Building The Arcane Trickster

BUILDING THE ARCANE TRICKSTER
A sample build of D&D 5E from level 1 to 20

By Specter (Giant in the Playground)
The rest of the party consists of Land Druid, Great Old One Warlock, Beastmaster Ranger,
Enchanter Wizard and Totem Barbarian. Building this character, my main goals are:
1) to deal solid damage
2) to act as a good trapsmith
3) to be able to debuff enemies in the future.
We are aiming for versatility instead of hard optimization here, which means that you can
make builds that do more damage. That, however, is the easiest thing for a DM to plan against.
Let’s get to it.
RACE: Variant human is always appealing, but darkvision is essential for a good trapsmith.
Looking at my best choices (DEX-boosting races with darkvision), I see mainly elves, Tabaxi and
half-elves. Since I couldn’t care less about CHA, elf it is. The longbow proficiency is a nice
touch.
The subrace is a bit of a dilemma: I rule out drows because we won’t be in dungeons all the
time and disadvantage on attacks and checks for a rogue is death. Between high and wood
elves, I chose the former, because it boosts one of our secondary stats and gives us a bonus
cantrip, which is nothing to scoff at, especially at the beginning of out career. We’ll go with: - -
- Booming Blade: the standard melee attack. At level 1 it doesn’t do us much, but at level 2 it
will be good.
As for language, let’s take Dwarvish, because whatever.
STATS: Using point buy, I went with ST10, DX15 (17), CO14, IN13(14), WI12, CH8. Pretty self-
explanatory. I left an odd number in DEX in case I’m interested in a stat-boosting feat like
Resilient later on, and I probably will be.
SKILLS: We have Perception as an elf skill, so let’s choose the rogue ones. I went with
Acrobatics, Investigation, Sleight of Hand and Stealth. An argument could be made for not
taking Sleight of Hand since it’s the most situational one, but AT is the best rogue to use it and
we should take advantage of that.
I imagine this fellow as a detective for a thieves’ guild in his realm, but got in trouble with them
and went away. A good background for this seems to Urban Bounty Hunter. I took Insight and
Stealth, which means I can choose another skill, and then went with Arcana. Magical traps will
be a thing in the future, and knowledge never hurts.
CLASS FEATURES: We get 1d6 Sneak Attack, Thieves’ Cant and Expertise. Since we want to
disable traps and open stuff, we’ll start with Investigation and Thieves’ Tools. We can also use
Perception to give advantage to one of our wiser friends to locate them for now.
Here’s what we look like at level 1:
ERYON ARDENTHAS
High Elf Arcane Trickster Level 1
ST10, DX17, CO14, IN14, WI12, CH8
SKILLS: Acrobatics, Arcana, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
RACE FEATURES: Fey Ancestry, Darkvision, Elf Weapon Training, Extra Language, Trance
CLASS FEATURES: Sneak Attack 1d6, Expertise (Investigation, Thieves’ Tools)
SPELLS:
(C) Booming Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 2
Here we get the almighty Cunning Action, and now we can rogue up properly: Hide, Dash or
Disengage as a bonus action. This means attacking with Booming Blade and immediately
disengaging, so that the enemy eats more damage than normal. Also, you should be looking
for hiding places in the pitch to attack better, and moving away when you’re badly hurt.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX17, CO14, IN14, WI12, CH8
CLASS FEATURES: Sneak Attack 1d6, Expertise (Investigation, Thieves’ Tools), Cunning Action
SPELLS:
C: Booming Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 3
Now the meat of the subclass starts to form. We get three cantrips and three level 1 known
spells.
CANTRIPS: Mage Hand is guaranteed. The other two will be:
- Minor Illusion: the creative potential of this is simply too big to be ignored.
- Toll the Dead: with sneak attack in play, the use of a cantrip to attack may seem
questionable, but sometimes we will be at disadvantage to attack, or the enemy will be behind
cover, or will resist weapons, etc. We need options. The d12 is very easy to meet, too.
SPELLS: Two from enchantment/illusion, the other one is a freebie.

