Archer/Support build help

[Degwerks]

Starting around level 7-8, no UA or Eberron material allowed and point buy.
Thinking VHuman to get Sharpshooter feat. Going Hunter Ranger 5, Shepherd Druid X and Life Cleric 1. Undermountain campaign most likely to level 20.

Main focus is primarily ranged damage in combat, with spells as needed in support, and healing outside of combat. Might get the Healer feat to save on spell slots...

Asking for advice on spell selections, when to use Sharpshooter, tactics from both Ranged & Spell casting and where to put my ability point array. Will be using the Goodberry/Life cleric awesomeness and Shepherd Druid Healing Spirit to be main healing outside combat but will slap a healing word down if someone falls during. We have 1 other arcane caster for rituals, CC and AOE, and 3 melee types.

I'll have access to a +2 Longbow, and Bracers of Archery.

Originally my plan was to just use spells slots from full caster class to feed Hail of Thorns attacks. I've branched out from that idea and saw the potential of Sharpshooter w/Bless running (bless occasionally used, maybe 1-2 times/day) and keeping spell slots for must have scenarios. Was going to have Healer feat from VHuman instead of Sharpshooter feat.

Never played a character with Sharpshooter before or a 5E Druid.

Spells I plan on having: Healing Spirit, Goodberry, Cure or Healing Word, Pass w/o Trace, Faerie Fire

[strangebloke]

Ranger/Druid is a solid build. Just good. It's pretty much impossible to mess up.

With Three melees, you're picking the right option by focusing on range. As to your role as "healer" isn't really something that you need to have a dedicated character for. Every character can heal themselves over the course of a short rest, and preventing damage is generally better than healing it. That said, you have access to the very very best healing spell in the game, healing spirit. It's actually so efficient that I would not even bother with the Life Cleric level.

Hunter Ranger has an incredibly solid first five levels. I would strongly recommend Horde Breaker over Colossus Slayer here because getting a third -5/+10 attack off is going to be absolutely insane, even if you only do it ever other round. Plus, the large number of melee people in the group will thank you for some level AOE.

With Archery style and Bracers of Archery, you'll want to attack with -5/+10 pretty much all the time, unless you're up against very high-AC foes or you're attacking at disadvantage.

Spell selection is good overall. Faerie fire is a simply great first level spell. Highly recommend it. Maybe grab zephyr strike so that you can run away if you get stuck in melee?

[Talionis]

Consider Gloomstalker 5 in an underground campaign. But after that go full caster either Druid or Cleric to taste.

[Degwerks]

Yeah Horde Breaker was my plan for grouped up enemies and tunnel fighting unground.

[CheddarChampion]

Consider Gloomstalker 5 in an underground campaign.

Especially as a race without darkvision!

[Degwerks]

Forgot about not having darkvision... might switch to Gloom Stalker.

[djreynolds]

Ranger is stronger than others think, and I would pair it up with war cleric and the sharpshooter feat

6th level war cleric's guided strike can be used on your friends, it is very potent

For ranger, I would take a look at hunter 11, volley is very strong and so is lightning arrow. Archery style, +2 longbow, and bracers of archery could really rain down some pain.

Don't forget the bless spell

[MrStabby]

Not to say you shouldn't follow your plan. It works and should be good for you...

A lot of people like valor bard for this role. 2 attacks at level 6, level 10 gets you swiftquiver and you are a full caster in a class with a lot of support spells. If you are going to 20 you get to play with great spells like wish, forcecage, mass suggestion and others. Sharpshooter is still on the table as well, although you may be a little more greedy for stat increases.

[Degwerks]

Not to say you shouldn't follow your plan. It works and should be good for you...

A lot of people like valor bard for this role. 2 attacks at level 6, level 10 gets you swiftquiver and you are a full caster in a class with a lot of support spells. If you are going to 20 you get to play with great spells like wish, forcecage, mass suggestion and others. Sharpshooter is still on the table as well, although you may be a little more greedy for stat increases.

If I was starting at 10th level then I'd be all over Bard. As it is now, we are lacking the divine or divinish' caster and their skills. My last 3 classes I've played have been charisma based and I need to branch out more.

[sambojin]

I don't have a heap of experience with Rangers, but I do with Druids. If you can deal with the slow grind up to Shepherd 6 after your initial Ranger 5, you'll be well rewarded. Better than a Beastmaster, while not sucking at being a Ranger or a Druid. Those restrain-on-hit summoned beasties work great for a melee/shooter party, just be sure that they're out of your way too, so you don't nullify your own advantage for your SShooter attacks by providing enemies cover with your summons.

