D&D 5E Multi-class power-up examples?

[Riley37]

'elemental weapon' only appears on the paladin spell list, yet it references an effect when cast using a 7th level or higher spell slot, which a straight-class paladin doesn't get. To get the maximum effect from the spell, you must be a multiclass paladin

Or, of course, a Bard.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I'm still a fan of mixing Warlock with a dip into Cleric or Bard for Cure Wounds. "Running out of HP" is a common reason for ending an adventuring day, and being able to cast two (or three, at Warlock 11) Cure Wounds at a high spell level will get your party back on its feet in just a few short hours.

As others pointed out, most campaigns don't reach super high levels. So let's look at character level 6 for an example. A Cleric 1 / Warlock 5 can cast two 3rd level Cure Wounds each hour (as Warlock spells). Assuming an 18 Charisma, that's 6d8+8 hit points each hour. Enough to get a completely KO'd 6th level character back into fighting shape in a single hour.

Time is a precious resource, and being able to spend 1-4 hours healing up instead of 8 is a Big Deal. And benefits the entire party.

Also a big fan of Barbarian 1 / any melee class. The DR is huge, even if only 2/day. And Unarmored Defense is surprisingly useful (such as when camping, or on a ship, or attending a social function, or in disguise, or...) And the Advantage on Strength checks combos wonderfully with the Shield Master feat.

Lastly, Warlock 1 / any melee class (except Barbarian, because: can't Concentrate while raging) is well worth it. Hex is a bonus action, no save, not-limited-to-once-per-round d6 damage add. That spell is particularly good combo with TWFighters, anyone with Extra Attack, and particularly Polearm Masters. A Warlock / Monk is pretty sweet: 1d4 for each of your Flurry of blows is meh. 1d4+1d6 for each of your Flurry of Blows (in addition to the +1d6 for your regular attack) is WOW. Add 3 levels of Rogue to that mix for some real ninja assassin shenanigans.

Hex is also a wonderful noncombat spell: it's often overlooked, but a part of the spell is that the target has disadvantage on ability checks with an ability you choose. And since there's no save, the target doesn't know he's been the target of a spell. Super useful when attempting to sneak or talk. For this spell alone, it's hard to pass up one level of Warlock.

 

[Riley37]

I'm running a half-elf Bard whose father was a Wood Elf; one of his languages is Sylvan. I'm thinking of multi-classing to Druid, not for min-maxing, but to play out a deepening interest in woods and the Feywild. This might also involve more contact with the Emerald Enclave.

Then again, it's a Lore Bard, so two levels of Cleric with Knowledge Domain would be another thematic way for the character to deepen their relationship with Ogma, and pick up a skill-monkey Channel Divinity.

If this resulted in a character with less overall power and DPS than the single-classed party members, that's okay, as long as I still have ways to contribute effectively and get moments of glory.

 

[MrMyth]

If this resulted in a character with less overall power and DPS than the single-classed party members, that's okay, as long as I still have ways to contribute effectively and get moments of glory.

One of the big things, for me, is that a couple aspects of the design of 5E make multiclass much less of the 'trap' it could sometimes be in 3rd Edition. You don't have BAB around, so it no longer is as big a hit for a martial character to dip into a casting class for thematic reasons. Similarly, with save DCs being tied to the character rather than the spell level - and 'caster level' not being quite a thing either - those low level spells you pick up can actually still be relevant, even without focusing on picking up utility or support spells.

Casters missing out on their higher level stuff is a bit more of a big deal, admittedly. But bending two casting classes together has a lot going for it. And, again, since the lower level spells remain relevant, you don't feel like you are falling quite as far behind if you are a spell level or two below a full caster.

 

[Dausuul]

Hex is also a wonderful noncombat spell: it's often overlooked, but a part of the spell is that the target has disadvantage on ability checks with an ability you choose. And since there's no save, the target doesn't know he's been the target of a spell. Super useful when attempting to sneak or talk. For this spell alone, it's hard to pass up one level of Warlock.

Another reason to multiclass warlock/sorcerer: If you're part sorcerer, you can pick up Silent Spell. Then you can hex people without making a sound or twitching a finger.

 

[occam]

One that I've heard of is War/Tempest Cleric 1/Wizard 1-19, because you get free proficiency with heavy armor and martial weapons while retaining the casting capabilities of a full caster (and the Spell Mastery feature).

