Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
I am playing a traditional rogue for the first time in 5e. He's a halfling arcane trickster, dex based. We're up to 6th level now.
Out of combat he of course excels. We're playing Mad Mage, and he's excellent with traps, secret doors, and anything requiring investigation or scouting., That Mage Hand which can use thieves tools at range is great, and so is a familiar for scouting. He's pretty decent at negotiations as well, provided he uses deception and sometimes uses a Disguise Self spell.
In combat he usually gets Advantage. He has three options to get Advantage: the new optional rule from Tasha's called Steady Aim (which applies to both ranged and melee attacks), attacking from being hidden as a halfling (can hide behind ally), or the Help action from my familiar.
He can use a crossbow, or a rapier, both of which use my Dex.
Green Flame Blade or Booming Blade is cast as a cantrip. It's the former if two targets are next to each other, or the later if it's a solo target.
And then of course there is sneak attack.
Last night I did 46 points damage in a single attack, though that was some lucky rolling. Damage is Rapier 1d8+4, Sneak Attack 3d6, Green Flame 1d8 + 1d8+2 to 2nd target. So average damage is 30 I think. But...this is every round with just normal at-will resources, and a high chance to hit with advantage.
And with Cunning Action, I don't get stuck on the front line. I can move in, do this massive attack, and safely move back out (if I didn't use Steady Aim). Heck, if I drop my target and won't draw an opportunity attack, I can even move behind an ally and hide as a bonus action (as a halfling), provided I didn't use Steady Aim that round.
And when necessary he can even let lose with an area effect spell, like Sleep. That will eventually be traded out for something else, but it's still great on a pack of goblins.
I know this is not "the most" damage a class can do at this level. I am sure a Paladin for example can do more using some limited resources, and for sure a Wizard can with some limited resources. But, it's just that it's so easy for a traditional rogue to do a ton of damage, without using limited resources. I don't have to be "very optimized" to do this. Dex is obvious. A rapier or ranged weapon is obvious. Steady aim is obvious. A familiar is pretty common I think for an arcane trickster, and I suspect now with Tasha's that green flame blade or booming blade (or both) is also pretty obvious. All of this combination is pretty "normal" for a Tasha's-built rogue. It doesn't require a lot of deep game knowledge or tinkering to find this "good" combination.
And with my combat options being pretty easy to figure out, I find I have a lot more time to focus on role playing this little guy. Which has been a blast!
What are other people's impressions of playing a rogue? Do you also find it plays out roughly as I've said, or is what I'm experiencing more geared towards Tasha's Cauldron's impact on the rogue with Steady Aim and the two combat cantrips being reprinted there?
Out of combat he of course excels. We're playing Mad Mage, and he's excellent with traps, secret doors, and anything requiring investigation or scouting., That Mage Hand which can use thieves tools at range is great, and so is a familiar for scouting. He's pretty decent at negotiations as well, provided he uses deception and sometimes uses a Disguise Self spell.
In combat he usually gets Advantage. He has three options to get Advantage: the new optional rule from Tasha's called Steady Aim (which applies to both ranged and melee attacks), attacking from being hidden as a halfling (can hide behind ally), or the Help action from my familiar.
He can use a crossbow, or a rapier, both of which use my Dex.
Green Flame Blade or Booming Blade is cast as a cantrip. It's the former if two targets are next to each other, or the later if it's a solo target.
And then of course there is sneak attack.
Last night I did 46 points damage in a single attack, though that was some lucky rolling. Damage is Rapier 1d8+4, Sneak Attack 3d6, Green Flame 1d8 + 1d8+2 to 2nd target. So average damage is 30 I think. But...this is every round with just normal at-will resources, and a high chance to hit with advantage.
And with Cunning Action, I don't get stuck on the front line. I can move in, do this massive attack, and safely move back out (if I didn't use Steady Aim). Heck, if I drop my target and won't draw an opportunity attack, I can even move behind an ally and hide as a bonus action (as a halfling), provided I didn't use Steady Aim that round.
And when necessary he can even let lose with an area effect spell, like Sleep. That will eventually be traded out for something else, but it's still great on a pack of goblins.
I know this is not "the most" damage a class can do at this level. I am sure a Paladin for example can do more using some limited resources, and for sure a Wizard can with some limited resources. But, it's just that it's so easy for a traditional rogue to do a ton of damage, without using limited resources. I don't have to be "very optimized" to do this. Dex is obvious. A rapier or ranged weapon is obvious. Steady aim is obvious. A familiar is pretty common I think for an arcane trickster, and I suspect now with Tasha's that green flame blade or booming blade (or both) is also pretty obvious. All of this combination is pretty "normal" for a Tasha's-built rogue. It doesn't require a lot of deep game knowledge or tinkering to find this "good" combination.
And with my combat options being pretty easy to figure out, I find I have a lot more time to focus on role playing this little guy. Which has been a blast!
What are other people's impressions of playing a rogue? Do you also find it plays out roughly as I've said, or is what I'm experiencing more geared towards Tasha's Cauldron's impact on the rogue with Steady Aim and the two combat cantrips being reprinted there?
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