Advice needed for battlemaster/arcane trickster

[JoyfulJester]

Hi everyone! I could use some advice. I'm planning a character for an upcoming mod. I'm a Feral Tiefling 10, 16, 12, 14, 14, 10 point buy. I want to start fighter and ultimately end up battlemaster/arcane trickster. The only issue I'm having is my lvling plan. To get to my ideal build I'd have to go 3 in fighter and 3 in rogue which means I wouldn't get an ASI until lvl 7. Alternatively I could get 6 lvls in fighter, max out dex and then 3 lvls in rogue to get arcane trickster, but then I'd have to wait 9 lvls to even start playing my build. My table plays milestone and it has taken us over a year to get to lvl 9. That's a long time to wait -.- Would my particular build hurt if I didn't pick up ASIs until lvl 7? I plan to use commanding strike a lot and play mainly in the back lines, we have plenty of front line characters and a caster. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Quoz]

I would think about what you want/need to get your build online quickly. Which abilities are key to what your character? does racing to extra attack help more than extra sneak attack dice and spells? will you have more fun from your battlemaster tricks or your rouge stunts?

I am on a similar progression myself, playing a fighter/rogue with a grappling focus. Right now I'm at Fighter 1/ Rogue 1, I wanted the proficiencies and saves from fighter but expertise is probably the most important thing for the build. My plan is to next go straight to fighter 5 for extra attack, picking up battlemaster on the way and one ASI for tavern brawler. After that I get Rogue to 3 for trickster. That's only 1 ASI by lvl 8, but 3 by lvl 10 if I get to Fighter 6/ Rogue 4 which would let me max my primary stat. Of course, lots could change on the way if things don't feel right, and I don't even know how long the campaign will run.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ASIs unless you need a feat for your build. they are very nice to have, hopefully you can pick up the bonuses with magic items along the way.

[JoyfulJester]

Luckily I don't think I need many feats with this build. I like the 1/1 split and then going to fighter 5. Getting to use commanding strike and another maneuver in one turn sounds fun. Then quickly getting to rogue three. That's still 8 levels before it comes online, but I don't see much more of an option. I wanted the chance to play around with illusions a bit. It sounds like a lot of fun.