I want to make an amazing Dagger Master character. I've thought of mixing Fighter with Rogue or Ranger. However, I am curious... are there any known homebrew classes or class archetypes for a character specializing in daggers?
A good Dagger Master, in my opinion, would be a support melee/ranged character that can do trick shots to throw enemies off. Nova damage would be a plus.
Dagger Master? lets look at some options, this sounds like fun...
SO older versions had stuff like weapon specialization feats and weapon focus feats that could make the daggers better, but with 5E, those aren't really there.
With existing classes, don't discount the Bard. using a knife thrower or a juggler as a bardic profession/background you could translate that into some pretty savvy knife skills. Trick shots could be done with the Performance skill (when you use Expertise at level 3, you can do the "trick shot" at double proficiency bonus, if the DM allows it...) and rather than rewriting a class that is just too specific, instead you can write (or someone else may already have written) a bard college based on physical entertainment as a bard rather than musical or lore based.
If you want to go with a Fighter, Battle master is a great way to go, make your dex as high as possible, and focus on some specific maneuvers like disarming attack, distracting attack, precision attack, and trip attack. Typically when a player takes this path, they are trying to act as leaders on the battlefield who use maneuvers to set the battle in the group's favor, but remember, the abilities say "weapon attack", not "melee attack". This could work real well.
Then there's the monk. a dagger counts as a MONK weapon. Nothing in the book states that "monk weapon" usage has to be melee. This means that as your monk knife-fighter levels up, the damage dice for your daggers increases AND you get bonus punching attacks with it. Go the way of the shadow, and become a knife in the dark.
With the Ranger, either the 5E or the Unearthed Arcana, I don't see a lot of good options for this, if you take the Archery option, and only use knives as your ranged weapon that could do something, but it doesn't compare to the others.
Now for the Rogue: The Expertise bonus gives you that double proficiency from level 1, HOWEVER, an attack skill or weapon skill isn't eligible, it would still have to be performance skill based for all your trick shots (ask your DM which skill it would be: performance (cha), or acrobatics (dex)). With reliable talent at level 11 you are guaranteed a roll of at LEAST 18 on this skill (with a skill bonus of ZERO, and what rogue has a 10 in Dex?). Go the assassin route and you'll still be plenty roguish and awesome when dealing damage as well. This means you'll be deadly with a dagger when hidden, and damned impressive with them when in the open. Take the Entertainer background and shoot that charisma high as well.
If it were me, I'd either go Rogue or Monk. Then I would also take the Sharpshooter feat, it says "ranged weapon", not "bow". Multi-classing between the two could be awesome at epic levels, but I think the options would be better when focused on individually.
Just remember once you throw your daggers they are gone until you can retrieve them. So while it sounds cool to be able to stay in the back and toss your daggers all day long, you have to have a lot of daggers, especially if you are make two attacks each round. Also pulling the daggers out may become an issue depending on your dm.
The Druid's Hunter path with Volley at 11th level could be an interesting combination if you manage to work out the ammunition issue. Also the ability to cast spells.
If spells aren't your thing then Fighter might be a better option. As mentioned Monk is probably an awesome way to go.
@FuzzyCheese, the monk does sound very appealing. I think I'll have to incorporate that into my build. Maybe Way of the Shadow to create a Shadow Dancer type character?!
@NightsLastHero, my ideo is to have this guy loaded with knives. He wouldn't always be throwing his knives, but they're his preferred ranged weapons.
I feel like some combination of Monk and Fighter might be the best. I'd lose Sneak Attack dice, but the maneuvers and damage increase on the daggers would be worth it.
in that case make sure you decide whether you want your damage dice increase for the daggers more, or the combat superiority dice more. I think if you try to go evenly with the leveling you will be left behind by the rest of your party.
I like the Monk/Fighter combination for this character as well, especially because Monks get Deflect Missiles at third level, which lends itself to a knife juggling archetype, and Battle Master maneuvers seem like a good game incarnation of trick shots.
I agree, I've been working on some builds for awhile now. I've played with the idea of adding Warlock, Pact of the Blade, to always have a Dagger in hand. Eldritch Knight gets similar, but I like the maneuvers.
I'm trying to consider a feat variant for daggers since none exist for it as a weapon group. Here is a proposed feat with options to discuss.
Knife Fighter
You master fighting with two daggers
You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding one dagger in each hand.
When you choose to use a bonus action to attack with your secondary weapon, you may make two attacks instead.
In combat, as long as you are wielding a dagger in both hands you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature's turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack, and you can't use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.
