Half-elf Rogue for a one shot

[DarkKnightJin]

Good day, Playgrounders and/or Giants.

For an apparently 'silly' one-shot this coming Sunday, I have made a Half-elven Rogue.
The premise is that me and the other player are a Rogue and a Bard respectively, assigned to guard/assist a Prince Charming sort of character.

So, I picked Mastermind as my Archetype, and Courtier as my background.

I'm happy with my stat spread as-is, but I have built him up to 3rd level as a base.

The one-shot is likely going to be a mid to 'high' level one, so I would like to ask you fine people for some inspiration on where to take the character from there with any extra levels.
Please keep in mind that he is the Prince's servant, not a friend, and he isn't a thief-y or Assassin-y type.
He likes his work at the court.
I have no idea how the spread of RP vs combat will be.

I have the regular Rogue starting gear to work with for the moment, and no extra funds to buy other things with as of yet.

The stats are 10 Str, 16 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 13 Wis, and 14 Cha.

I can use things from the PHB and XGtE.
I was thinking about maybe Magic Initiate for some cantrips and Mage Armor, and forgoing my Leather Armor. Or perhaps a dip of Monk for the Unarmored Defense. And it'd a decent flavor thing as well, I suppose.
A Sorcerer or Warlock dip could also work. Probably Draconic Bloodline for 'free' Mage Armor. Or Celestial Tomelock, so I can be a never-sleeping servant.

I'm not looking for the most optimized way to do this. I'm just curious as to what you guys would come up with in such a scenario.

[Quoz]

Go for high charisma. Rogue/warlock, take several of the social invocations- disguise self being most important. Use your expertise in persuasion and deception. You can end up as either the court jester or a spymaster. How you mold it from there is up to you, but anywhere from political handler to power behind the throne is a good start. If you want to go harder for intrigue look at feats like observant or actor.

Combat wise, SCAG cantrips + sneak attack is solid. Invocations or feats can help depending on style. Booming Blade with either mobile or spell sniper (w/whip) makes for a good hit and move combo. Crossbow expertise and hand crossbow if you prefer ranged. Elven accuracy is always nice.

Warlock variants are up to you. Hexblade gets SAD toward charisma. Great old one fits the whispers behind the throne feel. Tomelock will be the most versatile with all the rituals available but might not be best for a one shot.

[DarkKnightJin]

Go for high charisma. Rogue/warlock, take several of the social invocations- disguise self being most important. Use your expertise in persuasion and deception. You can end up as either the court jester or a spymaster. How you mold it from there is up to you, but anywhere from political handler to power behind the throne is a good start. If you want to go harder for intrigue look at feats like observant or actor.

Combat wise, SCAG cantrips + sneak attack is solid. Invocations or feats can help depending on style. Booming Blade with either mobile or spell sniper (w/whip) makes for a good hit and move combo. Crossbow expertise and hand crossbow if you prefer ranged. Elven accuracy is always nice.

Warlock variants are up to you. Hexblade gets SAD toward charisma. Great old one fits the whispers behind the throne feel. Tomelock will be the most versatile with all the rituals available but might not be best for a one shot.

I was thinking of grabbing Booming Blade and Prestidigitation if I use Magic Initiate. Eldritch Blast and Presti if I go Warlock.
Probably still Booming Blade and Presti if I take Sorcerer.

The Celestial and their minor healing would be useful for supporting his master, the prince. Cure Wounds or Healing Light to help 'em feel better if they get in a scuffle, Lesser Restoration if they have a bit too much wine at a dinner and need some help dealing with the aftereffects of such. Either that night or the next morning.

..With my Expertise currently in Stealth (A servant must not disturb the master) and Perception (A servant must be aware of the master's situation), he might even sneak in during the night after a wild party, apply the Restoration, and sneak back out without the prince any the wiser for it.

Draconic Sorcerer would be a bit more about being a tough SOB without even wearing armor. And to be fair, the Leather a Rogue starts with isn't the greatest. Mage Armor would work SO much better.
The Monk dip, while thematically fitting, would probably be the 'worst' pick.

