete Guide to the Druid in D&D 5e, The Legend of the Peasant Railgun in D&D 5e, Attack of Opportunity in D&D 5e Explained, Best Druid Spells By Level: A Top 10 List. Enjoy your massive damage, but be careful cause you can accidentally overshadow other players characters. The creature must be able to hear you, and the two of you must share a language. The biggest benefit here is the additional movement speed. I put my roguish expertise on Acrobatics and Persuasion. Helps secure damage and kills. I really like to pick up a single level of Fighter at 4th level also. But, damm it, now Im a believer. 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. Their Fancy Footwork ability allows them to disengage from a target for free they made a melee attack against it. If you take the Magic Initiate (Warlock) you can take Booming Blade and Eldritch Blast, which key off of your Charisma. That largely falls to your Dungeon Masters ruling. Brawling goes very well with Rouge swashbuckling and sailor. This is particularly easy when the party is facing one large monster. Anyhow, stylistically Im completely opposed to fighting with two rapiers, so I wouldnt personally choose this feat for a rogue anyway. Youve Got to Roll With It was published in the national broadsheet, The Independent. Persuasion and Deception are vital for anyone who wants to ham up the style and swagger of this archetype, Acrobatics and Athletics are key for performing the kind of chandelier-swinging stunts that youve seen on TV, Stealth is very handy if you want to perform some of the traditional activities of the classic D&D rogue (something I enjoy a lot), Perception is the most rolled skill check in the game, and finally I plucked Performance as I decided that Drake was not only a blade, philosopher and lover but a poet and storyteller as well. More movement means more opportunity to get in, do massive damage to a high-value target, and get out. Half-Elf: The +2 CHA bonus and a +1 to DEX is a great starting ASI. A bit more on your fighting tactics later, but now lets see how I built my own swashbuckler: Drake Leopold Florentine Griffinheart III (its always the third!). 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. Actually Ive realised 1d8 + 1d4 works out a bit better than 2d6 for the Rogue swashbuckler for a different reason. This means that a Swashbuckler Rogue can focus on keeping a high-threat enemy busy while their party cleans up the rest of the field. Mobility is the absolute key to the Swashbuckler archetype. Because youre just that awesome. Going with Scout I would likely take Mobile at Rogue 4 so I can use Hunters Mark or other spells due to not having to use Zephyrs Strike to make skirmishing possible. Wood elves are your stereotypical choice for Rogues. I normally use Strength as a dump stat for rogues but I wanted Drake to be at least a little bit macho so I stuck my 12 there. Given that the swashbuckler is a rogue archetype, no matter how heroic you intend your PC to be, I think its worth giving your swashbuckler a story that explains why they are so adept at slinking into the shadows, picking locks and conning wealthy widow(er)s into signing off their heirlooms and estates into your possession. Pardon me if this is a duplicate post please use this one . Buy this 5e adventure with an old school flavour for $5.95 on the DMs Guild. Nirous_Crowhill 2 yr. ago If you aren't planning on using your reaction a lot you could look at defensive duelist. Posted by Joab | Feb 9, 2021 | Class Guides, For Players, Rogue Guides | 0. They might need to make the occasional Athletics or Acrobatics check as they maneuver around the field, but it probably wont be a common occurrence. This is one of those abilities thats just a perfect chefs kiss on top of an already impressive subclass. My question is, is it too good? They are an interesting take on rogues, who usually need allies or the advantage of being unseen to land deadly strikes. . They can certainly distract their target for a few rounds, but theyre right in the face of danger! For Drake I decided that, after his fathers death, his scheming uncle convinced the rest of the family that he was in fact conceived before wedlock and therefore a bastard, not fit to inherit the name of Griffinheart, much less their grand country estate. Is the Swashbuckler in 5e good? Seeing as the Swashbucklers Rakish Audacity feature allows them to add CHA to their Initiative, it becomes a higher priority to buff. In particular, the combination of D&D's Hexblade warlock and Swashbuckler rogue can be lethal. Everything here is useful: WIS bonus (for Perception), longbow proficiency, and the ability to hide in nature. This allows Swashbucklers to be a bit more autonomous than a normal rogue. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Even if the DM refuses to acknowledge your swashbuckling swagger with any tangible benefits you could use it to disarm an enemy of a magic weapon or item and pick it up yourself, or use a free action to kick their weapon across the floor. Ed Greenwood, creator of Candlekeep and the Forgotten Realms. If an attack was made against a cursed enemy you can add +3 from proficiency as well. Quick and crafty, the Swashbuckler makes for a formidable duelist and is able to easily outmaneuver their opponents. We also wont cover Unearthed Arcana content because its not finalized, and we cant guarantee that it will be available to you in your games. We choose Booming Blade. A Swashbuckler is a flashy, showy, bombastic adventuring type, usually but not necessarily a swordsman. Full customization and control of your character, none of the flipping through hundreds of pages to reference obscure rules. At 5th level well have +3 to DEX, which averages out to 15 damage (9 + 6) before Sneak Attack. Whether you are looking to be the dueling GOAT, plan to hoist the Jolly Roger, or both, this Swashbuckler Rogue in D&D 5e Guide is for you! Tabletop Joab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. There is just literally nothing else worth doing. Dex: This is our AC, our attack with Finesse or Ranged weapons, and our Initiative checks. They offer a fantastic combination of fun, flavour and power. Constitution: 14 Picking up the Battle Master subclass will net some awesome maneuvers, specifically Riposte which can net extra Sneak Attacks per round. Subscribers get updates on all of the latest news, posts, and offerings from Tabletop Joab! In Dungeons and Dragons 5e, the Swashbuckler is a Roguish Archetype specializing in a mix of Charismatic Panache and being an expert duelist. If I could have had one more Id go for Animal Handling, especially as Drakes backstory places him as a descendent of the founder of Waterdeeps Griffin Cavalry, plus The Three Musketeers certainly knew how to ride a horse but in practice I wasnt sure it would be much use. Contact Us for more information.Copyright 2020 Arcane Eye. This is a great little feature, nobody can get Advantage when attacking us unless were incapacitated. this feature is a taunt mechanic. Its possible that a creature might be hostile but not in combat with you. Sentinel doesnt work well because Swashbucklers like to draw enemy fire and stay out of range. We will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, in handbooks for official content because we cant assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. Lemmy: https://ttrpg.network/. I love the murder mystery set up here the roleplaying notes for all the NPCs are very well handled I LOVE the Flying Iron Owlbear and the Avowed and library generators are superb. No more waiting in the shadows for one of your party members to engage an enemy before you rush in. Im currently in the process of creating a new character after my fighter monster hunter sadly died. Conclusion - The Swashbuckler Rogue in D&D 5e Guide What is the Swashbuckler Rogue in D&D 5e? What sets Swashbucklers apart from other Rogues right away is their Rakish Audacity, allowing one to reliably apply Sneak Attack damage while in one-on-one combat. I also armed Drake with a sling and a blowgun (with a vial of poison) for those moments when theres no chance to engage in melee. The Swashbuckler Rogue archetype is exactly what I look for in a subclass. attacks, but you could technically use a crossbow with Crossbow Expert. This doesnt make much sense, and I can only imagine it was not given this quality to prevent rules-abusing players from fighting with two rapiers, but given that you can fight with two scimitars (3 lbs each!) This is a great start for Swashbucklers. Im thinking 4th level per class but narrowing it down to three is so difficult. Feat: Skill Expert-SkillPerception-ExpertiseInsight+1 Dexterity. Maybe I miss and then use an offhand. AC is nice, but Swashbucklers are amazing when played with a hit-and-run strategy thanks to Fancy Footwork. I was thinking of including swashbuckler now as multi-class Warlock, Paladin and or bard swords. Hes scared of undead (which of course he doesnt admit). Passive Skills Checks A Solution to Swingy Dice? Have you played this archetype yourself? When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn how to land a strike and then slip away without reprisal. Thank you for this great article! One can easily start the game with 16s in DEX, CON, and CHA. If you can get a conversation going, you might make a new friend for just long enough to be on your merry way before things get ugly! Hello! Reddit, Inc. 2023. Cha: We have features that benefit from our Charisma score, with benefits to Initiative as well as Charming targets. There are now very few scenarios in which the Rogue wont be able to add their Sneak Attack dice to their damage roll. You start with light armor proficiencies, which means studded leather is your best bet. Nothing else is really that powerful. At this level this is 13 THP per short rest for the entire party and it will go up by one every level. Learn how your comment data is processed. A +2 to DEX, Darkvision, and proficiency in the Perception skill. Its nice and well get use out of it if we need to do daring flips and such. 