- Sleep: at this level, this is still very good. 5d8 means an average of 22,5hp you can lay dead,
which should be around three weak enemies or a strong one (probably not a boss, though).
- Disguise Self: sometimes the group will stir trouble in town, and we want to be able to create
a quick disguise if needed.
- Find Familiar: nothing quite as good as a flying set of eyes that gives you (or a friend)
advantage. But count your coins: 10gp for every casting at level 3 is plenty.
Also notice our Sneak Attack went up to 2d6, and we got Mage Hand Legerdemain. We can
frame people, disable traps from afar, scare innocent bystanders and steal much more easily.
Best trapsmith in the game? Best trapsmith in the game.
GENERAL STRATEGY
Now we have a better outline of what we should be doing. You should be doing massive
damage with your melee/ranged attacks, so that should be the way to go most of the time.
Always disengage after hitting an enemy with Booming Blade, so that it has to eat extra
damage to chase you. If too many enemies are closing in or you are running low on health,
there’s no shame in disengaging/dashing away and longbowing them to death. Against
monsters with a huge AC or apparent low WIS, Toll the Dead should be good. And Sleep is
always there for you.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX17, CO14, IN14, WI12, CH8
CLASS FEATURES: Sneak Attack 2d6, Expertise (Investigation, Thieves’ Tools), Cunning Action,
Mage Hand Legerdemain
SPELLS:
C: Booming Blade, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Toll the Dead
1 (II): Disguise Self, Find Familiar, Sleep
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 4
The first ASI, and we will use it to boost DEX to 18 and CON to 15. That’s because I’m set on
grabbing Resilient (CON) in the future, so it won’t go to waste.
We also get to pick another level 1 spell. Let’s go with:

- Tasha’s Hideous Laughter: A nice debuff we will want to have later on, so we may as well grab
it now.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO15, IN14, WI12, CH8
Mage Hand Legerdemain
SPELLS:
1 (III): Disguise Self, Find Familiar, Sleep, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 5
Uncanny Dodge! Oh yeah. Now our survivability has gone through the roof. Every round, we
can turn an attack into half.
So now you should be having a much more frontal role then before: the only who’s truly
tougher than us is the Barbarian. Sneak Attack is now 3d6, and Booming Blade deals an extra
1d8 on hit. Keep hitting and disengaging.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO15, IN14, WI12, CH8
Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge
SPELLS:
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 6
Expertise comes around again. Since we want to keep helping the group with our specialty,
we’ll pick Perception, to truly see beyond. Stealth is also a no-brainer, because level 9 is
around the corner.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO15, IN14, WI12, CH8
CLASS FEATURES: Sneak Attack 3d6, Expertise (Investigation, Perception, Stealth, Thieves’
Tools), Cunning Action, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge
SPELLS:
GENERAL STRATEGY
What changed in our strategy now? Well, we know that it’s more advantageous to Booming
Blade than to use ranged attacks, so you’ll need to get personal with enemies (unless you’re
too wounded). Also, you have a life-saving reaction that you should save for the most
damaging monsters.
With too many weak enemies, Sleep ‘em up. Against a dumb boss, Tasha’s it is. Otherwise,
keep your spell slots, we’re not full-time wizards.
Outside of combat, you have everything you need to be the best scout and trapsmith, so get
up front and have one of your buddies give you advantage when needed.
Your ‘passive’ Stealth is 17, which means you can hide much more easily.
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 7
Finally, a level that makes us shed tears of joy. 2nd-level spells come into play here. The
problem is we only learn one of them, and there are too many good options. But we can lessen
this problem by dropping Sleep: enemies have more and more HP and we don’t have the slots
to keep up with them. So we are room for two picks, and what we are picking is:
- Shadow Blade: +1d8 to all your attacks, and it’s psychic damage, meaning it’s resisted by
virtually nothing (objects being the exception). It’s hard to pass on this one if we want to deal
cold, hard damage.
- Invisibility: requires no explanation. Just remember you can’t cast these two at the same
time.
And let’s not forget, Evasion and Sneak Attack! Who cares about those fireballs?
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO15, IN14, WI12, CH8
Tools), Cunning Action, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion
SPELLS:
1 (IIII): Disguise Self, Find Familiar, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
2 (II): Invisibility, Shadow Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 8
Another ASI, and this time let’s jump right into Resilient (CON). Concentration spells are
starting to become paramount, and with this we also feel more comfortable around
undead/ice/poison monsters. Basically, we’ve got DEX saves and CON saves convered; WIS,
here we come!
We also get a school-free spell pick. Let’s go with:

