Multiclassing in Dungeons and Dragons 5e can be rewarding, but it can also end up cheating you out of abilities you'd otherwise get - it mixes together aspects of various classes and does so in a way unique to this edition of the game. Multiclassing into bard doesn’t necessarily synergize with clerics, but it does offer extra supportive abilities that work well for support clerics. Also, since both are full casters, multiclassing into bard doesn’t reduce spell levels, no matter how many levels you put into bard.

1. How Do Spell Slots Work With Multiclassing 5e Stat
2. How Do Spell Slots Work With Multiclassing 5e Players

• Adventuring
  • Equipment
• Character
  • Classes
  • Races
• Combat
• Gamemaster rules
  • Magic item indexes
  • Monster indexes
  • Templates
• Rules
  • Abilities
• Spellcasting
  • Spell indexes
  • Spell lists

Multiclassing

Multiclassing allows you to gain levels in multiple classes. Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those classes to realize a character concept that might not be reflected in one of the standard class options.
With this rule, you have the option of gaining a level in a new class whenever you advance in level, instead of gaining a level in your current class. Your levels in all your classes are added together to determine your character level. For example, if you have three levels in wizard and two in fighter, you're a 5th-level character.
As you advance in levels, you might primarily remain a member of your original class with just a few levels in another class, or you might change course entirely, never looking back at the class you left behind. You might even start progressing in a third or fourth class. Compared to a single-class character of the same level, you'll sacrifice some focus in exchange for versatility.

Prerequisites

To qualify for a new class, you must meet the ability score prerequisites for both your current class and your new one, as shown in the Multiclassing Prerequisites table. For example, a barbarian who decides to multiclass into the druid class must have both Strength and Wisdom scores of 13 or higher. Without the full training that a beginning character receives, you must be a quick study in your new class, having a natural aptitude that is reflected by higher-than-average ability scores.

Experience Points

The experience point cost to gain a level is always based on your total character level, as shown in the Character Advancement table, not your level in a particular class. So, if you are a cleric 6/fighter 1, you must gain enough XP to reach 8th level before you can take your second level as a fighter or your seventh level as a cleric.

Hit Points and Hit Dice

You gain the hit points from your new class as described for levels after 1st. You gain the 1st-level hit points for a class only when you are a 1st-level character.
You add together the Hit Dice granted by all your classes to form your pool of Hit Dice. If the Hit Dice are the same die type, you can simply pool them together. For example, both the fighter and the paladin have a d10, so if you are a paladin 5/fighter 5, you have ten d10 Hit Dice. If your classes give you Hit Dice of different types, keep track of them separately. If you are a paladin 5/cleric 5, for example, you have five d10 Hit Dice and five d8 Hit Dice.

Proficiency Bonus

Your proficiency bonus is always based on your total character level, not your level in a particular class. For example, if you are a fighter 3/rogue 2, you have the proficiency bonus of a 5th-level character, which is +3.

Proficiencies

When you gain your first level in a class other than your initial class, you gain only some of new class's starting proficiencies, as shown in the Multiclassing Proficiencies table.

Multiclassing Proficiencies

Class Features

When you gain a new level in a class, you get its features for that level. You don't, however, receive the class's starting equipment, and a few features have additional rules when you're multiclassing: Channel Divinity, Extra Attack, Unarmored Defense, and Spellcasting.

Channel Divinity

If you already have the Channel Divinity feature and gain a level in a class that also grants the feature, you gain the Channel Divinity effects granted by that class, but getting the feature again doesn't give you an additional use of it. You gain additional uses only when you reach a class level that explicitly grants them to you. For example, if you are a cleric 6/paladin 4, you can use Channel Divinity twice between rests because you are high enough level in the cleric class to have more uses. Whenever you use the feature, you can choose any of the Channel Divinity effects available to you from your two classes.

Extra Attack

If you gain the Extra Attack class feature from more than one class, the features don't add together. You can't make more than two attacks with this feature unless it says you do (as the fighter's version of Extra Attack does). Similarly, the warlock's eldritch invocation Thirsting Blade doesn't give you additional attacks if you also have Extra Attack.

Unarmored Defense

If you already have the Unarmored Defense feature, you can't gain it again from another class.

Spellcasting

Your capacity for spellcasting depends partly on your combined levels in all your spellcasting classes and partly on your individual levels in those classes. Once you have the Spellcasting feature from more than one class, use the rules below. If you multiclass but have the Spellcasting feature from only one class, you follow the rules as described in that class.
Spells Known and Prepared. You determine what spells you know and can prepare for each class individually, as if you were a single-classed member of that class. If you are a ranger 4/wizard 3, for example, you know three 1st-level ranger spells based on your levels in the ranger class. As 3rd-level wizard, you know three wizard cantrips, and your spellbook contains ten wizard spells, two of which (the two you gained when you reached 3rd level as a wizard) can be 2nd-level spells. If your Intelligence is 16, you can prepare six wizard spells from your spellbook.
Each spell you know and prepare is associated with one of your classes, and you use the spellcasting ability of that class when you cast the spell. Similarly, a spellcasting focus, such as a holy symbol, can be used only for the spells from the class associated with that focus.
Spell Slots. You determine your available spell slots by adding together all your levels in the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, and wizard classes, and half your levels (rounded down) in the paladin and ranger classes. Use this total to determine your spell slots by consulting the Multiclass Spellcaster table.
If you have more than one spellcasting class, this table might give you spell slots of a level that is higher than the spells you know or can prepare. You can use those slots, but only to cast your lower-level spells. If a lower-level spell that you cast, like burning hands, has an enhanced effect when cast using a higher-level slot, you can use the enhanced effect, even though you don't have any spells of that higher level.
For example, if you are the aforementioned ranger 4/wizard 3, you count as a 5th-level character when determining your spell slots: you have four 1st-level slots, three 2nd-level slots, and two 3rd-level slots. However, you don't know any 3rd-level spells, nor do you know any 2nd-level ranger spells. You can use the spell slots of those levels to cast the spells you do know — and potentially enhance their effects.
Pact Magic. If you have both the Spellcasting class feature and the Pact Magic class feature from the warlock class, you can use the spell slots you gain from the Pact Magic feature to cast spells you know or have prepared from classes with the Spellcasting class feature, and you can use the spell slots you gain from the Spellcasting class feature to cast warlock spells you know.