I was also considering a 1-2 level dip of Knowledge Cleric. 'Free' Expertise on History and Arcana. Because a servant must be able to support their master with all their endeavors.

I suppose I'll have to check what the level is that we're going to play at, before I make a committed decision. If it's level 5-7, I might be better off sticking to pure Rogue and picking up Magic Initiate for the spells I desire for this idea.


I will keep that Rogue/GOOlock idea in mind for the Changeling character I would love to make sometime.
Hell, I might stat one out to see if maybe I can get it used as a (villainous) NPC in someone's game, for giggles.

[bid]

Dex, 14 Dex
We all know what you meant, but hey!:smallwink:


You'd need Wis16 to do better than studded leather, so monk isn't that useful.
I'd go draconic or warlock for utilities, mending is great on a servant. Gaze of two minds or mask of many faces might be better than subtle.

[spartan_ah]

I made a scout / battle master 3/6

with cross bow expert and sharp shooter he is the deadliest shooter in the swordcoast.

wide hat, trench leather coat, a pipe and an attitude from the wild west. with his deadly hand crossbow he can go all the way to 65 hp per round, every round.
and with heavy crossbow on the back for long range sniping.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e9/47/6c/e9476caefb6ccfd69ece15574e53b040.jpg

[Kurt Kurageous]

The mastermind archetype is a big big boon to a party, so expect to use your bonus action every single round for it. This means your sneak /hide cunning action is not available. Consider not focusing on your DPR for this reason, instead focus on figuring out who has the most important die roll of the round and be there to help them.

This often puts you in the third class of damage dealers but makes you one of the most valued players on the field.

Good luck, "coach!"

[DarkKnightJin]

The mastermind archetype is a big big boon to a party, so expect to use your bonus action every single round for it. This means your sneak /hide cunning action is not available. Consider not focusing on your DPR for this reason, instead focus on figuring out who has the most important die roll of the round and be there to help them.

This often puts you in the third class of damage dealers but makes you one of the most valued players on the field.

Good luck, "coach!"

It's for a one-shot, so I'm not really too worried about long-lasting effects for me screwing up.
And I've been playing a Cleric with that DM, so I'm already kinda used to being a bit more supporty.

Edit: I just learned that we are playing at 7th level, and multiclassing has been disallowed for this one-shot. That just leaves me with the original Magic Initiate idea that I had.

I would to kindly thank you all for your ideas. I might work some, or several, into other character ideas in the future. The Changeling Rogue/GOOlock seems rather interesting to play at some point.
Might go Swashbuckler with that one, and work that Charisma. Also backstabbing people in the face without anybody needing to be there to give me Advantage, too.
Kill and replace, anyone?

[DarkKnightJin]

The one-shot was a great success, and everybody had a ton of fun.

I've been able to get a nice feel for Rogues, and I must say.. I think D&D is the first game that has me liking the Rogue/Scout type character.
Not a lot of sneaking ahead happened, because we had a rather loud Bard.. That's a nice distraction for my guy to make use of, though.
And Evasion is borderline OP.. I dodged all 56 points of Acid damage from the Young Black Dragon we wound up fighting.

I have been strengthened in my desire to build that Changeling Rogue now.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

I think that going magic initiate or maybe 2 levels of sorcerer might be best because you have access to spells such as Alarm which would be useful not to mention other spells for protection and as you said mage armor.

[DarkKnightJin]

I think that going magic initiate or maybe 2 levels of sorcerer might be best because you have access to spells such as Alarm which would be useful not to mention other spells for protection and as you said mage armor.

Multiclassing was not allowed in this one-shot, so I was left with 'just' Magic Initiate.
I made good use of Mage Armor, I liquefied a Giant Scorpion's insides with Booming Blade (killing blow), and I (ab)used my Prestidigitation with wild abandon. Mostly for cleaning myself and/or my compatriots after a messy fight.

If one is traveling with a Prince Charming, one needs to look their fairy tale best whenever possible, after all.