Help with a Blood Hunter build

[Silex]

So I am currently running a 3.5 campaign, and one of my players wants to start a 5e game, so that I can play, and not just DM all the time.

I have never played 5e, so I did a bit of research, and really like the Blood Hunter class, created by Matt Mercer.

I decided to play a human (variant), and am looking at building a Dex based Blood Hunter.

So my thought was, in the long run, I would like to build a hand crossbow based Blood Hunter, that dips 3 levels into Rogue for the assassin archetype, and possibly 2 levels into Fighter for action surge.

I wanted to bring this idea to the playgrounders for feedback, thoughts and ideas.

Do you think this build is viable? Thoughts on feats, equipment, etc?

[Ventruenox]

In my experience, the biggest liability for the blood hunter has been durability. Sacrificing 1-2 rite damage die values from your max HP makes you quite the glass cannon. If you can stay ranged, then it looks like that should work. For feats, I would suggest Sharpshooter after getting Archery style from fighter; possibly Skulker to accentuate the Assassin levels. Which Blood Hunter Order would you choose?

I went with a WIS based melee approach, starting one level of Grave Cleric and then Profane Soul Order using a dual rite quarterstaff via Polearm Master and Shillelagh via Magic Initiate. Pop a Hex on the baddie and go to town. Refluffed the pact to have him be possessed by the Voodoo Loa Baron Samedi during combat.

[Silex]

In my experience, the biggest liability for the blood hunter has been durability. Sacrificing 1-2 rite damage die values from your max HP makes you quite the glass cannon. If you can stay ranged, then it looks like that should work. For feats, I would suggest Sharpshooter after getting Archery style from fighter; possibly Skulker to accentuate the Assassin levels. Which Blood Hunter Order would you choose?

I went with a WIS based melee approach, starting one level of Grave Cleric and then Profane Soul Order using a dual rite quarterstaff via Polearm Master and Shillelagh via Magic Initiate. Pop a Hex on the baddie and go to town. Refluffed the pact to have him be possessed by the Voodoo Loa Baron Samedi during combat.

I am having trouble deciding between order of the ghost slayer and order of the Lycan.

As far as levels in fighter, I was thinking I would only take 2 levels to get action surge, not 3, which would mean no fighting style.
But maybe 3 is the way to go.

That would put me at 14 levels of Blood Hunter, 3 levels in Rogue and 3 levels in Fighter, but still not certain that 3rd level in fighter would be worth it.

[GlenSmash!]

Fighters get their Fighting style at 1st level. They get the subclass choice at 3 level.

The big advantage of Lycan is being able to use one crimson rite on both hands/claws. It's pretty solid.

[Silex]

Fighters get their Fighting style at 1st level. They get the subclass choice at 3 level.

The big advantage of Lycan is being able to use one crimson rite on both hands/claws. It's pretty solid.

Ah Lol! For some reason, I was thinking fighter didn't make a fighting style selection until 3rd.

And yeah, I really like order of the Lycan! They seem super cool.

But it is hard to pass up Wis mod to damage from order of the ghost slayer!

I like both orders, so it's a tough choice lol

[GlenSmash!]

Ah Lol! For some reason, I was thinking fighter didn't make a fighting style selection until 3rd.

And yeah, I really like order of the Lycan! They seem super cool.

But it is hard to pass up Wis mod to damage from order of the ghost slayer!

I like both orders, so it's a tough choice lol

It is tough. Do you know what feats you're planning on taking? Ghost Slayers benefit form having a high Wisdom in addition to a high attack stat (strength or Dex, Dex in your case). If you are planning on maxing two scores, you may be limited on how many feats you get. For Lycans it's less of an issue.

