What class/combination of classes is best for ranged dps currently?

[mistermysterio]

primarily looking for a class that will use bows or crossbows in the current state of the game. Gunslingers, Blood Hunters, etc are fair game.

Which class gives the best ranged dps (could be a class that can cast spells; but one that primarily uses a ranged weapon for damage).

I found older threads that tread on this, but most of them are old and very few of them include the Matt Mercer classes.

If a few options are pretty close, is one better for things besides damage? Could be combat-related (control, etc.), or out-of-combat related (face, problem solving, etc.)



Thanks :)

[Jamesps]

My favorite is elven samurais with sharpshooter and elven accuracy.

They're simple, effective, and a fair bit more durable than your average ranged character. They're also effective at level 1 and reach full effectiveness at level 6, early enough to enjoy the class for most of your games.

[Man_Over_Game]

primarily looking for a class that will use bows or crossbows in the current state of the game. Gunslingers, Blood Hunters, etc are fair game.

Which class gives the best ranged dps (could be a class that can cast spells; but one that primarily uses a ranged weapon for damage).

I found older threads that tread on this, but most of them are old and very few of them include the Matt Mercer classes.

If a few options are pretty close, is one better for things besides damage? Could be combat-related (control, etc.), or out-of-combat related (face, problem solving, etc.)



Thanks :)


Gloomstalker Ranger 4, Battlemaster Fighter 16. Use Hex Hunter's Mark, Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter for tons of attacks at medium-long range. Good for combat versatility. Hex adds more long-term damage than Fighter's level 20 Extra Attack.
Samurai 20. Use Sharpshooter. Very straightforward. Since you cap out easily with this build, it's very customizable with your extra feats. Has the benefit of having insane range.
Inquisitive Rogue 20. Use Sharpshooter, but for the range. Seems odd, but being able to land Sneak Attacks at 300 feet out is a good way of getting someone dead before they ever reach your team. Has the benefit of actually doing stuff out of combat. Deals about 40 damage in a single shot.
Devotion Paladin 20. Use Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert. Enhance your Crossbow with extra hit-rate, balancing out your accuracy loss from Sharpshooter for lots of heavy hits. Good support and aura bot for your team. Needs really good stats, though.

[Naanomi]

The answer depends somewhat on if you are talking about single targets vs groups, and if you are considering the possibility of surprise

[nickl_2000]

It is really, really hard to beat out a Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter Battlemaster fighter for pure DPR.

Although an Elven Champion fighter with xbow expert, SS, Elven Accuracy, archery, and the UA ranged feat is also pretty killer

[MrStabby]

Goblin fighters seem good.

A bit of theorycrafting here as I haven't played one...

Bonus action hide, to support advantage. Bonus action disengage as you don't want to be in melee.

+2 Dex, the stat you want.

For feats, skulker and sharpshooter - play on the advantage of being hidden and capitalise on it with sharpshooter for extra damage. Extra feats from being a fighter help as well.

Archery fighting style.

For subclass I would probably pick battlemaster. Menacing attack (cant move forward is mean when you outrange the enemy - can be basically skip a turn. Precision attack, for reliable damage. Disarming strike - not as good on a ranged fighter but still a good support ability.


Of course you can add multiclass, especially at higher levels. - a level of rogue for a sneak attack die and some expertise. Maybe a ranger dip - gloomstalker is always solid.

[mistermysterio]

Gloomstalker Ranger 4, Battlemaster Fighter 16. Use Hex, Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter for tons of attacks at medium-long range. Good for combat versatility. Hex adds more long-term damage than Fighter's level 20 Extra Attack.
Samurai 20. Use Sharpshooter. Very straightforward. Since you cap out easily with this build, it's very customizable with your extra feats. Has the benefit of having insane range.
Inquisitive Rogue 20. Use Sharpshooter, but for the range. Seems odd, but being able to land Sneak Attacks at 300 feet out is a good way of getting someone dead before they ever reach your team. Has the benefit of actually doing stuff out of combat. Deals about 40 damage in a single shot.
Devotion Paladin 20. Use Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert. Enhance your Crossbow with extra hit-rate, balancing out your accuracy loss from Sharpshooter for lots of heavy hits. Good support and aura bot for your team. Needs really good stats, though.

Why gloomstalker 4 instead of 3 (versus the fighter getting more action surge and indomitable uses)? Also, where do you get hex? And what would be the ability priorities? Dex > Wis > Con > Int > Str = Cha or something?

