D&D (2024) Not a fan of the new Eldritch Knight

[Zardnaar]

The civility and consideration of others and their opinions in this thread is refreshing.

SILENCE heretic. (Pls don't hurt me).

 

[Zardnaar]

Consider dipping ranger 1.
Multiple free casting of Hunter's Mark, more slots, and goodberry.

Ranger 2 and you can pick up Shillelagh and Guidance, and expetise. (Blind Fighting to go with EK's Fog Cloud is also very good).

And GloomStalker 3 is just heavily front loaded too.


Probably go EK 5 first though.

I have considered that. It's the when though. Eg EK4/Rgr 1 isn't great.

And you kinda want EK 1-7 ASAP

Hence hex at 4. Difference between theory crafting and practice. Also MAD (see comment earlier on using wisdom to enable Rgr MC/better saves).

 

[ECMO3]

I think there's some confusion going on somewhere. The issue is that a person cannot use the quarterstaff as a focus to cast Shillelagh because there is both a material component and a somatic component unless Shillelagh counts as a class spell spell through the means of acquisition, which means normally being a druid spell it would require the caster to have druid levels.

That does not matter in the new rules. You can use your Mistletow or Component Pouch or Druid Focus or whatever and then take out the Wizard staff or Club when you make attack with it on the same turn.

The new rules leave the whole juggling issues of the past in the past.

 

[Zardnaar]

That does not matter in the new rules. You can use your Mistletow or Component Pouch or Druid Focus or whatever and then take out the Wizard staff or Club when you make attack with it on the same turn.

The new rules leave the whole juggling issues of the past in the past.

You need the weapon in hand for shillagh though.

You can equip a shield though?

 

[ECMO3]

Consider dipping ranger 1.
Multiple free casting of Hunter's Mark, more slots, and goodberry.

Ranger 2 and you can pick up Shillelagh and Guidance, and expetise. (Blind Fighting to go with EK's Fog Cloud is also very good).

And GloomStalker 3 is just heavily front loaded too.


Probably go EK 5 first though.

That is an interesting take. The main issue here is you are presumably dumping Intelligence which means you do not have a good Wizard attack cantrip to use with Warmagic. This pretty much necessitates taking magic initiate to pick up Truestrike or a Blade Cantrip and if you are going to do that it would be just as easy to dip warlock instead and pick up Shilleleagh and guidance through Magic Initiate.

Finally on a 2-level Warlock dip you can get all of this (shillelagh+attack cantrip+Hex) without using any feat: Get Pact of Tome for Shillelagh (and two other cantrips), get pact of blade for your nick weapon and then get one agonizing blade cantrip as your third invocation. Get Hex as a Warlock spell and having 2 short rest slots means you have more uses than a 2-level Ranger would have for Favored Foe.

This would let you wield a club with Shilleleagh, wield a nick Scimitar as a pact weapon and get double charisma bonus using Warmagic with your Agonizing Cantrip attack.

 

[Zardnaar]

That is an interesting take. The main issue here is you are presumably dumping Intelligence which means you do not have a good Wizard attack cantrip to use with Warmagic. This pretty much necessitates taking magic initiate to pick up Truestrike or a Blade Cantrip and if you are going to do that it would be just as easy to dip warlock instead and pick up Shilleleagh and guidance through Magic Initiate.

Finally on a 2-level Warlock dip you can get all of this (shillelagh+attack cantrip+Hex) without using any feat - get Pact of Tome for Shilleleagh and two other cantrips, get pact of blade for your nick weapon and then get one agonizing blade cantrip. Get Hex as a Warlock spell and having 2 short rest slots means you have more uses than a 2-level Ranger would have for Favored Foe.

This would let you wield a club with Shilleleagh, wield a Scimitar as a pact weapon and get double charisma bonus using Warmagic with your Agonizing Cantrip attack.

2 level dip does slow you down. Long way to go to level 9. What order you taking those levels in?

My hex via feat is assuming playable from lvl 1 or 3. You have the option of wis or int as well.

Guide origin doesn't boost int hmmn. Cheese it with SCAG.

 

[Ashrym]

That does not matter in the new rules. You can use your Mistletow or Component Pouch or Druid Focus or whatever and then take out the Wizard staff or Club when you make attack with it on the same turn.

The new rules leave the whole juggling issues of the past in the past.

Except you need to be holding the quarterstaff to cast Shillelagh on it.

A Club or Quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature’s power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon’s damage die becomes a d8. If the attack deals damage, it can be Force damage or the weapon’s normal damage type (your choice).

and

Shield (Utilize Action to Don or Doff)

so the EK cannot juggle it.

One hand is holding the weapon, the other hand needs to be available to use the material and somatic components; therefore, the EK gives up their shield to cast Shillelagh in combat.

The Warlock dip lets the character pick up Shillelagh through either Lessons of the First Ones (I would argue that's a class feature but a DM might still say no), or Pact of the Tome (which does make Shillelagh a warlock spell for the character) and then the warlock dip can use the quarterstaff in hand as an arcane focus for Shillalagh to keep the shield in the other hand.

 

[mellored]

That is an interesting take. The main issue here is you are presumably dumping Intelligence which means you do not have a good Wizard attack cantrip to use with Warmagic.

Going warlock does not give you a wizard attack cantrip either.

So possibly
Magic Initiate (wizard) for Wis Truestrike
Fighter 1 for con saves.
Ranger 1 for Hunter's Mark.
EK 11 for the 3rd attack, Warcaster, resilient (Dex), Defensive Duelist.
Gloomstalker 3.
Arcane Trickster 4 for sneak attack and slots.
EK 12 for epic boon.
Gloomstalker 4 for 2nd epic boon.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Except you need to be holding the quarterstaff to cast Shillelagh on it.



and



so the EK cannot juggle it.

One hand is holding the weapon, the other hand needs to be available to use the material and somatic components; therefore, the EK gives up their shield to cast Shillelagh in combat.

I just wonder how many DMs would enforce this? It just seems so nitpicky. Especially given the leeway clerics and paladins are given with shields. It seems punative to enforce this on the EK when it's kind of their schtick to cast spells while wielding shields and armour. Because, even without taking shillelagh, an EK can't wield a sword and shield and cast the spell shield. They, literally, need to wield a staff.

It would have been nice if they had a power that their bonded weapon could work as a spellcasting focus. Which still wouldn't solve the shillelagh issue but at least they could cast their own spells.

 

[Zardnaar]

I just wonder how many DMs would enforce this? It just seems so nitpicky. Especially given the leeway clerics and paladins are given with shields. It seems punative to enforce this on the EK when it's kind of their schtick to cast spells while wielding shields and armour. Because, even without taking shillelagh, an EK can't wield a sword and shield and cast the spell shield. They, literally, need to wield a staff.

It would have been nice if they had a power that their bonded weapon could work as a spellcasting focus. Which still wouldn't solve the shillelagh issue but at least they could cast their own spells.

Bit of an over sight imho. They've always had issues casting should RAW iirc.

Spamming shillagh outside combat every minute is doable.

@pukunui had a work around iirc.