D&D 5E Multiclassing Borked?

[Mouseferatu]

I think you should check again the multiclass rules.

I don't remember them exactly, and I've seen only those in playtest which might have changed... but there was specifically an exception for Extra Attack, in order for multiclass martial classes to get the second attack. Something like "add your levels in all classes granting Extra Attack, to determine when you get your second attack".

If that was in a playtest, it's definitely changed. The rules in the PHB specifically call out extra attacks as a feature that is not additive. (Doesn't stack, in old edition parlance.)

 

[Quartz]

I can see a lot of fighters taking a 1-level dip into Barbarian for the unarmoured AC boost.

 

[1of3]

Screw it. Lets do this. Hunter Ranger 4, Champion Fighter 4, Vengeance Paladin 4, Valor Bard 4, Totem Barbarian 4. 20th level character without a second attack feature. That is ridiculous. Both ways. It's a ridiculous build that shouldn't be encouraged, but having a 20th level character that swings weapons for a living and has only swings once on an attack action is just as flat out stupid.

So, you say that this build should not be encouraged. Then you describe the mechanism that discourages it. Then you complain. Apparently the mechanism works perfectly.

 

[Paraxis]

I can see a lot of fighters taking a 1-level dip into Barbarian for the unarmoured AC boost.

Why when they can just wear heavy armor and not max out dexterity? Also sure magic items are not assumed but eventually a fighter will get some type of magic armor, much more likely than a pair of bracers of defense.

 

[Pickles JG]

I think you're overstating the problem. When I look at the fighter or rogue, for example, the abilities gained at levels 1, 2 and 3 look at least as juicy as the feat at 4. I could see an argument for being a rogue2/fighter2 rather than a rogue4 or fighter4. I certainly don't think that 2/2 character is so underpowered he needs a whole extra feat to keep up.

As for extra attack - that's probably the only reason every optimized low-level martial character isn't a grab-bag of multiple different classes.

This. Classes especially martial and especially low level are somewhat
front loaded. Its only the one class you need to get to 5th pretty swiftly though a couple of levels delay will not kill you.

 

[Li Shenron]

If that was in a playtest, it's definitely changed. The rules in the PHB specifically call out extra attacks as a feature that is not additive. (Doesn't stack, in old edition parlance.)

They also didn't stack in the playtest, at least not in the usual sense that if you get 1 Extra Attack as Fighter 5 and 1 Extra Attack as Paladin 5, you don't get 2 Extra Attack.

I don't remember very well because it never came up during our playtest, but I think multiclassing rules had a short paragraph about how to deal with classes that both granted Extra Attack, specifically because those extras don't stack. But AFAIK the class levels in e.g. Fighter and Paladin stacked to determine the first Extra Attack (so that a Fighter 3/Paladin 2 would get it -> NO, see EDIT), although I am not sure! It also said IIRC that in order to get the third attack you really needed 11 levels of Fighter instead.

How does it work now in the PHB?

EDIT: now I checked better from the playtest, it was slightly more complicated. You either got the first Extra Attack at the 5th level of Fighter OR with 8 total levels in multiple classes granting Extra Attacks. Which at that time I thought it was wrong in some cases, e.g. you would get Extra Attack if you're a Paladin 5, but not if you are Paladin 5/Fighter 2?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Now it just says they don't stack, as far as getting "extra extra" attacks. It says nothing about adding levels together in any way, shape, or form, for number of attacks. So it really is entirely class based now. 5 levels in fighter or 5 in paladin or whatever, but not a combination thereof.

 

[Gargoyle]

Whenever someone asks "how to break the system?" the first thing they start thinking about is multiclassing. Glad to see that it's not that easy anymore.

 

[KarinsDad]

I can see a lot of fighters taking a 1-level dip into Barbarian for the unarmoured AC boost.

IIRC (do not have my books in front of me), it's not for that.

It's for the rage resist.

 

[jadrax]

IIRC (do not have my books in front of me), it's not for that.

It's for the rage resist.

The Rage resists are pretty nice, not sure they are worth putting the levels you get an extra attack up by 1 though. It depends I suppose if you would rather be the Irresistible Force or the Immovable Object.

Multiclassing always seems to lead to pretty hard choices in this edition, which I am in favour of.