Magique Filou: The Arcane Trickster's Guide

[TheUser]

It is an extreme. They targeted you. The spell confuses them and makes them hit an illusion. But you were the target. So going to the other extreme shouldn't be so unthinkable to you.

Except that the spell doesn't force them to "hit" anything (that would be drunken master monks)

it forces them to "target" an illusion

that means sentinel goes off, as much as you'd like to think otherwise the precise wording of both indicates that sentinel goes off. The "duplicates" do not have sentinel; the spell indicates what the duplicates do and are capable of doing and what abilities they have; at no point in time does it indicate that the duplicates gain your feats and features.

you misunderstanding rules and then conflating it into an argument is 100% on you.

[DivisibleByZero]

you misunderstanding rules and then conflating it into an argument is 100% on you.

I'm not misunderstanding anything.
I know what it says. I was the first one to say that I understand how it could be read that way by someone.
I also know that how you're claiming it to work is quite obviously 100% not what was intended. I also believe that RAI is more important than RAW, and that interpretations such as yours taking a hard line stance on RAW when the RAI is obviously opposing makes things worse, not better.

I was defending the way that you read it, and offering an opposing view. Then you said we were going out of our minds and yelling, when we were doing neither. Now you're attacking me. Get off your high horse, please.

[TheUser]

I'm not misunderstanding anything.
I know what it says. I was the first one to say that I understand how it could be read that way by someone.
I also know that how you're claiming it to work is quite obviously 100% not what was intended. I also believe that RAI is more important than RAW, and that interpretations such as yours taking a hard line stance on RAW when the RAI is obviously opposing makes things worse, not better.

I was defending the way that you read it, and offering an opposing view. Now you're attacking me. Get off your high horse, please.

The irony is palpable

You're supposition that you have a full understanding of what is RAI and that somehow others do not is as high as a horse can get I'm afraid. I'm not trying to high road you, I'm trying to show you that if english is a common language and two people are using the same set of rules then the conclusion becomes rather clear that sentinel functions with mirror image.

I didn't attack you. I simply pointed out the flaws in what you wrote. You wrote that mirror image forces attacks to "hit" duplicates, when in fact it forces them to "target" duplicates when they attack,

I think you need to step back from your emotional state and take a breather. I can see you're getting worked up and imagining attacks where none exist.

[Specter]

Pretty damn fine work as always, Specter.

Though, for the sake of completeness... Not that its any good for an AT...

You missed Tortle.

I don't have ToA, so I don't even know the stats and such.

Shadow Blade is incredible for an AT. It gives you a weapon as a bonus action if you are unarmed (great for sudden assassinations and such), that weapon grants 1d8 more damage than a rapier, it does psychic damage (suck it, barbarians), can be thrown and recovered with a bonus action, and grants automatic advantage in dimly lit or dark areas, which are quite common. It is an absolutely great spell for an AT, good enough that I would call it almost an automatic choice for ATs who want to focus on melee.

Shadow Blade is, indeed, great.

[trctelles]

Add a color scheme! This guide is great, but with a proper color scheme, you'll make it amazing! It will be easier to find the better options without having to read the hole guide

[xroads]

Need an ally for sneak attack? Your flyby owl can get you that at no risk to itself.

Not without some risk. Flyby means it can leave without provoking an attack of opportunity. But in order to provide it's master with an opportunity for a sneak attack, it has to stay adjacent to the enemy. So it can't leave and provide an opportunity.

Having said that, flyby would allow it to flee if it draws too much aggro. So still a solid choice.

[Specter]

Add a color scheme! This guide is great, but with a proper color scheme, you'll make it amazing! It will be easier to find the better options without having to read the hole guide

As I said in the 'spoiler' section before the guide, I'm not interested in making a color scheme. Most of the posts in the color guides are 'I think X should be purple, not red, and Y should be blue, not gold.' Blech.

Not without some risk. Flyby means it can leave without provoking an attack of opportunity. But in order to provide it's master with an opportunity for a sneak attack, it has to stay adjacent to the enemy. So it can't leave and provide an opportunity.