- Blindness/Deafness: making an opponent blind can be as good as making everyone in the
party invisible. On the next level, we will exploit this to no end.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO16, IN14, WI12, CH8
Tools), Cunning Action, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion
FEATS: Resilient (CON)
SPELLS:
2 (II): Blindness/Deafness, Invisibility, Shadow Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 9
Sneak Attack is up to 5d6... and Magical Ambush comes around. This is as if the slam dunk had
just been invented in basketball. You have three spells that you can use this with: Toll the
Dead, Tasha’s and Blindness/Deafness. The first one will be used as we always have, against
high-AC, low-WIS enemies. The second one is meant to be used against foes that are intelligent
(well, more intelligent than a dog at least), and is best used as a party-splitter. The last one
targets CON, so more frail monsters like mages are a prime target.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX18, CO16, IN14, WI12, CH8
Tools), Cunning Action, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, Magical Ambush
SPELLS:
2 (II): Blindness/Deafness, Invisibility, Shadow Blade
GENERAL STRATEGY
Be on the lookout for hiding places throughout the fights. Also, Minor Illusion can help you
with that. If there are no places to hide, then just fight it out like you did before, getting up
close and disengaging.
Remember that Invisibility lasts for an hour, so it may not be a bad idea if you’re heading
inside a dangerous place. And save Shadow Blade for the hardest encounters of the day
(unless they’re against cupboards, stoves and the like).
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 10
ASI time. By now, we should have a maxed DEX, so let’s go for that.
We also get another spell slot, spell and a cantrip. Here are some good bets:
- Silent Image: We don’t have many level 2 slots, so we shouldn’t crowd our list with them.
Instead, let’s give you a creative outlet that can also be good to create hideouts.
- Green-Flame Blade: we already have all we need from cantrips, so now let’s diversify the
portfolio. Here, we want to be able to deal damage to two enemies that are close to each
other. This is especially good if there’s a dying enemy and we don’t want to use all our power
on it.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN14, WI12, CH8
SPELLS:
C: Booming Blade, Green-Flame Blade, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Toll the Dead
1 (IIII): Disguise Self, Find Familiar, Silent Image, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
2 (III): Blindness/Deafness, Invisibility, Shadow Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 11
Add another die to your Sneak Attack and Booming/Green-Flame Blade. Quick maffs:
1d8+6d6+2d8+5 (avg 36.5). Get ready to rock skills even further with Reliable Talent! Now,
regardless of advantage or disadvantage, the worst number you can roll on the d20 is 11. Yeah,
go pick locks underwater! Technically, your expertised skills’ minimum will be 19 + attribute,
and the others 15 + attribute.
Another spell known? Don’t mind if I do:
- Mirror Image: a non-concentration buff that will let us stand up to tougher foes. Notice that
regardless of the enemy’s attack modifiers, they still have to count on luck to hit you. And our
copies have 15AC, not bad.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN14, WI12, CH8
SPELLS:
2 (III): Blindness/Deafness, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Shadow Blade
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 12
ASI time. DEX is maxed and we have our most important feat. Both INT and another feat would
be cool choices, but I’m going with INT for two reasons: a) it makes Magical Ambush even
deadlier, and b) Investigation and Arcana rely on it.
Wow. This is the first boring level we have in our career. And you wanted to be an Assassin...
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
SPELLS:
GENERAL STRATEGY
Your choice of spell to concentrate on becomes more and more relevant by the day. Usually
Blindness will get the job done against one enemy, but sometimes you may want to simply
hack n’ slash your way through encounters, and in that case Shadow Blade. But maybe you’d
prefer to avoid conflicts, in which case Invisibility. But maybe you’re out of 2nd-level slots and