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. As a rogue you get four skills to choose from, your background gives you two more and because I chose the Human feat variant I get another one thats seven to choose from in total! +1 DEX and +1 CHA is a decent base for Swashbucklers. In his cups, he is wont to reel off any number of self-styled titles such as The Duke of Debonair, The Marquise of Mayhem, The Count of Class and the Prince of Panache. Playing a swashbuckler involves swooping into attack and then getting out of trouble using your Fancy Footwork. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. We decided it would be a waste to just throw that all away, so to that end, weve spun the multiclassed build off into its own article, The Boy Who Wouldnt Grow Up. Their key ability is pretty useless if: * Multiple creatures. are: Ive felt a kitten lick me harder than that (for when an opponent scores a particularly low hit point blow). 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. Thanks to Rakish Audacity, Swashbucklers can Sneak Attack when facing off against enemies one-on-one, even without advantage or an ally nearby. Whatever. First, the disadvantage applies to the enemys attacks. Tanking generally isnt in the Rogues skillset, but the first portion of This is a great start for Swashbucklers. Looking for ways to get more attacks in, which will make it more likely to land an attack each round. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I opted for the feat at first level and chose tavern brawling( if thats the name) he isnt really high in charisma but has a high strength and dext and highish constitution. know it was charmed or that you did anything unusual, and since it doesnt People said she had a very hairy beaver If your party tends to take a fair amount of short rests, there is no reason to save this! These rogues focus heavily on combat and perform particularly well when fighting enemies one-on-one. Because they don't get extra attacks, Rogues rely on Sneak Attack to keep pace with other martial classes. This guide is meant as a deep dive into the Swashbuckler Rogue subclass. That feat works pretty well for classes who can access the two weapon fighting style (ie. After that youll want some studded leather (you start with basic leather but it shouldnt take you long to upgrade), your thieves toolkit (from your roguish past) and a fair few daggers tend to come in handy. Originally, we had planned a build with some multiclassing in this guide, but there are far too many differences between the two builds that a simple paragraph wouldnt be enough to explain the single-classed version. Now well have the best attacks and AC we can have. I currently am very interested in playing a Rogue Swashbuckler but got pretty discouraged after my discussion with my DM. Wis: Being aware of our surroundings is for uncool people. Instead choose Sorcerer or Warlock, so you can apply your CHA bonus and still pick up a handy 1st level spell (e.g Shield or Absorb Elements). Riposte is so cool I keep forgetting to use Disarming Attack (well, with only one superiority dice to burn, opportunities are rare), but Im confident it will come in handy, especially if the DM offers some benefits for doing so, like advantage striking an unarmed foe, or an opportunity attack if the target has to bend down and pick up their weapon. If youre playing a Swashbuckler, get into character and look for clever ways to interact with your environment. Dungeons and Dragons is a Trademark of Wizards of the Coast, LLC. When you max your DEX, hopefully no later than 8th level, youll have a decent AC of 17. For Expertise, at 1st level, we take Acrobatics and Deception. For the heroes and Drake The Rogue Handbook already details feat selection fairly well. Charisma is your next most important stat. Am looking at multiclassing a lvl 9 swashbuckler with 3 levels of monk. For example there is a 1/36 chance of getting 12 with 2d6, but a 1/32 chance of getting 12 with d4+d8. Have a look if you want to see another fun way to build a Swashbuckler. Rogues? The books magic weapon generator makes it easy to roll up 10,000s more buy for just $7.95 on the DMs Guild. Thats not a lot per person at one time, but thats still between 52 and 78 damage across 4-6 people that wont need to be healed later. Utilizing the Hexblades ability to use Charisma for attacks and damage, this alternative build is able to bring some additional magic to the table like an Arcane Trickster light. Oh, and as if this wasnt absurdly good already, you add your Charisma Now were basically the best negotiator. That evil Wizard might be more inclined to focus these kinds of spells on you, but they arent penalized if they dont. Any duelist who focuses on quick movements, decisive strikes, and a fair amount of bravado can embody this archetype! Additionally, Fancy Footwork grants the Swashbuckler what amounts to a free disengage vs their dueling opponent, for the most daring of acrobatic movements about the battlefield to leave a foe in shambles and disarray. Everything about this subclass is exciting and cinematic that it feels like its almost impossible to have a boring combat if theres a Swashbuckler in the party. I chose the Martial Adept feat, which enables me to choose two manoeuvres of the fighters Battle Master archetype and gives me a single 1d6 superiority dice that I can use once between rests. Half-elves are definitely