Nova Archer Build

[oncnawan]

I'm building a new character, an archer, designed for long range sniping and some nova blasty goodness. Build is as follows;

1 Fighter (for archery fighting style)
2-6 Bladelock (Archfey Patron for Moonbow)
7-20 Wu Jen Mystic (eventually 7d10 damage once per turn with the bow, and converting psi points to spell slots for Moonbow)

My DM runs very high mortality games. He likes characters to die an heroic death. I like my characters to not die. So, I'm looking for some survivability. My Wu Jen wizard spells will be find familiar, shield, and [to be determined].

I don't know what warlock spells to take. I was thinking of taking the following invocations: moonbow, agonizing blast, eldritch spear. I am open to alternatives to the two invocations that boost eldritch blast, though, as I would prefer to be using my bow.

Mystic disciplines would be:
Bestial Form (flying without concentration)
Mantle of Command (super powerful stuff)
Mastery of Air (escape artist stuff)
Mastery of Force (mage armor 2.0)
Nomadic Mind (incredibly useful)
Nomadic Arrow (snipey stuff)
Psionic Restoration (too good to pass up, also, party has no healer)

Advice welcome!

EDIT: third wizard spell is now undetermined

[Arcangel4774]

Go with improved pact weapon ( +1 weapon) and thirsting blade (2nd attack) for your bow. Unless you get a second attack in the attack action from your mystic somehow.

[oncnawan]

Go with improved pact weapon ( +1 weapon) and thirsting blade (2nd attack) for your bow. Unless you get a second attack in the attack action from your mystic somehow.

I totally forgot that I have to take the invocation for the extra attack. Thanks. I am going to forego the improved pact weapon and try to acquire a magic bow. But thirsting blade, yup. Thanks again.

[Biggstick]

Is it Point Buy? What race are you planning on going? Depending on stat generation method, and assuming it's Point Buy, you won't have 20 Dexterity + Sharpshooter until PC level 10 (if Human variant) or PC level 14 (any race that isn't Human).

[Arcangel4774]

I totally forgot that I have to take the invocation for the extra attack. Thanks. I am going to forego the improved pact weapon and try to acquire a magic bow. But thirsting blade, yup. Thanks again.

A magic bow will disqualify the perks of moonbow, unless you have some houseruling in your favor.

[joaber]

A magic bow will disqualify the perks of moonbow, unless you have some houseruling in your favor.

Why disqualify?

pact of the blade let you:
create a melee weapon (with moonbow, you can create a longbow too).
-bond a magic weapon (not artifact or sentient) as your pact weapon. This can be any weapon (but you don't receive proficiency, if you don't have), including magic longbow

Close Quarters Shooter, instead of archery could be an option. You lose 1 to hit, but don't have desadvantage at 5ft, low range benefits agaist cover and work with eldritch blast too (but why

I would grab counterspell (or dispel magic), since none mystic discipline can do this.

mastery of shadows with darkness +devil's sight for 1 PP and no concentration looks to good to pass out for an archer.
Thisting blade how they said is a must have.

[Arcangel4774]

pact of the blade let you:
create a melee weapon (with moonbow, you can create a longbow too).
-bond a magic weapon (not artifact or sentient) as your pact weapon. This can be any weapon (but you don't receive proficiency, if you don't have), including magic longbow


This is why. You are either bonding a weapon or creating one. The magic longbow he hopes to find is not the moonbow.

[oncnawan]

Archangel, I see your point. The language is somewhat imprecise. However, under the pact of the blade, it does not specify melee weapon for the weapon bonding process and, once bonded, "it appears whenever you
create your pact weapon thereafter.". Using the word "create" seems to allow a bonded magic weapon to serve as a moon bow.

Also, we rolled for stats. I will be playing a high elf with Dex of 18 after racial mods.

I'll skip close quarters fighter. I shouldn't be in closer combat, and if I am, Nomadic Arrow can take care of that.

I will take Moon Bow, one with shadows, and thirsting blade. Suggestions for the three wizard spells from Wu Jen?

