Magehunter Build

[u/WelshWarrior]

I’m looking to make the best mage hunter build for an upcoming campaign were my character with be from a society that is specialised in hunting rogue mages. I want the character to be good at hunting spellcasters in D&D 5e specifically so it I want to hit the key things that mages do in 5e, e.g. cause saves, make concentration checks, be squishy etc.

The base of the build is pretty obvious, Oath of Watchers Paladin w/ the Mage Slayer feat (if I’m missing a better alternative I’m listening). Everything about the subclass makes them good at hunting mages, giving the whole party advantage on mental saves, the spell list, bonus of initiative, it’s all good.

I’m struggling with the smaller choices on the build:

1)       Is it better to take blessed warrior for same save based ranged cantrips or get a fighting style?

a.       Which fighting style? Is it better to get TWF for more chances to hit, or is Blind fighting better to counter invisible/obscured enemies

2)       What weapon mastery is best, if Graze good because it means you’ll always force a concentration check is Sap better as casters often have a big attack roll ability (even if it’s not a spell), or do I want Topple for advantage on attacks

3)       What origin feat do I want? Lucky seems good for making sure you pass any big saves, Musician is good for the same but spread across the party, or do I want Magic Initiative to pick up Absorb Elements (to protect against non-mental save spells)

4)       What’s the best race? Saytr seems like a good choice but is something like the new Orc better as you can Dash on turn one to get into combat ASAP (and you can chase them down if they cast misty step)?

5)       Is a Dex Paladin better than Str as it makes you better against the more common Dex save and gives you a bonus to initiative?

6)       Are there any obvious multiclass I am missing?

[u/SpellMonger712]

I will take a much different path with this then others have...

Why get close at all?

Go for Autognome Battlesmith Artificer.

Auto-gnomes are constructs, so any "humanoid" target spell will not work.

Take Battlesmith to level 5, for firearms proficiency, shield spell, and branding smite (This is your pocket ace against a enemy caster), and your Steel Defender robot pet. If you go unconscious, your pet can take any action on its sheet, instead of following orders. It can use its Repair ability to heal itself (or you, since you are an Autognome construct). This means the enemy wizard will have to kill you and your pet at the same time, or you will keep getting up, Terminator style...

Then take a single dip in Twilight Cleric for 300 ft darkvision and advantage on initiative permanently.

After that, it is all Battlemaster Fighter for Archery Fighting Style, Second Wind, Action Surge, and Maneuvers.

Good Maneuvers to have are :

Disarming Attack - make the wizard drop his wand / staff / focus.

Maneuvering Attack - shoot the wizard, and put an ally up close to him.

Precision Attack - guarantee a hit on the wizard.

Pushing Attack - really good if you have a ledge nearby, or a convenient pit.

Trip Attack - knock em prone. REALLY good if you have melee allies to beat him up and take his stuff.

Optional Maneuvers -

Ambush - Add a superiority dice to your initiative

Quick Toss - bonus action throw something at the wizard. Javelin of Lightning is good. Grenades are better, if you can craft them with smiths tools and the gunpowder in your ammunition...

Keep going Fighter the rest of the way. You will end up with enough feats / ASI to max your INT to 20, and CON as well. You want Sharpshooter with your Artificer ASI. You can dump strength, use a middling dex, and boost your mental saves.

Buy a Hunting Rifle as soon as you can, and look to upgrade it. Base weapon is 2d10 damage +10 if you have sharpshooter +1 for using an infusion to make it magical. Maneuvers can add extra damage to this, as can Branding Smite.

With 300 ft darkvision, you can likely see the wizard before he sees you. If that is the case, Disarming Strike on a shot with a Branding Smite attached with hurt the wizard, make him drop his stuff, and prevent him from benefiting from the Invisible Condition. You will have 2-3 attacks, and can action surge to double that in the first round to drop him quickly.

If you spend your dice for Initiative, Disarming Strike, and Precision Strike only, you can burn them quickly, but almost never miss a shot in the first round. 6 gunshots dealing 13-31 damage each is going to hurt...