D&D 5E Seeking advice for what to do with my Eldritch Knight

[Lord_Dots]

Greetings! My party has just reached level 4, and I am extremely torn on what to do with my character. Any advice for my build is appreciated!

Currently, I am stuck on whether to pick a feat or to simply improve my DEX. The feat I am considering is fey touched to get access to Misty Step early and Hunter's Mark. Also, to give my character more options and fun flavor. My character is a High Elf with the archery fighting style. These are her stats:
ST, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHAR
8, 16, 14, 18, 12, 8

The 18 in INT comes from a homebrewed magic item (started at a 16). Longbow is primary weapon and has been enhanced by an artificer in the party, so I currently receive a +8 to hit and a +4 to damage.

Only other important thing to note is that I am heavily considering taking a minimum of 2 level of Wizard at some point -- War Magic subclass. Unsure if this could be a good idea or a bad one. I am also considering the Sharpshooter feat, but I am unsure when to take it. A little worried about the gamble with the -5 to hit, though. Having to decide when or when not to use it sounds nerve-wracking to me.

We are expecting this campaign to get to high levels, so I am trying to attempt to plan ahead. Thank you to any help in advance!

 

[BacchusNL]

With +2 hit from Archery fighting style and a +1 from the artificer infusion you really don't need to worry much about the -5 penalty from sharpshooter. If you have sources of advantage or other buffs in the party (Faerie Fire, Bless, Familiars with Help actions ect) it gets even nuttier.

I would start with Sharpshooter, then if you are planning on taking a half-feat with Fey-touched I would probably follow it up with Elven Accuracy (make sure you got your own familiar at this point or beg your casters for Faerie Fire spam and Greater Invisibility) and +2 dex after that. That would be done at level 12 (level 11 is 3rd attack, which is big) and level 13 unlocks level 3 spells. I would probably look into multiclassing after that, if there is still time.

 

[Lord_Dots]

With +2 hit from Archery fighting style and a +1 from the artificer infusion you really don't need to worry much about the -5 penalty from sharpshooter. If you have sources of advantage or other buffs in the party (Faerie Fire, Bless, Familiars with Help actions ect) it gets even nuttier.

I would start with Sharpshooter, then if you are planning on taking a half-feat with Fey-touched I would probably follow it up with Elven Accuracy (make sure you got your own familiar at this point or beg your casters for Faerie Fire spam and Greater Invisibility) and +2 dex after that. That would be done at level 12 (level 11 is 3rd attack, which is big) and level 13 unlocks level 3 spells. I would probably look into multiclassing after that, if there is still time.

Thank you for your input! I do have an owl familiar, but my DM kinda hates that it is able to grant me advantage. Slightly worried about my familiar getting targeted as the campaign continues. Buffs are harder to come by with the current party line-up, unfortunately : (

Would it be alright to get my Int up to 20 before my Dex since Fey Touched doesn't allow an increase in Dex? I am a newer player, so I don't know how essential getting my Dex up to +5 ASAP is.

 

[BacchusNL]

Thank you for your input! I do have an owl familiar, but my DM kinda hates that it is able to grant me advantage. Slightly worried about my familiar getting targeted as the campaign continues. Buffs are harder to come by with the current party line-up, unfortunately : (

Would it be alright to get my Int up to 20 before my Dex since Fey Touched doesn't allow an increase in Dex? I am a newer player, so I don't know how essential getting my Dex up to +5 ASAP is.

Familiars getting targeted is always a risk, but that's why they are magical spirits and not flesh & blood And every attack going at your familiar is one that isn't going at your head. Familiars also feel a lot stronger before level 5 btw. Once you get a 2nd attack and the advantage it gives goes from 100% to 50% (and other people are casting fireballs and the like) it becomes a lot more fair, in the eyes of most DM's.

