I was looking for a build that felt like being Zorro or Inigo Montoya, then I decided to test a Swashbuckler/Fighter multiclass. I created a V Human with magic initiate in order to get Booming Blade (Half Elf was probably the optimal choice, but I liked the idea of having more spells and a extra skill for out-of-combat utility).
Then a I decided to do the math and, oh boy, the numbers are HUGE! It can get to an average damage of 129.78 per turn at lvl 20 (it drops to 106.62 when we consider enemies average AC). On top of that it can use Second Wind, Action Surge (basically a second chance to hit a Sneaky Attack that you missed) and reaches 20 AC (studded leather + shield + defensive fight style). Rakish Audacity combined with Feinting Attack means that you will use yout Sneak Attack in 9/10 times you attack.
The best of it is that the build gets online at lvl 2 and is really fun to play with. Riposte and Feinting Attack are highly thematic and having a shield means that you are a swashbuckler that actually uses a buckler 😌. Beyond damage you still have all rogue out-of-combat shenanigans and a high survivability with 20 AC, Second Wind, Fancy Footwork, Uncanny Dodge and Evasion (you can even have the Shield spell with you are V. Human with Magic Initiate).
- Cantrip: You can get access to Blooming Blade through High Elf's cantrip (Half Elf) or Magic Initiate feat (V. Human, you can also get Green Flame Blade if you want to).
- Equipment: Rapier and shield.
- Fighting Style: Defensive (Duelist would be a waste without the extra attacks that fighters have, Defensive also works great with Riposte).
- Battle Manouvers: Riposte and Feinting Attack are the best ones. Precision Strike is a good option but it is inferior to Feinting Attack since F.A. also increases your chances do deal a critical hit, wich is means a lot when you are playing a rogue. Besides that, Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork will make you much less dependant from bonus actions than other rogues. If you have a Wolf Totem Barbarian in your group, then Precision Strike is a better option.
To calculate the gross average damage, I considered advantage and critical hits but I did not considered enemies AC. To calculate the expected average damage I used the AC sugestions in DMG, pag. 274 (CR 5 - 15 AC, CR 11 - 17 AC, CR 17/20 - 19 AC). Captions: WD (weapon damage), AM (ability modifier), SA (sneaky attack), BB (booming blade), FA (feinting attack), RI (riposte), BB-SD (booming blade secondary damage), AC (armor class), G.A.D. (gross average damage), E.A.D. (expected average damage).
Level 11 (Rogue 8/Fighter 3) - Dex +5 WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 4d6 / BB 2d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 3d8 / RI 1d8 G.A.D. - 40.21 (BB-SE +13.5 / RI + 29.5). Total: 83.21 E.A.D. (AC 17) - 35.58 (BB-SE +13.5 / RI + 19.35). Total: 68.43
Level 17 (Rogue 14/Fighter 3) - Dex +5 WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 7d6 / BB 3d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 4d8 / RI 1d8 G.A.D. - 56.58 (BB-SE +18 / RI +40.17). Total: 114.75 E.A.D. (AC 19) - 50.21(BB-SE +18 / RI 26.70). Total: 94.91
Level 20 (Rogue 17/Fighter 3) - Dex +5 WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 9d6 / BB 3d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 4d8 / RI 1d8 G.A.D. - 64.26 (BB-SE +18 / RI +47.52). Total: 129.78 E.A.D. (AC 19) - 57.03 (BB-SE +18 / RI +31.59). Total: 106.62
Please tell me your thoughts about the build and correct me if I made any mistake. I will post in a comment all formulas I used so you can check the math if you want to.
I don't think this would work with Riposte, since Riposte says "you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to make a melee weapon attack against the creature." Not 'cast a spell,' which is what Booming Blade is. If you had War Caster that would let you cast a spell as an attack of opportunity, but that's a. a different trigger than Riposte and b. doesn't let you add a superiority die.
I am not using Booming Blade with Riposte. At lvl 20, for example, it's 1d8 (rapier) + 1d8 (riposte) + 9d6 (sneak attack) + 5 (ability modifier) = 47.52 average damage.