[Naanomi]

Bugbear (for damage) or Elven (for accuracy) Assassins (or Assassin 19/Fighter 1) are huge damage dealers; especially on a surprise round but consistently damaging as well

[Man_Over_Game]

Why gloomstalker 4 instead of 3 (versus the fighter getting more action surge and indomitable uses)? Also, where do you get hex?

Sorry, Hunter's Mark, not Hex.

Gloomstalker has the benefit of being invisible to creatures that need Darkvision to see you. In later fights, this is going to happen a lot, which translates to Advantage on all of your attacks against that target.

I push Gloomstalker to 4 in order to get an ASI, but it's less important for a Fighter. I actually recommend going Fighter 5 first before dipping into Ranger.

Action Surge would get you +3 more attacks in the first turn than Gloomstalker, but Hex would supply more damage after your 2nd turn or so. Late game fights also last longer.

[Zigludo]

primarily looking for a class that will use bows or crossbows in the current state of the game. Gunslingers, Blood Hunters, etc are fair game.

Which class gives the best ranged dps (could be a class that can cast spells; but one that primarily uses a ranged weapon for damage).

I found older threads that tread on this, but most of them are old and very few of them include the Matt Mercer classes.


Regarding the Matt Mercer classes/subclasses: I haven't looked deeply into them, but from what I understand via reputation and glancing at the features myselves, they're actually not great for DPR. For a few reasons.

As for your main question: the correct answer depends on a lot of factors, like party composition, availability of magic weapons, availability of magic weapons, combat tactics, whether you're going for nova/delta strike vs sustained damage, whether feats are allowed, whether multiclassing is allowed, what level you're starting at and what level you're ending at (rangers are fantastic archers at earlier levels and not so much at high levels.)

In any case you're probably going to want to get the Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter feats as quickly as possible, followed by maxing out your Dexterity. If you can give me some more details from the list of factors I rattled off above, I can give you more specifically tailored advice.

[cajbaj]

NOTE: Missed the bit about bows and crossbows. Whoops. Though you can still do this with Improved Pact Weapon.

Padlock is actually OK at this.

Hexblade 2/whatever X (but I like Vengeance Paladin X) is pretty stupid good, assuming you're fighting a boss that will live a long time because it takes 3 rounds to get all your bonus action abilities out.

Hexblade takes Agonizing Blast and either Repelling Blast or Eldritch Spear, one keeps opponents at bay and the other lets you shoot them before they get close. If you're going Vengeance Paladin, take Repelling Blast because your Vow of Emnity that grants advantage only works at 10 feet of range.

Pros: Hexblade 2 is an insane dip
Scales entirely with level, not with class
Gives freedom for defensive abilities like Shield or Parry
Can be used with a shield without War Caster and can take the Defense or Protection fighting styles without damage opportunity cost
Can easily swap to melee if necessary with almost no downsides
SAD
Based on short rests

Cons: takes 3 rounds to do all your bonus actions
Doesn't take advantage of Smite or the expanded crit range
Usually can't dish out quite as much damage as similar DPS builds
Cheesy and dumb
Probably inferior to the same build with a pointy stick

Assuming you go Vow of Enmity > Hex > Hexblade's Curse at level 5 and the enemy doesn't die, you'll be shooting 2 d10+d6+3+Cha blasts at advantage that push enemies 10 feet away from you.
Assuming you hit but don't crit, you deal 30 DPR at level 5. Since you can miss but you have advantage and a crit rate of 19%, I think that's pretty close to average.

Being free to take levels in other places, I'd keep leveling Paladin for their insane level 6 and then probably Fighter for the free Defense/Protection fighting style and Action Surge. With action surge at level 17 you'll be doing 8 shots of 1d10 + 1d6 + 5 + 6 damage, potentially dealing 160 damage average and pushing your foe 80 feet away from you.

I hate Hexblades.

[Man_Over_Game]

NOTE: Missed the bit about bows and crossbows. Whoops. Though you can still do this with Improved Pact Weapon.

Padlock is actually OK at this.

Hexblade 2/whatever X (but I like Vengeance Paladin X) is pretty stupid good, assuming you're fighting a boss that will live a long time because it takes 3 rounds to get all your bonus action abilities out.

Hexblade takes Agonizing Blast and either Repelling Blast or Eldritch Spear, one keeps opponents at bay and the other lets you shoot them before they get close. If you're going Vengeance Paladin, take Repelling Blast because your Vow of Emnity that grants advantage only works at 10 feet of range.