And my bad, I thought dex was an option for Fey Touched. That's kinda tricky, because I would always try to max dex first. You already have very good int and many good spells for Eldritch Knight, like Shield/ Absorb Elements/ Find Familiar/ Mirror Image/ Misty Step/ Haste ect, don't require high int anyway. On the flip side dex is your:
-AC (depands on armor type but studded leather and 20 dex is very good)
-Initiative (extra important for a burst damage character, like a sharpshooter with action surge)
-Hit chance (again, sharpshooter synergy)
-Damage (and fighters attack more often then any other)

That said, if you think Fey Touched is dope and fits your character then slam it and just pick up the SS and dex after that. Even with just the extra spells It's decent and you can top off your Int later to 20 with Elven Accuracy, once you get your own lvl 4 spells (Greater Invis) to let it really pop off. But personally I would do Fey Touched + Elven Accuracy after sharpshooter and 2x +2 dex.

 

[Lord_Dots]

Familiars getting targeted is always a risk, but that's why they are magical spirits and not flesh & blood ^_^ And every attack going at your familiar is one that isn't going at your head.

And my bad, I thought dex was an option for Fey Touched. That's kinda tricky, because I would always try to max dex first. You already have very good int and many good spells for Eldritch Knight, like Shield/ Absorb Elements/ Find Familiar/ Mirror Image/ Misty Step/ Haste ect, don't require high int anyway. On the flip side dex is your:
-AC (depands on armor type but studded leather and 20 dex is very good)
-Initiative (extra important for a burst damage character, like a sharpshooter with action surge)
-Hit chance (again, sharpshooter synergy)
-Damage (and fighters attack more often then any other)

That said, if you think Fey Touched is dope and fits your character then slam it and pick up the dex after that. Even with just the extra spells It's decent and you can top off your Int later to 20 with Elven Accuracy once you get your own lvl 4 spells (Greater Invis). But personally I would do that after sharpshooter and 2x +2 dex.

No worries! All of this is very helpful -- I appreciate it! Would you say the damage boost of Hunter's Mark/Hex is helpful enough if I were to take it before Sharpshooter? I'd assume once I get access to level 3 spells Haste will probably be the primary spell to concentrate on, potentially making Fey Touched not as worth it if picked up later game.

 

[BacchusNL]

No worries! All of this is very helpful -- I appreciate it! Would you say the damage boost of Hunter's Mark/Hex is helpful enough if I were to take it before Sharpshooter? I'd assume once I get access to level 3 spells Haste will probably be the primary spell to concentrate on, potentially making Fey Touched not as worth it if picked up later game.

Yeah, technically speaking Hex is better (it works with spell attacks like firebolt and has the option to weaken enemies vs grapples and stuff), but if you want to stay on theme then Hunter's Mark works fine. And I can definatly see the appeal, it can do some cool things with Action Surge. But at the end of the day it's just some flat extra damage though, and on that front the extra benefits of Dex win out imo. If you really want to get bang for your buck from Fey Touched then check if you can get Gift of Alacrity from the Wildemount book;

Gift of Alacrity - D&D 5th Edition

dnd5ed.wikidot.com

+1D8 to initiative for 8 hours = 4.5 on avarage (so that's almost the same as the good part of the Alert feat) with misty step and +1 int on top. That would be the best by far.

 

[Lord_Dots]

Yeah, technically speaking Hex is better (it works with spell attacks like firebolt and has the option to weaken enemies vs grapples and stuff), but if you want to stay on theme then Hunter's Mark works fine. And I can definatly see the appeal, it can do some cool things with Action Surge. But at the end of the day it's just some flat extra damage though, and on that front the extra benefits of Dex win out imo. If you really want to get bang for your buck from Fey Touched then check if you can get Gift of Alacrity from the Wildemount book;

Gift of Alacrity - D&D 5th Edition

dnd5ed.wikidot.com

+1D8 to initiative for 8 hours = 4.5 on avarage (so that's almost the same as the good part of the Alert feat) with misty step and +1 int on top. That would be the best by far.

I will look into that/ask my DM -- thank you!! ^o^