[Sir cryosin]

I'm building a new character, an archer, designed for long range sniping and some nova blasty goodness. Build is as follows;

1 Fighter (for archery fighting style)
2-6 Bladelock (Archfey Patron for Moonbow)
7-20 Wu Jen Mystic (eventually 7d10 damage once per turn with the bow, and converting psi points to spell slots for Moonbow)

My DM runs very high mortality games. He likes characters to die an heroic death. I like my characters to not die. So, I'm looking for some survivability. My Wu Jen wizard spells will be find familiar, shield, and [to be determined].

I don't know what warlock spells to take. I was thinking of taking the following invocations: moonbow, agonizing blast, eldritch spear. I am open to alternatives to the two invocations that boost eldritch blast, though, as I would prefer to be using my bow.

Mystic disciplines would be:
Bestial Form (flying without concentration)
Mantle of Command (super powerful stuff)
Mastery of Air (escape artist stuff)
Mastery of Force (mage armor 2.0)
Nomadic Mind (incredibly useful)
Nomadic Arrow (snipey stuff)
Psionic Restoration (too good to pass up, also, party has no healer)

Advice welcome!

EDIT: third wizard spell is now undetermined

Ok so race is the tiefling variant so you have wings
You will also have bumps to Dex and int.
Drop the level of fighter you don't need it.
Go 5 levels into fey warlock pick the extra attack, moonbow, and +1 to blade pack weapon (you can't use a magic bow and the moonbow toghter. They are two different weapons) cantrips what ever strikes your fancy. Spell I would grab the new healing elixir and hex then what ever else you want. Now rest is going into Wu Jen mystic. Find familiar, haste, counter spell.
Disciplines
Mastery of force
Nomatic arrow
Psiconic weapon you can have +3, turn it into psychic damage, higher damage dice, no need for attack roll and all way doing at lest half damage.
Nomadic step
Mastery of air
Nomadic mind
Psiconic restoration
Celerity
Iron durability

[Arcangel4774]

Using the word "create" seems to allow a bonded magic weapon to serve as a moon bow.

As the addage goes, check with your dm lol

[oncnawan]

Ok so race is the tiefling variant so you have wings
You will also have bumps to Dex and int.
Drop the level of fighter you don't need it.
Go 5 levels into fey warlock pick the extra attack, moonbow, and +1 to blade pack weapon (you can't use a magic bow and the moonbow toghter. They are two different weapons) cantrips what ever strikes your fancy. Spell I would grab the new healing elixir and hex then what ever else you want. Now rest is going into Wu Jen mystic. Find familiar, haste, counter spell.
Disciplines
Mastery of force
Nomatic arrow
Psiconic weapon you can have +3, turn it into psychic damage, higher damage dice, no need for attack roll and all way doing at lest half damage.
Nomadic step
Mastery of air
Nomadic mind
Psiconic restoration
Celerity
Iron durability

Thanks! This is great stuff! I will approach my DM about the magic weapon and moon bow issue. After another careful reading of the texts of the two sections, I still believe you can do both. The critical language is that you CREATE your pact weapon whenever you want to use it. Moon bow allows you to create a longbow, instead of a melee weapon. That does not conflict with the option to bond with a magic weapon, which you then CREATE using the pact weapon feature.

Someone with a Twitter account, please ask Crawford for clarity. Thanks.

[joaber]

This is why. You are either bonding a weapon or creating one. The magic longbow he hopes to find is not the moonbow.

I understand you point of view now, I just see different.
How I read, moonbow is the name of the evocation, not necessarily a separately weapon. Don't say "you create the Moonbow, a longbow that...", just say "you can create a longbow", and you can create a magic longbow that few meets the moonbow requisite to be a "longbow", so they aren't mutually excludent.

You're right about "ask to your DM" part, lol.

But you definitely can't use magic arrows with moonbow.

[Talionis]

Warlock spell take Mirror Image for defense. You are ranged so Armor of Agathys isn't much help, but Mirror Image doesn't require concentration and you should be able to cast it out of your Warlock slot.

[oncnawan]

Mirror image is definitely on the list. Amazing defensive option.

