The 3 BEST Archer Builds in Dungeons & Dragons

⚔️Character sheet & more on Patreon: / dndbuilds
🌟Join our Public Discord: / discord
👾Twitch Channel is here: / dndbuildsrj
I really went down the Archery rabbit whole with this DnD Build, there are a lot of Archer possibilities in D&D so I boiled it down to the best three archers you can build in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (5e)
-- CHAPTERS --
00:00 The Rules
02:10 Build 1
06:06 Build 2
12:01 Build 3
#dungeonsanddragons
#archer
#DnD
Feel free to follow my socials:
Twitter: / dndbuildsrj

[@williammeek4078]

I accidentally made the straight fighter variant as my first 5e character after not playing D&D since 3.5. Literally no idea what i was doing, just took things that sounded cool. Every time i would total my damage from the round, the other players would look at me like ‘what the hell, save some for us!”

[@Dadragon2870]

9:03 Hunter’s Mark does a d6 in damage not a d8. Hope that doesn’t mess with the damage a lot. Great video!

[@dndbuilds]

You are correct luckily the calculations are correct, I just misspoke lol, talking so much is hard

[@AndreasNicklasson]

My favorite DnD archer has to be from All Things DnD, Narrated D&D Story: Legendary Archer Single-Handedly Ends A War (ft. Runesmith). It's a 3,5 build though.

[@dndbuilds]

I actually chatted with Runesmith a while back, he was super nice

[@mizorefan100]

I don't know if you'll ever see this, but what are some good builds for a Brawler type character.

[@zEr-ne5ri]

if brawler means puncher in this scenario, then yeah, I would like to see that. (also pretty sure it won’t be a monk)

[@dndbuilds]

I've been wanting to build Zangief (not sure of the spelling) from Street Fighter which would be great, but in general it depends on your definition of "Brawler" if you're talking just go in, take on enemies with your fists, take the hits and keep on coming... then I would probably recommend something like my Venom or Luffy builds. Two other great options because when I think Brawler I think more of a Brute are: Human Variant, to get the Fighting Initiate feat, and grab the Unarmed Fighting Style, then just go straight Barbarian, with the Totem Warrior subclass, take the Bear totem spirit for resistance to everything but psychic damage while your raging, Aspect of the Beast and Totemic Attunement are totally your choice though On the other hand you could go Shifter Race with the Beasthide subrace for bonus Temp HP and AC, (or just stick variant human and grab the tough feat), then you could also go Barbarian but go Path of the Beast, Form of the beast gives you some solid choices with your Claws, Bite, or Tail and the higher level abilities are awesome.

[@mizorefan100]

@@dndbuilds I would love to see a znagief build, but yeah I was also thinking about someone like brick from the borderlands franchise.

[@rocksnrolls]

I really reccomend checking out Dnd Builds' Hulk build for a bruiser.

[@angelagranger760]

​@@zEr-ne5riPunching/Kicking or Grappling/Shoving?

[@johndidato]

Thanks for always bringing something unique with your videos. Appreciate what you do!

[@dndbuilds]

You're the real MVP with a comment like that

[@rocksnrolls]

Omg! I love all these builds! Also I'm so happy you did the warlock assassin multiclass, which is a terrifyingly strong build. I personally went for Samurai instead of battle-master for getting more reliable advantage for sneak attack. But, it absolutely works amazing as is. For the "batman" archer, I can't reccomend Bugbear enough due to the added 2d6 surprise damage they do, which is destructive as hell combined with assassinate.

[@derrickthomasjr.7371]

Appreciate the work you put into this

[@ThatRules]

Good work king. Keep up the good work in the new year 🤙

[@dndbuilds]

Thanks you

[@wanderingknight02]

great video! just sent it to a friend that is playing an archer in our campaign.

[@alancastro4415]

Thank you so much for all this excellent builds, I currently playing with your John wick build and its awesome, hope to see more in the future and maybe one day see one with astral self monk at full potential.

