The Fathomless Warlock at level one is a rare way to gain a swimming speed and water breathing. Summary of subclass features: Gain a few spell options that Warlocks cant normally learn, but you dont automatically learn them. Hunters Mark can go with Eldritch Blast, but you could also use Hex. Adds nothing to Warlocks offensive capabilities. The exception would be if I have a fun concept or I want to focus on lower levels of play; after all, most campaigns end by level ten. Learn well their powers so you can multiclass to claim or enhance their powers. Other than that, when it comes to the build, I have to add that this way you can learn some of your run-of-the-mill fire spells (Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Fireball, Melfs Minute Meteors etc.) Fiends of the underworld would naturally try to sway you to the dark side because your soul may be worth more than the average mortal. Cleric has very good class features at higher levels, but unfortunately youll never reach them when multiclassing. When you multiclass into a new class, you start at level one again and must work your way up toward level 20 from scratch. He brings fresh perspectives on game mechanics, group dynamics, and roleplaying insights for all TTRPG enthusiasts. Overall, the biggest benefit of multiclassing into Warlock is simply having more spell slots. While many martial classes work well for this, one that's likely to underwhelm is the monk. You also get extra Expertise from three Bard levels. Picking up the Shield spell in this way could be useful, for example. Make sure you invest in enough Charisma to use your auras and spellcasting DCs effectively. You'll get 5 uses at a d6 each day. You might be a bard who harnesses magic through your music or a warlock who has made a pact with an otherworldly entity. Not to mention Green Flame Blade might come in handy minding our affinity for fire damage. Undead creatures need to roll a Wisdom saving throw to attack you. These two classes can lend tremendous support to allies at all levels, especially since the Peace Clerics Emboldening Bone scales with your Proficiency Bonus regardless of Cleric levels. Both are casters with plenty of spells for healing and support, and a fair few for debuffing enemies. Eloquence is incredibly strong, so the Order Cleric makes a fine supplement to the characters support abilities. Outside of specific subclasses, it doesn't get Extra Attack to use weapons effectively, and none of its cantrips deal high damage. The Bard is a strong spellcaster, so focus on that, but the Soulknife is a fun supplement. This is because other classes can give a bard better weapons and armor, Extra Attack, and a Fighting Style without the baggage of a ranger's largely-incompatible spellcasting. Banish an enemy to hell with your attack until the end of your next turn, dealing 10d10 psychic damage when they return (no saving throw). The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The Oath of the Watchers demands a Paladin to know the lore about otherworldly monsters, so the Lore Bard is a fine fit! Bards are full spellcasters, but they fail to compete with Warlocks and Sorcerers for multiclass dips. Choose your warlock and bard spells with Unsettling Words in mind. Mortals tremble as being beyond your understanding vie for your attention! Im glad you liked the concepts overall! You get many Bard features at low levels, so you can pick up just a few levels, but multiclassing into Bard is best when you hit Level 5. React to give an enemys attack disadvantage against you, which in turn gives you advantage on an attack during your next turn if the enemys attack misses. Add 1d10 to an ability check or saving throw. Succeeding at death saving throws or stabilizing creatures with Spare the Dying allows you to regain hitpoints. You can truly become a dread knight with this build! This kind of variation isnt seen in a lot of other classes that are usually more streamlined into a single role. I recommend asking if your DM will allow your Artillerist Artificer to automatically possess proficiency with firearms; otherwise, select the Gunner feat ASAP. Bardic Inspiration given to allies is not expended if it contributes to a roll that still fails. Become proficient with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons. You have made a pact with one thats on divine levels. Spike Growth becomes available to a Dao Genie Warlock, so you can still use fun battlefield control tactics while knocking enemies around Eldritch Blast. But overall pretty neat stuff. Background: My Bard started out following the party because he wanted to write their epic story, but through his journeys with them has come to realize he would do anything to keep his friends and country safe. Animate an object with its own custom statblock. Really, Warlocks represent an excellent class whether it is your primary or secondary class. To address the elephant in the room: Cleric spells use Wisdom. Sorcerer and Warlock each have relatively few spells known at any given level, meaning fewer options than other multiclass combos. Warlocks need some of the best low-level spells, but Pact Magic doesnt work very well with them. Standing at the head of your army of undead, you blend in as one of the horde. With DM permission, this Invocation enables a spellcaster to create spell scrolls during long rests since they dont need to sleep. Lots of support options, including Bardic Inspiration to reliably pass checks. Id describe the temporary hitpoints gained as a phasing effect as attacks phase through you until your temporary hitpoints deplete. Required fields are marked *, $MMT=window.