If you want toe-to-toe as a musketeer, you really should be flavoring a fighter to a dex based BattleMaster. Swashbucklers are good at 1-on-1 dueling by out damaging opponents thanks to sneak attack triggering in those circumstances. Battlemasters control combat with maneuvers and multiple attacks per round. Indigo Montoya in the Princess Bride would be built as a Battlemaster if I was trying to recreate the character.
Who says the Swashbuckler is supposed to be a 'fighter-rogue'?
The Swashbuckler is an excellent skirmisher and even better out of combat (at higher levels). In fights it can use its Sneak Attack near freely, hunting down and dispatching high-value targets. Two-weapon fighting is by no means mandatory; some folks like hedging their bets, but given Fancy Footwork, you're almost better just using Cunning Dash to gain a ton of movement to abuse. Rakish Audacity means your Charisma fuels your initiative; Swashbucklers can be some of the fastest characters in the game.
Panache is astonishingly good, though. The only requirement is "creature must be able to hear you, and share a language". No distance requirement, and if you don't have Persuasion Expertise on your Swashbuckler you need to rethink your Swashbuckler. In combat you can use it to turn off opportunity attacks from dangerous enemies against friendly squishies, letting them bail for free, use it on a distant target that physically cannot get to you to attack you in order to just flat debuff their attacks, or of course draw something into chasing you down instead of your wizard.
Out of combat? It's a free Charm person that requires no spell slot and does not alert the target. It can't be counterspelled, and in most cases even failing it simply means the other guy isn't having your guff. It's almost entirely risk-free, and allows you to bullshit your way into so much shenanery.
Even Elegant Maneuver is great. Advantage on Athletics or Acrobatics means you can (theoretically) make a grappler if you really want to, or more likely just be able to bust any grapple you wind up in yourself via advantage on Acrobatics. Get Acro Expertise, remember that you can Elegant Maneuver outside of combat, and you're Errol Flynn-ing around the map like a Flying Grayson.
Master Duelist kinda sucks, but everything else Swashbuckler does works excellent if you remember that a Swashbuckler doesn't really work like other rogues. It's not generally concerned with stealth - you're supposed to be Captain Jack-ing your way through the game with charm, wit, and copious bullshit. Even single-classed it works great. The fact that it makes an amazing pairing with even just a single level of Hexblade (much like half of everything else in the game) is icing.
Fancy foot work - basically you get to play a melee rogue without having to spend your bonus action to disengage. Run in, hit the enemy next to the fighter, hit them a second time with TWF if you need to, run away.
Rakish audacity - bonus to initiative is always good. And it makes it EVEN EASIER to get sneak attack.
Panache is obviously great out-of-combat utility - you're the party's face and now can act like it.
Elegant maneuver isn't too useful, but Master Duelist is great, turn a miss into a likely hit once per rest.
I have no idea what you were *expecting*, but Swashbuckler seems like a pretty powerful rogue archetype to me.
Swashbuckler is pretty easily my favorite rogue subclass. I don't think it's weak at all. What were you expecting out of the archetype?
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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.
Where some see Fancy Footwork as a tool to attack and run away, I see it as a tool to penetrate the front lines and get to the squishier back line opponents. I really like the Swashbuckler as an annoying skirmisher, but it's not meant to be toe-to-toe with the opponent at all times. Also useful for dash and grabs when the objective is keepaway rather then a slugfest.
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Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
The real issue here (I think) is that in regard of other archetype the swashbuckler might be, in certain situation, less powerful than other rogues. That being said it is in no regard a useless archetype to play just a different kind of playstyle. If your more into powerplay and your goal is to reach max damage output per combat then no the swashbuckler is not the best archetype to go to as it does not shine in every possible situation. (no classes really are if your DM is actually doing a proper job at throwing challenges at you)
The swashbuckler has strengths and weaknesses as every other class and as the previous post mentioned it really is a great skirmisher to play with, great combat and out of combat RP abilities. My personal opinion is that people should probably start building their characters according to RP intent and should be wary of building around combat numbers as it will only be some part of the sessions. (DnD is a roleplay game after all)
I'll add that you can totally build up a musketeer kind of swashbuckler (I know I have) you just probably won't end up with the ones you see in movies and books (even if you possibly could I don't know enough about them to be definitive).