OR (depending on the potency of the previous ability- this would be inserted instead) If you take the attack action and a target is prone and you are wielding a dagger in both hands, each hit is a critical hit within 5 feet of the target.
You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
I created a rogue subclass based on the 4e daggermaster paragon path. If you aren't against semi-homebrew, it might be what you're looking for:
You and your dagger become one as you master the intricacies of battling with the blade. You are a master of the dagger, able to employ your weapon in ways that no lesser rogue can match.
Dagger Action
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you use your reaction to reroll one damage roll made using a dagger.
Critical Opportunity
Starting at 3rd level, your first attack deals a critical wound, so you follow the attack with another strike. After scoring a critical hit with a dagger, you can spend your bonus action to make three thrown dagger attacks against the same creature, adding your Dexterity modifier damage to the total damage, instead of adding it to each attack.
Dagger Precision
Starting at 9th level, your daily training has paid off for your accuracy. You now can score critical hits with daggers on a roll of 18-20.
Meditation of the Blade
At 13th level, with a moment of concentration, you focus your will into the point of your blade. As a bonus action, you can make all of your dagger's damage die become d8 for one minute.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Deep Dagger Wound
Starting at 17th level, you're able to spring forward, plunging your dagger deep into your foe, burying it into his body. After you hit with a dagger attack, the target makes a Constitution saving throw (DC Save: 8 + your proficiency bonus + the highest number of your dagger's damage die). On a fail, you roll 3dX (X is equal to your current dagger's damage die) + your Dexterity modifier. At the beginning of each turn, the target takes 2d10 piercing damage. At the end of their turn they can repeat the saving throw to end the effect. If they are successful on the saving throw, they take 1d10 piercing damage at the beginning of their next turn.
If you use this feature after making a critical hit with a dagger attack, the target makes a Constitution saving throw (DC Save: 10 + your proficiency bonus + the highest number of your dagger's damage die). On a fail, you roll 6dX (X is equal to your current dagger's damage die) + your Dexterity modifier. At the beginning of each turn, the target takes 3d10 piercing damage. At the end of their turn they can repeat the saving throw to end the effect. If they are successful on the saving throw, they take 1d10 piercing damage at the beginning of their next turn.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until after a long rest.
I previously did a bunch of research on a similar build and scoured the Web for dagger and thrown mastery feats. There usually is some crossover between the skills, but here's some of what I found:
You’ve honed your ability to lob weaponry into the fray, including weapons not meant for ranged combat. You gain the following benefits:
Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Simple and martial melee weapons without the thrown property can be treated as if they have the thrown property. One-handed weapons have a range of 20/60, while two-handed weapons have a range of 15/30.
Weapons that naturally have the thrown property increase their range by +20/+40.
When you miss with a thrown weapon attack using a light weapon, the weapon immediately boomerangs back into your grasp.
Knife Master (Wardrow's Feat Compendium)
You only need the smallest of blades to deal crippling wounds, and you are skilled at making sudden rapid strikes when an opportunity is presented. You gain the following:
When you deal critical damage with a dagger or sickle, you roll 1d6 and add the result to the extra damage.
You can use daggers to attempt to pick locks and similar, adding your proficiency bonus to the related checks.
You gain advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to conceal daggers on your person.
Snickersnee
Your dedication to the small blade grants you a mastery of the dagger in melee that is unequaled.
You add one step to the weapon damage die for daggers (1d4 becomes 1d6).
While wielding a dagger, when an opponent within 5 feet of you misses you with an attack, you may make an attack of opportunity against them as a Reaction.
If you score a critical hit with a dagger, you may expend your Reaction to make an additional attack with a dagger.
Once per round you may draw any simple, light melee weapon without using your object interaction.
Sleight of Hand checks you make to conceal, draw, or perform tricks with a dagger are made with Advantage.
Throwing Weapons Master
When enemies close in around you, you become a deadly fusillade of steel. Your hands are little more than a blur of silver as your enemies fall to the ground, the hilts of your weapons sprouting from their bodies.
You double the range of your throwing weapons. This stacks with the doubled range from the throwing weapons fighting style.
When you take the attack action an use light throwing weapons, such as a dagger, you may throw two additional light throwing weapons as a bonus action.
You do not suffer disadvantage for attacking creatures at long range with your thrown weapons.
Deadeye
Knives, darts, and javelins are playtoys to you, and you make it apparent with your mind boggling well use of them.
The normal range of your thrown weapons is increased by 10' and the max range is increased by 30'.
