I have a level 3 arcane trickster wood elf that is playing Rime of the Frost Maiden and will finish the campaign at around level 13 (long way off!). For back story reasons I’m doing this as my character moves from rogue into magic user and absolutely MUST have the Fly spell by the end of the campaign. Can anyone give me general advice on when to mc / spells to take / feats etc? She currently has good stats (12str/18dx/15int/13con/13wis/12cha) and the dm let us take a feat at level 1 (Magic Initiate).
I was going to get either Fey Touched or Shadow Touched at level 4 and buff INT... but I’m finding my AT needs to be good at Dex, Wis, Int, Con and Cha!! Thoughts?
* I’m thinking AT7/WIZ5 to get level 3 spells at the end of the campaign (Fly) and literally do all rogue then switch to Wizard...
Straight Arcane Trickster does get Fly at 13th level - if you only need it by the end and are positive you will reach level 13, you can stay with rogue.
If you want to make the transition, then Rogue 7 / Wizard X is a decent path. You will have a decent 4d6 Sneak Attack and Evasion. Shadowblade is a fun spell that works great with the rogue, and also works great in a campaign where the sun doesn't shine. Bladesinger is also a nice thematic wizard subclass and can even get you to Bladesinger 6 by level 13, which has a really strong Extra Attack feature.
You have strong starting stats so you don't need many ASIs. 18 Dex is sufficient to get you through the campaign, but getting to 20 Dex is never a bad idea. Beyond that, Elven Accuracy is actually a nice feat for you, especially if you go Shadowblade for a nearly constant triple advantage. You can use it to pump Int to 16 to make your save DCs solid.
Rogue 6/ Wizard X is technically a bit more efficient for your spell slots, but lowers your sneak attack damage. Up to you if you want to make that trade. I would not go Rogue 5 or Rogue 8, as both are very wasteful of spell slots thanks to multiclass rules.
The Bladesigner synergy with Arcane Trickster is mechanically really strong, which I played to level 14. I regretted taking BldSngr in the end for RP reasons, as I feel the BldSngr subclass really deserves a great deal of focus and reverence for an elf so didactic to the rare and deadly art. The character was an elven archeologist, reluctantly conducting field research on undeath (hence teaming up with the party to take on a lich), and in fact it was this more mundane aspect of the character that we at the table all enjoyed over their BldSngr overtones.
My advice is to spend some time thinking about character first, then mechanics later. Learning wizardry is a great and testing undertaking alone, perhaps there is a reason why your character isn't simply a pure arcanist. Perhaps your character simply wasn't cut out for pursing the conventional path of wizarding academia... until now, or maybe your Trickster is 'self-taught'? A Rogue might be drawn to magic by sheer necessity, the need to undo or prevent a death that drives many wizards to self-interest, to lichdom, or eventually to their own demise. Maybe they're a mere spell-thief, pilfering spell scrolls, magical items, and arcane services for a very pretty penny – why sell diamond amulets if you can sell magical diamond amulets for many times the value? A Trickster who seeks control over the fate might become a necromancer or diviner in search of undeath or untold secrets. A arcane dropout might have relied on enchantment to get by and make ends meet. A trickster seeking revenge might wield evocation, while Waterdeep's most-wanted might use abjuration to keep a bounty hunter's blade out of their back. Transmutation and illusion are a spell-thief's best friend, letting them to fool their quarry first and their clientele later.
I would recommend 4 or 5 Rogue first for a melee or skirmisher; 4 Rogue prevents you from missing out on that crucial ASI/feat; while 5 Rogue gains you an extra 1d6 to your Sneak Attack and you get Uncanny Dodge (halves damage of one incoming attack as a reaction), but you are then one level behind the party on that next ASI/feat. Could happily go 3 Rogue for a caster-centric character so that you can get to work on filling the pages of that spell book.
I recently decided to rebuild my Arcane Trickster/BldSngr as an Inquisitive/Order of Scribes, which much better compliments her background, personality and talents. Mechanically, this combo has turned out superbly for an archeologist or detective/investigator type:
High INT and DEX
Expertise in Arcana
Expertise in Investigation (as a bonus action to decipher clues)
Expertise in History
Expertise in Insight (can't roll lower than an 8 when a creature is lying)
Perception checks as a bonus action
Dungeon Delver feat (worth it if your DM likes traps & hidden doors, dungeon crawls)
Observant feat (total passive Perception and Investigation above 20)
Dropping Investigation rolls with +13 at Advantage, you're pretty certain to detect something!
