Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Character Builds & Optimization
Arcane Trickster/Bladesinger - When to dip?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="RogueJK" data-source="post: 7540585" data-attributes="member: 170"><p>We're starting a new campaign at 3rd level, which will be going to roughly 15th level. </p><p></p><p>I'm playing a Half Elf spellthief character, and am planning to go with a mix of Arcane Trickster and Bladesinger. I'd like a bit more casting utility than a straight AT, so I'm planning to dip at least two levels into Bladesinger, and possibly as many as 5 levels.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the party is a Barbarian tank, Life Cleric healer, and Sorlock blaster. I will be the Face, Trapfinder, Striker, Scout, and Utility Caster. In combat, I'll sprinkle in control spells as needed, but mostly Sneak Attack with Booming Blade/Rapier/Disengage when melee is an option, and Hand Crossbow/Hide for ranged. (Bladesong ends if you use a two handed weapon, so no normal crossbows or bows.)</p><p></p><p>Stat breakdown is as follows:</p><p>S10</p><p>D18 (17+1 HE)</p><p>C16 (15+1 HE)</p><p>I16</p><p>W12</p><p>Ch15 (13+2 HE)</p><p></p><p>My dillema is deciding how to distribute my levels, specifically when during my progression to mix in the Bladesinger levels.</p><p></p><p>I don't want to dilute my levels too much and overly delay ASIs, so it looks like the best option would be to stick to groups of 4 or so levels.</p><p></p><p>One possibility is to start with straight AT for 4 and then add in the 2 to 5 levels of BS. That would mean starting as AT3 with Cunning Action, 2d6 Sneak Attack, and a few limited spells, but waiting until 5th level overall for access to rituals, and 6th overall for Bladesong. Plus I'd be stuck with only 1st level spells until 7th level overall, which is similar spell progression to a straight AT, albeight with a wider variety of cantrips and 1st level spells than a straight AT.</p><p></p><p>I could approach it from the other side, with 1 level of AT and then 5 levels of BS. That would mean starting at AT1/BS2, and having rituals and Bladesong from the start and access to 2nd/3rd level spells at approximately normal character level, but minimal Sneak Attack damage and having to wait for 7th level overall for Cunning Action, which I think would out too much if a cramp on my melee/ranged usefulness.</p><p></p><p>I could also split the difference, starting at something like AT2/BS1, followed by 2 more levels of AT, then 1-4 more levels of BS. That gets me rituals right off the bat at 3rd level overall, and only delays my ASIs by 1 level, but still delays Bladesong to 6th level and Level 2 spells until 7th level.</p><p></p><p>What are your thoughts? When would you suggest taking the Bladesinger levels? </p><p></p><p>And should I stick to just 2 levels of Bladesinger, or is it worth pushing Bladesinger up to 5 for 3rd level spells, even if they might not come online until 9th level overall or higher?</p><p></p><p>Thanks!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RogueJK, post: 7540585, member: 170"] We're starting a new campaign at 3rd level, which will be going to roughly 15th level. I'm playing a Half Elf spellthief character, and am planning to go with a mix of Arcane Trickster and Bladesinger. I'd like a bit more casting utility than a straight AT, so I'm planning to dip at least two levels into Bladesinger, and possibly as many as 5 levels. The rest of the party is a Barbarian tank, Life Cleric healer, and Sorlock blaster. I will be the Face, Trapfinder, Striker, Scout, and Utility Caster. In combat, I'll sprinkle in control spells as needed, but mostly Sneak Attack with Booming Blade/Rapier/Disengage when melee is an option, and Hand Crossbow/Hide for ranged. (Bladesong ends if you use a two handed weapon, so no normal crossbows or bows.) Stat breakdown is as follows: S10 D18 (17+1 HE) C16 (15+1 HE) I16 W12 Ch15 (13+2 HE) My dillema is deciding how to distribute my levels, specifically when during my progression to mix in the Bladesinger levels. I don't want to dilute my levels too much and overly delay ASIs, so it looks like the best option would be to stick to groups of 4 or so levels. One possibility is to start with straight AT for 4 and then add in the 2 to 5 levels of BS. That would mean starting as AT3 with Cunning Action, 2d6 Sneak Attack, and a few limited spells, but waiting until 5th level overall for access to rituals, and 6th overall for Bladesong. Plus I'd be stuck with only 1st level spells until 7th level overall, which is similar spell progression to a straight AT, albeight with a wider variety of cantrips and 1st level spells than a straight AT. I could approach it from the other side, with 1 level of AT and then 5 levels of BS. That would mean starting at AT1/BS2, and having rituals and Bladesong from the start and access to 2nd/3rd level spells at approximately normal character level, but minimal Sneak Attack damage and having to wait for 7th level overall for Cunning Action, which I think would out too much if a cramp on my melee/ranged usefulness. I could also split the difference, starting at something like AT2/BS1, followed by 2 more levels of AT, then 1-4 more levels of BS. That gets me rituals right off the bat at 3rd level overall, and only delays my ASIs by 1 level, but still delays Bladesong to 6th level and Level 2 spells until 7th level. What are your thoughts? When would you suggest taking the Bladesinger levels? And should I stick to just 2 levels of Bladesinger, or is it worth pushing Bladesinger up to 5 for 3rd level spells, even if they might not come online until 9th level overall or higher? Thanks! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Character Builds & Optimization
Arcane Trickster/Bladesinger - When to dip?
Top