Pros: Hexblade 2 is an insane dip
Scales entirely with level, not with class
Gives freedom for defensive abilities like Shield or Parry
Can be used with a shield without War Caster and can take the Defense or Protection fighting styles without damage opportunity cost
Can easily swap to melee if necessary with almost no downsides
SAD
Based on short rests

Cons: takes 3 rounds to do all your bonus actions
Doesn't take advantage of Smite or the expanded crit range
Usually can't dish out quite as much damage as similar DPS builds
Cheesy and dumb
Probably inferior to the same build with a pointy stick

Assuming you go Vow of Enmity > Hex > Hexblade's Curse at level 5 and the enemy doesn't die, you'll be shooting 2 d10+d6+3+Cha blasts at advantage that push enemies 10 feet away from you.
Assuming you hit but don't crit, you deal 30 DPR at level 5. Since you can miss but you have advantage and a crit rate of 19%, I think that's pretty close to average.

Being free to take levels in other places, I'd keep leveling Paladin for their insane level 6 and then probably Fighter for the free Defense/Protection fighting style and Action Surge. With action surge at level 17 you'll be doing 8 shots of 1d10 + 1d6 + 5 + 6 damage, potentially dealing 160 damage average and pushing your foe 80 feet away from you.

I hate Hexblades.

Vow of Enmity does require you to be within 10 feet of the target to initiate it. Additionally, the Vengeance Paladin is probably the Paladin subclass that cares about Charisma the least. I wouldn't recommend that build for an EK spammer.

Now, Sorcerer + Warlock, on the other hand, can output some insane damage levels and is basically the same build.

[mistermysterio]

anyone have a definitive answer as to whether multiclassing allows you to take two different fighting styles? I.e. would a ranger/fighter be able to take archery and defense? Fighting styles clearly state, "You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again." This seems to indicate that you can't double up on a given style (i.e. no +4 to ranged attacks), but you can pick 2 different styles.

[MrStabby]

anyone have a definitive answer as to whether multiclassing allows you to take two different fighting styles? I.e. would a ranger/fighter be able to take archery and defense? Fighting styles clearly state, "You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again." This seems to indicate that you can't double up on a given style (i.e. no +4 to ranged attacks), but you can pick 2 different styles.

I believe this is both the common and the correct interpretation.

[Man_Over_Game]

anyone have a definitive answer as to whether multiclassing allows you to take two different fighting styles? I.e. would a ranger/fighter be able to take archery and defense? Fighting styles clearly state, "You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again." This seems to indicate that you can't double up on a given style (i.e. no +4 to ranged attacks), but you can pick 2 different styles.

The intent: Yes, you can.

There's some ambiguity related to this line: "...You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again...", whether it's referring to having the option to choose a Fighting Style more than once, or that you simply can't take the same Fighting Style twice when given a choice.

Crawford (Lead Designer) has stated that you can, in fact, take multiple Fighting Styles from multiclassing (https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/557815371647164419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sageadvice.eu%2F2015%2F01 %2F23%2Fmulticlass-fighting-styles%2F).

[mistermysterio]

So a gloomstalker ranger fighter with a hand crossbow and 20dex at level 9 could, against a favored enemy:

Attack roll = +11, or 11 + 1d8 if using precision
2 attacks normally 2x (1d6 + 7)
2 attacks via action surge 2x (1d6 + 7)
4 superiority dice (+4d8 damage, if used instead of precision))
4 more attacks via gloomstalker 4x (1d6 + 7 + 1d8)
1 more attack via crossbow expert and a bonus action 1d6 + 7

Possibly add 10 damage to all of the above if using sharpshooter, and, if you are hitting a single target that you marked with hunter's mark previous, add +1d6 to all of the above.

So, single baddy favored enemy who has been marked, using precision attack for 4 of your attacks and combining with sharpshooter,

average attack roll would be 11 for precision attacks, otherwise 6 without, damage would potentially be
18d6 (9 attacks + hunter's mark) + 63 (7x9) + 4d8 + 90 (sharpshooter) ? so it averages out to something like 234 damage? If something theoretically had no AC and you maxed all your damage, you could hit up to like 325 damage in a single round?

Redonculous. Am I doing something wrong here?

[CTurbo]

I like the tri-class combo of Fighter/Ranger/Rogue. There are so many great combos you could do with those three.

