D&D 5E Magic Initiate - A guide to an underestimated (and cool) feat

[The Grassy Gnoll]

8 pages to sift through so apologies if already covered, but...your opening para describes Eldritch Blast as being useful at higher levels for attacking multiple opponents. But a Magic Initiate just gets the basic level of the cantrip. Unless they have 5 levels of actual Warlock (in this case) on top.

However, FWIW, I love this Feat and tend to choose:
Bard: for the Rogue or anyone who hates those feelthy Eenglish kaniggets
Prestidigitation (love this cantrip)
Vicious Mockery
Disguise Self

Wizard: for the Rogue
Presti
Message
Find Familiar

Druid: for the Monk/Little John fighter
Shillelagh
Magic Stone
Goodberry

 

[jaelis]

Cantrips scale with character level, so a level 6 fighter with EB via the feat does get two blasts.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Oh hey, this was necro'd again.

I'm a huge fan of Magic Initiate for Find Familiar. Its a neat way to add just a dash of Beastmaster Ranger to Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, or even an other subclass of Ranger.

 

[bigbugabuu]

I don't see why you dislike magic stone so much.
You can make an Cha based rogue that way.


I also agree that mage armor is not red.

Studded leather is 12+dex.
Mage armor is 13+dex.

Effectively +1 AC for any light armor user.

I agree on the magic stone bit, but the mage armor only works if you aren't wearing any armor.

 

[Aaron Litz]

I agree on the magic stone bit, but the mage armor only works if you aren't wearing any armor.

He wasn't talking about adding together the AC from studded leather and Mage Armor, he was saying that the AC you gain from Mage Armor is 1 better than what you get from studded leather.

 

[bwillprice]

I don't see why you dislike magic stone so much.
You can make an Cha based rogue that way.


I also agree that mage armor is not red.

Studded leather is 12+dex.
Mage armor is 13+dex.

Effectively +1 AC for any light armor user.

 

[bwillprice]

I don't see why you dislike magic stone so much.
You can make an Cha based rogue that way.


I also agree that mage armor is not red.

Studded leather is 12+dex.
Mage armor is 13+dex.

Effectively +1 AC for any light armor user.

I thought the same thing about magic stone, but if you read it carefully it turns out it’s not very useful for rogues. If the spell transformed ordinary pebbles into magic ranged weapons the way shillelagh turns sticks into magic melee weapons, it would function with Sneak Attack. It doesn’t; it allows you to make ranged spell attacks with non-weapon pebbles, whether fired from a sling or thrown by hand. A generous DM might let you do it anyway, but RAW rogues have little to gain from it.

It’s worth noting that magic stone will outpace eldritch blast all the way to level 11 on any non-warlock character with Extra Attack and a spellcasting ability mod of +3 or higher. Paladins and Extra Attack bards, who benefit from a Charisma mod at least that high, can take the warlock version and use Extra Attack to throw two stones for more damage than they’d get out of two eldritch blast attacks. Monks can take the druid version to do the same thing, though there’s no equivalent of hex for them.

The Hexblade warlock patron is a better place to start for a Charisma rogue; for a one-level dip you can transform a bow or whip or rapier into a Charisma-based weapon that still functions with Sneak Attack.

 

[Seramus]

Using a sling qualifies you for sneak attack, regardless if it's a spell attack or weapon attack. It also qualifies you for the Archery fighting style.

 

[Eltab]

Sword Burst should be purple (situational) not red. Equip a Halfling Rogue with it - so you can move through other creatures' spaces without taking opportunity attacks - and you become a 'living hand grenade'. I was able to negotiate crowds, draw attention away from my allies, clear roadblocks, and mess with back-line spellcasters. A Halfling not-Rogue can slip behind and weaken an enemy front line for the Fighter / Barbarian / Paladin to finish off, or clear gaps in mobs of fragile mooks.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Using a sling qualifies you for sneak attack, regardless if it's a spell attack or weapon attack. It also qualifies you for the Archery fighting style.

This. The sneak attack condition is "must use a finesse or ranged weapon". It does not specify if the attack is a weapon attack or spell attack.