Hello my name is Human

[Rtgamer]

I’m joining an adventure that is already underway..an Ebberon campaign. I’ll be writing up a fighter.
DM says I get a free 16 and a feat to start. The party is already Lvl 9 and comprised of various races with casters, a rogue, and a monk. No cleric and a lot of potion usage to heal up.
Concept: dex based human with +1 to dex and Int (Athlete +1Dex) Champion shield wielding hand crossbow expert sharpshooter by Lvl 6; and 20 Dex by Lvl 8. Then there’s the need for ammunition. 2 Lvls of Artificer for repeating shot and other utility stuff a couple cantrips and spells. But what about those resistant to piercing?.. And how does one deal with defense against spell caster foes? Any suggestions for future development of this build or critique of it thus far will be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to get bored out of combat. thank you in advance

[Evaar]

You might consider just going full Artificer>Battle Smith if you want more options, especially out of combat.

If you're infusing the hand crossbow with the Repeating Shot infusion, that makes it a magic weapon so you won't have to worry much about resistance. Resistance to magical piercing damage is very rare.

[nickl_2000]

I guess I don't understand why you want a Champion Fighter if you are worried about being bored. Go with something with more options. EK or Rune Fighter X/Battlesmith Artificer 3 would be a good combination. You can focus on Int instead of Dex since your repeating crossbow is magical and can trigger off of int.

[Rtgamer]

You might consider just going full Artificer>Battle Smith if you want more options, especially out of combat.

If you're infusing the hand crossbow with the Repeating Shot infusion, that makes it a magic weapon so you won't have to worry much about resistance. Resistance to magical piercing damage is very rare.

I have run out of ammo before when the bad guys still had some. Repeating shot is THE reason I would multiclass at all for this build. St10 Dx20 Cn14 In14 Ws12 Ch8
Maybe some ASIs for more Con or a complimenting feat. Trying to keep it simple and survivable yet find some utility outside of pew pew pew.
Thanks for the feedback here, anymore is welcomed

[Rtgamer]

I guess I don't understand why you want a Champion Fighter if you are worried about being bored. Go with something with more options. EK or Rune Fighter X/Battlesmith Artificer 3 would be a good combination. You can focus on Int instead of Dex since your repeating crossbow is magical and can trigger off of int.

Thanks for the support!
Champion because of the crit potentials.
I’ve been considering ways to serve as a combat medic without casting spells.. soldier first, medic second. Maybe healer feat with rogue 3 fast hands.. idk that means only 15 Lvls of fighter.. whatcha think?

[RogueJK]

Champion because of the crit potentials.

The point of crit fishing is to have something worth fishing for. Like doubling a whole handful of smite/sneak attack/spell dice.

With a hand crossbow Champion, you're only doubling the hand crossbow's base damage dice. So you'd only get an extra 1d6 of damage on a crit. That's 3.5 points on average. Not worth basing everything around.

Even a Battlemaster Fighter would have better opportunities to add greater damage (plus effects) more reliably, using their Maneuvers. And has greater out of combat utility than a Champion, thanks to their newer Maneuvers that affect skills checks. (Plus your party Rogue will love you for Commander's Strike, which is one of the few ways for a Rogue to get off-turn Sneak Attacks, potentially doubling their Sneak Attack output in each round.)


Or, if you really want to fish for crits with a Hand Crossbow Champion, consider a Elf or Half-Elf going Champion 4/Arcane Trickster Rogue 5. Use stuff like Steady Aim or Owl Familiar Flyby Help with the Elven Accuracy feat for Triple Advantage so you can reliably fish for crits that will double your Hand Crossbow + Sneak Attack dice. That's now 4d6 getting doubled to 8d6 on a 19-20. And you'd have a lot more out of combat utility than a pure Champion, thanks to your Rogue skills and Expertise, and your spells/cantrips. Also solves the issue of what to do with a Piercing-resistant enemy, since you can pick up a damage cantrip for use as a backup in those situations.

[Gurgeh]

(Plus your party Rogue will love you for Commander's Strike, which is one of the few ways for a Rogue to get off-turn Sneak Attacks, potentially doubling their Sneak Attack output in each round.)
As the player of a Battle Master in a party with a Rogue, I cannot agree enough with this. It's a trap option when it's first available at third level (since you effectively trade two of your attacks for one from the Rogue), but as their sneak attack dice improve (and as you get Extra Attack to make the damage drop less severe), it pulls well ahead of most other options in terms of pure damage.

[Melphizard]

The point of crit fishing is to have something worth fishing for. Like doubling a whole handful of smite/sneak attack/spell dice.

Or, if you really want to fish for crits with a Hand Crossbow Champion, consider a Elf or Half-Elf going Champion 4/Arcane Trickster Rogue 5. Use stuff like Steady Aim or Owl Familiar Flyby Help with the Elven Accuracy feat for Triple Advantage so you can reliably fish for crits that will double your Hand Crossbow + Sneak Attack dice. That's now 4d6 getting doubled to 8d6 on a 19-20. And you'd have a lot more out of combat utility than a pure Champion, thanks to your Rogue skills and Expertise, and your spells/cantrips. Also solves the issue of what to do with a Piercing-resistant enemy, since you can pick up a damage cantrip for use as a backup in those situations.

This exactly. Crit fishing means you want to have the juiciest of crits and all the dice to roll. Unless your DM goes with double damage on a crit, handcrossbows won't gain much from critting more. While Champion 4 / Arcane Trickster 5 is a cool concept, I'd also vouch for dexterity-based Champion 3/(Subclass of preference) Paladin 6. This setup would allow for juicy crit smites occasionally while also providing an aura of protection. No party doesn't benefit from a paladin aside from possibly an Oathbreaker in an undead area. Could also pick up elven accuracy if you have a good way of getting advantage (vengeance paladin perhaps?) to further your crit potential.

If you truly want to become a critical strike beast then you'd want Champion 3/Paladin 2/(Sorcerer or Bard) X. Fullcaster levels mean more smite slots meaning more damage. Sorcadin is pretty renown for its damage and this setup would focus entirely on booming blade for full nova.

[RogueJK]

While Champion 4 / Arcane Trickster 5 is a cool concept, I'd also vouch for dexterity-based Champion 3/(Subclass of preference) Paladin 6. This setup would allow for juicy crit smites occasionally while also providing an aura of protection.

Divine Smite only applies to melee weapon attacks. So no Hand Crossbow option there.

Best you could do with a Hand Crossbow Paladin to generate extra dice for crit fishing is burning spell slots and your Concentration on Branding Smite spells for +2d6 damage. But a Level 6 Paladin only gets two of those slots a day. (Branding Smite and Banishing Smite don't require melee weapon attacks, unlike the other Smite spells and the Divine Smite ability.)

[FabulousFizban]

Thanks for the support!
Champion because of the crit potentials.
I’ve been considering ways to serve as a combat medic without casting spells.. soldier first, medic second. Maybe healer feat with rogue 3 fast hands.. idk that means only 15 Lvls of fighter.. whatcha think?

Healer feat is definitely the way to go, especially since you don't have a cleric. It basically gives you cure light wounds and spare the dying for 1GP a casting, which is a steal. The drawback is you do require adjacency, but since you're a ranged fighter that shouldn't matter too much. I wouldn't worry about fast hands.

EDIT: I would ask your DM about ranged smites. The idea that a Paladin can't say a quick prayer over an arrow is ****ing dumb. (Guide my hand oh Lord)

EDIT 2: Obviously your character's name must be Hugh Mann