D&D 5E Why do people think elven accuracy is so great?

[Benjamin Olson]

It is a third dice on an attack only when you have advantage and when you are probably going to hit anyway if you ever get to use it. I am guessing it matters maybe once in every 3 days in a non-Rogue.

I find that my tier 2 Fighter/Barbarian, who makes nearly every attack once he closes to melee with advantage due to reckless attack (if no other source is available) still misses about every 6th shot or so (or would if I didn't have precision attack). Obviously this sort of build doesn't qualify for Elven Accuracy, it's just the character for whom I have the most experience rolling lots of attack rolls with advantage in succession in actual play.

In any case, if we figure normal advantage still missing about a 6th of the time is reasonably average then on pure saving attacks numbers Elven Accuracy requires making more than 18 advantaged, non-strength based attacks a day to outpace Lucky, were one to devote Lucky entirely to saving advantaged attacks (which generally wouldn't particularly make sense for non-Rogues). Some characters consistently do that, most don't. Yes it will also increase your crit-chance, but it just means getting a crit on every 20th advantaged attack that wasn't already a crit, which doesn't make much difference on most builds.

The real value is that it's a half feat with +1 to one of four stats, and thus not really comparable to Lucky. It's not worth taking if it doesn't even out an important stat for you. But if it does, and your a character who makes a reasonably high number of non-strength based attack rolls with advantage, it's pretty solid. It doesn't need to necessarily be optimized for it to be worthwhile. I would probably always take it on an Elf Wizard eventually (provided they could make use of the stat bump) simply because turns when you are stuck just casting firebolt are lame enough, you should at least get to do it with your pet owl giving you superadvantage.

 

[TwoSix]

Unless you roll abilitles, bladesinger should not have an odd dexterity (or intelligence). Bladesingers more than any other subclass need to take ASIs and if they have a spare feat it needs to be lucky to counter crits against them.

So you'd prioritize V-Human getting Lucky at 1st, +2 Dex at 4 to be at 18/16 rather than Elf/Half-elf starting at 17 and getting an 18 with Elven Accuracy?

Valid, but I guess I favor offense over defense. You do have infinite characters, after all. That's why I don't fret over keeping my character alive. Live fast and leave a beautiful corpse and all that.

In games I have played, bladesingers do not get advantage enough for this to be worthwhile. I guess if you use Shadowblade yes you might have advantage often, but if you are using shadowblade then you are not using PGE, blur or greater invisibility. You are not going to last long in melee as a bladesinger without one of those spells up. I guess greater invisibility would give that third dice though .....

Exactly. Enemies that can see through GI are pretty rare, and Elven Accuracy plays very nicely with it. I had an archer bard with GI and Elven Accuracy, and it's a brutal combination with SS.

 

[jayoungr]

If you're at a table that uses the optional flanking rule, advantage comes up pretty often.

 

[Mort]

If you're at a table that uses the optional flanking rule, advantage comes up pretty often.

Yes, so often, in fact, that while we started with the optional flanking rule at my table - we dropped it after a few sessions as just too much.

 

[Bill Zebub]

Yes, so often, in fact, that while we started with the optional flanking rule at my table - we dropped it after a few sessions as just too much.

Same. I loved it at first because it was fun to always have advantage, but honestly it trivialized boss fights, and it got boring always using the same strategy.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Crit fishing. Your chance for a crit goes from 5% on a d20, to 9.75% on 2d20, and 14.2626% on 3d20. If you have a build with lots of crit bonus damage, Elven Accuracy is a good feat. Paladins can definitely benefit here due to smite mechanics. Rogues, obviously. Spellcasters with ray spells or riders can benefit as well.

On top of that, if you can add in Hexblade's Curse or Improved Critical, your crit rate starts looking like an average character's hit rate.

 

[Bill Zebub]

On top of that, if you can add in Hexblade's Curse or Improved Critical, your crit rate starts looking like an average character's hit rate.

There are also some group synergies, such as having a teammate with Shield Master who can keep knocking your target prone, or a wolf totem barbarian.

Or how about an elven dex barbarian using reckless attack? (Am I forgetting something that makes this not work?)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Or how about an elven dex barbarian using reckless attack? (Am I forgetting something that makes this not work?)

It works, rage doesn't.

 

[Mort]

There are also some group synergies, such as having a teammate with Shield Master who can keep knocking your target prone, or a wolf totem barbarian.

Or how about an elven dex barbarian using reckless attack? (Am I forgetting something that makes this not work?)

Reckless attack is also strength only,

from D&D Beyond:

Reckless Attack​

Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

 

[Stoutstien]

On top of that, if you can add in Hexblade's Curse or Improved Critical, your crit rate starts looking like an average character's hit rate.

This is about the only time EA shines along side anything that makes critical hit damage worthwhile. Other than that its a solid half feat but overrated IMO.