Having said that, flyby would allow it to flee if it draws too much aggro. So still a solid choice.

The only downside of familiar help is that the enemy might target it, but if the enemy wants to waste an attack on a familiar, more money for me.

[Dr. Cliché]

As I said in the 'spoiler' section before the guide, I'm not interested in making a color scheme. Most of the posts in the color guides are 'I think X should be purple, not red, and Y should be blue, not gold.' Blech.

The thing is though, having colour makes the guide a lot easier on the eyes.

When it's all monochrome, everything just blurs together and it becomes a lot more awkward to read.

Any-school spell (level 8) - suggestions
...
• Shadow Blade - Turn your damage into psychic damage, and add another 1d8 to it. Very good for melee. Particularly recommended if you have darkvision, so you can attack with advantage often.

While I agree with your rating, Shadow Blade is an illusion spell - so you're free to take it as one of your standard spells. You don't need to waste your 'any-school' slot on it.

[Saggo]

Not without some risk. Flyby means it can leave without provoking an attack of opportunity. But in order to provide it's master with an opportunity for a sneak attack, it has to stay adjacent to the enemy. So it can't leave and provide an opportunity.

Having said that, flyby would allow it to flee if it draws too much aggro. So still a solid choice.

You could make Sneak Attack from an adjacent familiar work if you used Ready, though Help and Advantage would give it too and would be the better tactic.

[polymphus]

The OP says there's a halfling subrace called 'Whisper' -- did you mean Ghostwise?

[Specter]

The thing is though, having colour makes the guide a lot easier on the eyes.

When it's all monochrome, everything just blurs together and it becomes a lot more awkward to read.

While I agree with your rating, Shadow Blade is an illusion spell - so you're free to take it as one of your standard spells. You don't need to waste your 'any-school' slot on it.

Eventually I will add colors, I guess.
Also good call on Shadow Blade.

You could make Sneak Attack from an adjacent familiar work if you used Ready, though Help and Advantage would give it too and would be the better tactic.

Yeah, as a Rogue I find that you need to use the Ready action more often than other classes.

The OP says there's a halfling subrace called 'Whisper' -- did you mean Ghostwise?

I have no idea where I got that from. Derp.

[Nadlor]

Not without some risk. Flyby means it can leave without provoking an attack of opportunity. But in order to provide it's master with an opportunity for a sneak attack, it has to stay adjacent to the enemy. So it can't leave and provide an opportunity.

I was under the impression that the "within 5 feet of you" was a restriction for the Help action itself, but not for the attack with advantage. So the owl has to be 5 feet from the enemy when doing the help action, but not necessarily when the subsequent attack with advantage is made. Therefore, the owl can move to the enemy, use the help action (when within 5 feet) and then it is set that "If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage" (so the owl can move again out of reach without removing this "vulnerability", which is now only time dependent and unaffected by the familiar's distance).

Mike Mearls even stated that this was the correct interpretation (not that it makes it official). Has there been any official change in this regard lately?

[Specter]

I was under the impression that the "within 5 feet of you" was a restriction for the Help action itself, but not for the attack with advantage. So the owl has to be 5 feet from the enemy when doing the help action, but not necessarily when the subsequent attack with advantage is made. Therefore, the owl can move to the enemy, use the help action (when within 5 feet) and then it is set that "If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage" (so the owl can move again out of reach without removing this "vulnerability", which is now only time dependent and unaffected by the familiar's distance).

Mike Mearls even stated that this was the correct interpretation (not that it makes it official). Has there been any official change in this regard lately?

FWIW, that's how I'd rule it too.

[Mikal]

Not without some risk. Flyby means it can leave without provoking an attack of opportunity. But in order to provide it's master with an opportunity for a sneak attack, it has to stay adjacent to the enemy. So it can't leave and provide an opportunity.

No it doesn't. The 5 ft. limitation is only for the Help action to be usable. Anyone can easily go into range, do Help, then move out without removing the advantage Help provided.