a solid pickup for Swashbucklers, cant believe we missed that! Next round half your movement in, attack, and half out again. Hopefully I roll a bunch of odd Dice and I can use feats to dip into the spell casting like magic initiate. Zoltan Boros - Wizards of the Coast - Dire Fleet Daredevil. The Swashbuckler Rogue archetype was introduced to D&D 5e in in the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide and later republished in Xanathars Guide to Everything. If the target fails, they are charmed for 1 minute and regard the Swashbuckler Rogue as a friendly acquaintance. This effect lasts for 1 minute unless one of your allies attacks the target or you find yourself more than 60 feet away from the taunted enemy. A rogue favouring strength over dexterity will want to upgrade their armour and potentially pick up a shield. As an action, you can make a Charisma (Persuasion) check contested by a creature's Wisdom (Insight) check. One of the finest adventures on the Guild!. Because this lasts for the rest of the Swashbucklers turn, they will have a much easier time keeping ideal positioning in combat! Even with two classes you are seriously delaying some of the character defining things you get (such as extra attacks). With such graceful mobility, your opponents wont stand a chance against such a Master Duelist, turning a miss into a feint and exploiting the opening. Well start with a hostile situation. RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance. No wait, this is another good option for the 4th-highest score instead of Strength. He parted the lake The Rogue imposes his limitations on the party. interactions with single creatures that arent already hostile to you. Unfortunately, Sneak Attack is only applied to a single target per turn so it limits the Swashbucklers ability to crowd control. Who yearned for an ale and a steak This shoulld be fun. If youre not beguiling, deceiving and impressing the NPCs you meet on your adventures youre playing a swashbuckler all wrong. All rights reserved. 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. Swashlock!!! Tabletop Joab 2023 | All Rights Reserved. Instead of traditionally doing this with lots of hit points and heavy armor, Swashbucklers achieve this with drawing enemy attacks then dancing out of the way; When you combine Fancy Footwork with Panache, you can make an enemy have disadvantage against anyone but you and kite them around the battlefield while still landing strikes. The biggest threat to be wary of for the Swashbuckler is finding themselves jumping too deep into the fray. The manoeuvres I chose are Riposte and Disarming Attack. Talk about value for a subclass feature. Your odds of going early in the combat greatly improve with this! 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. Nothing fancy, just a really nice thing to have. This build will likely come fully online by 5th level if you dip into the fighter class instead of relying on the Fighting Initiate feat. One nitpick though: 2d6 is not exactly the same as d4+d8. Sometimes your creativity will gain you an advantage on the battlefield, other times it might earn you inspiration from your DM, but at all times it should lend your game a lot of fun additional flavour. They have access to the longest spell list in the game. Lets take a look at the mechanics then they revolve around the two abilities you get at 3rd level, Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity. As it is, Rogues already have the Cunning Action ability which lets them use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide actions. Your email address will not be published. But I know that the Swashbuckler will likely find itself towards the top of the list when I release the Rogue subclass ranking! Exactly where, though, well have to see! This is a powerful ability, taking no damage on successful Dexterity saves, and half damage on failed saves. Yes you loose access to Find Familiar, but you already say the Swashbuckler will almost always be able to sneak attack, so the value of a familiar to Help is minimal. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Rakish Audacity: Their Rakish Audacity allows Swashbucklers to add their CHA modifier to their Initiative roll. At first level your leather armour (nerfed to AC 11 in 5th edition) plus your Dex. However, the dual wielder feat allows you to use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding arent light. Which Im guessing is where i got that idea from? Im currently in the process of creating a new character after my fighter monster hunter sadly died. The rapier is of course the iconic weapon of the swashbuckler, which Drake pairs with a dagger to fight with two weapons. RPGBOTis unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. The Swashbuckler quickly becomes a master of Action Economy. From Gambler, we get Deception and Insight, as well as a gaming set. My friend setup my character for me and I am already at Max Dex. that would be a cheap metagame trick, so feel free to shame your DM if Archived post. I think Rogues get a second set of expertise choices at 6th level. Though the Swashbuckler Rogue isnt limited exclusively to