[wheelercub]

The Blood Hunter is a really solid class and I'm personally a fan of Crossbow Expert and using dual Hand Crossbows in combat. Here's some things to consider:

General stuff


First, don't bother with Fighter. Action Surge will give you 1 additional action (2 attacks) but not another bonus action or reaction. I'd rather see you take more Rogue levels for higher Sneak Attack damage and possibly spells (see below).
Dexterity should be your primary stat. After that you'll want Wisdom and then Constitution. Possibly Intelligence 4th if you decide on a more magical Arcane Trickster mix instead of Assassin (see Rogue section below).
You'll need the Crossbow Expertise Feat as soon as possible in order to be able to use Dual Hand Crossbows. According to several Sage Advice posts, it's much more powerful than most people thought and with good reason. It requires a Feat instead of an Ability Score Improvement, the base damage is only 1d6, and requires a Bonus action if you want the extra hand crossbow attack. That said, it allows you to ignore the loading quality of all crossbows so you can EITHER fire a Heavy or Light crossbow multiple times per round with the Blood Hunter's multi-attack at 5th level. OR it lets you use your Bonus Action (another resource) to fire a hand crossbows in your offhand. All other 2 weapon fighting rules apply (light weapons only. So two Hand Crossbows only). The feat allows you to add DEX to the off-hand damage.
You'll want to be good at Stealth (surprising enemies) and Survival (tracking).
Athletics and Acrobatics are essentially the same skill except Athletics are for Strength based physical feats and Acrobatics are for Dexterity based physical feats. Both are handy to be proficient, esp to offset any penalties you might have for a low Strength.
Arcana is nice for identifying magical auras, identifying Arcane spells being cast, using Arcane Scrolls, and identifying other worldly monsters and traps.
Perception is great for noticing something with one of your senses and making it harder to sneak up on you. But Investigation is great if you want to actively rummage through stuff, find clues or the location of someone/something in a city, or any kind of general research.
You'll want to max out your DEX as soon as possible for better hit/damage bonus with hand crossbows. But those Ability score improvements will battle with your Crossbow Expertise feat and SharpShooter.
Sharpshooter - lets you take a -5 to hit for +10 damage!
Choose a good background that fits and gives you the skills you need. Avoid Urchin or anything that gives you Thieves Tools because you get that for free when you take 1 level of Rogue. Haunted One and Bounty Hunter probably fit the bill: Search online for the D&D Wiki
If your DM allows it, use Spell Points (DMG 288)


Rogue Stuff


Start level 1 as a Rogue. You'll get proficiency in 4 skills that way. Then you can jump back and forth between Blood Hunter and Rogue. Just remember that you need 4 levels in a single class before you get an Ability Score Improvement/Feat. Also at Rogue 3 you get a subclass (Assassin or Arcane Trickster - see below). At level 5 Rogue you get Uncanny Dodge (take 1/2 damage from one attack rolled against you - not AOE spells). At level 7 Rogue, you get Evasion (zero or 1/2 damage vs AOE spells, traps, etc). Not to mention another 1d6 damage per round every other level. When you take level 1 Blood Hunter later, you'll gain proficiency in Medium Armor, Martial Weapons, and Alchemical Supplies (make heal potions and poisons from alchemy).
Sneak Attacks - Just remember, a Rogue can only apply their sneak attack damage ONCE per TURN. This is a complicated subject, but according to SageAdvice, during a round you normally get one turn on your initiative. If the enemy is distracted, unaware of you, or you have advantage on a roll, you apply sneak attack damage 1x no matter how many attacks you have on that turn. That said, IF later within the same round you get a second turn, like from an Attack of Opportunity, you can in fact get sneak attack damage a second time in a round. Being that you have to use your Reaction to get that Attack of Opportunity, it is highly unlikely you will find a way to get a 3rd sneak attack.
Assassin - Next lets look at Assassinate. Great skill if you surprise an enemy! Gives you Advantage (2 rolls, keep the higher) on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit. Surprise ONLY happens the first round of combat and ONLY if the enemy is 100% unaware of you. After that, you cannot get surprise against the same foes again. Even if you stealth or turn invisible, surprise can ONLY happen BEFORE a combat starts. So while you can wipe out an enemy or two before the fight begins, after the first round the Assassin has zero combat benefits.
Arcane Trickster - If you have an okay Intelligence of 11+, I recommend taking Arcane Trickster over Assassin for better survivability and utility. This will get you some spell options including Shield spell as soon as you hit level 3 Rogue. You'll also get 2 cantrips of your choice (e.g. Minor Illusion is invaluable and no concentration required), plus you know a special version of Mage Hand that is invisible and lets you pick pockets or disable traps/locks from a safe distance. Avoid spells that require a saving throw if your INT sucks and you'll be fine (e.g. Sleep has no saving throw and is incredible at low levels, then swap it out later). If your INT is decent, lean heavily on Illusions and make it look like there's a closed door, while you're actually standing there, firing your crossbows at enemies. By the time they figure it out (they have to move up and make an Investigation INT check), they'll all be dead. if you unlock 2nd level spells at 7th, check out Mirror Image (no concentration required).
Another benefit of the Arcane Trickster is that as a spell caster, you can use ANY scrolls or items that would be on your spell list, whether you've taken them or not. Meaning, you can use up to 4th level Wizard spell scrolls because an Arcane Trickster studies Wizard spells up to that level. And not just the Illusion and Enchantments, because they get to choose spells from any school several times as they level up. BTW, same goes for spells on the Warlock list and scrolls and items.


