Build idea: The Elven Executioner

[kardar233]

A thought came to me recently while I was trying to work out how to combine Sharpshooter and Elven Accuracy with a reliable and unlimited source of advantage. This is more of a combo thought than a truly optimized build, but it might be reasonably effective.

The Elven Executioner

The short of it: By using a hand crossbow with the UA Close Quarters Shooter style, you can use Shield Master to generate advantage for Sharpshooter.

Build stub:
Any Elf or Half-Elf
Fighter 8 (Any subclass)
Stat priority: Dex>Con>Str>Wis/Int/Cha
Skills: Athletics (others not relevant)
At Fighter 1, take the UA Close Quarters Shooter Fighting Style.
At Fighter 4, take the Shield Master feat.
At Fighter 6, take the Sharpshooter feat. The build is now functional.
At Fighter 8, take the Elven Accuracy feat.
Wield a Hand Crossbow and a Shield.

This character plays as a melee Fighter, unlike other Sharpshooter builds and so is a little bit more like a Great Weapon Master. Each turn, make a Shove with your Bonus Action to knock the opponent down. Per Sage Advice ( https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/01/29/shield-master-feat/ ) you may make this Shove before taking your Attack action as long as you commit to taking the Attack action. Then, make two Sharpshooter attacks with Elven Accuracy advantage. This build is functional at 6th level without Elven Accuracy.

Pros over GWM build:
- better defense due to shield and Shield Master
- slightly more base accuracy from Close
- self-reliant for Advantage
- can make use of Elven Accuracy for greater reliability
- more competent at range with Dex focus and Sharpshooter
- better initiative from Dex focus

Cons over GWM build:
- lower base damage
- no bonus action attacks on kill or crit
- lack of Strength focus means you may not be able to wear plate
- appropriate magic weapons are rarer
- somewhat more MAD
- costs more; even without Elven Accuracy, you need to spend two feats and a fighting style
- slower to come online and weaker at low level

Ways to improve the build:
- A Rogue 1 dip (probably just after Fighter 6) for Athletics expertise will help your low bonus and make your Shield Master pushes more reliable.
- Choosing Champion as your subclass synergizes extremely well with crit-fishing builds like Paladin or Rogue. Note that you can choose not to take your Sneak Attack damage on your first attack each round in the hope of critting for double Sneak Attack, and you have a better than 1/4 of critting each hit. Hunter or Horizon Walker Ranger’s bonus damage effects can benefit the same way.

Restrictions:
If UA is not available, you can still do this using the Crossbow Sniper feat. However, adding another feat slows this build down significantly, meaning you may want to lose Elven Accuracy by going Variant Human so the build still comes online at 6th level.


Thoughts? Critique?


Addendum: I called it the Elven Executioner because I imagined the combo playing out as the Executioner knocking down the enemy and then using the hand crossbow to shoot them in the head.

[Danielqueue1]

as the hand crossbow has the ammunition property you need a free hand to reload it. with a shield in the other hand, you get precisely one attack with the weapon before you need to reload. although you can fire the weapon with one hand, it still has the loading and ammunition properties. crossbow master can clear up the loading property, but there is no current way to clear the ammunition property that would not allow you to reload while wielding a shield. If your DM ignores that page in the PHB however, you are good to go.

[kardar233]

Oh damn, I didn’t think of that at all. Ammunition property doesn’t actually require a hand free for loading (I imagine the character resting the crossbow on the shield hand to reload, or maybe just a repeating crossbow) but Loading property is killer.

That means Crossbow Sniper is required, or in theory you could be like an old-school pirate and carry a bandolier full of loaded crossbows to fire. I’ll update the OP tomorrow when I am less drunk.

[Danielqueue1]

Ammunition property doesn’t actually require a hand free for loading.


You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case or other container is part of the attack. (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon).
(emphasis mine)


unfortunately, the ammunition property does require you to have a free hand to load a hand crossbow. there are a lot of players trying to make dual wielding hand-crossbow characters that have tried similar.

[Innocent_bystan]

You don't need the Shield Master feat to knock someone prone. Take Crossbow Expert instead.
You can use the first of your attacks to shove prone, your extra attack and your bonus action attack to deal damage.
You don't get +2ac for using a shield or all the other Shield Master goodies, but you don't get Disadvantage for attacks in melee.
And if you already have Advantage simply attack 3 times.
I recently made a similar build and I added Hexblade to the build, which allows for easy advantage because of Darkness/Devil's Sight.

[kardar233]

(emphasis mine)


unfortunately, the ammunition property does require you to have a free hand to load a hand crossbow. there are a lot of players trying to make dual wielding hand-crossbow characters that have tried similar.

I don’t see that in my PHB, it skips from “Drawing a piece of ammunition...” to “At the end of the battle...”. Did that get errata’d in?


You don't need the Shield Master feat to knock someone prone. Take Crossbow Expert instead.
You can use the first of your attacks to shove prone, your extra attack and your bonus action attack to deal damage.
You don't get +2ac for using a shield or all the other Shield Master goodies, but you don't get Disadvantage for attacks in melee.
And if you already have Advantage simply attack 3 times.
I recently made a similar build and I added Hexblade to the build, which allows for easy advantage because of Darkness/Devil's Sight.

Hmm, good point; Sometimes I overlook that the Shield Master shove is more or less equivalent to a bonus action attack. That actually retains the original idea of the post really well, as you’re still self-reliant in terms of advantage and can make use of your regular number of attacks with that advantage. Tomorrow I’ll rewrite the post using that idea (crediting you, of course).

[Danielqueue1]

I don’t see that in my PHB, it skips from “Drawing a piece of ammunition...” to “At the end of the battle...”. Did that get errata’d in?

yeah it did. I actually forgot that that bit needed to be errata-d.

a few other things people missed,

Equipment
Ammunition (p. 146). Loading a one handed weapon requires a free hand.
Reach (p. 147). This property also determines your reach for opportunity attacks with a reach weapon.
Two-Handed (p. 147). This property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon, not when you simply hold it.
Weapons (p. 149). Unarmed strike doesn’t belong on the Weapons table

the whole thread where people were arguing for 3 pages about whether or not you could use paladin smites with unarmed strikes could have been avoided...

Cheers and happy character building.

[Spacehamster]

Fighter champion / assassin with alert, pretty much always goes first and gets reliable advantage on every first turn in combat(modt important turn anyways), 6 fighter(elven accuracy, sharpshooter) 4 assassin(alert), 2 more fighter(max DEX), 4 gloom stalker ranger(extra attack on first round, WIS to initiative, advantage in darkness vs darkvision creatures, take crossbow expert) and finally 4 more fighter for 3rd attack and perhaps mobile or upping CON or WIS. :)

[adolann]

I didn't see anyone else mention this, but unless I'm mis-remembering the UA for the Close Quarters Shooter, it only removes the disadvantage for making a ranged attack at people in melee range. It doesn't address the fact that you have disadvantage making a ranged attack against a prone target. So knocking someone prone won't work for this idea; instead of getting tri-vantage, you end up shooting at disadvantage.

[Innocent_bystan]

I didn't see anyone else mention this, but unless I'm mis-remembering the UA for the Close Quarters Shooter, it only removes the disadvantage for making a ranged attack at people in melee range. It doesn't address the fact that you have disadvantage making a ranged attack against a prone target. So knocking someone prone won't work for this idea; instead of getting tri-vantage, you end up shooting at disadvantage.
Actually, you only get disadvantage if you attack from farther than 5 feet. If you have a way to ignore the disadvantage of using a ranged attack while an enemy is next to you, you're good to go.