So my advice would be to think hard about what you're expecting from your character combat and RP wise before picking a sub-class because as a huge fan of the swashbuckler it is by no mean a useless archetype to have in a party.
Side note Yurei1453: Panache does technically have a distance requirement "This effect lasts for 1 minute, until one of your companions attacks the target or affects it with a spell, or until you and the target are more than 60 feet apart." So if you use it from more than 60feet it automatically cancel itself. But it's still an awesome taunt to have to either help squishy allies or taunt a target to come closer so you can deal with it more easily. (or just make him run around trying to catch up with you)
I just took a rogue to level 3 and picked Swashbuckler. Seems to be the best for me to be honest!
We're playing a campaign that I expect to go no further than level 5-6 or so.
I have a Tabaxi with a climb speed, so fancy footwork could be ridiculously good - hit someone, and then climb up something! It's a 2p campaign, me an an illusionist wizard, so I'm never gonna have a tank around - Rakish audacity lets me get sneak attack when it's just me in melee with a lone enemy. (Usually I'll prefer to be hidden and gain advantage and sneak attack that way - that works when I'm at range, but it's hard to hide in melee!) The CHA bonus to initiative is always great too, of course.
My other options just don't seem as good!
I'm explicitly avoiding being a spellcaster, so AT is out.
We're playing an urban campaign, so I don't care for scout's Nature and Survival skills. Skirmisher is nice - I suppose a bit better than Fancy Footwork, but not by enough to outweigh the lack of Rakish Audacity.
Assassin is far too swingy. Assassinate is so good - but only if I roll higher on initiative than my enemies. If I don't, it's pretty much useless. I already have disguise kit proficiency and don't care much for poisoner's.
Inquisitive seems good too. Ear for Deceit is *really* nice since I have Expertise in insight, so my lowest possible insight roll would be a 14. Eye for detail could be situationally useful (if people hide from us). Insightful Fighting is good for getting more sneak attacks, and it works with ranged attacks too! But it requires a check. So this was my main other option besides Swashbuckler. But... at range is when I can most easily get sneak attack anyway, by hiding.
Mastermind - not good for me. I rarely need to Help my ally, they cast spells usually, so Master of Tactics is fairly useless. Master of Intrigue is super nice, mimicking speech would be great. Noncombat though.
Thief - I already have a climb speed, so Second-Story work isn't that needed. I've yet to run into a situation where I would have needed Fast Hands...
...so yeah, my two top options are clearly Inquisitive and Swashbuckler, with the Swashbuckler having a bit more combat strength and Inquisitive having some extra out-of-combat utility .I felt that a CHA bonus to initiative, plus easier melee Sneak Attack with no check, outweight easier sneak attack at range and more consistent Insight rolls.
I have a Tabaxi with a climb speed, so fancy footwork could be ridiculously good - hit someone, and then climb up something!
This is great, but be aware that having a climb speed does not absolve you of the need to make Strength (Athletics) checks to climb up difficult surfaces. In this respect, you are subject to the same constraints as everyone else: Sage Advice: Climb Speed and Athletics
You absolutely need to dual wield, it’s supposed to be the Fighter-Rogue, but it’s AC is garbage and have little defensive options.
You do not need to dual wield. Some of the stronger Swashbuckler builds use a single rapier coupled with the Booming Blade cantrip, picked up either through a racial trait or a feat. This allows you to dart in, inflict Sneak Attack plus Booming Blade damage, and then disincentivize opponents from following you by threatening even more damage if they do.
