D&D 5E Multiclassing ability score prerequisites—required for balance or an unnecessary hurdle?

[Tony Vargas]

That's kind of an interesting question. What IS the most abusable build possible with no multiclassing pre-reqs?

I don't see why it wouldn't still be 20 levels of a Tier 1 full caster... ?

 

[Blue]

That's kind of an interesting question. What IS the most abusable build possible with no multiclassing pre-reqs? If it isn't much worse than what's possible with them present, than balance probably isn't a consideration for keeping them. (Verisimilitude issues or simply preferring a cap on multiclassing are still valid preferences, of course.)

Hmm, that is an interesting question. And it differs at what levels you plan to spend the most of your play time.

So what can bring you outside the normal power curve?

Every character who is not currently using the "resource" of their concentration slot can be made more powerful by doing do. Bless pops to mind as a 1st level multi-target spell, and many front-lines do have CON as a trained save.

For front-liners, extra defenses and mobility. Shield is easy, others like Mirror Image and Misty Step come to mind.

Many classes could like a 2 level dip into Divination Wizard for Portent. They would also be able to cast four 1st level spells a day (including arcane recovery) which could be shield or whatever, and some utility cantrips.

A cleric looking for more offense could actually do worse then picking up a little warlock for EB. No, wait, if we're limiting this to things that don't require a good ability score mod and that would require CHR to hit. So scratch that.

Many parties would benefit from each character having some healing so they could stand back up someone who fell before losing the fallen character's action, or to bring back the primary healer. And that could be spread as needed to get other features. The wizard take a level of cleric for heavy armor and keeping spell slot progression, someone else takes Celestial Warlock, another bard or paladin - whatever gives the other bonuses as well.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Any thought? Do you find the RAW to be important to keep balance or are they just an unnecessary hurdle to multiclassing?

If you really cared about balance above all else, then you wouldn't include the optional multi-classing rules in the first place. The fewer restrictions you have in place, the more powerful characters will be (in general), and the wider the gap there will be between optimized characters and non-optimized characters. If your primary concern is that players are free to express their characters however they see fit, then just let them pick their class(es) and levels and stats.

Most people come down somewhere in the middle, between balance and expression. Whether your personal preference sides with or against the pre-requisite restriction is something that only you can decide.

 

[MechaPilot]

I do not find this to be the case. Dipping into a class and taking non-ability-score parts can be powerful. For example, picture a front line melee who takes a level of wizard or sorcerer to pick up Shield and some nice (non-attack) cantrips. Heck, go further, most buff spells don't require having a high casting ability score. Or maybe the paladin is going to dump STR and take a level of cleric(nature) or druid to grab Shillelagh and make their combat to be CHR based as well. Grabbing two levels of paladin for divine smite and a fighting style is useful for many, etc.

Certainly. There is good stuff that doesn't rely on your ability scores and that will synergize well with other things. That exists because classes get some features that really aren't stat dependent. But, and this is the important part, those non-dependent abilities remain there regardless of whether there's an ability requirement to multiclass or not. Requiring a minimum ability score to multiclass just means that you will be guaranteed at least a +1 modifier in those things which are ability-score dependent.

And, to be perfectly frank, the ability score requirement is a much less flavorful and easier to meet requirement than finding a mentor to teach you a new class, and working that practice into your character's activities.

I allow multiclassing, without stat requirements. But, if you're going to pick up a level of fighter, rogue, wizard, etc., you need to find a mentor willing to teach you, compensate the mentor (which can involve significant quest-work), and get in enough practice.

 

[mellored]

That's kind of an interesting question. What IS the most abusable build possible with no multiclassing pre-reqs? If it isn't much worse than what's possible with them present, than balance probably isn't a consideration for keeping them. (Verisimilitude issues or simply preferring a cap on multiclassing are still valid preferences, of course.)

It would be the same combinations that work with the prerequisite, just with a little more Con.
For instance, a alt-human Wizard x/Cleric 1.

With prerequisites.
9 Str, 14 Dex, 13+1 Con, 15+1 Int, 13 Wis, 8 Cha.
Without prerequisites.
8 Str, 14 Dex, 15+1 Con, 15+1 Int, 10 Wis, 8 Cha.

Not that +1 to Wis saves isn't exactly a bad thing.

Alternatively, an alt-human warlock/paladin.
With prerequisites.
13 Str, 14 Dex, 13+1 Con, 8 Int, 9 Wis, 15+1 Cha.
Without prerequisites.
8 Str, 14 Dex, 15+1 Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 15+1 Cha.



Actually, the one that would benefit the most would be bladesinger x/paladin 2. Who could dump both Str and Cha.
With prerequisites
13 Str, 15+1 dex, 11 con, 13+1 Int, 10 Wis, 13 Cha
Without prerequisites
8 Str, 15+1 Dex, 14 Con, 16 Int, 10 Wis, 8 Cha

 

[Saeviomagy]

Pros of the current ability score requirements:
People who want to multiclass get slightly less freedom when doing so.

