D&D 5E (2014) Eldritch Blast Mulitclass Clarification

[Eric V]

Hello,

How many beams do the following characters get when casting eldritch blast?

Sorcerer10/Warlock1:

Paladin10/warlock1:

Rogue(thief)10/warlock1:


I appreciate any answers. Trying to settle an issue in our group.

-E

 

[spectacle]

3 beams for all of them, as per this tweet from Crawford:
http://www.sageadvice.eu/2014/11/04/eldritch-blast-scale/

 

[mellored]

Same is true with any other cantrip.

 

[Eric V]

Many thanks!

 

[Ovinomancer]

Bleah, forget that. I liked 5e multiclassing because it diminished the effects of dipping, but getting a fully scaling set of cantrips for a 1 level dip, especially when many class capstones aren't that exciting, nope. Sigh, yet another strange ruling that I have to houserule.

 

[spectacle]

Bleah, forget that. I liked 5e multiclassing because it diminished the effects of dipping, but getting a fully scaling set of cantrips for a 1 level dip, especially when many class capstones aren't that exciting, nope. Sigh, yet another strange ruling that I have to houserule.

Getting a set of cantrips that you never use after level 5 because they are utterly suboptimal to anything else you could do is better? I don't really see the issue with cantrips scaling with character level. Cantrips simply aren't that good unless you have class features that increase their power.

 

[Ovinomancer]

Getting a set of cantrips that you never use after level 5 because they are utterly suboptimal to anything else you could do is better? I don't really see the issue with cantrips scaling with character level. Cantrips simply aren't that good unless you have class features that increase their power.

For a 1 level investment, yes, absolutely better. They also never get more 1st level slots or more power in their 1st level spells, but that's not an issue (if they advance in another casting class they do, but I have no problem using that same rule to improve cantrips, either). An otherwise straight Fighter taking a 1 level dip into a cantrip class gets the same basic ranged elemental blasting power as a straight caster of that class. Yeah, that sits wrong. Heck, a straight 20th fighter can take magic initiate and get 2 cantrips which then becomes full powered without ever taking a level of a casting class.

Bleh, no, thanks. You're welcome to do so, of course, and don't take my statements as any condemnation of your choices; instead, it's just stating what my choices will be.

 

[ZickZak]

Yea I dont like this either. Lvl 2(?) warlock grant you the Eldritch Blast, which is not doubled damage but more attacks and with the +Cha to damage it seems a bit OP.

 

[Dausuul]

For a 1 level investment, yes, absolutely better.

"I've got a deal for you. For $5, I'll chop off three of your fingers and give you a fluffy ball to throw at people."
"That's a terrible deal."
"No, it's a great deal. It only costs $5!"

It's a terrible deal. You're sacrificing effectiveness in your strongest combat options, in order to get access to a pathetic combat option. This is not a good trade, because you can still only do one thing per round; instead of having one good thing you can do, you have to choose between doing a less-good thing or doing a sucky thing. Either way, you're worse off.

For the combat optimizer, dipping for cantrips is really phenomenally stupid*. If you want to discourage dipping, go after the places where it actually matters, like armor proficiencies (the wizard who takes her first level in War-domain cleric to get heavy armor, a shield, and full spell slots, plus cure wounds). Or just ban multiclassing altogether.

[SIZE=-2]*The sole exception being the sorlock, who abuses the interaction of warlock fast-recovering spell slots, Agonizing Blast, and sorcerer metamagic to do obscene things with eldritch blast. However, there are much better ways to prevent the sorlock than nerfing cantrips.[/SIZE]

 

[Ovinomancer]

"I've got a deal for you. For $5, I'll chop off three of your fingers and give you a fluffy ball to throw at people."
"That's a terrible deal."
"No, it's a great deal. It only costs $5!"

It's a terrible deal. You're sacrificing effectiveness in your strongest combat options, in order to get access to a pathetic combat option. This is not a good trade, because you can still only do one thing per round; instead of having one good thing you can do, you have to choose between doing a less-good thing or doing a sucky thing. Either way, you're worse off.

For the combat optimizer, dipping for cantrips is really phenomenally stupid*. If you want to discourage dipping, go after the places where it actually matters, like armor proficiencies (the wizard who takes her first level in War-domain cleric to get heavy armor, a shield, and full spell slots, plus cure wounds). Or just ban multiclassing altogether.

[SIZE=-2]*The sole exception being the sorlock, who abuses the interaction of warlock fast-recovering spell slots, Agonizing Blast, and sorcerer metamagic to do obscene things with eldritch blast. However, there are much better ways to prevent the sorlock than nerfing cantrips.[/SIZE]

Disagree it's useless. It's either 4 short ranged attacks equivalent to a heavy crossbow (eldritch blast), useful in many situations when you don't have another ranged weapon handy or the time to switch between them; or a 4d10 set on fire attack better than a javelin attack; or a range of other, handy, non-weapon attacks that can be exceedingly useful in a pinch. Yeah, it's dumb choice for a barbarian, but the fighter capstone (extra attack) isn't fantastic, the monk one is pathetic, and the rogue one is entirely missable. It provides a good bit of extra and effective ability to many of the non-casting classes.

But you don't even have to do that, you can just take magic initiate and you get all of that for very little cost (especially for the fighter).

There's also the fact that subclasses like eldritch knight have a spell ability equivalent to a straight caster even though they're supposed to be 1/3 casters.