I am only calculating Booming Blade damage on the attack action.
At 20 Green-Flame Blade is a better choice. On a crit, it is 6d8 damage added to the attack and you can't count on the secondary damage occurring from Booming Blade. This assumes your enemy moves just so you can do more damage to it.
If you could assume that you might as well just assume your opponent willing walks into a Sphere of Annihilation every turn.
Battle Master seems like a sub-par choice. You only get 3d8 superiority dice at level 3 fighter/battle master. So you can Riposte only 3 times before that option for this build is done. Very limited resource with not much oomph behind it except in nova cases.
Eldritch Knight would give you more cantrips for versatility. Champion more crits, not flashy but never a bad thing. Cavalier with Mark can get you a bonus action attack from time to time. More tries to land that Sneak Attack.
Overall I am not impressed. Riposte is dependent on them missing you with a melee attack and Booming Blade is dependent on your enemy choosing to move.
If you want high damage as a rogue just stick to rogue. One of the best tried and true methods is to have a teammate be a battle master fighter. They use Commanders Strike using up a superiority dice, 1 of their attacks, and a bonus action. The rogue gets to attack outside of their turn and get sneak attack and if you are level 20 then the superiority dice is a d12 added to the sneak attack and the fighter still gets 3 other attacks to wail on other stuff or the same target.
All in all, this just seems like a slightly spread out nova build. The first 3 rounds of damage are high (under just-right conditions) then it drops.
Battle Master seems like a sub-par choice. You only get 3d8 superiority dice at level 3 fighter/battle master. So you can Riposte only 3 times before that option for this build is done. Very limited resource with not much oomph behind it except in nova cases.
Sorry. Correction is 4 superiority dice so 4d8 or 4 times for Riposte if they miss you with a melee attack.
Booming blade had somatic component…. You can not use it with shield in second hand.
Actually, the rules state that if a spell includes both a somatic and material component, you can perform the somatic component with the same hand that is handling the material component. Since the material component is the sword itself, it's perfectly legal to cast booming blade while your free hand holds a shield.
As a swashbuckler you will get booming blade reliably, as a swashbuckler will move away without AoO after the attack. So if he wants you he has to move
imo Brace and Trip are the best battle master options to use with this combo. Goading attacking can be great as your other fighters will do better and also get AoO if the enemy tries to come to you.
with swashbucklers ability to move away without AoO he’s going to get a reaction brace often
May need at caster feat to cast booming blade with shield in off hand.
Actually, since the material component for Booming Blade is the weapon used to make the attack, you can do the somatic component of the spell with that same hand, since you can do somatic and material components with the same hand for spellcasting.
Helo everyone!
I was looking for a build that felt like being Zorro or Inigo Montoya, then I decided to test a Swashbuckler/Fighter multiclass. I created a V Human with magic initiate in order to get Booming Blade (Half Elf was probably the optimal choice, but I liked the idea of having more spells and a extra skill for out-of-combat utility).
Then a I decided to do the math and, oh boy, the numbers are HUGE! It can get to an average damage of 129.78 per turn at lvl 20 (it drops to 106.62 when we consider enemies average AC). On top of that it can use Second Wind, Action Surge (basically a second chance to hit a Sneaky Attack that you missed) and reaches 20 AC (studded leather + shield + defensive fight style). Rakish Audacity combined with Feinting Attack means that you will use yout Sneak Attack in 9/10 times you attack.
The best of it is that the build gets online at lvl 2 and is really fun to play with. Riposte and Feinting Attack are highly thematic and having a shield means that you are a swashbuckler that actually uses a buckler 😌. Beyond damage you still have all rogue out-of-combat shenanigans and a high survivability with 20 AC, Second Wind, Fancy Footwork, Uncanny Dodge and Evasion (you can even have the Shield spell with you are V. Human with Magic Initiate).
That said, the build:
- Race: Half Elf or Variant Human.
- Hero's Journey: Rogue 1, Fighter 1, Rogue 4 (Swashbuckler), Fighter 3 (Battlemaster), Rogue X.
