Gloomstalker-Rogue, but which Sub-class?

[Metallicus]

So, I have been playing around with Astarion's build and I find there are a lot of positives to any of the three sub-classes. I have read some online, but in practice the Thief with the extra bonus action is hard to beat. I also like having the extra utility and magic missile of the Trickster (which is the lore choice for Astarion). Assassin is good, but I don't know if I actually NEED Assassin when I already have the benefits of Gloomstalker.

I am interested in more experienced takes from the folks on the forums.

[Mike Garrison]

Extra bonus action is really nice if you are based on striking from concealment, which you probably are.

[Harukage]

Thief if you are dual wielding. Because that extra bonus action is your second off-hand atack.
Assassin for classic archer. Because constant avantage against enemies with lower initiative works wonders with Sharpshooter. And sneak atacks if that matter. And they WILL have lower initiative. Plus autocrits if you can initiate combat and catch enemies off-guard. And you actualy restore your actions when you do ambush enemies, wich is also nice.
So yeah, just take 5 lvls of Gloom Stalker and 7 lvls of whatever Rogue that fits your build.

[yaxpax]

If you prefer ranged then I would take Assassin:
- a lot of ranged damage into surprised enemies
- Extra attack + Dread Ambusher + Bow of Banshee = a lot crowd control
- you can get even more control if you also get Mortal Reminder from Warlock

[AokiYakumo]

Really it depends on what you need more of.

If you want more burst-down DPS? Assassin. Autocrits and advantage are super hard to beat without serious investment.

If you want the increased action economy per turn? Thief. Not just for dual hand crossbows, either; that 2nd bonus action can be SOOO clutch for many different scenarios especially if you manage to get the BA Illithid powers or if you multiclass into something that's BA-heavy like RNG, SRC, or MNK. Remember: you can do more than attack with that 2nd BA. It could be a 2nd potion use for if you really need the healing. It could be a 2nd BA spell. It could be a Dash to get into position, or a 2nd Jump which can be crazy mobility in the right scenarios.

Now if you're into the magic side of ROGs, Arcane Trickster's where it's at. The major consideration here is . . . you kinda need some math ability to maximize your spellcasting when it comes to multiclassing. However, if you can do the number crunchies, you can get some really crazy combinations and powerful loadouts. I was able to mete out 4th level spells by doing ROG 3 / RNG 5 / WIZ 4, and that character is a BEAST when it comes to in game ability thanks to the fact they could summon, had decent spellcasting and good melee, CRAZY high mobility thanks to extra Misty Steps, an incredible list of control/utility spells, access to Haste, some summons, Fire Shield for when I was in melee, etc.

ROG is the one class that - for multiclassing - really doesn't have a bad subclass[/b]. They're all lowkey busted if you play into the nuances right.

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Hell, even STRAIGHT-classed, ROGs are lowkey nutty. Thieves effectively can moonlight as a lot of different roles thanks to that 2nd bonus action and Supreme Sneak. Arcane Tricksters may have diminished spell slots, but they make up for it by having SUPER easy ways to generate save disadvantage (which make their spells land more often). Assassins can get some of those BIG-D*QK damn-age numbers if played properly.

[Nauct]

I love having thief for the extra bonus action. If you dual wield crossbows lots of extra offhand attacks, also there are items that add damage to attacks, some rings and a pair of gloves for ranged attacks come to mind.
So if you're doing 3 ranged attacks per turn that's a lot of extra damage