The Ultimate Archer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ม.ค. 2019
- No tricks here, the Ultimate archer is exactly what you think it probably should be, fighter 20.
When should I use sharpshooter? Check out ThinkDM's spreadsheet here:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
See the final build here:
ddb.ac/characters/8205780/HU5aeC
For my guides and handbooks find me at:
treantmonk.wordpress.com/
Thanks to:
@makemyanthem for the intro music.
@CynfulArts for the Treantmonk logo - เกม
Summary
1: Shadar-Kai Elf. SA: 10/15/13/14/12/8. Fighter 1: Acrobatics, Athletics, Archery. Far Traveller: Stealth. Leather Armor, Longbow 20 Arrows, Short Sword x2, Light Crossbow, Dungeoneer’s Pack. Buy Medium Armor.
3: Fighter 3: Eldritch Knight, Mending, Minor Illusion, Find Familiar, Shield, Absorb Elements.
5: Fighter 5: Elven Accuracy DEX, Feather Fall
6: Fighter 6: Sharpshooter
8: Fighter 8: Mirror Image, Magic Weapon, ASI DEX x2
11: Fighter 11: Mage Hand, Flaming Sphere, Misty Step
13: Fighter 13: Crossbow Expert, (Flaming Sphere), Counterspell, Haste
15: Fighter 15: Lucky, Thunder Step
19: Fighter 19: Magic Initiate Warlock: Friends, Prestidigitation, Hex. Martial Adept: Goading Attack, Precision Attack. Greater Invisibility, Fire Shield.
20: Fighter 20
> Most campaigns don't go to 20th level.
I wonder how many actually suffer from the "1d4+1 sessions" problem.
If this problem bothers you, play Adventurers League. There are servers where you can play online.
@@sillvvasensei adventurers league is for children.
Dustin Smith I don’t think that’s fair. I was reintroduced to D&D by AL, played for several months with all adults before going to a home game with people I met playing in the AL, so it can be a good place to meet people and learn the ropes no matter your age.
@@dustinsmith2021 no it really isn't. I go to 5 conventions a year and play online and nearly everyone playing is an adult.
I play at a store where Tuesday nights are AL and 3 tables of adults.
Holy shit, you're making videos! Always loved your guides, will sub for sure.
Great video! cant wait for the next build 👍
Eldritch Knight definitely provides the archer with some interesting options, though I decided to go with Samurai for my Elven Accuracy Archer. The fighting spirit ability lets you use your bonus action to give ALL your attacks advantage for the round. And you can do this as early as level 3! Not to mention samurai gets proficiency in wisdom saving throws, which is always nice
Marco Alagna Samurai is good if your campaign is 1-2 big fights per adventuring day. In a combat heavy campaign though I think they are sub-optimal since Fighting Spirit is lasts 1 round three times per long rest. In my opinion it should have been a short-rest ability like the rest of the Fighter features.
@@M0ebius True, but at 10th level you will always have one use of fighting spirit for each combat. One round of action surge plus elven accuracy advantage with sharpshooter basically means that the most threatening thing in every fight goes down on round one of combat
I'd love to see you take another look at this with all the Tasha's stuff considered.
I think with all those new feats, Eldritch adept and fey touched (for hex) you could do some even more amazing stuff with this build. Or mind sliver + war magic + Eldritch strike + action surge a spell with a saving throw.
I'm sure you could find something else I missed. Love to see what you come up with!
Awesome build!
You didn't mention, that if you use weapon bond on your shortswords, you could use your "interaction" to stow your bow, and your bonus action to summon your swords. Then you would still have your action that round to attack. EDIT: nvm you got to it at level 6, I didn't wait long enough.
Also, some of the spells you're taking, like feather fall, mirror image, magic weapon, flaming sphere-you actually can't take them because of the EK's restriction on spells that aren't abjuration or evocation. You can only take a total of four spells that aren't abjuration or evocation. I think you may have ignored that restriction in making this video because D&D Beyond doesn't enforce it, but a good DM will be a stickler.
Edit: Thanks to M0ebius for pointing this out: the wording in the original PHB made this rule unclear, but the errata has clarified that the EK is only meant to have 4 non-evocation, non-abjuration spells.
Adurnis You can pick spells from any school at EK 8/14/20. You can also swap out one spell each level. So essentially at 8/14/20 you get two spells from any school.
M0ebius RAW maybe you can swing that; RAI; you only get a total of 4 non-abjuration and non-evocation spells.
“Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an abjuration or evocation spell, unless you’re replacing the SPELL (emphasis mine) you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic.”
Adurnis Seems both RAW and RAI to me.
@@M0ebius See the comment above: "Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another... abjuration or evocation spell." That doesn't change if you're leveling up to 8/14/20. You can still only replace it with an abjuration or evocation spell.
Hey, Chris. Have you ever thought about revisiting this build with the new race and maneuver options available today?
The *Friends* Cantrip is a great way to make permanent enemies. I like to use *Domination* or *Suggestion* on people I know have *Friends* and make them use it on their allies, to turn those allies into hostile foes for the rest of their lives.
Porphyrogenitus Use Friends on NPCs that you don’t care about (for instance in interrogation scenarios), not on NPCs that actually matters.
SharkForce And I never said it did.
SharkForce No, I didn’t. The OP said that.
Dude thats genius
Just cast disguise self as a npc you hate and cast friends on the other, now all hate is directed to him
Also to clarify, the help action gives you advantage for only one of your attacks still awesome for a variety of reasons.
Thanks I really been working on my Archer since June and really trying to make him the best archer I can make him I think i messed up at the start that said I keep working hard at making him the best. right now he is 5 ranger 5 fighter
Ek is my favorite class right now. For combat, It has a everything you need to ruin the enemy's day. A great balance of spell options duct taped to the fighter chassis that gives you mid to high tier mobility, damage, defense, control, and even a bit of non combat utility that other fighters could only hope for. There are tons of options with this subclass, but here are some things to consider when building. One, you are a fighter first and foremost and you typically won't cast until 3rd level. Two, when you are casting remember that your spells lag far behind the full casters. Three, you can multiclass (i don't recommend that you do).