A Swashbuckler can range from good to great in all three pillars of the game: roleplaying, exploration, and combat. If you want a character that is hyper-specialized in the combat pillar to the exclusion of the other two pillars, there are far better options than playing a pure Rogue. On the other hand, you'll probably have to abandon the idea of playing a lightly armored warrior with finesse weapons. If that's the type of character you want to play, then Swashbuckler is the best game in town for delivering consistent damage that scales with your level.
Myself, I prefer to stick to ranged attacks if I am playing a pure rogue.
Swashbuckler is a great rogue subclass. Dual Wielding is very useful for swashbucklers, our party's halfling swashbuckler dual wields a sun blade and flame tongue shortsword.
They are very good at melee combat, especially because they can run away from combat without needing to take a bonus action to do so. Very useful in combat.
They are honestly one of my favorite subclasses in the game for melee characters.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
If you do a bit with charisma in your build. maybe slap some folk hero into it and first feat of alert. can easily rock a +11 initiative. Plus you can use a rapier or something to help you hit something. and they can't hit you back. You are focused on hit and run techniques a lot. Maybe get mobile as well to run things down or outrun them. But since you got dexterity, your main threat is ranged attacks or some spells.
Alternatively. slap a few wild magic sorceror into the mix and for the fun of it, tides of chaos and a silly what the heck spell for some random to the table. (since you can and you got a ton of bonuses a little in)
The archetype lets you take some bard things and make use of that charming rogue feel. You are a dualist, and don't need no ally within 5ft crap. go in. stab specific spots, dip back with no need for disengage, and repeat. an offhand dagger just adds a little extra chance to land a sneak attack.
Much like every other subclass in the game, it’s overall effectiveness is partially related to the rest of the party. And subclass can suck if it doesn’t fit well with the rest of the party, and any subclass can shine if it does fit the party.
The Swashbuckler is the "fighter" rogue in terms of focusing more on open combat with a sword than other subclasses. But it isn't the same as a fighter.
As others have said, the classic rapier experts of media (3 Musketeers, Zorro, Inigo, etc) are probably Battlemaster Fighters...with carefully selected skills for that rogue feel.
The Swashbuckler seems to fight more like the "annoying" warrior with taunts and dirty tricks and acrobatics. For whatever reason, pirates like Jack Sparrow come to mind. Never be where your opponent wants you to be. Never play their game, make them play yours. Get in, make your one attack, and don't be there for a counter attack.
It's still a rogue at heart that does rogue things. But if the swashbuckler needs to fight without allies or shadows or cover and in the open, they can still fight like a rogue.
Like almost all classes and subclasses in the game, it really depends on how you play it. A lot of other posters have touched on how fun it can be as a rogue melee fighter, and it really can be. You don't NEED to multiclass with it, but it can definitely boost the combat capabilities of the Swashbuckler. Some fun combos I've seen are Swashbuckler/Swords bard, Swashbuckler/Hexblade, Swashbuckler/Horizon Walker, Swashbuckler/kensai or shadow monk. I have a Swashbuckler/battlemaster with the dual wielder feat and two weapon fighting style selected, personally. Trip attack knocking the enemy down, then 2 more attacks with advantage, then run away leaving the enemy on the ground to get up and chase you, knowing full well they won't have the movement to do it if they're not dead.
As for rogues having no defensive options? That's just nonsense. Studded leather with max dex is just as good as half plate, and glamour studded leather is pretty easy to find, so you'll have 17-18AC at Tier 2. That means most enemies have a 50 to 60% chance of missing you after factoring in their + to attack rolls. A rogue's job isn't to stand and tank the enemy like a fighter or barbarian. You hit and move to another location that is less advantageous for the enemy. Uncanny dodge and evasion can be literal lifesavers when you're hemmed in against an enemy or two or have to dance around a fireball. And I always tell new players at my table that investing at least 14 into CON is one of the smartest choices they can make for any character. The more HP the better.