Gloom Stalker 5/Fighter 2/Assassin 13 with Alert and SS for a ridiculous surprise round from 300ft away.
Gloom Stalker 3/Battle Master 11/Assassin 5/War Cleric 1 with Alert and SS for a 9 shot surprise round.
Hunter 4/Battle Master 11/Scout 5 for some very consistent dpr

[Potato_Priest]

Valor bard 10 is also a super powerful place to start, since it gets you extra attack and quick quiver from the ranger list. Add levels of fighter (fighting style) and Shepherd Druid (hawk aura and spell progression) to taste.

[Man_Over_Game]

So a gloomstalker ranger fighter with a hand crossbow and 20dex at level 9 could, against a favored enemy:

Attack roll = +11, or 11 + 1d8 if using precision
2 attacks normally 2x (1d6 + 7)
2 attacks via action surge 2x (1d6 + 7)
4 superiority dice (+4d8 damage, if used instead of precision))
4 more attacks via gloomstalker 4x (1d6 + 7 + 1d8)
1 more attack via crossbow expert and a bonus action 1d6 + 7

Possibly add 10 damage to all of the above if using sharpshooter, and, if you are hitting a single target that you marked with hunter's mark previous, add +1d6 to all of the above.

So, single baddy favored enemy who has been marked, using precision attack for 4 of your attacks and combining with sharpshooter,

average attack roll would be 11 for precision attacks, otherwise 6 without, damage would potentially be
18d6 (9 attacks + hunter's mark) + 63 (7x9) + 4d8 + 90 (sharpshooter) , so it averages out to something like 234 damage? If something theoretically had no AC and you maxed all your damage, you could hit up to like 325 damage in a single round?

Redonculous. Am I doing something wrong here?

It'd be:

Attack Roll: 9 + 2 (Archery) + 1d8 if Precision

[2x Normal Attacks + 1x Gloomstalker Attack]x2 from Action Surge
x1 Attack from Crossbow Expert (not usable with Hunter's Mark on the same turn)
+10 damage per hit (if they hit).

Assuming you're using Precision Attack and Sharpshooter for each attack in the first round (of which, you have 6), you'd have about a +10.5 bonus, or an average attack roll of 21. Against an average CR 9 creature, their AC would be about 16. That's about an 80% chance to hit the target. The value of Precision Attack is basically the same as Sharpshooter (4.5 vs. 5), so we'll just say they balance each other out.

Assuming you use Hunter's Mark in the first turn, or +1d6 per attack (now 7 damage per attack), you're looking at this for a first-round turn:

6 attacks x (7 dice damage + 5 modifier damage+10 SS damage) = 132 damage.

There's two calculations for accuracy we need to consider: the 4 attacks with Precision, and the two attacks without. So that's just 2/3 and 1/3 of our attacks. We'll calculate each part separately and sum them at the end. We also need to include the 9 damage from Dread Ambusher now, too.

132/3= 44
(9+ 44x2) * 80% accuracy = 77.6 damage.
44x1 * 55% accuracy = 24.2

77.6+24.2 =101.8 damage on the first round.

[stoutstien]

A odd one is fighter 2/ hunter ranger 11(horde breaker and volley)/ x more ranger or rogue.

Your single target damage is good but your at will horde destroying powers are unmatched.

Edit: if your DM rules one attack roll for all targets of volley then a 3rd lv in fighter for precision battle master is a must

[mistermysterio]

It'd be:

Attack Roll: 9 + 2 (Archery) + 1d8 if Precision

[2x Normal Attacks + 1x Gloomstalker Attack]x2 from Action Surge
x1 Attack from Crossbow Expert (not usable with Hunter's Mark on the same turn)
+10 damage per hit (if they hit).

Assuming you're using Precision Attack and Sharpshooter for each attack in the first round (of which, you have 6), you'd have about a +10.5 bonus, or an average attack roll of 21. Against an average CR 9 creature, their AC would be about 16. That's about an 80% chance to hit the target. The value of Precision Attack is basically the same as Sharpshooter (4.5 vs. 5), so we'll just say they balance each other out.

Assuming you use Hunter's Mark in the first turn, or +1d6 per attack (now 7 damage per attack), you're looking at this for a first-round turn:

6 attacks x (7 dice damage + 5 modifier damage) + 40 Sharpshooter damage = 112 damage.

112 * 80% accuracy = ~90 damage.

Alright, I was dipping into gloomstalker too much, since I was doing it per attack instead of per attack action.

