Assassin 3 / Grave Cleric X

[5eNeedsDarksun]

So I've just gotten to Assassin 3, Grave Cleric 2 (and enjoying it) with the intention of taking Assassin levels for the remainder of the campaign (which would likely get to level 11 or 12), with maybe one more Cleric level to double spells, cause we have more encounters than I can Bless and Healing Word.

Then I realized Assassin auto-crits don't actually need to be Sneak Attacks; they just need to be attack rolls of some sort. So, Inflict Wounds and a few other spells work just as well as my current plan, which was Rapier + Piercer + Sneak Attack + Booming Blade (planned 4th level feat). Also I'm sure my DM would be OK if I jigged a couple of abilities to make going Spell Assassin work.

As I figure it here are some of the positives for the builds:

Current Plan: Grave Cleric 2/3, Assassin X

Online Quicker; I just need to keep doing what I'm doing
SAD; my few Cleric spells work fine with Wis 14 and I already have Dex 18 with Custom Lineage + Piercer
Initial Damage is resourceless.
After round 1 resourceless damage is better.
Rogue features are good

Potential Plan: Assassin 3, Grave Cleric X

I'd be a (mostly) full caster meaning more versatile
Grave Cleric subclass abilities are better than Assassin past level 3
In the long run I'll have enough spells to Assassinate and have enough left for buffs and healing, etc
My party doesn't really have a lot of casting (Fighter, Ranger, Artificer)

Anyway, I have seen a build like this on the net. Just wondering if anyone has actually tried anything like this?

[Catullus64]

I played Grave Cleric/Rogue for a decent-length campaign, though my subclass was Inquisitive rather than Assassin, and invested mostly in Rogue levels after reaching Cleric 2; my level split at the end of campaign was Cleric 2/Rogue 9. Never regretted it, though admittedly I had the Cleric levels more for utility features than for damage output. My only Feat was Mobile. But that doesn't mean the Cleric levels weren't felt even into later levels; Path to the Grave only gets stronger as you do, and a clutch 1st-Level Healing Word never goes out of style.

If a big Assassinate + Path to the Grave alpha strike is your wish, I would probably focus on Rogue levels for the sake of Sneak Attack progression. Outside of that, the comparison between the two paths is pretty apples to oranges; do you want a Rogue with Cleric stuff, or a Cleric with Rogue stuff? Both will be effective in and out of combat, but in different ways. A Rogue will be more persistently useful and probably more survivable on the whole, while a Cleric of 5th+ level will have situationally better damage and can pull out what I consider some of the premier utility spells in the game, like Speak With Dead, Tongues, Water Walk, Sending.

What sort of campaign are you playing in? Is it action-heavy? Do you have a lot of mysteries to solve? Do you spend a lot of time in towns and cities? The ideal split depends quite a bit on these things.

[Silpharon]

Path to the Grave is an action that only lasts one turn. I would expect you couldn't activate it before rolling initiative. If so, you could have a waste of a combo: first round use Path to the Grave. Next round attack, but wait no assassinate... Shucks.

If you wanted to get around this, push the Cleric route and grab Metamagic Adept with Quicken. Then you can Path to the Grave and Quicken Inflict Wounds in the same turn.

If you grab 2 levels of sorcerer, you can use Font of Magic to fill up your 4 total sorcery points from spell slots. Otherwise the combo would only be once per long rest. Shadow Sorcerer could be a useful subclass...

[Catullus64]

Path to the Grave is an action that only lasts one turn. I would expect you couldn't activate it before rolling initiative. If so, you could have a waste of a combo: first round use Path to the Grave. Next round attack, but wait no assassinate... Shucks.

If you wanted to get around this, push the Cleric route and grab Metamagic Adept with Quicken. Then you can Path to the Grave and Quicken Inflict Wounds in the same turn.

If you grab 2 levels of sorcerer, you can use Font of Magic to fill up your 4 total sorcery points from spell slots. Otherwise the combo would only be once per long rest. Shadow Sorcerer could be a useful subclass...

If you're taking the route of a third multi-class dip to get around the action economy limits of Path to the Grave, I feel a two-level Fighter dip for Action Surge is the more pragmatic approach. Archery could also be a nice pickup for a build that hinges so much damage on a single attack roll. Don't know if the OP has the 13 CHA needed for a Sorcerer dip.

I, as a DM, would have no problem allowing the use of Path to the Grave before initiative, thus preserving Surprise; I assume that since you've already been playing this build, you and your DM already have an understanding one way or the other on that point.