Blood Hunter Stuff


Make sure you have version 1.7 of the Blood Hunter.
Consider "Order of the Profane Soul" as you will get access to a few powerful Warlock Spells. There aren't many, but they all recharge on a Short Rest. I highly recommend taking Hex as your primary concentration spell. You mark a target, give them a penalty to one ability check (e.g. Strength checks) and you do 1d6 extra damage PER ATTACK.
By 5th level Blood Hunter, combining Crossbow Expertise (1 bonus action attack), Hex (1d6), Multiattack (2 attacks), and using a Crimson Rite (1d6) on both hand crossbows, your damage will be 1d6+DEX (hand crossbow), +1d6 (Hex), +1d6 (Crimson Rite), three times! Plus the first hit will likely get a few more d6's from Sneak Attack. When you get Sharpshooter later on, you can add another +10 damage to each of those 3 attacks for the -5 penalty on each.
At second level you can choose a Fighting Style. If your DM allows you to use the new combat options (which came out after Mercer made this class), take Close Quarters Shooter which gives +1 hit with ranged weapons and you don't suffer Disadvantage when firing at enemies within 5 feet. When you eventually get Sharpshooter, you won't have any penalties vs prone or partially hidden enemies.
By 7th level you'll be able to cast 1 Cantrip and get an attack as a Bonus Action, this can be really valuable for AOE cantrips at higher levels with a follow-up sneak attack vs one enemy. Or if you want to fight defensively using a cantrip that gives the enemy disadvantage (e.g. Frostbite). Or use True Strike (which normally takes an Action) and you get your Sneak Attack off as a bonus action at +20 to hit. Eldritch Blast is another interesting one to consider, where you create 1 bolt of energy at levels 1, 5, 11, 17. Potentially giving you a 4d10 spell attack with a hand crossbow sneak attack as a follow-up. Also, Cantrip damage is tied to your total level like proficiency bonuses. Not to the level of your Blood Hunter.


Hopefully this gives you some ideas for how to maximize your Blood Hunter / Rogue.

[Silex]

It is tough. Do you know what feats you're planning on taking? Ghost Slayers benefit form having a high Wisdom in addition to a high attack stat (strength or Dex, Dex in your case). If you are planning on maxing two scores, you may be limited on how many feats you get. For Lycans it's less of an issue.

My stats are as follow;

Str: 14
Dex: 18
Con: 18
Int: 14
Wis: 18
Cha: 10

As far as feats, I took Crossbow expert at 1st level, and I intend on picking up Sharpshooter with my next feat.

[Silex]

The Blood Hunter is a really solid class and I'm personally a fan of Crossbow Expert and using dual Hand Crossbows in combat. Here's some things to consider:

