D&D 5E good breakdown of multiclass vs single class for 5e?

[ECMO3]

The fact spellcasters don't lose out on spell slots for multiclassing with other casters (Warlock being a weird outlier*) and spells can be upcast, some with very decent results, makes this probably the best edition for multiclassing since AD&D (which was kind of busted, once you got past first few levels).

*But even then, being able to use your Warlock spell slot for non-Warlock spells has it's upsides, just ask a Paladin.

I think this is better than AD&D, in part because you had very few options in AD&D and once you maxed out one of your classes (which was like level 5 or 6 a lot of time) you still only got half your xp for the class you were still progressing in.

Also your hps were awful in AD&D if you multiclassed.

 

[James Gasik]

Level 5 or 6? Was that 1e? Because in 2e, the lowest level limit in the DMG was 8th (for Halfling Clerics). And every race had one class that could hit 15 (16 in the case of Half-Elven Rangers). My fault for saying AD&D then, if 1e was vastly more restrictive.

In 2e, what generally happened was, until you hit your caps, you were 1 level behind a single-classed character. And as for hit points, it depends.

Sure, a Fighter/Magic-User has terrible hit points compared to a Fighter, but way better hit points than a Magic-User. There's a little contention on how this was calculated, of course, and how to apply Constitution bonuses above 16 if you were a multiclassed Fighter.

But if you compare, say, an 12th level Magic User (10d4+2 base hp for 27 average hp) to a 9/11 Fighter/MU (9d10/2 + 10d4+1/2 base hp for 37 average hp), that's not really terrible hit points compared to say, the Cleric 11's 44 base hp or the Thief 13's 41 base hp.*

*assuming all of these characters are at 750,000 xp.

 

[Flamestrike]

I always multiclass. I generally find 4th level and 1st level to be the best times to multiclass. 4th is a good time to do it because you just got an ASI.

4th is the worst time to MC.

When everyone else is getting game changing abilities at 5th (extra attack, 3rd level spells like Hypnotic pattern, Revivify, Fireball, Fly, Counterspell, Tiny Hut, Spirit Guardians, Bardic inspiration on a short rest, Stunning Fist etc) you're left sucking it up for a level till 6th (and it takes a looong time to get to 6th).

5th level is when gameplay radically changes. Now you can fly, death is but an inconvenience, martials damage output literally doubles (at will), and classes exponentially increase in power.

You're much better off doing it after 5th level.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Warlock, in general, is one of the three top-tier picks for a single-level multiclass. The other two are Cleric (because Domain features are very nice, and you get nice spells) and Rogue (especially if you start as one, so you get more skills, then MC out of it forever after). Two-level dip choices are Cleric (to get Channel Divinity), Fighter (for armor proficiencies and Action Surge), and Warlock (for Invocations). Too much further than that and you start (for example) losing access to 9th level spells, and you have a strong incentive to go for 4 levels, which is...a hefty investment, so a lot of people stop at two.

Overall, multiclassing is either a mostly-flavor choice that overall weakens a character in terms of power level, or a noticeable step up in power because you follow three golden rules: keep it short, go for early benefit, don't overpay. Losing the ability to learn 9th level spells, for example, is overpaying, but several classes have lackluster capstones and get a solid boost to melee and ranged ability by becoming a Hexblade (Bard and Sorcerer are two major examples, but Fighter, Rogue, and to a lesser extent Paladin, since its capstone can be nice, are all potential examples too.)

I have a MC character I would eventually like to try out. Half-elf Rogue 1/Bard 3/Cleric 1/Bard thereafter. TL;DR: born ridiculously poor, learned street smarts/thievery to survive, got caught by a merchant impressed by char's skills, offered to put char through school if char agreed to work for them legitimately until the "loan" was paid off (earning wages too, of course). Char graduates from College of Lore, but longs for a deeper connection, finding faith in Knowledge itself (Knowledge Cleric)....but the faithful are stuffy bores who only value approved knowledge, so char strikes out on their own as an adventurer, to learn all that can be learned and do it firsthand. Mechanically, a HUGE pile of skills and expertise, medium armor, shields, 1st level Cleric spells, a minor backstab, and of course all the goodness Bard brings, just delayed a bit. Better for a campaign that starts no earlier than 4th level, since the whole "graduation" thing is a little awkward to fit into a story but the "found faith" part would work just fine. Although I would almost certainly get a lot out of doing a level of Warlock instead of Rogue, it doesn't fit the story and I don't like the implications, so Rogue it stays (and doing any more MCing would be too costly).

 

[James Gasik]

Warlock, in general, is one of the three top-tier picks for a single-level multiclass. The other two are Cleric (because Domain features are very nice, and you get nice spells) and Rogue (especially if you start as one, so you get more skills, then MC out of it forever after). Two-level dip choices are Cleric (to get Channel Divinity), Fighter (for armor proficiencies and Action Surge), and Warlock (for Invocations). Too much further than that and you start (for example) losing access to 9th level spells, and you have a strong incentive to go for 4 levels, which is...a hefty investment, so a lot of people stop at two.

