I'm wanting to make a cowboy in dnd. I need help on the build.

[Dreaconis]

Ok, so this character isn't quite fleshed out that much. But, I really enjoy the idea of a cowboy wizard who refers to magic as "hokus pokus". So far, the main build idea I've come up with is 2 artificer (gunsmith, bag of holding or goggles of night), 7 fighter (eldritch knight, close quarters shooter), 11 hexlock (blade pact).

I went with blade pact to allow my character to use their weapon as an arcane focus. I like the idea of them creating a bullet for the spell when they cast and firing off the weapon for each die of damage the spell does. During different types of spell, they'll spin the weapon on their finger and it transforms into either a pistol, a double barrel shotgun, or a hunting rifle (all are purely cosmetic for flavor). It'll use a pistol for single target, shotgun for cone/aoe, and the rifle for long range/"in a line" damage. And he blow out puffs of smoke from his pipe for things like poison spray, arms of hadar, and gaseous form.

Warlock isn't absolutely necessary if I can convince my DM to allow that amount of flavor, but I do like the concept of this cowboy wizard, (coward... wizboy? Neither are flattering) to have an arch where they sell their soul to the devil. Any suggestions on how to min/max this character for flavor or mechanics. The issue I see popping up is that I dont want to have to spread my stats too much for the build. That's also why hexblade was useful.

Anyways, if anyone has ideas, feel free to let me know. This one likely wont be played for awhile, so it still has plenty of time to be constructed.

[Joe the Rat]

How set are you on actual guns? I usually don't put Cowboy and Tinkering Inventor together, unless you are really going for the Legend / Briscoe County jr. / Wild, Wild West Steampunk version of cowboy.
Wizards and Warlocks do quite well in the "pew pew" department between spells and cantrips. Rod and Wand arcane foci can easily come in metal, and with a more ergonomic profile (read: pistol or rifle grip). Warcaster lets you cast non-M component spells with toys in hand... or negotiate with your DM to let you add your Hogleg as a component for your preferred gun-based spells.

I keep wanting to put wizard back into this (it's in the name!), but Warlock is a good base, thanks to Eldritch Blast. Agonizing makes it Heavy Crossbow equivalent, and it just goes up from there in terms of utility. Spell Sniper gets you the replacement for Sharpshooter, and adds to spell attack ranges. Alert is your quick-draw.

So what about everything that isn't magic gunslinger? Like actual cowboyishness? Simplest takes would be Outlander (for those riding the plains survival tricks) or Folk Hero (Legendary figure, animal handling). The Yarting is most guitar-like of the instruments, should you want a little more charm.

[Dreaconis]

How set are you on actual guns? I usually don't put Cowboy and Tinkering Inventor together, unless you are really going for the Legend / Briscoe County jr. / Wild, Wild West Steampunk version of cowboy.
Wizards and Warlocks do quite well in the "pew pew" department between spells and cantrips. Rod and Wand arcane foci can easily come in metal, and with a more ergonomic profile (read: pistol or rifle grip). Warcaster lets you cast non-M component spells with toys in hand... or negotiate with your DM to let you add your Hogleg as a component for your preferred gun-based spells.

I keep wanting to put wizard back into this (it's in the name!), but Warlock is a good base, thanks to Eldritch Blast. Agonizing makes it Heavy Crossbow equivalent, and it just goes up from there in terms of utility. Spell Sniper gets you the replacement for Sharpshooter, and adds to spell attack ranges. Alert is your quick-draw.

So what about everything that isn't magic gunslinger? Like actual cowboyishness? Simplest takes would be Outlander (for those riding the plains survival tricks) or Folk Hero (Legendary figure, animal handling). The Yarting is most guitar-like of the instruments, should you want a little more charm.

This was hugely insightful, thank you. And yes, I am fairly set on a gun. But, I got a tip on another forum to ask my GM to flavor the hand crossbow as one with the hexblade invoc to create/bond a firearm. I had been thinking of an agonizing/repelling blast, plus the invoc that allows you to knock enemies prone for the shotgun iteration. Then the eldritch spear for the hunting rifle.

