I have seen a good build for Fey Wanderer Ranger with Warlock Undead Warlock, but I would really like to see a Fey Wanderer with Archfey Warlock, to keep the Fey theme.
My character will soon be Ranger 5 and will probably pickup between 1 and 3 levels of Archfey Warlock next.
Please note the main focus of this build is for roleplaying purposes and this post is to get your ideas on how best to build the character within the given settings.
Base characteristics
This character is a Wood Elf and starts with Wood Elf magic. As a ranger, their weapon of choice is the longbow, and they make a pact with an Archfey to receive additional powers.
Race: Wood Elf: - Racial attribute bonus (Dex +2, Wis +1); - Fey Ancestry (Advantage on being charmed and immune to Sleep spells); - Keen Senses (Perception proficiency) - Languages: Common and Elvish - Additional feat (granted by DM) in Wood Elf Magic (Druidcraft; Longstrider; Pass without trace)
Background: Noble (History and Persuasion proficiencies) - Additional language choice: Sylvan
This character is well suited as the face of the party with proficiencies in 3 languages and proficiencies in history, persuasion and either performance or deception, in addition to Charm Person and Fey presence.
Class features/spell choices
Ranger and Fey Wanderer subclass features: - Favoured Foe and Natural Explorer - Archery fighting style - Elven Accuracy - Primal Awareness - Dreadful strikes (DM permitted applicable to ranged attacks with bow) - Otherworldy Glamour (noting already proficient in persuasion, can choose either deception or performance) - Which would you choose?
Ranger Spells - Hunter's Mark - Charm person - What else would you choose?
Archfey Warlock spells and invocations - What would you pick? - Eldritch blast? And? - How about defensive? (Armor of Agathys, Expeditious retreated or Protection from Evil? or something else?)
How would you build this character? - Having started with Ranger as the initial class up to level 5, is this the right time to introduce the Archfey Warlock dip? How many levels in the dip? - Would you switch your focus to Archfey Warlock at some point or maintain Ranger as the main class? - If my DM permitted flavor changes to certain spells, e.g. allowing application to a bow (instead of melee weapon), what would you recommend? - Other features and spell choices? - Other ideas?
The big problem with this build is that Ranger relies on DEX/WIS, while Warlock casts from CHA. With that in mind, if you focus on spells that don't rely on a Spell Save or an Attack Roll from Warlock, then I think it could work. I'd recommend only doing a two level dip into Warlock... the more you mix the two classes, the more difficulty you're going to have balancing spell choices... At second level you basically get two Warlock spell slots that refresh on a short rest... remember that you can still use your Pact Magic slots to cast spells you know from other classes, so make sure you have a few first level spells from either Warlock or Ranger that work well with your spell slots.
The other reason I recommend going to level 2 for Warlock is because it gives you access to Eldritch Invocations, which you can use to customize your abilities to key into your character concept. Beast Speech seems appropriate for a Ranger, since it allows you to talk to animals at will. Eldritch Sight also feels appropriate to me, since it lets you cast Detect Magic for free. Mask of Many Faces seems appropriate to someone with a bit of Fey trickery in their blood. Misty Visions is similar for someone focused on Trickery, letting you cast Silent Image at will and you can finally do all the things that people think Minor Illusion can do.
One thing I didn't think of when I started writing is that level three miiiiiiight be worth going to in Warlock because you can use it to get Pact of the Chain, allowing you to cast an improved version of Find Familiar that allows you to summon a Sprite. Having a literal fairy assisting you in combat would really hammer home your fey connection.
As for level progression... I'd recommend taking Ranger to level 5 first to make sure you have your Extra Attack. Then I'd take a two or three level dip into Warlock, then just focus on Ranger the rest of the way.
There can be different reasons to multi-class, what is the reason in this case? If you do choose to multi-class, it's important to note what you lose (not just what you gain). You usually give up a lot, more than most people consider. You give up spell and spell slot progression, you delay ASI's, and you delay higher level class and subclass features.
From an optimization standpoint, the vast majority of multi-class choices are not worth it. But Some of them are. And even for the ones that are worth it, how many levels you take and at what level matter. Some known good combinations are a fighter who take 2 level of barbarian (and visa versa), a charisma class who takes 1 to 2 levels of Hexblade, and some others.
If your goal is purely RP based and you're not too concerned with mechanical effectiveness, this is all less of a concern.
This aligns with what I was thinking too and I love the idea of having a sprite familiar. My character is already level 4 Ranger in current campaign and I agree it makes sense to get my second attack at level 5 before dipping into Warlock.
My character‘s story saw me picking up the Fey Wanderer subclass after meeting a fairy in an enchanted wood. It will turn out this fairy is an Archfey with whom my character will soon make a pact, in hopes of finding his mother who disappeared after Myth Drannor fell.
