D&D 5E Best Non-GWM, Non-SS, Non-PM, Non-CE Damagers

[clearstream]

Then have your allies pop out of a corner, throw stuff at them, and move back into safety. You just got a full free round of damage.

Their better off moving towards your allies then standing around waiting to be killed.

3 things that can screw it up.
A lucky enemy that guesses your location, hits with disadvantage, and disrupts your concentration that you have advantage on. A bit easier with a fireball.
Allies who rush in and stands toe to toe with the enemy. (Though rushing ranged enemies works fine).
True vision (flying avoids tremmorsense).

At which point, you switch to hit-and-run. Doing 2d8+3+2d6(+2d8 if they move). Which as about as much a regular rogue.

You can also fly 100' with a 120' range attack (though with only 14 Cha, eldrich blast is a bit weak, even with advantage ). So it may take a while, but you can kill any ground melee troops without them being able to attack back.

Or just fly 150' per round, and come back after a short rest.

Flying continues to be good in D&D Here you show brilliantly that a DM who allows flying PCs but hasn't shaped their world to acknowledge flight, is going to be caught flat-footed.

As a DM I feel like in the core campaign world it makes sense for melee to carry a ranged weapon. Ordinary troops might have short bows or light crossbows, veterans might have longbows or heavy crossbows. Elites get to fly.

Interestingly, most flying creatures can't choose to not move...

 

[clearstream]

Wouldn't it be better to go back to your thread if you want to continue on your soap box about all this? Why insist it become a part of my thread when you have your own already created for it.

Apologies [MENTION=6795602]FrogReaver[/MENTION]. I thought your thread and our conversation naturally lead to quantifying applicability. I shall say drag my contributions back toward your goals. (Once I have some more concrete concepts, I'll start my own thread around building some formulae. Stay tuned!)

In play, GFB and Sentinel are getting considerably less than 100% triggers. Booming is likely in the same boat. Sneak Attack is more frequent than the others, but still less than 100% unless character generates or obviates advantage or counts on allies. Maybe as the OP you can set some values for up time on those? Otherwise you more or less just see the biggest numbers coming from the usual suspects again and again. Which isn't what I'm seeing in the game as its played.

When you say best non-etc damage dealer, for me this is a strong option

Variant-Human
Battlemaster 6th
Swashbuckler 5th
Dueling fighting style
Precision, Menacing, Trip (Riposte is wonderfully insolent, but they have to choose to attack you, and then miss, and then you can't have used your reaction on anything else: it doesn't happen that often)
Sentinel
ASI x2 (Dexterity 20)
Alert
Expertise Stealth and Acrobatics

Longbow, longsword, hand crossbow, two shortswords, shield. (Usually wields shield and empty hand.) +13 on initiative and acrobatics (very difficult to grapple). Swashmaster doesn't deal the most damage/turn on paper, but he controls fights wonderfully. Due to high initiative and Cunning Action, Sentinel and Fancy Footwork, it's usually up to him whether he's engaged or not. He satisfies Sneak Attack nearly 100% of the time. And it's hard for other creatures to get advantage against him. He's never surprised. In a 4-6 round fight he usually gets 1-2 Sentinel triggers. AC 19 + Uncanny Dodge mitigates a lot of damage in reply. Using Precision conservatively (1-2 on first attack, 1-4 on second, 1-4 on Sentinel triggers) he has enough superiority dice to get through 2-3 combats before a short rest.

On paper his damage output isn't as high as you can get, but he is a deadly opponent. (If a DM allows a flying PC, then no doubt a better flying version can be worked out.)

 

[CapnZapp]

I generally assume a day consists of 6 combats that are 4 rounds each for a total of 24 combat rounds and 2 short rests.

Myself, I don't use assumptions much - I prefer to look at my actual games.

I would say a representative day in my game consists of 1-3 combats of 6-8 combat rounds each.

No short rests, or maybe one, tops.



Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[MiraMels]

Single classed fighter with a great axe, the great weapon fighting style, and the Savage Attacker feat. Either Champion or Battle Master depending on your preferred level of mechanical engagement.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World

 

[FrogReaver]

Flying continues to be good in D&D Here you show brilliantly that a DM who allows flying PCs but hasn't shaped their world to acknowledge flight, is going to be caught flat-footed.

As a DM I feel like in the core campaign world it makes sense for melee to carry a ranged weapon. Ordinary troops might have short bows or light crossbows, veterans might have longbows or heavy crossbows. Elites get to fly.

Interestingly, most flying creatures can't choose to not move...

Curious where the rule on. It moving for flying creatures is

 

[FrogReaver]

Myself, I don't use assumptions much - I prefer to look at my actual games.

I would say a representative day in my game consists of 1-3 combats of 6-8 combat rounds each.

No short rests, or maybe one, tops.



Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

Yea. How do those assumptions really change who the best damage dealer is?

 

[Thateous]

Curious where the rule on. It moving for flying creatures is

Under flying movement (pg 190 PHB)

Flying creatures enjoy many benefits of mobility, but they must also deal with the danger of falling.
If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by magic, such as by the fly spell.

This statement implies that unless you have the ability to hover, you can't just stop moving in flight.

 

[FrogReaver]

Under flying movement (pg 190 PHB)

[FONT=&]Flying creatures enjoy many benefits of mobility, but they must also deal with the danger of falling.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by magic, such as by the fly spell.

[/FONT]This statement implies that unless you have the ability to hover, you can't just stop moving in flight.

It doesn't imply that at all. It says that they fall if deprived of the ability to move not that they fall if they don't move.

 

[CapnZapp]

It doesn't imply that at all. It says that they fall if deprived of the ability to move not that they fall if they don't move.

"implying" is not the same as "saying"

 

[CapnZapp]

Yea. How do those assumptions really change who the best damage dealer is?

I made a comment on your assumptions regarding the adventuring workday. Nothing more.