I'm currently playing Tyranny of dragons which will lead into rise of tiamat and am currently at level 5 Arcane trickster Rogue.
It's PHB 2014 rules only. Variant human - Took sentinel feat with DM allowing mirrors image to trigger sentinel reaction sneak attack once I reach level 2 spells.
Level 4 ASI +2 dex
Current stats S8 D18 C13 I16 W10 CH10
I intend to go +2 Dex or Res Con with ASI at level 8.
My question is - should I take a dip in wizard at level 10 or 11 for ritual casting, extra can trips and level 1 spells freeing up another any school spell option and arcane recovery or stay full arcane trickster (+1 SA dice and Slippery mind?
I'd recommend staying full arcane trickster unless there are certain level 1 spells you want. I also prefer to delay progression up front when levels come faster than to wait til level 10 to do so. Ritual spell use is campaign dependent, I rarely cast them at our table. you might get some use out of the level 1 spell slots if there's something you're feeling you're missing. IIRC arcane recovery is only going to recover the wizard slots, not your AT slots, so there's diminished value there. Cantrips? Gonna be pretty meh at that level. Maybe some use out of stuff like mage hand, but generally I think you're better off staying straight AT.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Being a level behind is the biggest worry as 1d6 SA is not a big deal and protection from evil and good the level 1 spells pretty much does the same as slippery mind if cast before the fight.
Being able to get extra spells like shield, false life, find familiar, etc gives my level 1 spell slots some actual use as well as freeing up the any spell choice to swap it for another level 2 spells like misty step and ritual spells for even more spells. The arcane recovery is only 1 level 1 spell slots but that is better than nothing if we are multi combat fighting on a day and out of spells.i just don't know how long and hard that 1 level behind would hurt and at what point to take it.
As horde of the dragon queen goes to level 7/8 it's unlikely I would take it before then as this will level me get my level 2 spells before this half of the campaign ends.
Rise of tiamat starts after that and getting magic ambush at level 9 is where I will really care about the level 2 spells options for it's use. Hold person, hideous laughter, charm person, phantasmal force, detect thought, suggestion are all available and having fewer spell ls makes options more limited.
I have heard that using AT magic ambush is harder than you think and difficult to capitalise on.
If your DM allows you to find, buy or trade for ritual spells then the 2014 Ritual castor feat is great
The 2014 ritual caster didn't use spell slots to cast ritual spells, as ritual spells. It took longer to cast them obviously, but look at how long some of them lasted.
Water breathing cast on the party every morning. Alarm to camp. Find familiar for a new friend......
Any class that has spells with a ritual tag prepared can always cast them as a ritual without expending a spell slot. Wizards are distinct in that they can cast spells they don't have prepared as ritual spells, so long as those spells are in their spell book. That said, that's not as big a benefit as you'd think, as ritual spells are of limited value as a general rule.
I say skip the wizard dip. Arcane recovery will net you one extra spell slot. Getting extra cantrips is a mixed bag, but if you're making Sentinel-based sneak attacks, the extra 1d6 is better, especially when you crit. The spell access is... eh. Shield is only useful if you have a Reaction free, and with Uncanny Dodge and opportunity attacks, that's unlikely. Find Familiar is good, but you should already be getting sneak attacks like crazy with your teammates, and anyone who told you that Magical Ambush is hard to set up is just a lazy thinker. Invisibility is one of your spell options, and you can take the Hide action as a Bonus Action. You should be able to take advantage of it every turn with very little effort.
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Hi there,
I'm currently playing Tyranny of dragons which will lead into rise of tiamat and am currently at level 5 Arcane trickster Rogue.
It's PHB 2014 rules only. Variant human - Took sentinel feat with DM allowing mirrors image to trigger sentinel reaction sneak attack once I reach level 2 spells.
Level 4 ASI +2 dex
Current stats S8 D18 C13 I16 W10 CH10
I intend to go +2 Dex or Res Con with ASI at level 8.
My question is - should I take a dip in wizard at level 10 or 11 for ritual casting, extra can trips and level 1 spells freeing up another any school spell option and arcane recovery or stay full arcane trickster (+1 SA dice and Slippery mind?
The campaign should go to level 15 or maybe 16.
Please let me know your options.
Thanks
I'd recommend staying full arcane trickster unless there are certain level 1 spells you want. I also prefer to delay progression up front when levels come faster than to wait til level 10 to do so. Ritual spell use is campaign dependent, I rarely cast them at our table. you might get some use out of the level 1 spell slots if there's something you're feeling you're missing. IIRC arcane recovery is only going to recover the wizard slots, not your AT slots, so there's diminished value there. Cantrips? Gonna be pretty meh at that level. Maybe some use out of stuff like mage hand, but generally I think you're better off staying straight AT.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Very Good point. I'm struggling to decide.
Being a level behind is the biggest worry as 1d6 SA is not a big deal and protection from evil and good the level 1 spells pretty much does the same as slippery mind if cast before the fight.
Being able to get extra spells like shield, false life, find familiar, etc gives my level 1 spell slots some actual use as well as freeing up the any spell choice to swap it for another level 2 spells like misty step and ritual spells for even more spells. The arcane recovery is only 1 level 1 spell slots but that is better than nothing if we are multi combat fighting on a day and out of spells.i just don't know how long and hard that 1 level behind would hurt and at what point to take it.
As horde of the dragon queen goes to level 7/8 it's unlikely I would take it before then as this will level me get my level 2 spells before this half of the campaign ends.
Rise of tiamat starts after that and getting magic ambush at level 9 is where I will really care about the level 2 spells options for it's use. Hold person, hideous laughter, charm person, phantasmal force, detect thought, suggestion are all available and having fewer spell ls makes options more limited.
I have heard that using AT magic ambush is harder than you think and difficult to capitalise on.
If your DM allows you to find, buy or trade for ritual spells then the 2014 Ritual castor feat is great
The 2014 ritual caster didn't use spell slots to cast ritual spells, as ritual spells. It took longer to cast them obviously, but look at how long some of them lasted.
Water breathing cast on the party every morning. Alarm to camp. Find familiar for a new friend......
Any class that has spells with a ritual tag prepared can always cast them as a ritual without expending a spell slot. Wizards are distinct in that they can cast spells they don't have prepared as ritual spells, so long as those spells are in their spell book. That said, that's not as big a benefit as you'd think, as ritual spells are of limited value as a general rule.
I say skip the wizard dip. Arcane recovery will net you one extra spell slot. Getting extra cantrips is a mixed bag, but if you're making Sentinel-based sneak attacks, the extra 1d6 is better, especially when you crit. The spell access is... eh. Shield is only useful if you have a Reaction free, and with Uncanny Dodge and opportunity attacks, that's unlikely. Find Familiar is good, but you should already be getting sneak attacks like crazy with your teammates, and anyone who told you that Magical Ambush is hard to set up is just a lazy thinker. Invisibility is one of your spell options, and you can take the Hide action as a Bonus Action. You should be able to take advantage of it every turn with very little effort.