D&D 5E Best Crit-Fisher Builds

[Gavin O.]

In my experience, 14 is a pretty average AC.

Here are some preliminary numbers that I will leave you with while I go do my schoolwork.

Odds of critting:
Roll one dice, crit on a 20: 5%
Roll one dice, crit on a 19: 10%
Roll two dice, crit on a 20: 9.5%
Two dice, crit on a 19: 19%
Three dice, crit on a 20: 14.26%
Three dice, crit on a 19: 27%

With Elven accuracy, Advantage, and a +7 bonus to hit (+3 proficiency and +4 stat) we have a 97.3% chance to hit AC 14.


Half-elf Sorcerer(2)/Warlock(3) (using EB+ quickened EB) using Hexblade’s Curse on a single target
Odds of crit: 27%
Crit damage: 2d10+7 = 18
Odds of hit (and not crit): 70%
Normal Damage: 1d10+7 = 12.5
DPR (per blast) = 18*0.27 + 12*0.7 = 5.94+9.1 = 13.61
DPR (four blasts) = 54.44

Same calculations, this time without Hexblade curse:
Odds of crit: 14.26%
Crit damage: 2d10+4 = 15
Odds of hit (and not crit): 83.04%
Normal Damage: 1d10+4 =9.5
DPR(per blast)= 2.139+7.8 = 9.939

 

[Wurawdawger]

Half Elf
Paladin (Oath of Vengence) 6
Warlock (Hexblade) 5
Bard (College of Whispers) 9

Feats/ASI: Pole Arm Master, Elven Accuracy, Great Weapon Master, Cha/Cha.

This is very much a once per rest build, but can dish out some nasty crits. Can work well in boss fights, but falls short in hord or back to back brawls. Essentially you're stacking Devine and Eldritch smite, along with psychic blades. 3 attacks per turn, all with double advantage from elven accuracy (when vow of Enmity is active). Pop hex blade curse, and your crit rage goes up.

On top of the mondo crits you get plate armor and great saves from Aura of Protection, and you can still be a face character. After all this is a role playing game.

This may not be completely optimized, but allows for a crit build that doesn't really on fighter/Barb combo.

Would love feedback!!

 

[Gavin O.]

Half Elf
Paladin (Oath of Vengence) 6
Warlock (Hexblade) 5
Bard (College of Whispers) 9

Feats/ASI: Pole Arm Master, Elven Accuracy, Great Weapon Master, Cha/Cha.

This is very much a once per rest build, but can dish out some nasty crits. Can work well in boss fights, but falls short in hord or back to back brawls. Essentially you're stacking Devine and Eldritch smite, along with psychic blades. 3 attacks per turn, all with double advantage from elven accuracy (when vow of Enmity is active). Pop hex blade curse, and your crit rage goes up.

On top of the mondo crits you get plate armor and great saves from Aura of Protection, and you can still be a face character. After all this is a role playing game.

This may not be completely optimized, but allows for a crit build that doesn't really on fighter/Barb combo.

Would love feedback!!

I'm not sure what you need 5 levels of hexblade for. You get an extra invocation and level 3 warlock slots, but Thirsting Blade is redundant for you because yuo've already got Extra Attack. Going down just one level would allow you to get the 10th bard level for a psychic blades dice.

 

[NumYummy94]

Half Elf
Paladin (Oath of Vengence) 6
Warlock (Hexblade) 5
Bard (College of Whispers) 9

Feats/ASI: Pole Arm Master, Elven Accuracy, Great Weapon Master, Cha/Cha.

This is very much a once per rest build, but can dish out some nasty crits. Can work well in boss fights, but falls short in hord or back to back brawls. Essentially you're stacking Devine and Eldritch smite, along with psychic blades. 3 attacks per turn, all with double advantage from elven accuracy (when vow of Enmity is active). Pop hex blade curse, and your crit rage goes up.

On top of the mondo crits you get plate armor and great saves from Aura of Protection, and you can still be a face character. After all this is a role playing game.

This may not be completely optimized, but allows for a crit build that doesn't really on fighter/Barb combo.

Would love feedback!!