Regarding splitting between Wis/Dex/Cha, it is my understanding that Fey Wanderers can add Wisdom to their Charisma for all charisma saves. This helps reduce the issue you mentioned. Please correct me if I am wrong…
EDIT: Thanks Transmorpher for correcting me regarding the Charisma check not being the same as a Charisma save. I do realise it would not work for Charisma based attack rolls
As Sean mentioned, you generally multiclass for a particular purpose. The reason a Fey Wanderer wants to MC into Undead Warlock is to combine Beguiling Twist with the Undead Warlock's ability to hand out frightened like candy. Without that particular combination, the combo isn't really worth delaying your ranger features and splitting your primary ability scores.
So as others have said, it's not really worth going into warlock unless you have something in particular to work towards. When you say roleplaying purposes, do you mean you want to enter a pact with an archfey? If not, you're not gaining a whole lot of roleplay flavor by just combining fey subclass 1 with fey subclass 2. Also keep in mind that warlocks do not have a monopoly on pacts - any character can pledge loyalty/service to an archfey and your powers can be just as connected to them as a warlock's (which is to say not at all strictly based on mechanics). So what I'm trying to say is that I don't see how this MC would give you anything roleplay-wise that a straight Fey Wanderer wouldn't already have.
Now I will say that a sprite familiar from Pact of the Chain is a pretty cool and unique thing you can get from this combo, so that's a fair thing to shoot for. Just keep in mind that you're getting that instead of an ASI, Land's Stride, Beguiling Twist, and upgrades to FF/NE. That's an awful lot to give up considering that nothing else from warlock is jumping out enough for you to have already said, "I want this."
Why add warlock? The charm effect you get from it will be very bad unless you pump Charisma. But, you're a Ranger so you're pumping Dexterity/Wisdom. If you try to pump all three of these your Constitution is going to suffer and you'll be fragile.
I have to point out that you're trying to fill two different archetypes simultaneously. The wilderness pro, and, the party face. These are often oil and water, no one person in a party fills both these roles. Can it be done? Yes. It just isn't, generally, advisable.
Does no one else in your group want to fill either of those roles? Okay, let's cram you into both. But! There is no way to make you a pro at both without sacrificing something. You're going to need high Wisdom and Charisma, and that means lower dex or con or both, so in combat you're not going to shine. Is that okay? That's considered a fairly big loss to most people.
A better 'fit' for adding some nature spellcasting is the druid, but then you're tossing the party face notion almost entirely. They base off Wisdom so your stats would better align. There are 2 druid subclasses in particular that also have Fey themes. Circle of Dreams, and Circle of the Shepherd. Have you looked at either of those?
Also, final note: make sure you know your DMs stance on spellcasting in social settings. By default casting Charm person is very obviously a spellcast and everyone at the bar might stop mid-drink to watch the spellcaster summoning arcane energies out of nowhere, every time to try to Charm Person someone. If they ignore how obvious spellcasting is, more power to you. But I wouldn't base your whole Party Face idea on it until you know their stance on this. If they play it RAW, you're going to want Sorcerer for Subtle Spell metamagic if you plan on casting in social settings. or, at the very minimum, the Metamagic Adept feat for the same Subtle Spell option.
Regarding splitting between Wis/Dex/Cha, it is my understanding that Fey Wanderers can add Wisdom to their Charisma for all charisma saves. This helps reduce the issue you mentioned. Please correct me if I am wrong…
Unfortunately, no. The Fey Wanderer's "Other Worldly Glamour" Gives you a bonus to charisma checks, specifically... it has no effect on Saves or attack rolls with spells based on Charisma. Mostly it lets you get the social benefits of having a high charisma score without having a high Charisma score.
The other thing I noticed about this multiclass combo is that you do get a kind of weak ability to charm/frighten a large group... it's weak because the Save DC to resist it is based on your Charisma Score, so it's not going to land easily. However, it weirdly combines well with your level 7 Fey Wanderer Feature, which lets you redirect a failed Charm/Frighten spell or ability towards another target, with a much larger 120 foot range. So now you've got this weird combo where you can shoot a short-range Charm/Frighten attack at a group of enemies, and even though have a fairly high chance of succeeding on the save, if any of them do you can use your reaction to do another Charm/Frighten attack against a single target much further away.
Firstly, the Charm Person spell is acquired as a ranger, not a warlock. The warlock instead gets Fey Presence at 1st level, and this is an action that resets with a short rest, and does not require spellcasting. This is a good reason to choose a warlock dip (even just 1 level) rather than sticking with Fey Wanderer Ranger alone.
Also, I do not see my character needing to use the charm person spell in most civil and social settings, given my character's noble background deserving of respect from authorities, other nobles, and common folk alike, proficiencies in multiple languages, persuasion plus either of performance or deception, in addition to the more subtle Fey presence ability. And with clever use of Druidcraft, arguably more permissible within social settings, to accentuate my characters innate charm, any attempt at persuasion or deception (or performance if I choose this instead on deception) is likely to be with advantage and will work well enough in most situations (without needing to use the 'charm person' spell).
