Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="doctorbadwolf" data-source="post: 7615104" data-attributes="member: 6704184">I think the assassin is the wrong rogue to look to for comparison, anyway. There's too big a difference between average damage with a nova first round and without. A swashbuckler will get sneak attack more often, by virtue of more easily moving around the battlefield and having an extra way to get sneak attack, and the assassin won't get their nova strike every combat, and only once per combat when they do get it. 95% of the time, the assassin might as well not have a subclass, when it comes to DPR. The damage output when they do make use of their subclass just doesn't make up for that. Arcane Trickster also works, because spells can help output more damage. Booming Blade combined with Mobile (or Swashbuckler with Magic Initiate or a cantrip from being a High Elf) adds extra damage when you've got advantage, and then you just dual wield for when you don't have advantage and the enemy has high AC. The other thing you want to max out DPR on a rogue is to increase the frequency of making a reaction attack off your turn. For that, you want feats. Since you can't use staves or spears for SA by RAW, PAM is out, but Sentinel works fine, as does Mage Slayer. Lots of monsters cast spells, and a Swashbuckler is hard to keep away from. Anyway, yes, haste+hex/hunter's mark+flurry of blows+hexblade's curse etc is quite good.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="doctorbadwolf, post: 7615104, member: 6704184"] I think the assassin is the wrong rogue to look to for comparison, anyway. There's too big a difference between average damage with a nova first round and without. A swashbuckler will get sneak attack more often, by virtue of more easily moving around the battlefield and having an extra way to get sneak attack, and the assassin won't get their nova strike every combat, and only once per combat when they do get it. 95% of the time, the assassin might as well not have a subclass, when it comes to DPR. The damage output when they do make use of their subclass just doesn't make up for that. Arcane Trickster also works, because spells can help output more damage. Booming Blade combined with Mobile (or Swashbuckler with Magic Initiate or a cantrip from being a High Elf) adds extra damage when you've got advantage, and then you just dual wield for when you don't have advantage and the enemy has high AC. The other thing you want to max out DPR on a rogue is to increase the frequency of making a reaction attack off your turn. For that, you want feats. Since you can't use staves or spears for SA by RAW, PAM is out, but Sentinel works fine, as does Mage Slayer. Lots of monsters cast spells, and a Swashbuckler is hard to keep away from. Anyway, yes, haste+hex/hunter's mark+flurry of blows+hexblade's curse etc is quite good. [/QUOTE]

Verification