Along with what Gavin O. pointed out, I don't really see the point of having GWM. PAM already gives you a more reliable bonus attack, and with all of those smites and psychic damage, the -5/+10 isn't going to do a lot either.

I'd also like to point out that the only weapon that works for both PAM and Elven Accuracy is a quarterstaff because Hex Warrior can't use two-handed weapons.

 

[Gavin O.]

Along with what Gavin O. pointed out, I don't really see the point of having GWM. PAM already gives you a more reliable bonus attack, and with all of those smites and psychic damage, the -5/+10 isn't going to do a lot either.

I'd also like to point out that the only weapon that works for both PAM and Elven Accuracy is a quarterstaff because Hex Warrior can't use two-handed weapons.

Once you have the pact of the blade, you can manifest ANY melee weapon with your hex warrior feature and use Cha to attack with it, so you can you a glaive. That's why 3 levels of warlock is required for a build like this.

 

[NumYummy94]

Once you have the pact of the blade, you can manifest ANY melee weapon with your hex warrior feature and use Cha to attack with it, so you can you a glaive. That's why 3 levels of warlock is required for a build like this.

Or you could do that! Regardless, I would be interested in seeing just how much this guy can pump out. It looks like an insane amount of nova damage!

 

[Wurawdawger]

I'm not sure what you need 5 levels of hexblade for. You get an extra invocation and level 3 warlock slots, but Thirsting Blade is redundant for you because yuo've already got Extra Attack. Going down just one level would allow you to get the 10th bard level for a psychic blades dice.

5th lv lock gives you access to Eldritch Smite, and as you pointed out, 3rd lv spells, so more dice. Only 2 uses per SR, but if you're in a party that SRs often, then it can add up. Plus it's force damage, which is nice.

 

[Wurawdawger]

Once you have the pact of the blade, you can manifest ANY melee weapon with your hex warrior feature and use Cha to attack with it, so you can you a glaive. That's why 3 levels of warlock is required for a build like this.

Correct. I didn't put the entire build in, so sorry for any confusion. Great weapon fighting from pally and pact of the blade are part of the build as well.

 

[Gavin O.]

5th lv lock gives you access to Eldritch Smite, and as you pointed out, 3rd lv spells, so more dice. Only 2 uses per SR, but if you're in a party that SRs often, then it can add up. Plus it's force damage, which is nice.

You lose 1d8 damage (4.5) from a higher level Eldritch smite and gain 2d6 (7) damage from a higher level Psychic blades. Eldtrich Smite is 2/Short Rest, Psychic blades is 5/Long rest, which is about the same in my experience. You also gain an additional Expertise and Magical Secrets to learn any two spells.

(edit) oh, Eldritch smite requires level 5. That makes more sense then.

 

[Gavin O.]

The Gloom Stalker Ranger looks like a pretty excellent 3-level dip for a Crit build, specifically for Dread Ambusher

"You can give yourself a bonus to initiative rolls equal to your wisdom modifier. At the start of your first turn of each combat, your walking speed increases by 10 feet. If you take the attack action on that turn, you can make one additional weapon attack as part of that action. If that attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the weapon's damage type"

With the Fighter's action surge, you can make two attack actions on your first turn and get two extra attacks from this, if you have Haste, you can take yet another attack action and get a third attack from this. you also get an extra d8 of damage, naturally doubled on crits.

If we really wanted to go deep on this, we could run something like:

Wood elf Fighter(2)/Paladin(12)/Rogue(3)/Ranger(4)

Rogue for Assassinate, Fighter for Action Surge, Ranger for Dread Ambusher (which also gives +Wis to initiative) and Paladin for Haste and Divine Smite.

We get 3 ASI, which would be +2 Dex, Elven Accuracy (+1 Dex) and Great Weapon Master for the free bonus action attack on a crit

On our nova turn, we can make 9 attacks: 3 from our Attack Action, 3 from Action Surge, 2 from Haste+Dread Ambush, and 1 bonus action from GWM. We get 3d8+sneak attack+divine smite extra damage.

We could also rework this to use Half-elf, drop some Paladin levels for 3 levels in Hexblade/Blade warlock, and get Cha to attack, but that makes you more MAD, especially since you're losing another ASI.