[@dndbuilds]

I love the Astral monk, I might do a monk ranking at some point just to show which subclasses shine

[@albertofernandez8651]

I'm so glad you finally make this video, just in time cause next week I'm starting a new campaign, so thank you very much and keep the content budd

[@dndbuilds]

Glad I could help make you overly optimized, I hope some of the rest of your party is optimized as well otherwise you're going to be the one overpowered person in the group

[@albertofernandez8651]

​@@dndbuilds I hope so, otherwise is my time to carry 😈

[@jonahbutterfield2490]

Im so happy someone made a rouge/warlock/fighter build, its always felt like minmaxed to get max damage with crazy awesome flavor. Great video!

[@dakotaiversen3964]

I'm currently playing a variation on the third build where instead of taking rogue levels, I took bard levels and mono-statted Charisma for everything (because I am also the party face). The damage output even at level 6 where we are right now is absolutely insane. I'm so glad the warlock pact archer featured in this video!

[@phillipreel1774]

This was a good video with lots of information. Thanks!

[@dndbuilds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Hobofish11]

This is a winning idea 👍 Number crunching, powerbuild Keeping the channel fresh

[@dndbuilds]

Thanks, I really went down a rabbit hole with this one lol

[@Gelatinousdude8]

I have always wondered what it the maximum amount of damage that can be done using your rules. My guess is Evocation wizard and magic missile. This is a big ask but a good challenge for the dnd community as a whole. Another one is what is the highest single skill check possible. Love the content and you have an awesome voice.

[@gw1357]

I remember the no-gadget Batman discussion on that video! Great stuff.

[@Bored_Barbarian]

I have a build similar to 2, but he’s a bugbear so I get 2d6 for any attack before the target moves, even through action surge etc

[@dndbuilds]

OOOOHHHH I hadn't considered a Bugbear... that could definitely change a couple things

[@DungeonsandDeadlifts1]

12 battlemaster fighter, 4 gloomstalker ranger, 4 assassin rogue. Is my favorite. Bugbear, variant human, or elf for elven accuracy are all great depending on how you calculate damage since their are so many factors

[@omegaphoenix3015]

I wouldn't mind seeing you tackle a Tails the fox build one day. I bet you'll make it great! Also love your builds! And great videos as always

[@DParkerNunya]

As a Tails enthusiast, I second

[@KinMusicUK]

Not sure critical hits were factored into your calculations (outside of assassinate) because i think thats where an elven accuracy samurai/hexblade may take the victory! (And your own eldritch sniper build would be pushed higher due to crits on 19 from hexblades curse)

[@kizabum2177]

As a reminder in the third build; you can get hex and put it on foe before attacking so that adds touch bit more dmg. But also can get fey touched feat to get hunter's mark instead if prefer that over the hex (which can be ideal cause it saves you a spell slot to use one freebie use via feat). Also for +1d4 additional elemental dmg (any) you could take gift of the chromatic dragons, spending one bonus action as a prep before attacking to get additional dmg (albeit works only one encounter because it recovers on long rest so that is not consistent perhaps). Piercer feat works with ranged longbow attacks, allowing re-rolling one dmg dice and adding additional weapon dmg dice on criticals would benefit the builds 2 and 3 which most dmg comes from crits.

[@dndbuilds]

All true, but I didn't wind up using those feats just because the ability scores were spread a little thin, but if you rolled for stats or something, that's totally a good option (or if you can take a free feat with the D&D updates coming up). The only reason I didn't go with something like Hex was just because of the limited spell slots, and it was more impactful to spend all of them on Smites over the course of the 3 rounds.

[@piranhaplantX]

While the assassinate damage might seem strong, I think it's better overall to take ranger first in the typical fighter/gloom/assassin builds. Especially with the optional ranger features on the table. It just offers so much more utility and that helps make getting those surprise rounds easier.

[@mathewweeks9069]

Your awesome and awesome video be safe out there big fan of dnd

[@iLitTheSun]

The second one is the actual Mr Boring since every optimizer tries this first. Also since so much of yours involves BM it would be useful to point out if you’re doing only Precision Attach for SS synergy or using superiority dice for damage.

[@harrisonyoung987]

Good work

[@dndbuilds]

Thanks

[@billmcdonald5063]

This is sick

[@MrNicster]

You derserve a sub for the simple fact that you make content for 5E, and haven't jumped on OnEdNd :D.

[@dndbuilds]

I'm not going to officially switch or do anything crazy until some official books come out lol

[@Fakenit66]

What about a best Monk build? I'd like to play a monk, but a lot of dnd players mock the monk for being weak. Or the best unarmed fighting build.

