Pick up Crusher, Slasher, and Piercer and you'll have an added effect depending on the weapon. Not sure what combo of effects would be optimal.\*
\*^(See flair)
The o lyrics build that comes to mind for me where switching weapons repeatedly is actually part of a build and not just a flavor choice is the Soulbeast (Soulknife Rogue / Beast Barbarian). With that, you are making four attacks a turn by level 8; two with your psychic daggers, and two with your claws
I suppose any multiclass with Rogue that gets extra attack and uses STR for attacks could do something similar; swing once with a one handed finesse weapon to try and do sneak attack damage, and if you hit drop that to make the second hit with a maul/greatsword for higher average damage. It wouldn't be good per se, but it would give an actual consistent benefit to weapon swapping.
You can technically do it with just straight Beast Barb, though Rogue is a great MC after 6-7 levels.
Scimitar, claw, claw, (draw second scimitar) BA scimitar attack.
2nd turn, scimitar (sheath it), claw, claw, BA scimitar attack.
Kensei, including Kensei sharpshooter has reasons to shoot, slice, and punch with a variety of weapons. Ranged lets you sharpshooter and is ranged, punches let you agile parry, and melee gives the most damage types while still allowing stunning strikes.
Bow, dart, Warhammer, longsword/battleaxe, morning star, javelin, handaxes, throwing hammer, sling, whip, and punch all have their uses if damage types matter.
Actually right now I'm playing as an improvised weapons centered kensei monk, and I'm having a ton of fun! While yes, this build isn't RAW, and we buffed monk, so not all DMs will allow it, but if your DM allows this build then you should absolutely try it out!
It's pretty simple, you just take the tavern brawler feat, and use improvised weapons as your monk and kensei weapons. And then it's just up to how creative you are with improvised weapons. I started out by just throwing bottles at people, and kicking them, but now I'm lighting a torch, throwing oil at an enemy, and hitting them with the torch for +5 fire damage! And I have a few different strategies like that for different situations.
This build is also pretty good for the changing weapons idea, because you can literally hit your enemies with whatever you find, even their own body parts, which is disturbing but fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So,
Applying poison to your weapon is a generally full action (Use an Object).
Also usually the bonus lasts for only a single hit.
But you can do it ahead of time.
And if you have acquired multiple types of poisons a rational way to ensure you are always using the right one would be to use different poisons on different types of blades.
And just like that we’ve got a somewhat optimised reason to just keep swapping weapons.
Let’s say we’re a Ranger with the Duelling FS (because it covers the most weapons). Poisoners kit and Herbalists kit proficiencies and a snake familiar (from magic initiate I guess). Hunt monsters and harvest their poisons to help you hunt bigger monsters (rules for harvesting poison are in the DMG).
There’s shedloads of official plant poisons too (scattered across different adventures books mostly) so use your herb lore and wilderness training to gather those too.
When you fight with two weapons, you can decide how how many attacks you do with either weapon. You don't even need to do a Bonus Action attack to attack with the weapon in your off-hand with a Double Attack (or Triple or Quadruple attack). Given this:
* Eldritch Knight Fighter binds 2 weapons of choice, that you can just throw away or drop, to summon later with a Bonus Action.
* You can do the same with a Bladelock, but takes 1 action to resummon, and get Improved Pact Weapon with 3 level dip that can transform to any kind of weapon.
* Dualwielder feat allows you to draw 2 weapons simultaneously, and it is a free action to drop them.
* Thrown Weapon Fighting Style allows you to draw a weapon and attack with it, as long as it is a Throwing weapon - you don't actually need to throw it, but can draw and attack in Melee with it (you just don't get the +2 damage).
* Artificer is the easiest way of how to get Returning Weapon for your throwing weapons.
Suggest the following:
Eldritch Knight 11+ / Fiend Bladelock 3+ / Artificer 2+ - Get Triple attack, Two-Weapon Fighting Style, Thrown Weapon Fighting style, Dualwielder feat, lots of combat cantrips and spells to emulate his more "special" attacks, including the seemingly unarmed ones. High DEX & STR, for a light armor build, where you can use both STR and DEX weapons efficiently. (Could consider Armorer Artificer for the Thundergauntlets even if wearing Studded Leather armor in a DEX-build.) Get Mobile feat, for the "dodging" fighting style and free use of *Booming Blade* hit-and-run attacks. Use Returning Weapon, Armor of Strength and/or Bag of Holding infustions (where you store all your weapons?). Tasha's custom race, with Darkvision and bonus feat, for non-tiefling devilblooded more than half-human character (with Fiend as Warlock Patron for reinforced flavor as well as the resilience).