At level one you are just a normal dude/fantasy dude and you have two options ranged or melee. With those choices come a choice between fighting styles, shoot bow good, swing one hand hard, be gooder with armor, and so on. Which ever of the fighting styles you prefer and even what your party might need will determine what spells you want to pick up later. That brings us to your first pick of spells and a small novel can be written on this alone (im kind of writing one now). Since you essentially suck at spells and your options are at their most limited you will want to isolate what you lack as an option for your primary roll which is... fighting. Though that isn't to say you should only pick damage spells instead pick spells that help win a confrontation in whatever form it takes. Rule of thumb here is think about what you wish you could do and find the spell that can do it. When picking spells remember that they must come from abjuration or evocation with a few exceptions at levels 3, 8, 14, and 20 with the level 3 being unchangeable. Lastly multiclassing. I don't recommend it as you lose out on the capstone, ability score improvement, indomitable, extra action surge, and a ton of other stuff depending on where you dip. That being said, if you want to multiclass its hard to make a bad one in 5e almost no matter what unless you are trying to prove a point.
It isn't necessary to get into specifics about this subclass as far as spells go because most of them will serve. Keep in mind, however, that you are a fighter and you want to enhance your ability to fight. Also a high intelligence is not a requirement for this class. Overall with access to heavy armor, 7 asi, d10 hit, and a decent spell selection, this class is one of the best gish classes in 5e.
Oh yeah and 4 attacks in a turn, boiiiiiii!
Aren't Eldritch Knights largely limited to Abjuration and Evocation Spells with their Spellcasting? He seems to take Spells from all over the place...
Magic initiate warlock.
@@MrBirrynorikeyWhat?
Cool take on EK. I've seen a buddy play one but melee focused. It's a cool archetype. I think I'd probably prefer a Hexblade, Rogue, or Ranger for an archer PERSONALLY. But there's a lot of Merit to this build. Looking forward to the 12th level Hexblade.
As a side note about people critiquing your builds going to level 20: It is true, most campaigns don't go to that level. HOWEVER, I don't see any harm in taking the build to 20 for demonstrative purposes. Most of the videos I've seen on this channel do mention when the builds become good at the mid levels. (Your Bardlock at 10, Trickery Clerics at 10 and below, etc).
Aequilix Combining EK and Hexblade is also a great option and plugs many holes in the EK chassis.
Personally, my favorite build has been a Kobold Battlemaster. Although an Eldritch Knight is probably fine too, but Precision Attack is great for a sharpshooter. Pack tactics makes the sunlight sensitivity weakness moot if an ally is adjacent to your target. And it makes sharpshooter more reliable if not in direct sunlight. Highly recommend for Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Minor Illusion doesn't create cover, just concealment.
Tactical AF.
Marine Corps
You are killing me. At the start of this video you talked about your plan and I sat back laughing because you were so wrong. By the time you get to 20th level am shaking my head. You have bested me again. Some day I will grasp the pebble from your hand. That day is not today. Thank you for your knowledge master.
U should update your blog more often!
For example, every time you put a video up. Every time you've played in a game that has a recorded livestream. Synergize!
I had a fighter archer build as a shadar kai too, he was a samurai tho. Very, VERY, powerful throughout all levels
Don't forget that Sharpshooter removes disadvantage from long range. Not a big deal if you are using a longbow, but very important if using a hand crossbow.
What spell would you recommend taking instead of Magic Weapon, if you do have a magic longbow?
How useful is Counterspell when you and the mage you might target are both in the back rank. Not a problem when you are indoors, but outdoors you may never get within 60' of each other.
I think there's a problem with the way you describe gaining spells- you don't actually have free choice of school, except for the spells you gain at level 3, 8, 14, and 20. Most of the spell picks you have chosen- while excellent choices in general, and spells I'd really love to have- aren't actually available for Eldritch Knights to get unless they use one of the specially called out "any school" slots.
yes he cant take Flaming Sphere or Misty Step at lvl 11 bc they are not abj or evoc spells
I think I can contend with this build.
Variant Human
Fighter (BM) to 6, then rogue (assassin or thief) onward.
Feats, in order: Crossbow Expert, Sharpshooter, Alert
Equipment: studded leather, hand crossbow, heavy crossbow, net, poison
We can throw a net at targets within 15' without disadvantage thanks to Sharpshooter, and can use Precision Attack to make sure it hits. That's free advantage for everyone and a restrained large or smaller target, no save. Afterward, unload with the crossbow. Sharpshooter damage with Crossbow Expert and boosted accuracy from Archery is abusively good.
The heavy crossbow is for shooting targets that are at obscene distances.
Rogue gives us scaling damage, superior evasive abilities, and the choice of assassin or thief. Assassin is great if you can consistently surprise enemy creatures (Alert helps). Thief is overall more useful and can apply poison to three bolts as a bonus action - that's three poisoned shots that can potentially deal absurd damage to a vulnerable target. Never underestimate Fast Hands.
This character will have all three feats by level 6, but it's strong at any level. It won't compete with a wizard in the final tiers, but it will do consistent damage and be hard to kill at any point in the game.
Dumb net trick: you can destroy a net by dealing 5 slashing damage, but you have to attack it. If your friend has Sentinel and is within 5' of the netted creature, then the netted creature attacking the net will _technically_ proc an opportunity attack from your friend. Your DM may not appreciate this.
Alternative build: pick an Elf race and replace Alert with Elven Accuracy for more critical hits. This works well if you prefer Champion over Battlemaster and want to go pure fighter.
The net attack could help your companions, but you would not be able to unload that crossbow with advantage unless the target doesn't free itself on its turn. If you attack with a net you cannot make any other attacks, it's in the special wording of the weapon description. Still, in terms of action economy I can see it being useful to get an enemy to waste its attack/action.
@@andrewblundell585 that only applies to the net. You can only make one net attack per turn. But it's unclear if that's meant to apply to the class of weapon or to a specific net. If I throw a net, can I throw a different one? Unclear. But their wording makes it confusing what they actually meant.
Stranger “When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.” Pretty clear to me that if you toss a net, that is the only thing you are doing that turn that resembles an attack.
@@Daedalus_Dragon If they wanted to make it clear in the manner you describe, then a net shouldn't be a weapon. It should be an item like caltrops, and you would use it with the use an item action.
"You can only make one attack" would be clear if they specified what it applied to. The wording makes me think that it applies to the action used to do it, meaning you can only make one attack with your action, bonus action, or reaction. That still leaves other actions that round on the table. There's also action surge - would you allow a player to action surge and throw two nets, or throw one and use their other action for something else? If so, then why not allow bonus action attacks from things like two weapon fighting or crossbow expert?
That's why I say it's unclear. It could mean one attack with the net, one attack with that action, one attack that turn, or even one attack that round.