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I have a level 3 arcane trickster wood elf that is playing Rime of the Frost Maiden and will finish the campaign at around level 13 (long way off!). For back story reasons I’m doing this as my character moves from rogue into magic user and absolutely MUST have the Fly spell by the end of the campaign. Can anyone give me general advice on when to mc / spells to take / feats etc? She currently has good stats (12str/18dx/15int/13con/13wis/12cha) and the dm let us take a feat at level 1 (Magic Initiate).
I was going to get either Fey Touched or Shadow Touched at level 4 and buff INT... but I’m finding my AT needs to be good at Dex, Wis, Int, Con and Cha!! Thoughts?
* I’m thinking AT7/WIZ5 to get level 3 spells at the end of the campaign (Fly) and literally do all rogue then switch to Wizard...
A couple ways this can work.
Straight Arcane Trickster does get Fly at 13th level - if you only need it by the end and are positive you will reach level 13, you can stay with rogue.
If you want to make the transition, then Rogue 7 / Wizard X is a decent path. You will have a decent 4d6 Sneak Attack and Evasion. Shadowblade is a fun spell that works great with the rogue, and also works great in a campaign where the sun doesn't shine. Bladesinger is also a nice thematic wizard subclass and can even get you to Bladesinger 6 by level 13, which has a really strong Extra Attack feature.
You have strong starting stats so you don't need many ASIs. 18 Dex is sufficient to get you through the campaign, but getting to 20 Dex is never a bad idea. Beyond that, Elven Accuracy is actually a nice feat for you, especially if you go Shadowblade for a nearly constant triple advantage. You can use it to pump Int to 16 to make your save DCs solid.
Rogue 6/ Wizard X is technically a bit more efficient for your spell slots, but lowers your sneak attack damage. Up to you if you want to make that trade. I would not go Rogue 5 or Rogue 8, as both are very wasteful of spell slots thanks to multiclass rules.
The Bladesigner synergy with Arcane Trickster is mechanically really strong, which I played to level 14. I regretted taking BldSngr in the end for RP reasons, as I feel the BldSngr subclass really deserves a great deal of focus and reverence for an elf so didactic to the rare and deadly art. The character was an elven archeologist, reluctantly conducting field research on undeath (hence teaming up with the party to take on a lich), and in fact it was this more mundane aspect of the character that we at the table all enjoyed over their BldSngr overtones.
My advice is to spend some time thinking about character first, then mechanics later. Learning wizardry is a great and testing undertaking alone, perhaps there is a reason why your character isn't simply a pure arcanist. Perhaps your character simply wasn't cut out for pursing the conventional path of wizarding academia... until now, or maybe your Trickster is 'self-taught'? A Rogue might be drawn to magic by sheer necessity, the need to undo or prevent a death that drives many wizards to self-interest, to lichdom, or eventually to their own demise. Maybe they're a mere spell-thief, pilfering spell scrolls, magical items, and arcane services for a very pretty penny – why sell diamond amulets if you can sell magical diamond amulets for many times the value? A Trickster who seeks control over the fate might become a necromancer or diviner in search of undeath or untold secrets. A arcane dropout might have relied on enchantment to get by and make ends meet. A trickster seeking revenge might wield evocation, while Waterdeep's most-wanted might use abjuration to keep a bounty hunter's blade out of their back. Transmutation and illusion are a spell-thief's best friend, letting them to fool their quarry first and their clientele later.
I would recommend 4 or 5 Rogue first for a melee or skirmisher; 4 Rogue prevents you from missing out on that crucial ASI/feat; while 5 Rogue gains you an extra 1d6 to your Sneak Attack and you get Uncanny Dodge (halves damage of one incoming attack as a reaction), but you are then one level behind the party on that next ASI/feat. Could happily go 3 Rogue for a caster-centric character so that you can get to work on filling the pages of that spell book.
I recently decided to rebuild my Arcane Trickster/BldSngr as an Inquisitive/Order of Scribes, which much better compliments her background, personality and talents. Mechanically, this combo has turned out superbly for an archeologist or detective/investigator type:
Dropping Investigation rolls with +13 at Advantage, you're pretty certain to detect something!