D&D General Should you Multiclass?
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Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
There are some character concepts that are harder to pull off without multiclassing or homebrewing a subclass. (Sometimes that concept, of course, is "I want to be able to one-shot a boss monster.")
If you're a caster you probably shouldn't multiclass because getting to the next spell level is always going to be the most powerful thing you can do.
If you're not a caster then you are free to take a much more mix and match approach. The level abilities that martial characters get tend to vary quite significantly in power level, with some levels giving you something powerful like an extra attack or a feat while other levels just give you an extra use of some secondary ability. If you have two (or more) classes you can flit between them as you level up. Normally what this looks like is one primary class with dips into one or more other classes to certain key levels where you get something cool. For example, my L16 character was Ranger 4, Fighter 4, and Barbarian 8 (and planning to continue from there) because that was where I felt the best break points were.
If you're not a caster then you are free to take a much more mix and match approach. The level abilities that martial characters get tend to vary quite significantly in power level, with some levels giving you something powerful like an extra attack or a feat while other levels just give you an extra use of some secondary ability. If you have two (or more) classes you can flit between them as you level up. Normally what this looks like is one primary class with dips into one or more other classes to certain key levels where you get something cool. For example, my L16 character was Ranger 4, Fighter 4, and Barbarian 8 (and planning to continue from there) because that was where I felt the best break points were.
FrogReaver
The most respectful and polite poster ever
Casters should multiclass for shields and armor or other spells. For Divine Smite.
Martials often stop progressing much at level 5 or a little after. Most of them can be safely multiclassed any time after that for whatever abilities you desire. Some particularly good abilities are rage/hex/hunters mark/action surge/shadow blade/cunning action/gloomstalker subclasses extra attack/spells like shield.
Other than a single level dip, i'd generally avoid multiclassing before level 5. Rogues and warlocks can be exceptions to the before level 5 and of course any caster wanting a single level dip for armor/shields.
It's often worth having more power now than worrying about being the best at level 20. Most campaigns never reach high levels anyways.
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Stormonu
NeoGrognard
A lot of times multiclassing isn't about power but scope, allowing you to do more things but not necessarily better. However, there are certainly multiclass combos that augment each other or work together in powerful (if not broken) ways.
I'm currently running a Shadow Sorcerer/Arcane Rogue Trickster at them moment myself - i.e., a sneaky bastard who can Stealth, Darkness or Invisible himself (and the group in the latter two) past enemies so we can avoid fights we don't really want to bother with.
Conversely, for my own games that I DM, I've banned 5E multiclassing because of the headaches.
I'm currently running a Shadow Sorcerer/Arcane Rogue Trickster at them moment myself - i.e., a sneaky bastard who can Stealth, Darkness or Invisible himself (and the group in the latter two) past enemies so we can avoid fights we don't really want to bother with.
Conversely, for my own games that I DM, I've banned 5E multiclassing because of the headaches.
Reasons to multiclass:
- It sounds fun.
- You want to optimize.
- It fits a predetermined concept you had of your character.
- Something occurs that you did not foresee in the adventure/campaign, that provides a basis to multiclass. e.g. You are a Fighter, but you perish in combat; before you roll up a new character, an entity or divine being approaches with the offer of resurrecting you. In return, you must devote yourself to serving them. (You now multiclass to either Warlock or Cleric when you next level.)
Benjamin Olson
Hero
The class progression of 5e D&D is often very linear without a lot of choice. Yes you get to choose a subclass, yes you get to choose spells if you're the right type of spellcaster, yes you get to choose feats and for certain subclasses additional features like a Battlemaster's maneuvers, but still its easy to have a lot of level ups where you are making no real choices, especially after the first few levels, which can feel kind of anticlimactic after waiting months to level up. Multiclassing, or at least having a possible mulitclass in mind, means you are always making a major choice on level up (albeit sometimes still an obvious one) which makes the game more satisfying, for me anyway.
But my main reasons for multiclassing are to create characters who can participate meaningfully in all parts of play, to create new and interesting character concepts, or to fill out party deficiencies (the last usually only as a factor if I'm on the fence).
Generally, other than taking a one level dip in another class to round out the character concept early on, you want five levels of the primary class before you do something else, and maybe 6 or 7 depending on the class and subclass. But eventually most classes have levels that start to look bland or lackluster compared to what is on offer as the starting package for some other class. For full casters with no interest in weapons combat the incentive can be pretty strong to stay pure rather than slow down spell progression, but even then you have the Wizard who realizes that just one level of Cleric could have him healing and blessing and wearing heavy armor, and the only real cost is getting new levels of spells a level later.
