Hi all. I'm starting a new game next week and joining a group in progress. They are 2nd level and could use a bit of extra healing and/or ranged damage. I haven't played a gnome yet in 5e and I was wanting to try it out. We're rolling 4d6-drop lowest, so stats "shouldn't" be an issue. I know it's not necessarily optimal, but I'd like to start out x1/x1 and try to help out in both areas. I'm thinking versatility over sheer power, but not wanting to nerf myself too hard either. So, I would like suggestions on class combinations and which subrace you think would be best. Thanks!
D&D 5E Best multi-class options for Gnomes
RogueJK
It's not "Rouge"... That's makeup.
A Bard with one level of Life Cleric can make for a somewhat decent healer, thanks to the bonus to healing spells, combined with 1st level cleric spells, and Bard access to other healing spells. And if you go Valor Bard, you can be a passable archer if you're wanting ranged weapon damage. Plus you'd have other Bard spells for utility. That'd start as Cleric1/Bard1, and then go all Bard from there. You'd be versatile, but not necessarily great at either healing or ranged damage. Not really an optimal choice, but you wouldn't be too underpowered, and a traveling troubador priest could be a fun character concept.
Or if you're looking for something with higher damage potential, and want to focus more on archery and less on healing and spells, a Hunter Ranger is a good option. The Ranger does get access to some limited healing spells, and with Archery fighting style at 2nd level, Colossus Slayer at 3rd level, then the Sharpshooter feat at 4th level, and Extra Attack at 5th level, you can lay down the hurt at long ranges with a bow. Plus you wouldn't need to multiclass, and could start as a Ranger2. (Bonus points if your DM will let you use the Revised Ranger, which is noticeably improved over the standard Ranger: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf )
If you want to focus more on spellcasting, a Divine Soul Sorcerer can take spells from both the Cleric and Sorcerer spell list, which allows you to not only grab some Cleric healing spells, but also get Sorcerer's ranged attack cantrips and higher level ranged spell attack and AOE spells. This is a good way to get a blaster/ranged attack spellcaster with a bit of healing. And again, you wouldn't need to multiclass. You could start out as Sorcerer2.
A similar option for a versatile spellcaster is to be a Light Cleric. Your ranged damage cantrips are a bit more limited to stuff like Sacred Flame and Toll the Dead, but you'd have more spells than a Sorcerer, full access to Cleric daily spell choices, and your domain spells get you some useful ranged attack and AOE spells. And again, you wouldn't need to multiclass. You could start out as Cleric2.
Unfortunately, none of the Gnomes are optimal races for any of these ideas. They get a large bonus to INT, and a smaller bonus to DEX or CON, depending on type. So if going Bard/Cleric or Ranger, I'd take Forest Gnome for a small boost to DEX. If going Divine Soul Sorcerer or Light Cleric, I'd take Rock Gnome for a small boost to CON.
The other downside to being a Gnome is that if you're going for an Archer (like the Valor Bard or Hunter Ranger), you can't use a Longbow, so you're missing out on a bit of damage. Gnomes are Small, and Longbows are Heavy weapons, so Gnomes get Disadvantage on attack rolls with them. You'll have to stick to Shortbows. Not a huge loss (1 point of damage on average), but it's not nothing.
Or if you're looking for something with higher damage potential, and want to focus more on archery and less on healing and spells, a Hunter Ranger is a good option. The Ranger does get access to some limited healing spells, and with Archery fighting style at 2nd level, Colossus Slayer at 3rd level, then the Sharpshooter feat at 4th level, and Extra Attack at 5th level, you can lay down the hurt at long ranges with a bow. Plus you wouldn't need to multiclass, and could start as a Ranger2. (Bonus points if your DM will let you use the Revised Ranger, which is noticeably improved over the standard Ranger: https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf )
If you want to focus more on spellcasting, a Divine Soul Sorcerer can take spells from both the Cleric and Sorcerer spell list, which allows you to not only grab some Cleric healing spells, but also get Sorcerer's ranged attack cantrips and higher level ranged spell attack and AOE spells. This is a good way to get a blaster/ranged attack spellcaster with a bit of healing. And again, you wouldn't need to multiclass. You could start out as Sorcerer2.