General stuff


First, don't bother with Fighter. Action Surge will give you 1 additional action (2 attacks) but not another bonus action or reaction. I'd rather see you take more Rogue levels for higher Sneak Attack damage and possibly spells (see below).
Dexterity should be your primary stat. After that you'll want Wisdom and then Constitution. Possibly Intelligence 4th if you decide on a more magical Arcane Trickster mix instead of Assassin (see Rogue section below).
You'll need the Crossbow Expertise Feat as soon as possible in order to be able to use Dual Hand Crossbows. According to several Sage Advice posts, it's much more powerful than most people thought and with good reason. It requires a Feat instead of an Ability Score Improvement, the base damage is only 1d6, and requires a Bonus action if you want the extra hand crossbow attack. That said, it allows you to ignore the loading quality of all crossbows so you can EITHER fire a Heavy or Light crossbow multiple times per round with the Blood Hunter's multi-attack at 5th level. OR it lets you use your Bonus Action (another resource) to fire a hand crossbows in your offhand. All other 2 weapon fighting rules apply (light weapons only. So two Hand Crossbows only). The feat allows you to add DEX to the off-hand damage.
You'll want to be good at Stealth (surprising enemies) and Survival (tracking).
Athletics and Acrobatics are essentially the same skill except Athletics are for Strength based physical feats and Acrobatics are for Dexterity based physical feats. Both are handy to be proficient, esp to offset any penalties you might have for a low Strength.
Arcana is nice for identifying magical auras, identifying Arcane spells being cast, using Arcane Scrolls, and identifying other worldly monsters and traps.
Perception is great for noticing something with one of your senses and making it harder to sneak up on you. But Investigation is great if you want to actively rummage through stuff, find clues or the location of someone/something in a city, or any kind of general research.
You'll want to max out your DEX as soon as possible for better hit/damage bonus with hand crossbows. But those Ability score improvements will battle with your Crossbow Expertise feat and SharpShooter.
Sharpshooter - lets you take a -5 to hit for +10 damage!
Choose a good background that fits and gives you the skills you need. Avoid Urchin or anything that gives you Thieves Tools because you get that for free when you take 1 level of Rogue. Haunted One and Bounty Hunter probably fit the bill: Search online for the D&D Wiki
If your DM allows it, use Spell Points (DMG 288)


Rogue Stuff


Start level 1 as a Rogue. You'll get proficiency in 4 skills that way. Then you can jump back and forth between Blood Hunter and Rogue. Just remember that you need 4 levels in a single class before you get an Ability Score Improvement/Feat. Also at Rogue 3 you get a subclass (Assassin or Arcane Trickster - see below). At level 5 Rogue you get Uncanny Dodge (take 1/2 damage from one attack rolled against you - not AOE spells). At level 7 Rogue, you get Evasion (zero or 1/2 damage vs AOE spells, traps, etc). Not to mention another 1d6 damage per round every other level. When you take level 1 Blood Hunter later, you'll gain proficiency in Medium Armor, Martial Weapons, and Alchemical Supplies (make heal potions and poisons from alchemy).
Sneak Attacks - Just remember, a Rogue can only apply their sneak attack damage ONCE per TURN. This is a complicated subject, but according to SageAdvice, during a round you normally get one turn on your initiative. If the enemy is distracted, unaware of you, or you have advantage on a roll, you apply sneak attack damage 1x no matter how many attacks you have on that turn. That said, IF later within the same round you get a second turn, like from an Attack of Opportunity, you can in fact get sneak attack damage a second time in a round. Being that you have to use your Reaction to get that Attack of Opportunity, it is highly unlikely you will find a way to get a 3rd sneak attack.
Assassin - Next lets look at Assassinate. Great skill if you surprise an enemy! Gives you Advantage (2 rolls, keep the higher) on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit. Surprise ONLY happens the first round of combat and ONLY if the enemy is 100% unaware of you. After that, you cannot get surprise against the same foes again. Even if you stealth or turn invisible, surprise can ONLY happen BEFORE a combat starts. So while you can wipe out an enemy or two before the fight begins, after the first round the Assassin has zero combat benefits.
Arcane Trickster - If you have an okay Intelligence of 11+, I recommend taking Arcane Trickster over Assassin for better survivability and utility. This will get you some spell options including Shield spell as soon as you hit level 3 Rogue. You'll also get 2 cantrips of your choice (e.g. Minor Illusion is invaluable and no concentration required), plus you know a special version of Mage Hand that is invisible and lets you pick pockets or disable traps/locks from a safe distance. Avoid spells that require a saving throw if your INT sucks and you'll be fine (e.g. Sleep has no saving throw and is incredible at low levels, then swap it out later). If your INT is decent, lean heavily on Illusions and make it look like nobody is there while you fire your crossbows at enemies. By the time they figure it out and make their investigation checks, they'll all be dead. if you unlock 2nd level AT spells at 7th, check out Mirror Image (no concentration required).
Another benefit of the Arcane Trickster is that as a spell caster, you can use ANY scrolls or items that would be on your spell list, whether you've taken them or not. Meaning, you can use up to 4th level Wizard spell scrolls because an Arcane Trickster studies Wizard spells up to that level. And not just the Illusion and Enchantments, because they get to choose spells from any school several times as they le