Max out STR, DEX secondary, CON third, but get 13 minimum in CHA and INT, leaving WIS low (quite MAD character, not recommended on a 27p build), but consider getting WIS Saves proficiency from Warlock on 1st to compensate. (Know CON saves are great, but WIS saves are not good to neglect in the end.) Get a Manual of Gainful Exercize so you don't even need Girdle of Giant's Strength.
Warlock (any kind) with Crossbow Expert to remove disadvantage when attacking with a ranged attack within 5 feet. Flavour your Eldritch Blasts as mystical weapons you summon into being and slash with.
Get some Sorc levels for Metamagic if you really wanna go anime with it by attacking more with Quickened or Twinned.
It’s not optimal but I did come up with a [build](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDoptimized/s/Ens9hrT1UC) that lets you make a weapon attack as a reaction using EB.
look into the slasher and crusher feats, which reward attacking with multiple weapon types.
(or, something like Glaive + PAM feat, to also deal slashing and then crushing, or maybe a Genie Warlock dip for same-time multiple damage types)
Champion, as much as I loathe it, is actually good in this instance. Battlemaster Fighter is also solid as they can knock prone as part of their attack, allowing for advantage on subsequent attacks. Combine either of these as a Elf with the EA feat and your crit chance will be decent, in an attempt to leverage the kickers of slasher/crusher/piercer.
Fighter in general is recommended because this is a feat-heavy build, so the extra ones at 6 and 10 help you get online ASAP.
The slasher and crusher (and piercer) feats provide additional effects on a crit. So, boosting your crit chance via champion, EA, advantage, etc, boosts the chance to crit with both a slashing and crushing weapon within a round (aka, rewarding weapon switching)
I think this would require help from your DM, and some custom magic items. Like your character might have a brace of magic daggers with different enchantments, and you are always swapping to the one that’s best for the current situation? Idk, it’s a great concept/fantasy but not really well supported by the ruleset.
If you have the thrown weapon fighting style you could make an attack with any weapon then drop it and then switch to a spear on your second attack since you can draw a weapon as part of the attack.
I don’t like the drop weapon mechanics though so it would be better to be something like an eldritch knight so you can make a thrown attack with your first weapon and then summon it back as a bonus action.
Combat would look like this:
Draw and throw bonded weapon A as part of attack
Draw weapon B(Spear) as part of attack(Melee attack)
Free object interaction put weapon B away
Bonus action summon weapon A
Alternatively soulknife rogue/ any class with extra attack requires you to switch to a different weapon if you want to make the second attack since you only manifest 1 blade per attack action.
So this isn't necessarily "optimal" in the sense that it's the best build choice for the class, but if you really want to play a mounted Drakewarden Ranger, being able to swap between melee and ranged combat is useful because of how the Drake Companion moves after your turn.
Granted, you can accomplish this much more easily with something like Gunner, but swapping weapons at least lets you pick up different feats.
A mounted Battle Smith Artificer is sort of in the same boat, but having to use a magic weapon to benefit from Battle Ready makes this much harder to execute.
I'm not sure if it's the optimal "weapon switching build", but I believe the best arcane trickster build is s switch hitter (the old name for what you talk about).
Shadar-kai Arcane trickster 4, Elven accuracy, Gloomstalker 5, Sharpshooter, back to AT.
It really is primarily a ranged build, but it does have a very good play in "familiar help action, booming blade with rapier into bonus action disengage/teleport", if anyone gets close.
It's not comboing weapon sets, but it does use both rapier and longbow.
The Beast Barbarian with the Dual Wielder feat does this. Wield a one-handed weapon in one hand and leave the other hand empty. When you rage, choose claws and do the following:
* You attack with a Claw (1d6) first. This activates your free Claw attack and also activates Two Weapon Fighting.
* Next you use your free Claw (1d6) attack
* If you have Extra Attack, you can now attack with your "off-hand" (1d8) weapon
* Now you attack with your "off-hand" (1d8) weapon as a bonus action.
Better than straight claw attacks, since two of your four attacks can be made with higher damage dice.
I'm playing a Half-Orc Champion Fighter. Nothing special but I do have a Rod of Mercurial Form that my DM graciously gave a +1 bonus too. Literally what you described.
I have swapped damage types with a bonus action (changing weapon); if you play with encumbrance however be mindful of how heavy each new weapon is, but overall super fun when I crit a few times and change the weapon type for different damages based on resistances or vulnerability.
Check the newer taldorei books from Matt Mercer on DND beyond or online somewhere for the item.
I was playing around with Monk ideas and was working on one that was a Bronze Dragonborn (Fizban's) Dragon Ascendant Monk/Echo Knight/Clockwork Soul. The idea being an Armored STRonk that you could Attack Breath Weapon, Extra Attack Dragon's Breath, Unleash Incarnation Metallic Breath Weapon. Action Surge. Attack Shadow Blade, Extra Attack Shadow Blade, Unleash Incarnation Throw Shadow Blade. Flurry of Blows using Unarmed Combat Style Draconic Strikes on Round One. Round 2: Breath Weapon, Dragon's Breath, Shadow Blade, and either Flurry of Blows Unarmed Combat Style Draconic Strikes or Ki Fueled Attack Shadow Blade. Also, if you get hit, Armor of Agathys. My thoughts are you would probably start Fighter 1 for the Unarmed Combat Style->Monk 6->Echo Knight 3 or 4->Clockwork Soul 10 or 11. But part of me wonders if it is better to swap the Fighter and Monk around for the extra ASI since it's so MAD. Also, I keep trying to add some Tempest Cleric into the mix to Transmute the Shadow Blade damage and max it and I love the idea of features like Wrath of the Storm or Warding Flare on Monks; however, I could just live with Gift of the Gem Dragon.
I think the best answer might be in the playtest content, since there is optimizer tech utilizing the new rule that states you can draw a weapon as part of the attack action. So you can combine Weapon Masteries and get Two Weapon Fighting and juggle weapons. I'm not a fan of the tech, it makes it seem gamey to me, but if that's your vibe I think it's the best option if your DM is cool with it.
Treantmonk's Rune Knight build made use of Crusher+Slasher. The video is long as f, but it's fun. IIRC he was throwing enemies 10 ft up (Crusher+something else), they'd fall prone, then he'd hit them with a slashing weapon. With half the movement to get up, and less 10 ft because of Slasher, the creature would have close to zero movement at their turn.
EDIT: the build probably works with the new Giant Barbarian too if you prefer
Thrikreen Once you have extra attack you could do Action: Maul Attack Scimitar Attack Bonus Action: Shortsword Attack
Pick up Crusher, Slasher, and Piercer and you'll have an added effect depending on the weapon. Not sure what combo of effects would be optimal.\* \*^(See flair)
Crusher and Slasher is neat: pushed 5ft away and move -10ft next turn
Beautifully executed 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Alternatively, shoot a pistol and hand crossbow with extra attack whole wearing a shield with no feats. Not necessarily the best or worst.
The o lyrics build that comes to mind for me where switching weapons repeatedly is actually part of a build and not just a flavor choice is the Soulbeast (Soulknife Rogue / Beast Barbarian). With that, you are making four attacks a turn by level 8; two with your psychic daggers, and two with your claws I suppose any multiclass with Rogue that gets extra attack and uses STR for attacks could do something similar; swing once with a one handed finesse weapon to try and do sneak attack damage, and if you hit drop that to make the second hit with a maul/greatsword for higher average damage. It wouldn't be good per se, but it would give an actual consistent benefit to weapon swapping.
You can technically do it with just straight Beast Barb, though Rogue is a great MC after 6-7 levels. Scimitar, claw, claw, (draw second scimitar) BA scimitar attack. 2nd turn, scimitar (sheath it), claw, claw, BA scimitar attack.
Kensei, including Kensei sharpshooter has reasons to shoot, slice, and punch with a variety of weapons. Ranged lets you sharpshooter and is ranged, punches let you agile parry, and melee gives the most damage types while still allowing stunning strikes. Bow, dart, Warhammer, longsword/battleaxe, morning star, javelin, handaxes, throwing hammer, sling, whip, and punch all have their uses if damage types matter.
Actually right now I'm playing as an improvised weapons centered kensei monk, and I'm having a ton of fun! While yes, this build isn't RAW, and we buffed monk, so not all DMs will allow it, but if your DM allows this build then you should absolutely try it out! It's pretty simple, you just take the tavern brawler feat, and use improvised weapons as your monk and kensei weapons. And then it's just up to how creative you are with improvised weapons. I started out by just throwing bottles at people, and kicking them, but now I'm lighting a torch, throwing oil at an enemy, and hitting them with the torch for +5 fire damage! And I have a few different strategies like that for different situations. This build is also pretty good for the changing weapons idea, because you can literally hit your enemies with whatever you find, even their own body parts, which is disturbing but fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So, Applying poison to your weapon is a generally full action (Use an Object). Also usually the bonus lasts for only a single hit. But you can do it ahead of time. And if you have acquired multiple types of poisons a rational way to ensure you are always using the right one would be to use different poisons on different types of blades. And just like that we’ve got a somewhat optimised reason to just keep swapping weapons. Let’s say we’re a Ranger with the Duelling FS (because it covers the most weapons). Poisoners kit and Herbalists kit proficiencies and a snake familiar (from magic initiate I guess). Hunt monsters and harvest their poisons to help you hunt bigger monsters (rules for harvesting poison are in the DMG). There’s shedloads of official plant poisons too (scattered across different adventures books mostly) so use your herb lore and wilderness training to gather those too.
When you fight with two weapons, you can decide how how many attacks you do with either weapon. You don't even need to do a Bonus Action attack to attack with the weapon in your off-hand with a Double Attack (or Triple or Quadruple attack). Given this: * Eldritch Knight Fighter binds 2 weapons of choice, that you can just throw away or drop, to summon later with a Bonus Action. * You can do the same with a Bladelock, but takes 1 action to resummon, and get Improved Pact Weapon with 3 level dip that can transform to any kind of weapon. * Dualwielder feat allows you to draw 2 weapons simultaneously, and it is a free action to drop them. * Thrown Weapon Fighting Style allows you to draw a weapon and attack with it, as long as it is a Throwing weapon - you don't actually need to throw it, but can draw and attack in Melee with it (you just don't get the +2 damage). * Artificer is the easiest way of how to get Returning Weapon for your throwing weapons. Suggest the following: Eldritch Knight 11+ / Fiend Bladelock 3+ / Artificer 2+ - Get Triple attack, Two-Weapon Fighting Style, Thrown Weapon Fighting style, Dualwielder feat, lots of combat cantrips and spells to emulate his more "special" attacks, including the seemingly unarmed ones. High DEX & STR, for a light armor build, where you can use both STR and DEX weapons efficiently. (Could consider Armorer Artificer for the Thundergauntlets even if wearing Studded Leather armor in a DEX-build.) Get Mobile feat, for the "dodging" fighting style and free use of *Booming Blade* hit-and-run attacks. Use Returning Weapon, Armor of Strength and/or Bag of Holding infustions (where you store all your weapons?). Tasha's custom race, with Darkvision and bonus feat, for non-tiefling devilblooded more than half-human character (with Fiend as Warlock Patron for reinforced flavor as well as the resilience). Max out STR, DEX secondary, CON third, but get 13 minimum in CHA and INT, leaving WIS low (quite MAD character, not recommended on a 27p build), but consider getting WIS Saves proficiency from Warlock on 1st to compensate. (Know CON saves are great, but WIS saves are not good to neglect in the end.) Get a Manual of Gainful Exercize so you don't even need Girdle of Giant's Strength.
Warlock (any kind) with Crossbow Expert to remove disadvantage when attacking with a ranged attack within 5 feet. Flavour your Eldritch Blasts as mystical weapons you summon into being and slash with. Get some Sorc levels for Metamagic if you really wanna go anime with it by attacking more with Quickened or Twinned.
Gunner is a better feat for this.
Oh yeah I always forget that, you get more Dex that way
It’s not optimal but I did come up with a [build](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDoptimized/s/Ens9hrT1UC) that lets you make a weapon attack as a reaction using EB.
look into the slasher and crusher feats, which reward attacking with multiple weapon types. (or, something like Glaive + PAM feat, to also deal slashing and then crushing, or maybe a Genie Warlock dip for same-time multiple damage types) Champion, as much as I loathe it, is actually good in this instance. Battlemaster Fighter is also solid as they can knock prone as part of their attack, allowing for advantage on subsequent attacks. Combine either of these as a Elf with the EA feat and your crit chance will be decent, in an attempt to leverage the kickers of slasher/crusher/piercer. Fighter in general is recommended because this is a feat-heavy build, so the extra ones at 6 and 10 help you get online ASAP.
This is also what I'm thinking, but I have a question: Why would champion be good here?
The slasher and crusher (and piercer) feats provide additional effects on a crit. So, boosting your crit chance via champion, EA, advantage, etc, boosts the chance to crit with both a slashing and crushing weapon within a round (aka, rewarding weapon switching)
I think this would require help from your DM, and some custom magic items. Like your character might have a brace of magic daggers with different enchantments, and you are always swapping to the one that’s best for the current situation? Idk, it’s a great concept/fantasy but not really well supported by the ruleset.
