I love to play high-intelligence Arcane Tricksters but I have found two negatives in combat when playing them:
1. Mage Hand Legerdemain is AWESOME in combat and you can use the hand as a bonus action, but the problem is it takes an action to cast the spell so unless you get it out before combat starts you have to give up an action (which is usually a sneak attack) to get your hand out there.
2. Most of the offensive spells require an action to cast, which again makes for a very high opportunity cost. Being able to throw out tashas laughter when you can't get a sneak attack is a great fall back, but until that happens spells are not usually a good idea in combat. As a result they do not feel "magical" in combat. Getting Hex on a feat alleviates this to some degree letting you use your spell slots for Hex, but it would be great if you had more opportunities for offensive spells.
So I was thinking what about starting with martial adept and the quick toss maneuver? One superiority die, recharges on a short rest so I can use it in several battles per day. I can get another maneuver too, maybe ambush or disarming attack (disarm then steal the weapon with the hand).
If I did this I could cast mage hand or another spell and still get in a sneak attack (with an extra +1d6 damage). Either do this on the first turn of combat or whenever the opportunity presents itself. Fighting a boss take bonus action hide after your sneak one turn, then come out of hiding with a quick toss sneak attack the next turn and use an action to cast Tasha's laughter on him. I could do that kind of thing once every short rest or roughly half the battles I am in. Have Ambush as a backup if I ever really blow a stealth check.
Quick toss doesn’t seem bad on a rogue. It seems like a limited but still potentially potent version of action surge, at least when you’re looking for sneak attack and spellcasting on the same turn. Have you looked into playing a hexblood? The racial feature gives hex, other spells, and other features that replicate higher level spells. They get free castings too. This can really supplement the limited slots and spells known for a 1/3 caster.
I love to play high-intelligence Arcane Tricksters but I have found two negatives in combat when playing them:
1. Mage Hand Legerdemain is AWESOME in combat and you can use the hand as a bonus action, but the problem is it takes an action to cast the spell so unless you get it out before combat starts you have to give up an action (which is usually a sneak attack) to get your hand out there.
2. Most of the offensive spells require an action to cast, which again makes for a very high opportunity cost. Being able to throw out tashas laughter when you can't get a sneak attack is a great fall back, but until that happens spells are not usually a good idea in combat. As a result they do not feel "magical" in combat. Getting Hex on a feat alleviates this to some degree letting you use your spell slots for Hex, but it would be great if you had more opportunities for offensive spells.
So I was thinking what about starting with martial adept and the quick toss maneuver? One superiority die, recharges on a short rest so I can use it in several battles per day. I can get another maneuver too, maybe ambush or disarming attack (disarm then steal the weapon with the hand).
If I did this I could cast mage hand or another spell and still get in a sneak attack (with an extra +1d6 damage). Either do this on the first turn of combat or whenever the opportunity presents itself. Fighting a boss take bonus action hide after your sneak one turn, then come out of hiding with a quick toss sneak attack the next turn and use an action to cast Tasha's laughter on him. I could do that kind of thing once every short rest or roughly half the battles I am in. Have Ambush as a backup if I ever really blow a stealth check.
What do you think?
I like it, I would go even further and take 1 level of Fighter for Superior Technique to pick up a second die and a third maneuver.
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I love to play high-intelligence Arcane Tricksters but I have found two negatives in combat when playing them:
1. Mage Hand Legerdemain is AWESOME in combat and you can use the hand as a bonus action, but the problem is it takes an action to cast the spell so unless you get it out before combat starts you have to give up an action (which is usually a sneak attack) to get your hand out there.
2. Most of the offensive spells require an action to cast, which again makes for a very high opportunity cost. Being able to throw out tashas laughter when you can't get a sneak attack is a great fall back, but until that happens spells are not usually a good idea in combat. As a result they do not feel "magical" in combat. Getting Hex on a feat alleviates this to some degree letting you use your spell slots for Hex, but it would be great if you had more opportunities for offensive spells.
So I was thinking what about starting with martial adept and the quick toss maneuver? One superiority die, recharges on a short rest so I can use it in several battles per day. I can get another maneuver too, maybe ambush or disarming attack (disarm then steal the weapon with the hand).
If I did this I could cast mage hand or another spell and still get in a sneak attack (with an extra +1d6 damage). Either do this on the first turn of combat or whenever the opportunity presents itself. Fighting a boss take bonus action hide after your sneak one turn, then come out of hiding with a quick toss sneak attack the next turn and use an action to cast Tasha's laughter on him. I could do that kind of thing once every short rest or roughly half the battles I am in. Have Ambush as a backup if I ever really blow a stealth check.
What do you think?
Quick toss doesn’t seem bad on a rogue. It seems like a limited but still potentially potent version of action surge, at least when you’re looking for sneak attack and spellcasting on the same turn. Have you looked into playing a hexblood? The racial feature gives hex, other spells, and other features that replicate higher level spells. They get free castings too. This can really supplement the limited slots and spells known for a 1/3 caster.
I like it, I would go even further and take 1 level of Fighter for Superior Technique to pick up a second die and a third maneuver.