Bloodhunter Stuff


Make sure you have version 1.7 of the Blood Hunter.
Consider "Order of the Profane Soul" as you will get access to a few powerful Warlock Spells. There aren't many, but they all recharge on a Short Rest. I highly recommend taking Hex as your primary concentration spell. You mark a target, give them a penalty to one ability check (e.g. Strength checks) and you do 1d6 extra damage PER ATTACK.
By 5th level Blood Hunter, combining Crossbow Expertise (1 bonus action attack), Hex (1d6), Multiattack (2 attacks), and using a Crimson Rite (1d6) on both hand crossbows, your damage will be 1d6+DEX (hand crossbow), +1d6 (Hex), +1d6 (Crimson Rite), three times! Plus the first hit will likely get a few more d6's from Sneak Attack. When you get Sharpshooter later on, you can add another +10 damage to each of those 3 attacks for the -5 penalty on each.
At second level you can choose a Fighting Style. If your DM allows you to use the new combat options (which came out after Mercer made this class), take Close Quarters Shooter which gives +1 hit with ranged weapons and you don't suffer Disadvantage when firing at enemies within 5 feet. When you eventually get Sharpshooter, you won't have any penalties vs prone or partially hidden enemies.
By 7th level you'll be able to cast 1 Cantrip and get an attack as a Bonus Action, this can be really valuable for AOE cantrips at higher levels with a follow-up sneak attack vs one enemy. Or if you want to fight defensively using a cantrip that gives the enemy disadvantage (e.g. Frostbite). Or use True Strike (which normally takes an Action) and you get your Sneak Attack off as a bonus action at +20 to hit. Eldritch Blast is another interesting one to consider, where you create 1 bolt of energy at levels 1, 5, 11, 17. Potentially giving you a 4d10 spell attack with a hand crossbow sneak attack as a follow-up. Also, Cantrip damage is tied to your total level like proficiency bonuses. Not to the level of your Blood Hunter.


Hopefully this gives you some ideas for how to maximize your Blood Hunter / Rogue.

I have the Blood Hunter 1.8, took Crossbow expert as my first level feat, with the intention of dual wielding hand crossbow. Sharpshooter is my next feat.

Action surge allows one extra action and a possible bonus action.

While I like order if the profane soul, I am just more drawn to order of the ghost slayer & order of the lycan. They just seem better and more enjoyable to me.

Also didn't want to do arcane trickster, as I would like to steer away from spells for the time being. I've played a lot of casters in my years of D&D, and thought for my first foray into 5e, I would stick to a Doncaster role.

Good call on steering away from anything that provides proficiency with thieve's tools. Didn't take into account that I would get it going into rogue!

[jaappleton]

VHuman Crossbow Expert Profane Soul is very solid.

The spells are short rest, and the biggest draw is the bonuses from the Patrons. DO NOT underestimate those. They can radically alter things, and they can be a huge boost.

I personally dislike any that focus on damage dealing spells, as by the time you get them, they're subpar. Focus on debuff and buff spells.

Also, Blood Hunter synergizes VERY well with Ranger, especially the Revised version. Horde Breaker as a solid way to get a 4th attack (after Crossbow Expert), with your Crimson Rite die on top of it? Yes, please.

[GlenSmash!]

My stats are as follow;

Str: 14
Dex: 18
Con: 18
Int: 14
Wis: 18
Cha: 10

As far as feats, I took Crossbow expert at 1st level, and I intend on picking up Sharpshooter with my next feat.

Nice stats! Yup you're perfectly fine going Ghost slayer, not that it makes choosing any easier for you.

[Silex]

Nice stats! Yup you're perfectly fine going Ghost slayer, not that it makes choosing any easier for you.

Lol right! I knew by reading through the class that early on, it would likely be too squishy to be up in melee, which is why I decided on going dual hand crossbows, which is why I prioritised Dex and Con. I made Wis my 3rd priority based on the option to go into order of the ghost slayer, as well as for skills and a decent wisdom saving throw.

Still, it's a tough choice, as I like both orders lol. Getting a lot of suggestions for order of the profane soul, so I may need to go back and look at that one again!