I do this all the time, with my high initiatve, wiggling to the back and holding my attack so one of my party members can flank! leads to a lot of buddy moments with the monk.
I wonder what people think of when they think of Zorro sometimes honestly. We're talking about a guy that might take fights one on one but was very prone to dirty tricks, ambushes, traps, hit and run combat, lots of stealth and skill work. Faithful and Valuable allies around town when things started to outnumber him and he ran away. He might be good alignment in temperament but he was pretty much anything but an honorable standup fighter.
There are two ways to play a swashbuckler: 1v1 and 2v1. In 1v1, you still get your Sneak Attack so long as you don't have disadvantage, and you can use your Bonus Action for added movement. When you do pull back, the enemy doesn't get an Opportunity Attack. In 2v1, you use your Bonus Action to attack two targets. They can't take an Opportunity Attack if you withdraw, but you can't move that far without extra speed. Probably best for a Tabaxi.
Both are capable of kiting an enemy
Their weaknesses are the same as any other rogue: have a d8 Hit Die and relatively low AC. That said, if they don't tank Charisma, they get to act sooner. But they do only really shine in melee, so don't stay at range too long.
If I were going to play a melee based rogue, I'd certainly be going swashbuckler. I'd likely go with high elf or high half elf to pick up booming blade, and forego dual wield, by using the bonus action aim feature from tasha's to gain advantage if necessary and try to stick booming blades, then back away and force the monster to move and eat damage, or stand there and not attack. Elven Accuracy would likely be on the table at some point as well to try and make those single attacks as close to guaranteed as possible for landing sneak attack.
IMO, swashbuckler is very strong. Arcane Trickster is the only other rogue i think I'd even consider.
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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.
I mean pure rogue Swashbuckler. I want to love this class, I really do! But I honestly don’t think it’s any good.
You absolutely need to dual wield, it’s supposed to be the Fighter-Rogue, but it’s AC is garbage and have little defensive options.
From what I see, you sneak attack and run away, forcing enemies to follow you into an ambush.
Just feels really.....[redacted]. Not the daring, Zorro/Three Musketeer build I was expecting.
Am I wrong?
If you want toe-to-toe as a musketeer, you really should be flavoring a fighter to a dex based BattleMaster. Swashbucklers are good at 1-on-1 dueling by out damaging opponents thanks to sneak attack triggering in those circumstances. Battlemasters control combat with maneuvers and multiple attacks per round. Indigo Montoya in the Princess Bride would be built as a Battlemaster if I was trying to recreate the character.
Who says the Swashbuckler is supposed to be a 'fighter-rogue'?
The Swashbuckler is an excellent skirmisher and even better out of combat (at higher levels). In fights it can use its Sneak Attack near freely, hunting down and dispatching high-value targets. Two-weapon fighting is by no means mandatory; some folks like hedging their bets, but given Fancy Footwork, you're almost better just using Cunning Dash to gain a ton of movement to abuse. Rakish Audacity means your Charisma fuels your initiative; Swashbucklers can be some of the fastest characters in the game.
Panache is astonishingly good, though. The only requirement is "creature must be able to hear you, and share a language". No distance requirement, and if you don't have Persuasion Expertise on your Swashbuckler you need to rethink your Swashbuckler. In combat you can use it to turn off opportunity attacks from dangerous enemies against friendly squishies, letting them bail for free, use it on a distant target that physically cannot get to you to attack you in order to just flat debuff their attacks, or of course draw something into chasing you down instead of your wizard.
Out of combat? It's a free Charm person that requires no spell slot and does not alert the target. It can't be counterspelled, and in most cases even failing it simply means the other guy isn't having your guff. It's almost entirely risk-free, and allows you to bullshit your way into so much shenanery.