I've played this combination for a while, and while it's cool for visual effect to play an armored melee fighter with (nearly) full spellcasting, it isn't all that. MAD is a problem; you need Strength (or Dexterity) and Intelligence, possibly a good Wisdom depending on which cleric spells you use, and a decent Constitution to make up for your lower-than-normal hit points compared to other melee combatants. That's a lot to keep up with, and even then you'll just be a passable fighter, a token cleric, and an OK wizard. It's not actually more effective overall than a single-classed character.

I don't really see much abuse potential, unlike 3e, and I've tried. The common spell slot and proficiency bonus progressions make multiclassing more flexible than ever, so that it's harder to really mess yourself up by doing it, but the best combinations end up being more about suiting a character concept than greater power, from what I've seen.

 

[occam]

I'm with you. I don't see it. To MC you have to sacrifice something in both classes. More diverse doesn't translate to more powerful. It simply gives the player more things to choose from. I would say that if you MC early, you don't get behind on a lot of XP, though. 4 levels of one is only 2700XP. So above 9th lvl, it's possible the MCs top leveled class is only 1lvl or at the lower threshold of the same level as the rest of the party... and would also have 4 lvls of another class.

That's not how it works. XP requirements are based on character level, not class level.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Just thought of another one: Rogue 3/Cleric X. Take the Assassin path.

An interesting quirk of the Assassinate feature is that it works with "any hit." Doesn't have to be from a weapon attack. So, when you surprise a creature, hit them with an auto-critical Inflict Wounds. 6d10 damage at character level 4, and +2d10 damage every two levels from there (assuming you're using highest-level spell slot). At character level 10 it's 12d10 damage, which is a pretty good way to start a fight.

Speaking of which... hmm...
Throw in some levels of Sorcerer or Wizard for Chromatic Orb, and make sure your Cleric Domain is Tempest. Chuck lightning orbs. Channel Divinity on the Surprise attack to maximize all those sweet, sweet d8s. At character level 10 (casting as a 7th level caster using a 4th level slot) that'd be: 6d8 normally, turned into 12d8 from the auto-crit, maximized from Destructive Wrath for 96 damage. Now that's quite a surprise!*

Sure, there are plenty of other builds that can approach or beat single-round 100 damage at character level 10. But 96 (or an even 100 if it's character level 11 (Rog3/Clr2/Sor6), and you take Elemental Affinity: Lightning for the +4 dam from your Charisma mod) from a single attack is pretty sweet, even if it's only 1/day and only on a surprise round.

* Can go with Witch Bolt instead of Chromatic Orb. It works out to be the same: 4d12 for Witch Bolt cast with 4th level slot, doubled to 8d12 from the auto-crit, maximized via Channel Divinity to 96 damage (100 with 18 Cha and Elemental Affinity).

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

I kind of wish they had included a "Magical Secrets" Feat to pick up spells outside of your class past 1st . I also realize how this would screw with niche protection. It might even make the Sorcerer a bit more attractive.... possibly overpowered with twinning metamagic which is probably why they didn't do it that way, but some things that are multiclass builds now could probably be accommodated single class style if they went that route. (Pick +1 to an attribute associated with the class you are picking spells from and take two spells that you always know.)

 

[Joe Liker]

Just thought of another one: Rogue 3/Cleric X. Take the Assassin path.

An interesting quirk of the Assassinate feature is that it works with "any hit." Doesn't have to be from a weapon attack. So, when you surprise a creature, hit them with an auto-critical Inflict Wounds. 6d10 damage at character level 4, and +2d10 damage every two levels from there (assuming you're using highest-level spell slot). At character level 10 it's 12d10 damage, which is a pretty good way to start a fight.

Speaking of which... hmm...
Throw in some levels of Sorcerer or Wizard for Chromatic Orb, and make sure your Cleric Domain is Tempest. Chuck lightning orbs. Channel Divinity on the Surprise attack to maximize all those sweet, sweet d8s. At character level 10 (casting as a 7th level caster using a 4th level slot) that'd be: 6d8 normally, turned into 12d8 from the auto-crit, maximized from Destructive Wrath for 96 damage. Now that's quite a surprise!

Sure, there are plenty of other builds that can approach or beat single-round 100 damage at character level 10. But 96 (or an even 100 if it's character level 11 (Rog3/Clr2/Sor6), and you take Elemental Affinity: Lightning for the +4 dam from your Charisma mod) from a single attack is pretty sweet, even if it's only 1/day and only on a surprise round.

Nova builds aren't very interesting or powerful, in the long term. Unless your DM is letting you get away with 5-minute workdays, it's usually a recipe for a character who is fair-to-middling a majority of the time.

If the DM wants to short-circuit you, all he has to do is trick you into blowing it early -- which is often hilariously easy to do.

(That said, a single level of Tempest is a powerful addition to any build!)