WarpedAcorn
First Post
The general sentiment I've gathered is that Dual-Wielding in 5th Edition is sub-optimal. This stems from the off-hand attack never actually increasing in frequency, and the lack of a Feat similar to Great Weapon Master. With that in mind, if you were building a character with the intention of having weapons in each hand, what would the most efficient build be? For fun, lets consider an 8th, 12th, and 20th level variation.
The staples, to me, seem to be the Dual Wielder Feat and the the Dual Wield Fighting Style (although the Dual Wield Fighting Style is debatable). Outside of that, I am not aware of anything else that increases the effectiveness of Dual Wielding.
Class-wise I see a solid combo being a Fighter/Rogue, specifically Battlemaster/Swashbuckler. Rogue shifts a lot of the pressure from the Dual Wield efficiency onto Sneak Attack bonus damage, with Dual Wielding's purpose being more of a delivery system than primary damage outlet. The Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork would also allow mobility that would otherwise be taken by Cunning Action, eating up that precious Bonus Action Attack. The Battlemaster's Riposte would allow extra Sneak Attacks as well as opportunities to apply special attacks with the offhand attacks. I feel this is worth dipping into Fighter.
So my thoughts are:
8th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 5 / Fighter-Battlemaster 3 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4)
12th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 7 / Fighter-Battlemaster 5 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 4)
20th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 14 / Fighter-Battlemaster 6 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 6, Con ASI @ Rogue 8, Con ASI @ Rogue 10, Con ASI @ Rogue 12)
*ASI's can be swapped for Feats as needed, but I could not think of any "must have" Feats...although Lucky and Tavern Brawler could fit in for certain characters.
The staples, to me, seem to be the Dual Wielder Feat and the the Dual Wield Fighting Style (although the Dual Wield Fighting Style is debatable). Outside of that, I am not aware of anything else that increases the effectiveness of Dual Wielding.
Class-wise I see a solid combo being a Fighter/Rogue, specifically Battlemaster/Swashbuckler. Rogue shifts a lot of the pressure from the Dual Wield efficiency onto Sneak Attack bonus damage, with Dual Wielding's purpose being more of a delivery system than primary damage outlet. The Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork would also allow mobility that would otherwise be taken by Cunning Action, eating up that precious Bonus Action Attack. The Battlemaster's Riposte would allow extra Sneak Attacks as well as opportunities to apply special attacks with the offhand attacks. I feel this is worth dipping into Fighter.
So my thoughts are:
8th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 5 / Fighter-Battlemaster 3 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4)
12th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 7 / Fighter-Battlemaster 5 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 4)
20th) Rogue-Swashbuckler 14 / Fighter-Battlemaster 6 (Defensive Fighting Style, Maneuvers = Riposte/Precision/Menacing, Dual Wielder Feat @ Rogue 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 4, Str/Dex ASI @ Fighter 6, Con ASI @ Rogue 8, Con ASI @ Rogue 10, Con ASI @ Rogue 12)
*ASI's can be swapped for Feats as needed, but I could not think of any "must have" Feats...although Lucky and Tavern Brawler could fit in for certain characters.