[oncnawan]

I think you summarized my position will on the moon bow question. Here is a little more clarification. The moon bow invocation does exactly three things: 1) allows you to have a longbow as your pact weapon; 2) creates an arrow whenever you draw the string (avoiding ammunition issues, but disallowing magic arrows); and, 3) allows you to use an improved version of divine smite. Nothing in the text prevents you from bonding a magic bow as your pact weapon. Nothing in the text references a special Moon Bow that is created by your magic weapon. RAW, moon bow plus magic weapon is good to go. And I don't see a contradictory RAI, either.

I understand the advice to ask the DM, but there isn't even a rules question here.

[Biggstick]

I think you summarized my position will on the moon bow question. Here is a little more clarification. The moon bow invocation does exactly three things: 1) allows you to have a longbow as your pact weapon; 2) creates an arrow whenever you draw the string (avoiding ammunition issues, but disallowing magic arrows); and, 3) allows you to use an improved version of divine smite. Nothing in the text prevents you from bonding a magic bow as your pact weapon. Nothing in the text references a special Moon Bow that is created by your magic weapon. RAW, moon bow plus magic weapon is good to go. And I don't see a contradictory RAI, either.

I understand the advice to ask the DM, but there isn't even a rules question here.

I mean, in all honesty, you could ask another player with the spell Magic Weapon to cast it on a Bow. The spell lasts for an hour, and it takes an hour to bond with a magic weapon. Without even all these shenanigans, you only need a class with access to 2nd level spells and the Magic Weapon spell on their spell list.

[oncnawan]

I think you summarized my position will on the moon bow question. Here is a little more clarification. The moon bow invocation does exactly three things: 1) allows you to have a longbow as your pact weapon; 2) creates an arrow whenever you draw the string (avoiding ammunition issues, but disallowing magic arrows); and, 3) allows you to use an improved version of divine smite. Nothing in the text prevents you from bonding a magic bow as your pact weapon. Nothing in the text references a special Moon Bow that is created by your magic weapon. RAW, moon bow plus magic weapon is good to go. And I don't see a contradictory RAI, either.

I understand the advice to ask the DM, but I don't see a rules question here.

[Corginin]

I was looking at doing a very similar build myself for an upcoming character, and I didn't even think about mystic. My plan was going Warlock 5 and Bard/Sorc from there.

[Maxilian]

Isn't the lack of Extra Attack a problem?

I think a nice option to go Hexblade (at least 2 lvls for the EB Invocations) and instead of using a bow use a Handaxe. you can use a Thrown weapon for the Faithful Archer thing, and Hexblade will make your weapon attack based on CHA, just like your EB, making you less MAD.

Also have in mind that with 6 lvl Warlock you won't have many spell slot to actually use the Moonbow effect most of the time, and with the quantity of attacks you make, it would be better to just use Hex (unless the dices are not in your side and you miss most of your attacks).

If you want, you could go 7 lvl Eldritch Knight, so you can use EB as a bonus action and then throw your weapon as part of your action.

So... basically 2 Warlock, 7 EK, rest Mystic.

Note: It may brake a little the concept you are going with.

[Sir cryosin]

I was looking at doing a very similar build myself for an upcoming character, and I didn't even think about mystic. My plan was going Warlock 5 and Bard/Sorc from there.

I'm loving playing my mystic. And the build I provided above is one way to do this but. If I was to build this character I would go warlock 3 bladesinger 17 you get great AC and damage reduceing abilitys. Many spell slots, extra attack. Spells like haste, shield, simulacrum copy with everything you can do. Any many more.

[Corginin]

I'm loving playing my mystic. And the build I provided above is one way to do this but. If I was to build this character I would go warlock 3 bladesinger 17 you get great AC and damage reduceing abilitys. Many spell slots, extra attack. Spells like haste, shield, simulacrum copy with everything you can do. Any many more.

Doesn't Bladesong specify that it ends early if you use two hands to make a weapon attack?

[Zman]

I think you should dip Fighter to 2, or honestly even 3. Fighter 2 gives you action surge which for Novaing is beyond compare. Fighter 3 gives you either Crits on 19s which is solid in its own right, or for Battlemaster it is giving you Precision which can virtually guarentee hits, expecially if you are picking up Sharpshooter too.