Multiclass Spellcaster: Spell Slots per Spell Level

Hello! Welcome back to another entry into our series on Multiclassing, where today we’ll be talking about what I think is one of the most powerful multiclasses in the game… the Sorcerer/Paladin! Let’s take a look at what makes this multiclass so incredible!

Starting things off, let’s take a look at some similarities between the two classes! Really the only similarity between these two classes is their reliance on Charisma as a spellcasting stat. As a result of this, they both also get the ability to cast spells, though the Sorcerer is a full caster while the Paladin is a half caster.

How Do Spell Slots Work With Multiclassing 5e Stat

With that though, their similarities end. To start, Paladins are divine in their powers, swearing an Oath to either a God or certain principals they uphold. Sorcerers on the other hand base their powers in the Arcane, coming to them from the innate magic of the world. Paladins are martial classes, giving them a d10 hit die and proficiency in all weapons and armor. Sorcerers have a d6 hit die, the lowest in the game, and have proficiency in no armors and only a select few weapons. I think you can start to tell why good things happen when you combine these two….

The Light of Magic

When combined, the Paladin/Sorcerer multiclass is easily one of the most powerful, and here’s why:

One, you get an incredible buff to your spellcasting. While the Paladin does have some incredible spells such as smites and Find Steed, they’re often gated in how many spell slots they’re able to use to cast these spells. Multiclassing into Sorcerer grants you both more spell slots and a wider array of spells. If you find that you’re at range, as opposed to using Javelins, you can use spells like chromatic orb or fire bolt. Additionally, you will be able to pump your sorcery points into more spells or….

Let’s talk about two abilities. Metamagic and Divine Smite. While the two of these are immense boons to the single classes, they make this combination of classes incredible. Let’s talk about Metamagic first:

Metamagic will heavily increase your martial prowess when you take spells like Green Flame Blade or Booming Blade. If you take Quicken Spell, you’ll be able to use one of these cantrips as a bonus action, essentially giving you 3 attacks with Multiattack as long as you have sorcery points and a bonus action. You could also use Twinned Spell with these cantrips, allowing you to hit two enemies at once with a Booming Blade (Not Green Flame Blade) and control the battlefield well. If you wanted to use one of the attack cantrips with a reach weapon, you can even take Distant Spell! Metamagic compliments the Paladin’s martial ability with those cantrips insanely well, and still is able to work wonders with the normal Sorcery/Paladin spells.

Divine Smite is the Paladin’s main damage ability, and as noted is kind of gated by the lower amount of spell slots. Multiclassing into Sorcerer gives you many more spell slots to work with, allowing you to cast higher level smites quicker and more often. With the ability to manipulate Spell Slots/Sorcery Points with Font of Magic, you’ll be able to decide if you want to use your resources to smite more or use your Metamagics more, granting you a great choice between the two.

Lastly, the amount of proficincies that you gain from levels in Paladin is extraordinary. A sorcerer wearing Plate Armor in addition to spells like shield and shield of faith will make you nigh untouchable as early as level 3. The main grab of the multiclass is the amount of versatility you gain from two different spell lists and proficiency in all armors/weapons while still gaining solid spell slot progression.

A Guided Path of Chaos

When it comes to actually building the character, 9 times out of 10 you’ll be wanting to start out in Paladin. Gaining all the martial proficiencies and the generally better starting equipment will serve you better. However, Sorcerers do get a very appealing proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which will be very helpful since you’ll more often than not be near the front lines. Despite this, I think everything that the Paladin gives you is well worth taking your first level in that class.

How Do Spell Slots Work With Multiclassing 5e Players

From here, you have two options and a lot of decisions to make. You could simply go up to level 3 in Paladin and go the rest of the way in Sorcerer, focusing more on Nova potential and being generally squishier but having higher damage output. You could go to level 5 in Paladin then the rest in Sorcerer, or you could even go to level 7! What I’m getting at is the level in each class is less strict than other multiclasses and you can pick and choose as you go along. Generally though you’ll be wanting to pick up key abilities like Divine Smite, Multiattack and Aura of Courage from Paladin and Metamagic and 3rd level Spell Slots from Sorcerer.

When it comes to subclass, you can come up with a ton of cool ideas! The simple one is Divine Soul Sorcerer/Devotion Paladin, which will give you access to the Cleric Spell List as well! However, you could make an awesome Shadow Sorcerer/Oath of Vengeance Paladin, hellbent on using his innate shadow magics to exact the vengeance he has set out for. Maybe even consider Wild Magic Sorcerer/Oath of the Ancients if you’re playing in a setting where the land is incredibly volatile with magic! The choice is up to you, since the subclasses don’t matter quite as much as the main class abilities!

There we go! The Sorcadin is probably one of the most powerful multiclasses as well as being very RP friendly! Have you played this awesome multiclass? Let us know on our twitter or instagram. Thanks for taking the time to join us, we appreciate it!