- Cantrip: You can get access to Blooming Blade through High Elf's cantrip (Half Elf) or Magic Initiate feat (V. Human, you can also get Green Flame Blade if you want to).
- Equipment: Rapier and shield.
- Fighting Style: Defensive (Duelist would be a waste without the extra attacks that fighters have, Defensive also works great with Riposte).
- Battle Manouvers: Riposte and Feinting Attack are the best ones. Precision Strike is a good option but it is inferior to Feinting Attack since F.A. also increases your chances do deal a critical hit, wich is means a lot when you are playing a rogue. Besides that, Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork will make you much less dependant from bonus actions than other rogues. If you have a Wolf Totem Barbarian in your group, then Precision Strike is a better option.
To calculate the gross average damage, I considered advantage and critical hits but I did not considered enemies AC. To calculate the expected average damage I used the AC sugestions in DMG, pag. 274 (CR 5 - 15 AC, CR 11 - 17 AC, CR 17/20 - 19 AC).
Captions: WD (weapon damage), AM (ability modifier), SA (sneaky attack), BB (booming blade), FA (feinting attack), RI (riposte), BB-SD (booming blade secondary damage), AC (armor class), G.A.D. (gross average damage), E.A.D. (expected average damage).
Level 5 (Rogue 4/Fighter 1) - Dex +3
WD 1d8 / AM +3 / SA 2d6 / BB 1d8 / BB-SD 2d8
G.A.D. - 20.8 (BB-SE +13.5). Total: 33.5
E.A.D. (AC 15) - 13.8 (BB-SE +13.5). Total: 27.3
Level 11 (Rogue 8/Fighter 3) - Dex +5
WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 4d6 / BB 2d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 3d8 / RI 1d8
G.A.D. - 40.21 (BB-SE +13.5 / RI + 29.5). Total: 83.21
E.A.D. (AC 17) - 35.58 (BB-SE +13.5 / RI + 19.35). Total: 68.43
Level 17 (Rogue 14/Fighter 3) - Dex +5
WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 7d6 / BB 3d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 4d8 / RI 1d8
G.A.D. - 56.58 (BB-SE +18 / RI +40.17). Total: 114.75
E.A.D. (AC 19) - 50.21(BB-SE +18 / RI 26.70). Total: 94.91
Level 20 (Rogue 17/Fighter 3) - Dex +5
WD 1d8 / AM +5 / SA 9d6 / BB 3d8 / FA 1d8 / BB-SD 4d8 / RI 1d8
G.A.D. - 64.26 (BB-SE +18 / RI +47.52). Total: 129.78
E.A.D. (AC 19) - 57.03 (BB-SE +18 / RI +31.59). Total: 106.62
Please tell me your thoughts about the build and correct me if I made any mistake. I will post in a comment all formulas I used so you can check the math if you want to.
Here are the formulas I used to calculate the damage, this way you can check the math you want to. I used the site dice.clockworkmod.
Lvl 5 G.A.D.
(d20 + 7 ac 0) * (2d8 + 2d6 + 4) crit (4d8 + 4d6 +4)
Lvl 5 E.A.D.
(d20 + 7 ac 15) * (2d8 + 2d6 + 4) crit (4d8 + 4d6 +4)
Lvl 5 BB-SD
2d8
Lvl 11 G.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 9 ac 0) * (4d8 + 4d6 + 5) crit (8d8 + 8d6 + 5)
Lvl 11 E.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 9 ac 17) * (4d8 + 4d6 + 5) crit (8d8 + 8d6 + 5)
Lvl 11 BB-SD
3d8
Lvl 11 RI/G.A.D.
(d20 + 9 ac 0) * (2d8 + 4d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 8d6 + 5)
Lvl 11 RI/E.A.D.
(d20 + 9 ac 17) * (2d8 + 4d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 8d6 + 5)
Lvl 17 G.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 11 ac 0) * (5d8 + 7d6 + 5) crit (10d8 + 14d6 + 5)
Lvl 17 E.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 11 ac 19) * (5d8 + 7d6 + 5) crit (10d8 + 14d6 + 5)
Lvl 17 BB-SD
4d8
Lvl 17 RI/G.A.D.