[@dndbuilds]

Those that call Monks weak, haven't seen how truly effective they can be. The main problem, is that they fall short depending on the type of enemy. Stunning strike is one of most powerful basic abilities in the game because it can just shut down an enemy for a turn, the problem is that it's based on a Constitution Saving throw, so physically big enemies, however people tend to forget that stunning strike is even more powerful against spellcasters. Since everyone forgets, being stunned drops your concentration. The other big problem with Monks, is that many of the Monk subclasses are good, but they're good at different levels, or in specific scenarios. Drunken Master is great against a group, but don't really get much against a single target. Long Death is basically unkillable, but only once you hit level 11. Way of Mercy is actually great, since healing is so easy in 5th edition. Open Hand is a one hit knockout master at super high levels, but kind of boring at lower levels. Sun Soul is great to add in some range and some AOE. However, one of my favorites is the Astral Self, it has longer reach, it is basically a DnD Brazilian Jujitsu artist since it can use Wisdom to grapple, it allows you to purely focus Wisdom early which helps a ton with your ability to force enemies to make saving throws. Plus in general, it perfectly builds on previous subclass features as you level up, really improving properly. All that being said, Kensei is a good Monk, but if you want an archer, there's better options. Sorry for the Monk Rant but they're awesome lol.

[@Fakenit66]

@@dndbuilds Thank you! I like monks too, but haven't yet found an opportunity to play one. Though I have one built and ready that is a goblin, whose 'nimble escape' is a good way to save ki points for other abilities.

[@angelagranger760]

They're not weak but they're not meant to be front line tanks and they don't scale in a linear fashion, instead spiking in power at different levels depending on your subclass. They excel at hit and run tactics and locking down healers and spellcasters. The best ones I've seen are the Astral Self, Shadow, Mercy, or Ascendant Dragon the depending on your play style.

[@DarrylCross]

