Hi all, I’m not sure if I’m playing Arcane Trickster wrong, or of that subclass just isn’t for me, so I’d love some advice.
I’m level 4 now, and I find myself never using my spells in combat. I love trying to figure out the best ways to gain advantage for my sneak attacks, but since all my spells take a whole action to cast, I never feel like they are worth using for this purpose, when I can try to hide or go to an ally to help them fight in melee. Is there some neat way to use Arcane Trickster in unison with all the sneaking and backstabbing, or do the two objectives not quite work together?
As Arcane Tricker you absolutely want to dual wield, that off hand bonus action attack will be your best friend. Sleep + bonus action sneak attack is pretty much a guaranteed kill. Pick crowd control and defensive spells, Shield is an amazing insurance if you really do not want to be hit by a certain attack, Magic Missile is your go-to ranged finisher, Hold Person and Blur are both great offensive and defensive options, Misty Step for incredible mobility. And let's not forget Invisibility! Arcane Tricksters are also great enablers for other melee characters, let your wizard concentrate on Haste or other powerful spell while you handle Hold Person so your Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin can kill that unfortunate guy who failed his save in a single turn with guaranteed crits!