A Druid alternative? Yes this does make sense on many levels, most notably the Dex/Wis compatibility. But I do see some other comparative drawbacks. Putting aside the Wisdom/Dexterity compatibility, I don't see how the abilities offered by the Circle of Dreams will complement my build as well as that of the Archfey Warlock, given the abilities I am already receiving as a Fey Wanderer.
Looking at the Circle of Dreams abilities, Balm of the Summer Court looks appealing, but later abilities like Hidden Path (available at level 10) is not dissimilar to Misty Step which the Fey Wanderer receives at level 5, so it would be a waste. Walker in Dreams (received at 14th level) also seems a waste when you consider the Fey Wanderer's Dimension Door you receive at Ranger level 13. Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow at level 6 may come in handy, however I may not take the second class beyond level 3 and I am not convinced Balm of the Summer Court is better than the abilities I would receive as a Warlock at the same level.
Looking at Circle of the Shepherd, the 2nd level ability Speech of the Woods is very appealing and a good alternative to the Warlock Invocation Beast Speech, also at 2nd level but not in itself a reason to switch. Learning Sylvan is useful, but I had already planned to learn Sylvan with the bonus language my character's noble background grants. The Spirit Totem and Mighty Summoner abilities also look interesting, but I guess I am more interested in the Pact of the chain (Warlock spell) which I would use for my fey sprite familiar or alternatively, I am considering choosing Pact of the blade which my DM will permit me to pair with my longbow. The drawback with Pact of the blade is that I am already proficient with most weapons given I am an Elf.
An attractive feature of pact magic also is that it is restored with a short rest (a buff that is only available to warlocks as far as I am aware). The Warlock class also includes powerful cantrips like Eldritch Blast and True Strike. My DM has also permitted me to flavour Eldritch Blast as an ability to pair with my bow (and would be useful if I run out of arrows or lose my bow altogether). Eldritch blast is also an alternative ranged attack to use in situations where piercing damage is ineffective. True Strike could even be paired with Hunter's Mark to gain advantage with additional damage whether using my bow or Eldritch Blast.
Fey Presence is something you acquire similar to the Undead pact warlock which can charm or frighten enemies, and can be used again after only a short rest. At 2nd level, the Eldritch invocations offer a number of options. Beast speech is quite appealing as a ranger and complements my character's diplomatic persona, knowing several languages already. Misty Escape is also more appealing to me than the druid alternatives and becomes available earlier at level 6.
Overall, I see my character as Face that can also converse with nature and the Fey.
Putting aside the Wisdom/Dexterity compatibility, I don't see how the abilities offered by the Circle of Dreams will complement my build as well, given the abilities I am already receiving as a Fey Wanderer.
Also, the Charm Person spell is acquired as a ranger, not a warlock. The warlock instead gets Fey Presence at 1st level, and this is an action that resets with a short rest, and does not require spellcasting. This is a good reason to choose a warlock dip (even just 1 level) rather than sticking with Fey Wanderer Ranger alone. Also note that both Fey Presence and Charm Person require a target to save on a Wisdom saving throw, not a Charisma saving throw.
Also, I do not see my character needing to use the charm person skill in most civil and social settings, given my character's noble background deserving of respect from authorities, other nobles, and common folk alike, proficiencies in multiple languages, persuasion plus either of performance or deception, in addition to the more subtle Fey presence ability. And with clever use of Druidcraft, arguably more permissible within social settings, to accentuate my characters innate charm, any attempt at persuasion or deception (or performance if I choose this instead on deception) is likely to be with advantage and will work well enough in most situations (without needing to use the 'charm person' spell).
A Druid alternative? Yes this does make sense on many levels, most notably the Dex/Wis compatibility. But I do see some other comparative drawbacks.
Looking at the Circle of Dreams abilities, Balm of the Summer Court looks appealing, but later abilities like Hidden Path (available at level 10) is not dissimilar to Misty Step which the Fey Wanderer receives at level 5, which seems a waste. Walker in Dreams (received at 14th level) also seems a waste when you consider the Fey Wanderer's Dimension Door you receive at Ranger level 13. Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow at level 6 may come in handy, however I may not take the second class beyond level 3. I am not convinced Balm of the Summer Court is better than the abilities I would receive as a Warlock at the same level.
Looking at Circle of the Shepherd, the 2nd level ability Speech of the Woods is very appealing and a good alternative to the Warlock Invocation Beast Speech, also at 2nd level. Learning Sylvan is useful, but I had already planned to learn Sylvan with the bonus language my character's noble background grants. The Spirit Totem and Mighty Summoner abilities also look interesting, but I guess I am more interested in the Pact of the chain (Warlock spell) which I would use for my fey sprite familiar or alternatively, I am considering choosing Pact of the blade which my DM will permit me to pair with my longbow.