You may draw a thrown weapon with a free hand after each attack you make as a free action.
You treat a thrown weapon attack you make as a Ranged weapon attack, applying the benefits of any racial, class, or feat abilities for Ranged attacks.
Once per round, you may choose to make a special ricochet attack, bouncing your weapon off the first target to hit another. Select an additional target within the weapon's normal range and make another attack roll against the new target. Treat the attack as if it had been made from the first target's location, and do not apply your ability modifier to the new attack.
Stinger
You become a master of thrown weapons with the light or finesse properties.
You have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) and Charisma (Deception) checks made to conceal these weapons on your person.
Using the Attack action, you can make a special ranged attack to bombard your target with an array of thrown weapons. You can draw up to four of these weapons and make an attack roll against a target within range at a -2 penalty for each weapon beyond the first. On a hit, the target takes damage from each weapon thrown as a single strike, adding your ability modifier to the damage only once. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them.
You can attempt a trick shot to pin a creature to a wall or to the floor. When you make an attack with these weapons and hit, you can forgo all damage to reduce the target's speed to 0. If you bombard the target with four weapons and forgo all damage, the target is instead restrained. In either case, the target is stuck until it uses its action to escape.
Keeping all the above homebrew feat ideas in mind, and after reviewing the official Weapon Feats released by Wizard of the Coast's Unearthed Arcana in June of 2016, I would probably allow my players to use something like the Dagger Mastery feat below. To give a solid balance reference, I listed the WotC Spear Mastery afterward.
Dagger Mastery
Though the dagger is a simple weapon to learn, it rewards you for the time you have taken to master it. You gain the following benefits.
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with daggers.
When you use a dagger, its damage die increases one step from a d4 to a d6.
The normal range of your thrown weapons is increased by 10' and the max range is increased by 30'.
As a free action, you may draw a thrown weapon with the light + finesse properties after each attack, as long as you have a free hand.
You treat a thrown weapon attack as a Ranged Weapon, applying the benefits of any racial, class, or feat abilities for Ranged attacks.
Spear Mastery
Wizards of the Coast Unearthed Arcana 6 June 2016
Though the spear is a simple weapon to learn, it rewards you for the time you have taken to master it. You gain the following benefits.
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with a spear.
When you use a spear, its damage die changes from a d6 to a d8, and from a d8 to a d10 when wielded with two hands. (This benefit has no effect if another feature has already improved the weapon’s die.)
You can set your spear to receive a charge. As a bonus action, choose a creature you can see that is at least 20 feet away from you. If that creature moves within your spear’s reach on its next turn, you can make a melee attack against it with your spear as a reaction. If the attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 piercing damage, or an extra 1d10 piercing damage if you wield the spear with two hands. You can’t use this ability if the creature used the Disengage action before moving.
As a bonus action on your turn, you can increase your reach with a spear by 5 feet for the rest of your turn.
Additional Thoughts & Explanations
Dagger Mastery mimics Spear Mastery by giving a +1 to attack rolls and increasing the damage die by one step 1d4 to 1d6, making them slightly more viable as a primary weapon focus. When comparing the amount of potential damage that Spear Mastery could do, this really feels like a minor but much needed boost.
I purposely did not mention that the daggers cannot benefit from any other damage die increases, in case DM's want to play with that concept further by designing a special long dagger for their world, or a magic dagger that does 1d6 already. Though in official RAW content, this will not likely never come into play.
I purposely didn't give anything that removes disadvantage when throwing it within 5'. Why bother when you can just stab someone. Plus Crossbow Expert already covers that if someone really wanted to do this.
Added some "neutral" options that affect all Thrown weapons, so the feat isn't pigeon holed for daggers only.
Increased weapon range for Daggers and similar thrown weapons by a little bit, bringing Daggers to 30/90 with this feat.
You can draw thrown weapons that have the light & finesse property quickly (darts, daggers, shurikens, etc). Allowing players with dagger bandoleers and belts to quickly hurl their weapons.
Any weapon you throw can be treated as a Ranged Weapon for the purpose of combining them with other feats like Sharpshooter or Crossbow Expert, etc. The player will still have to invest in those other feats to gain the benefits, but gives players options they wouldn't otherwise have access to due RAW.
Your knife fighter feat is overpowered. I might allow it anyway since daggermasters are awesome. I had a really fun one in 4e.
In 5e I'd go with a shadow monk and a couple levels of warlock. Then you can cast darkness on yourself (or on an item your imp carries around) and be the knife in the dark.