Until then, Faerie Fire, Entangle, etc is fine. It'll feel like a grind to get there, but you'll probably find that you have plenty of magic along the way, pretty much a spell per encounter, any of which can add a good amount to total party damage output. Even just having Hunters Mark keeps you pretty competitive up to lvl11, especially with the odd Colossus Slayer or Hail of Thorns slapping down HP even quicker.

I'm not entirely sold on the Cleric level, and I'm starting to favour War a lot more for a bit of bonus action nova'ing alongside most caster'y builds, but each to their own. 4HP Goodberries, amazeballs Healing Spirit, and always having Bless prepared are still very good things to have from Life. Between your Ranger spells, maybe an occasional totem or Flame Sphere movement, etc, you might have too much competition for your bonus action anyway. But extra bonus action attacks always feel good (especially with -5hit/+10damage and advantage), and it'll make you feel better about any initial turns in combat that you spent buffing/locking-down/summoning stuff. An extra 3-5 attacks a day is still fairly nice. Not action surge nice-feels, but still pretty good.

As a starting build, Hunter Ranger 5/ Shepherd Druid 3 is almost definitely better than anything a cleric level could give you (yay, lvl2 Druid spells, and lvl3 slots for 8hrs of Hunters Mark or double Hold Person/Enhance Ability, etc), and saves you lagging an extra level in getting proper Druid stuff going too. Even Ranger 5/ Druid 2 is, with a lvl7 start. It just gives you your toys straight away, rather than a gimmick that you're already fairly good at (doing damage or healing). If you really want the Cleric level, that's fine. But the above is "better" imo. 4/3/2 slots, a fair few known spells, and plenty of changeability each day but with lots concentration competition already kind of renders the Cleric level redundant to my mind.

I'd still want to go fairly high Wis on the build, because gives you so many nice things. Ranger'y stuff, casting stuff, more spells prepared, it's all good. At earlier levels, there's not many spells that will up a party's damage more than a simple Hold Person spell, so whenever there's a humanoid person or two that need to be blended into puree by 3 melee types, landing that spell is a very high priority. You can plink them afterward if you feel like it, but you've done your job. Thus, high Wisdom :)

[sambojin]

Anyway, it's a good build. You can up your own damage a fair bit through magic (Hunters Mark, Hail of Thorns, bonus action FSphere ramming to trigger Colossus Slayer attack actions), your party's (FFire, Entangle, Hold Person), your/your parties abilities (Enhance Ability, Guidance, PwT), faff around scouting a bit (little wildshape), and kind of bounce between any of those things as you want, each day or each encounter.

There'll always be a target for your magic, your totems are nice little buffs, you're arguably the best healer in the game, and you can just fill things full of arrows whenever you like. At-will awesome. Heaps of power down the road, all slowly coming online, or you can always grab that Cleric level or a few more Ranger levels if you really want. Summons and stuff within 2-3lvls, that should still be fairly relevant if you pick CR1-2 ones due to Shepherding. Easy enough to stat (needs Dex and Wis, not much of anything else, you're not on the front lines, so your spells should last a bit). A fair bit of out-of-combat utility as well. Sounds fun.

[Degwerks]

Anyway, it's a good build. You can up your own damage a fair bit through magic (Hunters Mark, Hail of Thorns, bonus action FSphere ramming to trigger Colossus Slayer attack actions), your party's (FFire, Entangle, Hold Person), your/your parties abilities (Enhance Ability, Guidance, PwT), faff around scouting a bit (little wildshape), and kind of bounce between any of those things as you want, each day or each encounter.

There'll always be a target for your magic, your totems are nice little buffs, you're arguably the best healer in the game, and you can just fill things full of arrows whenever you like. At-will awesome. Heaps of power down the road, all slowly coming online, or you can always grab that Cleric level or a few more Ranger levels if you really want. Summons and stuff within 2-3lvls, that should still be fairly relevant if you pick CR1-2 ones due to Shepherding. Easy enough to stat (needs Dex and Wis, not much of anything else, you're not on the front lines, so your spells should last a bit). A fair bit of out-of-combat utility as well. Sounds fun.

Thanks a lot, you've given me quite a bit to think about.