Stranger it basically says, no matter how you are getting an attack, if you use a net, that is the only attack you get. Sure if you want to blow an action surge to toss two nets go nuts, I think it’s kind of a waste, but I would allow it.
the greater invisibility is actually the secret sauce of this build imo. i am wondering, wouldn't it make sense to go for a hand crossbow as a main weapon, since by having the feat that we took already, we get one extra attack as a bonus action with the crossbow. The damage dice doesn't matter too much since the damage from dex mod is +5, with +10 from sharpshooter and +1 if you have a magic weapon all adding up to one more attack
An important aspect for people wanting to use hand crossbows is that its range is only 30/120 ft, so picking up sharpshooter earlier would be ideal to increase the character's range.
chefmkt The problem is DEX is so monumentally important as it increases not just your attack/damage but also AC/Initiative that it’s hard to justify taking Sharp Shooter before maxing it out. The +10/-5 ability is also better once you get high modifiers and Extra Attack.
@@M0ebius Yes, maxing out DEX is extremely important. But being able to attack enemies from beyond 30ft and having an extra attack every round with your bonus action is something to really consider when using a hand crossbow.
Ideally a hand crossbow character will grab both Crossbow Expert (at first level if variant) and sharpshooter as soon as possible afterwards.
Great build! Question: What would you think of houseruling the Arcane Archer Abilities and redesigning them as spells the Eldritch Knight could learn, thereby merging the two subclasses?
Obviously not a response from Treantmonk, but that would have to be a pretty hefty redesign. Arcane shot options are stronger than basically any first level spells and a lot of second level ones, and many of them use a school of magic which eldritch knight isn't supposed to be able to use. Of course, you could do it. Reworking many of them to fit proper spell schools and either nerfing them or fitting them into appropriate spell levels, generally 2nd, maybe (heavy emphasis on maybe) 3rd for the stronger ones.
It does feel rather sad to relegate Arcane archer, which could be fixed relatively easily by giving them a few more arcane shot uses per short rest and buffing a few of the shot options, down to one ability that gets translated into spells for another fighter subclass that is already one of the best available.
If you have access to a magic hand crossbow thoughts on skipping Magic init for hex. (You have the bonus action attack from crossbow expert) maybe taking a +2 con instead. Or Is it still worth taking hex as you bonus action starts to clutter up?
I say Eberron the way you say it, don't let the haters keep you down!
If you want damage go rogue with 5 levels of fighter for extra attack. Take the crossbow expert and sharpshooter feat and BOOM you have a sniper that does base damage+modifier+10(the feat: -5 to attack +10 to damage)+sneak attack+ depending if you go arcane trickster or not you can add damage on top of that(if you are assasin and make a surprise round)+if you are arcane archer(disregard crossbow expert and take another feat) or ek you can add even more damage.
QorinHalfhand. Great old school MC.
So in regards to minor illusion, I'm going to split hairs. There is a very real difference between cover and concealment. Cover is solid, prevents damage, AND conceals you, while concealment just hides you, but does not prevent damage. An important distinction in combat that should be adhered to during roleplay.
Great build! I've really been enjoying these Gish builds. Any chance of seeing your take on a Bladesinger Wizard? I know in your guide you didn't seem much of a fan so curious what you'd do with it.
Generally with a Bladesinger I figure the best way to build it (straight classed) is to treat the weapon attacks as a replacement for cantrips, and otherwise, build it as you would any wizard. I will probably do a build on this channel for it at some point. Haven't worked out a timeline, I tend to make whatever I'm feeling inspired by at the time.
John Smith Other than starting Fighter 1 and maybe later take Fighter 2 for Action Surge, there’s not many ways to build a Bladesinger for combat. It’s basically a general Wizard 90% of the time.
I played a battlemaster with hand xbow in Storm King's Thunder, and I had a blast playing that toon
Great guide Chris! Has anyone actually used the Find Familiar help action in combat? I've never seen anyone try to do it. I think it would feel pretty wrong and against the spirit of the spell.
Matthew Perkins I use it. It’s better on an Arcane Trickster though since it’s only advantage for a single attack, and it’s a good way to self-generate advantage for Sneak Attacks. I’m not sure why it’s against the spirit of the spell - it’s like an arcane version of Ranger’s beast companion.
I absolutely see it get used. I don't use it often (though I have in the past). Usually when I use it, it's to buff another character though, fits my style of play more than self-buffing. If I'm DMing, I don't have a problem with it once in awhile, but if someone spams it for the purpose of powergaming, I'm going to have an issue with the playstyle. Not a fan of players that try to overshadow other players.
I can’t tell if you are joking? That’s pretty much 50% of why you take the spell, scouting and help in combat. My build has Ritual casting and I absolutely take advantage every round of combat, if an enemy wants to waste their turn holding an action to try and take out my owl go for it, the enemy will still die and on the next short rest guess who comes back... the owl.
@@Daedalus_Dragon Not joking! I've never seen it done. I always take find familiar so I can have an animal friend without having to play a ranger.
Matthew Perkins then you have been severely under utilizing your familiar
Nice idea. I especially like that you used the Shadar-kai race, since it generally doesn't get much love. I have to echo Adurnis's comment about the legality of your spell choices. I also think that you are overselling the ability of a familiar to grant advantage through the Help action. In my experience, this will work once or twice in a given combat before the little critter gets pasted, forcing me to spend 10gp and over an hour to reconstitute the damned thing. This is a perfectly fine tactic since it wastes an enemy action, but it's hardly granting you advantage every single turn of every single combat as you seem to claim.
Carlos Devoto my owl with flyby has never been hit in combat, sure, they could hold an action to hit him, but in doing so they ignore the bigger threat, so they would have to be a really dumb enemy. Hmmm should I hit the owl that harassed me for no damage, or one of the two enemies beating the hell out of me
@@Daedalus_Dragon I think you have it backwards. Should I hit the annoying owl that keeps granting my enemies advantage, thereby allowing them to beat the hell out of me, or should I continue to grant them a tactical advantage which makes it super easy for them to hit me? The owl is the much easier target, of course, and killing it may put me back on an even footing with the rest of these murder hobos. Your mileage will vary depending on your DM, of course! Yours is way nicer than mine, who does not believe that a first level spell should grant advantage on every round of every combat with total impunity, particularly when it is so easy to circumvent (AC 11, HP 1).
Carlos Devoto except there is no “advantage” as a concept in the world of the game, but sure after the second or third round, go ahead and blow your attack on my familiar, 10gp for 2-4 rounds of advantage is a good deal in my book, I just bring him back on a short rest.
@@Daedalus_Dragon Yes. It's a fine tactic since it wastes an enemy action. There is no "advantage" per se, but there is clearly an owl fanning its wings in my face and distracting me, which even a simpleton can correlate to the fact that my opponents are having an easier time landing their blows. The cause and effect are readily apparent.