Beside the myriad of possible feats you can choose, there are quite a few classes that support Dagger builds nicely. Here are some interesting options I would consider:
Wizards, specifically Bladesingers will really shine on the battlefield mixing powerful Arcane magic with melee abilities. With a dagger in both hands, you'll get 3 attacks per round normally thanks to the offhand attack, and 4th attack once you learn the Haste spell. Alternately (because it also requires concentration) you might opt for the incredible Shadowblade spell which creates a magical blade (size not described) that deals 2d8 damage, has the finesse property, is considered light, can be thrown, and the damage can be increased to 4d8 with higher spell slots. Use that as your main hand with a sweet magical dagger in your offhand and you'll wreck your enemies! You'll also get to add your Intelligence bonus to your Melee weapon damage and AC while Bladesinging, and use spell slots (or spell points ideally) to absorb damage, and have a whole arsenal of spell options for any situation.
Rangers and their spells can make for some interesting options for a Dagger fighter, especially when you throw in Hunter's Mark and their other spell options. They come late in the game, but you shouldn't be disappointed with Conjure Barrage (of daggers), and Steel Wind Strike.
Hunters are an obvious choice, especially when you consider their 11th level Whirlwind Attack or Volley. The latter will let you throw any number of Daggers at a group of enemies within 10 feet of a point you can see. With the right magic daggers, this could be devastating.
Gloom Stalkers get some cool powers and eventually Improved Invisibility.
But Horizon Walkers get to teleport all over the battlefield as an 11th level subclass ability.
Fighters have some nice options as well. Partly due to their eventual 4 attacks per round, or multi-classing for 2 or 3 attacks, plus all the great feats and combat powers.
Champion is the obvious choice due to Improved Critical, but doubling 1d4 is likely not going to have a big payoff unless you multiclass as a Rogue or Whispers Bard.
Eldritch Knights get similar spell options to the Arcane Trickster, but you'll likely use Green Flame Blade every round with War Magic for a bonus Action Attack. Combine that with Elemental Weapon and you'll do some nice damage. Multiclassing with Arcane Trickster will give you a really cool Fighter/Mage/Thief build from back in the day, with alot more cantrips and spells known, while maintaining nearly the same number of spell slots for casting Ice Knife or Cloud of Daggers with higher spell slots.
Battlemaster is probably your best choice here, even for multiclassing because you get those sweet Battle Maneuvers for extra dagger damage and battlefield control. Plus you get at least one of those extra fighter feats if you stay thru 6th, which can be used for more Maneuvers and uses.
Rogues are the obvious choice due to their Sneak Attack damage.
Assassin is great if you can get a Surprise Round off before detection, otherwise the damage isn't as great without the use of poisons.
Arcane Tricksters will likely dish out the highest amount of damage every round using Green Flame Blade + Sneak Attack. At the highest level, you'll be doing 1d4 +Dex +10d6 sneak attack +3d8 GFB + magic weapon bonuses. THEN you do another 3d8 +Int damage to another foe within 5 feet thanks to GFB, and still have your bonus action to escape. If things get tough, use Booming Blade to give you a nice strategic option (Booming Blade + Sneak Attack > Disengage as a bonus action > Run away). The Sword Burst cantrip can be flavored to be a Dagger Burst. The first level spell Ice Dagger can be flavored to be an actual exploding Ice Dagger that you throw, dealing some nice ranged AOE options. When you unlock 2nd level spells, take Mirror Image to confuse your foes. At 8th, you can take Cloud of Daggers for battlefield control damage. Unlocking 3rd level spells will give you access to Blink so you can teleport in and out of combat sneak attacking your foes or you can take Elemental Weapon for some extra damage. And 4th level spells will give Improved Invisibility, giving you advantage on nearly every attack with your daggers and by then you should have some really nice ones.
Clerics seem like an unlikely choice, but bear in mind there are many types of Domains and powers from them. They also come with a wide variety of protection, healing, and combat spells including the incredibly underrated Spiritual Weapon which lets you create a magical force weapon (dagger) that does 1d8+Wis damage, can be used instead of a bonus action offhand attack, and does NOT require concentration. The damage can also be increased for every 2 spell slots above 2nd, eventually doing 4d8+Wis damage per hit, if you really wanted to blow an 8th level spell slot. In most scenarios, you'll use a 2nd or 4th level slot dealing 2d8+Wis force damage from your magical floating spiritual dagger name Spike or Stabby or something. Throw in a Magical Secrets to gain access to Green Flame Blade with your Smite attacks eventually do 5d8 +Int or +Cha bonus (depending on who you take it from), and you still have two other spell options as mentioned in other parts of this post.