This is why the Mastermind ability that extends Help to 30 ft. is useful in combat- It allows one rogue to give another advantage in combat without having to be within melee range, or to provide it to say a Paladin looking to Smite.

[Crgaston]

Here’s a Sage Advice link re:Help, proximity and movement. The Flyby Owl Advantage is legit.

To make a melee Attack against the owl, the target would have to ready an action. It’s not OP. As noted above, the Mastermind can toss out Help with a 30’ range as a bonus Action at will, and the Inquisitive and Swashbuckler gab get SA without even having to have advantage.

https://www.sageadvice.eu/2014/11/03/help-action-2/

[Silberluchs]

It may not apply very often, but an Arcane Trickster going the social infiltrator route (and that works well with the Illusion focus, of course) could consider a 1 level dip in hexblade warlock, which would allow for attacks based on Charisma. That likely turns Cha into a more important attribute than Dex, for such a character. Mind you, I would still not neglect Dex, but with expertise on critical skills, you can likely get away with as low a score as 14, and just max Cha first. The Dex 14 would also intersect nicely with the free medium armour proficiency that hexblade gives. :)

[Stormcrownn]

I'm a little confused by the sample build for 11 Rogue / 9 Wizard.

There's 13 spells listed for the Rogue, which is the same spell list as the Level 20 Arcane Trickster.

Is that intentional?

I'm mainly curious about the 3rd/4th/5th level spells.

[Aleister VII]

Amazing guide, I'm currently thinking how should I make my first rogue PC, I was considering just making an assassin and ambush like crazy but after reading the guide AT seems a lot more appealing to me specially the familiar strategy and spamming BB with a Wood elf extra speed maybe even add mobile just to troll my foes even more xD
The shenanigans I can pull out with minor illusion are endless and I think o can get some mileage out of the improved mage hand in any campaign with big cities and disarm traps or whatever, maybe picking the lock of a chest from distance and then send my familiar to retrieve the item that was inside or something like that.

Magical ambush however seems slightly lackluster to me.

Needless to mention invisibility and it's greater brother, I'm a little curious about fog cloud as I usually didn't pay attention to it since it also obscures my vision or it doesn't? Not quite sure about that.

[Ogeeogelthorpe]

First post here! And I love the guide. I'm fairly new to D&D 5e (Played 3e a long time ago.) and this guide has been immensely helpful in creating a viable character for a relative newbie like myself. Had I not read it I'd probably have fudged my character and gotten bored. Your post helped me realize the potential arcane trickster has.

The build I went with was half elf arcane trickster/bladesinger with sword coast cantrips. Being part wizard affords me the ability to learn spells outside of the PHB +1 for adventurers league, which is a huge bonus. Also ritual spells can be literal lifesavers and you don't have to burn your spell slots. (Hello identify, detect magic and alarm!)

Half elf charlatan
AC: 19 (Mage armor is 13 +4 dex, bracers of defense +2. Boosted to 22 with blade song and 27 with shield, + mirror image + uncanny dodge when I actually do get hit)
AT5/BS4
STR: 8
DEX: 18( +2 dex ASI)
CON: 14 (+1 from resilient)
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 12
I only kind of regret putting 2 points in CHA because I've ended up being the party face because my regular group doesn't have a bard, and the warlock is GOO who doesn't understand boundaries when speaking to people telepathically and reading their minds...
Sneak attack: 3D6

Skills: Sleight of hand, stealth, acrobatics, arcana, investigation (double) perception (double), deception, performance (bladesinger), persuasion, thieves tools, forgery kit, disguise kit. (Fake identities and costumes for the whole party!)

At level 4 I took resilient as my first feat to become proficient in con saves. Second ASI was +dex.
Weapon: +1 faction weapons (rapier and hand crossbow, of course)
Magic items: Bracers of defense, winged boots (So good. Seriously...I don't know what I did before I got these). Headband of intellect is on my wishlist, as is ring of spell storing!