I love monks. They are one of my most played classes in D&D. However, I will admit that some of the criticisms are valid: - It can be a very resource hungry class; to make full use of your character you will need to burn ki points. They're easy to fill (a short rest tops you up to full) but it's also just as easy to burn through them all if you're not strategic about what you use when. - It relies on multiple ability scores (in the monk's case: Dex, Wis, and Con) to be effective, making feats very costly to gain in lieu of the straight up ASIs. (So many builds that require a feat are usually paying a heavy price to do so as opposed to many other classes that can achieve a 20 in their single ability easily.) - One of it's most loved features (stunning strike) targets Con saves - one of the most common saves that monsters have huge bonuses toward making. If you don't have a high Wisdom boosting your save DC, you can burn a lot of ki on multiple attempts against a bad target you have little to no chance of success on. With that caveat, there are still some pretty big threat monsters that can be taken out of the fight easily by stunning strikes, so where it pays off it can pay off big. - Some of its features are just straight up worse clones of features other classes get at the same level. (Compare Step of the Wind to the Rogue's Cunning Action and they function similarly, but it costs the Rogue nothing to do). - Timeless Body is just a straight up garbage feature to get at level 15; if there is a feature that says the designers didn't really care about the monk, this one says it loudest. The few problems it solves for you, the game should have progressed well past by that point. "You don't suffer the frailty of old age" (no class does anyway - there are no rules for that in 5e! Past editions did have rules for ability score shifts at certain age categories, but not 5e) You can't be magically aged (Okay. Cool. Not many things do that. Ghosts mostly. And they should be well behind you at level 15) but you can still die of old age (so it doesn't protect you from the one thing that can happen in 5e when you get too old). "You also don't need food and water". (I guess that's kind of neat. But so many classes have long since been able to solve these problems for extreme survival with spells like create food and water) or just having good Survival skills to hunt/forage. - The keystone feature is also kind of "meh." It could be a decent feature at earlier levels, like if that came online at 15 - but by level 20 per short-rest should be where you're getting to the point where you can last long enough between rests. - There are very few magic items that the monk can make use of. (This situation is getting a little better with handwraps and tattoos, but still the options for cool gear that improves your build is more sparse than with other classes.) - If you're into Multiclass builds: Monk doesn't tend to do it very well - most classes would just give you things that would negate most of your key Monk features, or rely on abilities other than the Dex, Wis & Con. Druid would likely be your best bet, possibly Cleric or Rogue. For the most part: If you're going Monk, you're best off sticking with straight Monk for the long haul. That said, some of the advantages monks do have: - They are fast and maneuverable: They can take key positions on the field quickly. Because of their great speed, they can even help allies get into optimal position (pulling an ally at half their movement). Shaping the battlefield can help your allies out. Additionally, monks are great at targeting a back line. My group still talks about one of the boss fights one of my past monks (Tabaxi, Way of Open Hand) ended by circumnavigating the tanky guards and going straight for the kill before they could even get one of their abilities off. - In the mid to late game, if you manage their ASis well you can get their AC up to 20 (not the best possible AC ever, but not bad either). If the DM gets you the right magic items, that can get you even further: Tome of Understanding and Tome of Quickness of Action will raise your AC by raising your Wis or Dex respectively. (Though unlikely, 5 of each could even get the monk's AC up to 30). Bracers of Defense, being one of the few magic items worth attuning to as a monk, will also give you a +2 AC when worn. Get it all together, and you could have up to an AC of 32 - not too shabby. Mix it with a cloak of displacement and all attacks against that AC are at disadvantage until someone manages to land a hit on you that turn. (Additionally, with a high Wisdom, that would make your save DC a 24.) - They're one of the only ways to get bonuses on your Death Saves. (This only applies in higher level play, but the ability that gives you proficiency to all saves does count for death saves). The only other ways I know off the top of my head is to be wearing a ring of protection (+1 to saves) or to be in a friendly paladin's aura (the Paladin has to be conscious, but nothing says you do to benefit). Also having bonuses on ALL saves makes the monk just a bit more durable. You still can possibly fail saving throws with a bad roll, but a +5 or 6 never hurts. You won't have the most HP in the party, but making saves is a good way to preserve what you've got. - They don't rely on weapons - they are the weapon. They can't be disarmed without actually literally cutting off their arms. If the party is imprisoned or non-concealed weapons were checked and stored away, the monk is still at peak fighting potential. - This is more of a social RP point - but the monk should easily be able to blend into a crowd, raising no more suspicion than a peasant. Because they don't rely on their gear, they're not going to stand out like a paladin in his full plate, or the wizard in his robes and hat. In that regard, you can make a great spy. Just pass yourself off as a simple commoner looking for work as a maid or butler or chef or whatever and it might get you into the places you need to gather information. Unless the person knows you specifically, they shouldn't think too much about it. Potential advantage IF you can make it work: The Monk has a lot of great features that could make an excellent grappler in battle, but for one massive drawback: Grappling uses contested Athletics (STR) checks against the opponent (defender can use Athletics or Acrobatics), and STR is probably going to be one of your dump stats because the monk relies heavily on Dex, Wis, and Con. Same thing with the Shove action. What will make this good if you can overcome that problem? Grappling requires 1 empty hand to grapple a creature: most monks will have two of those (sorry kensei, but your subclass is a clear detriment here). This means you will can lock down two opponents on the field, possibly getting them locked down in the prone position. Even when you're using two hands to hold two grappled opponents, you can still use your unarmed strikes because RAW unarmed strikes can also be "...kicks, head-butts, and other forceful blows" meaning they don't necessarily require hands. What's more, while you have a creature grappled, you can drag them up to half your speed: monks get great speed, which means you can grab an enemy and then drag him into the middle of the party where they all get advantage attacks on him. The way my current build is getting around this is: Variant Human (+1 to Dex, +1 to Wis), taking the Athletics Skill, taking the half-feat Skill Expert (putting the +1 into Dex, and gaining Expertise in Athletics). This way, though my monk doesn't have a high STR, they still get at least +4 from their proficiency bonus at level 1 (and will go up to +12 in higher levels of play). This way, but taking the half-feat, I also didn't lose out on one ability score that other races would have access too (most are usually a +2/+1), nor do I have to burn a later ASI to gain this advantage. Alternatively: Perhaps you might have an understanding DM that might allow you to do something that will use your Acrobatics(DEX) for grapple and shove checks; say as an additional house-rule bullet point to the "martial arts" feature to shore it up. The perception of Monks being a weak class might help you in this regard: the DM and the rest of the table might "okay" it as something to throw you a bone. They could also just say "no" which is fine too, but it couldn't hurt to at least say "would it be a crazy idea to make one small modification to the monk to make it more viable?"