(d20 + 11 ac 0) * (2d8 + 7d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 14d6 + 5)
Lvl 17 RI/E.A.D.
(d20 + 11 ac 19) * (2d8 + 7d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 14d6 + 5)
Lvl 20 G.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 11 ac 0) * (5d8 + 9d6 + 5) crit (10d8 + 18d6 + 5)
Lvl 20 E.A.D.
(d20 > d20 + 11 ac 19) * (5d8 + 9d6 + 5) crit (10d8 + 18d6 + 5)
Lvl 20 BB-SD
4d8
Lvl 20 RI/G.A.D.
(d20 + 11 ac 0) * (2d8 + 9d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 18d6 + 5)
Lvl 20 RI/G.A.D.
(d20 + 11 ac 19) * (2d8 + 9d6 + 5) crit (4d8 + 18d6 + 5)
I don't think this would work with Riposte, since Riposte says "you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to make a melee weapon attack against the creature." Not 'cast a spell,' which is what Booming Blade is. If you had War Caster that would let you cast a spell as an attack of opportunity, but that's a. a different trigger than Riposte and b. doesn't let you add a superiority die.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
I am not using Booming Blade with Riposte. At lvl 20, for example, it's 1d8 (rapier) + 1d8 (riposte) + 9d6 (sneak attack) + 5 (ability modifier) = 47.52 average damage.
I am only calculating Booming Blade damage on the attack action.
OK, I couldn't tell that from the wall of abbreviations.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
At 20 Green-Flame Blade is a better choice. On a crit, it is 6d8 damage added to the attack and you can't count on the secondary damage occurring from Booming Blade. This assumes your enemy moves just so you can do more damage to it.
If you could assume that you might as well just assume your opponent willing walks into a Sphere of Annihilation every turn.
Battle Master seems like a sub-par choice. You only get 3d8 superiority dice at level 3 fighter/battle master. So you can Riposte only 3 times before that option for this build is done. Very limited resource with not much oomph behind it except in nova cases.
Eldritch Knight would give you more cantrips for versatility. Champion more crits, not flashy but never a bad thing. Cavalier with Mark can get you a bonus action attack from time to time. More tries to land that Sneak Attack.
Overall I am not impressed. Riposte is dependent on them missing you with a melee attack and Booming Blade is dependent on your enemy choosing to move.
If you want high damage as a rogue just stick to rogue. One of the best tried and true methods is to have a teammate be a battle master fighter. They use Commanders Strike using up a superiority dice, 1 of their attacks, and a bonus action. The rogue gets to attack outside of their turn and get sneak attack and if you are level 20 then the superiority dice is a d12 added to the sneak attack and the fighter still gets 3 other attacks to wail on other stuff or the same target.
All in all, this just seems like a slightly spread out nova build. The first 3 rounds of damage are high (under just-right conditions) then it drops.
Sorry. Correction is 4 superiority dice so 4d8 or 4 times for Riposte if they miss you with a melee attack.
I run a high half elf swashie/battle master in AL and at times it feels broken. :)
https://ddb.ac/characters/18572383/Sfd4DZ
Booming blade had somatic component…. You can not use it with shield in second hand.
Actually, the rules state that if a spell includes both a somatic and material component, you can perform the somatic component with the same hand that is handling the material component. Since the material component is the sword itself, it's perfectly legal to cast booming blade while your free hand holds a shield.
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As a swashbuckler you will get booming blade reliably, as a swashbuckler will move away without AoO after the attack. So if he wants you he has to move
imo Brace and Trip are the best battle master options to use with this combo. Goading attacking can be great as your other fighters will do better and also get AoO if the enemy tries to come to you.
with swashbucklers ability to move away without AoO he’s going to get a reaction brace often
May need at caster feat to cast booming blade with shield in off hand.
I didn’t see what you did there.
Actually, since the material component for Booming Blade is the weapon used to make the attack, you can do the somatic component of the spell with that same hand, since you can do somatic and material components with the same hand for spellcasting.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium