5E D&D Character Build — The Crossbow Expert

Hello and welcome Nerdarchist Dave here. Today we are doing a character build for an archer character using the seven steps I had laid out previously.  Those seven steps are- race, class, background, ability scores, weapon, archetype, and feats.

1st Level Character Build-

We start with human because this build is going to be dependent on feats. I’ve got my eye on three at the moment.

Next we select our class. This is going to be fighter for the fighting style at 1st level. Then we are going to want pick our background. Here we will have a lot more leave way.

In my opinion we do want a background that is going to support our archer character build thematically at least.

So I’m looking to get either tool or skill proficiencies to add to the idea this character breathes and lives archery. Backgrounds to look at- entertainer, folk hero, guild artisan, 0utlander, sailor, and soldier. So what am I looking for from a background? Themes that say archery is a part of this character’s life such as being eagle eyed or scouting/hunting.

In this case I’m going to go with a background I haven’t used before the folk hero. This will be handy in that I pick up two proficiencies I was interested in, artisan tools and survival. Being human will be helpful for picking up an extra skill proficiency as well.

Now let us talk ability scores. We are going to say rolling isn’t an option so that leaves point buy or array. We are a human so we have two +1’s to play with. Dexterity is going to be our priority here. Followed by con and wisdom. We will be using our +1’s in dex and con and using the point buy system.

The ability scores- Str 10 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 14 Chr 10 From our stats we can sum up this guy as being average in his strength, wits, and likability, but he is hearty, nimble, and perceptive.

As a 1st level character we have two more selections to make our weapon and a feat granted to us for being human. From the title you could probably guess what our weapon of choice is going to be- Heavy Crossbow. The biggest damaging ranged weapon in dungeons and dragons 5th edition.

The feats in 5th edition are a big deal. We don’t get many of them and when we do it’s at the cost of increased stats. At 1st level there are three choices in my opinion for our archer build- crossbow expert, martial adept, and sharp shooter.

Breaking down our 5th edition feat choices

Crossbow Expert– There are two really important things here- First no disadvantage to attack if an enemy is within 5ft of you. Second lets us ignore the load property from crossbows.

Martial Adept– OK this one is just cool. It gives you two maneuvers from the Battle Master Fighter archetype and one superiority die to use. Basically it’s a watered down version of what a Battle Master gets. This feat will let you pull off cool trick shots easier once per short or long rest. Plus you’ll hit a little harder, better, or be more evasive for that one attack depending on what maneuvers you select.

Sharp Shooter– This feat offers us three distinct advantages. One removes disadvantage for firing out to long range with a ranged weapon. Two lets us ignore half and three-quarter cover. Three lets us take a -5 to hit to get a +10 to damage.

All three of them are really good, but only one of them lets us access the feats full potential from level 1. With crossbow expert the load property doesn’t come into play until 5th level. Sharp shooter’s ability to swap the ability to do extra damage at the expense of accuracy is going to be very hard to capitalize on at level 1. So I’m liking martial adept. We will get it’s full use and it will become more useful over time.

Let’s see what our crossbowman looks like at 1st level after we fill in some of the blanks on this character build.

Name: Thomas Longfellow      Class: Fighter      Race: Human

Background: Folk Hero      Alignment: Neutral Good

Str 10

Dex 16

Con 14

Int 10

Wis 14

Chr 10

Proficiencies:

Armor– light, medium, heavy, and shields

Weapons– simple and martial

Saving Throws– Strength and Constitution

Skill– Acrobatics, Athletics, Handle animal, Perception, and Survival

Tool– Bowyer/Fletcher tools

Vehicles– Land

Class Features:

Fighting Style- Archery, Second Wind

Feats:

Martial Adept- 1 superiority die d6 and disarming and trip maneuvers.

5th Edition Archer Character Build 3rd Level and Beyond

3rd level we will need to choose a martial archetype. We will go battle master. Battle master will offer us some nice damage bumps through the superiority dice as well as letting us pull off cool maneuvers that will allow us to control the battle field.

We will get four more dice to add to our superiority dice pool bringing the total up to five, our d6 will go to d8, and we will add three more maneuvers to our list. We now know five maneuvers- disarming attack, distracting attack, precision attack, pushing attack, and tripping attack.

As battle master we also gain the feature student of war. This will give us another artisan tools proficiency. I’m gonna go alchemist supplies. Perhaps our DM will let us get a little crazy with some specialty bolts.

Our next milestones will be 4th, 5th, and 6th levels.

4th level is important because we get to select our next feat. Now we take crossbow expert and get rid of disadvantage when firing in the midst of our enemies. Also in anticipation of 5th level we get rid of the load property from our crossbow.

5th level is our first extra attack!

6th level we complete the core of the build with the feat sharp shooter. We can now ignore cover less than full and can fire out to long range without disadvantage. Plus now we have the extra damage if we decide to sack out some of our accuracy.

The Character Build Beyond 6th Level

From here it’s a matter of taste. Increase your stats or throw more feats into the mix. Feats like alert, lucky, medium armor master, mobile, and skulker are all great choices for an archer type character. Or change things up with levels of ranger or rogue for more versatility.

I’d feel remiss i my duties if didn’t point out the one chink in this character build’s armor and that is armor. Because we have a low strength the heavier armors are beyond our ability to effectively wear.  Hence the medium armor master on the list above.

There are a couple of fixes. One play a dwarf. You’ll be tougher but your dex is going to take a hit and no feat at 1st level. Find a suit of heavy armor made out of mithral.

Hope you enjoyed this character build until next time “Stay Nerdy”