In this blog we are going to tell you about Swashbuckler Rogue Guide 5e, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
What comes to mind when I say a rogue? If you’re anything like me, it’ll be a figure dressed in black and crimson with a small knife in each hand lurking in the shadows.
Spies, thieves, and assassins are the stereotypes that come to mind when someone says a rogue, whether in D&D or not.Believe it or not, there’s another kind of rogue you’re probably already familiar with, even if you don’t think of them as rogues.
Swashbuckler figures include Zorro, Robin Hood, Inigo Montoya, Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and even Han Solo.While most people, including me, associate the term “swashbuckler” with pirates, it actually refers to a much broader character.
It is a highly intriguing character to play in D&D. We enjoy the opportunity to build up fantastic roleplay, and being able to emphasise our roleplay in combat is a rare situation that most gamers treasure.
What exactly is a Swashbuckler?
A swashbuckler is a bold, cunning, and courageous guy, however some may appear to have scoundrel characteristics. Swashbucklers are skillful swordsmen who move with grace across the battlefield.
One of the most significant characteristics of a swashbuckler is their charming presence. As popular depictions of swashbucklers evolved, cinema and literature transformed them from braggadocious bullies to heroic heroes with a certain swagger.
Swashbucklers are a unique take on Rogues. Their major subclass feature is a change to Sneak Attack that allows Swashbucklers to apply their increased damage when battling an adversary 1v1 rather than under normal circumstances (advantage, an ally within 5ft, etc).
This gives Swashbucklers a bit more freedom than a typical rogue. Because of their Fancy Footwork ability, they may dive into combat, do enormous damage to a victim, and then flee. No more hiding in the shadows and waiting for one of your party members to fight an adversary before charging in.
Strengths Of Swashbucklers
Swashbucklers excel in two areas: mobility and single target damage. Their Fancy Footwork skill allows them to retreat from a melee strike against a target for free. Swashbucklers will frequently find themselves dancing about the battlefield, sneak attacking to their hearts’ delight, thanks to their enhanced sneak attack.
The Panache ability of the Swashbuckler also adds a decent degree of battlefield control to the Swashbuckler’s arsenal, which is more than the rest of the Rogue subclasses, except the Arcane Trickster, finish up with.
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Weaknesses
Swashbucklers, like other rogue subclasses, are primarily a single target combatant. Rogues rely on Sneak Attack to keep up with other martial classes because they don’t gain extra attacks. Unfortunately, Sneak Attack may only be used on one target every turn, limiting the Swashbuckler’s ability to manage the crowd.
The Rakish Audacity attribute is another known weakness of the Swashbuckler. While this is fantastic in principle, most Rogues find it easy to score Sneak Attack against foes once every turn as long as they have another martial class in their company.
Features Of The Swashbuckler Class
To clarify, swashbucklers are rogue archetypes, which means they will receive all rogue class features, which you may read about in our rogue guide. In this section, we’ll go over each distinct archetype characteristic received by the swashbuckler archetype and how to effectively use them.
Fancy Footwork
This is one of the primary characteristics you obtain when you initially acquire the archetype at 3rd level. It states that if you make an attack roll against a creature, they are not allowed to attempt attacks of opportunity against you for the remainder of your turn.
It should be noted that this functionality just requires a “attack,” not a “hit.” If you attack the adversary, regardless of whether you strike or not, their opportunity attacks are disabled for the remainder of your turn.
This is where the majority of the “hit and run” play style comes into play, for as long as you have a single target, you may sprint in to stab your adversary then drop back out to a safe range every round without consequence.
Rakish Audacity
This is the other key trait gained by the swashbuckler archetype when you first choose it at 3rd level, and it serves two purposes.
It begins by adding your Charisma bonus to your initiative rolls. Simple and effective, and it stacks with your standard Dexterity benefit on initiative rolls. It also encourages you to prioritise Charisma, which will likely lead to your character becoming a “face of the party” type rogue.
The second aspect enhances the criteria required for a sneak strike.
The first two are standard sneak attack criteria for all rogues, but the third is specific to swashbucklers.
This is a significant improvement, since most other rogues must rely on stealth or have their teammates rush in with them to obtain sneak attack. Swashbucklers are more self-sufficient, and as long as they aren’t surrounded, they can hold their own.
Panache
At 9th level, you receive your second payout for your high Charisma score. Panache gives you two unique methods to utilise your Charisma (Persuasion) checks.
The first is a combat ability that works similarly to a taunt. As an action, you make a Persuasion check against their Insight check, and if you succeed, your target has disadvantage against everything but you for the next minute.
The second usage is outside of battle, and it’s a free charm effect you’ll always have at your disposal. You make a Persuasion check that is opposed by their Insight, and if you win, your target is charmed for a minute.
Elegant Maneuver
You can now use a bonus action at 13th level to gain an advantage on your next Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check. As a tier 3 ability, it’s not particularly fascinating, but it’s helpful, and especially outside of battle, you’ll basically always have advantage on these tests.