Even Elegant Maneuver is great. Advantage on Athletics or Acrobatics means you can (theoretically) make a grappler if you really want to, or more likely just be able to bust any grapple you wind up in yourself via advantage on Acrobatics. Get Acro Expertise, remember that you can Elegant Maneuver outside of combat, and you're Errol Flynn-ing around the map like a Flying Grayson.
Master Duelist kinda sucks, but everything else Swashbuckler does works excellent if you remember that a Swashbuckler doesn't really work like other rogues. It's not generally concerned with stealth - you're supposed to be Captain Jack-ing your way through the game with charm, wit, and copious bullshit. Even single-classed it works great. The fact that it makes an amazing pairing with even just a single level of Hexblade (much like half of everything else in the game) is icing.
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Swashbuckler seems pretty good to me.
Fancy foot work - basically you get to play a melee rogue without having to spend your bonus action to disengage. Run in, hit the enemy next to the fighter, hit them a second time with TWF if you need to, run away.
Rakish audacity - bonus to initiative is always good. And it makes it EVEN EASIER to get sneak attack.
Panache is obviously great out-of-combat utility - you're the party's face and now can act like it.
Elegant maneuver isn't too useful, but Master Duelist is great, turn a miss into a likely hit once per rest.
I have no idea what you were *expecting*, but Swashbuckler seems like a pretty powerful rogue archetype to me.
Swashbuckler is pretty easily my favorite rogue subclass. I don't think it's weak at all. What were you expecting out of the archetype?
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
Where some see Fancy Footwork as a tool to attack and run away, I see it as a tool to penetrate the front lines and get to the squishier back line opponents. I really like the Swashbuckler as an annoying skirmisher, but it's not meant to be toe-to-toe with the opponent at all times. Also useful for dash and grabs when the objective is keepaway rather then a slugfest.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
The real issue here (I think) is that in regard of other archetype the swashbuckler might be, in certain situation, less powerful than other rogues. That being said it is in no regard a useless archetype to play just a different kind of playstyle. If your more into powerplay and your goal is to reach max damage output per combat then no the swashbuckler is not the best archetype to go to as it does not shine in every possible situation. (no classes really are if your DM is actually doing a proper job at throwing challenges at you)
The swashbuckler has strengths and weaknesses as every other class and as the previous post mentioned it really is a great skirmisher to play with, great combat and out of combat RP abilities. My personal opinion is that people should probably start building their characters according to RP intent and should be wary of building around combat numbers as it will only be some part of the sessions. (DnD is a roleplay game after all)
I'll add that you can totally build up a musketeer kind of swashbuckler (I know I have) you just probably won't end up with the ones you see in movies and books (even if you possibly could I don't know enough about them to be definitive).
So my advice would be to think hard about what you're expecting from your character combat and RP wise before picking a sub-class because as a huge fan of the swashbuckler it is by no mean a useless archetype to have in a party.
Side note Yurei1453: Panache does technically have a distance requirement "This effect lasts for 1 minute, until one of your companions attacks the target or affects it with a spell, or until you and the target are more than 60 feet apart." So if you use it from more than 60feet it automatically cancel itself. But it's still an awesome taunt to have to either help squishy allies or taunt a target to come closer so you can deal with it more easily. (or just make him run around trying to catch up with you)
I just took a rogue to level 3 and picked Swashbuckler. Seems to be the best for me to be honest!
We're playing a campaign that I expect to go no further than level 5-6 or so.
I have a Tabaxi with a climb speed, so fancy footwork could be ridiculously good - hit someone, and then climb up something! It's a 2p campaign, me an an illusionist wizard, so I'm never gonna have a tank around - Rakish audacity lets me get sneak attack when it's just me in melee with a lone enemy. (Usually I'll prefer to be hidden and gain advantage and sneak attack that way - that works when I'm at range, but it's hard to hide in melee!) The CHA bonus to initiative is always great too, of course.
My other options just don't seem as good!
I'm explicitly avoiding being a spellcaster, so AT is out.
