Top Ranged archetypes

[CMCC]

I'm trying to compile the top 5-10 ranged archetypes.

Something like XBE BM with SS. What are some others you can think of. The Kensei monk, Samurai, Hexblade spellbow, Arcane Archer using grasping arrow.

Others?

EDIT: archery only. So bows and crossbows. No eldritch blasters etc. I should have been more specific in the OP.

[Frogreaver]

I'm trying to compile the top 5-10 ranged archetypes.

Something like XBE BM with SS. What are some others you can think of. The Kensei monk, Samurai, Hexblade spellbow, Arcane Archer using grasping arrow.

Others?

Woodelf rogue with elven accuracy a longbow, steady aim and haste (for reaction attack) from arcane trickster (comes online a little late) but It’s alot of damage when it does.

An EB warlock. They wont top the damage charts but add in their spells and eventually foresight and they are really solid. Just avoid hex past tier 1 (for the most part).

artificer is also solid in a more supportive way. There’s a couple of ways to build a strong one.

[CMCC]

Woodelf rogue with elven accuracy a longbow, steady aim and haste (for reaction attack) from arcane trickster (comes online a little late) but It’s alot of damage when it does.

An EB warlock. They wont top the damage charts but add in their spells and eventually foresight and they are really solid. Just avoid hex past tier 1 (for the most part).

artificer is also solid in a more supportive way. There’s a couple of ways to build a strong one.

what's the haste reaction attack?

[Rashagar]

what's the haste reaction attack?

I think it's using one of your actions to attack, and the other one to ready an attack, so you can get sneak attack twice?

[nickl_2000]

what's the haste reaction attack?

You use your action to ready an attack, then use the attack from hasted to make an attack during your turn. Since you are attacking with the readied attack it will be on someone else's turn and there for qualifies for sneak attack (2 sneak attacks in 1 round).

[Psyren]

Pet archer (uses heavier ranged weapon + bonus action to command pet.) Four subclasses fall into this archetype - BM Ranger, DW Ranger, BS Artificer, and IA Artificer (w/ Homunculus).

[LordShade]

Pet archer (uses heavier ranged weapon + bonus action to command pet.) Four subclasses fall into this archetype - BM Ranger, DW Ranger, BS Artificer, and IA Artificer (w/ Homunculus).

What's IA Artificer? And can you explain its mechanics in more detail?

[Frogreaver]

A blasty sorcerer or wizard makes a solid ranged character as well.

Gloomstalker / Multiclass is great.

[Psyren]

What's IA Artificer? And can you explain its mechanics in more detail?

Infiltrator Armorer, which I was attempting to avoid typing out by being lazy :smallbiggrin:

Their ranged weapon would be the Lightning Launcher (90/300 range, 1d6+Int lightning per hit+1d6 per turn.) Their bonus action would be their Homunculus' Force Strike (1d4+PB force).

[strangebloke]

The janky honorable mention here is the devotion paladin +CHA to attack rolls (have to precast as an action) and spells like magic weapon and divine favor are enough to justify making an archer, apparently. They don't keep up with top tiers in this niche, but its humorous how well they do.

The actual top tier that's gone unmentioned is the humble Hunter Ranger. Horde Breaker and Volley are actually pretty intense for DPR if you can meet the conditions, and ranger unique spells like lightning and (eventually) swiftquiver can deal very very good damage.

To drive this home: Volley can hit thirteen targets (or more if there are flying enemies), and you can cast lightning arrow as a BA, AND you can also use horde breaker to hit one target twice for 14 total attacks. That's 14*(1d8+5+10)*[ACCURACY]+ save or take 2d8 damage for everyone in the radius, +4d8 for one enemy in particular. Most of the targets will be taking ~27.5 damage which doesn't compare that well to a fireball until you realize that one special guy could be taking ~64 damage.

Then dip fighter for two levels, action surge, and make 27 attacks in a round. Or 29 if you use swift quiver instead of lightning arrow. Hope you have the ammo.:smallcool:

Or have guardian of nature precast to do all of the above with advantage. Note that outside of the lightning arrow (which is pretty inefficient) you can do this all day at distances of up to 600 feet.

Unrealistic? Maybe. But even if there are 'only' 3 targets in volley range you're still getting a solid resourceless 4 attacks a round, or 5 if you have CBE. That's strictly better than a fighter of the same level before spells/fighting spirit/superiority dice come into play.

[XmonkTad]

An assassin with a crossbow (or if you want pure aesthetics, a blowgun).

Also, a Conjurer 2/Arcane Archer 3 can use transmutation arrow to fire a conjured poison arrow through multiple creatures. A very "one trick" kinda thing, but I love the idea of a very powerful ghost arrow mowing down enemies you can't even see.