An attractive feature of pact magic also is that it is restored with a short rest (a buff that is only available to warlocks). The class also includes powerful cantrips like Eldritch Blast and True Strike. My DM has also permitted me to flavour Eldritch Blast as an ability to pair with my bow (and would be useful if I run out of arrows). Eldritch blast is also an alternative ranged attack to use in situations where piercing damage is ineffective. True Strike could even be paired with Hunter's Mark to gain advantage with additional damage.
Fey Presence is something you acquire similar to the Undead pact warlock which can charm or frighten enemies, and can be used again after only a short rest. At 2nd level, the Eldritch invocations offer a number of options. Beast speech is quite appealing as a ranger and complements my character's diplomatic persona, knowing several languages already. Misty Escape is also more appealing to me than the druid alternatives and becomes available earlier at level 6.
Lastly, there are numerous warlock features/features/abilities that do not rely on you having high Charisma and some even rely on Wisdom.
That all sounds good and fine except 1 thing in particular. Please for the love of all that is holy reconsider true Strike. It is, in some circles, considered one of if not the worst spell in existence. Trading a whole action for advantage on your next turn with a single attack is worse, mathematically, from just attacking twice. There is almost zero situations where casting it leads to a better outcome than not casting it. And that's before even considering what you could have learned, and used, instead of it.
That all sounds good and fine except 1 thing in particular. Please for the love of all that is holy reconsider true Strike. It is, in some circles, considered one of if not the worst spell in existence. Trading a whole action for advantage on your next turn with a single attack is worse, mathematically, from just attacking twice. There is almost zero situations where casting it leads to a better outcome than not casting it. And that's before even considering what you could have learned, and used, instead of it.
Agreed, True Strike is rarely useful. Bad example.
Looking at Circle of the Shepherd, the 2nd level ability Speech of the Woods is very appealing and a good alternative to the Warlock Invocation Beast Speech, also at 2nd level but not in itself a reason to switch. Learning Sylvan is useful, but I had already planned to learn Sylvan with the bonus language my character's noble background grants. The Spirit Totem and Mighty Summoner abilities also look interesting, but I guess I am more interested in the Pact of the chain (Warlock spell) which I would use for my fey sprite familiar or alternatively, I am considering choosing Pact of the blade which my DM will permit me to pair with my longbow. The drawback with Pact of the blade is that I am already proficient with most weapons given I am an Elf.
Technically, your DM isn't letting you do anything. A Warlock with Pact of the Blade and the Improved Pact Weapon invocation can already select a ranged weapon as his pact weapon. The last part of the invocation reads:
Finally, the weapon you conjure can be a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.
If you're considering Circle of the Shepherd Druid/Fey Wanderer Ranger, here are some of my thoughts on it...
For one, if you use the new optional feature from Tasha's, "Wild Companion", you can use your Wildshape feature to cast Find Familiar. You can't summon a Sprite like the Pact of the Chain Warlock allows, but you can summon a fey creature that takes the form of a beast that qualifies for the Find Familiar spell. This way you can still have a fey companion fairly regularly, and because of the unique way this feature casts the spell you don't even need to purchase the material components.
As well, the other feature of Shepherd Druids, the Spirit Totem, is activated with a Bonus Action, and is not treated as Concentration, so you can combine it with other spells like Hunter's Mark or Conjure Woodland Beings.
If you were to go with this combo I would actually recommend taking Ranger just to level 5 then focus on Druid for the rest of your class. The higher level Fey Wanderer Ranger abilities provide you alternate means to cast spells, which pairs well with a Ranger who have relatively few spell slots and don't get a lot of spellcasting, but if you focus mostly on Druid going forward you still get all the Martial benefits of being a Ranger. A Druid can simply cast Summon Fey, and you'll have the spell slots to cast Misty Step repeatedly.
As well, a number of the Shepherd Druid features are dependent on your Druid level, specifically. So it's not a good subclass for taking a two-level dip just to nab the early class features.
I'd to come back to this idea due to the new warlock class structure. I am no Dnd savant but as far as I can tell, it seems worthwhile to start as a Warlock and take the archfey subclass at level 3(Naturally). Having the option of two eldritch invocations at the start, I feel, adds a potential foundation for the later Ranger elements, like Pact of the Blade, which might pair very well with Fey Wanderer. I am now just realizing a pact of the blade martial blade paired with dreadful strike is essentially a psychic damage once per round only phalar aluve(bg3)
Taking more warlock than a ranger, which I think only three levels of ranger are needed as at level 5 of feywanderer, you get misty step, and with the new rehaul of the warlock subclass, at that point, it's a misty step only character build, which might genuinely be viable I do not know. More archfey warlock gives you more thematic spells, and the level one ranger spells that you get, such as Hail of Thorns, seem to pair with Eldritch Blast. if I'm not mistaken, since warlocks automatically cast a spell at the highest spell slot, they have, that makes the level one cure wounds remain potentially viable. Also hunter's mark is just a worse hex in this case i think.
