Jun 26

Jun 26 Low Level Builds - Multiclassing

We end the low-level series with multiclassing, which is probably the biggest can of worms. There are so many great combinations that everyone is going to have their opinion on what is best, and that is a great thing. I will not be including the most talked-about multi classes, such as the Sorlock. Sure, they are insanely powerful, but absolutely everyone knows these combos, and there other websites that do a much better breakdown than I could ever do. I instead take the time to try and come up with something a little bit more original than the ones that everyone knows. Whether overpowered, humorous, or outright awful, once you start creating combinations, multiclassing can be a hell of a drug.

Below are a couple of my personal favorites. We usually set some disqualifying rules here, but not today. Everything goes. Multiclass into as many classes as you want, play whatever race you want, and take whatever feats you want. We will be going up to level 5 and that stats are determined via point buy.

Let's get the Moon Druid Out of the Way.

Moon Druid/Barbarian Build

Race: Half-Orc (+2 Str., +1 Con. Relentless Endurance, Savage Attacks)
Str. 14, Dex. 14, Con. 15, Int. 8, Wis. 14, Chr. 10

1st level - Barbarian
2nd level - Druid (1 Barbarian / 1 Druid)
3rd level - Druid (1 Barbarian / 2 Druid)
4th level - Barbarian (2 Barbarian / 2 Druid)
5th level - Barbarian (3 Barbarian / 2 Druid)

Half-Orc may seem like a strange choice as a race for this combo, but with a +2 to Strength and +1 to Constitution, I can save some points to put into Dexterity and Wisdom. No one stands out, but its enough to give me a +2 modifier across the board for the critical stats needed. Relentless Endurance is always good, and since I'm looking at this build as more of a tank/damage build, Savage Attacks is nice on those critical hits. Besides, I can't take a variant human on every build.

It may not seem like a big deal, but I went barbarian at the 1st level to get that d12 for my hit points. The stats give us an AC of 14, which isn't the best, but realistically I'd probably only squeak out one more point in AC if I didn't have to have to put points in Wisdom. Also, I get to Rage, and who doesn't like to use that ability? At the 2nd level, we take 1 level of druid. It's nothing exciting, but I get my two cantrips and two spell slots, which will come in handy when I've burned through my Rage(s). I know throwing magic pebbles and eating tiny healing berries isn't a very barbarian thing to do, but it's better than dying at 2nd level

Things start to get fun at the 3rd level. I'm taking the 2nd level in druid, and now I can Wild Shape, and of course, I am going Circle of the Moon. Now I'm not only a bear, but an angry bear with an AC of 14. I wasn't entirely sure about the AC calculation, but I found an official answer which works in our character's favor.

“Similarly, a druid/barbarian who transforms into a beast form that has natural armor can use either the beast’s natural armor or Unarmored Defense (you aren’t considered to be wearing armor with natural armor).” (Sage Advice - Jeremy Crawford, January 2016)

I enjoy transforming into a giant spider if I'm looking for battlefield control. Your average damage isn't that far off from the bear (19 damage for the bear vs. 16 damage for the spider), and the spider does poison damage and has the web ability. Poison damage never seems like that big of a deal until you can't hit anything because of disadvantage, not to mention having to make a Strength check at a disadvantage when I spit a web at you, but I digress.

Our angry bear is tanky as hell with its resistances and higher AC than usual, and with two attacks that each do +2 extra damage. We are now doing an average of 23 points of damage per attack. To top it all off, since I won't be using spells while I'm raging, I have three spell slots to burn and use the Combat Wild Shape ability for a total average of 13 extra hit points, bringing our bear to an overall hit point average of 47. Those will come in exceptionally handily when….

At the 4th level, I'm taking a level in barbarian, so now I can be a reckless, angry bear. There's some additional beautiful synergy between the two classes, as now I have an advantage on my first hit and extra damage, and my higher AC makes being attacked at an advantage a little bit easier to swallow. Finally, at the 5th level, we'll take another level in barbarian, so our newly minted level 3 barbarian/level 2 druid gets to pick their path. You can always go totem warrior, take bear as your totem and go full-on angry bear. My preference is to take either Berserker or Ancestral Guardian. If you want to do more damage, the berserker is the way to go. Now your bear can bite and swings both its claws. A reckless raging berserker bear hurts when it hits you.

Attack Bonus +5 with advantage
Action - Multiattack: Bite (4), Claw (7)
Frenzy Bonus Action - Claw (7)
Rage - +2 per attack
Total - 4+7+7+6= 24 damage

If you want to tank, then the ancestral guardian nullifies your concerns about being hit at an advantage when you reckless. Depending on your party's needs, you have several options on what kind of angry bear you want to be.

