I'm currently playing an Bear Totem Barbarian 5 / Arcane Trickster 7. He was built to be primarily a grappler, but still be able to put out decent damage when needed, with a little bit of utility here and there. I've found that while I love the grappling pieces, and want to keep that capability, in most cases he contributes more as a tank/dpr.
I just got enough xp to hit 13th level, and I'm finding myself a bit torn on how to proceed from here. Hoping y'all can provide some input.
My original plan was to take the next three levels as fighter (Champion).
-Second wind and fighting style would be nice boosts, but really I'd be doing it for the following two features:
-Action surge would increase my capabilities as a grappler, plus be an option for damage boosting when I need it, and of course is just all-around useful.
-Champion's improved critical is pretty great when stacked with reckless attack and sneak attack.
I also used a flametongue rapier, and Champion synergizes with that as well (extra 2d6 on crits); however, I just upgraded to a vorpal scimitar, which doesn't have any damage dice to boost on a crit.
So what I'm now considering instead, is to just proceed with Rogue levels. Those same three levels, put into Rogue instead of Champion, would give me:
-2 ASIs (probably spend them on Mage Slayer and Sentinel; already have Lucky)
-1d6 extra sneak attack damage
-A bit of a bump on the AT spell front, including one more 2nd-level spell slot, a second out-of-school spell choice, and Magical Ambush (all of which I will rarely use).
Additionally, taking those three levels in Rogue instead of Champion means I'll be only one Rogue level away from Reliable Talent and yet another d6 on sneak attacks, at Rogue 11.
One other wrinkle in this is how quickly I get the benefits. If I go the fighter route, I'll spend a level with minimal benefits (F1), before getting to the real goodies at F2 and F3. With the rogue route, I immediately get a feat at R8, then the rest of the benefits are spread out.
So yeah, I'm struggling with which is better. If I had to simplify it, I think it's mainly coming down to: the flexibility of Action Surge + the increased damage of Champion's crit range; vs. the utility of two more Feats.
FYI, I play AL, so any input has to be aligned with it (for example, no Unearthed Arcana). Also, my stats are such that no other MC class options are available; it's barbarian, rogue, or fighter only. Oh and in case it helps you to know some more background: The character is a full Orc, has the ability to fly (winged boots), and has advantage on initiative (whip of warning).
Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
I just got enough xp to hit 13th level, and I'm finding myself a bit torn on how to proceed from here. Hoping y'all can provide some input.
My original plan was to take the next three levels as fighter (Champion).
-Second wind and fighting style would be nice boosts, but really I'd be doing it for the following two features:
-Action surge would increase my capabilities as a grappler, plus be an option for damage boosting when I need it, and of course is just all-around useful.
-Champion's improved critical is pretty great when stacked with reckless attack and sneak attack.
I also used a flametongue rapier, and Champion synergizes with that as well (extra 2d6 on crits); however, I just upgraded to a vorpal scimitar, which doesn't have any damage dice to boost on a crit.
So what I'm now considering instead, is to just proceed with Rogue levels. Those same three levels, put into Rogue instead of Champion, would give me:
-2 ASIs (probably spend them on Mage Slayer and Sentinel; already have Lucky)
-1d6 extra sneak attack damage
-A bit of a bump on the AT spell front, including one more 2nd-level spell slot, a second out-of-school spell choice, and Magical Ambush (all of which I will rarely use).
Additionally, taking those three levels in Rogue instead of Champion means I'll be only one Rogue level away from Reliable Talent and yet another d6 on sneak attacks, at Rogue 11.
One other wrinkle in this is how quickly I get the benefits. If I go the fighter route, I'll spend a level with minimal benefits (F1), before getting to the real goodies at F2 and F3. With the rogue route, I immediately get a feat at R8, then the rest of the benefits are spread out.
So yeah, I'm struggling with which is better. If I had to simplify it, I think it's mainly coming down to: the flexibility of Action Surge + the increased damage of Champion's crit range; vs. the utility of two more Feats.
FYI, I play AL, so any input has to be aligned with it (for example, no Unearthed Arcana). Also, my stats are such that no other MC class options are available; it's barbarian, rogue, or fighter only. Oh and in case it helps you to know some more background: The character is a full Orc, has the ability to fly (winged boots), and has advantage on initiative (whip of warning).
Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
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