I'm playing a strong but agile mountainman goliath, who uses terrain, ambushes and the outdoor know-how to get an upper hand. I just leveled up to 4, and I'm wondering about where to take it. He prefers dual wielding over anything else (I have Two weapon fighting style) and doesn't use ranged weapons unless absolutely necessary.
Right now: Ranger, Gloom Stalker lvl 3 STR 16 DEX 14 CON 16 INT 8 WIS 12 CHA 8 I'm dual wielding scimitars and sometimes throw javellins.
My current plan is to take Gloom Stalker to lvl 5 and then multiclass into a rogue (Scout/assasin). On lvl 4 ASI I want to take Dual Wielder to be able to have 2 rapiers (reskinned to something cool looking). This will allow me to dual wield finesse weapons, making the rogue dip a bit nicer. - Is Dual wielding two finesse d8 weapons and 1 AC worth it over the +2 ASI? I feel like it is, since I'll be a rogue soon and will need finesse to sneak attack.
What are your thoughts on the build and it's performance?? I know it's a bit suboptimal, but I cracked the numbers and it seems like it should do quite a bit of damage and provide nice utility. I shouldn't be dragging the party down with me or anything.
- Is Dual wielding two finesse d8 weapons and 1 AC worth it over the +2 ASI? I feel like it is, since I'll be a rogue soon and will need finesse to sneak attack.
It’s more worth it for a Str based rogue than a Dex based one, I’d say. You’re getting the extra point of damage you’d otherwise get from +1 Str bonus through the higher weapon damage dice and you’re getting a higher AC, in return for a slightly lower attack roll modifier. Setting up sneak attacks means setting up advantage though, so your attack roll isn’t quite as important. In comparison, if you were Dex based the ASI would give you everything - damage, attack roll and AC.
That said, since sneak attacks are going to be your main source of damage you could go with another option than Dual Wielder or +2 Str as well. There are several other feats that could be useful to you, and even using the ASI for +2 Wis would be useful for a Gloom Stalker / Rogue. Dual Wielder is certainly a good feat for your type of character, but there’s about a handful that could be just as good depending on party composition and the type of campaign.
All that said, I do want to caution you a bit about the Assassin archetype: getting to assassinate with a melee character is not going to be easy to do reliably or regularly. Getting to your target before they can act can be considerably more difficult if you have to move than if you can shoot. All up to you though, and if you think that with your DM that won’t be anything major to worry about more power to you.
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Two weapon fighting with a rogue is an easy win. Twice the chance to sneak attack! Two weapon fighting is, I don't think bad, but, very swingy with a ranger. I think of it like, a ranger with one rapier at level 5 does an average (rapier, +4 mod, dueling, hunter's mark) of 28 damage (1d8 + 2 + 1d6 + 4)*2, while a two weapon fighting ranger does an average (feat, 2 rapiers, two weapon fighting, +3 mod, sometimes hunter's mark) of 22.5 (1d8 +3)*3 or 33 (1d8 + 3 + 1d6)*3. It's very strange.
Pangurjan is smart to warn you of the...challenges...of a melee build with the gloom stalker/assassin build. Sounds fun though! Turn off the lights and get that sweet stealth as a bonus action (MORE bonus actions?!) to stab them in the dark!
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I'm playing a strong but agile mountainman goliath, who uses terrain, ambushes and the outdoor know-how to get an upper hand. I just leveled up to 4, and I'm wondering about where to take it. He prefers dual wielding over anything else (I have Two weapon fighting style) and doesn't use ranged weapons unless absolutely necessary.
Right now:
Ranger, Gloom Stalker lvl 3
STR 16 DEX 14 CON 16 INT 8 WIS 12 CHA 8
I'm dual wielding scimitars and sometimes throw javellins.
My current plan is to take Gloom Stalker to lvl 5 and then multiclass into a rogue (Scout/assasin).
On lvl 4 ASI I want to take Dual Wielder to be able to have 2 rapiers (reskinned to something cool looking). This will allow me to dual wield finesse weapons, making the rogue dip a bit nicer.
- Is Dual wielding two finesse d8 weapons and 1 AC worth it over the +2 ASI? I feel like it is, since I'll be a rogue soon and will need finesse to sneak attack.
What are your thoughts on the build and it's performance?? I know it's a bit suboptimal, but I cracked the numbers and it seems like it should do quite a bit of damage and provide nice utility. I shouldn't be dragging the party down with me or anything.
What level 3 hunter ability did you go with?
Suboptimal? Maybe. Fun? YES!
I meant gloom stalker, edited the post.
If you're going to use rapiers, you'll want to get your dex up, as you progress.
This would also help for the rogue skills
Rapier is finesse, so it means I can use STR for it
It’s more worth it for a Str based rogue than a Dex based one, I’d say. You’re getting the extra point of damage you’d otherwise get from +1 Str bonus through the higher weapon damage dice and you’re getting a higher AC, in return for a slightly lower attack roll modifier. Setting up sneak attacks means setting up advantage though, so your attack roll isn’t quite as important. In comparison, if you were Dex based the ASI would give you everything - damage, attack roll and AC.
That said, since sneak attacks are going to be your main source of damage you could go with another option than Dual Wielder or +2 Str as well. There are several other feats that could be useful to you, and even using the ASI for +2 Wis would be useful for a Gloom Stalker / Rogue. Dual Wielder is certainly a good feat for your type of character, but there’s about a handful that could be just as good depending on party composition and the type of campaign.
All that said, I do want to caution you a bit about the Assassin archetype: getting to assassinate with a melee character is not going to be easy to do reliably or regularly. Getting to your target before they can act can be considerably more difficult if you have to move than if you can shoot. All up to you though, and if you think that with your DM that won’t be anything major to worry about more power to you.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
It's not optimal but you're already not making decisions based on what's optimal. I'd say do whatever you think is most fun.
Two weapon fighting with a rogue is an easy win. Twice the chance to sneak attack! Two weapon fighting is, I don't think bad, but, very swingy with a ranger. I think of it like, a ranger with one rapier at level 5 does an average (rapier, +4 mod, dueling, hunter's mark) of 28 damage (1d8 + 2 + 1d6 + 4)*2, while a two weapon fighting ranger does an average (feat, 2 rapiers, two weapon fighting, +3 mod, sometimes hunter's mark) of 22.5 (1d8 +3)*3 or 33 (1d8 + 3 + 1d6)*3. It's very strange.
Pangurjan is smart to warn you of the...challenges...of a melee build with the gloom stalker/assassin build. Sounds fun though! Turn off the lights and get that sweet stealth as a bonus action (MORE bonus actions?!) to stab them in the dark!