[Kane0]

Off the top of my head:

Artificer: Armorer w/ Lightning Launcher (SSI Shatter w/ Homunculus)
Barbarian: Ancestral thrower
Druid: Stars Archer
Fighter: Arcane Archer or Battlemaster
Monk: Kensei, Sun Soul
Ranger: Hunter, Fey, Swarm, Gloom
Rogue: Assassin, Soulknife
Sorcerer: Draconic pyro (Firebolt/Scorching Ray + metamagic)
Warlock: Hexblade, Genie, Fathomless
Wizard: Nuclear Evoker, Bladesinger

[animorte]

Just my 2 favorites:
- Warlock all the way because the utility Eldritch Blast can have.
- Swarmkeeper Ranger at level 3 can push your target, deal extra damage, or move you 5 ft. horizontally. At level 11 it can also knock targets prone and provide you half-cover.

[RogueJK]

I haven't seen Bardcher mentioned yet, and it certainly qualified as a top archer build. Swords Bard Longbow archer with Sharpshooter, picking Swift Quiver and Lightning Arrow as Magical Secrets. Swift Quiver gets you up to 4d8+(4*DEXMOD)+40 at Bard 10, plus occasional Flourishes for another dice of damage. And they get access to Swift Quiver 7 levels before Ranger. I'd recommend starting with 1 level of Fighter first, for Longbow proficiency, CON save proficiency, and Archery fighting style.



While not "top", Stars Druid 2/Arcana Cleric X actually makes for a halfway decent WIS-based ranged build, plus all its usual Clerical goodness. Starting at Druid 2/Cleric 8, Fire Bolt + Archer Form is 2d10+WISMOD + 1d8+WISMOD. And you can toss out free or upcast Guiding Bolts too.

Similarly, Bladesinger Wizard with Xbow Expert is a decent ranged attack caster too. Hand Crossbow + Fire Bolt + BA Hand Crossbow starting at Level 6 is 2d6+2d10+(2*DEXMOD), plus the usual Wizardly goodness.




An EB warlock. They wont top the damage charts but add in their spells and eventually foresight and they are really solid.

Yep. Bonus points if you go Fathomless for an additional CHA-based Bonus Action attack.



At level 11 it can also knock targets prone

Knocking an enemy prone isn't necessarily a good tactic for a ranged character... Ranged attacks on prone enemies have Disadvantage.

[LordShade]

Infiltrator Armorer, which I was attempting to avoid typing out by being lazy :smallbiggrin:

Their ranged weapon would be the Lightning Launcher (90/300 range, 1d6+Int lightning per hit+1d6 per turn.) Their bonus action would be their Homunculus' Force Strike (1d4+PB force).

I'm under the impression that artificers do bad damage overall, other than the cannon guy. Am I wrong?

Infiltrator: so at level 5, it's 3d6+8 from two attacks, plus the Force Strike (1d4+PB seems like decent output for an at-will bonus action). So ~25 damage a round. Pretty good at level 5, but it caps out at 3d6+10+1d4+6, so ~29 DPR at max level, which seems bad to me? Or do they get some other damage bump later on?

[CMCC]

You use your action to ready an attack, then use the attack from hasted to make an attack during your turn. Since you are attacking with the readied attack it will be on someone else's turn and there for qualifies for sneak attack (2 sneak attacks in 1 round).

Ahhh. Got it.

[Psyren]

I'm under the impression that artificers do bad damage overall, other than the cannon guy. Am I wrong?

Infiltrator: so at level 5, it's 3d6+8 from two attacks, plus the Force Strike (1d4+PB seems like decent output for an at-will bonus action). So ~25 damage a round. Pretty good at level 5, but it caps out at 3d6+10+1d4+6, so ~29 DPR at max level, which seems bad to me? Or do they get some other damage bump later on?

1) You can Enhance Weapon your lightning launcher for an additional +2 attack/damage per hit. Also, your second shot has advantage if the first hits, and your homunculus' shot has advantage if that one hits too.

2) Sharpshooter works with the LL also, which combos well with the free advantage above - SS the shot that gets advantage for a fairly easy +10 damage.

3) You can pick up a familiar (Magic Initiate if you don't want to dip) and hand it a spell-storing item of Shatter. This uses the familiar's action rather than yours, i.e. more DPR.

4) All of the above is the slotless damage. Using spell slots you can get additional DPR through spells, most notably Animate Objects since we're talking about max level. (Greater Invis also works decently well with SS.)

(You can also do all that while wearing a shield, unlike most of the other builds here)

[stoutstien]

I'm under the impression that artificers do bad damage overall, other than the cannon guy. Am I wrong?

Infiltrator: so at level 5, it's 3d6+8 from two attacks, plus the Force Strike (1d4+PB seems like decent output for an at-will bonus action). So ~25 damage a round. Pretty good at level 5, but it caps out at 3d6+10+1d4+6, so ~29 DPR at max level, which seems bad to me? Or do they get some other damage bump later on?

They have built in accuracy boosts, multiple ways to generate advantage, and are tough enough to be where they need to be. so artificers fall in the fair but constant damage field similar to barbarians and monks. They are also similar to monks in that they are nearly impossible to counter. They form the pressure that leads to the openings the Nova strikers can use.