[@garyboyles5762]

May I suggest a 'best 3 healers' video? Divine soul sorcerer, cleric or druid...

[@dndbuilds]

Actually a solid suggestion, I probably will in the future.

[@krensharmoon]

I wonder if a Bard could compete? College of Lore to steal some spells

[@dndbuilds]

@@krensharmoon not sure, there are some solid healing bards, but it's hard to compete with the Druid and Cleric healing abilities.

[@krensharmoon]

Possibly. But Magical Secrets gets you a few key spells. Also, College of Spirits has Spiritual Focus, adding an additional D6 of Hit Points gained to any healing spell. Might be useful in the breakdown of multiclassing.

[@RocRolWriter]

Oh god, yes please - I've been trying to figure out what classes could serve as "Designated Healer" if I didn't want a Cleric (lore stuff, it's complicated and doesn't matter to the question anyway).

[@ZeroAngel92]

No Gadget Batman is an interesting variation on the Grand Opener build I learned about playing BG3.

[@carmie8329]

Hey u… I‘m late and IDK if you‘re gonna read this, but I think a few of those builds could also include the piercer feat, right? That‘s extra damage on crits and higher damage on average, it seems very beneficial to this style of fighter.

[@dndbuilds]

I did read it, and yeah the piercer feat could help a bit, it wouldn't be a massive difference, but it would definitely add a bit of bonus I'm pretty sure by the end of me looking at spreadsheets and charts as I was crunching numbers that feat was something I didn't want to try to overcomplicate myself with at the time lol

[@arcangherss999]

This is probably not going to be like a Super Damage Heavy Build, and it relies on other sources that your bow, but Battle Smith Artificer (7) + Conjuration Wizard (9) + Assassin Rogue (4) Your Bow Attacks would rely on Int so a spread like: Int 15 (+1) Dex 14 (+1) Con 14 Wis 10 Str 8 Cha 8 Variant Human (Sharpshooter) Depending on how you start I recommend going directly to Wizard after turning Battle Smith. Conjuration gives your reliable Teleportation and Powerful Spells that you can concentrate while your Golem Protects you. This build is more of a Battle Control Archer, but could deal quite a punch under the right circumstances. Battle Smith is also one of the FEW WAYS to make the Arcane Archer Fighter Subclass actually kinda viable.

[@DillonMeyer]

When you said Dylan Meyer at the end about your patrons, I was shook.

[@dndbuilds]

Lol glad I could get that crossover in names

[@troperhghar9898]

What did the eldrich blast rifle warlock say to the longbow archer? I dont know but it hit the archer right between the eyes

[@dndbuilds]

Lol, I'm always a fan of Eldritch machine gun builds

[@personguy8839]

This is nice and all, and I appreciate the idea's. But I don't know any campaign that goes up to level 20. Do you think you could do some Level 10 builds as well?

[@dndbuilds]

I do have the full breakdown on my Patreon, but it can be kind of limiting to stick to just 10 levels, because going to a full 20 allows people to mix and match the levels however they like and where they'd like to take the multi-class

[@jamohnhayden3024]

What race did you go with for Build 3? Did you stay with Variant Human for the Feat (Sharpshooter)?

[@SamSam-ke9zy]

I tuned out hearing sharpshooter before crossbow expert for increasing dmg. Ignoring a statistic that greatly reduces the chance to hit is asinine. Then having that reduced chance to hit putting maneuver dice on dmg instead of pricise shot is completely insane. You could write speeches for Trump with that kind of thinking.

[@RollforGlory]

Firstly, you had me with averaging the damage over 3 rounds, because I believe that gives a more realistic and comprehensive outlook on the damage that can be done. Then you lost me on assuming success on something like the surprised condition, which works maybe 1 out of 10 times. Lastly, hunters mark gives 1d6 damage per attack, not 1d8

[@dndbuilds]

The surprise is hard I agree, but not as hard with expertise and stuff. And the hunters mark damage is calculated correct in the damage, but sometimes speaking is just hard lol so I misspoke in the video, but the final calculations should still be using the right numbers.