Cons of the current ability score requirements:
People who want to pick up a level in a class because it's story appropriate are usually prohibited from doing so.
Everybody is encouraged to plan out their 'build' from level 1 because not doing so probably means that you're stuck with nonsensical choices.
If you decide you don't like what your character class does at low level, your choice for remedying that is limited.
They don't actually stop anything except builds with classes that aren't synergistic. All the actually powerful stuff is still there, even if you assume that every fighter (say) dumps every mental stat.

And finally - they're stupid. A wizard with an intelligence of 3 is forced to continue being a wizard. He's apparently smart enough to master spells that rearrange the universe on a fundamental level... but he is apparently not smart enough to stop his studies and instead follow a god or swing a sword or sneak in the shadows.

So overall: multiclassing restrictions have no appreciable effect on powergaming, but cripple anyone looking to use multiclassing to depict character development, while at the same time not making logical in-world sense. That's a crap rule right there.

 

[pdegan2814]

Pros of the current ability score requirements:
And finally - they're stupid. A wizard with an intelligence of 3 is forced to continue being a wizard. He's apparently smart enough to master spells that rearrange the universe on a fundamental level... but he is apparently not smart enough to stop his studies and instead follow a god or swing a sword or sneak in the shadows.

Kind of an absurd example, anyone who rolls a 3 for Intelligence and chooses to be a wizard deserves whatever hardships they end up facing.

To me the requirements generally make sense. I'd probably be OK with tweaking them so the classes with a Str or Dex requirement get switched to Str/Dex like the Fighter, for those who want to multiclass with a Dex-Barbarian or Dex-Paladin, etc.

I also prefer when there has to be some kind of story-based justification, because after all these are supposed to be characters, not bags of stats & abilities. It doesn't have to be terribly complex, but there should be a better reason than "I want to grab X ability".

 

[Blue]

I allow multiclassing, without stat requirements. But, if you're going to pick up a level of fighter, rogue, wizard, etc., you need to find a mentor willing to teach you, compensate the mentor (which can involve significant quest-work), and get in enough practice.

It's interesting the differences in our approach. Both are valid, just approach from different angles. I treat classes as purely a mechanical aspect, and we skin and flavor as we want. So if there is a requirement, it's mechanical.

Anyway, in many cases multiclassing is just how to get the mechanical expression who they are. A warrior who blends the martial and the arcane may be a Fighter (EK), a Wizard (Bladesinger), or maybe a Ranger/Wizard with their buffed "familiar" beast. I wouldn't try to put an in game stop to one of them because how the mechanics require two classes to represent it instead of being self contained.

Now, that doesn't mean that mechanics don't inform play. But if a rogue 3 reaches enough XP for a new level and they want to take a the first level of sorcerer I let them. My players are mature enough to foreshadow and put down background for what they want. Or if it an unplanned "battlefield conversion" sort of thing, that's usually explained in play.

 

[Blue]

It would be the same combinations that work with the prerequisite, just with a little more Con.
For instance, a alt-human Wizard x/Cleric 1.

With prerequisites.
9 Str, 14 Dex, 13+1 Con, 15+1 Int, 13 Wis, 8 Cha.
Without prerequisites.
8 Str, 14 Dex, 15+1 Con, 15+1 Int, 10 Wis, 8 Cha.

Not that +1 to Wis saves isn't exactly a bad thing.

Alternatively, an alt-human warlock/paladin.
With prerequisites.
13 Str, 14 Dex, 13+1 Con, 8 Int, 9 Wis, 15+1 Cha.
Without prerequisites.
8 Str, 14 Dex, 15+1 Con, 8 Int, 10 Wis, 15+1 Cha.



Actually, the one that would benefit the most would be bladesinger x/paladin 2. Who could dump both Str and Cha.
With prerequisites
13 Str, 15+1 dex, 11 con, 13+1 Int, 10 Wis, 13 Cha
Without prerequisites
8 Str, 15+1 Dex, 14 Con, 16 Int, 10 Wis, 8 Cha

These are assuming two classes. If there is no restrictions in taking them, that is likely not the ceiling in number of classes someone might take.

Because it would be point-buy prohibitive I haven't looked for those kinds of synergies. The only one off the top of my head would be a skills monkey taking a level of bard, rogue, and cleric (knowledge) at various points to supplement their high-INT wizard primary.

S 8 D 13 C 11 W 13 I 16 Ch 13 (pre-racial) is 27 point buy.

 

[Horwath]

I think that requirement should be lowered to 12.

13 as an odd number is just a polite way to tell you, you need 14.