Carlos Devoto sure, but you also have to take into account my character learning, after the second combat my owl gets taken out, I can observe, oh - that enemy didn’t do anything on its turn other then look towards the sky, not helping on him this round, let me hit the other guy who already swung, now I’ve gotten a round or two of advantage, I didn’t sacrifice the owl and I can hit a target that has acted. I would argue that in a combat I will get advantage more time then I won’t, even after the dm starts actively going for the owl
A fighter casting haste, especially high level, takes away their attacks. The economy of wasting the chance to get 3 attacks with sharpshooter to get an extra attack the next 3 rounds takes a combat of 5 rounds to equal out. The combat in 5e is usually over in 2-4 rounds and that first burst of damage the archer looses out giving in the first round hurts the party more.
At level 8, 1 fighter (con save prof, archery) 6 shadow monk (shadow step etc..) 1 cleric (war) is insanely strong for an archer. You get to attack 3 times per round with a bow (3 to eventually 5 times per long rest depending on your wis). You can cast Bless or shield faith on yourself, mending to recover most of your arrows and so on. But I find shadowstep to work great with a ranged character most of all. You're a real sniper and boy are you hard to catch.
Add a rogue level or 2 or 3 (assassin) to make it completely unfair ^^ Could go up to fighter 2/3 for action surge and more. So much fun!
Nice video again! Can you do full damage wizard ?
With Tasha's release maybe start 3 levels of Battle smith Artificer and then move to EK. Int for attack and steel defender can use the help action as well as provide disadvantage on one incoming attack
That sounds nice, but playing levels 5 to 7 without extra attack sounds like a major downside
@@scrotymcboogerballs6756 yeah, that's definitely the biggest down side and reliew on booming/green flame blade
@Shadowfaux you replied about Devils Sight but the email isn’t linking to your comment. But yes, Devils Sight would work, but the build in the video doesn’t have that.
I can’t be the only one to notice this eldrich knight cannot haste himself and hex a target.
Chris!
Would you be able to (and bother to) calculate the average damage per level, comparatively to the Warlock?
I *think* you may add on overlay text now, though I may very well be mistaken there.
I've not found any way to add overlay text once the video is uploaded.
@@TreantmonksTemple I have seen in the past that people add "errata texts" to their videos, but it could easily have been changed.
@@SigurdBraathen I believe TH-cam got rid of annotations, which would have allowed you to add an overlay to your video. That might be what you are thinking of.
How do you feel about Shield Master feat while using a hand crossbow? As a bonus action knock people prone (already have Athletics) and get Evasion all the time (+indomitable, +dex advantage). Prone does nothing for you, but helps the rest of your crew get advantage.
unfortunately, it's not an option due to Sage Advice: "What does that all mean for a hand crossbow? It means
Crossbow Expert makes it possible to fire a hand crossbow
more than once with a feature like Extra Attack, provided
that you have enough ammunition and you have a hand free
to load it for each shot."
Source: media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/SA_Compendium_1.01.pdf
@@TreantmonksTemple Oh. That's news to me. Thanks.
gotta admit its a good build I would not play it most likely as im a wizard guy. but for a new player... yes this will be great
The title of the video seems to say the best Archer overall, instead of best Gish Archer. I do like your gish build very much, but if you mean ultimate Archer overall I have an alternative
My ultimate Archer build currently is Battlemaster 11/ Gloomstalker 3/ Assassin 3/ Pact of the Chain Hexblade 3
You have 120 foot darkvision that can see in any type of darkness. You are invisible to anything that uses darkvision. You have an invisible flying scout that you can communicate with telepathically and see through its eyes.
You have three attacks every round. Most likely you have four attacks in the first round that pack an amazingly heavy punch, and that's before popping your action surge.
Your choice of any of the archery feats, 2 combat styles. And the ability to disarm, trip, goad or push back (add a couple more maneuvers that tickle your fancy) any enemy out to the range of your bow.
You can cast darkness, and 2 different kinds of hexes on an opponent. You also have the shield spell. Three first level Ranger spells. And quite a few more tricks that you can choose from.
If somehow you don't have your bow, or it gets damaged you can just shoot away with your Eldritch Blast. If UA is accessible in your game you can change to the Archfey Patron. Then she the Moonbow Invocation (if UA is valid not also grab the Close Combat Shot Fighting style which will free up another slot for a feat or ability enhancement) or you can forgo your invisible familiar, and go Pact of the Blade with Improved Pact Weapon.
This may not have the sheer damage output of your build, but it is more well-rounded IMO and can also act as an amazing scout..
If this is mostly a campaign that doesn't take place in dark places, I would replace the Gloomstalker with the Burghal Explorer and replace Assassin for the Scout
"Ultimate" is certainly subjective...
@@TreantmonksTemple again my question is is this build specifically for an ultimate gish archer? Or of all the Archer builds do you feel that this one is superior to any other configuration of classes?
For consistent bow damage by level 20, I would consider this to be as good as it gets gish or not.
Stop Trolling it's Just an Opinion Your build is interesting but extremely hard to swing unless you rolled amazing stats given the need for max DEX, good CON, as well as 13+ WIS and CHA, and doesn’t come online until really late game.
@@M0ebius it's a more than serviceable Archer at level 5, level 6 if you really want more skills. If you take the half elf or Eladrin the multiclassing requirements aren't too difficult with a point buy or rolling. If you want to simplify it and you can just go with Fighter 12/ Rogue 5/ Warlock 3. That way you just need Dex and Charisma
I don't understand how most of these spell are not abjuration/evocation spells as per PHB???
When you’re an Eldritch Knight or an Arcane Trickster, you’re allowed to have one spell per spell level that can be from any school of Magic. The rest of your spells have to be from Abjuration/Transmutation for EK and Enchantment/Illusion for AT.
@Treantmonk - It's been a year or so... there's a lot of new stuff out there. Think this might be worth a revisit?
Perhaps. Lots on my list of "to do vids" right now though
@@TreantmonksTemple I'm sure. No shortage of material out there, and lots of demand since most of us are stuck at home pretending to work. Haha.
@@TreantmonksTemple thanks for making this, haven't see many Archer builds for EK
So given that you whiffed the spell selection rules, would you still make this character an Eldritch Knight rather than a Battle Master or Samurai? If so, what legal spells do you think are critical to this build in making EK the right option?
It looks like haste and magic weapon will be your offensive choices. Shield, Misty Step, and Absorb Elements are solid defensive options for your spell selections. These buffs are what set this fighter archetype apart from the others to make it a sturdy archer with consistent damage to boot.
