Lvl 4 Forest Gnome: Edrich Knight or Arcane Trickster?

[gfishfunk]

Hello.

I'm running a level 4 gnome during an all day one-shot in two weeks. I was looking at Eldrich Knight, Arcane Trickster, or...something.

I envision a ranged bow welder plus caster. PRIMARILY: I want to do battlefield control. I'm not adverse to multi-classing.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[SpawnOfMorbo]

When it comes to battlefield control both of those options are bad. They just don't get enough spells to make it worth it. Especially at such a low level.

Fighter 1/Wiz 3 would work out better as you will have a better selection of spells, archery style, armor (won't need to waste a spot on mage armor), and shields (for when things get scary).

To multiclass fighter you just need a Dex of 13 or higher, I'm sure that won't be a problem (or strength but not sure why you would do that on a gnome).

Other options include cleric but your race isn't optimized for that.

[Arkhios]

I instantly thought of Yoda, and would definitely say Arcane Trickster :D

[PoeticDwarf]

For battlefieldcontrol martial go cleric or maybe ranger. If you want one of those it is just what you like better

[Felvion]

Eldritch Knight is bad if you want battlefield control. He's mostly restricted to evocation and abjuration spells. Also his ranged damage isn't anything special.
Arcane trickster is good. He has nice ranged damage as long as he can sneak attack. The spell restriction is illusion and enchantment which is very good for battlefield control. If you select spell with saves make sure to have at least a 14 on your INT.
You could also go ranger. Of course that extra Int won't help much, it's probaby a dump stat for rangers. On the other hand it's a class that has great ranged combat features early and offers a few good battlefield control options (fog cloud, ensnaring strike and possibly silence if you reach level 5). Also Hunter's mark is a great way to boost your damage if you need to.
In case you want to focus heavier in battlefield control, i'd suggest a straight full caster. Starting the game with level 2 spells could make huge difference. As a gnome, wizard seems the obvious choise but any other full caster (perhaps excluding warlock) would be almost equally effective.
Of course you could possibly multiclass. For example, a rogue1/wizard3 would have level 2 spells from the start, and a bit of occasional (don't take sneak attack for granted) extra ranged damage.

Anyway, maybe i got carried away and all these suggestions were not what you were asking for. If you're dead set on the dilemma "Eldrich Knight or Arcane Trickster", i find the rogue a much more appealing option for dealing ranged damage and controlling the battlefield.
Also, the rogue has a lot of out of combat utility and is better suited for a character that wants to stay back and do his staff. A fighter gives many things you wouldn't be using anyways like heavy armor, shield and martial weapons' proficiency. Action surge and a bigger hit dice are always welcome but would benefit other type of characters more.

[ChubbyRain]

For battlefieldcontrol martial go cleric or maybe ranger. If you want one of those it is just what you like better

Is there a question that "Cleric" can not answer?

[gfishfunk]

I think I'm going to hit the drawing board and see if I can do a rogue 1 / Cleric 3 multiclass, trickster domain. If not, I will pour over the Arcane Trickster path a bit more. I think at level 4 neither EK nor AT really shine yet, and I'm not playing the character past 4.

Thanks for the advice all!

[CaptAl]

For mostly battlefield control and a bow I'd say a BM Fighter single class is pretty strong. Or go Diviner 3/fighter 1 for forcing a failed save on that spell you just can't miss with from portent.

[gfishfunk]

To follow-up:

I'm actually going to go Arcane Trickster Rogue 3 / Fighter 1.
Arcane Trickster spells: color spray / silent illusion / ?????
Fighter: Archery fighting style

My DM rolls on the table and has historically had incredible luck with monster saves, so I'm avoiding that (its all legit, I'm just being paranoid). I might also grab a familiar for flavor, as I am not going to use it to deliver spells via touch attack. 3 levels in rogue is just enough to get a jump to the sneak attack die. I could not think of anything great to do with the ASI, so I just plugged it back into fighter for the +2 archery attack and second wind, which is still pretty useful at that level.

I like the fighter 1 / Wizard (Divine Domain) idea though - so I'm probably going to run the numbers when I get home and see what I think.