[@feralart]

The hunter ranger does have some abilities for taking down clusters of enemies that I appreciate. It makes me think of fanning the hammer like in a Clint Eastwood movie.

[@shawnberry760]

Love this video. Any advice for someone who wants to protect themselves close quarters? I prefer to be a long bow wielding wood elf but I need protection in case someone gets next to me. Are there any feats using a bow or do I have to use a sword or something?

[@dndbuilds]

Crossbow expert allows you to make ranked attacks at close range without disadvantage, and it applies to any ranged attack, not just crossbows

[@shawnberry760]

@@dndbuilds interesting. Thank you so much. I believe today is the 50th anniversary of dungeons and dragons too. I have been a fan since second edition. I do not play because my life is way too busy. I’ve been lovingly watching it ever since. I just recently found your channel and I love it. You’re amazing.

[@shawnberry760]

@@dndbuilds this may seem like a ridiculous question, but do you know much about characters and the forgotten realms? I came across a character and I’m trying to find out more about them and where they come from.

[@dndbuilds]

@@shawnberry760 only a few random characters, I'm not overly knowledgeable about the insane amount of lore that's out there

[@shawnberry760]

@@dndbuilds sorry. Forgive my ignorance

[@gustavotrana8665]

is there anychance you can make a lancer build from fate/zero? a dual spear build or a pike spear build sounds interesting

[@matthewlaird5235]

Great video, I'm shocked that you chose variant human over bugbear. Given the fact that all your crit in round 1 will get an extra 4d6.

[@dndbuilds]

I mostly want that route so you can get the feat as early as possible, otherwise bug bear would have been a great choice. But it would only help that first round of combat and I was trying to do what I could to make sure I helped with the consistency of it. However if you want hardcore surprise attack, that would definitely be the way to go

[@neilpacheco622]

Valor bard makes the best spell bow.

[@chrimedina]

Thanks for your hard work. What do you think about a Assassin Rogue/Kensey Monk Build for this purpose? Also, my DM keeps saying Rogues can only do a single sneak attack per turn. So the Assassin feature gets limited to just one single surprised target

[@anishshirodkar484]

Rogues can only do one sneak attack per turn. It’s in the Rulebook page for Rogues

[@dndbuilds]

Great option, but the Kensei gets a more minor boost overall, so I thought it was best to get a Ranger dip, but Monk has some other great abilities that make up for it outside of Archery. Rogues can only get one "Sneak Attack" which is the actually applying Sneak Attack damage from the feature, but surprise attack and assassin feature can apply to the entire turns attacks.

[@backlash660]

Rogues can only sneak attack once per turn but they can sneak attack twice per round because they are able to use their reaction to sneak attack on someone else's turn if they get an attack of opportunity . I don't know if that was taken into account when he calculated possible damage .

[@jasonseverance3691]

Hey i thought of a great idea for a character to build but I don't know how i would build them the character is arsene lupin (not sure on spelling right now)

[@jean-francoismorissette4628]

In build 1, i prefer start with crossbow expert, because monster have low HP, you waste less dommage with 2 times 7 hp dommage, and more chance to hit.

[@darkvizardking69]

Not gonna lie, loving the channel and especially the anime builds. So question, what would Yujiro Hanma be in terms of build?

[@dndbuilds]

I haven't watched much Baki so I'm not entirely sure, but I would either go with a Grappler like a Unarmed Fighting Style with a Barbarian to have advantage on grapples, while being able to resist most damage. Or I could go straight up Monk, but I would lean towards the Barbarian side.

[@darkvizardking69]

@@dndbuilds I thought about that, the idea of using variant human for fighting initiate to grab unarmed fighting, though barbarian definitely fits with at least a splash of rogue because the man is sneaky as hell for being so big. Plus the expertise in athletics and stealth is always a plus. The crazy thing of the series is that fact they are all just pure athletic ability. Even if Yujiro breaks the laws of physics at times.

[@annoying3boys]

Doing the third option as an Aaracocka.... In the air....

[@csgotrainingbot2160]

out of curiosity, why didnt you go bugbear for second build for 2d6 bonus damage per attack round 1, which given the shear amount of attacks translates to i believe 7 times, or 14d6 before crit, depending on dm, 28d6 or an extra 100 turn 1 damage, this also is not necessarily a long-term payout, given the fact it synergizes well with the playstyle of the build you mentioned already of stealthy batman. you also dont really delay feat progression as much as normal given that your build is 6 levels fighter, so you are slightly behind in hit chance, but that was never factored into this video to begin with, so the numbers are just too good to say no to.

