Bards have much to gain from other Charisma-based spellcasters, Sorcerers and Warlocks. The goal was not to remove multiclassing but to rebalance the game so that multiclassing was no longer necessary to achieve the most effective base power. The exception would be if I have a fun concept or I want to focus on lower levels of play; after all, most campaigns end by level ten. The Temporary Hp granted by fiend pact or Armor of Agathys combined with healing and/or vicious mockery from bard allows you to absorb some attacks yourself in a pinch. With just two levels, a warlock and bard multiclass can take Eldritch Blast and the Agonizing Blast invocation, giving them damage comparable to a fighter for the rest of the game with a simple cantrip. Both of these subclasses specialize in creation, so lets see what they can do together! Billy_Rage 2 yr. ago The obvious is fey lock and really any bard. You dont have to suddenly tell people that youre two classes. Warlock/sorcerer is also a very strong option for a sorcerer multiclass. If you wish to invest three additional levels into Bard, youll gain the Mantle of Majesty feature; with it, you can charm someone specifically and get them alone to cast Command on them over and over again as you slay or steal from them. Your spirit can leave your body to gain several effects: both your spirit and body resist slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage, you can cast conjuration and necrotic spells without components (as long as the materials lack a gold cost), flying and ethereal movement, and you regain hitpoints when you transform and deal necrotic damage. This Assassin Rogue leans heavily into the social skill checks like Deception and Persuasion. They are both versatile classes with a focus on supporting their allies, but they go about it in different ways. Druid Multiclass Options: A Complete DnD 5e Guide. Warlock (Charisma): the Hexblade archetype. Fighting Spirit only works with weapons. Wizards of the Coast LLC. Many classes benefit more from multiclassing than from investing twenty levels in a single class. The most common Invocation for a Warlock multiclass dip is Agonizing Blast for its damage boost to Eldritch Blast, but there may be other Invocations that are more fitting to a character concept. Thanks for the feedback. The character concept sounds cool, though. Cleric has very good class features at higher levels, but unfortunately youll never reach them when multiclassing. Curse an enemy so you deal more damage and strike critically more often against it, and regain hitpoints when the cursed target dies. Bonus dose of early Magical Secrets. Its a masterful concept for creating a new religion of followers and adorers! Perhaps your eloquence comes from a deal you made with a magical instrument to become a renowned storyteller, performer, and ambassador. A weakness you will have to accommodate for. Clerics also get subclasses at level one, so some of them will provide massive value for one level of investment. The Totem Barbarian (bear option at level three) usually has psychic damage as its weak spot, but not with the GOO Warlock since it has psychic resistance. That said, not all combinations of classes work well with Warlock. The biggest downside for multiclassing into Paladin is that Smite only works on melee weapons, so youll have to enter combat far more often than normal. Their range of skills, abilities, and spells sets them apart from nearly every other D&D class in terms of versatility. The same goes for Eldritch Blast. Cast a spell of 6th level of lower with a casting time of one action without components once per 1d4 long rests. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Summary of subclass features: Gain a few spell options that Warlocks cant normally learn, but you dont automatically learn them. Finally, Monk and Rogue are very mobile and like getting up in enemies faces, but are best when you dump a lot of levels into themotherwise, they are just squishy, which does not benefit an already vulnerable Warlock. Switch onto Warlock to get 6 levels for Radiant Soul to make fire and radiant spells hit extra CHA modifier. If they used their spellcasting primarily outside of combat, or emphasized spells without Concentration, they could still combine the two classes in useful ways. Few defensive options beyond what little Warlock already has. The most crucial Paladin features come online at Level 2. The Undead Warlock is fantastic at low levels, so many optimizers have been adopting it into their builds. Bards have a similar versatility to the Warlock, which makes them an excellent choice for multiclassing. Furthermore, the Life Domain provides a substantial increase to healing spells without care for class - meaning that one level in it could make a bard better at one of their most useful roles. Since the Barbarians Unarmored Defense is, as the name implies, without armour, the Warlock doesnt suffer any issues with spellcasting as they would if they specd into Paladin. Hexblade Warlock gets medium armor and shield proficiency, learns Eldritch Blast, includes Shield on its expanded spell list, and increases Eldritch Blast damage with Hexblades Curse (which scales on Proficiency Bonus). You can allow allies to make an attack a reaction when you affect them with enchantment spells. The