Cantrips: Message, prestidigitation, minor illusion, mage hand, booming blade, ray of frost (If I need to slow someone down a bit. It's been handy situationally.)
Spell slots:
1st level: 4 (4 Arcane trickster spells: Tasha's hideous laughter, sleep, disguise self, and silent image. Wizard Spells: Fog Cloud, Find Familiar (as ritual) shield, absorb elements, feather fall, mage armor until I can get +2 studded leather, + everything else I can get my hands on to copy)
2nd level: 3 (Mirror image, shadow blade, blur, darkness, suggestion, levitate, spider climb, cloud of daggers, invisibility, enlarge/reduce, rope trick, etc...I found a lot of spellbooks. Now I'm poor.)
3rd level: 2 (Can't cast 3rd level spells till 5th level wizard, but plan on using haste, thunderstep, counterspell and some other 3rd level magic trickery. Right now I just use them to upcast shadow blade to a 3D8)

My damage is generally 2/3D8 (sb) + 1D8 (bb) + 3D6 (sa) +4 + 2D8 when they move, and I attack with advantage on 9/10 attacks from familiar or the lighting situation in the area. I'm often hitting high 20's to mid 30's at this level, 50's to low 60's on a crit.

At end game I'll be able to cast SB with a 5th level slot for 4D8 + 3 D8 booming blade + 6D6 sneak attack die. (60 damage on a bad roll. 100+ on a crit)

The way I plan on building this towards AL endgame content is either AT11/BS9 for level 5 spells (Bigby's hand! Steel wind strike!!!), or AT12/BS8 for upcasted 3rd and 4th level spells and final ASI (Probably either lucky, mage slayer or warcaster to assassinate enemy casters)

The only dead/tough levels I've had where I felt underpowered compared to others were 4-6, where our variant human ranger with sharpshooter/crossbow expert was spamming out 3D6+39 damage per turn before hunters mark, and when our half orc zealot barbarian/champion was critting at least once every other turn.

It's been incredibly fun so far. I find all the traps, the loot, and give tactical advantage to my party members. Enemy has the high ground? Carry the halfing paladin to the top of the 60 foot cliff so he can fight the ogres throwing rocks down at us and cast spiderclimb on the barbarian so they can get up there. I've flown around the battlefield carrying a gnome wizard who was spamming magic missile like a machine gun. I've used Tasha's hideous laughter on enemies and made them fall off of rooftops to their death, and cast levitate to lift the big bad out of the way while we single out weaker targets first. There's also been times when I've been the default party tank where I've dismissed shadow blade to throw on blur and mirror image. My rogue may not be the single best in any one thing at my current level, but he's the swiss army knife of the group. Usually 2nd best damage in a group of 6/7 at my level. And the skills! So many skills!

[Specter]

Amazing guide, I'm currently thinking how should I make my first rogue PC, I was considering just making an assassin and ambush like crazy but after reading the guide AT seems a lot more appealing to me specially the familiar strategy and spamming BB with a Wood elf extra speed maybe even add mobile just to troll my foes even more xD
The shenanigans I can pull out with minor illusion are endless and I think o can get some mileage out of the improved mage hand in any campaign with big cities and disarm traps or whatever, maybe picking the lock of a chest from distance and then send my familiar to retrieve the item that was inside or something like that.

Magical ambush however seems slightly lackluster to me.

Needless to mention invisibility and it's greater brother, I'm a little curious about fog cloud as I usually didn't pay attention to it since it also obscures my vision or it doesn't? Not quite sure about that.

Fog Cloud makes you blind inside it, yes, but that shouldn't be a problem if you only end your turn there. In that case, the only thing enemies can do is ready an action to attack you, but that leaves out their bonus action and reaction.

Also, it's good to have if enemies have the upper hand (like if they're flying or sniping) to level the playing field.

I'm a little confused by the sample build for 11 Rogue / 9 Wizard.

There's 13 spells listed for the Rogue, which is the same spell list as the Level 20 Arcane Trickster.

