Making a fool.

[Chronos Flame]

So I've had an idea floating around in my head of a fool, Shakespeare style. Now sure, I could go bard pretty much straight but what if I wanted a bit more of a mundane style character that can fit the role very well but still be worthwhile in combat?

So what I am looking at is Rogue(Thief)/Monk(OpenHand). What I'm not sure about is how much to take of each. I like to plan for ~lvl10, ~lvl14 and though games rarely actually reach it lvl20. My initial thought is Rogue3/Monk7 (for the first ten levels). The bummer is that it hits some of the sweet stuff I'd want. Expertise for perform/acrobatics. The lvl3 thief ability. Evasion. It is also a level short of two ASIs though. The opposite level split also gets the very good and thematic uncanny dodge, but at the cost of punching arrows out of the air and stunning strike.

Anybody have thoughts on what a good Rogue/Monk multiclass breakdown would be?

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Well, you might want to look at the College of Satire from this (http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/04_UA_Classics_Revisited.pdf) Unearthed Arcana.

[Chronos Flame]

Wow... am I missing something or is tumble way too good? I mean... it's cunning action (doubled) as well as the lvl 3 thief ability.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Wow... am I missing something or is tumble way too good? I mean... it's cunning action (doubled) as well as the lvl 3 thief ability.

It's pretty nice, yeah. I personally think the higher-level abilities are a little weaker than those of the Valour and Lore Bards, however.

[JellyPooga]

If you have SCAG, you might prefer Swashbuckler over Thief; the improved maneuverability and boons from Charisma with Rakish Audacity and Panache fit the "Fool" mould well.

Going for Way of Shadow instead of Open Hand might seem unintuitive, but Shadow Step would be a great model for a Fools ability to always be somewhere unexpected and/or the right place at the right time, not to mention the Stealth enhancing Shadow Arts (Minor Illusion on top is a fitting extra).

If it were me, I'd look at taking Rogue (Swashbuckler) at 1st and up to 4th. Then multiclass to Monk (Way of Shadow) 6 to grab Shadow Step. After that, I'd probably return to Rogue until I got that up to 11th for Reliable Talent and everything in between. After that...I don't really know. Finishing off the last three levels as Rogue would certainly be an option, picking up the Archetype feature for 13th and an extra d6 Sneak Attack seems...a lacklustre end to the build. Perhaps squeezing in 3 levels of Lore Bard for more Expertise and some minor spellcasting could be an option? Final build; Rogue 11/Monk 6/??? 3.

Regardless of build, the biggest problem is going to be MAD; you're looking at Dex, Wis and Cha all being focal stats, with Con coming close behind. With that in mind, I'd go for Half-Elf;

Standard Array
Str: 8
Dex: 15+1=16
Con:13
Int: 10
Wis: 14+1=15
Cha: 12+2=14

OR
27-Point Buy
Str: 8
Dex: 15+1=16
Con: 12
Int: 9
Wis: 15+1=16
Cha: 12+2=14

Look at maxing out Dex primarily, then Wisdom and Charisma. Feats worth considering include Alert, Athlete, Actor (because, you know, Fool), Lucky, Observant (for the lip reading), Resilient (Wis) (because it's always worth considering), and Skulker.

Whether or not you take my build advice above, I'd point out that you probably want to avoid duplicating Evasion. That means whichever Class you choose to focus on, try to avoid more than 6 levels of the other; the 7th level will feel pretty dead. I recommend focusing Rogue, but that's mostly because I like Rogues better than Monks (for no verifiable reason, just preference).

It sounds like a fun character to play. Happy gaming!

[Chronos Flame]

Wow, thanks for the great advice. I may actually get a chance to play the character somewhat soon-ish and I will see if swashbuckler is available. And College of Satire I suppose as well. I do like the idea of using the shadow monk ability as a timing based power. As somebody who loves to refluff things (Heck, I am making a fool) that hadn't even occurred to me.

And as far as level 7 in both classes that doesn't scare me too much. I agree of course, but as games I am in tend to come to a natural close just after the sweetspot mid-levels I don't assume I'd have to deal with that. Though I do think focusing rogue would be a better choice also from mostly personal preference.