Rogue One

Rogue/Ranger

Race: Halfling (+2 Dexterity, Lucky, Brave, Halfling Nimbleness, Naturally Stealthy)
Str. 12, Dex. 17, Con. 14, Int. 9, Wis. 13, Cha. 10

1st level - Ranger
2nd level - Rogue (Ranger 1 / Rogue 1)
3rd level - Ranger (Ranger 2 / Rogue 1)
4th level - Ranger (Ranger 3 / Rogue 1)
5th level - Rogue (Ranger 3 / Rogue 2)
6th level - Rogue (Ranger 3 / Rogue 3)

I've seen a bunch of variations on this build, and the majority of times, the race is either elf or halfling. The stat bonuses are great for both character classes, but Lightfoot halfling wins the day for the flavor I am aiming for. It can be a deadly combo, but I'm also looking to have a little fun, which we'll get into in a later. It should go without saying that a +2 to Dexterity is what you want for both these classes. Lucky, Brave, and Nimbleness all have their places with stealthy being extremely helpful when you're a rogue.

We'll start by taking a level in ranger. There is nothing much to talk about here, just that it gets us one step closer to taking an archetype. At the 2nd level, we take our first level in rogue. What's the best thing about a rogue. Sneak attack, of course! On the off chance, you don't know what sneak attack does, once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to a creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if one of your trusted allies is within 5 feet of the target.

Things start to come together at the 3rd level as we take another level in ranger. We are going archery since getting hit with weapons isn't our thing, and +2 to attack rolls with our ranged weapons is what we are looking for. Since the ranger also gets access to spell this level, we've got our hunter's mark to deal more damage. When the 4th level rolls around, we take another level in ranger and immediately take Beast Master as our archetype. Many people will use their newfound animal friend to give them the advantage they need so desperately to effectively use sneak attack. It's not that this isn't a great idea, and I'm sure we'll be using our companion to do just that on many occasions. That said, the main reason I want an animal buddy is so that it can act as a mount and rain arrows from the skies upon my enemy. As a small-sized creature, I can fly around on my giant owl, bat or pteranodon shooting arrows and keeping by CR 1/4 buddies out of harm's way.

We take levels in rogue at both 5th and 6th, becoming a merchant of death from above. Cunning action is excellent if we are stuck on the ground, but it's the rogue archetype at 6th that we want. There are several good choices here, especially if you are looking forward to the higher levels. Our dexterous woodland rogue will be taking Assassin, and be happy all the way home with his advantage on attacks against those poor creatures that haven't got to hit anything yet. No need to worry about using our companion to gain an advantage now. A typical first round could go like this.

Action - Attack: light crossbow (4 avg. damage)
Bonus Action (done before action) - Cast Hunter's Mark (3)
Sneak Attack - 2d6 (7)
Dexterity Modifier - +3
Total - 4+3+7+3=17 damage

Even though we aren't talking about anything past level 6, skip ASI next level and take the Sharpshooter feat and start doing some real damage.

It's not the sexiest of all the multiclass options. It doesn't do a ton of damage, can't tank, and let's be honest, and there are probably people that are going to give you shit for playing a ranger. Don't listen to them. When those people start to run their mouths, just close your eyes and envision your glorious halfling flying on the back of their dinosaur, firing arrows down at the unsuspecting melee only creatures. That should bring a smile to your face.

Holy Hitter

Fighter/Cleric

Race: Variant Human
Str. 15, Dex. 10, Con. 14, Int. 8, Wis. 16, Cha. 10

1st level - Fighter
2nd level - Cleric (Fighter 1 / Cleric 1)
3rd level - Fighter (Fighter 2 / Cleric 1)
4th level - Fighter (Fighter 3 / Cleric 1)
5th level - FIghter (Fighter 4 / Cleric 1)

Let's start by pointing out the biggest flaw in this build, not enough points to go around for all the stats needed. So I'm cheating a little bit and using a standard array, and once again, I'm dumping Intelligence. If you read the Dump Stat About section, you'll see that's just par for the course. We finally get around to using the variant human race so that we can take the polearm feat. The bonus action is good at the 1st level. Still, the main reason for taking it was for the attack of opportunity when someone comes within 10 feet. If you went point buy wanted the ability score instead, I'd recommend Goliath. The +2 to Strength and +1 to Constitution would allow you to bump up your Strength or Constitution. The Goliath would also provide you with one additional '"heal" ability since you can use your reaction to take less damage.

