In combat, I play ranged, using a longbow to usually stay well out of the fray. Out of combat, I'm usually the face of the party. My group is playing Rise of Tiamat. We decided we want to take this all the way to level 20 (we started with Hoard of the Dragon Queen almost two years ago, so why not go all the way at this point?) and the DM will be adding some content to get us there. This means I will get one more ASI or feat before the final showdown. The party also includes a School of Evocation Wizard, War Domain Cleric and Horizon Walker Ranger.
The options I'm considering:
+2 Dex - (I read the Manual of Quickness of Action earlier in the campaign, so my max Dex is now 22). This would take my AC to 19, Initiative to +6, and of course, add one to my DEX-based skills. The AC and Initiative could be helpful, particularly since I have a pretty low max HP. But I'm not sure the difference in a +10 or +11 to Dex-based skills really matters. So, not sure I get enough out of +2 to Dex at this point.
+2 Int - Take my spell save DC to 17. I'm the lowest-ranked caster in the group, but I have had a few clutch Hold Person and Detect Thoughts moments, so a higher spell save DC could be nice. But I don't rely on spells a lot, so perhaps overkill?
Skilled Expert Feat (Tasha's) - I regret not taking expertise in Stealth (this is my first experience with D&D and I had no idea what I was doing early on) so this would be an opportunity to pick that up. I do a lot of scouting ahead for the group and the idea of a +15 to Stealth (on top of Reliable Talent) is just cool. I would take a +1 to Dex or Int and at Level 19 I could pick up another feat with a +1 to Dex or Int to even things out. But is a +15 to Stealth better than what I could pick up with one of the other options? I do have a Cloak of Elevenkind, so I already have advantage on any Stealth checks to hide.
So, yea, quite torn on the decision. Would love thoughts from others on what the best path might be or if I should be looking at something else entirely. Thanks for any help!
Personally I would take the skilled expert feat. The +15 in stealth giving you a min 25 on all stealth checks is great. With such a high stealth skill I would say drop the cloak and swap it for a cloak of displacement. The 25 in stealth you don't really need the advantage though it is nice.
With the cloak all attacks against you have disadvantage and with the elusive skill at 18 no attack has advantage against you. So that low ac of 19 becomes a bit more bearable when all incoming hits are at disadvantage.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I think I'm going to go Skill Expert for that Stealth expertise (I so regret not taking this early on. This was my first character. I've learned better now). I'll probably take the Elven Accuracy or Piercer feat at level 19 to hit 22 Dex. So in some way, the best of both worlds. Appreciate everyone's insights!
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Hello,
I have a high elf arcane trickster that is about to hit level 16 and I'm torn between taking an ASI or a feat.
Current Stats: STR - 8, DEX - 20, CON - 12, INT - 16, WIS - 12, CHA - 16
Proficiency: Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival / Expertise: Deception, Investigation, Persuasion.
In combat, I play ranged, using a longbow to usually stay well out of the fray. Out of combat, I'm usually the face of the party. My group is playing Rise of Tiamat. We decided we want to take this all the way to level 20 (we started with Hoard of the Dragon Queen almost two years ago, so why not go all the way at this point?) and the DM will be adding some content to get us there. This means I will get one more ASI or feat before the final showdown. The party also includes a School of Evocation Wizard, War Domain Cleric and Horizon Walker Ranger.
The options I'm considering:
So, yea, quite torn on the decision. Would love thoughts from others on what the best path might be or if I should be looking at something else entirely. Thanks for any help!
Personally I would take the skilled expert feat. The +15 in stealth giving you a min 25 on all stealth checks is great. With such a high stealth skill I would say drop the cloak and swap it for a cloak of displacement. The 25 in stealth you don't really need the advantage though it is nice.
With the cloak all attacks against you have disadvantage and with the elusive skill at 18 no attack has advantage against you. So that low ac of 19 becomes a bit more bearable when all incoming hits are at disadvantage.
Stealth Expertise is clutch. Maybe hit Dex 22 with your next (final?) ASI.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I think I'm going to go Skill Expert for that Stealth expertise (I so regret not taking this early on. This was my first character. I've learned better now). I'll probably take the Elven Accuracy or Piercer feat at level 19 to hit 22 Dex. So in some way, the best of both worlds. Appreciate everyone's insights!