MasterDualist
The swashbuckler capstone is unlocked at 17th level, and it’s a doozy. If you miss an attack, you can instantly attempt again with an advantage (and therefore sneak attack). The ability recharges after a short rest, which means you can use it once each conflict.
Connections
The obvious method to link a Swashbuckler to their surroundings is as… well… a Swashbuckler! They might be a pirate with a Sailor background who is well-versed in the naval life.
This is especially helpful if your party wants to run adventures like the ones in the fantastic Ghosts of Saltmarsh book!
The Swashbuckler Rogue, on the other hand, isn’t just a pirate. This character may be embodied by any duelist that concentrates on rapid movements, decisive attacks, and a healthy dose of arrogance!
A nobleman could study fencing from the best duelling teacher their family could pay. Alternatively, they might be the “rough and tumble” kind who learned the hard way that speed can frequently defeat strength in their hometown’s dark alleyways.
The possibilities for incorporating this subclass into your plot are endless!
Backgrounds
In our 5e Rogue Guide, we cover the greatest backgrounds for Rogues; the only adjustments would be:
Entertainer: Swashbucklers should have acrobatics as a talent because they will most likely be executing parkour at least once every conflict. The Performance talent can compensate for the lack of a Bard in the party by infiltrating key gatherings, but it isn’t really useful for anything else.
Pirate: Athleticism, perception, and a unique upbringing. This is an excellent setting for the nefarious swashbucklers.
Sailor: Athleticism, perception, and a unique upbringing. This is a nice background if your swashbuckler stayed on the straight and narrow.
Other notable backgrounds include Urban Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Criminal, Mercenary Veteran, and City Watch. Each provides either strong skills, language options, an intriguing history, or a mix of the three.
How Good Is The Swashbuckler Rogue?
The archetype of the Swashbuckler Rogue is exactly what I seek for in a subclass. There’s so much to do here!
It’s incredible how this class builds on the Rogue’s nimble combat style to produce something exciting and useful. The mechanics of this subclass lend itself to broad explanations of what’s going on in combat.
I’m pushing myself to hold judgement until all of the Rogue subclass guides have been released, like I did with my guide to another Rogue subclass, the Arcane Trickster. But I know that when I announce the Rogue subclass rating, the Swashbuckler will likely be towards the top!
Ability Score
Ability Score Increases (ASI) at the 4th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th levels
Rogues are classified as a SAD (single ability dependent) class, which indicates that most Rogues can perform well by increasing their DEX and dividing the rest of their skill points how they see fit.
Because the Rakish Audacity feature of the Swashbuckler allows them to add CHA to their Initiative, buffing it becomes a higher priority. The proposed ASI order is DEX > CHA > CON.
STR: Let your pals do the tough lifting.
DEX: Swashbucklers, like every other rogue subtype, like DEX. You’ll want to get this to 20 as quickly as possible because it implies greater damage, AC, stealth, and so on.
CON: With more hitpoints and greater CON saves, the Swashbuckler becomes less squishy.
INT: Let the Wizard be the wise one; you’re the cunning one.
WIS: Aids in WIS saves and perception.
CON: Swashbucklers prioritize CON because of its face skills and boost to infinitive.
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Feats
Dual Wielder* – This is an excellent feat if you want to dual wield two melee weapons rather than the rapier and shield duelist combination. You will gain some AC while dual wielding, be able to dual wield non-light melee weapons, and draw/stow two one-handed weapons at the same time. It’s a great deal for a dual-wielding playstyle.
Mage Slayer – While this is a specialised skill, it performs the job well. You gain the ability to use your reaction to attack a creature casting a spell within 5 feet of you. This provides us another chance to show off our Sneak Attack damage. It’s a great accomplishment to have if you find yourself up against a slew of spellcasters.
Magic Initiate (Sorcerer) – This feat grants you two cantrips and one first-level spell from the Wizard Spell list. Green Flame Blade or Booming Blade, anyone? I mean, if we can only perform one melee attack every round, we may as well cast a cantrip that grants us some extra damage and benefits for doing so.
Resilient (Constitution) – If your Constitution score is an odd number, you should take up this feat. You acquire an extra +1 modifier to your Constitution and achieve proficiency in Constitution saving throws this way. Because of Slippery Mind, we’ll have a total of four saving throw abilities at level 15!
Sentinel – This is similar to Mage Slayer, but it has many more applications. There may be several occasions when you desire to engage a monster in one-on-one battle or have them locked in an advantageous position. This assures that they will not leave your duel without your consent.
Lucky – This is an excellent achievement for any build.
Conclusion
The Swashbuckler may not be as useful outside of battle as the other Rogue characters, but it simply dominates combat circumstances.
The most dangerous hazard to the Swashbuckler is getting too far into the conflict. They have a lot of mobility, but they don’t want to plunge in so deep that they are dogpiled by the adversary!
Everything about this subclass is so vibrant and dramatic that it feels practically impossible to have a dull conflict while a Swashbuckler is present. Get into character as a Swashbuckler and search for inventive ways to interact with your surroundings. It adds dramatic excitement to describe how your character jumps back from an enemy’s blow, grips the ship’s mast, and spins around it before lunging forward with their rapier.
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