then you’d take Tasha’s.
Also notice that if you see two enemies close together on the pitch, you could make an effort
to attack one of them with Green-Flame Blade. Just an idea.
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 13
Oooooooooh yeah. Oh yeah. Add another Sneak Attack die, and here come the 3rd-level
spells! But we don’t to make things too hard for your DM, so let’s start slow!
- Hypnotic Pattern: we are used to harassing one enemy to incapacitation. But now, let’s do
this to a group! Always hide beforehand, of course, and warn your buddies to leave the
crackheads alone.
Having a spell such as this one lessens the value of Tasha’s, so let’s trade it for:
- Phantom Steed: whatever they say, its speed is 100 feet, so you can say goodbye to melee if
you want to, or move so far from your enemies they simply can’t do anything about it. Plus,
quick traveling.
We also get Versatile Trickster. It’s better to use this not when you want advantage, but when
the enemy imposes disadvantage on your attack (distance, Blur, etc.). That way you at least
make sure your Sneak Attack happens. You will also want to keep the hand active at all times,
so always cast Mage Hand when you think you’re about to get into trouble.
Oh, and you can upcast Shadow Blade for an extra d8 of damage. I’ll let you decide if that’s
worth it.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Tools), Cunning Action, Mage Hand Legerdemain, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, Magical Ambush,
Versatile Trickster
SPELLS:
1 (IIII): Disguise Self, Find Familiar, Silent Image
3 (II): Hypnotic Pattern, Phantom Steed
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 14
Blindsense is on. So we have darkvision, this and a blade that gives advantage in the dark?
Yeah, put out the torches. Also a very important school-free spell pick. Lots of good options,
but let’s go with:
- Blink: this is 50% (near) invincibility at the end of every turn. So in other words, it’s 50% more
chances of keeping concentration and not taking damage every turn. Imagine how the enemy
would feel if you harassed everybody and then simply disappeared! This is a great spell.
I’ll also be retrading Silent Image for Tasha’s, because truesight is more and more common at
high levels, and we want something to use lower slots on.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense
SPELLS:
3 (II): Hypnotic Pattern, Phantom Steed, Blink
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 15
Slippery Mind is here. So now we are proficient in all three major saves of the game. The only
ones who have it better than we do are Monks! Also add another Sneak Attack die and let’s
move on.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense, Slippery Mind
SPELLS:
3 (II): Hypnotic Pattern, Phantom Steed, Blink
GENERAL STRATEGY
Your biggest combat function other than striking hard is to keep mobs distracted/afraid. Hide,
let them save with disadvantage and your buddies can focus on the baddest out there. When I
say ‘hordes’, I mean any group of opponents close together. Even if you’re facing adult
dragons, they may have to waste their legendary resistance on you because the save will be
difficult.
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 16
As another ASI knocks on the door, the choice was essentially the same as before: more INT,
more CON or a feat?
Looking at what we can do, what we have is clear: good damage, combat-avoiding potential
(with Cunning Action, Blink and Invisibility), debuffing opportunities, nice saves and a great
trapsmith potential. What we want is to improve our survivability: AC 17 is nigh irrelevant at
this point, and there’s not much we can do to make it significant. I’m torn between Defensive
Duelist and Tough, and went with the latter because while AC isn’t very important now, HP
always is.
For the extra spell, let’s take:
- Fear: Another way to deal with hordes, this time to push them away instead of keeping them
stunned. Season to taste.
And don’t forget the spell slot.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense, Slippery Mind
FEATS: Resilient (CON), Tough
SPELLS:
3 (III): Hypnotic Pattern, Phantom Steed, Blink, Fear
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 17
Booming Blade and Sneak Attack go up. Quick maffs: 1d8+9d6+3d8+5 per attack (avg 54,5).