secondary class may be referred to as a dip into that class if the concept only needs 1-3 levels in the second class. Outright bad and detrimental. It's useful to multiclass a Bard into a Druid if you want to provide your party with that type of utility. As another class dipping into Warlock, since Warlock selects their subclass at Level 1, you immediately get some niche features from your Otherworldly Patron. Divine Soul Sorcerer will net you the Favored by the Gods feature to reinforce your saving throws. Concentration is much harder to maintain in melee combat when youre getting hit more, so a weapon Warlock can effortlessly keep these spells running to stay alive. This is the only combination that actually makes me want to play a Storm Herald Barbarian! Manage Settings Although it wouldn't be as effective with either single class' abilities, the two together could be used to become the ultimate buffer. Summary of subclass features: Gain a few spell options that Warlocks cant normally learn, but you dont automatically learn them. However, Paladin auras are the real prize for Sorcerers. Learn the Light and Sacred Flame cantrips. Youre a fantastic support character who can also deal big damage and defend yourself. Resist cold damage and freely communicate with other creatures when youre submerged in water. Stuff like armor of agathys or mirror image. Welcome to Flutes exhaustive guide for Warlock multiclassing character builds. It works well. For those players, I recommend taking one level of Sorcerer. Bards have a similar versatility to the Warlock, which makes them an excellent choice for multiclassing. Many classes benefit more from multiclassing than from investing twenty levels in a single class. This gives the Warlock more melee versatility than the standard Warlock class. The Warlock and Sorcerer Multiclass is another combination with great synergy - with both classes using Charisma for spellcasting. Notes: Honestly, the Valor Bard has been replaced somewhat by the Hexblade Warlock since you can get armor and shields with only one level of investment. Will provide some bonus that cant be found through other means. Theyll love it! However, multiclassing is also complicated. The Hexblade thus benefits most from multiclassing into Paladin. Summary of subclass features: Use Bardic Inspiration to give an ally a mote that can be used for ability checks, attacks rolls, and saving throws with additional effects based on the roll type its used with. Celestial Warlock is more of a secondary healer taking, well, how restricted Pact Magic is into consideration, after all. You can choose whatever Paladin or Sorcerer subclass you like. But overall pretty neat stuff. This character dips into useful Charisma classes that quickly gain their subclasses. However, the real meat of the multiclass comes from how effectively the bard can use Divine Smite. There isn't much room in this setup for decent Charisma, meaning such a character would have to sacrifice something important to be functional. Fifth Edition Warlock Patrons have an immense amount of versatility since they all offer different things and allow the Warlock to slot into roles other than the ranged caster. All of which make you more capable of entering melee combat or sniping foes at a distance. Combat Eventually, gain more control over your Spirit Tales rolls. 5e classes are heavily front-loaded. This is an optimal build that features more smiting with the spellcasting progress of the Sorcerer, powerful Eldritch Blasting, and a set of Paladin auras. Perform weapon attacks with your Charisma instead of your Strength or Dexterity (with some limitations that can be lifted with Pact of the Blade). In this build, your character will deal an average of 198 damage to a target with six weapon attacksin the first turn, 79 to another targetand banish itin the second turn, and another 27 to the first cursed target in the second turn. So if youre planning to multiclass, youll want to do your research on the class you want to take. Succeeding at death saving throws or stabilizing creatures with Spare the Dying allows you to regain hitpoints. Both of these subclasses feature knowledge from those who have passed away. Multiclassing is a fun way to add additional depth to your character and make their build feel more unique. This character would be a decently optimized concept with well-rounded abilities. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so it's not merely for min-max-style players. The Defensive Flourish allows the character to boost its AC until the next rounds turn. Rangers dont get much above fifteenth level, freeing you up for multiclass dips for better features. This is when your Bardic Inspiration die upgrades to a d8, and you start regaining those Inspirations on a short rest. With that concept in mind, had thoughts of pairing the genie warlock with ranger, any thoughts? Although the character would struggle with being unfocused, it could still be perfectly viable. Alternatively, you get another Metamagic option at Level 10, or you could spend more levels on Sorcerer to hoard even more spell slots. Warlock has some of the best early-level bonuses that a player can get. Weve given some good ideas for multiclass options based on the metagame and the internal mechanics of the game. Getting Sorcerer Metamagic will allow you to cast Booming Blade as a bonus action and an action to double up dealing big damage for a nova round. I like this concept as a power build that plays into the fey trickster archetype. However, multiclassing on Warlocks in 5e is fantastic, especially if you only dip one or two levels into Warlock rather than making a primary Warlock with one or two levels in another class. You can eventually pass your curse between creatures when they die. Taking up to 3 levels of Sorcerer . )., Thematically, golden dragons are known to be forces of justice and all thats good, hence my choice of Gold Ancestor Dragon. Many Warlock quirks turn into bonkers-good combos when mixed with other classes. For more of my work, The Best Warlock Multiclass Builds in 5th Edition D&D. For a Glamour / Archfey Lock, your level split will depend on how far you expect the campaign to go. Your email address will not be published. D&D 5e Warlock multiclassing image by Wizards of the Coast in Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica.This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers. EB get's the biggest benefit at character level 5 when you get 2 rays, but bard 5 is also a big boost. Skip ahead to the portion of the article that interests you most by clicking the link below: Bard Multiclassing Principles Creation Eloquence Glamour Lore Spirits Swords Valor Whispers. Survive with one hitpoint when youd normally be reduced to zero hitpoints, gain a level of exhaustion, and deal necrotic damage to nearby creatures of your choice. Warlocks in D&D 5e are so strong because of their versatility, and this versatility also makes them exceptionally good at multiclassing. Warlocks will continue to gain Pact Magic slots and can use those for any of their spellcasting classs spells. Flavor the Celestial Warlock like your pact is with an angel of Mother Earth. Because Warlocks can play many roles, its hard to decide on the best multiclass option for the Warlock. Multiclassing can be useful for roleplaying as well, so its not merely for min-max-style players. Barbarians are difficult to multiclass with spellcasters for obvious reasons: they cannot cast or concentrate on spells while using their Rage. Both classes are half-decent at melee combat, but when stuck together, you have a legitimate threat on the battlefield. Really, Warlocks represent an excellent class whether it is your primary or secondary class. Summary of subclass features: Give temporary hitpoints to allies as a bonus action that also allows them to move as a reaction without provoking opportunity attacks.. Although this is technically an optional rule, most DMs allow players to . Use the Frightened condition with your Form of Dread, and immobilize the scaredy cats with your Aura of Conquest. Eventually, enhance your ability to create items by ignoring gold cost limitations and creating more at once. Multiclassing is a process wherein a character of one class starts taking levels in one (or more - people can get a little nuts about this stuff) additional classes. As usual, the Hexblade Warlock is mighty tempting. The bard can get any ranger spells they want through Magical Secrets, all without having to worry about their Wisdom score on top of everything else. Power build! Cleric subclasses often gain heavy armor as a subclass feature, including the Twilight Domain. Rogue levels go well with just about any combination of classes, and that holds true with bards as well. You also get a spell list with incredible utility and support spells, plus the extra spell slots to burn on them since youll want to be stingy with your Warlock spell slots. Youre slippery and efficient in and out of combat. Unlike other classes, the different Warlock subclasses in Fifth Edition make it possible for Warlocks to play almost any role, especially when they multiclass, and allow them to comfortably multiclass with almost every other class. The Archfey: Fey are tricky, unpredictable creatures, and warlocks who swear pacts to The Archfey gain spells and abilities to confuse, surprise, and charm other creatures. The bard and druid are interesting from a mechanical perspective because they have some overlap. Swim and breathe underwater. You might be a bard who harnesses magic through your music or a warlock who has made a pact with an otherworldly entity. Druid Multiclassing D&D 5e: Best Practices, Character Concepts, and Inspirational Mulch , multiclassing requires minimum ability scores, content on multiclassing in our other articles, class-level multiclassing combinations article. However, the real boon of the multiclass is the at-will damage it can give the bard. Therefore, the best class to match with the bard is easily the rogue. The Artificers Tool Expertise ability will double your proficiency for any tool you are proficient with, such as tool proficiencies youve temporarily gained from your Channel Divinity: Knowledge of the Ages feature. Yes, they stack, and they do it wonderfully. His love of storytelling has given him wide expertise on all things entertainment, from video games and tabletop roleplaying to television and movies, which he uses to inform his work in many ways. Gain special Blade Flourishes and increase your movement speed for the turn when you attack. 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