A similar option for a versatile spellcaster is to be a Light Cleric. Your ranged damage cantrips are a bit more limited to stuff like Sacred Flame and Toll the Dead, but you'd have more spells than a Sorcerer, full access to Cleric daily spell choices, and your domain spells get you some useful ranged attack and AOE spells. And again, you wouldn't need to multiclass. You could start out as Cleric2.
Unfortunately, none of the Gnomes are optimal races for any of these ideas. They get a large bonus to INT, and a smaller bonus to DEX or CON, depending on type. So if going Bard/Cleric or Ranger, I'd take Forest Gnome for a small boost to DEX. If going Divine Soul Sorcerer or Light Cleric, I'd take Rock Gnome for a small boost to CON.
The other downside to being a Gnome is that if you're going for an Archer (like the Valor Bard or Hunter Ranger), you can't use a Longbow, so you're missing out on a bit of damage. Gnomes are Small, and Longbows are Heavy weapons, so Gnomes get Disadvantage on attack rolls with them. You'll have to stick to Shortbows. Not a huge loss (1 point of damage on average), but it's not nothing.
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I don't see any reason you'd have to multiclass in order to find what you're looking for.
Light or Tempest Cleric would give you what you're looking for as would a Divine Soul Sorcerer, and even a Ranger if you'd rather use weapons for damage instead of spells. Then there is always the Archer Bard.
If you're just specifically looking for a 1/1 class split to start with, I'd go Ranger 1, War Cleric 1, then back to Ranger for at the very least 4 more levels. Take Archery at Ranger 2 and use a Shortbow. Max Dex and grab Sharpshooter eventually. Either Hunter or Gloom Stalker Ranger would work. All the Gnome subraces would work about the same but I like Forrest Gnome best for is Minor Illusion for free and +1 Dex bonus. War Cleric boosts your healing and utility while also giving you a bonus action attack.
Or if you like the idea of using the Crossbow Expert feat, go Ranger 1, Light or Tempest Cleric 1, and then Ranger from there. Max Dex and take Crossbow Expert. The Bonus attack from War would be redundant with Crossbow Expert so the switch the Light or Tempest would give you a good use of your reaction instead.
RogueJK
It's not "Rouge"... That's makeup.
If you're wanting to do a Ranger/Cleric archer/healer multiclass, focus on DEX and then WIS as your primary ability, and CON as a secondary ability . Forest Gnome is your best option for Gnome subtype, thanks to the DEX bonus and Minor Illusion cantrip. STR, INT, and CHA aren't very important. Even though you'll have Medium and potentially Heavy armor proficiency, depending on your Cleric domain, you'll want to stick to Light Armor. Shortbow will be your primary weapon, and take a Finesse weapon like a rapier as a backup melee weapon.
For this type of character, there are two ways to approach it:
A) Take 1 level in Cleric, and all the rest in Ranger. This is the more straightforward method, and requires less planning. It also will be better at archery the quickest, at the expense of more limited spellcasting. (This would most likely be my choice for progression.)
B) Take 5 levels in Ranger, and all the rest in Cleric. This requires you to plan out your progression a bit more, and doesn't really come online until a bit later. If you start as Ranger1/Cleric1, I'd go R2/C1 next, then get to R2/C4 for 2nd level spells and an ASI/feat, then R5/C4, then continue with Cleric from there. This will delay your ASI/Feat and Extra Attack a bit, so you won't be quite as good at archery damage output until Level 9, but you'll be better at spellcasting. There will also be a bit of competition between some of your Cleric spells like Spiritual Weapon and your Ranger spells like Hunter's Mark, both of which use your bonus action. (This is probably the less optimal of the two options, but you will eventually be a more powerful and versatile spellcaster, if your campaign makes it up until the higher levels).
For domains, it will partly depend on whether you're just taking 1 level of Cleric, or if you're taking more. If you're only taking 1 level of Cleric, I'd recommend taking either the Arcana, Life, Light, Nature, or Trickery domain. Each have nifty 1st level features that could be handy for your character. Arcana will get you two Wizard cantrips that key off Wisdom, which combined with your Cleric cantrips and Minor Illusion from being a Forest Gnome, will give you a wide variety of cantrips to choose from. Life Cleric will boost your healing ability on all your healing spells, including Ranger spells like Goodberry. Light Cleric gets you a useful reaction ability to impose disadvantage on an enemy within 30 feet who attacks you, as well as the great spell Faerie Fire as a domain spell. Nature Cleric is very thematically appropriate for a Ranger/Cleric, and gets you an extra Nature-style skill, a Druid Cantrip, and some nature-themed utility domain spells (including a handy Ritual spell of Speak With Animals). Trickery gets you some useful utility domain spells, and allows you to boost an ally's Stealth check.
If you're taking more than 1 level of Cleric, I'd still recommend Life, especially if you want to focus on Healing, or Nature, which is still also a good (and appropriate) choice for this build. Either way, once your hit Cleric8, your archery damage gets a nice boost from Divine Strike with both of these domains.
Whether you're taking 1 or more levels of Cleric, I wouldn't bother with War domain. The domain spells and proficiencies won't help you out at all, and spending bonus actions to get 3-5 additional attacks per day isn't ideal. Most of the time, you'll have better things to do with your bonus actions, like initiating and moving your Hunter's Mark, or making Spiritual Weapon attacks.
Tempest is in a similar boat, since you still won't benefit from the extra proficiencies, and the Wrath of the Storm reaction only works on enemies within 5 feet, whereas an archer will want to try to stay out of melee range. It might be worth considering if you're taking more than 1 level of Cleric, as it does open up the option for some decent AOE spells, but it still wouldn't be ideal for this type of character.
For Ranger Subclass, a Gloom Stalker archer is powerful, especially if your campaign frequently takes place in areas with dim light or darkness. The other good choice is Hunter, as mentioned above, which has options for adding additional damage to your bow attacks.
For this type of character, there are two ways to approach it:
A) Take 1 level in Cleric, and all the rest in Ranger. This is the more straightforward method, and requires less planning. It also will be better at archery the quickest, at the expense of more limited spellcasting. (This would most likely be my choice for progression.)
B) Take 5 levels in Ranger, and all the rest in Cleric. This requires you to plan out your progression a bit more, and doesn't really come online until a bit later. If you start as Ranger1/Cleric1, I'd go R2/C1 next, then get to R2/C4 for 2nd level spells and an ASI/feat, then R5/C4, then continue with Cleric from there. This will delay your ASI/Feat and Extra Attack a bit, so you won't be quite as good at archery damage output until Level 9, but you'll be better at spellcasting. There will also be a bit of competition between some of your Cleric spells like Spiritual Weapon and your Ranger spells like Hunter's Mark, both of which use your bonus action. (This is probably the less optimal of the two options, but you will eventually be a more powerful and versatile spellcaster, if your campaign makes it up until the higher levels).
For domains, it will partly depend on whether you're just taking 1 level of Cleric, or if you're taking more. If you're only taking 1 level of Cleric, I'd recommend taking either the Arcana, Life, Light, Nature, or Trickery domain. Each have nifty 1st level features that could be handy for your character. Arcana will get you two Wizard cantrips that key off Wisdom, which combined with your Cleric cantrips and Minor Illusion from being a Forest Gnome, will give you a wide variety of cantrips to choose from. Life Cleric will boost your healing ability on all your healing spells, including Ranger spells like Goodberry. Light Cleric gets you a useful reaction ability to impose disadvantage on an enemy within 30 feet who attacks you, as well as the great spell Faerie Fire as a domain spell. Nature Cleric is very thematically appropriate for a Ranger/Cleric, and gets you an extra Nature-style skill, a Druid Cantrip, and some nature-themed utility domain spells (including a handy Ritual spell of Speak With Animals). Trickery gets you some useful utility domain spells, and allows you to boost an ally's Stealth check.
If you're taking more than 1 level of Cleric, I'd still recommend Life, especially if you want to focus on Healing, or Nature, which is still also a good (and appropriate) choice for this build. Either way, once your hit Cleric8, your archery damage gets a nice boost from Divine Strike with both of these domains.
Whether you're taking 1 or more levels of Cleric, I wouldn't bother with War domain. The domain spells and proficiencies won't help you out at all, and spending bonus actions to get 3-5 additional attacks per day isn't ideal. Most of the time, you'll have better things to do with your bonus actions, like initiating and moving your Hunter's Mark, or making Spiritual Weapon attacks.
Tempest is in a similar boat, since you still won't benefit from the extra proficiencies, and the Wrath of the Storm reaction only works on enemies within 5 feet, whereas an archer will want to try to stay out of melee range. It might be worth considering if you're taking more than 1 level of Cleric, as it does open up the option for some decent AOE spells, but it still wouldn't be ideal for this type of character.
For Ranger Subclass, a Gloom Stalker archer is powerful, especially if your campaign frequently takes place in areas with dim light or darkness. The other good choice is Hunter, as mentioned above, which has options for adding additional damage to your bow attacks.
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RogueJK
It's not "Rouge"... That's makeup.
Here's a quick example character, using 4d6 drop lowest stats I just rolled:
Forest Gnome Ranger1/Cleric1 (Nature)
STR 13
DEX 15+1
CON 14
INT 12+2
WIS 16
CHA 9
Skills:
Animal Handling (Folk Hero Background)
Athletics (Ranger)
Nature (Nature Domain)
Perception (Ranger)
Stealth (Ranger)
Survival (Folk Hero Background)
Cantrips:
Guidance (Cleric)
Minor Illusion (Forest Gnome)
Mending (Cleric)
Mold Earth (Nature Domain)
Toll the Dead (Cleric)
1st Level Spells:
Animal Friendship (Nature Domain)
Bless (Cleric)
Cure Wounds (Cleric)
Detect Magic (Cleric, Ritual)
Healing Word (Cleric)
Speak with Animals (Nature Domain, Ritual)
Equipment:
Studded Leather Armor
Shortbow
Rapier and/or Whip
Healer's Kit
Favored Enemy: Fey
Favored Terrain: Forest
Languages:
Common
Gnome
Sylvan (Ranger)
He's basically a champion of your campaign's Nature God, who prowls his chosen forest, protecting people from malicious fey and marauding beasts, as well as protecting nature from malevolent people. He's well loved by the people living in the area under his protection, but he's a bit of a loner and his social skills aren't the best, hence the low CHA.
Go straight Ranger from here. No more Cleric levels. Next level, at Ranger 2, take the Archery Fighting Style and pick up the Hunter's Mark spell, which you should have running for most combats to add extra damage to your attacks. (Note that you'll now want to swap out Bless for a different non-concentration 1st level Cleric spell, since Hunter's Mark will be your Concentration spell the vast majority of the time.)
Then at Ranger 3, go either Hunter or Gloomstalker, depending on your campaign or personal preference. (Gloom Stalker for a more sneaky/stealthy scout and ambusher. Hunter for a more straightforward damaging archer.)
He'll eventually want to boost DEX to 18 at Ranger4, pick up the Sharpshooter feat at Ranger8, boost DEX to 20 at Ranger12, and then boost WIS to 18 at Ranger16 if you make it that far.
He's a handy archer and scout, and has a bit of healing ability, as well as plenty of out of combat utility (especially when out in nature). In combat, have Hunter's Mark running almost all the time as mentioned earlier, and use your Shortbow as your primary ranged attack, with Toll the Dead as a backup ranged cantrip for use against enemies with really high AC, or Piercing resistance, or who are behind cover (until you get the Sharpshooter feat to ignore cover with your bow attacks). The Rapier and/or Whip are your backup melee Finesse weapons, for when that's needed. (The rapier does a bit more damage, but the whip has Reach.) When possible, prepare cover positions and difficult terrain for ambushes ahead of time with the Mold Earth cantrip.
As I mentioned in my first post, seriously consider asking your DM to allow you to use the Revised Ranger. It's a significant improvement over the standard Ranger class in the PHB, which is generally considered to be somewhat underpowered.
Forest Gnome Ranger1/Cleric1 (Nature)
STR 13
DEX 15+1
CON 14
INT 12+2
WIS 16
CHA 9
Skills:
Animal Handling (Folk Hero Background)
Athletics (Ranger)
Nature (Nature Domain)
Perception (Ranger)
Stealth (Ranger)
Survival (Folk Hero Background)
Cantrips:
Guidance (Cleric)
Minor Illusion (Forest Gnome)
Mending (Cleric)
Mold Earth (Nature Domain)
Toll the Dead (Cleric)
1st Level Spells:
Animal Friendship (Nature Domain)
Bless (Cleric)
Cure Wounds (Cleric)
Detect Magic (Cleric, Ritual)
Healing Word (Cleric)
Speak with Animals (Nature Domain, Ritual)
Equipment:
Studded Leather Armor
Shortbow
Rapier and/or Whip
Healer's Kit
Favored Enemy: Fey
Favored Terrain: Forest
Languages:
Common
Gnome
Sylvan (Ranger)
He's basically a champion of your campaign's Nature God, who prowls his chosen forest, protecting people from malicious fey and marauding beasts, as well as protecting nature from malevolent people. He's well loved by the people living in the area under his protection, but he's a bit of a loner and his social skills aren't the best, hence the low CHA.
Go straight Ranger from here. No more Cleric levels. Next level, at Ranger 2, take the Archery Fighting Style and pick up the Hunter's Mark spell, which you should have running for most combats to add extra damage to your attacks. (Note that you'll now want to swap out Bless for a different non-concentration 1st level Cleric spell, since Hunter's Mark will be your Concentration spell the vast majority of the time.)
Then at Ranger 3, go either Hunter or Gloomstalker, depending on your campaign or personal preference. (Gloom Stalker for a more sneaky/stealthy scout and ambusher. Hunter for a more straightforward damaging archer.)
He'll eventually want to boost DEX to 18 at Ranger4, pick up the Sharpshooter feat at Ranger8, boost DEX to 20 at Ranger12, and then boost WIS to 18 at Ranger16 if you make it that far.
He's a handy archer and scout, and has a bit of healing ability, as well as plenty of out of combat utility (especially when out in nature). In combat, have Hunter's Mark running almost all the time as mentioned earlier, and use your Shortbow as your primary ranged attack, with Toll the Dead as a backup ranged cantrip for use against enemies with really high AC, or Piercing resistance, or who are behind cover (until you get the Sharpshooter feat to ignore cover with your bow attacks). The Rapier and/or Whip are your backup melee Finesse weapons, for when that's needed. (The rapier does a bit more damage, but the whip has Reach.) When possible, prepare cover positions and difficult terrain for ambushes ahead of time with the Mold Earth cantrip.
As I mentioned in my first post, seriously consider asking your DM to allow you to use the Revised Ranger. It's a significant improvement over the standard Ranger class in the PHB, which is generally considered to be somewhat underpowered.
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EnWorld#0000
Villager
Play a Moon Druid, learn Perception & Medicine, cast Goodberry at the start of the day and share the berries with the front line PCs. Cast Faerie Fire at start of combat, then turn into a Brown Bear or Giant Spider. Sorted.
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