Not entirely sure how minor illusion functions as an AC boost. Anyone want to enlighten me on this? Because that sounds lovely!
Cover, I think?
Despite how he said it, it doesnt explicitly act as cover however you create 5x5x5 illusion, which you can hide in or behind. As a dm I would grant complete obscurement, but you and anyone who knows its an illusion can see through it. This buts disadvantage on your enemy.
The other day I saw a tweet from Jeremy Crawford or Sage Advice, that indeed confirmed that illusions don't grant cover. They grant obscurement.
Is it just me, or is a Warlock/Eldritch Knight combo the best for making money fast? You can have two bonded weapons, so you give one to your warlock and he walks into the blacksmith, disguised with Mask of Many Faces… “Hello, good sir, I have a greatsword to sell you!” Take the money, leave. Two days later, the EK summons the greatsword back. It may have even been polished and sharpened for you free of charge!
Obviously something you’ll wanna keep out of sight of your Paladin or Cleric buddies.
alright so rather than taking the magic initiate feat I'd take the ritual caster feat as summoning a familiar to give you advantage on your attacks is key not to mention your using the eldritch knight and not the arcane archer WHY your going to get much more damage per shot if you do so and crits are going to hurt a lot more not to mention with the way you seem to set up these builds they all have the elven accuracy feat which I admit is awesome but it does require you to have advantage in the first place to make it work so summoning a familiar to give you the help action is one of the best ways to do so so summon an owl familiar using the ritual caster feat and have it do fly by help actions also with a lot of single target builds people don't realize that they can split up their damage among multiple weaker opponents seriously I had a group of 6th level characters fighting goblins that they can one shot and they never bothered to attack more then one seeing as the only member of the party of the party that didn't have more than one attack was the rogue
Find Familiar is great at lower levels for Eldritch Knights but loses some of its potency later because the help action only gives advantage on the *next* attack against a target, not all attacks !
If you plan on concentrating on Haste at high levels, it's questionable if you need to take the Magic Initiate feat at all. Ritual Caster can certainly be great, but you will often have full casters in your party who naturally are able to cast rituals (like Clerics, Bards, Druids and Wizards), thus making it a bit of a waste to double down on that ability.
Arcane Archer seems super awesome at first glance, but I personally really dislike only having 2 magical arrows per short rest. They are strong, no doubt, I just really dislike being "stuck" with just basic attacks after 2 arrows. Also: The scaling of the Arcane Archer feels very off, only really getting their truely great stuff at levels 3, 15 and 18 (at least when it comes to the main class feature).
I'm confused here, isn't Eldrich Knight limmited to abjuration/evocation spells? Or was that something that changed after this video?
Levels 3, 8, 14, and 20 you can pick wizard spells from any school. Rest of the time you are right, though. Edit: I see that TM did not adhere to that rule as written, having watched further.
The best arcane archer build in my opinion is Variant Human Crossbow Expert with Eldritch Knight 11+/Hexblade 2+. With the EB synergy with Crossbow Expert (EB in melee!) and War Magic (EB+Crossbow), you get a linear progression with extremely high consistent damage and nova damage, good battlefield control via Repelling Blast, uncompromised spell DC, and is never behind in terms of attacks compared to a pure fighter. None of the EK features are wasted, and you will always use both EB and Crossbow all the way through 20 with no feat unused, and with Eldritch Blast+War Magic+Crossbow you even get 5 attacks at level 17, three levels ahead of a pure fighter, all boosted by Hex/Hexblade’s Curse.
This is also the only heavy armor archer build, allowing you to also get Devotion Paladin 3 and Sacred Weapon to completely erase the Sharp Shooter penalty. Alternatively you can go into Sword Bard for Flourishes, Whisper Bard for Psychic Blade, Sorcerer for metamagic, or more Warlock levels for Eldritch Smite (via crossbow) and Pact Weapon which let’s you switch hit in melee via EK’s Weapons Bond. All the extra spells with full casting stat progression also mean you have the best Eldritch Strike capability of any EK builds.
I've noticed you've been providing alternate options for Treantmonk's builds. Do you have these available in more detail somewhere? (with spell and feat choices, etc.)
So then you are going to have Charisma and Dex as main stats and Con as everybody's third stat, and three low stats if your are doing point buy. So either one of your main stats is gimped, or you have three stinkers. Also despite the Gish month thing going on here, once you go gish you might as well just stay spell caster because in real play you almost always stick with that.
Hmmm... Methinks Fighter 5/Hexblade 1/Sorcerer 5/Fighter 11. Gives you enough spell slots to continually run Haste, which is very good.
John Smith No I’m just an optimization enthusiast with a specialized interest in gish builds. But I can give you a more detailed breakdown if you have more specific questions. The general outline of this build is Fighter 1 Variant Human Crossbow Expert (14 Dex for medium armor or 15 Str for heavy), Hexblade 1-2 for Eldritch Blast/Agonizing Blast/Repelling Blast taking Hex/Shield and choice spell, then the rest in Eldritch Knight, taking Charisma +2/Charisma +2/Sharp Shooter with ASIs. For EK spells I recommend Find Familiar, Absorb Elements, Mirror Image, Misty Step, and any non-save spells of choice. Darkness can be taken with EK if you take Devil’s Sight instead of Repelling Blast, and Shield can be taken as an EK instead if you want another Warlock spell.
In terms of combat, character level 1-4 you will more or less dominate with 2 crossbow attacks buffed with short-rest recharged Hex. At character level 5-6 you alternate EB and Crossbow depending on bonus action availability. Character level 7-8 with Extra Attack you’re back to Hex+Crossbow. At level 9 you get War Magic for Hex+EB+Crossbow. At 10 Sharp Shooter comes online and you switch hit between EB and Xbow based on enemy AC. At character level 11 (EK8/HXB2) you officially have the highest at-will damage in game with Hex+EB (3 rays)+Crossbow (Sharp Shooter), and you get your first break point from the build. You can continue to EK10 then Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock and focus on Eldritch Strike, go to EK11 for 4 Crossbow attacks and Devotion Paladin 3/Sacred Weapon as a Sharp Shooter specialist, or take Rogue levels (Swashbuckler/Arcane Trickster) for more fuss-free resource-free damage. Or any mixture in between, really, depending on where your campaign ends.