I think you're missing some of the damage there though
You didn't add the 1d8 from the gloomstalker attacks (so another ~9 damage)
another 2 damage per attack if it's a favored enemy (so 12 damage)
and did you not use sharpshooter on 2 of the attacks because of the lack of precision?

[Man_Over_Game]

Alright, I was dipping into gloomstalker too much, since I was doing it per attack instead of per attack action.

I think you're missing some of the damage there though
You didn't add the 1d8 from the gloomstalker attacks (so another ~9 damage)
another 2 damage per attack if it's a favored enemy (so 12 damage)
and did you not use sharpshooter on 2 of the attacks because of the lack of precision?

I did update it to include the extra 2 SS attacks. Although I forgot about the 1d8 per attack. Favored Enemy doesn't add damage by default, unless you're using the UA Ranger.

[mistermysterio]

yeah I was looking at the revised ranger

[XmonkTad]

Kobold EK 20 with SS and XBow Expert. Use a hand crossbow and haste yourself. Anything an ally is standing near has pack-tactics advantage, and with the archery fighting style you won't even notice the -5. With all the extra attacks, plus action surge, +/- haste (you did take haste right?) you can easily pump out reliable ranged damage within 120 feet. Does rely on allies and avoiding sunlight.

[LudicSavant]

As far as DPR archers go, Fighters do quite well for themselves. I would recommend Samurai, Battle Master, or Eldritch Knight.

Elf Samurai is a simple and very reliable DPR core for a party that you wanna take straight to 20 (because Rapid Strike and Strength Before Death are great).
Battle Master or EK you can also take to 20, or jumping out to multiclass after getting your third attack. They also will have a few more tricks up their sleeve than the Samurai. For example Tripping Attack + Sharpshooter is lovely for grounding fliers.

Here's an AnyDice comparison (https://anydice.com/program/14e93) for CBE Battle Master vs Elven Accuracy Samurai DPR at level 8, with the Battle Master using all of their superiority dice (Precision Attack if they miss, a damage maneuver if they hit or crit) and the Samurai using Fighting Spirit. Both builds are taking the Archery Fighting style. The Samurai is using their ASIs on Elven Accuracy (+1 Dex), +2 Dex, and Sharpshooter, while the Battle Master is using theirs on Sharpshooter, Crossbow Expert, and +2 Dex. Target has AC 16 (DMG average for CR 8).


AC: 16
PROFICIENCY: 5

function: attack DMG:d crit CRIT_DMG:d penalty PENALTY:n rider RIDER:n stat STAT:n superiority SUP:n roll ROLL:n{
MODIFIER: (STAT-10)/2
DMG_WITH_BONUS: DMG + MODIFIER + RIDER

if ROLL = 1 {
result: 0
}
if ROLL = 20 {
result: DMG_WITH_BONUS + CRIT_DMG
}
if ROLL + MODIFIER + PROFICIENCY - PENALTY >= AC {
result: DMG_WITH_BONUS + SUP
}

if ROLL + SUP + MODIFIER + PROFICIENCY - PENALTY >= AC {
result: DMG_WITH_BONUS
}
result: 0
}


output
[attack 1d6 crit 1d6+2d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 18 superiority 1d8 roll 1d20]
+ [attack 1d6 crit 1d6+2d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 18 superiority 1d8 roll 1d20]
+ [attack 1d6 crit 1d6+2d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 18 superiority 1d8 roll 1d20]
+ [attack 1d6 crit 1d6+2d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 18 superiority 1d8 roll 1d20]
+[attack 1d6 crit 1d6 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 18 superiority 0 roll 1d20]
named "BM"

output
[attack 1d8 crit 1d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 20 superiority 0 roll [highest 1 of 3d20]]
+
[attack 1d8 crit 1d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 20 superiority 0 roll [highest 1 of 3d20]]
+
[attack 1d8 crit 1d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 20 superiority 0 roll [highest 1 of 3d20]]
+
[attack 1d8 crit 1d8 penalty 5 rider 10 stat 20 superiority 0 roll [highest 1 of 3d20]]
named "Samurai"

End result: BM 65.00, Samurai 70.82

Also, here's some old calcs I did for another ranged DPR thread (and had 'em double checked by AureusFulgens).


Some quick DPR comparisons (all vs AC 19 at level 20). All results are rounded to the nearest tenth. All calculations done with this tool, and provided my variables so you can replicate results: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?582779-Comprehensive-DPR-Calculator-(v2-0)

There are a lot of calculations here so hopefully I didn't have a typo somewhere. Please correct me if I did.