Is that intentional?

I'm mainly curious about the 3rd/4th/5th level spells.

I'm not sure, I'll check it out later.

First post here! And I love the guide. I'm fairly new to D&D 5e (Played 3e a long time ago.) and this guide has been immensely helpful in creating a viable character for a relative newbie like myself. Had I not read it I'd probably have fudged my character and gotten bored. Your post helped me realize the potential arcane trickster has.

The build I went with was half elf arcane trickster/bladesinger with sword coast cantrips. Being part wizard affords me the ability to learn spells outside of the PHB +1 for adventurers league, which is a huge bonus. Also ritual spells can be literal lifesavers and you don't have to burn your spell slots. (Hello identify, detect magic and alarm!)

Half elf charlatan
AC: 19 (Mage armor is 13 +4 dex, bracers of defense +2. Boosted to 22 with blade song and 27 with shield, + mirror image + uncanny dodge when I actually do get hit)
AT5/BS4
STR: 8
DEX: 18( +2 dex ASI)
CON: 14 (+1 from resilient)
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 12
I only kind of regret putting 2 points in CHA because I've ended up being the party face because my regular group doesn't have a bard, and the warlock is GOO who doesn't understand boundaries when speaking to people telepathically and reading their minds...
Sneak attack: 3D6

Skills: Sleight of hand, stealth, acrobatics, arcana, investigation (double) perception (double), deception, performance (bladesinger), persuasion, thieves tools, forgery kit, disguise kit. (Fake identities and costumes for the whole party!)

At level 4 I took resilient as my first feat to become proficient in con saves. Second ASI was +dex.
Weapon: +1 faction weapons (rapier and hand crossbow, of course)
Magic items: Bracers of defense, winged boots (So good. Seriously...I don't know what I did before I got these). Headband of intellect is on my wishlist, as is ring of spell storing!

Cantrips: Message, prestidigitation, minor illusion, mage hand, booming blade, ray of frost (If I need to slow someone down a bit. It's been handy situationally.)
Spell slots:
1st level: 4 (4 Arcane trickster spells: Tasha's hideous laughter, sleep, disguise self, and silent image. Wizard Spells: Fog Cloud, Find Familiar (as ritual) shield, absorb elements, feather fall, mage armor until I can get +2 studded leather, + everything else I can get my hands on to copy)
2nd level: 3 (Mirror image, shadow blade, blur, darkness, suggestion, levitate, spider climb, cloud of daggers, invisibility, enlarge/reduce, rope trick, etc...I found a lot of spellbooks. Now I'm poor.)
3rd level: 2 (Can't cast 3rd level spells till 5th level wizard, but plan on using haste, thunderstep, counterspell and some other 3rd level magic trickery. Right now I just use them to upcast shadow blade to a 3D8)

My damage is generally 2/3D8 (sb) + 1D8 (bb) + 3D6 (sa) +4 + 2D8 when they move, and I attack with advantage on 9/10 attacks from familiar or the lighting situation in the area. I'm often hitting high 20's to mid 30's at this level, 50's to low 60's on a crit.

At end game I'll be able to cast SB with a 5th level slot for 4D8 + 3 D8 booming blade + 6D6 sneak attack die. (60 damage on a bad roll. 100+ on a crit)

The way I plan on building this towards AL endgame content is either AT11/BS9 for level 5 spells (Bigby's hand! Steel wind strike!!!), or AT12/BS8 for upcasted 3rd and 4th level spells and final ASI (Probably either lucky, mage slayer or warcaster to assassinate enemy casters)

The only dead/tough levels I've had where I felt underpowered compared to others were 4-6, where our variant human ranger with sharpshooter/crossbow expert was spamming out 3D6+39 damage per turn before hunters mark, and when our half orc zealot barbarian/champion was critting at least once every other turn.