Just remember that overall you have less spell slots than other half-caster and full-caster gishes, so play like a general range DPR fighter, just with a lot more custom tools in your bag. Liberally use the help action from your familiar (Owl) to gain advantage on your Sharp Shooter/Eldritch Strike Crossbow attacks. And at least a single level of Bard for Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Dissonant Whispers will go a loooong way even late game when combined with Eldritch Strike & maxed-out Charisma. In particular, with the War Caster feat, you can chain Eldritch Strike into Dissonant Whispers into Opportunity Attack Eldritch Blast, and with Repelling Blast send enemies half way across the field without slowing down your damage output at all.
There are many wrinkles to the build, but this is the basic gist.
Alexander Maxwell How is it any more gimped than any other class? You only need to max out Charisma since it’s both attack stat and casting stat. 14 DEX or 15 STR for armor, 14 CON, everything else is 10. Seems about right to me.
And my build is focused on at-will ranged DPR. If that doesn’t matter at all at your table, by all means run all casters.
My vote for Ultimate Archer would be a Sorcerer 5/Warlock 15 (maybe 7/13).
We start Sorcerer for the Constitution proficiency, then go 5 levels of Warlock (Hexblade, Pact of the Blade) to get Thirsting Blade. Agonizing Blast can tide us over for level 5, then back to an actual weapon at level 6. For level 7 through to 10, we return to Sorcerer, to pick up Haste. From here on out we have two paths: Either a level more of Sorcerer to ensure 6 level 3 slots per day then pure Warlock (at least, until we pick up Lifedrinker), or pure Warlock.
Clear Sky Guardian Seems like you’d be better off just Eldritch Blast into Quicken Eldritch Blast with this build.
@@M0ebius Oh you will. Just not Quickened.
By level 17 you're doing 4d10+20 with Eldritch Blast, plus 1d6+10 from a Hand Crossbow because of Haste, plus another 1d6+10 from Crossbow Expert. And that's every round.
Clear Sky Guardian Crossbow Expert’s bonus action attack only works with attack action. Why bother Hasting though? Just EB+Quicken EB and do 8 attacks a round, and use the concentration on Hex, for (1d10+1d6+5)x8 or 112 average damage per round.
@@M0ebius Because Haste gives you two actions?
Your damage is misleading, as Hex and Quicken can't be used at the same time.
Plus there's the Sorcery Point cost for Quicken.
Clear Sky Guardian Haste gives you a single weapon attack in addition to your regular action, not two actions, and that single attack also does not trigger Crossbow Expert. And yes Hex is cast in round 1 along with an EB, after which you EB+Quicken EB. I assumed it was obvious but if not you’re absolutely right. But then again casting Haste is a full action, so on cast you only get a single weapon attack, making it even slower in terms of damage.
And yeah it costs Sorcery Points, but with Warlock 15 you have three short-rest recharging level 5 Pact Slots, so you can Quicken every single fight all day long.
What about an elven acc. samurai archer? u get easy avantage and therefore hit with sharpshooter everytime
Keyseren To be honest I think advantage for one round three times per long rest is weak AF if your game runs a lot of combat encounters. I’d rather take Hexblade with Darkness+Devil’s Sight/Shadow of Moil, Vengeance Paladin with Vow of Enmity, or Sword/Valor Bard with Faerie Fire/Greater Invisibility, or even just Battlemaster with Precision Attack, before I’d take Samurai.
@@M0ebius True but u do start with one each battle.... and most of takes time to set up
Keyseren My home game runs a lot of fights (6+ per adventuring day) so for me it would be one every other fight or less for just 1 round, at least until level 10. Vow of Enmity is more my speed. You get it at level 3 and every other fight you beat the crap out of something until it’s dead.
never been in one online that made it past lvl 5 so yeah
a warlock 12 fighter 2 bard 10 can have a higher damage output per round than this with a hand crossbow. On average without using action surge or eldritch smites it deals 122 with haste and 102 without it. It has a slightly lower chance to crit, but crits add minimal damage with builds like these due to only one die being rolled per attack. The build can also nova for over 250 damage on average. The only downside is that it requires you to craft or obtain a magical hand crossbow to use some of the warlock features, but a magical weapon was not factored into calculations.
How are you building a level 24 character?
@@Daedalus_Dragon sorry I meant bard 6
Hi Chris. My DM kill my familiar when It help me in combat... 10 gp out. I think Find Familiar is a great spell, but if the enemy is a little bit intelligent, it wont happen again. What familiar do you take that allows you to hit with advantage every turn without diying?
Generally, conventional wisdom is to use an owl so you can combine help with flyby attack. Fly in, help action, fly out. However, once you gain a few levels, if an enemy wants to attack your familiar, you may be out the help action for the remainder of combat, but that attack that wasn't against a party member may be worth the price.
Yes, 10 gp in place of a hit is ok.
I didn´t see the owl as familiar, it´s great! (because of the flyby atack). However, I´ll not use too much the famliar in combat, perhaps in extreme situations or in a heroic moment.
Thank´s for your answer!
I think that a lvl10 lore bard lvl8 shadow sorcerer lvl2 hexblade warlock is a lot better for damage. Use 3rd slot hex for the day with 6th slot tiny servant and command them to use help action on you until they disappear. Then you can burn up all the rest of your sorcery points and either move the hex or quicken eldrtich blast as bonus action and use eldrtich blast as action, and you have elven accuracy so you almost never miss with the servants aiding you and a familiar. You can also use 9th slot on aid because you can transform it. And you have a greater steed as well
This build is intended more for consistency in damage. Other builds using resources can do more.
Treantmonk's Temple am I missing something even without the use of resources at lvl20 the eldrtich blast does about 57-58 after chances of missing and critting(ac20 target and only resource used is the 8hour duration hex) while the archer only does about 42-43 after hit chance on the same target without resources either
@@siddharthbianchi9322 I'm not sure where you are coming up with 57-58 without resources. 5.5 per blast +5 from Cha is 10.5 per blast x4 = 42. Where's the other 15 coming from?
@@siddharthbianchi9322 How are you calculating those #'s? This build is looking at 4.5 per arrow + 10 from sharpshooter + 5 from dex x4 = 78 without resources. EB is 5.5 + 5 from cha x4 = 42 without resources.
Treantmonk's Temple one hex lasts the whole adventuring day so I didn’t really count that as a resource, and there is also the chances to hit and crit, after tiny servent help actions you will have a 93.6 percent chance to hit while the archer has a 45 percent chance to hit so I calculated that in too, also the eldrtich blast benefits more from crits because more of the damage is from dice
Knowing that this build is technically not 'legal' due to the mistake you made regarding spell choices, would you still consider Eldritch Knight to be the best option for an 'Ultimate Archer'?