Forge Domain will give you access to some nice smite spells, as well as being able to make a weapon or armor magical early on. It also gives a nice resistance to fire damage, and a +1 AC bonus while in Heavy Armor if that's your thing. Divine smite will add 1d8 to 2d8 fire damage to one attack per turn.
Strength Domain gives an incredible +10 to Strength bonus to skill checks, attack rolls, and saves. Good Divine Strike damage of the same type as the dagger, eventual resistance to all non-magical damage, and access to Divine Smite and Haste for 2x attacks, plus Spiritual Weapon!
Trickery Domain will let you bless someone else with advantage on stealth checks, create a duplicate of yourself to confuse foes and cast spells through, access to invisibility, mirror image, and blink. Deals poison damage on attacks. It's a very Rogue-ish take on the Cleric and mixes extremely well with Arcane Tricksters (high WIS, ok INT, and take non-saving throw Trickster cantrips and spells like GFB and Shield).
Zeal Domain is an interesting mix of awesome powers for the sake of, well, who knows? It's another take on the War Domain from another D&D universe. You get Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Magic Weapon, Shatter, Haste, Fireball, Fire Shield (warm shield only), Freedom of Movement, Destructive Wave, and Flame Strike! You get a second attack as a bonus action, which debate-ably might qualify for your Smite ability (because its a limited use function that you would otherwise have normally with an offhand weapon). But that's for your DM to decide. You can deal max damage when doing fire or thunder damage via channel divinity, thunder damage can push 10 feet away, divine strike is 1d8/2d8 of the same type as the dagger damage, and you get a pretty nasty last ditch attack before going unconscious late in the game.
Paladins are in a similar space as the Cleric with "maybe, maybe-not" options for dagger fighting. They get some nice spells to dish out damage, more powerful smites on every attack (not just the one per round), and can expend spell slots to do even more smite damage of 2d8+1d8 per spell slot above 1st level, and a bonus 1d8 vs undead. That's nothing to scoff at no matter what the primary weapon is. Plus they get 2 attacks per round and a bunch of immunities over time.
Oath of Vengeance feels like the only right choice if you head into this class, mostly due to the spells. But the class abilities are also a pretty nice buff against a foe you designate. But again, the spells are where they really shine gaining access to Bane, Hunter's Mark, Hold Person, Misty Step, Haste, Protection from Energy, Banishment, Dimension Door, Hold Monster, and Scrying. You can throw in 6 levels of Lore Bard to gain access to more skills (or better yet, start as a Lore bard for lots of proficiencies), and your 6th level Magical Secrets for earlier access to Haste or Spiritual Weapon. But you wind up going down that mega-build path, which can sometimes get boring.
Monks as someone mentioned can be very deadly with dual daggers because their damage increases over time. Eventually giving you two dagger attacks mixed with two unarmed kicks or punches for 1d10 damage each.
Way of the Kensei is probably your best choice here, giving you increased damage options with your Kensei daggers, on top of your monk damage die. When mixed with your various skills, you can use Kensei's Shot (1d4), Sharpen the Blade (+3), and Deft Strike (1d10), to throw a plain dagger dealing 2d10 +1d4 +3 +Dex on your turn. Or just kick butt in melee normally.
Similarly Way of the Shadow will deal the same base weapon damage, but has an emphasis on stealth combat, allowing you to jump through the shadows on each of your turns.
Warlocks are an interesting choice because you get some pretty awesome abilities thanks to your Pact Magic, Pact Boon, and Invocations. It's kind of a misunderstood class and probably not for newbies, but they can really be deadly in the right hands. They get a bunch of awesome cantrips to play with, Pact Magic gives them access to additional spells, and Pact Boons give them a focused identity with the Pact of the Blade being the likely one you'll want to choose. Some hate them because they only get a couple of spell slots, but you have to remember that they regenerate on a short rest, so you can usually use your utility spells at will, provided you have an hour of light activity between excursions, and you're encouraged to blow through them all during combat for the same reason. Your Invocations will likely give you semi-permanent and powerful, spell like abilities like seeing through magical darkness or levitation at will, but there are others to help you hone your dagger skills.