Overall, multiclassing is either a mostly-flavor choice that overall weakens a character in terms of power level, or a noticeable step up in power because you follow three golden rules: keep it short, go for early benefit, don't overpay. Losing the ability to learn 9th level spells, for example, is overpaying, but several classes have lackluster capstones and get a solid boost to melee and ranged ability by becoming a Hexblade (Bard and Sorcerer are two major examples, but Fighter, Rogue, and to a lesser extent Paladin, since its capstone can be nice, are all potential examples too.)

I have a MC character I would eventually like to try out. Half-elf Rogue 1/Bard 3/Cleric 1/Bard thereafter. TL;DR: born ridiculously poor, learned street smarts/thievery to survive, got caught by a merchant impressed by char's skills, offered to put char through school if char agreed to work for them legitimately until the "loan" was paid off (earning wages too, of course). Char graduates from College of Lore, but longs for a deeper connection, finding faith in Knowledge itself (Knowledge Cleric)....but the faithful are stuffy bores who only value approved knowledge, so char strikes out on their own as an adventurer, to learn all that can be learned and do it firsthand. Mechanically, a HUGE pile of skills and expertise, medium armor, shields, 1st level Cleric spells, a minor backstab, and of course all the goodness Bard brings, just delayed a bit. Better for a campaign that starts no earlier than 4th level, since the whole "graduation" thing is a little awkward to fit into a story but the "found faith" part would work just fine. Although I would almost certainly get a lot out of doing a level of Warlock instead of Rogue, it doesn't fit the story and I don't like the implications, so Rogue it stays (and doing any more MCing would be too costly).

Classes being front-loaded doesn't hurt either. There are exceptions, but a lot of the higher level abilities (especially the subclass abilities) don't feel like they're really worth the wait, and getting more abilities by switching tracks and getting 3-7 levels of some different class might be better for you.

The first multiclassed character I saw in action was an Eldritch Knight. He got to 7th, looked at his options ahead of him, and realized he lost very little for deciding to become a full Abjuration Wizard from there on out, and gained quite a bit.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Multiclassing bard and warlock worls very well. Even if you delay 3rd level spells and bardic inspiration on a short rest. You gain a strong cantrip that deals 2 times 1d10 damage and Hex. If you go Hexblade you get a bit stronger in melee too. So depending on the game it might be worth it. Do you gain power? Most probably no. Do you gain versatility? Most probably yes.

So I guess it will be level 2 warlock thereafter and then level 5 and 6 bard.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

4th is the worst time to MC.

When everyone else is getting game changing abilities at 5th (extra attack, 3rd level spells like Hypnotic pattern, Revivify, Fireball, Fly, Counterspell, Tiny Hut, Spirit Guardians, Bardic inspiration on a short rest, Stunning Fist etc) you're left sucking it up for a level till 6th (and it takes a looong time to get to 6th).

5th level is when gameplay radically changes. Now you can fly, death is but an inconvenience, martials damage output literally doubles (at will), and classes exponentially increase in power.

You're much better off doing it after 5th level.

No. 4th level is ok. You raised your stat. I would probably have multiclassed at level 3 though, so at level 5 you already have 2 level 1 spells per short rest and agonizing blast. At that point you really don't have to worry about having lost your level 5 ability as 2 eldritch blasts at level 5 with 1d10+1d6+3 damage is keeping up well enough with any single class fighter type.

Having spells per short and long rest also gives versatility.

 

[James Gasik]

Would it be better to get the 3rd level spell known? Probably, but it sounds like they want to have something better to do when not casting spells.

And it's not like they can't go back to Bard later to pick the spell up.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Would it be better to get the 3rd level spell known? Probably, but it sounds like they want to have something better to do when not casting spells.

And it's not like they can't go back to Bard later to pick the spell up.

3rd level bard spells are great, but not as game changing as wizard spells. Multiclassing works very well with the way 5e classes are set up.
Level 1 to 3 gives great abilities. So the exchange is usually being 1 to 3 level behind in your main class to get the most important functionalities of your second class. A level X Wizard/Level3 Fighter(Battlemaster) can call themself fighter/mage and be very dangerous. The inital double fireball from a heavily armored caster is usually enough to disable all but the boss monster with whom they can go toe to toe afterwards.

 

[ECMO3]

Level 5 or 6? Was that 1e? Because in 2e, the lowest level limit in the DMG was 8th (for Halfling Clerics). And every race had one class that could hit 15 (16 in the case of Half-Elven Rangers). My fault for saying AD&D then, if 1e was vastly more restrictive.

Here is from the PHB 1E:
Cleric: Dwarf 8, Elf 7, Gnome 7, half-elf 5, half orc 4
Druid: Halfling 6
Fighter: Dwarf 9, Elf 7, Gnome 6, Half Elf 8, Halfling 6, Half Orc 10
Ranger: Half Elf 8
Magic-User: Elf 11, Half Elf 8
Illusionist: Gnome 7
Thief: Halforc 8, unlimited for everyone else
Assassin: Dwarf 9, Elf 10, Gnome 8, half elf 11, Half Orc unlimited.

A few of those races got boosts in unearthed arcana, but none were up to 15 except Thieves and half-orc assasins