I'm looking at making an Avarial (winged Elf) archer for the Tyranny of Dragons modules (levels 1-15) and came to this video for inspiration. I'd prefer to have a decent INT since nobody else in the party does. Do you think EK is worth sticking to or would something like Samurai or Battlemaster simply be more effective overall?
Battlemaster is very good for archery. I'm not as big on Samurai (basically a one trick pony). Honestly, I would still go EK first and foremost.
These would be my legal suggestions:
Lvl 3: Find Familiar, Shield, Absorb Elements
4: Snare
7: Darkness
8: Mirror Image
10: Warding Wind
11: Gust of Wind
13: Counterspell, Switch Gust to Leomund's Hut
14: Haste
This is a quick list, but it should be legal.
@@TreantmonksTemple Thanks, those are pretty much the spells I had been thinking about. One notable exception, though: wouldn't Warding Wind also grant us disadvantage on our own ranged attacks?
@@everice3310 Yes it would.
@@TreantmonksTemple Might I ask why you would take the spell if it causes our own attacks to be at disadvantage? Also worth noting that according to the Strong Wind rules on page 110 of the DMG, it would also render out Avariel unable to fly for more than a turn at a time.
Is there something I'm missing, or is it just a case of taking something for the sake of taking something since EK's level 2 pickings are rather slim.
@@everice3310 It is certainly because of slim pickings, but making ranged at disadvantage can certainly be an advantage for even an archery based fighter occassionally. I would imagine most of the time we would be using 2nd level slots for mirror image, but for when we are outgunned at range, warding wind will be occassionally useful.
At first level, with a dex mod of +3 and proficiency of +2, how do you get a +7 to hit?
With the archery fighting style that gives you a +2 to attack rolls with ranged weapons.
Ah thx.
hi, i know its an old video, but im wondering if familar can help still work? I find this on a web site, what you guys think? A familiar can't help with an attack to give advantage, because to help, a creature must be able to do the thing itself, and a familiar can't attack.
Working together says that to help, you must be able to do yourself the thing you're helping with. In combat, working together to give another player advantage takes the Help action. The Help action is the combat action that is used to work together in combat.
That's not raw, there's nothing in the rules that specify that you must be able to do the action, though i've seen house rules that you can't perform the help action for a skill check if you aren't proficient in that skill
You seem to be ignoring the abjuration/evocation restrictions on Eldritch Knight spells.
If you go by the rules, the spells I'd probably take are:
3: Absorb Elements*, Find Familiar, Shield*
4: Protection from Evil and Good* (not really any other good options, our weapon attacks will likely outclass offensive spells from this level)
7: Darkness* (for obscuring the back line, step out shoot, step in)
8: Magic Weapon (replace with Misty Step or Invisibility later if you obtain a magic weapon)
10: Gust of Wind*
11: Warding Wind*
13: Counterspell*
Replace Warding Wind* with Dispel Magic*
14: Haste
16: Remove Curse*
19: Fire Shield*
20: Greater Invisibility
* Evo/Abj only
Matt DeKok Good list given how few choices there are. Evocation spells are useless by the time you get them, and are cast with usually garbage spell DC. And there aren’t enough Abjuration spells to fill in the rest.
Personally I take Mirror Image/Misty Step at EK 8 and work with the DM for a magic weapon, and take two levels of Hexblade early for Charisma attacks and to run War Magic with Eldritch Blast, then after getting Eldritch Strike go back to Warlock or other Charisma casters and get my spells that way, with maxed out casting stats. Eldritch Strike into Dissonant Whispers into War Caster EB is one of my favorite combo chains.
Thanks Derek, yes, D&D Beyond led me a bit astray there...
@@sillvvasensei I would prefer magic missile at 4 (auto-hit force damage) mirror image at 8 and leomund's tiny hut as soon as possible.
@@sillvvasensei even though this a archer build, shadow blade is a great spell on eldrith knight.
The best archer is a valor bard at lv 10 you can pick up swift quiver giving you 4 attacks and you are still a full caster with a good spell list.
*facepalm* wait, maybe it's sarcasm?
@@TreantmonksTemple are you being sarcastic because I'm not you also can pick up conjor barrage or lighting arrow. Or you can go hand crowbow with Xbow expert, SS with holy weapon dealing 1d6+2d8+mod+10 times that by 3 attacks.
@@dustinmccollum7196 I thought you were being sarcastic because I was pretty passionate about the combo you mention in my 5th level spell video - I've timestamped it for you. th-cam.com/video/kcA9IXM7Zvg/w-d-xo.html
Ohhhh I forgot that one lol.
@@dustinmccollum7196 I thought for sure you were making fun of that ;)
How does this hold up 3 years later?
how about a kensei monk using longbow for an archer? I think its very good as well. Much more survivability with all the monk's features at the cost of dmg
Great for control: Ranged Stunning Blow is just... 👌
@@BlackTempleGaurdian also the Xtra movespeed the best saving throws in the game, being able to run on water or vertical surfaces and still shoot arrows, Dodge action as a bonus action and many more
I really love that class; even though, as you say, you are giving up a fair chunk of damage.
@@Adurnis not as much as you think. You still get 1d4 on your ranged attacks and the unarmed damage as xtra damage and you have a lot of rerolls on your attacks. Ofc you have less dmg but your survivability and mobility are through the roof. Also you can get one extra feat cause your weapon attacks are considered magical from a feature...
@@Adurnis plus when you are fighting other rangers you can actually deflect missiles and send them back :P
For me, variant human is too powerful to give to players for their arbitrary use. Variant human is a good guide line for DMs to create variant human sub-types for players to use. I have a house rule where I let all characters have a starting feat that they can select from this limited list:
Athlete
Actor
Dungeon Delver
Durable
Keen Mind
Linguist
Magic Initiate
Martial Adept
Observant
Resilient
Ritual Caster
Skilled
Skulker
Tough
That sounds like a sensible house rule. I agree about Variant Human. I houserule it in my campaigns that the feat is gained at level 4.
Allen Linnen, Jr. Variant Human basically dominate in tier 1, but I think the advantage tapers off. If outright banned, at least at my table, there would never be any human ever in the party.
@@M0ebius I reckon. And in my method, I don't outright ban it. The player just has to work with the DM to create a human sub-type that has the desired feats that fits into the story. Also, I'm still getting my head around the higher tier races. Dragonborn, Teiflings, and the like, just don't seem right for PCs.
You cut yourself off at 3:16. That said, condensing your future builds is probably a good choice!
"How to make archers even better in 5e". Least necessary video ever. ;)
Bro, 3.5 or pathfinder 2e archers were disgusting, with the right feats at every level. Honestly, this is the most balanced gish archer possible.