Any ideas on feats outside of crossbow expert and sharpshooter?

[Silex]

Feat suggestions beyond those two? Anyone?

[Ventruenox]

It really depends on what you want for your character. Most feat suggestions are in order to make you better at what you are already good at. Given how it seems that you will be focusing on ranged combat, Crossbow Expert & Sharpshooter would have you pretty covered. Nothing wrong with using an ASI to boost your scores instead of taking another feat.

If you are looking to diversify your character and have the right DM, Ritual Caster is both thematic and very useful.

[wheelercub]

I have the Blood Hunter 1.8, took Crossbow expert as my first level feat, with the intention of dual wielding hand crossbow. Sharpshooter is my next feat.

Action surge allows one extra action and a possible bonus action.

While I like order if the profane soul, I am just more drawn to order of the ghost slayer & order of the lycan. They just seem better and more enjoyable to me.

Also didn't want to do arcane trickster, as I would like to steer away from spells for the time being. I've played a lot of casters in my years of D&D, and thought for my first foray into 5e, I would stick to a Doncaster role.

Good call on steering away from anything that provides proficiency with thieve's tools. Didn't take into account that I would get it going into rogue!

Oh wow, I didn't even realize there was a 1.8 out. Do you have a link to that so I can check that out? BTW, nice job with the super human ability rolls. I don't think I've ever seen anyone roll that many 18's. Good on you!

As for Action Surge, it can only be used once per short rest and it does not give a second Bonus Action. The conditions of the "possible Bonus Action" are the same of a normal Action. If you have a Bonus Action ability, spell, or off-hand attack, you can take the Bonus Action once per turn. You can find the rule clarification if you search for "RULES ANSWERS: AUGUST 2015". It's at the top of the question list. I'd post the link, but I don't have permissions yet.

Ghost Slayer rocks! As do all the Blood Hunter classes. Order of the Lycan is pretty cool for role play purposes and gets some decent powers. Just wanted to give you a heads up on more powerful and flexible options via the Profane Soul. In the end, you should always make what you want to make!

Fair enough with the AT. If casters aren't your thing, that's definitely the wrong direction to go. I've played every possible shape and type of multi-class Rogue in 5e and wind up landing on AT the most due to their flexibility (Mirror Image + Blink) are quite a deadly combination. I like to ensure I have a trick for every situation and AT is the only Rogue archetype that gets so much flexibility early on.

One thing to also consider is that your Ability Score Improvements (ASI) & Feats are not based on total character levels like in Pathfinder. Instead they are specific to each individual character class' level. This concept was baked into the class design specifically to control overpowered multi-classing. But shouldn't affect your total number of ASI if you build your classes around it. So for example, if you took 3 Rogue, 2 Fighter, and 7 Blood Hunter, you would only have one ASI from reaching level 4 in Blood Hunter. You will NOT get three ASI for reaching a total character level of 12. This is important because depending on how you split or mix your build, you may miss out on several ASI or you may not get feats you desire until way late in the game.

So in the example above, you should consider 4 Rogue, 8 Blood Hunter, and 4 Fighter to maximize your ASI's. Or you can just sacrifice your ASI's for a few low level abilities like Action Surge 1x per short rest, 2d6 sneak attack 1x per turn, etc.

Generally speaking classes/races get ASI at the following levels:

1. Human Variant only
4. All classes
6. Fighter only
8. All classes
10. Rogue only
14. Fighter only
16. All classes
19. All classes

As for Feat Suggestions, I would consider maxing out your DEX at 20 with an ASI and then maybe consider taking Skilled or anything that gives you bonus skill proficiencies in the game. Alot of interactions ride on the various skill proficiencies in 5e, and it's great to have a decent bonus in more than just your starting skills.

[Silex]

Oh wow, I didn't even realize there was a 1.8 out. Do you have a link to that so I can check that out? BTW, nice job with the super human ability rolls. I don't think I've ever seen anyone roll that many 18's. Good on you!

As for Action Surge, it can only be used once per short rest and it does not give a second Bonus Action. The conditions of the "possible Bonus Action" are the same of a normal Action. If you have a Bonus Action ability, spell, or off-hand attack, you can take the Bonus Action once per turn. You can find the rule clarification if you search for "RULES ANSWERS: AUGUST 2015". It's at the top of the question list. I'd post the link, but I don't have permissions yet.

