D&D 5E Archer Build progression: Assassin or Arcane Trickster?

[PSusac]

Greetings o wise and sagely nerds!

I'm working on an archer build who I created to be more of a bag of tricks who does good damage, than as a DPS monster. The party has a bard, but no rogue, this character will eventually be the party rogue. That said, I DO want to do good burst damage, but at what cost?

PHB ONLY - the DM's ruling, so no UA or other books.

FEATS/ASI are in bold

Here is the build so far:

Variant Human, STR 10, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 12
Background: Criminal.

1. Fighter 1 – Archery Style, Second Wind Crossbow Expert
2. Fighter 2 – Action Surge
3. Fighter 3 – Combat Superiority – 3 Maneuvers, 4 Superiority dice, +1 Artisan Tools
4. Fighter 4 – +2 DEX
5. Fighter 5 – Extra attack
6. Fighter 6 – Sharpshooter
7. Rogue 1 – 1d6 sneak attack, expertise, thieves’ cant
8. Rogue 2 – Cunning action (dash, disengage, hide)
9. Rogue 3 – 2d6, Assassinate or spells
10. Rogue 4 - +2 DEX
11. Fighter 7 – Know your enemy, +2 Maneuvers, +1 S-Die
12. Fighter 8 – Magic Initiate (Dancing Lights, Minor Illusion, Silent Image)
13. Fighter 9 – Indomitable 1
14. Fighter 10 – S-dice = d10’s, +2 Maneuvers
15. Fighter 11 – Extra attack (2)
16. Fighter 12 - Alertness
17. Fighter 13 – Indomitable 2
18. Fighter 14 – FEAT
19. Fighter 15 – Relentless, + 2 Maneuvers, +1 S-die


Attack routine will basically consist of hand crossbow for the extra attack per round due to crossbow expert. I might use heavy crossbow, if I plan to do a lot of shoot-move-hide tricks when I apply my cunning action to hiding.

So here is the dilemma:

If I take Assassin, I'll be better at burst damage on surprise rounds. We are starting out behind enemy lines, so this seems like it will be a regular occurrence.

On the other hand, if I take Arcane Trickster, I will gain the silent image spell that I can use for cover twice a day or an owl familiar that I can use to give myself advantage on one attack per round. Of course if I go this rout, I will be trading out Magic Initiate with something else.

What do you guys think? Should I focus on occasional nukes, or regular weird mo-jo?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

I prefer Arcane Trickster. Surprise rounds aren't as easy to obtain as it seems unless your DM is very generous about it. Usually between other party members, and light sources, I find that enemies are usually aware of something amiss, and therefore not surprised.

It may be worth it to go to level 7 in rogue for 2nd level spells and evasion. If you want the feat, go to 8. If the feat isn't as important, I would consider a level of cleric. This sounds weird at first, but you end up with a ton of versatility. The entire first level of clerics spells as part of your spell arsenal along with domain spells adds a lot of tricks for you to fall back on, and you don't lose any spell slots via multiclassing. ( Still end up with 4 1st and 2 2nd. ) Also you get level 1 domain benefits, which of course vary but can be quite useful.

 

[PSusac]

Thanks for the feedback. The cleric add is an interesting idea. I don't see any 2nd level wizard spells that help an archer much. Sure, I can do blur or mirror image, but I'll have plenty of AC and HP, so I don't see that as a great benefit. I guess that Darkvision and See Invisibility could prove useful.

 

[epithet]

Edit: never mind, answered before I actually read your entire post.

I will say, though, that the arcane trickster would be more fun to play.

 

[Oofta]

I would go arcane trickster, and I'd also consider taking more levels of rogue (up to 8 to get the feat and the Shield spell). Simple disguise and illusion spells can go a long way.

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

Thanks for the feedback. The cleric add is an interesting idea. I don't see any 2nd level wizard spells that help an archer much. Sure, I can do blur or mirror image, but I'll have plenty of AC and HP, so I don't see that as a great benefit. I guess that Darkvision and See Invisibility could prove useful.

Sorry, I've been away all day so I couldn't reply earlier. My favorites are Shield and Invisibility. Other good spells include the two you mentioned ( See Invis and Darkvision ). The strength of Arcane Trickster isn't in the extra firepower the spells provide, but the utility. Levitate works well with an archer, or to assist others who can't climb. Alter Self has many uses. The best wizard damage buff would probably be Enlarge/Reduce to add a d4 to your attack damage. Depending on which cleric domain you took you could get Divine Favor. Bless is magnificent as a character who may be willingly take -5 to hit frequently. There's a lot of potential to tinker with. Many buffs are concentration so you can't have them all up at the same time, but for each situation you may find some more useful then others.

 

[corwyn77]

And of course, invisible mage hand can be amazing.

 

[corwyn77]

And of course, invisible mage hand can be amazing.