At the 1st level, we go fighter as we get a d10 for our hit points and can take the Great Weapon Fighting style as mentioned above. This build is focusing on damage and being somewhat tanky, as we want to be able to stand on the front lines and beat our enemies into submission. It's nice to have a bonus action at first level, even if it's just an attack that you roll a d4 damage. We also get access to Heavy armor, and while no one can afford plate this early, we'll be saving or coppers to purchase it.

When 2nd level, we'll be taking our first level in cleric, and taking the war priest as our domain. We already have proficiency in heavy armor and martial weapons, but now we get three bonus actions (based on our current Wisdom modifier) that don't involve rolling a d4. Spells also come into play, and the one must-have spell for this build is Bless. You automatically get Shield of Faith as a war cleric, and between the two you are provided with either an attack bonus or AC bonus. I'd also recommend taking Cure Light Wounds, so you can heal your fellow adventurers and yourself when combat is over. Try not to heal during the fight, as it will take your action and also render your bonus action useless. That's two attacks gone in one round. Let’s take a look at what happens if you don’t heal the whiny wizard in the back that has lost 2 hit points

Attack Bonus +4 (up to +8 with Bless)
Action - Attack: Glaive (5 damage)
Bonus Action* - Attack: Glaive(5)
Reaction** - Attack: Glaive (5)
Strength Modifier - +2 per attack
Total - 5+5+5+6=21 damage
* 3 times per long rest
** if a creature moves within 10 feet of you

We level up in fighter for levels 3, 4, and 5. Action surge gives us that extra action that a majority of the time we will use to attack, but in a pinch can be taken so that you can heal yourself or a comrade. Save the attack for after you burn your three bonus actions, or take a potential 4th attack in one round. One additional item of note. If you haven't been able to purchase plate mail, it is crucial to do so at this point. With a two-handed weapon, there's no shield; plate mail is critical for us to be able to stand toe-to-toe with our enemies. 4th level lets us pick our archetype, and we are going to take the unsexy Champion. Battle Master and Eldritch Knight sure look like more fun and gives us more options of things to do, but Champion provides that 19/20 critical hit chance. Not much else to say about it, only that critical hits are sexy.

The 5th level has a slew of options, so many so that I'm going to list them out and let you choose for yourself.

A level in fighter (Fighter 4 / Cleric 1), taking ASI. Dump both points into Strength, (17) kindly ask the DM for a magic item that will provide you with +1 Strength at double your modifier.
A level in fighter (Fighter 4 / Cleric 1), taking ASI. Dump both points into Wisdom (18). Now you make your spells hurt too.
A level in fighter (Fighter 4/ Cleric 1), and take the War Caster feat. Bless should be used in all situations now so you and some of your friends can hit more often. Maybe you want to mix it up a bit and cast a spell with an action. Most cleric damage spells have somatic requirements, but now you don't have to put down your maul to do so. Finally, you have options now when a creature walks within 10 feet of you, being able to cast a spell or take a swing.
A level in fighter (Fighter 4/ Cleric 1), and take Great Weapon Master. -5 to hit stinks, but adding ten damage to a maul hit hurts…alot.
A level in cleric (Fighter 3 / Cleric 2). Obtain your channel divinity. When you just need to hit someone, Guided Strike will do the trick. Of course, you can only use once per short rest, but +10 to hit is worth taking. Oh, and an extra spell slot is nice too.

If I am staying true to the build, I'm taking GWM to do as much damage as possible. If I want options with a dash of flavor, I'm taking the War Caster feat. We are going to take the level in fighter and the feat GWM. Let's see what that does for our Holy Hitter when everything works perfectly in one round (no crits)

Attack Bonus - +4 to hit (GWM & Bless)
Action - Attack: Glaive (5)
Bonus Action* - Attack: Glaive (5)
Reaction** - Attack: Glaive (5)
Action Surge - Attack: Glaive (5)
Strength Modifier - +2 per attack
GWM Modifier - +10 per attack
Total - (5X4)+(10X4)+(2X4) = 68 damage

There are so many possibilities it would take forever to run through them all. Some get banned by DM's (Sorlock), some provide stupid amounts of healing, (Druid/Life Cleric), others allow you to rain down divine fire like a thunderstorm (Paladin/Warlock), and the list goes on and on. Whatever multiclass you decide to go at lower levels, make sure its one you'll enjoy playing, but take into account the party's needs too.

I look forward to getting your feedback and hearing about your fun and different multiclass builds.