being a pirate. Yes. If you havent read our article explaining Action Economy, thats one that you should definitely check out! Much like in my guide to another Rogue subclass, the Arcane Trickster, Im forcing myself to reserve judgement until all of the Rogue subclass guides have been published. We also get Thieves Tools. He wanted the scroll: Power Word Kill We also discuss options that normally would be good for a typical build, but underperform when used in a subclass. For weapons, we follow the Rogue Handbook. This is similar to the feature we got from Swashbuckler at 17, but instead of a reroll, this one just makes the attack hit. Stunning Metal, Sharp Edge & Gemstone Dice Sets. A non-swashbuckler rogue who wants to make a hit-and-run attack without provoking opportunity attacks has to use their bonus action to Disengage, but a Swashbuckler Rogue doesn't need to use their bonus action (since the target of their attack cannot make OAs against them, whether the Swashbuckler hits or not) and so they retain the use of . Drake dresses all in black, with the odd flash of pink, and goes by the name of The Black Maverick. They might be a pirate with the Sailor background which makes them well-accustomed to the seafaring life. Have a think about your PCs backstory, and be sure to use the prompts in the backgrounds section of the Players Handbook. Beneficial here is longbow proficiency and a free cantrip from the wizard spell list. DEX: Swashbucklers, like every rogue subclass, love DEX. For more D&D discussion: Ranking Every Barbarian Subclass in D&D 5e (2023), Zealot Barbarian in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide (2023), What Every Game Master Can Learn From South Park, Wild Magic Barbarian in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide (2023), Nature Cleric in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide, Hag Bargains in D&D 5e: A Masterclass in Negotiation, Way of Shadow Monk in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide (2023). Weaknesses As with most rogue subclasses, Swashbucklers tend to be a single target combatant. Joining the 50,000 gamers that read Hipsters & Dragons each month is as easy as looting a kobold's corpse. Comment* Ok! Its worth noting that this ability changes slightly depending on whether or not the creature is hostile to the Swashbuckler Rogue. Defense, Dueling, and Two-Weapon Fighting are all good for Swashbucklers, so pick whichever best fits your build. Archaic insults could also prove to be a fun source of merriment at the table. Yes, its Peter Pan. With it, you can use a bonus action on your turn to get advantage on the next Acrobatics or Athletics check that you make this turn. (Another option / solution would be to take the Dual Wielder feat, instead of Martial Adept, meaning you could fight with two rapiers and also get a +1 to your AC however I am personally opposed to the aesthetic of fighting with two rapiers.). Together these Expertises make us an unrivaled Face as well as a paragon of acrobatic stunts. I'm currently playing a Swashbuckler Rogue because the party needed a scout and a bit of charisma, and it's a lot of fun, but wow it is so easy to get consistent sneak attack damage with it, there is only one situation in which it doesn't and that's when the character is within 5 feet of two enemies, and honestly with some smart playing that just doesn't happen. Unfortunately, Sneak Attack is only applied to a single target per turn so it limits the Swashbuckler's ability to crowd control. They can dive into combat, do massive damage on a target, then move away because of their Fancy Footwork ability. Youll need to check out my Complete Guide to the Rogue in 5e! 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. At eighth level, we take an ASI for +2 Dexterity. At twelfth level, we take the Tough Feat. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Swashbuckler rogue is freaking boring. At tenth level, we take the Inspiring Leader Feat. Were going to customize our origin so that the +2 can be in Dexterity instead of Charisma. Never discount the usefulness of a well-timed shove or a daring leap to get yourself out of a jam. Aged just 7-years-old, he and his mother were forced to relocate to Waterdeep, where Drake became something of a street urchin, growing up with the wrong crowd and getting mixed up with one of the local thieves guild for a short while. I love your guide. The options for connecting this subclass into your story are limitless! The Swashbuckler is a fine subclass that can be played single-classed for 20 levels without any major issues and thats the aim of this build. You also get proficiencies for all armor and shields. Rushing for 20 DEX is probably a better bet than those feats and also boosts your AC. If youre looking for more options for your Swashbuckler outside of the standard ones offered in the Players Handbook, or if youre using the Customize Your Origins optional rule from Tashas Cauldron of Everything, here are some solid options: Tabaxi: Tabaxi were basically made to be played with the rogue class and being an Swashbuckler doesnt change this.
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