I think with how the warlock has been reworked, and particularly with the archfey patron, makes it a fascinating class to pair with others, especially this ranger subclass. I think it's a unique blend that, while not the strongest or most slept on, will provide enough chaos, absurdity, and strange cohesion like that one tool of your dad's that's covered in tape older than you. Let's say, for example, you're a level nine pact of the blade archfey warlock with three levels in Fey Wanderer Ranger. Depending on what weapon you have as your pact of the blade, you'll be able to unlock it's weapon mastery. At this level, you could cast misty step and use dreadful step then take a weapon attack, just before you have done any melee damage, you could be doing 2d10 and then 1d4 assuming you hit. I would probably build this class with Cha/Wis as the primary and dex as the third. Dex is always decent but seeing as you will be leaning more warlock, you want more charisma for the pact of the blade bonus and a high wisdom will only boost your charisma even higher with otherworldly glamour. I'm doing a pact of the tome archfey warlock, and even still, I think the possibilities are pretty fascinating to ponder.
Thoughts from the peanut gallery 1) once you go warlock you drop being an archer - as a ranger the best you can do with the bow is two attacks (starting at ranger L5), Eldritch blast gives you 2 blasts at character level 5 and 4 blasts by L20 - every round so why carry a bow and arrows? 2) generally, for a MAD multiclass like this want better stats and really the only way to get them is by rolling and getting lucky (or having a DM that is kind and will set a minimum roll to reach). 3) Starting as a ranger allows for full use of med armor and TWF as well as better starting HP. As a ranger you really want to go to at least L6 to get them is Two attacks, and boosts to speed etc. as well as access to L2 spells as a ranger. From L6 on your pretty well maxed out martially and switching to spell use for increased power so a switch to warlock isn’t a major problem. All you really need for Dex and wisdom are 14s ( +2 stat bonuses) and then focus on charisma. 2 feats you probably want are war caster and spell sniper to improve (further) con saves and remove disadvantage on melee casting ( as well as increasing spell range and eliminating most cover worries).
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I have seen a good build for Fey Wanderer Ranger with Warlock Undead Warlock, but I would really like to see a Fey Wanderer with Archfey Warlock, to keep the Fey theme.
My character will soon be Ranger 5 and will probably pickup between 1 and 3 levels of Archfey Warlock next.
Please note the main focus of this build is for roleplaying purposes and this post is to get your ideas on how best to build the character within the given settings.
Base characteristics
This character is a Wood Elf and starts with Wood Elf magic. As a ranger, their weapon of choice is the longbow, and they make a pact with an Archfey to receive additional powers.
Race: Wood Elf:
- Racial attribute bonus (Dex +2, Wis +1);
- Fey Ancestry (Advantage on being charmed and immune to Sleep spells);
- Keen Senses (Perception proficiency)
- Languages: Common and Elvish
- Additional feat (granted by DM) in Wood Elf Magic (Druidcraft; Longstrider; Pass without trace)
Background: Noble (History and Persuasion proficiencies)
- Additional language choice: Sylvan
This character is well suited as the face of the party with proficiencies in 3 languages and proficiencies in history, persuasion and either performance or deception, in addition to Charm Person and Fey presence.
Class features/spell choices
Ranger and Fey Wanderer subclass features:
- Favoured Foe and Natural Explorer
- Archery fighting style
- Elven Accuracy
- Primal Awareness
- Dreadful strikes (DM permitted applicable to ranged attacks with bow)
- Otherworldy Glamour (noting already proficient in persuasion, can choose either deception or performance) - Which would you choose?
Ranger Spells
- Hunter's Mark
- Charm person
- What else would you choose?
Archfey Warlock spells and invocations
- What would you pick?
- Eldritch blast? And?
- How about defensive? (Armor of Agathys, Expeditious retreated or Protection from Evil? or something else?)
How would you build this character?
- Having started with Ranger as the initial class up to level 5, is this the right time to introduce the Archfey Warlock dip? How many levels in the dip?
- Would you switch your focus to Archfey Warlock at some point or maintain Ranger as the main class?
- If my DM permitted flavor changes to certain spells, e.g. allowing application to a bow (instead of melee weapon), what would you recommend?
- Other features and spell choices?
- Other ideas?
The big problem with this build is that Ranger relies on DEX/WIS, while Warlock casts from CHA. With that in mind, if you focus on spells that don't rely on a Spell Save or an Attack Roll from Warlock, then I think it could work. I'd recommend only doing a two level dip into Warlock... the more you mix the two classes, the more difficulty you're going to have balancing spell choices... At second level you basically get two Warlock spell slots that refresh on a short rest... remember that you can still use your Pact Magic slots to cast spells you know from other classes, so make sure you have a few first level spells from either Warlock or Ranger that work well with your spell slots.
