How to make a four-armed swashbuckler in 5E?

[Nightgaun7]

I'm soon playing in a 5E campaign and I want to play a swashbuckling Thri-kreen with pistols and sword.

EDIT: I'm mainly asking about the class, I can homebrew up a race for the Thri-kreen part.

Basically, this guy.

https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0362/70/1416442328124.jpg

What is the best way to do this?

I know there is a semi-official Gunslinger class, but I took a quick look at it and it seems like you are essentially useless for anything other than standing still and going bang.

[Unoriginal]

There are no official 4 armed/handed playable species, to my knowledge. Even if there was, it would not impact the number of actions or bonus action one can do per turn, nor the number of attacks during said actions. It would let one carry several weapons without reloading, however.

The Swashbuckler subclass is in the Xanathar's, though several other sub/classes can give that feel.

Rules for guns are in the DMG. The Giff from the Mordenkainen's and the Drow Gunslinger from Dragon Heist use guns.

Sorry, that's about it for official content.

[LudicSavant]

There are no official 4 armed/handed playable species, to my knowledge. There's one in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, but they don't allow you to wield weapons in your extra limbs.

[Unoriginal]

There's one in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, but they don't allow you to wield weapons in your extra limbs.

Yeah, I wasn't certain if the Simic Hybrid could have four arms, but it can't have four (prehensil) hands, right?

[Millstone85]

Yeah, I wasn't certain if the Simic Hybrid could have four arms, but it can't have four (prehensil) hands, right?Claws or tentacles, which "can't precisely manipulate anything and can't wield weapons, magic items, or otherwise specialized equipment", but are a natural weapon that, on a hit, allows a grapple attempt as a bonus action.

There is also the loxodon's trunk, which can be used to "lift, drop, hold, push, or pull an object or a creature; open or close a door or a container; grapple someone; or make an unarmed strike" but "can't wield weapons or shields or do anything that requires manual precision, such as using tools or magic items or performing the somatic components of a spell".

[Grod_The_Giant]

If you want fancy combat tricks, you can't go wrong with a Battle Master Fighter.

[Shuruke]

Looking at the stat block of recemend these racial features

+2 dex
+1 con
-1 int
-1 cha

Standing leap
Can leap 15 feet from standing position

Color changing carapace
Advantage on stealth when hiding (not moving)

Extra appendages - when taking the attack action you can use a bonus action to attack with a separate weapon in one of your smaller limbs.


For class
I would recemend
Swashbuckler rogue/ fighter mix
Id start fighter
Go to 2 in fighter. Or 3 for champion or samurai (reflavor to instead be gritty gunslinger)
Then go Swashbuckler
In a 13 level build it'd look like
2-3 fighter
5 rogue
2-3 fighter
2 rogue

[CheddarChampion]

Crossbow expert plus 11 levels in fighter would let you make four attacks per turn regularly - that'd be one for each arm you have.
From there you could go to fighter 20, add 9 rogue, or add 9 ranger.

I'd build it as a fighter (battlemaster) 11 ranger (hunter or gloomstalker) 9:
Defensive + archery style, 4 attacks + hunter's mark + sharpshooter, and up to 3rd level spells.

Edit: removed redundant wording

[Man_Over_Game]

Looking at the stat block of recemend these racial features

+2 dex
+1 con
-1 int
-1 cha

Standing leap
Can leap 15 feet from standing position

Color changing carapace
Advantage on stealth when hiding (not moving)

Extra appendages - when taking the attack action you can use a bonus action to attack with a separate weapon in one of your smaller limbs.


My concern is that this is exactly like TWF, except strictly better.

I'd make it a special attack off of your Attack Action, as well as spending your Bonus Action, to make an melee weapon attack against every creature adjacent to you. You must be holding a different weapon for each target. Basically, it's only ever better than TWF if you're adjacent to 2 or more creatures.

[Nightgaun7]

My concern is that this is exactly like TWF, except strictly better.

I'd make it a special attack off of your Attack Action, as well as spending your Bonus Action, to make an melee weapon attack against every creature adjacent to you. You must be holding a different weapon for each target. Basically, it's only ever better than TWF if you're adjacent to 2 or more creatures.

Balance is not the most dire concern.

[Man_Over_Game]

Balance is not the most dire concern.

Then I'd talk to your DM.

There's a lot of difference between "Get 4 actions per turn", and "Spend your Action, Reaction, Bonus Action, and Movement to make a special attack for each weapon you are wielding", and only your DM can tell you where that line is drawn.

[Nightgaun7]

Then I'd talk to your DM.

There's a lot of difference between "Get 4 actions per turn", and "Spend your Action, Reaction, Bonus Action, and Movement to make a special attack for each weapon you are wielding", and only your DM can tell you where that line is drawn.

He said "Make something up and bring it to me"

[Vogie]

I would say that you could be able to use the limbs, but not able use the limbs for EVERYTHING. Perhaps you have 2 main hands and 2 minor hands. The main hands can offensively wield weapons, the minor hands can't.

So I'd see a racial feature with something like:

Multi-Limbed
Your alien nature includes a pair of weaker arms that can't wield a weapon on their own, but are capable of deft and delicate movements. You gain two of the following features:

You ignore the Loading or Reloading properties of weapons with which you are proficient.
You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light,
You can use two-weapon fighting with a Two-handed weapon and a light weapon
You can draw or stow three one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one
You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in both your main hands.
You have Advantage on ability checks relating to disarm or grapple actions