With a thunderous blast I'm gone.

[Teaguethebean]

I am going to be playing in a dungeon of the mad mage game and the DM wants us to be strong so after rolling the stats of 7,10,11,12,15,16
I decided to go with a half-elf rogue fighter. So far we are Level 5 so I distributed my levels with battle master fighter 3/rogue 2. My main strategy involves casting booming blade that I took through half elf variant, and then cunning action disengaging away. After they chase me they take more damage and then if they miss an attack I can get a second sneak attack with riposte. Additionally we were given 2 uncommon magic items of our choice and what I have been considering is a +1 rapier and a luck stone but I am up to suggestions. (No flight items sadly)

So now I ask you all, any tips for leveling? Or really changing anything in the build? The team contains a
storm herald barbarian/tempest cleric
Vengence paladin with a warlock dip
Barbarian with a ton of hp
And a monk that I don't know much about

[Catullus64]

Mobile feat or Swashbuckler rogue will both help with the the Booming Blade and run away tactic, leaving your Bonus Action free for Dashing, Hiding, or an off-hand attack. (The last of these, admittedly, won't work at the same time as Booming Blade.) If you eventually make high enough level for Extra Attack, Booming Blade will no longer be your best option, but it's still a nice option to have.

For maneuvers, Menacing Attack is fantastic for a skirmisher, as it makes it harder for enemies to chase you; Trip Attack might be uniquely valuable for a Booming Blade user, depending on whether or not your DM considers the movement spent to get up from being prone as "moving" for the purposes of triggering the spell's secondary damage.

[Dork_Forge]

I am going to be playing in a dungeon of the mad mage game and the DM wants us to be strong so after rolling the stats of 7,10,11,12,15,16
I decided to go with a half-elf rogue fighter. So far we are Level 5 so I distributed my levels with battle master fighter 3/rogue 2. My main strategy involves casting booming blade that I took through half elf variant, and then cunning action disengaging away. After they chase me they take more damage and then if they miss an attack I can get a second sneak attack with riposte. Additionally we were given 2 uncommon magic items of our choice and what I have been considering is a +1 rapier and a luck stone but I am up to suggestions. (No flight items sadly)

So now I ask you all, any tips for leveling? Or really changing anything in the build? The team contains a
storm herald barbarian/tempest cleric
Vengence paladin with a warlock dip
Barbarian with a ton of hp
And a monk that I don't know much about

How come you went with a Luck Stone over the Cloak of Protection? Leveling wise I would probably take Fighter to 4, then Rogue to 4 and just pump Battle Master after that (you can take Rogue 5 for Uncanny Dodge if you're feeling a little vulnerable). I second the suggestion of Swashbuckler, the boost to initiative from Cha will also be nice with your racial bonus. Personally I'd probably want to pick a magic item that would give a bit of magic, maybe a wand of some kind to go along with a +1 Rapier (or just take Magic Initiate later).

[RogueJK]

I'd suggest something like:

Variant High Half Elf
STR 7
DEX 16
CON 15+1
INT 10
WIS 11+1
CHA 12+2

(You could also start with 7+1 STR and 11 WIS, and plan on taking the Resilient WIS feat as your Level 12 ASI.)


As for level progression, you have two options, each of which start with a 4/1 split to get the ASI ASAP for +2 DEX to bring it up to 18.

One option is to start with Battlemaster Fighter 4/Rogue 1. Choose either the Dueling, Defense, or Two Weapon Fighting style. Dueling works well with a sword and shield. TWF gives you an additional chance to land your sneak attack, but conflicts with Booming Blade. Defense gives you extra AC, which is nice on any build.

You'll have Battlemaster Maneuvers right away, but won't be able to Bonus Action Disengage until next level, so for this level you'll basically just play as a straight DEX-based Battlemaster with a bit of Sneak Attack damage and some additional skill utility.

Then go to Battlemaster 4/Rogue 4, picking up Cunning Action at Rogue 2, then the Swashbuckler subclass at Rogue 3 for free Disengage, easier Sneak Attacks, and +2 Initiative. Then at Rogue 4, use your ASI for another +2 DEX to get it up to 20.


The other option is to do it the other way around, starting as Swashbuckler Rogue 4/Fighter 1, and then working towards Swashbuckler 4/Battlemaster 4. This gets you Booming Blade + Disengage right off the bat, but means you'll have to wait until Level 6 for Action Surge and Level 7 for Battlemaster Maneuvers. Honestly, this is likely the more optimal build path, as it gets your core concept BB+D online right away, with higher Sneak Attack damage earlier on.



From 4/4, you can decide if you want to be more Battlemaster and stop Swashbuckler at 4 or 5 (for Uncanny Dodge), or more Swashbuckler and stop Battlemaster at 4 or perhaps 6 (for the ASI). They each have their pros and cons.

If you plan on relying on BB+D exclusively, then Battlemaster's higher level Extra Attacks aren't necessary, and focusing on Swashbuckler will boost your Sneak Attack damage and get you some very useful defensive abilities like Evasion. But by forgoing these Extra Attacks, you're putting everything on one all-or-nothing attack per round, to either hit for nova damage (weapon + Booming Blade + Sneak Attack + potentially a Battlemaster Maneuver effect) or else miss altogether for zero damage that round. Though that's no different from any other non-TWF Rogue who's limited to one attack per round, so it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Personally, I'd start Swashbuckler 4/Fighter 1, then work up to Battlemaster 4/Swashbuckler X.

[CheddarChampion]

How come you went with a Luck Stone over the Cloak of Protection?

Agreed. The +1 AC helps with getting riposte more often.
To OP, get defensive style: studded leather + 16 Dex + a shield + defensive style + cloak of protection = 19 AC.

[Talionis]

In what universe is taking Fighter 4 a good place to stop? One more level nets you extra attack. Extra Attack is another opportunity to land sneak attack damages. Dips in Fighter for a Rogue are 2, 3,and 5. But honestly I’d never go more than 5 Fighter if I was interested in Rogue. The Rogue stuff will be more fun and Ectra Attack is the last thing I might want from Fighter.

[RogueJK]

In what universe is taking Fighter 4 a good place to stop?

A universe where the Rogue plans to rely exclusively on the Booming Blade cantrip, which doesn't benefit from Extra Attack, since it uses the Cast a Spell Action not the Attack action.