D&D 5E Swashbuckler

[Staffan]

@Gladius that's what im wondering, im having a difficult time determining if wielding 2 raipers is much better then 2 shortswords. If there isn't much difference (average of 2 damage) then what feat would be good for a swashbuckler, I was debating Lucky .

It's not that much better: it's an average of 1 damage per attack, which works out to 1-2 damage per round depending on whether you have a better use for your bonus action or not. It's also +1 AC though, and that's not nothing.

If you were weighing the benefits of an actual ability score increase, there's no way I'd take Dual Wielder before maxing out Dex. With +2 Dex, you'd get +1 to hit, +1 damage, and +1 AC. The +1 to hit is definitely better than the possible +1 more damage from the bonus attack.

 

[Baldguy33]

How about resilient feat (con) and stats being 8 16 14 8 12 16

 

[Lucas Blackstone]

Booming Blade won't work with dual wielding attacks ( you mentioned this earlier as a possible option ) because the bonus action attack comes with the attack action. Booming Blade requires you to cast a spell that lets you make a melee attack.

I am a big fan of resilient con, doubly so if you end up casting concentration spells ( not likely with a single class swashbuckler, but just sharing my opinion ).

 

[ScaleyBob]

I've got a Swashbuckler in my current campaign - he began as a dual wielder (not with the Feat, just 2 shortswords) and quickly discovered that it felt like a trap - cunning action was a far better use of his bonus action than stabbing someone a second time was.

When the players hit 4th level he took Sharpshooter, mostly for the cover ignoring ability and longer range I think. He's yet to use the -5/+10 part of the Feat. He does tend to try to Shoot from Hidden most of the time, rather than get the most out of his Swashbuckler abilities. The Subclass features are very good whenever they do come into play. I suspect it's the best Rogue build.

There are times when the character is down right annoying in combat, which makes it that much more satisfying when an opponent can actually tag him.

 

[Baldguy33]

So he isn't playing to the characters strengths? Are you saying he wishes he had took the DW feat? 3rd level he shouldn't have to worry about opportunity attacks really and could attack with his bonus or he can even hid if he felt he needed to.

 

[ScaleyBob]

So he isn't playing to the characters strengths? Are you saying he wishes he had took the DW feat? 3rd level he shouldn't have to worry about opportunity attacks really and could attack with his bonus or he can even hid if he felt he needed to.

Pretty Much, no. He's got a real aversion to getting into combat, despite no Attacks of Opportunity Swashbuckler gives him, and would rather hide and shoot each turn. I usually have to remind him how the Hiding rules work most sessions as well - he'll try to hide behind just about anything, whether it gives Full Cover/Total Concealment or not, and often try to hide even when an enemy can draw a line of sight to him.

I don't think he even considered the Dual Wielder feat when the group hit 4th level. I thought he should have taken +2 to Dex, but he wanted to try out a Feat. Each to their own.

As an aside, now the Group is up to 7th Level, the Rogue seems to be falling behind the curve in damage output. The Extra Attack the Parties Paladin, Fighter and Revised Ranger all have appear to be far more effective than the extra Sneak Damage.

 

[Lanliss]

Pretty Much, no. He's got a real aversion to getting into combat, despite no Attacks of Opportunity Swashbuckler gives him, and would rather hide and shoot each turn. I usually have to remind him how the Hiding rules work most sessions as well - he'll try to hide behind just about anything, whether it gives Full Cover/Total Concealment or not, and often try to hide even when an enemy can draw a line of sight to him.

I don't think he even considered the Dual Wielder feat when the group hit 4th level. I thought he should have taken +2 to Dex, but he wanted to try out a Feat. Each to their own.

As an aside, now the Group is up to 7th Level, the Rogue seems to be falling behind the curve in damage output. The Extra Attack the Parties Paladin, Fighter and Revised Ranger all have appear to be far more effective than the extra Sneak Damage.

Sounds like he didn't know what he wanted at 3rd level and made the wrong choice. He might appreciate getting to choose a different subclass, if you allow that sort of thing. Only subclass though, I wouldn't let him change anything else.

 

[ScaleyBob]

Sounds like he didn't know what he wanted at 3rd level and made the wrong choice. He might appreciate getting to choose a different subclass, if you allow that sort of thing. Only subclass though, I wouldn't let him change anything else.

I have mentioned that idea to him, but he likes what the Swashbuckler can do and it fits his character - a fairly stylish 13 year old Half Elf, with a penchant for getting into and out of places fairly quickly. He wasn't impressed with the Thief, Arcane Trickster didn't fit the Character, and he wasn't too keen on Assassin either. Didn't think the character was that type of PC. That pretty much just left the Swashbuckler.

I just wish he was a bit more Swashbucklery, rather than Snipery.

 

[Lanliss]

I have mentioned that idea to him, but he likes what the Swashbuckler can do and it fits his character - a fairly stylish 13 year old Half Elf, with a penchant for getting into and out of places fairly quickly. He wasn't impressed with the Thief, Arcane Trickster didn't fit the Character, and he wasn't too keen on Assassin either. Didn't think the character was that type of PC. That pretty much just left the Swashbuckler.

I just wish he was a bit more Swashbucklery, rather than Snipery.

Well, nothing wrong wit having a skill that lets you bail as a backup.

Now that you have me thinking about it, I actually think Swashbuckler can work pretty well with a ranged character, with the right set up. A hand-crossbow as a weapon, and a rapier for if an enemy closes the distance. Hit with the rapier, bail for free, and bonus action dash to get out of the enemies reach. So, I can see where he is coming from. Congrats to him for thinking outside the box on that one.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

The Fighter, Pally, Sorc are all really heavy hitters. It doesn't look like the party needs another one, and an extra d8 or d6 isn't going to amount to very much.

But maybe you should consider more Utility, you're the skill monkey after all. I was going to suggest getting the Skill feat to nab all the Cha skills but your party seems to have Cha covered. But your party has a big Wis and Int skill hole, so consider things like Survival, Insight, Investigation, and Athletics.

You said that the 8s were bugging you, but you can shore them up if you get the feat, especially Athletics for a Swashbuckler. A -1 is really painful when you try to climb and swim. But a +1 feels amazing by comparison, and you get the most mileage out of Reliable Talent.