The gist of the battle plan on that particular build was go in, hit once with a rapier as a kensei weapon, attempt to stun, then extra attack w/ unarmed strike, boost my AC, disengage freely because of swashbuckler, and use monk's speed to go to another enemy, and use martial arts to hit as a bonus action, or spend a ki point to flurry if I feel like the battle's particularly important. College of Swords certainly has a good thematic fit, but its class features lack luster so Id rather go with one of the other Bard sub-classes. For the following example build weve used the standard set of scores provided in the PHB (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) when deciding ability scores. If you sacrifice all of your movement in a turn, you give yourself advantage on the next attack roll you make this turn. For a full overview of the rogue class, check out our rogue 5e Guide. On a failed save, the target would normally take 2d10 fire damage, and a successful save would take half. So, working backwards, you obviously lose 1D6 o. Ultimately though, it depends on what you are trying to get out of the character. Out of combat, as noted, it rocks. Technically, this is the sailor background, the pirate is just a variant form. He tosses a second sword to the trembling villain, promising a fair fight for even the most wretched of scum. Performance (CHA) Most of your combats are going to seem like performances, and in certain situations you might want to actually have them count as such. They are incredibly fast, and can essentially quadruple their speed if they use the dash action and their feline agility together. So make sail, dawn your feathered cap, and gear up as many one-liners as you need, this is going to be a great character for you. So I started to touch on this earlier on, in the limitations section. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20. Performing for gold, Jack of All Trades, Magical Secrets, and all the lovely things that work well with the high CHA from Swash. Elf: A +2 to DEX, Darkvision, and proficiency in the Perception skill. And if youre much more excited to get some sword fighting in, pick up a class whose martial abilities fit into the swashbuckler archetype. You might as well call this ability hit and run. UPDATE: Swashbuckler Rogue/Monk multiclass? Martial Adept The maneuvers of the battle master fighter subclass are a very natural mix with the swashbuckler, allowing you to pull off impressive stunts during combat. I'm not a fan of multiclassing Monk and Rogue. Multiclassing . Keep in mind, most races and subraces are limited by the setting and source material chosen by the DM. I opted for the feat at first level and chose tavern brawling( if thats the name) he isnt really high in charisma but has a high strength and dext and highish constitution. Swashbuckler/Paladin/Sorcerer seems to be very busy and lacking some focus. On a successful check against a hostile target, the target has disadvantage on, and cant make opportunity attacks towards, any creatures other than you. Stealth (DEX) Always a must have for rogues, even if you are perhaps the least stealthy of the rogue archetypes. Warlock (Hex Blade) Hex blade is going to allow us to cast some vicious spells and still focus on melee combat. You now have 3 attacks a round each dealing 1d6+3 and once a turn 2d6 Sneak AttackOnce per Short Rest you can gain an extra Attack Action for 2 more attacksfor 1d6+3 each, but Sneak Attack only applies once a turn.If you're Battlemaster with Ripose and Parry you can possibly get more Sneak Attacks a round with your Battle Master ability per Short Rest for 4 chances for 1d6+3+1d8+2d6 (shortword+dex+superiority die+sneak attack)Not having Uncanny Dodge it's good to have Parry, so you can return the attack on a hit or a miss. Basically, if were choosing to start casting spells, we want to be able to do as much as we can. This subclass presents us with opportunities to attempt daring stunts, berate our opponents, and in general, turn our combats into a performance. Just hit Lvl 4, very tempted to get Magic Initiate as suggested. Do yourself a favor and watch the movie before playing this character. Zorro, Robin Hood, Inigo Montoya, Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and even Han Solo are all characters who fit the archetype of swashbuckler. As a Swashbuckler you should have high Charisma, so a multiclass into a charisma caster like Sorc or Warlock could be fun. On top of that, Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, and two skill proficiencies make Half-Elfs very appealing. You just lost 2.5d6Sneak Attack damage every turn! Half-Elf does make a pretty good Swashbuckler, but then Half-Elves make pretty good everything, especially charisma based characters. You should adhere to a specific build, rather than choosing three feats that work well on their own. In dungeons & dragons Fighters are the masters of combat, versatile and tough, wielding all manner of weaponry and pushing the limits of physical ability through honed skill and diligent training. A well-armed pirate leaps from the crows nest to confront his enemy. Hexbuckler of the Astral Seas - DnD 5e. Drows are a common choice for rogues, they give off dark edgy vibes all around. While some warriors are brutes clad in heavy armor, your method of fighting looks almost like a performance. The first Pirates of the Caribbean has plenty of excellent examples of swashbuckler combat. 6. Warlocks are well known for giving Eldritch Blast to anyone who takes a level, but choosing to stick out longer and yield all the benefits that hex blade offers is the way to go. This is a great start for Swashbucklers. Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss another post! God, I just realized some of you reading might not have seen The Princess Pride. Intimidation and stealth are solid choices for the next bout of expertise we gain. Basic DPR is 10.65, sneak attack DPR is 9.56 for a total DPR of 20.21. Basically, you either have advantage on them or being near an ally (the enemy of my enemy is my friend logic) lets you get a sneak attack in. While most people, myself included, picture pirates whenever the word swashbuckler is mentioned, the term actually defines a much broader character. Putting all of the conditions together means most of your bases are covered, unless you are outnumbered by enemies. Thank you for this great article! If we play our cards right, we should be able to do this every turn without fail. Use the buttons below to fine tune the content you see in our guides. Their main subclass feature is the tweak to Sneak Attack, which allows Swashbucklers to apply their extra damage when dueling an enemy 1v1 rather than the original circumstances (advantage, an ally within 5ft, etc). Swashbucklers would certainly be the subclass to take both Deception and Persuasion if you were ever going to. Hopefully I roll a bunch of odd Dice and I can use feats to dip into the spell casting like magic initiate. Ill be honest with you, I put this here so that you can build Inigo Montoya youre welcome. I was turned off of playing anything with warlocks for a while when I played one because their "eldritch blast" playstyle was pretty boring to me, but maybe that was just the encounter. Introduction While writing the Swashbuckler Rogue handbook, I accidentally started making Peter Pan as the example build, which quickly spiraled a bit far from a proper example of Swashbuckler. Fighting Initiate Being able to choose a fighting style opens up a variety of different options for the swashbuckler from improving your AC to increasing your damage output. There are also similarly 4 combinationsfor hitting => 55% + (40%*55%) = 77%. I would recommend starting Rogue for the bonus skills (Rogue then Fighter gives you 4 + background + race while Fighter then Rogue gives 3 + background + race). Real life happens, DM gets burned out, etc. As a kid, I was often told to get my head out of the clouds and to stop living in a fantasy world. Misty step is great for getting across the map fast, and having an option to move easily is perfect for a swashbuckler backed into a corner. Be more of a Swashbuckler in heart than a tinkerer. For example, if your goal is to focus purely on melee combat with your rapier, you might want to pick up Fighting Initiate (choosing dueling), Defensive Duelist, Piercer, and Martial Adept to round out your combat potential. Expertise: Refer to the 5e Rogue Guide. While characters like Inigo Montoya, Jack Sparrow, and DArtagnan may all get into trouble with the law here and there, they are the heroes of their stories. Speed, Elegance, and Charm. A masked elf creeps along the walls of a manor to rescue his love trapped inside by a dastardly baron. Swashbucklers are an interesting twist on Rogues. If you are wielding a light weapon in each hand you can use a bonus action as an offhand attack (using your non-dominant hand to make an attack, you cant add your ability score modifier to the damage though). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Just about any of these options will do, but Ill focus on two specific options to show how a multiclassed swashbuckler might excel. Insight (WIS) Leave this for a party member with higher wisdom to focus on. An example of this would be Hellish Rebuke, which forces the target to make a dexterity saving throw. Pirate Proficiency in Athletics and Persuasion. Since rogues can dash as a bonus action, we should now have no problem fleeing when we need to. DEX: Swashbucklers, like every rogue subclass, love DEX. Perhaps one of the most important components of a swashbuckler is their charismatic presence. The rapier however, does have the Finesse property and so is eligible for Sneak Attack. Thanks for reply. Mechanics: Wait until 10th level. Reliable Talent: Refer to the 5e Rogue Guide. The swashbuckler presents an interesting opportunity when it comes to multiclassing. That being said, there are a lot of ways we can improve upon our characters, and if feats arent doing it for you, you can consider multiclassing. Finish the round Swashbucklers Fancy Footwork allows them to move away after taking a weapon attack, so you can move in, attack, and move out without provoking an opportunity attack. Panache: Panache is an outstanding ability. Characters (B) and (C) do not gain an additional die of sneak attack so their basic routines stay at23.07and 20.21but they also have all the additional ways of increasing their damage output. But then that's only 4 levels of rogue. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. Hunter Ranger (3) / Swashbuckler Ranger (17) The Swashbuckler excels at one-on-one combat, and the Hunter has the tools to enhance this specialty. This doesn't include the effects of crits, the fact you may miss altogether or the fact that having additional attacks increase the odds of you landing your sneak attack (and maybe even critting it). Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. I mean, a 5th level swashbuckler using booming blade on a rapier is going to deal 1d8 (weapon) +3d6 (sneak) +1d8 (cantrip) for a total possible 34, with potentially another 2d8 coming in after the attack. Think Setsuka from Soul Calibur. 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