D&D 5E Booming Blade vs Extra Attack for rogue

[TrueBagelMan]

Pact of tome warlock would get you booming blade and shillelagh. I believe it also works odd charisma at that point? Be a hexblade to get a shield and medium armor. Pump charisma?

also would gain you short rest invisibility and misty step. Both amazing abilities for a rogue.

In the party we have two Charisma based PCs being a Paladin and Gunslinger Fighter. I want to be a Wisdom based character since I have made far too many Charisma Based ones. Hexblade does give you better stuff, but I would rather use Wisdom.

Now I’m Thinking about going Grassland Druid would be a way to multiclass to get Shillelagh and Magic Stone, and I may choose that for 3rd levels so I gain access to Pass Without a Trace, Enhance Ability, Invisibility, and if I go 5 levels then I can cast haste on myself to possibly get two sneak attacks or have what is close to extra attack. Wild Shape seems like a tool any rogue would want when they are in the wilderness.

 

[TrueBagelMan]

How does readying an attack work? I know it uses up your reaction and it uses an action, but do you have to be eligible what you ready an action for? Let’s you cast Eldritch Blast and it uses up your bonus action. When you ready an action, does it now have to be a cantrip?

 

[TrueBagelMan]

FYI. Arcane trickster rogue gets BB for free at 3rd or High elf/Half-elf as a racial feature at 1st. Neither require MC.

Already know that, I for some reason don’t like High Elves or Arcane Tricksters. Half-Elf is too Charisma focused.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Booming Blade plays best to what a Rogue already does, can be achieved without any multiclassing (Arcane Trickster or a feat), and can come online at a relatively low level, whereas extra attack takes a lot of levels for a multiclass. If you grab Booming Blade through Magic Initiate you can take it with Find Familiar and use your familiar to have consistent advantage (and hence sneak attack) for that one shot you get with the Booming Blade Cantrip. On damage it will eventually exceed making multiple attacks as a Rogue.

BUT, Booming Blade means getting only one shot. You can't even make an offhand attack with it. The damage of extra attacks is not phenomenal for a Rogue, but the value is in increasing your chance at landing at least one of the shots.

How does readying an attack work? I know it uses up your reaction and it uses an action, but do you have to be eligible what you ready an action for? Let’s you cast Eldritch Blast and it uses up your bonus action. When you ready an action, does it now have to be a cantrip?

You can't ready a spell you couldn't cast with your action on your turn if that's what you're asking. When you ready a spell you are actually casting it on your turn and just holding off the effect.

 

[DND_Reborn]

How does readying an attack work? I know it uses up your reaction and it uses an action, but do you have to be eligible what you ready an action for? Let’s you cast Eldritch Blast and it uses up your bonus action. When you ready an action, does it now have to be a cantrip?

No, it doesn't have to be an action. But as @Benjamin Olson says, you are really casting it on your turn and "releasing" it when the triggering event occurs. If the trigger never happens, bye-bye spell slot. Which is why I nearly always only ready casting a cantrip... because it won't matter if I lose it.

 

[TwoSix]

No, it doesn't have to be an action. But as @Benjamin Olson says, you are really casting it on your turn and "releasing" it when the triggering event occurs. If the trigger never happens, bye-bye spell slot. Which is why I nearly always only ready casting a cantrip... because it won't matter if I lose it.

And I am not throwing away my SLOT. I am not throwing away my SLOT. Yes, I'm just like my wizard, I'm young, scrappy, and hungry, but I am not throwing away my SLOT.

 

[DND_Reborn]

And I am not throwing away my SLOT. I am not throwing away my SLOT. Yes, I'm just like my wizard, I'm young, scrappy, and hungry, but I am not throwing away my SLOT.

LOL does this mean you DO believe in fairies? You do, you do, you DO!!!

 

[TrueBagelMan]

And I am not throwing away my SLOT. I am not throwing away my SLOT. Yes, I'm just like my wizard, I'm young, scrappy, and hungry, but I am not throwing away my SLOT.

I remember when are Wizard let an entire town die because he didn’t want to “waste a 3rd level spell slot” to cast Skywrite so he cast it as a ritual, and the town died because of that.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I remember when are Wizard let an entire town die because he didn’t want to “waste a 3rd level spell slot” to cast Skywrite so he cast it as a ritual, and the town died because of that.

After you said that, I realized I had to remove the ritual nature of it for my own game. I don't like easy magical communication. Sending is level 5 and Skywrite is level 4 (and now not a ritual!) in my game. Those are literally the only spells I change the level of or nerf like that, but I think it's hugely important for feel and military matters to make them harder to access.

 

[jmartkdr2]

If you have both, it's situational as to which is better. I wouldn't count on the rider damage from BB (most enemies will just not move), but if your goal is to make them stand still, it's pretty good.

I will say: 5 levels of anything to get extra attack really isn't worth it for a rogue - you're better off with the 2-3 extra dice on sneak attack anyways.