[@RedFistFlag]

Ok, I didnt watched it yet, but I'm gonna guess, that Ranger is not gonna be one of them.

[@RedFistFlag]

Ok, one of them uses 1 Ranger subclass but not straight rangers.

[@dndbuilds]

Yeah, the dip helped a surprising amount

[@fledgling9097]

9:00 hunter's mark adds 1d6 not 1d8.

[@dndbuilds]

Yeah I used the correct number in my calculations, but I said the wrong thing because talking is hard sometimes lol

[@zeedelahostria]

Assassin Gloomsurgers are so common in my circles, it's become a meme of sorts for me.

[@DungeonsandDeadlifts1]

Without the garunteed surprise round which can vary from dm to dm, I personally think the assassin rogue is overvalued.

[@leodouskyron5671]

You can get it more readily when you use the Gloom Stalker as in dark areas and night you are getting that invisible condition and the boost to initiative.

[@DungeonsandDeadlifts1]

@leodouskyron5671 Yeah, if your game is only in dark corridors or night time.

[@tyyoumans-cz6dy]

I have a DND question what class uses swordsmenship and aura to fight

[@dndbuilds]

Well there are a few aura type things you can get from a few fighter or barbarian subclasses, if you really want a good aura you usually want to go with a paladin, and well a fighter might have more swordsmanship abilities there's still a decent amount from being a paladin, so that would be my vote

[@tyyoumans-cz6dy]

@@dndbuilds thank you for answering my question maybe you could also do video about my question and the different types of build that use aura

[@majinsole8554]

If I had any idea these archers as my PC (especially the 3rd one) I’d just have him be known to the greater world as God. ~_~

[@willpatterson7531]

Elven Samurai fighter with devotion paladin equal never miss

[@xvader9445]

So you have given me 3 versions of Gunslinger

[@tomw127]

The batman build works better with echo knight for unleash incarnation on round 1

[@gunzstrong3491]

Alright so I’m trying to figure out a build to do max damage on lightning can anyone provide build

[@dndbuilds]

I think the best would be 2 levels Tempest Cleric (allows you to channel divinity to maximize lightning damage) then go the rest of the way with Sorcerer, you can then Transmute a spell to make anything lightning damage as long as it was a basic elemental damage before, and then you can maximize it. So a Lightning Ball (fireball turned into lightning) will do 14d6 damage which is automatically maximized to 84 Damage in an AOE. Lightning Bolt will do the same but in a line, Cone of Cold into lightning can do 12d8 (96) in a cone, there's probably a bunch of other combos, but generally that's probably the best you're going to get as far as multiclass and levels in each class

[@jay.hartman1789]

I'm have to disqualify your second build dood. You're criteria was that the build needed to be online at early levels, but batman is the same build as Mr boring for six entire levels! I've had campaigns that ended before sixth lv. And it's NINTH level before the build actually kicks in... and that's being generous.

[@patdav56]

Speaking of Archers, what about Archer from Fate/Stay Night? See how that works?

[@xvader9445]

What about an effective TWF build???

[@scentrixia]

So now It's time for a Top 3 Swordsman build?

[@AtelierGod]

Alone the Archer becomes the prey even heroes need backup.

[@dndbuilds]

True, having a solid front line team after the opening attack, will definitely be crucial.

[@AtelierGod]

@@dndbuildsgraviturgy wizard casts gravity sinkhole and pulls all enemies even those in the skies in 40ft to its center and then the Hunter Ranger uses Volley.

[@barebow_cercatrova]

Super looking forward to this but out the gate I’d say most archers do not consider people who shoot crossbows (though crossbows very cool) archers. But it’s D&D so who cares about that. Ok back to the video.

[@dndbuilds]

Yeah you'd mostly just lose out on the bonus action unless you have swift quiver access, but the damage di would be a tiny bit bigger using a longbow

[@barebow_cercatrova]

@@dndbuildsyeah this video is great!

