How to Multiclass in D&D for Beginners

Tags player tips Subclasses evergreen author-saige-ryan multiclass character-building

In D&D, multiclassing is the act of gaining a level in another class or classes to gain advantages and abilities. When multiclassing, you are choosing to take beginning levels from another class instead of leveling up in your initial choice. If you’re a level 5 Artificer, you might take 2 levels as a Wizard to expand your arcane knowledge. That would look like Artificer 5/Wizard 2 on your character sheet.

Whether you have an exciting new build, or you’re looking for something to add a little spice to an existing build; multiclassing can truly open up a world of possibilities. Note that multiclassing in D&D fifth edition is an optional rule, so be sure to check in with your DM to make sure your build suits your table rules before you dive in.

The Benefits of Multiclassing

  • Added customization options
  • High-level gameplay opportunities for more combat-focused games
  • Creative storytelling opportunities, to describe how you acquired new abilities in roleplay-heavy games
  • Diversifying your gameplay experience mid-campaign to keep things fresh
  • Being able to utilize that 20/20 hindsight, and add a healer to the party
  • The ability to make a barbarian throw an eldritch blast

Sounds great, right? Endless flexibility, new ways to decimate your enemies, multiclassing has it all. Multiclassing can expand and challenge your knowledge of the game, and provide you with immense flexibility in telling your story. And don't forget that D&D Beyond is here to help!

When to Begin Taking Levels in Another Class

Technically, you have the ability to start multiclassing at level 2, reaching outside of your base class. However, in doing so it’s likely your character will be rather limited and not see many of the benefits of either class. It is commonly recommended to hold off on multiclassing until you reach at least level 5 in your base class. 

In an ongoing campaign, when you can multiclass will be largely decided based on your DMs leveling structure. Milestone, XP, etc. Additionally, you will have to meet certain prerequisites to take a level in any given class. These prerequisites are determined by important spellcasting and ability modifiers, with the intention of making sure you don’t back yourself into a useless character corner. For instance, a very low INT Wizard sounds hilarious, however, your spellcasting modifier might not be entertained.

Prerequisites for taking a level in the various classes:

Class

Ability Score Minimum

Barbarian

Strength 13

Bard

Charisma 13

Cleric

Wisdom 13

Druid

Wisdom 13

Fighter

Strength 13 or Dexterity 13

Monk

Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13

Paladin

Strength 13 and Charisma 13

Ranger

Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13

Rogue

Dexterity 13

Sorcerer

Charisma 13

Warlock

Charisma 13

Wizard

Intelligence 13


Once you have met those requirements, you’re free to start diving in! 

If you’re interested in roleplaying the acquisition of your new-found strengths, here are some thoughts to spark your story integration.

  • You could take on a knowledgeable mentor to study under and be shown the ways of their practice.
  • Your character could find an ancient amulet imbued with a new kind of magic
  • A more aggressive character could have a change of heart, and start taking levels in healing classes to care for those they’ve previously hurt.

Working your multiclass choices into your story can make the benefits you gain so much richer, and give your character a new purpose.

How to Multiclass (And the Practical Implications of Doing So!) 

Once you have your sights set on what kind of build you’re interested in, there are a few things to think about. 

Take a look at the level tables of the classes you’re interested in, to see how many levels you’ll need in that class for your desired effect.

Example: At 2nd level Monks gain an extra Ki point, you might want to take at least 2 levels when dipping into Monk to really pack a punch.

Remember that: 

  • Your proficiency bonus and XP are always based on your total character level. 
  • Your proficiencies will vary based on the classes you choose. 
  • And lastly, to form your hit points, you’ll add together the Hit Dice granted by all of your classes to form your pool of Hit Dice. 

Fortunately, we have long since graduated from the days of only having pen and paper to work out all these specifics, and DnDBeyond can make this progress a whole lot simpler. On your “edit character” page, it’s easy to just add another class and start exploring the benefits.

From there, you could practically spend all day exploring combinations of subclasses and what kind of magic the combinations can create!

However, If spending all day looking through subclasses doesn’t quite suit your needs at the moment, I have a few ideas of creative uses of multiclassing that you could implement into your game.

This is definitely for your benefit, and not just because I have too many ideas and need someone to bring them to life… Promise.

You've Got Your Perfect Sorlock...

When your innate magical abilities are no longer enough, and your character is left craving more, the Sorlock is an incredibly powerful multiclass build.

As a Divine Soul Sorcerer, this character desires control of as much magic as possible. Access to the cleric spell list simply didn’t cut it, and they were willing to take a risky deal to gain the great powers of a Warlock. The Pact of The Tome would be an excellent fit for an extremely diverse casting catalog.

Required levels: Sorcerer 5/Warlock 3

You Got Bard in my Barbarian!

Judged by their appearance this mighty warrior utilizes their intimidating stature to gain respect and captivate audiences. Taking spells that are less damage-focused, would allow the barbarian to do their thing in combat, while your bardic abilities can add flair and charm to any who dare listen.

Consider taking the Path of The Zealot as a Barbarian, and letting your bardic side tell the tales of their own dangerous close calls at the taverns.

Required levels: Barbarian 5/Bard 3

Necro-Druid? Necro-Druid.

A Necromancy Druid giveth and taketh away. This multiclass is built to tamper with nature and challenge mortality. Opting for a Circle of Spores Druid at 3rd level would allow you to take on features like gentle repose, and eventually animate dead. This natural attachment to controlling nature however can only be strengthened by the addition of scholarly understanding of life and death. That’s where the Necromancy Wizard comes in, learning how to draw energy from those lives you tamper with. 

Required levels: Druid 5/Wizard 5

If you manage to tear through your 2 class builds, you can continue to add variety by even taking on a third class! There is technically no limit to how times you can diversify your class within your 20 levels, though at some point you might end up with quite the beast if you go overboard. 

Whatever you create, may it be powerful enough to win your battles, and interesting enough to bring joy to your table. And let us know what multiclass character you'll be taking to the endlessly mysterious Candlekeep Library and Ravenloft's Domains of Dread, both available for presale on the D&D Beyond Marketplace.

Happy building!

Saige Ryan is a writer, host, and content creator in Los Angeles, California that builds too many Druids. Her love for TTRPGs mostly comes from being a drama nerd in high school. You can find her rolling dice weekly on the PixelCircus Twitch channel, or getting too easily scared in video games @NotSaige everywhere.

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