First, the Sorcerer/Hexblade's EB combo from "Boss Damage Combination at Max Level" from this guide (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?596310-GUIDE-The-Sorlock-%96-Guide-to-the-tormented-divine-soul-with-Xanathar-s-Divine-Soul(17)-Hexblade(3)). Note that the guide's calculation doesn't take into account hit chance and the like. I did.
Round 1 (EB+HC): 45.1 DPR
Round 2 (EB+HC+Hex): 55.6 DPR
Round 3+ (EB*2+HC+Hex): 111.2 DPR
Average DPR if they get 3 full rounds of blasting the same target (and only in that case, because everything takes bonus actions to change targets, and you can't prebuff any of this): (45.1+55.6+111.2)/3 = 70.6 DPR

Fighter 1 / Arcane Trickster 19 (Max Dex, Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter), using Haste/Ready and Versatile Trickster/Familiar granting Advantage with a Heavy Crossbow: 108.7 DPR
Without Haste (resourceless, no reaction): 54.3 DPR
With a reaction (such as from an Order Cleric giving them 1 weapon attack): 108.7 DPR.

Arcane Trickster 20 (Max Dex, Elven Accuracy):
Haste Ready or Reaction: 98.7 DPR
No off-turn sneak: 49.3 DPR

Samurai 20 (Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert/Elven Accuracy/Max Dex):
Fighting Spirit / Rapid Strike: 85.4 DPR
FS / RS / Action Surge: 160.3 DPR
FS / RS / AS / Strength Before Death: 320.6 DPR

Note that the Samurai in particular scales incredibly well with buffs / teamwork due to AS, RS and SBD. Let me give you an idea of how well:
FS/RS/Elemental Weapon (1 hour buff, cast at 7th level): 133.45 DPR.
FS/RS/Action Surge + Elemental Weapon: 248.1 DPR
FS/RS/Action Surge + Elemental Weapon + Holy Weapon (they stack, but two different party members need to do it): 333.8 DPR

FS/RS/AS/EW/SBD: 496.2 DPR
FS/RS/AS/EW/HW/SBD: 667.6 DPR
FS/RS/AS/EW/HW/SBD/Haste: 744.7 DPR

So uh, yeah. Cast a buff on your local Samurai today. It's good value for your spell slot/Concentration. (I seriously feel like accounting for teamwork is overlooked WAY too often in character optimization threads. The Samurai scales really well with teamwork due to their features basically acting as a force multiplier for every die that gets added to them).

(Note: I'm usually the one playing the buffer here, so I often calculate who in the party is best to buff ^^;;)

[MagneticKitty]

My friend uses Hexblade Warlock 1 / whisper bard x
crossbow expert gives you three attacks per round with tensers transformation. Hexblade's curse let's you have expanded crit range, and whispers bard can smite using their inspiration at range.
Dealing like 3 (1d6 handcrossbow + 2d12 tenser + xd8 whisper bard smite) +2xcharisma) per round isn't bad with some durability buffs on top. The amount of d8 depends on your bard lv

You could use swift quiver perhaps if you already have multi attack from another source for a similar ish build. Maybe hexblade bladelock 5 / whisper bard x

[Sigreid]

Our arcane archer is really nasty. Especially once he got that ability so a miss usually just means he hit a different target.

[nickl_2000]

Our arcane archer is really nasty. Especially once he got that ability so a miss usually just means he hit a different target.

I'm a little surprised by that considering how much the arcane Archer gets panned on here.

[Sigreid]

I'm a little surprised by that considering how much the arcane Archer gets panned on here.

Everyone in our group really appreciates ours.

[samcifer]

Everyone in our group really appreciates ours.

The only real issue is that they get so few uses of their main ability and never gain any more uses as they level up.

[Man_Over_Game]

The only real issue is that they get so few uses of their main ability and never gain any more uses as they level up.

At level 15 they do. It effectively becomes: # Fights per Day + # Short Rests Per Day + 1 .

It's less consistent than the Battlemaster, but it appears to be stronger at very high levels. The catch is, nobody really makes it to level 18.

[Sigreid]

The only real issue is that they get so few uses of their main ability and never gain any more uses as they level up.

They're so solid in every other way that he's not had any trouble applying his special shots when it matters. They aren't really where his main damage comes from, but they're a critical debilitating effect when we need it.