How did he get 2 ASIs at 19th Level?
im missing something i dont see where he is getting 10 attacks at lvl 20
Action surge haste and bonus action crossbow?
Edit: I only heard him say 8 attacks. 4 from extra attack then an action surge.
Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t Eldritch Knights only able to use spells from abjuration or evocation spells? Many of the spells mentioned here are from different schools of magic so shouldn’t be able to be used by an eldritch knight.
You can pick any wizard spell from any school at levels 3, 8, 14, and 20. All other levels, must be abj/evo. Edit: I see that TM did not adhere that rule as written, having watched further.
@@mrbean3470 part of it is dnd beyond, which has both the arcane trickster and Eldritch knight spells put together in a single spell list I think
Who counts arrows?
Why goading over menacing for the combat maneuver? Menacing is the same disadvantage to the targets attacks minus them trying to attack you.
Ideally, you are hitting something that can't attack you, but goading allows you to slip behind full cover afterwards. Both are great maneuvers though.
@@TreantmonksTemple Ah good point, yes cover like with the minor illusion. But how is the archer casting somatic spells while using a 2-handed weapon and not have the warcaster feat?
@@SamSam-ke9zy 2 handed weapons require 2 hands to weild, not to hold. Unless you are casting a somatic spell and attacking with a 2 handed weapon at the same time, I would not expect it would be a problem. If your DM says otherwise, tell them you are casting a spell with the same hand you would use to draw an arrow.
I'm just now catching up on sage advice and putting together that arcane focuses and material components are pretty much gone and have no purpose. Except where the materials have a cost/expenditure. My bad I was thinking a caster needed to hold an arcane focus unlike a divine focus.
@@SamSam-ke9zy I did a video where I went into great detail on the focus/component rules: th-cam.com/video/nk1Up4hXUko/w-d-xo.html It should all be accurate, I researched it carefully.
I have not even finished the video but feel compelled to mention a disclaimer about multiclassing. You should not design for level 20 ever. The smallest percentage of campaigns happen at this level. Also most DMs will scale enemies to the party, so purely focusing on damage isn't always smart, but understandable.
Alexander Maxwell That really depend on the table though. Ideally you would know the starting level and the ending level, and build to peak somewhere past the middle.
He's addressed that, AM. In fact, he's planning to do the next video only to level 12.
Way to go wotc...an eldrich knight fighter is a better archer than an arcane archer.
wotc has made a very tight game, the arcane archer went through development and had player feedback with over 75% approval. For what it is, its ok. I don't care for it either, but its not an arms race.
@@acm4bass i get all of that but almost all fighter subs are a better archer than the AA. They community that play tested that dropped the ball.
I agree, to be blunt I don't believe that the playtesters liked it, there is a bit of evidence that WOC are ..... selective in their playtesting, the class would work far better as a spell caster, use the EK spell casting table with a Evocation/Illusion, and bonus spells at 3rd, 7th, 11th and 15th from the Ranger (Hunters Mark, Lightning arrow etc), gain a special ability at 1st that allows you to conjure temporary ammo as a free action, and the AA magic arrows as Archetype features.
@@killcat1971 that would make them playable for sure.
You seem to be picking spells that are not evocation or abjuration. Did you miss this in the subclass?
I'm old and rusty, I played 1st and 2nd editions, but I need to build a level 10 character and I want it to be a powerful archer. DM gave me $50k gold for equipment to build this level 10 character and I need serious help with a build. Someone give me a complete character layout??? Oh yeah I want to be a duel welding sword Elf as well. Oh and I rolled killer killer ability rolls. 17, 17, 16, 15, 15, 14. Yes those were my actual rolls. In fact I rolled again got 17, 17, and 16 again and the DM stopped me and said ok you can keep the first rolls. So saying all that I need help with a build. Remember I haven't played in many many years. Help?
So dual wielding tends to fall of a good bit as the game progresses. Early on a lot of your damage comes from your dice rolls, but over time it’s more and more coming from your modifier. This means that the dual wielding gets less and less beneficial. Additionally with fighter specifically you lose the ability to use some of the larger weapons that do more damage, and since fighters make more and more attacks on their main action, the “cost” of using a smaller sword to dual wield is pretty harsh. There’s also just the fact that great weapon master is a broken as heck feat and you can’t use it with any weapon that can be dual wielded.
That being said if you’re just at level 10 I might recommend going with a fighter and dual wielding two copies of flame tongue. Flame tongue is absurdly powerful for a rare item and adds 2d6 to your attack rolls. This means you’re doing an extra 6d6 per round if you make three attacks.
After that you’d probably want to invest into defensive magic items. +1 or +2 armor wouldn’t need to be attuned to, which is nice because flame tongue does so that’s 2/3 attunement slots. After that for your last attunement slot you might want something that would help with saves, maybe the ring of evasion or something similar.
Fighter would be the most straightforward option. The fighter Subclass shouldn’t be one that requires bonus actions so cavalier might be very nice. It’s a very defensive class from zanathars and lets you protect your allies. It lets you mark enemies with attacks you make and gives them disadvantage in attacks against allies and lets you hit them harder next turn if they try. This is helpful because as a melee class without flight, you want a way to make sure monsters don’t just ignore you and try to avoid fighting you.
If you do go with cavalier you might also want to consider mounted combatant and elven accuracy as feats. Mounted combatant will give you advantage while on a mount and elven accuracy is an elf racial feat in xanarhars that lets you roll 3 dice and choose the highest when you have advantage on dexterity based attacks.
If you end up being unable to afford +2 armor and have a lot of gold left over, a horse is also a good gold sink since they can have their own armor and certain horses with better stats can be pretty expensive.
So if you really wanna dual wielding as an elf that’d be my suggestion.Dual wielding lets you hit more people as a cavalier and if you’ve got some serious change lying around I think mounts can be a good investment.
If you don’t want to invest in a mount I think you could pick up the ritual caster feat. It’d let you summon a phantom steed as often as you wanted which makes for a good disposable mount. Your stats are pretty damn good so you don’t need the Ability score increases as much, and ritual caster has other good utility options like find familiar and leomund’s tiny hut.
have a comment
They need to buff bow archery, tired of crossbows.
Charisma should never be a dump stat: players always have fun lying, persuading, leading peons and peasants.... i suppose a negative could be also for fun though. BUT the main point was the DM should always make it relatively easier for PC's to influence NPC's than is reasonable for people in real life. Having at least some charisma should go a long way with players. having fun with being hard to ignore when helping the NPC's and shaping the world should be a priority!