We're playing an urban campaign, so I don't care for scout's Nature and Survival skills. Skirmisher is nice - I suppose a bit better than Fancy Footwork, but not by enough to outweigh the lack of Rakish Audacity.
Assassin is far too swingy. Assassinate is so good - but only if I roll higher on initiative than my enemies. If I don't, it's pretty much useless. I already have disguise kit proficiency and don't care much for poisoner's.
Inquisitive seems good too. Ear for Deceit is *really* nice since I have Expertise in insight, so my lowest possible insight roll would be a 14. Eye for detail could be situationally useful (if people hide from us). Insightful Fighting is good for getting more sneak attacks, and it works with ranged attacks too! But it requires a check. So this was my main other option besides Swashbuckler. But... at range is when I can most easily get sneak attack anyway, by hiding.
Mastermind - not good for me. I rarely need to Help my ally, they cast spells usually, so Master of Tactics is fairly useless. Master of Intrigue is super nice, mimicking speech would be great. Noncombat though.
Thief - I already have a climb speed, so Second-Story work isn't that needed. I've yet to run into a situation where I would have needed Fast Hands...
...so yeah, my two top options are clearly Inquisitive and Swashbuckler, with the Swashbuckler having a bit more combat strength and Inquisitive having some extra out-of-combat utility .I felt that a CHA bonus to initiative, plus easier melee Sneak Attack with no check, outweight easier sneak attack at range and more consistent Insight rolls.
Go Swashbuckler!
This is great, but be aware that having a climb speed does not absolve you of the need to make Strength (Athletics) checks to climb up difficult surfaces. In this respect, you are subject to the same constraints as everyone else: Sage Advice: Climb Speed and Athletics
You do not need to dual wield. Some of the stronger Swashbuckler builds use a single rapier coupled with the Booming Blade cantrip, picked up either through a racial trait or a feat. This allows you to dart in, inflict Sneak Attack plus Booming Blade damage, and then disincentivize opponents from following you by threatening even more damage if they do.
A Swashbuckler can range from good to great in all three pillars of the game: roleplaying, exploration, and combat. If you want a character that is hyper-specialized in the combat pillar to the exclusion of the other two pillars, there are far better options than playing a pure Rogue. On the other hand, you'll probably have to abandon the idea of playing a lightly armored warrior with finesse weapons. If that's the type of character you want to play, then Swashbuckler is the best game in town for delivering consistent damage that scales with your level.
Myself, I prefer to stick to ranged attacks if I am playing a pure rogue.
Swashbuckler is a great rogue subclass. Dual Wielding is very useful for swashbucklers, our party's halfling swashbuckler dual wields a sun blade and flame tongue shortsword.
They are very good at melee combat, especially because they can run away from combat without needing to take a bonus action to do so. Very useful in combat.
They are honestly one of my favorite subclasses in the game for melee characters.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
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If you do a bit with charisma in your build. maybe slap some folk hero into it and first feat of alert. can easily rock a +11 initiative. Plus you can use a rapier or something to help you hit something. and they can't hit you back. You are focused on hit and run techniques a lot. Maybe get mobile as well to run things down or outrun them. But since you got dexterity, your main threat is ranged attacks or some spells.
Alternatively. slap a few wild magic sorceror into the mix and for the fun of it, tides of chaos and a silly what the heck spell for some random to the table. (since you can and you got a ton of bonuses a little in)
The archetype lets you take some bard things and make use of that charming rogue feel. You are a dualist, and don't need no ally within 5ft crap. go in. stab specific spots, dip back with no need for disengage, and repeat. an offhand dagger just adds a little extra chance to land a sneak attack.
Much like every other subclass in the game, it’s overall effectiveness is partially related to the rest of the party. And subclass can suck if it doesn’t fit well with the rest of the party, and any subclass can shine if it does fit the party.
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The Swashbuckler is the "fighter" rogue in terms of focusing more on open combat with a sword than other subclasses. But it isn't the same as a fighter.