But my main reasons for multiclassing are to create characters who can participate meaningfully in all parts of play, to create new and interesting character concepts, or to fill out party deficiencies (the last usually only as a factor if I'm on the fence).
Generally, other than taking a one level dip in another class to round out the character concept early on, you want five levels of the primary class before you do something else, and maybe 6 or 7 depending on the class and subclass. But eventually most classes have levels that start to look bland or lackluster compared to what is on offer as the starting package for some other class. For full casters with no interest in weapons combat the incentive can be pretty strong to stay pure rather than slow down spell progression, but even then you have the Wizard who realizes that just one level of Cleric could have him healing and blessing and wearing heavy armor, and the only real cost is getting new levels of spells a level later.
jmartkdr2
Hero
IME there are three main reasons to multiclass:
1. Career change: for whatever reason your character decides to stop persuing the path they're on and start a new path - the most obvious version of this is finding religion and starting to train yourself as a cleric, but it can be as simple as 'there's nothing useful to be gained from continuing with the current class' which might mean starting a new martial class to gain new options in combat.
2. Dip: you would stay with a single class but there's a specific feature locked to another class that's just too tempting. Most examples will be power synergies (ie hexadins) but it could just be something so on-brand for your concept that it's worth it for the rp (rogue dip to gain expertise, a single particular invocation, etc) Feat-based multiclassing would be better here, but 5e doesn't have a great system for that RAW
3.Hybrid: your concept sits between two classes and can't really be captured with either. If paladin wasn't its own class this would be the most obvious example - neither a fighter nor a cleric really does the idea of Sir Galahad justice. A fighter/cleric is necessary, unless you make a whole new class. (In the majority of these cases, multiclassing is a cludge and a new class would nearly always be a better answer.)
Each of these could be roleplay-driven, mechanics-driven, or a mix of those.
1. Career change: for whatever reason your character decides to stop persuing the path they're on and start a new path - the most obvious version of this is finding religion and starting to train yourself as a cleric, but it can be as simple as 'there's nothing useful to be gained from continuing with the current class' which might mean starting a new martial class to gain new options in combat.
2. Dip: you would stay with a single class but there's a specific feature locked to another class that's just too tempting. Most examples will be power synergies (ie hexadins) but it could just be something so on-brand for your concept that it's worth it for the rp (rogue dip to gain expertise, a single particular invocation, etc) Feat-based multiclassing would be better here, but 5e doesn't have a great system for that RAW
3.Hybrid: your concept sits between two classes and can't really be captured with either. If paladin wasn't its own class this would be the most obvious example - neither a fighter nor a cleric really does the idea of Sir Galahad justice. A fighter/cleric is necessary, unless you make a whole new class. (In the majority of these cases, multiclassing is a cludge and a new class would nearly always be a better answer.)
Each of these could be roleplay-driven, mechanics-driven, or a mix of those.
Out of the hundred or so PCs I've played in 5E only one PC that I played past level 3 did not multiclass (that PC was a Kender Conquest Paladin who ended at level 7).
I find multiclass characters to be far more fun and versatile in play. There are tradeoffs certainly, but I find weaknesses can generally be mitigated.
For example I am playing a Elemental Eye Warlock-Eldritch Knight right now. At level 7 she is a Warlock 4/Fighter 3 and is a primary melee character. You would think I am way behind due to no extra attack, but I am not. She has both a pact Longsword and Shillelagh and her Agonizing Green Flame Blade with Shillelagh does 1d10+4 Force plus another extra 1d8+4 fire damage to the primary target and 1d8+8 if another target is within 5 feet, while also rerolling 1s on Fire damage due to the Flames of Phelethegos feat and having topple mastery on a sword and board. She can change to a pact Longsword which drops weapon damage to 1d8+4 (still does the same fire) but gets sap and has options for Necrotic, Psychich or Radiant damage. She has mastery and a fighting style and action surge (although admittedly that is not as good as on a single class) and she has a bunch of cool spells on top of that. She has a 23 AC and the shield spell a couple times a day for 28 if she has a chance to stow her weapon. With Flames of Phelethegos + Armor of agathys + Hellish Rebuke at 2nd level, while rerolling 1s, she can deal out around 30 damage off turn when someone does get a hit through on her high AC.
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