so i wanna make an Aarokocra with a heavy crossbow so he can snipe people from the skies, but im not sure which class to do. fighter might have some applications here, but so might ranger with their focus on ranged stuff. what are your recomendations?
A fighter would be fine mechanically, but you should start by asking yourself who the character is as part of the larger world. What kind of story do you want to tell?
A fighter would be fine mechanically, but you should start by asking yourself who the character is as part of the larger world. What kind of story do you want to tell?
Rolling dice is just a means to an end.
i was thinking, maybe he could have some history in the military, and thats where he learned to fight
hes afraid of being forgotten. he fears that no one will remember him after he dies. thats part of why he initially joined the military. to try and create some semblance of a "legacy"
Arcane Archer doesn’t work with Crossbows, so I would recommend literally anything but that. Rogue would be a good pick for Crossbow use, but they don’t get Heavy Crossbow proficiencies.
I would make a Ranger. Funny enough, this is one of the few ways to make a decent PHB Beast Master, though I would still recommend something like Monster Slayer instead.
Is there a particular reason you want to go with a heavy crossbow? A longbow averages only 1 point less damage per hit, has half again the range, weighs 16 lbs less (which can be a big deal if your DM is enforcing weight limits on your flight), and doesn't require a feat to shoot more than once per round.
Is there a particular reason you want to go with a heavy crossbow? A longbow averages only 1 point less damage per hit, has half again the range, weighs 16 lbs less (which can be a big deal if your DM is enforcing weight limits on your flight), and doesn't require a feat to shoot more than once per round.
i just had an idea for an areal sniper, and heavy crossbow was what came to mind
I would also go with fighter. I think it's more of a misconception that the ranger class emphasizes ranged combat. The main difference between the Fighter and the ranger more at their core is that a ranger is a caster and for the most part a fighter is not. That, and the non-combat abilities that help with travel and tracking, are more what sets the ranger apart, whereas in combat a ranger can be equally functional with a bow or a finesse melee weapon.
If you're flying you're going to want to be lightweight, so a finesse weapon for use in case of melee (which appears to be something you're trying to avoid anyway as a sniper) should work just fine. Probably a rapier.
Fighters get more attacks than anybody else as you level up, as well as a few extra ASI/feat options to tweak up your technique. You could pair that with options from a number of subclasses to be an effective ranged attacker. The Arcane Archer subclass sounds cool but, looking at it, I would say it doesn't really offer much in the way of specific benefits after level seven so I wouldn't recommend it unless you plan to multiclass. Multiclass to what?
Rangers can also pick up the archery fighting style, which you probably do want because that flat +2 to all of your attack rolls will make a difference, and also offers a bit of magic and some nice subclasses that are compatible with archery. I'm not super familiar with rangers in general but Hunter offers a number of features that can appreciably augment your offensive and defensive abilities as an archer (or crossbowman if you really want to go with that). Gloom Stalker offers some cool tricks but I'm not sure how well those would go with flying around at range.
Rogue could also work, though probably more as a multiclass option to either Fighter or Ranger. The Assassin subclass grants some extra potential ambush damage or the Scout some mobility and tracking options, but the main benefits of Rogue for a sniper are going to be sneak attack damage and the extra mobility granted by Cunning Action. The sneak attack damage only comes once a turn and relies on you either having advantage on the attack or an ally within five feet of the target, though the latter shouldn't be that hard to arrange if your party has any competent melee tanks to serve as a traditional front line combatant. With multiple attacks granted by Fighter or Ranger you could get your sneak attack damage supporting your tank then use the extra shots to wear down other targets.
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so i wanna make an Aarokocra with a heavy crossbow so he can snipe people from the skies, but im not sure which class to do. fighter might have some applications here, but so might ranger with their focus on ranged stuff. what are your recomendations?
A fighter would be fine mechanically, but you should start by asking yourself who the character is as part of the larger world. What kind of story do you want to tell?
Rolling dice is just a means to an end.
i was thinking, maybe he could have some history in the military, and thats where he learned to fight
In that case, Fighter would definitely make the most sense.
What else were you thinking for your character? What motivates them? Why would they join a party of adventurers? What are they afraid of?
hes afraid of being forgotten. he fears that no one will remember him after he dies. thats part of why he initially joined the military. to try and create some semblance of a "legacy"
Fighter - Arcane Archer is a good choice
Rogue - Grants access to the "steady aim" feature
Arcane Archer doesn’t work with Crossbows, so I would recommend literally anything but that. Rogue would be a good pick for Crossbow use, but they don’t get Heavy Crossbow proficiencies.
I would make a Ranger. Funny enough, this is one of the few ways to make a decent PHB Beast Master, though I would still recommend something like Monster Slayer instead.
Is there a particular reason you want to go with a heavy crossbow? A longbow averages only 1 point less damage per hit, has half again the range, weighs 16 lbs less (which can be a big deal if your DM is enforcing weight limits on your flight), and doesn't require a feat to shoot more than once per round.
i just had an idea for an areal sniper, and heavy crossbow was what came to mind
I would also go with fighter. I think it's more of a misconception that the ranger class emphasizes ranged combat. The main difference between the Fighter and the ranger more at their core is that a ranger is a caster and for the most part a fighter is not. That, and the non-combat abilities that help with travel and tracking, are more what sets the ranger apart, whereas in combat a ranger can be equally functional with a bow or a finesse melee weapon.
If you're flying you're going to want to be lightweight, so a finesse weapon for use in case of melee (which appears to be something you're trying to avoid anyway as a sniper) should work just fine. Probably a rapier.
Fighters get more attacks than anybody else as you level up, as well as a few extra ASI/feat options to tweak up your technique. You could pair that with options from a number of subclasses to be an effective ranged attacker. The Arcane Archer subclass sounds cool but, looking at it, I would say it doesn't really offer much in the way of specific benefits after level seven so I wouldn't recommend it unless you plan to multiclass. Multiclass to what?
Rangers can also pick up the archery fighting style, which you probably do want because that flat +2 to all of your attack rolls will make a difference, and also offers a bit of magic and some nice subclasses that are compatible with archery. I'm not super familiar with rangers in general but Hunter offers a number of features that can appreciably augment your offensive and defensive abilities as an archer (or crossbowman if you really want to go with that). Gloom Stalker offers some cool tricks but I'm not sure how well those would go with flying around at range.
Rogue could also work, though probably more as a multiclass option to either Fighter or Ranger. The Assassin subclass grants some extra potential ambush damage or the Scout some mobility and tracking options, but the main benefits of Rogue for a sniper are going to be sneak attack damage and the extra mobility granted by Cunning Action. The sneak attack damage only comes once a turn and relies on you either having advantage on the attack or an ally within five feet of the target, though the latter shouldn't be that hard to arrange if your party has any competent melee tanks to serve as a traditional front line combatant. With multiple attacks granted by Fighter or Ranger you could get your sneak attack damage supporting your tank then use the extra shots to wear down other targets.