The HexbladePatron with Pact of the Blade is likely your best choice without beating around the bush. Found a 2H sword that does fire damage? Make it your Pact Blade and it's now a dagger that does the same fire and any magic bonus damage. Hexblade gives you some amazing combat spells for smiting foes, lets you use Charisma to attack and damage, you can curse a tough foe and gain bonus damage equal to your proficiency bonus, will heal if it dies, and you crit on a 19-20 vs all attacks against it - - not just your Pact of the Blade dagger. You also can steal the spirit of a fallen foe to be your pet specter that fights for you and gain all kinds of other crazy stuff as you level. PLUS you still have Invocations to apply. Thirsting Blade gives you a second attack, Ultimate Pact Weapon will make that fire blade magical up to +3, and Lifedrinker adds Necrotic damage equal to you Charisma bonus (yes, that's 2x charisma damage using a Hexblade).
Bloodhunters are also a good choice, provided you're using the Witcher-based homebrew created for Vin Diesel by the infamous celebrity DM, Matt Mercer. They sacrifice part of their life force in order to gain extra damage with their weapons beginning with 1d4 and eventually 1d10 by 16th level. It can be applied to two daggers if you desire at a higher cost of course. But you can also gain access to Two-Weapon Fighting, for extra offhand damage, can curse your enemies, and can expertly hunt undead, fiends, and fey. They gain extra attack at 5th level, and eventually gain superior darkvision and immunity to fear.
The Order of the Profane Soul stands out the most to me here, merging the power of the Warlock and Eldritch Knight into the Bloodhunter. You'll be a 1/3 warlock spellcaster, and have access to the Warlock spell list, and the Eldritch Knight ability to cast a Cantrip and still get 1 attack as a bonus action... Woohoo! Green Flame Blade is back on the menu! You'll also gain access to some pretty cool spells thanks to the patron you choose, and by 18th you can actually gain spell slots back by killing foes in combat.
Bards shouldn't be left out of the running, and may give you the most flexibility out of every other class, depending on what your goals are. You'll be able to cherry-pick 6x dagger inspired or enhancement spells from any class in the game (including the Ranger and Wizard options above), when you gain 2 magical secret spells at 10th, 14th, and 18th.
Valor Bard is always a good choice for any build. One of my favorites, and possibly one of the most flexible classes in the game. You'll excel at melee and magic combat together, using two daggers to fight. You'll wind up with 4 attacks per round and +2 AC bonus once you pick up Haste at 10th level. Or you can use that extra Haste attack to instead gain the Rogue-like bonus action abilities of Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object but it won't use your bonus action! But the main thing that makes the Valor Bard special is at 14th level when you gain the ability to cast a spell, and then get 1 attack as a bonus action. When Hasted, you'll be able to Conjure Barrage /or/ throw a 5th level Ice Dagger /or/ cast a high level Wall of Daggers, then make two melee or ranged throwing dagger attacks thanks to your Battle Magic feature and Haste.
College of Whispers is for those of you who wanted to be an Arcane Trickster, but with more spell options, and less of a focus on Sneak Attack, without giving it up completely. You'll get the same Magical Secrets options of the Valor Bard, so awesome spell access. Plus you get Psychic blades, allowing you to expend a Bard Inspiration to deal extra psychic damage like a sneak attack, except Advantage isn't needed, and they can only avoid full damage if they have Psychic resistance. The damage starts at 2d6 at 3rd level, and bumps to 3d6 at 5th level, 5d6 at 10th level, and 8d6 at 15th level. Not bad considering you get all your bardic inspirations back on a short rest and you can apply it as a free action like a Paladin's Smite (save em for critical hits against bosses). You'll of course want to be using Haste to get 3 attacks per round (1 normal, 1 offhand, and 1 from haste). Oh, and you'll get a bunch of super creepy abilities that can cause fear, steal identities, and can charm someone for 8 hours. Along with Arcane Tricksters, this is possibly one of the best choices, esp if you take the Magic Initiate (Warlock) feat to gain access to Green Flame Blade, Sword Burst (AOE flavor) or Booming Blade, and Hex for your spell list. We already know how useful GFB is for single attack classes, and College of Whispers will likely also have an extra attack from Haste, or Improved Invisibility running for defensive combat.
College of Swords is also a pretty good choice because it "sort of" marries the Battlemaster with the Bard. You can use your Bardic Inspiration charges to use these Flourish maneuvers to control the battlefield, deal extra damage, or escape. You can take Two Weapon Fighting to get your Dex bonus to damage of offhand attacks, gain Extra Attack at 6th for 4x attacks per round, and use Blade Flourish to add your inspiration dice to damage vs 1 foe and give your self the same number to your AC until next round, or damage your current foe, and one next to them with the roll. Or deal the die damage and force the enemy 5 feet away from you. At 14th level, you get the option to use 1d6 for your flourishes for free every round, instead of using your inspiration dice. It sounds a bit weak at first, but because you'll never run out of flourishes, you can be adding 1d6 damage and AC every round. Get your hands on some non-concentration spells like Mirror Image, Blink, or Spiritual Weapon and you'll be a complete dagger-wielding nightmare for your foes.