[joaber]

Doesn't Bladesong specify that it ends early if you use two hands to make a weapon attack?
Yes it does. Would work with hand crossbow, but not with longbow for the moonbow.


I think you should dip Fighter to 2, or honestly even 3. Fighter 2 gives you action surge which for Novaing is beyond compare. Fighter 3 gives you either Crits on 19s which is solid in its own right, or for Battlemaster it is giving you Precision which can virtually guarentee hits, expecially if you are picking up Sharpshooter too.

Arcane archer is nice too if you can nova like moonbow or assassinate. 30ft line attack +2d6 would be really nice if you have enought mobility to hit at leadt teo targets. Sad is just 2 uses/short rest.

[oncnawan]

Arcane archer is nice too if you can nova like moonbow or assassinate. 30ft line attack +2d6 would be really nice if you have enought mobility to hit at leadt teo targets. Sad is just 2 uses/short rest.

I looked at the arcane archer, but it is limited to 2d6 and only twice per short rest, with precious little outside of that. It would possibly make more sense on a straight fighter build, given the fighters other stuff.

[joaber]

I looked at the arcane archer, but it is limited to 2d6 and only twice per short rest, with precious little outside of that. It would possibly make more sense on a straight fighter build, given the fighters other stuff.

Yeah, only would worth if you could abuse the 30ft line effect in some nova, with moonbow or/and assassinate.

Nova 2 or 3 enemies for the cost of 1 is great. Vut really situational.

[oncnawan]

Yeah, only would worth if you could abuse the 30ft line effect in some nova, with moonbow or/and assassinate.

Nova 2 or 3 enemies for the cost of 1 is great. Vut really situational.

That would be workable, if you only had to make one attack roll against all enemies hit, allowing you to smite them all. Because Piercing Arrow requires separate attack rolls, you can nova against them all, but at great resource cost. The increase in damage dice and in uses per short rest are tied to level, so any sort of multiclass option is subpar. It still stings that the Arcane Archer gets nothing more than the arcane shot options. Mystic gets some sweet nova goodness, and tons of utility. So sad. It could have been great.

[joaber]

That would be workable, if you only had to make one attack roll against all enemies hit, allowing you to smite them all. Because Piercing Arrow requires separate attack rolls, you can nova against them all, but at great resource cost. The increase in damage dice and in uses per short rest are tied to level, so any sort of multiclass option is subpar. It still stings that the Arcane Archer gets nothing more than the arcane shot options. Mystic gets some sweet nova goodness, and tons of utility. So sad. It could have been great.

True, I forgot about the different rolls.
New elf/high elf feat to roll 3 dice with advantage +1 dex looks the new must have for archer.

[Talionis]

Would going Lore Bard six grab any worthwhile Ranger spells?

[joaber]

Would going Lore Bard six grab any worthwhile Ranger spells?

best ranger spell is lvl 5, but you don't really need it as an archer.

I was really thinking about this new elf feature, 3 d20 with advantage is amazing. Ideas:

champion 3 (archery, action surge and crit with 19)
archefey warlock 5 (extra attack, moon bow and spell slots lvl 3)
wu jen rest (darkness for 1 pp without concentration, reroll if miss for 2 pp, wu jen for spell slots and haste, etc, etc, etc).
Each turn you have more than 30% of crit chance, one crit means +20d8. You don't even need to bump dex at 20 when you roll 3 d20 to attack.

rogue 2 would be nice too, for expertise and cunning action. Well, assassinate is nice, but with more than 30% of crit per turn, you really don't need that.

make archefey 3 and old favored soul 6 could be great at high levels (probably trickery domain for pass without trace), do 3 weapon attacks and quick eldritch blast for more 4. But this only shine at really high level.

beast master 3 could be great too, extra fighting style (close quarter shooter), constritor snake for one restrainned enemy (great when you're fighting some one with truesight, blindsight, devil's sight or so). But with Wu Jen and Warlock, this is total MAD. Only work with roll stats and luck. Underdark Scout is great for mystic darkness too.

So many good options, is hard to choose.