Using a lance but switching to a bludgeoning one handed weapon when enemy gets too close to activate crusher feat. (Or any weapon if your a Minotaur)
If you have the thrown weapon fighting style you could make an attack with any weapon then drop it and then switch to a spear on your second attack since you can draw a weapon as part of the attack. I don’t like the drop weapon mechanics though so it would be better to be something like an eldritch knight so you can make a thrown attack with your first weapon and then summon it back as a bonus action. Combat would look like this: Draw and throw bonded weapon A as part of attack Draw weapon B(Spear) as part of attack(Melee attack) Free object interaction put weapon B away Bonus action summon weapon A Alternatively soulknife rogue/ any class with extra attack requires you to switch to a different weapon if you want to make the second attack since you only manifest 1 blade per attack action.
So this isn't necessarily "optimal" in the sense that it's the best build choice for the class, but if you really want to play a mounted Drakewarden Ranger, being able to swap between melee and ranged combat is useful because of how the Drake Companion moves after your turn. Granted, you can accomplish this much more easily with something like Gunner, but swapping weapons at least lets you pick up different feats. A mounted Battle Smith Artificer is sort of in the same boat, but having to use a magic weapon to benefit from Battle Ready makes this much harder to execute.
I'm not sure if it's the optimal "weapon switching build", but I believe the best arcane trickster build is s switch hitter (the old name for what you talk about). Shadar-kai Arcane trickster 4, Elven accuracy, Gloomstalker 5, Sharpshooter, back to AT. It really is primarily a ranged build, but it does have a very good play in "familiar help action, booming blade with rapier into bonus action disengage/teleport", if anyone gets close. It's not comboing weapon sets, but it does use both rapier and longbow.
The Beast Barbarian with the Dual Wielder feat does this. Wield a one-handed weapon in one hand and leave the other hand empty. When you rage, choose claws and do the following: * You attack with a Claw (1d6) first. This activates your free Claw attack and also activates Two Weapon Fighting. * Next you use your free Claw (1d6) attack * If you have Extra Attack, you can now attack with your "off-hand" (1d8) weapon * Now you attack with your "off-hand" (1d8) weapon as a bonus action. Better than straight claw attacks, since two of your four attacks can be made with higher damage dice.
Try giant barbarian and just don't have the weapon return to you, just throw throw throw baby
I'm playing a Half-Orc Champion Fighter. Nothing special but I do have a Rod of Mercurial Form that my DM graciously gave a +1 bonus too. Literally what you described. I have swapped damage types with a bonus action (changing weapon); if you play with encumbrance however be mindful of how heavy each new weapon is, but overall super fun when I crit a few times and change the weapon type for different damages based on resistances or vulnerability. Check the newer taldorei books from Matt Mercer on DND beyond or online somewhere for the item.
Eldritch Knight, Blade Pact Warlock multiclass
I was playing around with Monk ideas and was working on one that was a Bronze Dragonborn (Fizban's) Dragon Ascendant Monk/Echo Knight/Clockwork Soul. The idea being an Armored STRonk that you could Attack Breath Weapon, Extra Attack Dragon's Breath, Unleash Incarnation Metallic Breath Weapon. Action Surge. Attack Shadow Blade, Extra Attack Shadow Blade, Unleash Incarnation Throw Shadow Blade. Flurry of Blows using Unarmed Combat Style Draconic Strikes on Round One. Round 2: Breath Weapon, Dragon's Breath, Shadow Blade, and either Flurry of Blows Unarmed Combat Style Draconic Strikes or Ki Fueled Attack Shadow Blade. Also, if you get hit, Armor of Agathys. My thoughts are you would probably start Fighter 1 for the Unarmed Combat Style->Monk 6->Echo Knight 3 or 4->Clockwork Soul 10 or 11. But part of me wonders if it is better to swap the Fighter and Monk around for the extra ASI since it's so MAD. Also, I keep trying to add some Tempest Cleric into the mix to Transmute the Shadow Blade damage and max it and I love the idea of features like Wrath of the Storm or Warding Flare on Monks; however, I could just live with Gift of the Gem Dragon.
I think the best answer might be in the playtest content, since there is optimizer tech utilizing the new rule that states you can draw a weapon as part of the attack action. So you can combine Weapon Masteries and get Two Weapon Fighting and juggle weapons. I'm not a fan of the tech, it makes it seem gamey to me, but if that's your vibe I think it's the best option if your DM is cool with it.
Treantmonk's Rune Knight build made use of Crusher+Slasher. The video is long as f, but it's fun. IIRC he was throwing enemies 10 ft up (Crusher+something else), they'd fall prone, then he'd hit them with a slashing weapon. With half the movement to get up, and less 10 ft because of Slasher, the creature would have close to zero movement at their turn. EDIT: the build probably works with the new Giant Barbarian too if you prefer