$MMT||{};$MMT.cmd=$MMT.cmd||[];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){$MMT.display.slots.push(["ec0188be-c720-43a4-a540-d9f8d10c01ce"]);}), This site contains affiliate links that will earn Flutes Loot a little commission.2020, Flutes Loot is unofficial Fan Content permitted under theFan Content Policyand is not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Without requiring concentration or spell slots to do so, youll gain invisibility and a flying speed so you can be a stealth jet. Concentration is much harder to maintain in melee combat when youre getting hit more, so a weapon Warlock can effortlessly keep these spells running to stay alive. Learn a greater version of Evards Black Tentacles that gives you temporary hitpoints and cant have its concentration ended by damage taken. Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Summary of subclass features: Gain a few spell options that Warlocks cant normally learn, but you dont automatically learn them. You can eventually pass your curse between creatures when they die. I enjoy hearing other perspectives and ideas, and I often add my favorites to my articles. The Pact of the Blade also grants you the ability to summon your weapon, so you can go into a social situation unarmed. Multiclassing is a powerful tool for character optimization. Use Bardic Inspiration to deal extra psychic damage with your attacks. Warlocks who want to multiclass into Bard will do best if they choose concurrent subclasses. These subclasses are very strong to combine and theyre thematically consistent. Sorcerers benefit from any class that improves the characters armor proficiencies. Freely add Bardic Inspiration to an ability check you make if you roll lower than youd like. The most common Invocation for a Warlock multiclass dip is Agonizing Blast for its damage boost to Eldritch Blast, but there may be other Invocations that are more fitting to a character concept. Become immune to mind reading and resistant to psychic damage. Cleric will also give you proficiency with shields and medium armor, and some subclasses bump that up to heavy armor (which is very difficult to get proficiency with when multiclassing). If Hexblades Curse isnt tempting, characters may consider the Fiend Warlock for its ability to gain temporary hitpoints after it kills creatures. Furthermore, the Life Domain provides a substantial increase to healing spells without care for class - meaning that one level in it could make a bard better at one of their most useful roles. Add to your Swords Bards combat prowess without sacrificing spellcasting and Charisma. The bard can fill a lot of roles from support spellcaster to melee combatant. Laudna from Critical Role is a character utilizing this combination. Multiclassing is a popular way for D&D players to customize their characters and provide counterbalances for their characters in-game weaknesses. You dont have to suddenly tell people that youre two classes. The two Warlock levels are important for Invocations. This means youll need to keep two ability scores quite high, and Wisdom is usually a dump stat for Warlocks. Wizards of the Coast LLC.Use, modification, and distribution of Wizards of the Coast's content is under theOpen Game License v 1.0aCopyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.Flutes Loot Privacy Policy. You can find more content on multiclassing in our other articles, particularly our class-level multiclassing combinations article.var pd_tags=new Array;pd_tags["10977679-src"]="poll-oembed-simple"; I hope the article was fun/helpful! Will provide some bonus that cant be found through other means. This combination will enable you to really stack up damage for heavy-handed melee strikes. Give the scary Conquest Paladin a fey-like twist. Additionally, Warlocks will generally start the game with at least 13 points in Charisma, which automatically qualifies them to multiclass into Sorcerer. A master of menacing archery with an arcane twist. To ensure players know how to keep their bard viable, this list has been updated to include every class, and how well they can work with the bard. Few people would actually want to play this character, but its a fun concept exercise to see just how skilled a character can be with skill