D&D 5E Multiclass: Paladin/Bard

[mgrinshpon]

I've been toying around with a Paladin/Bard mutliclass character in a campaign and found him to be shockingly effective. The Paladin/Bard is a jack of all trades of the highest caliber. He can diplomacy, he can fight, he can tank, he can heal, and he can buff. He trades off some early level efficacy for a mid to late-game punch.

Most optimal design I've come up with thus far:

• Level 1: Half Elf Paladin 1. Using a 27 point buy and getting 15/10/13/8/12/14 gives you, post-Half-Elf bonuses, 16/10/14/8/12/16. Right now, you're a quite powerful Paladin with a solid 6 skill proficiencies.
• Level 2: Paladin 1/Bard 1. You get an extra skill. Jack of All Trades boosts otherwise lackluster initiative.
• Level 4: Paladin 1/Bard 3 (College of Lore). Expertise in Athletics makes you a knockdown/grapple/control machine. Bardic Inspiration and Cutting Words further adds to your battlefield control. Skilled gives you an additional skill proficiencies.
• Level 7: Paladin 4/Bard 3: You're worse than a regular fighter in pure damage but you support pretty well. 18 strength and Great Weapon Fighting is enough to deal some serious damage. Bardic Inspiration is a solid way to use bonus actions.
• Level 9: Paladin 6/Bard 3: Extra attack and divine smite means your athletics knockdown is a real opportunity for you to crit on an attack, smacking them with 10d8 of Divine Smite. You and creatures near you get your Charisma bonus to their saving throws.
• Level 10+: Increase bard until you're done. Get a Charisma bonus at this level if you didn't at level 7.
• Level 12: Solid spell pickups here are Shield, boosting AC up to a staggering 23 with full plate, and Haste.

Just so we're clear, at level 10, a Paladin 6/Bard 4 gets Bardic Inspiration, Divine Smite, 7 levels of caster spell slots, heavy armor, shields, a fighting style, an extra attack, 10 skill proficiencies (2 of which have expertise), 1 Instrument proficiency, Jack of All Trades on the remaining skills, the option of Cure Wounds or Healing Word, Lay on Hands, Channel Divinity, and likely some other stuff I'm forgetting about.

I chose the Oath of Devotion for my Paladin because of the Sacred Weapon: getting +5 to my to-hit brings my level 10 to-hit up to +13 assuming no magical bonuses. The Lesser Restoration also seems like a great way to save on a known spell slot.

Thoughts?

 

[Zaruthustran]

You don't get Jack of All Trades until Bard 2 (you show it as acquired at Bard 1). But otherwise, yeah Bard and Paladin combo well. Any time you mix two classes that mechanically benefit from the same ability score (in this case, Cha), the efficiency will deliver good results.

One thing to consider is Shield Master. Since you're going the melee route and have access to Expertise, it makes a whole lot of sense to leverage that Expertise to acquire Shield Master's bonus action Shove. Especially since Cutting Words will all but guarantee success. Also, this character would benefit from the bonus to Dex saves.

 

[Jay Verkuilen]

I'm currently playing a Paladin/Bard MC. This was an existing character who had been a Warlock/Bard pacted to the Deck of Many Things, based on altered version of the (IMO excellent) Raven Queen pact---basically I was addicted to the ultimate in Cardboard Crack! Some in game events made this brutally apparent. After some serious questing and a visit to Moradin for advice, among other things, I decided to be free of it and so I chose to be rebuild as a Paladin, maintaining the core of Bard I'd had all along. This fit the choices I'd made on the quest to rid myself of the Deck of Many Things.

I wanted not to alter the stats to preserve the original character as much as possible. The DM let me use Dexterity instead of Strength for the MC. He was generous enough to say "sure, that's a small change". So now I'm Paladin (Ancients) 9/Bard (Lore) 4. I'm a bit more of a buffer than straight damage but have a great AC and can really help out the Bear Totem Barbarian/Battlemaster in the group. We've been very effective with melee and I'm no slouch with a bow when the time comes for missiles, though not as nasty as a Warlock's EB+Hex. I'm not as nasty DPR as I would be with high strength and a bigger weapon, but my buffing is useful and I've been quite good at dishing out damage when needed, though not to the sustained degree of the Barbarian, of course. The Paladin abilities are also very nice. One huge thing the Bard levels give is access to more and higher level slots. I've got two 4th level slots to smite with because I can't actually cast any 4th level spells. Next level I'll likely take Paladin 10 for the Aura of Courage and 5th level spell.

 

[Blue]

I worry about how long it takes to all come together. At 5th level you have no ASI and are still levels away from getting the level 5 power bump. You're really hurting compared to others characters and aren't able to contribute at their level.

At 5th other front liners are attacking twice with +4 to hit and damage, you're attacking once with +3 to hit and damage. With only a single attack, and expertise partially offset by the lower-than-expected-at-this-level STR, you aren't what I'd describe as a "knockdown/grapple/control machine"

At 7th you finally get your first ASI, and you still don't have your level 5 power bump. That comes at level 8, when everyone else is getting their second ASI.

You don't get your Bardic Inspiration refreshing on short rests until 11th level.

Later on it comes together nicely - as paladin + full CHR caster does. But in an actual campaign starting from 1st I personally wouldn't start multiclassing until I had a solid foundation in one class or the other - at least 5th. With paladin auras that might be 6th or 7th, which would make me want to grab the ASI at 8th. With bard (lore) I might want magical secrets at 6th.

 

[Jay Verkuilen]

I worry about how long it takes to all come together. <...>
Later on it comes together nicely - as paladin + full CHR caster does. But in an actual campaign starting from 1st I personally wouldn't start multiclassing until I had a solid foundation in one class or the other - at least 5th. With paladin auras that might be 6th or 7th, which would make me want to grab the ASI at 8th. With bard (lore) I might want magical secrets at 6th.

That can definitely be an issue, although I do think 5E is more tolerant of a few points here and there, especially if the player is savvy. Still, some character builds are fine at a particular level but if you're playing from level 1 up they'd be pretty rough trade. The flip side is one of the reasons I'm usually not too concerned about things like the 20th level power... so what? The vast majority or all of the character's career will not be spent at 20th level.

That said, many of the lower to mid level class features are very nice and on par or even better than many feats or an ASI, and can keep a character solid enough to be interesting. My other PC is a Fighter 2/Rogue (Scout) 3. No ASI, but I got some super nice skill bumps due to essentially four expertises, Action Surge, some sneak attack, etc. It's how I'm simulating the "Halfling" class/race from BESM.

 

[CTurbo]

I'd really like to do a Dragonborn or Fallen Aasimar Oath of Conquest Pally 7/Lore Bard 13 build.

Dragon Fear and/or Menacing Feat. Maybe Shield Master if stats are rolled for. Expertise in Athletics and Intimidation. Smack enemies around and have them trembling at your feat.

I like your concept though




EDIT: Crap I just realize this was a 3 year old necro thread

 

[Ancalagon]

EDIT: Crap I just realize this was a 3 year old necro thread

Ah well, in 2018 we have the college of swords to consider!

 

[Jay Verkuilen]

EDIT: Crap I just realize this was a 3 year old necro thread

It's the internet, nothing is too old to come back from the dead!

(I think I inadvertently revived it.)