The other reason I recommend going to level 2 for Warlock is because it gives you access to Eldritch Invocations, which you can use to customize your abilities to key into your character concept. Beast Speech seems appropriate for a Ranger, since it allows you to talk to animals at will. Eldritch Sight also feels appropriate to me, since it lets you cast Detect Magic for free. Mask of Many Faces seems appropriate to someone with a bit of Fey trickery in their blood. Misty Visions is similar for someone focused on Trickery, letting you cast Silent Image at will and you can finally do all the things that people think Minor Illusion can do.
One thing I didn't think of when I started writing is that level three miiiiiiight be worth going to in Warlock because you can use it to get Pact of the Chain, allowing you to cast an improved version of Find Familiar that allows you to summon a Sprite. Having a literal fairy assisting you in combat would really hammer home your fey connection.
As for level progression... I'd recommend taking Ranger to level 5 first to make sure you have your Extra Attack. Then I'd take a two or three level dip into Warlock, then just focus on Ranger the rest of the way.
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There can be different reasons to multi-class, what is the reason in this case? If you do choose to multi-class, it's important to note what you lose (not just what you gain). You usually give up a lot, more than most people consider. You give up spell and spell slot progression, you delay ASI's, and you delay higher level class and subclass features.
From an optimization standpoint, the vast majority of multi-class choices are not worth it. But Some of them are. And even for the ones that are worth it, how many levels you take and at what level matter. Some known good combinations are a fighter who take 2 level of barbarian (and visa versa), a charisma class who takes 1 to 2 levels of Hexblade, and some others.
If your goal is purely RP based and you're not too concerned with mechanical effectiveness, this is all less of a concern.
Thanks heaps for your tips, Transmorpher.
This aligns with what I was thinking too and I love the idea of having a sprite familiar. My character is already level 4 Ranger in current campaign and I agree it makes sense to get my second attack at level 5 before dipping into Warlock.
My character‘s story saw me picking up the Fey Wanderer subclass after meeting a fairy in an enchanted wood. It will turn out this fairy is an Archfey with whom my character will soon make a pact, in hopes of finding his mother who disappeared after Myth Drannor fell.
Regarding splitting between Wis/Dex/Cha, it is my understanding that Fey Wanderers can add Wisdom to their Charisma for all charisma saves. This helps reduce the issue you mentioned. Please correct me if I am wrong…
EDIT:
Thanks Transmorpher for correcting me regarding the Charisma check not being the same as a Charisma save. I do realise it would not work for Charisma based attack rolls
Hi Sean,
The primary reason is Roleplaying. But I want to maximise my character’s abilities within these settings.
As Sean mentioned, you generally multiclass for a particular purpose. The reason a Fey Wanderer wants to MC into Undead Warlock is to combine Beguiling Twist with the Undead Warlock's ability to hand out frightened like candy. Without that particular combination, the combo isn't really worth delaying your ranger features and splitting your primary ability scores.
So as others have said, it's not really worth going into warlock unless you have something in particular to work towards. When you say roleplaying purposes, do you mean you want to enter a pact with an archfey? If not, you're not gaining a whole lot of roleplay flavor by just combining fey subclass 1 with fey subclass 2. Also keep in mind that warlocks do not have a monopoly on pacts - any character can pledge loyalty/service to an archfey and your powers can be just as connected to them as a warlock's (which is to say not at all strictly based on mechanics). So what I'm trying to say is that I don't see how this MC would give you anything roleplay-wise that a straight Fey Wanderer wouldn't already have.
Now I will say that a sprite familiar from Pact of the Chain is a pretty cool and unique thing you can get from this combo, so that's a fair thing to shoot for. Just keep in mind that you're getting that instead of an ASI, Land's Stride, Beguiling Twist, and upgrades to FF/NE. That's an awful lot to give up considering that nothing else from warlock is jumping out enough for you to have already said, "I want this."
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Why add warlock? The charm effect you get from it will be very bad unless you pump Charisma. But, you're a Ranger so you're pumping Dexterity/Wisdom. If you try to pump all three of these your Constitution is going to suffer and you'll be fragile.
I have to point out that you're trying to fill two different archetypes simultaneously. The wilderness pro, and, the party face. These are often oil and water, no one person in a party fills both these roles. Can it be done? Yes. It just isn't, generally, advisable.
Does no one else in your group want to fill either of those roles? Okay, let's cram you into both. But! There is no way to make you a pro at both without sacrificing something. You're going to need high Wisdom and Charisma, and that means lower dex or con or both, so in combat you're not going to shine. Is that okay? That's considered a fairly big loss to most people.
A better 'fit' for adding some nature spellcasting is the druid, but then you're tossing the party face notion almost entirely. They base off Wisdom so your stats would better align. There are 2 druid subclasses in particular that also have Fey themes. Circle of Dreams, and Circle of the Shepherd. Have you looked at either of those?