As others have said, the classic rapier experts of media (3 Musketeers, Zorro, Inigo, etc) are probably Battlemaster Fighters...with carefully selected skills for that rogue feel.
The Swashbuckler seems to fight more like the "annoying" warrior with taunts and dirty tricks and acrobatics. For whatever reason, pirates like Jack Sparrow come to mind. Never be where your opponent wants you to be. Never play their game, make them play yours. Get in, make your one attack, and don't be there for a counter attack.
It's still a rogue at heart that does rogue things. But if the swashbuckler needs to fight without allies or shadows or cover and in the open, they can still fight like a rogue.
Like almost all classes and subclasses in the game, it really depends on how you play it. A lot of other posters have touched on how fun it can be as a rogue melee fighter, and it really can be. You don't NEED to multiclass with it, but it can definitely boost the combat capabilities of the Swashbuckler. Some fun combos I've seen are Swashbuckler/Swords bard, Swashbuckler/Hexblade, Swashbuckler/Horizon Walker, Swashbuckler/kensai or shadow monk. I have a Swashbuckler/battlemaster with the dual wielder feat and two weapon fighting style selected, personally. Trip attack knocking the enemy down, then 2 more attacks with advantage, then run away leaving the enemy on the ground to get up and chase you, knowing full well they won't have the movement to do it if they're not dead.
As for rogues having no defensive options? That's just nonsense. Studded leather with max dex is just as good as half plate, and glamour studded leather is pretty easy to find, so you'll have 17-18AC at Tier 2. That means most enemies have a 50 to 60% chance of missing you after factoring in their + to attack rolls. A rogue's job isn't to stand and tank the enemy like a fighter or barbarian. You hit and move to another location that is less advantageous for the enemy. Uncanny dodge and evasion can be literal lifesavers when you're hemmed in against an enemy or two or have to dance around a fireball. And I always tell new players at my table that investing at least 14 into CON is one of the smartest choices they can make for any character. The more HP the better.
I do this all the time, with my high initiatve, wiggling to the back and holding my attack so one of my party members can flank! leads to a lot of buddy moments with the monk.
I wonder what people think of when they think of Zorro sometimes honestly. We're talking about a guy that might take fights one on one but was very prone to dirty tricks, ambushes, traps, hit and run combat, lots of stealth and skill work. Faithful and Valuable allies around town when things started to outnumber him and he ran away. He might be good alignment in temperament but he was pretty much anything but an honorable standup fighter.
There are two ways to play a swashbuckler: 1v1 and 2v1. In 1v1, you still get your Sneak Attack so long as you don't have disadvantage, and you can use your Bonus Action for added movement. When you do pull back, the enemy doesn't get an Opportunity Attack. In 2v1, you use your Bonus Action to attack two targets. They can't take an Opportunity Attack if you withdraw, but you can't move that far without extra speed. Probably best for a Tabaxi.
Both are capable of kiting an enemy
Their weaknesses are the same as any other rogue: have a d8 Hit Die and relatively low AC. That said, if they don't tank Charisma, they get to act sooner. But they do only really shine in melee, so don't stay at range too long.
They're fine, honestly.
If I were going to play a melee based rogue, I'd certainly be going swashbuckler. I'd likely go with high elf or high half elf to pick up booming blade, and forego dual wield, by using the bonus action aim feature from tasha's to gain advantage if necessary and try to stick booming blades, then back away and force the monster to move and eat damage, or stand there and not attack. Elven Accuracy would likely be on the table at some point as well to try and make those single attacks as close to guaranteed as possible for landing sneak attack.
IMO, swashbuckler is very strong. Arcane Trickster is the only other rogue i think I'd even consider.
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
Steady Aim reduces your speed to zero until the end of your turn. You can't use it and back away during the same turn.
It's pretty good for a Scout, though. They still have Skirmisher.