It's been incredibly fun so far. I find all the traps, the loot, and give tactical advantage to my party members. Enemy has the high ground? Carry the halfing paladin to the top of the 60 foot cliff so he can fight the ogres throwing rocks down at us and cast spiderclimb on the barbarian so they can get up there. I've flown around the battlefield carrying a gnome wizard who was spamming magic missile like a machine gun. I've used Tasha's hideous laughter on enemies and made them fall off of rooftops to their death, and cast levitate to lift the big bad out of the way while we single out weaker targets first. There's also been times when I've been the default party tank where I've dismissed shadow blade to throw on blur and mirror image. My rogue may not be the single best in any one thing at my current level, but he's the swiss army knife of the group. Usually 2nd best damage in a group of 6/7 at my level. And the skills! So many skills!

Hey, thanks! Glad you're enjoying yourself.

[clem]

Nice guide. There's a few aspects that might be worth adding to it:

Race: Bugbear, +DEX and bonus damage on a surprise attack.
8th-level spells: Misty Step is pretty useful for the tactically-minded rogue.
Feat: Lucky and Ritual Caster from PHB. Also some of the racial feats in XGtE including Squat Nimbleness, Fey Teleportation, and Fade Away

[Kurald Galain]

French adjectives go after the noun, so it would be Filou Magique

[Naanomi]

I haven’t grabbed MtoF yet but... can their ‘auto-subtle’ Mage Hand work with Arcane Trickster abilities?

[Specter]

Nice guide. There's a few aspects that might be worth adding to it:

Race: Bugbear, +DEX and bonus damage on a surprise attack.
8th-level spells: Misty Step is pretty useful for the tactically-minded rogue.
Feat: Lucky and Ritual Caster from PHB. Also some of the racial feats in XGtE including Squat Nimbleness, Fey Teleportation, and Fade Away

Nice tips.

French adjectives go after the noun, so it would be Filou Magique

Really? Damn, I even asked a friend. Guess it's called Trickster Magic now.

I haven’t grabbed MtoF yet but... can their ‘auto-subtle’ Mage Hand work with Arcane Trickster abilities?

I don't get it, could you elaborate?

[Wasp]

Lovely guide. One question though: Don't Deep Gnomes have +1 DEX not CON? I don't have any books in front of me, but I remember several discussions where people said it was DEX.

[jaappleton]

First, Specter, as always, excellent work.

I wanted to make a possible note regarding Blindness / Deafness, and Magical Ambush.

If the creature is blinded, aren't you basically always hidden from it? Wouldn't the saving throw always be made at Disadvantage?

[AvvyR]

Just because I happen to be playing one right now, I'd like to add that for melee AT's dipping Wizard, War Wizard from XGtE is also an outstanding choice.

DEX+INT for initiative, and Arcane Deflection is a resourceless baby-Shield and save boost. Melee AT's usually stick to cantrips anyway. Plus you don't get into sticky racial restrictions for Bladesinger.

[jaappleton]

Just because I happen to be playing one right now, I'd like to add that for melee AT's dipping Wizard, War Wizard from XGtE is also an outstanding choice.

DEX+INT for initiative, and Arcane Deflection is a resourceless baby-Shield and save boost. Melee AT's usually stick to cantrips anyway. Plus you don't get into sticky racial restrictions for Bladesinger.

Its especially considering just for the +4 bonus to a saving throw.

The +2 to AC? That's small enough where I think that Uncanny Dodge is a better use of a reaction. But the +4 to a save? Mmmm, that's tasty.

[Naanomi]

Githzerai can cast Mage Hand without verbal or somatic components, meaning that all the Mage Hand trickiness of an Arcane Trickster can be done in complete subtlety, mid conversation, at the king’s ball; and no one would be the wiser. Nothing world shaking for most adventurers, but fun

[AvvyR]

Its especially considering just for the +4 bonus to a saving throw.

The +2 to AC? That's small enough where I think that Uncanny Dodge is a better use of a reaction. But the +4 to a save? Mmmm, that's tasty.

I'm pretty good at judging when deflect will cause the attack to miss. But yes, the build has a lot of reaction competition.