Also, final note: make sure you know your DMs stance on spellcasting in social settings. By default casting Charm person is very obviously a spellcast and everyone at the bar might stop mid-drink to watch the spellcaster summoning arcane energies out of nowhere, every time to try to Charm Person someone. If they ignore how obvious spellcasting is, more power to you. But I wouldn't base your whole Party Face idea on it until you know their stance on this. If they play it RAW, you're going to want Sorcerer for Subtle Spell metamagic if you plan on casting in social settings. or, at the very minimum, the Metamagic Adept feat for the same Subtle Spell option.
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Unfortunately, no. The Fey Wanderer's "Other Worldly Glamour" Gives you a bonus to charisma checks, specifically... it has no effect on Saves or attack rolls with spells based on Charisma. Mostly it lets you get the social benefits of having a high charisma score without having a high Charisma score.
The other thing I noticed about this multiclass combo is that you do get a kind of weak ability to charm/frighten a large group... it's weak because the Save DC to resist it is based on your Charisma Score, so it's not going to land easily. However, it weirdly combines well with your level 7 Fey Wanderer Feature, which lets you redirect a failed Charm/Frighten spell or ability towards another target, with a much larger 120 foot range. So now you've got this weird combo where you can shoot a short-range Charm/Frighten attack at a group of enemies, and even though have a fairly high chance of succeeding on the save, if any of them do you can use your reaction to do another Charm/Frighten attack against a single target much further away.
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Thanks for the comments Ravnodaus.
Firstly, the Charm Person spell is acquired as a ranger, not a warlock. The warlock instead gets Fey Presence at 1st level, and this is an action that resets with a short rest, and does not require spellcasting. This is a good reason to choose a warlock dip (even just 1 level) rather than sticking with Fey Wanderer Ranger alone.
Also, I do not see my character needing to use the charm person spell in most civil and social settings, given my character's noble background deserving of respect from authorities, other nobles, and common folk alike, proficiencies in multiple languages, persuasion plus either of performance or deception, in addition to the more subtle Fey presence ability. And with clever use of Druidcraft, arguably more permissible within social settings, to accentuate my characters innate charm, any attempt at persuasion or deception (or performance if I choose this instead on deception) is likely to be with advantage and will work well enough in most situations (without needing to use the 'charm person' spell).
A Druid alternative? Yes this does make sense on many levels, most notably the Dex/Wis compatibility. But I do see some other comparative drawbacks. Putting aside the Wisdom/Dexterity compatibility, I don't see how the abilities offered by the Circle of Dreams will complement my build as well as that of the Archfey Warlock, given the abilities I am already receiving as a Fey Wanderer.
Looking at the Circle of Dreams abilities, Balm of the Summer Court looks appealing, but later abilities like Hidden Path (available at level 10) is not dissimilar to Misty Step which the Fey Wanderer receives at level 5, so it would be a waste. Walker in Dreams (received at 14th level) also seems a waste when you consider the Fey Wanderer's Dimension Door you receive at Ranger level 13. Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow at level 6 may come in handy, however I may not take the second class beyond level 3 and I am not convinced Balm of the Summer Court is better than the abilities I would receive as a Warlock at the same level.
Looking at Circle of the Shepherd, the 2nd level ability Speech of the Woods is very appealing and a good alternative to the Warlock Invocation Beast Speech, also at 2nd level but not in itself a reason to switch. Learning Sylvan is useful, but I had already planned to learn Sylvan with the bonus language my character's noble background grants. The Spirit Totem and Mighty Summoner abilities also look interesting, but I guess I am more interested in the Pact of the chain (Warlock spell) which I would use for my fey sprite familiar or alternatively, I am considering choosing Pact of the blade which my DM will permit me to pair with my longbow. The drawback with Pact of the blade is that I am already proficient with most weapons given I am an Elf.
An attractive feature of pact magic also is that it is restored with a short rest (a buff that is only available to warlocks as far as I am aware). The Warlock class also includes powerful cantrips like Eldritch Blast and True Strike. My DM has also permitted me to flavour Eldritch Blast as an ability to pair with my bow (and would be useful if I run out of arrows or lose my bow altogether). Eldritch blast is also an alternative ranged attack to use in situations where piercing damage is ineffective. True Strike could even be paired with Hunter's Mark to gain advantage with additional damage whether using my bow or Eldritch Blast.
Fey Presence is something you acquire similar to the Undead pact warlock which can charm or frighten enemies, and can be used again after only a short rest. At 2nd level, the Eldritch invocations offer a number of options. Beast speech is quite appealing as a ranger and complements my character's diplomatic persona, knowing several languages already. Misty Escape is also more appealing to me than the druid alternatives and becomes available earlier at level 6.
Overall, I see my character as Face that can also converse with nature and the Fey.