I want to make an amazing Dagger Master character. I've thought of mixing Fighter with Rogue or Ranger. However, I am curious... are there any known homebrew classes or class archetypes for a character specializing in daggers?
A good Dagger Master, in my opinion, would be a support melee/ranged character that can do trick shots to throw enemies off. Nova damage would be a plus.
Help, D&D Beyond community, you're my only hope!
Dagger Master? lets look at some options, this sounds like fun...
SO older versions had stuff like weapon specialization feats and weapon focus feats that could make the daggers better, but with 5E, those aren't really there.
With existing classes, don't discount the Bard. using a knife thrower or a juggler as a bardic profession/background you could translate that into some pretty savvy knife skills. Trick shots could be done with the Performance skill (when you use Expertise at level 3, you can do the "trick shot" at double proficiency bonus, if the DM allows it...) and rather than rewriting a class that is just too specific, instead you can write (or someone else may already have written) a bard college based on physical entertainment as a bard rather than musical or lore based.
If you want to go with a Fighter, Battle master is a great way to go, make your dex as high as possible, and focus on some specific maneuvers like disarming attack, distracting attack, precision attack, and trip attack. Typically when a player takes this path, they are trying to act as leaders on the battlefield who use maneuvers to set the battle in the group's favor, but remember, the abilities say "weapon attack", not "melee attack". This could work real well.
Then there's the monk. a dagger counts as a MONK weapon. Nothing in the book states that "monk weapon" usage has to be melee. This means that as your monk knife-fighter levels up, the damage dice for your daggers increases AND you get bonus punching attacks with it. Go the way of the shadow, and become a knife in the dark.
With the Ranger, either the 5E or the Unearthed Arcana, I don't see a lot of good options for this, if you take the Archery option, and only use knives as your ranged weapon that could do something, but it doesn't compare to the others.
Now for the Rogue: The Expertise bonus gives you that double proficiency from level 1, HOWEVER, an attack skill or weapon skill isn't eligible, it would still have to be performance skill based for all your trick shots (ask your DM which skill it would be: performance (cha), or acrobatics (dex)). With reliable talent at level 11 you are guaranteed a roll of at LEAST 18 on this skill (with a skill bonus of ZERO, and what rogue has a 10 in Dex?). Go the assassin route and you'll still be plenty roguish and awesome when dealing damage as well. This means you'll be deadly with a dagger when hidden, and damned impressive with them when in the open. Take the Entertainer background and shoot that charisma high as well.
If it were me, I'd either go Rogue or Monk. Then I would also take the Sharpshooter feat, it says "ranged weapon", not "bow". Multi-classing between the two could be awesome at epic levels, but I think the options would be better when focused on individually.
it could be worse, you could be on fire.
Just remember once you throw your daggers they are gone until you can retrieve them. So while it sounds cool to be able to stay in the back and toss your daggers all day long, you have to have a lot of daggers, especially if you are make two attacks each round. Also pulling the daggers out may become an issue depending on your dm.
The Druid's Hunter path with Volley at 11th level could be an interesting combination if you manage to work out the ammunition issue. Also the ability to cast spells.
If spells aren't your thing then Fighter might be a better option. As mentioned Monk is probably an awesome way to go.
Thanks everyone for the advice, these are great!
@FuzzyCheese, the monk does sound very appealing. I think I'll have to incorporate that into my build. Maybe Way of the Shadow to create a Shadow Dancer type character?!
@NightsLastHero, my ideo is to have this guy loaded with knives. He wouldn't always be throwing his knives, but they're his preferred ranged weapons.
I feel like some combination of Monk and Fighter might be the best. I'd lose Sneak Attack dice, but the maneuvers and damage increase on the daggers would be worth it.
in that case make sure you decide whether you want your damage dice increase for the daggers more, or the combat superiority dice more. I think if you try to go evenly with the leveling you will be left behind by the rest of your party.
it could be worse, you could be on fire.
I like the Monk/Fighter combination for this character as well, especially because Monks get Deflect Missiles at third level, which lends itself to a knife juggling archetype, and Battle Master maneuvers seem like a good game incarnation of trick shots.
