Great Weapon and archer build, too MAD??

[Drizztguen]

Hi everyone.

I’ve been thinking about the feasibility of creating a character that could effectively use both great weapons and bows. It’s not conventional and likely too MAD, but I was wondering if anyone’s done any research into this build before.

The (perceived) benefit would be the ability to attack both melee and ranged, without requiring spells or cantrips.

Initial thoughts: variant human fighter champion to access an additional fighting style at level 10 and more ASIs. Multiclassing might help. Theoretically you could take both great weapon master and sharpshooter, and at level 20 you’d have 4 attacks per round.

Is this worth investigating further?

[Teaguethebean]

Initial thoughts: variant human fighter champion to access an additional fighting style at level 10 and more ASIs. Multiclassing might help. Theoretically you could take both great weapon master and sharpshooter, and at level 20 you’d have 4 attacks per round.

Is this worth investigating further?

I think you are doing it right with champion for a jack of all blades, but you could take a level of Hexblade if you want to be SAD though kinda weird. With the fighters extra ASI'S you could at lv20 have both sharpshooter, GWM, 20 dex and str, and another feat of your choice (I reccomend ritual caster) a pure champion can fill this role excellently and though you wont have the damage of a samurai or battlemaster you will make up for it versatility.

[CheddarChampion]

Certainly possible, wouldn't come online until later: 2 feats, 4 ASI's minimum. With V. Human that's a level 14 fighter.
Easier done if you can find a belt of hill giant strength or the like. That brings it down to level 8. You could also be a different race and get everything at level 12.
Stats would be something like 16/16/14/8/10/8 at level 1.

[djreynolds]

100% doable.

Archery style can allow you to wait on a 20 dex if you take it first and begin with a 16 in dex

I would recommend not taking any dex or strength skills and really making that 7th level remarkable athlete do its job. Its a +8 bonus with 20s in dex and strength.... instead of a +11.

The only thing I would add is, if needed, magic initiate cleric and grab the bless spell to help out with that -5 of GWM/SS... if you don't have a cleric. At higher levels clerics and paladins are concentrating on other spells.

[CTurbo]

I've known a few people to take both GWM and Sharphooter feats with the Archery style. Archery style is equivalent to +4 Dex so it's not like you have to have 20 Dex to make it work. It's not uncommon for a GWM Fighter to take Archery without any further investment to Dex simply to not be BAD at ranged attacks.

[Makorel]

This is one I like to think about as well. Champion would probably also be my go to if they got the second fighting style at 7 instead of 10. If you want those fighting styles you're probably better off multiclassing for them.

Hexblade Warlock and Battlesmith Artificer are both able to use their casting stat to attack with their weapons, and so they can switch between melee and ranged without much penalty.

I would say Oath of Devotion is worth looking into. Paladins will always want to be in melee but when they can't Devotion can spend an action to increase their ranged accuracy. The only issue is that if you want to be good at both and pick up both GWM and Sharpshooter and max your stats you probably won't have enough feats for it like a Fighter would.

[Contrast]

Do you want to be equally good with both?

A barbarian wouldn't object to 16 in Dex which would be enough to make you passable with a bow while still having all your regular barbarian goodness. It would mean that the archery was very much a secondary thing you fell back on rather than an even choice.

Hexblade seems a potential way forward in terms of being SAD (bonus points if you can convince your DM to let you have two pact weapons).

[Addaran]

From what i remember the great weapon fighting doesn't make that much difference mathematically. If you only get archery, you can take battle master instead of champion. Precision Attack maneuver in particular helps a lot with GWM and sharpshooter.

Start with 16 str and dex, first two feats GWM and sharpshooter. Then probably str-str-dex-dex or str-dex-str-dex ( since archery gives you +2 to-hit already)

[Misterwhisper]

Artificer battlesmith can do it easy and all int based.

Eldritch knight can do it, bond a bow and two hander, bonus action switch.

Blade pact hexblade can do it based on cha but takes an action to switch pick weapon shape. Their are ways around it but why bother with a bow when you can eldritch blast


Have you considered taking down a hair and using a thrown weapon?

Artificers can make it auto returning.
Any reasonable gm should let sharp shooter work with throwing.
Can be all str based on if artificer all int.