That all sounds good and fine except 1 thing in particular. Please for the love of all that is holy reconsider true Strike. It is, in some circles, considered one of if not the worst spell in existence. Trading a whole action for advantage on your next turn with a single attack is worse, mathematically, from just attacking twice. There is almost zero situations where casting it leads to a better outcome than not casting it. And that's before even considering what you could have learned, and used, instead of it.
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Agreed, True Strike is rarely useful. Bad example.
Technically, your DM isn't letting you do anything. A Warlock with Pact of the Blade and the Improved Pact Weapon invocation can already select a ranged weapon as his pact weapon. The last part of the invocation reads:
Finally, the weapon you conjure can be a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.
If you're considering Circle of the Shepherd Druid/Fey Wanderer Ranger, here are some of my thoughts on it...
For one, if you use the new optional feature from Tasha's, "Wild Companion", you can use your Wildshape feature to cast Find Familiar. You can't summon a Sprite like the Pact of the Chain Warlock allows, but you can summon a fey creature that takes the form of a beast that qualifies for the Find Familiar spell. This way you can still have a fey companion fairly regularly, and because of the unique way this feature casts the spell you don't even need to purchase the material components.
As well, the other feature of Shepherd Druids, the Spirit Totem, is activated with a Bonus Action, and is not treated as Concentration, so you can combine it with other spells like Hunter's Mark or Conjure Woodland Beings.
If you were to go with this combo I would actually recommend taking Ranger just to level 5 then focus on Druid for the rest of your class. The higher level Fey Wanderer Ranger abilities provide you alternate means to cast spells, which pairs well with a Ranger who have relatively few spell slots and don't get a lot of spellcasting, but if you focus mostly on Druid going forward you still get all the Martial benefits of being a Ranger. A Druid can simply cast Summon Fey, and you'll have the spell slots to cast Misty Step repeatedly.
As well, a number of the Shepherd Druid features are dependent on your Druid level, specifically. So it's not a good subclass for taking a two-level dip just to nab the early class features.
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I'd to come back to this idea due to the new warlock class structure. I am no Dnd savant but as far as I can tell, it seems worthwhile to start as a Warlock and take the archfey subclass at level 3(Naturally). Having the option of two eldritch invocations at the start, I feel, adds a potential foundation for the later Ranger elements, like Pact of the Blade, which might pair very well with Fey Wanderer. I am now just realizing a pact of the blade martial blade paired with dreadful strike is essentially a psychic damage once per round only phalar aluve(bg3)
Taking more warlock than a ranger, which I think only three levels of ranger are needed as at level 5 of feywanderer, you get misty step, and with the new rehaul of the warlock subclass, at that point, it's a misty step only character build, which might genuinely be viable I do not know. More archfey warlock gives you more thematic spells, and the level one ranger spells that you get, such as Hail of Thorns, seem to pair with Eldritch Blast. if I'm not mistaken, since warlocks automatically cast a spell at the highest spell slot, they have, that makes the level one cure wounds remain potentially viable. Also hunter's mark is just a worse hex in this case i think.
I think with how the warlock has been reworked, and particularly with the archfey patron, makes it a fascinating class to pair with others, especially this ranger subclass. I think it's a unique blend that, while not the strongest or most slept on, will provide enough chaos, absurdity, and strange cohesion like that one tool of your dad's that's covered in tape older than you. Let's say, for example, you're a level nine pact of the blade archfey warlock with three levels in Fey Wanderer Ranger. Depending on what weapon you have as your pact of the blade, you'll be able to unlock it's weapon mastery. At this level, you could cast misty step and use dreadful step then take a weapon attack, just before you have done any melee damage, you could be doing 2d10 and then 1d4 assuming you hit. I would probably build this class with Cha/Wis as the primary and dex as the third. Dex is always decent but seeing as you will be leaning more warlock, you want more charisma for the pact of the blade bonus and a high wisdom will only boost your charisma even higher with otherworldly glamour. I'm doing a pact of the tome archfey warlock, and even still, I think the possibilities are pretty fascinating to ponder.
Thoughts from the peanut gallery
1) once you go warlock you drop being an archer - as a ranger the best you can do with the bow is two attacks (starting at ranger L5), Eldritch blast gives you 2 blasts at character level 5 and 4 blasts by L20 - every round so why carry a bow and arrows?
2) generally, for a MAD multiclass like this want better stats and really the only way to get them is by rolling and getting lucky (or having a DM that is kind and will set a minimum roll to reach).
3) Starting as a ranger allows for full use of med armor and TWF as well as better starting HP. As a ranger you really want to go to at least L6 to get them is Two attacks, and boosts to speed etc. as well as access to L2 spells as a ranger. From L6 on your pretty well maxed out martially and switching to spell use for increased power so a switch to warlock isn’t a major problem. All you really need for Dex and wisdom are 14s ( +2 stat bonuses) and then focus on charisma. 2 feats you probably want are war caster and spell sniper to improve (further) con saves and remove disadvantage on melee casting ( as well as increasing spell range and eliminating most cover worries).
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