I agree, I've been working on some builds for awhile now. I've played with the idea of adding Warlock, Pact of the Blade, to always have a Dagger in hand. Eldritch Knight gets similar, but I like the maneuvers.
I'm trying to consider a feat variant for daggers since none exist for it as a weapon group. Here is a proposed feat with options to discuss.
Knife Fighter
You master fighting with two daggers
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I created a rogue subclass based on the 4e daggermaster paragon path. If you aren't against semi-homebrew, it might be what you're looking for:
You and your dagger become one as you master the intricacies of battling with the blade. You are a master of the dagger, able to employ your weapon in ways that no lesser rogue can match.
Dagger Action
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you use your reaction to reroll one damage roll made using a dagger.
Critical Opportunity
Starting at 3rd level, your first attack deals a critical wound, so you follow the attack with another strike. After scoring a critical hit with a dagger, you can spend your bonus action to make three thrown dagger attacks against the same creature, adding your Dexterity modifier damage to the total damage, instead of adding it to each attack.
Dagger Precision
Starting at 9th level, your daily training has paid off for your accuracy. You now can score critical hits with daggers on a roll of 18-20.
Meditation of the Blade
At 13th level, with a moment of concentration, you focus your will into the point of your blade. As a bonus action, you can make all of your dagger's damage die become d8 for one minute.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Deep Dagger Wound
Starting at 17th level, you're able to spring forward, plunging your dagger deep into your foe, burying it into his body. After you hit with a dagger attack, the target makes a Constitution saving throw (DC Save: 8 + your proficiency bonus + the highest number of your dagger's damage die). On a fail, you roll 3dX (X is equal to your current dagger's damage die) + your Dexterity modifier. At the beginning of each turn, the target takes 2d10 piercing damage. At the end of their turn they can repeat the saving throw to end the effect. If they are successful on the saving throw, they take 1d10 piercing damage at the beginning of their next turn.
If you use this feature after making a critical hit with a dagger attack, the target makes a Constitution saving throw (DC Save: 10 + your proficiency bonus + the highest number of your dagger's damage die). On a fail, you roll 6dX (X is equal to your current dagger's damage die) + your Dexterity modifier. At the beginning of each turn, the target takes 3d10 piercing damage. At the end of their turn they can repeat the saving throw to end the effect. If they are successful on the saving throw, they take 1d10 piercing damage at the beginning of their next turn.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until after a long rest.
Published Subclasses
I previously did a bunch of research on a similar build and scoured the Web for dagger and thrown mastery feats. There usually is some crossover between the skills, but here's some of what I found:
Thrown Arms Master (Matt Mercer, Taldore Campaign feats)
You’ve honed your ability to lob weaponry into the fray, including weapons not meant for ranged combat. You gain the following benefits:
Knife Master (Wardrow's Feat Compendium)
You only need the smallest of blades to deal crippling wounds, and you are skilled at making sudden rapid strikes when an opportunity is presented. You gain the following:
Snickersnee
Your dedication to the small blade grants you a mastery of the dagger in melee that is unequaled.
Throwing Weapons Master
When enemies close in around you, you become a deadly fusillade of steel. Your hands are little more than a blur of silver as your enemies fall to the ground, the hilts of your weapons sprouting from their bodies.
Deadeye
Knives, darts, and javelins are playtoys to you, and you make it apparent with your mind boggling well use of them.
Stinger
You become a master of thrown weapons with the light or finesse properties.
Keeping all the above homebrew feat ideas in mind, and after reviewing the official Weapon Feats released by Wizard of the Coast's Unearthed Arcana in June of 2016, I would probably allow my players to use something like the Dagger Mastery feat below. To give a solid balance reference, I listed the WotC Spear Mastery afterward.
Dagger Mastery
Though the dagger is a simple weapon to learn, it rewards you for the time you have taken to master it. You gain the following benefits.
Spear Mastery
Wizards of the Coast Unearthed Arcana 6 June 2016
Though the spear is a simple weapon to learn, it rewards you for the time you have taken to master it. You gain the following benefits.
Additional Thoughts & Explanations
Your knife fighter feat is overpowered. I might allow it anyway since daggermasters are awesome. I had a really fun one in 4e.
In 5e I'd go with a shadow monk and a couple levels of warlock. Then you can cast darkness on yourself (or on an item your imp carries around) and be the knife in the dark.
Beside the myriad of possible feats you can choose, there are quite a few classes that support Dagger builds nicely. Here are some interesting options I would consider: