D&D 5E Arcane multiclassing... does it make sense?

[Caliban]

If you think of wizard, sorcerer, warlock, bard, etc. as different sciences, then multiclassing is no more remarkable than someone who has multiple degrees.

Yeah, they're all nerds!

 

[Ancalagon]

I would claim that the ability to use magic is more significant than a bachelor. That's like being proficient in both knowledge Arcana and History no?

 

[cbwjm]

Hello

I saw a thread about a warlock/sorcerer build, and instead of derailing it I though I would start a new one.

In brief, wizards study the secrets of the universe and master complex spells and rituals to unleash magic - they need the intellect and the discipline to do so. Sorcerers don't have to - it's in their blood, the raw talent is there, they just have to develop it, through force of will. Warlocks can't seem to master magic as wizards nor do they have it innately - instead they have to be lucky/foolish and make a pact with a potentially sinister patron.

All these individuals are driven to attain supernatural powers. And when that success occurs, it's a momentous occasion. And they continue, they push, they grow. (if they didn't, they wouldn't be adventurers!)

This leads me to well, question arcane multi classing, on a "fluff" level. Once you have succeeded in attaining power, why would you seek a different route to the same arcane power? You already found it! Keep going!

No idea what anyone else has said yet, but I think that, although it may not work out as well in the game, since PCs can keep on gaining levels and more power, in the story behind a character it could make a lot of sense.

Imagine a wizard who has mastered a few spells but greater power always seems to be beyond his grasp. This wizard may turn to ancient rituals found in forbidden tomes to call up some dark entity to make a pact for more power.

Sorcery, inborn talent, is quite often seen in stories as dangerous and unpredictable and wizards are generally considered to have some sort of inborn talent as well (Essentially, you either have the spark or you are unable to draw upon magical energies). A sorcerer may go to a college of wizardry to learn to better control his powers and pick up some levels of wizard. Perhaps instead of wizardry, the young sorcerer stumbles upon a place of power where a dark power promises him the power to control his gift, the sorcerer then picks up some levels of warlock.

These are just the scenarios I can think of off the top of my head, and the scenarios behind them might not play out as well in D&Ds class structure as they might in a freeform character creation system, but I think they are good reasons for switching between arcane classes.

 

[Croesus]

I would claim that the ability to use magic is more significant than a bachelor. That's like being proficient in both knowledge Arcana and History no?

All analogies are flawed, don't get too hung up on the specifics. All I'm saying is that (per RAW) it's no more difficult for an arcane caster to dip into multiple types of magic than to continue in just one type. You were asking why someone would do that, and my answer is that some folks just like having more broad-based skills vs. a single deep, narrow skill.

Another flawed analogy: someone who learns multiple programming languages, or someone who has multiple, different careers. Some folks just prefer that kind of variety.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

All analogies are flawed, don't get too hung up on the specifics. All I'm saying is that (per RAW) it's no more difficult for an arcane caster to dip into multiple types of magic than to continue in just one type. You were asking why someone would do that, and my answer is that some folks just like having more broad-based skills vs. a single deep, narrow skill.

The difficulty comes with the different ability scores. Few wizards are as Charismatic as they are Intelligent. The standard narrative for why someone becomes a warlock rather than a wizard is that they aren't smart enough to learn magic the correct way.

It's easier for a wizard to stick with wizardry if all they have is high Intelligence.

 

[Coroc]

Hello

I saw a thread about a warlock/sorcerer build, and instead of derailing it I though I would start a new one.

In brief, wizards study the secrets of the universe and master complex spells and rituals to unleash magic - they need the intellect and the discipline to do so. Sorcerers don't have to - it's in their blood, the raw talent is there, they just have to develop it, through force of will. Warlocks can't seem to master magic as wizards nor do they have it innately - instead they have to be lucky/foolish and make a pact with a potentially sinister patron.

All these individuals are driven to attain supernatural powers. And when that success occurs, it's a momentous occasion. And they continue, they push, they grow. (if they didn't, they wouldn't be adventurers!)

This leads me to well, question arcane multi classing, on a "fluff" level. Once you have succeeded in attaining power, why would you seek a different route to the same arcane power? You already found it! Keep going!

A power hungry wizard would rather try to become a lich instead, and for otherworldly entities - he does not pray to them or revere them as a master, but he summons them to do his bidding.

Multiclassing in 5E is thankfully a bad idea and on some combinations it is even worse, but in your case rightfully so as you pointed out rather keep going it is.

 

[Arilyn]

A power hungry wizard would rather try to become a lich instead, and for otherworldly entities - he does not pray to them or revere them as a master, but he summons them to do his bidding.

Multiclassing in 5E is thankfully a bad idea and on some combinations it is even worse, but in your case rightfully so as you pointed out rather keep going it is.

But this is painting all spell casters with the same brush. There are a multitude of character reasons for multi-classing, as people have pointed out in this thread. Multi-classing is a tool which can help define your character. As soon as you say a particular combination makes no sense, you will get a multitude of examples proving you wrong.

 

[Satyrn]

A power hungry wizard would rather try to become a lich instead . . .

As [MENTION=6816042]Arilyn[/MENTION] said, but I'm also curious:

You state that sentence like it's absolute fact. Do you think that all power hungry wizards should be played as seeking lichdom?

 

[Sunseeker]

A power hungry wizard would rather try to become a lich instead, and for otherworldly entities - he does not pray to them or revere them as a master, but he summons them to do his bidding.

I am equally perturbed by this statement as [MENTION=6801204]Satyrn[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6816042]Arilyn[/MENTION] are. It may simply be your word choice, but I think there is plenty of fantasy material showing smart (read: hit int score) wizards making packs with dark powers in order to gain unique, unrivaled or secret magic. I think the classic "high int, low wis" parable is appropriate here. A smart wizard may not worship any god but knowledge, but that same smart wizard is smart enough to know that other creatures know things he doesn't and his lust for knowledge (and therefore power) cause him to make deals to gain that knowledge. I mean we've got the classic parable right there: Faust.

Beyond that, while a power-hungry wizard might desire to become a lich, I don't see how that's universal. There are plenty of ways a wizard could transcend mortality, and plenty more ways a wizard could bypass the human lifespan. And this is of course, discounting more naturally long-lived races like elves.

 

[ccs]

If you start a warlock, it's because you made your pact, but to become a sorcerer you tapped into a latent talent you never new you had. If you start a sorcerer, you've tapped into your natural talent, but a patron offers you a shortcut to tap into that power.

Starting as a wizard, you might suddenly hit a stumbling block, and take a patron's offer to continue to expand your magic. The only reason I can see that you'd go from warlock to wizard is if you're looking for a way to betray your patron and break the pact.

Oh I could easily imagine my 1/2ling warlock switching to wizard someday.
Right now she's a child & her fey patron is only teaching her a very limited amount of magic - represented by the small # spell slots & invocations.
But eventually she'll grow up & be able to be entrusted with more power.
I think this would best be represented rule wise by having her as a warlock x with xxx thousand xp, then starting the wizard track at 0 xp & working upwards 1e style.