If my DM was helpful enough to give me the hand crossbow as the gun, I'd likely go bard 6, lock 14 instead of art, fighter, lock. I like the idea of my character strumming this time equivalent of a guitar and singing ditties to heal the team. I'm stuck between lore, valor, and whispers though. I like lore bard because it would make sense for them to be that old man telling stories and throwing out confusing insults in battle. Valor bard because of extra attack and damage. Shadows because I'd reflavor "words of terror" as "spinning a yarn" and had sit back, stoke his pipe and tell some allegorical folk tale of the folly of trying. Then the 6th level one would be good for his character, as in the "sold his soul to the devil" dark magic stuff.

[JakOfAllTirades]

There's a Gunslinger class by Matt Mercer on the DM's Guild website. I haven't seen it, but that plus the Folk Hero background sounds like a good bet.

[Dreaconis]

So, I may have figured it out. If I did do the way I had originally planned, at max level I'd be doing somewhere around 130 damage. That's if the GM allowed me to use my artificer gun, having been "augmented" by the curse bringer evoc into a Hellforged Thundercannon, and allowed the crossbow master feat to eliminate its loading tag. My powerhouse round would look like this, critting on 19 and 20.

Eldritch blast ×4+hexblade curse ×4+hex ×4, (bonus action) thundercannon+cursebringer+hb curse+hex, (second action) thundercannon+cursebringer+hb curse+hex, (thirsting blade) thundercannon+cursebringer+hb curse+hex, (action surge) thundercannon+cursebringer+hb curse+hex, (thirsting blade) thundercannon+cursebringer+hb curse+hex.

The part that I like is that if I level it up well, the damage stays consistently good until it becomes ungodly good at around player level 12.

[Ganymede]

Cowboys were herdsmen. All you really need for that is animal handling and maybe survival.

I have no clue why you'd need guns.

[Dreaconis]

Cowboys were herdsmen. All you really need for that is animal handling and maybe survival.

I have no clue why you'd need guns.

Because cowboys were also in charge of protecting the herds from predators and other cowboys. Rustling cattle was a big problem back then for ranchers who couldn't employ a few cowboys, with guns, to protect their herds from being stolen. Because a train or bank would be guarded and would likely result in a warrant being put out for their arrest. However, you could steal roughly the same amount of worth in cattle if the cowboys didn't have weapons and you did.

But those are good ideas for skills to focus.

[samcifer]

I did this awhile back by going Variant human gunsmith artificer.

[Davrix]

The gunslinger from mercer is pertty good. The artifcer gunsmith is just well... not a cowboy. Steampunk yes but not an old west cowboy.

I think your best bet is the gunslinger for fighter and then maybe taking the hexblade warlock later which would be amusing.

[Ganymede]

Because cowboys were also in charge of protecting the herds from predators and other cowboys. Rustling cattle was a big problem back then for ranchers who couldn't employ a few cowboys, with guns, to protect their herds from being stolen. Because a train or bank would be guarded and would likely result in a warrant being put out for their arrest. However, you could steal roughly the same amount of worth in cattle if the cowboys didn't have weapons and you did.

But those are good ideas for skills to focus.

The focus on firearms seems incidental, though. Here, the focus is on protecting the herd, not specifically on wielding a firearm. Cowboys would presumably have used whatever weapons were available; firearms were not central to their identity.

Of all the classes, the focus in protecting the herd and surviving the wilderness makes me imagine a ranger.

[samcifer]

The gunslinger from mercer is pertty good. The artifcer gunsmith is just well... not a cowboy. Steampunk yes but not an old west cowboy.

I think your best bet is the gunslinger for fighter and then maybe taking the hexblade warlock later which would be amusing.

Well I made a cowboy and wanted to use guns, so that was the route I took.

[Dreaconis]

I watched the season of critical role that they used it. It always seemed to get completely overshadowed by every other class in combat. I wasn't too impressed.

[Davrix]

I watched the season of critical role that they used it. It always seemed to get completely overshadowed by every other class in combat. I wasn't too impressed.

Percy wasn't always the best in using his trick shots and the power of sharp shooter with it. Its a variation on the battle-master and if its not up to snuff after you play it, you can always tweak it to your needs but the base is pretty solid.

To be honest im going to use it in a variation of a warlock gunslinger for the raven queen I have in mind.

[Dreaconis]

Percy wasn't always the best in using his trick shots and the power of sharp shooter with it. Its a variation on the battle-master and if its not up to snuff after you play it, you can always tweak it to your needs but the base is pretty solid.

To be honest im going to use it in a variation of a warlock gunslinger for the raven queen I have in mind.

What's that idea? I'm currently running a raven queen warlock.