checks and artisan tools. A common bard multiclass is to cross them with a martial class in order to help them hold their own in combat. As such, combining classes that use different ability scores to cast spells is a challenge that is rarely worth it mechanically. However, multiclassing on Warlocks in 5e is fantastic, especially if you only dip one or two levels into Warlock rather than making a primary Warlock with one or two levels in another class. However, there are some perks that might make a quick dip useful. Going for 17 levels in Nature Cleric will allow your Channel Divinity: Charm Animals to control the creatures youve charmed. Summary of subclass features: Gain a few spell options that Warlocks cant normally learn, but you dont automatically learn them. This is when your Bardic Inspiration die upgrades to a d8, and you start regaining those Inspirations on a short rest. Youre slippery and efficient in and out of combat. One of the worst parts of being an Assassin is dealing with the lackluster subclass features Infiltration Expertise and Infiltrator. Fifth Edition Warlock Patrons have an immense amount of versatility since they all offer different things and allow the Warlock to slot into roles other than the ranged caster. Reader Stephany suggested this combination. Bards have a similar versatility to the Warlock, which makes them an excellent choice for multiclassing. Use the Glamour Bards Enthralling Performance ability to gain peoples trust without drawing suspicion. Notes: Honestly, the Valor Bard has been replaced somewhat by the Hexblade Warlock since you can get armor and shields with only one level of investment. Several of my recommendations are thematically cool or unusually unique to D&D. Sure you can do a bunch of new stuff, but passing more performance checks or inspiring allies cant compare to better armor proficiency for sheer power. Although the character's spellcasting will suffer, they'll still have access to a fair bit of magic to overcome even more obstacles, and they'll gain some limited combat potential with Sneak Attack. You can use Sanctuary Vessel at Warlock level ten to short rest in ten minutes, meaning you can crank out runes and Action Surge fairly often. Other classes like Druid and Paladin have excellent level-twenty abilities. Shoot back to life when you make a death saving throw and deal radiant damage in an area. Whisper to someone and convince them that you know their greatest secret, terrifying and charming them into obeying your requests. At Level 2, you also get a decent-sized pool for Lay on Hands, which youll mostly use for emergencies anyways. 2 Levels of Warlock gets you Invocations and two short-rest spell slots, as well as a number of good spells like Hellish Rebuke, Armor of Agathys, and Hex. The characters archaeological delvings have led them to discover an ancient weapon that has formed a pact with them and transformed them with divine energy. A druid doesn't have much use for a bard's abilities, and the bard doesn't get much out of Wild Shape. Roll on a table of tales to activate special effects with your Bardic Inspiration. It works well. Multiclassing a Bard with a Druid gives your character access to their entire spell list after only one level. This build focuses mostly on being a successful Hexblade while investing half of your levels in strong multiclass supplements. The secondary class may be referred to as a dip into that class if the concept only needs 1-3 levels in the second class. RELATED: D&D: 5 Must-Have Spells For Level 1 Bards (& 5 To Avoid). Cantrips scale their damage as you level up, which is better than taking a slight dip into martial classes (whose weapon attack damage dont scale with your level). Multiclassing, as the name suggests, is an optional rule in D&D that allows you as a player to combine two or more classes for your character. It can also gain temporary hitpoints while cutting down enemies. Gain temporary hitpoints when reducing enemies to zero hitpoints. Aside from optimization, multiclassing allows you to bring unique characters to life with outside-the-box specialties. Heal allies with a bonus action with your dice pool of healing. Multiclassing is daunting for new players, but rewarding for experienced players. The idea here is to become a master manipulator. Lets review which combinations get enough value from dipping and dont require extensive multiclassing. Use Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action to give a creature disadvantage on its next saving throw before your next turn. In part, this is due to complementary spellcasting. Soon, youll be able to picture in your head what kind of character you want to build and what classes will jive best with that character. If they used their spellcasting primarily outside of combat, or emphasized spells without Concentration, they could still combine the two classes in useful ways. Flutes is a seasoned DM and improvisational performer.