I would generally counsel against loading up your build towards a big burst damage alpha strike. Sustained damage + solid defensive features + plentiful utility will always be better in my book. The party you're rocking with already has plenty of damage output.

[BerzerkerUnit]

My preferred “cursed hand” is Half-Elf GC2/AR3/DSS6

Elf Accuracy at Sorc 4.

DSS gets you your Inflict Wounds as a Sorc spell, take Quicken and Empower or Twin, and you will absolutely kill things on surprise round one with a single touch. I prefer empower to optimize crits.

This is a brutal build but you have to commit to the bit. Trying to dink around with other schtick is fine sometimes, but most turns it should be bad touch with advantage.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

If you're taking the route of a third multi-class dip to get around the action economy limits of Path to the Grave, I feel a two-level Fighter dip for Action Surge is the more pragmatic approach. Archery could also be a nice pickup for a build that hinges so much damage on a single attack roll. Don't know if the OP has the 13 CHA needed for a Sorcerer dip.

I, as a DM, would have no problem allowing the use of Path to the Grave before initiative, thus preserving Surprise; I assume that since you've already been playing this build, you and your DM already have an understanding one way or the other on that point.

I would generally counsel against loading up your build towards a big burst damage alpha strike. Sustained damage + solid defensive features + plentiful utility will always be better in my book. The party you're rocking with already has plenty of damage output.

Yeah, the DM is fine with activating before initiative, and I would be too; pointing at someone seems to be far less likely to tip anyone off than the act of having to sneak up close enough to put a sword into them. I definitely get the concern over building just for the alpha strike; I think the Cleric heavy build is in danger of doing this, particularly at mid levels. I'd still be predominantly buffing with bless, and most of my higher level slots would be used for initial attacks. Subsequent rounds would definitely be less impactful than with the extra sneak attack dice. I do think if we were going well into tier 3 the Cleric build would be better, as I'd have enough spells to buff, alpha attack, and leftovers for healing and utility. We're playing Tomb of Annihilation, and might continue a bit after that, but I'm thinking level 11/ 12 is probably max.

I'm kind of leaning towards Rogue heavy, but the lack of casting in our group is keeping the predominant Cleric build in the mix. That, and Assassin subclass doesn't really get much after level 3. I suppose the (somewhat) middle ground is to stay Rogue heavy and pick up the 3rd level of Cleric, which at least ensures I've got at least 1 spell slot for most/all encounters. I have Arcana too, so access to scribing 2nd level scrolls gives a fair bit more versatility.

[Silpharon]

That's very kind of your DM. I'm accustomed to "cursing" including a verbal component.

Have you thought about continuing via Gloom Stalker Ranger? You'll snag a fighting style, Dread Ambusher, Extra Attack, Hunter's Mark, Absorb Elements, Goodberry, Entangling Strike, Pass Without Trace, etc. It works well with Assassin, and can provide nice sustain through the rest of the combat.

I'm going a wild build in my current campaign that includes these two, though I'm only level 4 now.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

That's very kind of your DM. I'm accustomed to "cursing" including a verbal component.

Have you thought about continuing via Gloom Stalker Ranger? You'll snag a fighting style, Dread Ambusher, Extra Attack, Hunter's Mark, Absorb Elements, Goodberry, Entangling Strike, Pass Without Trace, etc. It works well with Assassin, and can provide nice sustain through the rest of the combat.

I'm going a wild build in my current campaign that includes these two, though I'm only level 4 now.

I'd thought about it. I'm going Magic Initiate for my 4th level feat to get a Familiar and Booming Blade (which I can't combine with Extra Attack). 3 levels is a thought, but a 3 class split really delays later abilities in whatever is my main class.
Oddly, the Gloomstalker in our group was considering a Cleric dip, and seeing how much I'm liking the Grave Cleric is thinking that might be the option.
More broadly, we hadn't really had the martials in our group take caster dips until now, but I'm realizing how good they can be. With limited slots Bless and Healing Word are pretty impactful, and will continue to be for the duration of the game. Guidance is pretty darn good to; we've made a bunch of checks already that we wouldn't have without it. I'd kind of been of the opinion that getting to level 5 in a single class ASAP was really important, but I can't say with this combo I've felt behind yet. At Assassin 3/ Grave Cleric 1 I was definitely the MVP; at level 5 the other characters closed the gap, but I'm still very versatile.

[Silpharon]

Ha! You could go Gloomstalker, and your party member who's already a Gloomstalker could go Grave Cleric and Assassin. Then you meet in the middle at level 10. You could see which build progression was better. :P