Ghost Slayer rocks! As do all the Blood Hunter classes. Order of the Lycan is pretty cool for role play purposes and gets some decent powers. Just wanted to give you a heads up on more powerful and flexible options via the Profane Soul. In the end, you should always make what you want to make!

Fair enough with the AT. If casters aren't your thing, that's definitely the wrong direction to go. I've played every possible shape and type of multi-class Rogue in 5e and wind up landing on AT the most due to their flexibility (Mirror Image + Blink) are quite a deadly combination. I like to ensure I have a trick for every situation and AT is the only Rogue archetype that gets so much flexibility early on.

One thing to also consider is that your Ability Score Improvements (ASI) & Feats are not based on total character levels like in Pathfinder. Instead they are specific to each individual character class' level. This concept was baked into the class design specifically to control overpowered multi-classing. But shouldn't affect your total number of ASI if you build your classes around it. So for example, if you took 3 Rogue, 2 Fighter, and 7 Blood Hunter, you would only have one ASI from reaching level 4 in Blood Hunter. You will NOT get three ASI for reaching a total character level of 12. This is important because depending on how you split or mix your build, you may miss out on several ASI or you may not get feats you desire until way late in the game.

So in the example above, you should consider 4 Rogue, 8 Blood Hunter, and 4 Fighter to maximize your ASI's. Or you can just sacrifice your ASI's for a few low level abilities like Action Surge 1x per short rest, 2d6 sneak attack 1x per turn, etc.

Generally speaking classes/races get ASI at the following levels:

1. Human Variant only
4. All classes
6. Fighter only
8. All classes
10. Rogue only
14. Fighter only
16. All classes
19. All classes

As for Feat Suggestions, I would consider maxing out your DEX at 20 with an ASI and then maybe consider taking Skilled or anything that gives you bonus skill proficiencies in the game. Alot of interactions ride on the various skill proficiencies in 5e, and it's great to have a decent bonus in more than just your starting skills.

I wasn't aware of the ASI & feats being based on class level and not character level. Thanks for the heads up.

The updated Blood Hunter class can be found at www.dmsguild.com as a pay what you want.

It's not that I don't like/can't play casters, just want a break from them, as that is primarily what I play as a player.

As I said, I am used to playing 3.5. This is my first foray into 5e, so I figured a simple(ish) build would be good until I get accoustemed to the new mechanics

Any other thoughts or advice are more than welcome, and I'll always consider them if the reasoning behind them is strong enough :)

[JakOfAllTirades]

One thing to be careful about with the Blood Hunter Class; the bonus damage die for Crimson Rites is based on your Blood Hunter class level, but the HP loss for activating it based on your total character level. What this means is that multi-classing has a downside for the Blood Hunter which gets worse as you add more non-Blood Hunter levels. I'm not saying don't MC at all, but Blood Hunters have to make a trade off that other classes don't.

[Silex]

One thing to be careful about with the Blood Hunter Class; the bonus damage die for Crimson Rites is based on your Blood Hunter class level, but the HP loss for activating it based on your total character level. What this means is that multi-classing has a downside for the Blood Hunter which gets worse as you add more non-Blood Hunter levels. I'm not saying don't MC at all, but Blood Hunters have to make a trade off that other classes don't.

Good to know! Thanks for the heads up :)

[noxdeath]

My stats are as follow;

Str: 14
Dex: 18
Con: 18
Int: 14
Wis: 18
Cha: 10

As far as feats, I took Crossbow expert at 1st level, and I intend on picking up Sharpshooter with my next feat.

With those stats you could make your character any way you wanted and still own. Let me get your dice for my next character. 18,17,17,14,14,10 from your rolls I assume = 90 base stats vs 72 from standard array. Ghostslayer order makes the most sense with radiant damage. You will get immediate application of the bonus wis mod damage vs undead. With 18 dex and archery style you should have enough attack mod to counteract -5 from sharpshooter. After that go ASI dex. I don't know that you need to dip anything. If you are taking this character to 20, getting that 20/40 hp is quite a nice bump from the blood hunter feature. You might want to consider observant (wis) and Resilient (con) and a mixed asi between wis/con to get them both to 20 plus some nice perks. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun whichever way you decide to go.