Add Shadow Blade for some more.
Spell Thief also came online. It’s like a demo version of Counterspell, except you get to cast it if
it’s level 3 or lower (4 or lower later). And it’s once per long rest, so make it count. Another
interesting thing to do with it steal a friend’s spell: we can have the Cleric cast Cure Wounds or
something, steal it from him and then use it ourselves.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense, Slippery Mind, Spell Thief
SPELLS:
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 18
Elusive is here, so no more being attacked with advantage. I don’t get very excited about this
because by now monsters should have at least a +14 to hit, so advantage or not you’re still
toast if they get close. Don’t go charging with abandon.
And that’s it. See, our second boring level, that’s not too bad.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense, Slippery Mind, Spell Thief, Elusive
SPELLS:
GENERAL STRATEGY
Things haven’t changed much: you are at your best when you are at your most opportunistic.
It’s always a matter of defining if it’s better to attack, to hide, to cast a spell, or to set up for
your next turn. Be aware of your reactions, and don’t charge head on just because you have
some extra hit points.
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 19
One final ASI for us. At this point you have everything you really need, so go for something you
want. Here, I’ll be taking War Caster. The first benefit is useless to us, but advantage on
concentration checks is great, and opportunity attacks with spells is neat too. If you want raw
damage, just Booming Blade them, but Blindness and Tasha’s have their place too.
Is that it? Of course not... 4th-level spells and slots too! Let’s take the obvious pick that is:
- Greater Invisibility: advantage for you, disadvantage for them. What’s not to love? Obviously,
some things now have truesight, but since you’re a master of the arcane arts, you should know
which ones.
ERYON ARDENTHAS
ST10, DX20, CO16, IN16, WI12, CH8
Versatile Trickster, Blindsense, Slippery Mind, Spell Thief, Elusive
FEATS: Resilient (CON), Tough, War Caster
SPELLS:
4 (I): Greater Invisibility
_________________________________________________
LEVEL 20
This is it. Roll credits. You are now a master of roguishness and trickery altogether! We get
Stroke of Luck, which means once per rest, your failure turns into a success. That means you
should save it for skills that absolutely must not fail, or attacks that are crucial.
Other than that, we get a free-school level 4 spell. It’s hard to go wrong here, so feel free to
pick anything. My personal choice:
- Dimension Door: Teleports are always useful, both for you and an adjacent ally.
And that, as they say, is it.
CONCLUSION
The main things I’ve tried to show here are:
- When you are building for a long campaign, you need to have a plan. It can be as simple as ‘I
want to do these two things’.
- You don’t need to max your INT to be a good Arcane Trickster. In fact, many would say 16 is
too much.
- Always have an idea of what you should be doing in combat, and act accordingly.
- Spell selection can be a pain, but if you know what you’re trying to achieve with it it gets a lot
easier. Versatility is better than being a one-trick pony.
Thank you for your time.
Check out the Arcane Trickster guide if you haven’t yet:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?549828-Magique-Filou-The-Arcane-
Trickster-s-Guide

Building The Arcane Trickster

Diunggah oleh

Informasi Dokumen

Judul Asli

Hak Cipta

Format Tersedia

Bagikan dokumen Ini

Bagikan atau Tanam Dokumen

Opsi Berbagi

Apakah menurut Anda dokumen ini bermanfaat?

Apakah konten ini tidak pantas?

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

Building The Arcane Trickster

Diunggah oleh

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

BUILDING THE ARCANE TRICKSTER

A sample build of D&D 5E from level 1 to 20

Here’s what we look like at level 1:

SPELLS: Two from enchantment/illusion, the other one is a freebie.

We also get to pick another level 1 spell. Let’s go with:

We also get a school-free spell pick. Let’s go with:

And that, as they say, is it.

Thank you for your time.

Check out the Arcane Trickster guide if you haven’t yet:

Anda mungkin juga menyukai