Swashbuckler/Valor bard build help needed please

[Raven Darkcloud]

Hello I recently posted wanting help for a caster melee type char to play and all the advice was awesome. I am falling in love with the idea of being able to dart into combat do damage disengage buff teammates and cast some cool utility spells. This is going to be a replacement char for a campaign that is already underway the party members are at or around 6th level so I think I will be starting around there. This is what I am currently tinkering around with.
Race: Human (Variant) +1 CHA +1 DEX Classes: Swashbuckler 3/ Valor Bard X Feat: Magic Initiate use it to pick up Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade/ and a first level spell from the class I take the feats from probably Sorc.
I feel like it will be some time before I will be able to boost my stats or get warcaster, will that hinder this build? There was the idea of rolling high elf grab BB cantrip but I personally dislike the high elves. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[AmbientRaven]

My Advice

4 Lore Bard; 3 Swashbuckler; 13 Bard

Human Varient
Feats: Magic Initiate (Boming Blade, Something, Find Familiar: wiz list), Warcaster/Resilience (con)

I recommend lore. Cutting words is very good, extra skills is great. With a familiar (help action for advantage on skill checks) and bard skills youb are askill monkey from hell. Also, booming blade is only 1 attack per turn, that will add sneak. So two attacks from valor is meh. If you miss sneak can always bonus action attack with the offhand weapon to trigger free disengage and sneak damage.

[bid]

If all you want is BB, you could also get half-elf and replace "skill versatility" with "cantrip" from high elf (another SCAG option). That makes it easy to get 8 16 14 10 12 16.

If you go BB, you won't use valor's extra attack and medium armor will be less important as your Dex grows.

Warcaster:
- helps you use BB for AO, but you won't get many since they'd rather attack you than go for another target.
- helps casting. You will always have a free hand since you cannot use shield and BB doesn't work with TWF.
- helps with your concentration roll.
Only one of the 3 points is of any use to you.

[djreynolds]

Everything here jives, Dex and Chr. Cunning action, expertise. But stuff like uncanny dodge and evasion may be too good to pass up. See what spells you want to have, to determine how much bard is worth it. Arcane trickster also get some spells too.

7 levels of rogue will give a lot and 2 more skills expertise, Valor bard will give 2 skills expertise and jack of all trades. 8/12 for ASI/feat bumps. More ASI will make that jack of trades even more useful. Max out dex and chr, +10 initiative.

[Dimolyth]

My Advice

4 Lore Bard; 3 Swashbuckler; 13 Bard

Human Varient
Feats: Magic Initiate (Boming Blade, Something, Find Familiar: wiz list), Warcaster/Resilience (con)

I recommend lore. Cutting words is very good, extra skills is great. With a familiar (help action for advantage on skill checks) and bard skills youb are askill monkey from hell. Also, booming blade is only 1 attack per turn, that will add sneak. So two attacks from valor is meh. If you miss sneak can always bonus action attack with the offhand weapon to trigger free disengage and sneak damage.

I second this, though to precise one detail - you can`t use two weapon fighting bonus attack if you didn`t took Attack Action. That means no off-hand attack after miss with Booming Blade Cantrip.
(I`m playing Dex&Int character Wizard(bladesinger)/Rogue(thief) which has pretty much same combat tactics. Though he is much more "Indiana Jones" than "Zorro" archetype... I even took a level in ranger for Fvored Enemy bonuses)

[KeilFX]

I'm about to start a campaign with a 3rd Level Kenku Swashbuckler (eventually leveling to Swash10 / Valor10. I made a spreadsheet heh), and I think this MC is quite strong in terms of skill proficiencies and action economy.

By Swash4 Bard 1 you'll have Cunning action, a feat (id recommend Sentinel for sweet AO with Sneak Attack thanks to Rakish Audacity), lvl1 spells (Healing Word / Feather Fall?), and Bardic Inspiration -- and it truly only goes up from there!

Yes, doing an even split of Rogue / Bard dilutes each classes resources (Sneak attack / Insp. / Spell slots), but I would argue that the Extra Attack gives you better overall damage from Sneak Attack (two chances to hit for 5d6 seems better than 1 chance to hit for 10d6).

And although Lore Bard would also be an excellent choice, I'd say it's a toss-up as to what's more important to you; surviving combat, or having Skill / Casting versatility? As a Rogue I feel that the Medium armor and Extra attack to be more synergistic to what a Swashbuckler is doing. Lore Bard might be better suited to the Arcane Trickster subclass (though by no means is it a bad MC for Swash)

[CTurbo]

EDIT: oops I didn't realize this had been necro-ed sorry