[@gabrielcross1062]

Arcane trickster is better for this because surprise is unreliable but for your criteria assassin is great

[@DeadpoolAli]

Arcane Archer is one of the worst classes in the game. It's a trap. Seriously just go battle master or samurai

[@gabrielcross1062]

@@DeadpoolAli ya know I'm just now realizing I put archer instead of trickster. It's why I mention assassin. I'll have to edit that

[@dndbuilds]

Lol I was very confused for a second reading trickster after the edit and a reply talking about arcane archer... Made way more sense knowing there was an edit lol

[@matthewblundell1882]

Love the builds , just a shame that the builds are better then the actual class that is suppose to excel within the ranger ( bow ) elements " the ranger " 😢

[@LawrenceDomkowski]

I like the numbers you presented. Good job.

[@aaxxeell92]

How are you counting your dmg without acounting hiting or not???? Thats really bad

[@dndbuilds]

Then it would become pretty hard to estimate overall... most of the builds have the archery skill, some of them rely on stealth, and it would all be so dependent on what you're fighting that it's practically impossible to estimate. There are very powerful creatures with very low AC but high HP, and others that are the opposite. I could maybe take the average but that just didn't feel right.

[@aaxxeell92]

@@dndbuilds do the avg against a 12 CA do the average against 16 CA and use those 2 numbers. Even if you take acount of perfect scenarios

[@iLitTheSun]

There’s calculations for this, go watch some Treantmonk videos and you’ll see Chris use it. It’s something like using a 60% to hit chance times average dice dmg plus the 5% to crit against a set AC.

[@edoardoferraris3481]

What do you think if we take 12 level in fighter battle master, 5 in worlok hexblade pact of the blade and 3 in assassin rogue. This build can make 6 attacks and two eldritch smite at third level and action surge for a total of 12 attacks, plus variant human with sharp shooter

[@dndbuilds]

So unfortunately thirsting blade and extra attack do not stack according to what I've read, and you can only do Eldritch smite once per turn. I like the concept, but unfortunately it doesn't play out quite as well

[@edoardoferraris3481]

@@dndbuilds Thristing blade doesn't prevent you from using it on extra attacks as well, it says that every time you do the attack action it applies

[@dndbuilds]

@@edoardoferraris3481 it says it in the multiclassing rules regarding extra attacks

[@edoardoferraris3481]

@@dndbuilds But is not classified as extra attacks but sad that you can attack twice

[@leodouskyron5671]

@@edoardoferraris3481 It is a common misunderstanding when you start off. You are misunderstanding take the extra *action* with *attacking twice* . Thirsting blade says “you can attack twice when you take the attack action” ( Extra Attack says the same thing) Action Surge says “you may take an additional action” and we are using it for attacking. This is why Action surge also lets you (currently) even cast a second spell.

[@whitefox3189]

For high levels #1 is anything with 15 levels of Arcane Archer. Keep rerolling initiative for unlimited Arcane Shots. Also arrows aren't always easy to get, so ideally you'd also have either Pact Weapon or Minor Conjuration for at will arrow production. You could in theory conjure arrows with glass arrow tips that have Alchemy Fire inside. You can also be a Hexblade with a Bow as your weapon and launch Eldritch blasts through it.

[@lrpgaming5849]

Day 2 of asking for a minato build

[@DEADHUNTER__]

its interesting to see that arcane archer (fighter subclass) is not even in the top 3 which literally has *archer* in its name 🤣

[@lrpgaming5849]

Day 1 of asking for a whitebeard build

[@ericpeterson8732]

I hate hand crossbows. Mostly for the bonus action attack, but also because of the range. Sure, you can attack in melee without penalty thanks to XBE, and you can attack at max range (60ft) from SS. But it's the removal of the loading property and the bonus action attack that breaks combat. It's ridiculous, and it is only because the game doesn't usually have 100-foot battles. That's most battlemats' full length. With dungeons and buildings and forest glades, the action stays within 60ft due to physical restraints. Like those speedsters builds that we love to make, being able to move 200+ ft per round is unnecessary and won't come up in the course of regular play. Maybe ship to ship combat. But eventually, those ships will close the gap as well. Ah, stupid hand crossbows. The fantasy equivalent of handguns.

[@dardo105]

Crossbows are not archers

[@odd9965]

Can't believe medieval nobles that get pissed about there expensive armor not working still influence people