D&D 5E 5E classes that discourage "dipping"

[FrogReaver]

I respectfully disagree with your perspective on the Monk class, but that may just be a result of an old 2e adventure (some might well guess which one) where our entire party woke up stripped of everything but our small-clothes.

Having an improved unarmed attack seems to me to always be a welcome fall-back.

Feat: Tavern Brawler! Enjoy!

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

If by "capstone" you mean "what you get at 20," the answer is "none." No capstone ability is worth squat to me. If I could change my class so it only had 19 levels--upon reaching 20, you get nothing, not even hit points--but got an extra level of armor proficiency in exchange, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Heh. I'm the opposite. Capstones are really important to me as a (very occasional) player and therefore also as a designer. I would NEVER want to create a Barbarian 1/Moon Druid X even though mechanically they are amazing, because I would always be very conscious of the fact that I'd foreclosed forever the awesomest thing about being a Moon Druid.

That isn't necessarily to say that I wouldn't have fun playing such a PC, in the same way I could have fun playing a PC with 6s in every stat, because fun at the table has very little to do with chargen. But I wouldn't have fun creating and advancing such a PC, because he's a dead end with no future, permanently handicapped. Whatever it is that makes you want to keep going for just one more magic item and one more point of XP simply wouldn't function with this guy--I'd take him into the Tomb of Horrors without a qualm just to see what's there.

 

[Saeviomagy]

Those are probably the worse multiclass dip ideas I've heard of. The wizards portent ability is not strong enough to stand on it's own.

Good thing that it comes with first level wizard spells, caster level and ritual access!

Being 3 levels behind on spells is a big dropoff for most casters...

On the other hand those bard levels make you a far better counterspeller, so it's a big dropoff for any casters you face as well.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Best dips
Cleric
Fighter
Warlock
Barbarian
Rogue

Bad Dips
Wizard
Druid
Bard
Ranger
Paladin
Monk

Now this isn't to say there aren't multiclass combinations that work even with the bad classes, but there's generally very little reason to dip into any of the above classes I've labeled as Bad Dips.

I consider 5+ levels in a class to be NOT A DIP

One of the few multiclass PCs I have is a barbarian 3/ moon druid 2 (with probably going barbarian the rest of the way). Being a bear totem barbarian that can suddenly rage out into a literal bear form is a freaking blast to play. To be honest, I don't care about optimizing at all. I just thought the theme of having a barbarian from the bear clan be able to wild shape into a bear to be really awesome from a RP perspective. And he has been.

I'm assuming you are talking in the context of optimizing, as there is no such thing as a "bad dip" for role playing purposes, or people who prefer role-playing over optimization.

 

[Kabouter Games]

I couldn't care less about capstone. Never played a character that high. I bore too easily.

Usually I play single-class characters. Multi-classing, however, can be fun. Yesterday I made a new character for a casual game I sometimes look in on. I had watched the Errol Flynn Robin Hood film over the weekend and wondered how I could make an archery-focused character who could still wield a blade with facility. The table was 9th level, so I decided on 5 levels of archery-based Champion Fighter, variant human with the Sharpshooter feat. DEX boost at 4th level. Then four levels of Rogue with the Thief archetype for Sneak Attack and the fun stuff you get from that. Rapier and main gauche for melee, should that become necessary. Folk Hero background, natch.

Guillaume le Rouge was fun to play for a few hours. I'll keep him.

Cheers,

Bob

www.r-p-davis.com

 

[Li Shenron]

Another way to put this might be, "Which capstone abilities are so desirable that they deter you from dipping into another class?" But sometimes you don't even look that far ahead. Sometimes it's just "What do I want next?"

Spells are the main reason to level up in your main class, pretty much since the beginning. You are not going to get the next levels of spells if you take levels in other classes.

Related questions might include, "Is there a class that you'd likely NEVER dip into?" if you were already Class ABC

Even tho I generally don't multiclass, I cannot think of a class I would never do so even for a couple of levels only.

or "Is there a class that REQUIRES dipping to be worthwhile?"

Certainly not.

 

[ad_hoc]

As I understand it, that's what capstone means in the D&D context. The unavoidable consequence of dipping means you lose capstone abilities. When you dip/multiclass, you'll NEVER reach level 20 in any class unless your GM allows 20+ level characters.

I tend to play in long-term games, and in games where rapid character advancement is a possibility (due to the way the game world is constructed). So Level 20 is a very real possibility. Many times games do fizzle out before my character reaches 9th level, so I see that as well.

I think you are playing in a very rare environment.

I would guess that 99% of campaigns don't make it to level 20. Even the ones that do, you are going to play that character at level 20 for such a short period of time that the ability barely matters.

The actual character defining abilities are gained from levels 1-6. For every level above 3 you will use it for a much shorter period of time in the campaign.

 

[cmad1977]

My barbarian is 5th level. Pretty much from 2nd level I've been tempted to 'dip'(hate that phrase) into fighter for a fighting style/2nd wind and other stuff...

But the juicy Barbarian goodies keep calling me back!
It keeps boiling down to
Level 2: fighter 1 or...reckless attack/danger sense.
Level 3: fighter1 or... primal path.
Ok.... levlel 4: fighter1 or ASI
Damn... level 5: fighter1 or extra attack AND movement.

Maybe I'll do it for level 6:
Fighter 1 or... totem feature... (maybe this is where I'll train more formally with weapons and 'dip' into fighter)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sacrosanct]

Yep, that's exactly how I felt when I was leveling my shadow monk.

Personally, I think 5e's multiclass system is the best to date in D&D. Largely for those types of internal discussions.

 

[akr71]

The question of dipping isn't what you can do at level 20, but what you can do at level 7.

Yep, I'm having this dilemma with my fifth level rogue. For a while now I have been considering dipping into fighter. Another dose of Expertise at 6th is just 'meh' compared to Fighting Style and Second Wind, but now I'm just pushing back Evasion at Rogue 7th.