I'm not playing a rogue, but next chance I get, I will. I wanted to know, what multiclass options work best for rogues at low level? I've been searching for a good fit, but I cant find any. I kinda want the rogue to be a melee combatant. So what other classes could I take?
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He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
A barbarian and bard multiclass are great for rogues. Fighter and Ranger have specific builds.
Barbarian: The reckless attack with 2 two levels of barbarian is quiet the effective multiclass, as that grants you advantage: To provide an sneak attack dice and higher chances to hit. Then you can just use your bonus action to either dash or hide. Works well with haste too specially if you use the haste action to disengage or hide depending on your subclass. However the down side here is that you need to use strength weapons for the advantage (buff rogues) or have the savage attacker feat instead of multiclassing.
Bard: Pick this if you want to not only be the face off the party (Have at least +2 - +3 in Charisma) and a bit of magic spells. Also you gain additional expertise for your rogue which is good because you either pick to gain expertise in stealth or acrobatics checks. Specially if you multiclass 3 levels in bard you gain two expertise. And foundation for persuasion or deception checks for the d20's
Ranger: Two levels of ranger can grant you a fighting style and access to the hunters mark spell. Three levels can grant you a subclass and the hunter subclass can select the colossus slayer or giant killer as their third level ability feature. giant slayer hit or miss build this works well with uncanny dodge because of its reactions. Making up for the lost damage or counter damage against foes.
Other:
For more help you can search up rogue rpg bot or flute lutes to gain the specifics. (If you want to optimize or fully understand the build your planning for at least)
These are optimized suggestions I am inputting for you and you don't necessarily have too follow them. As long as you have fun then you are good to go. Fighter Eldritch Knight and Rogue Scout? Fire from afar with spells like fire bolt and move away as an reaction when they get close to you!
The combinations I am most enthralled with currently:
Rogue/Ranger: Specifically three levels of Fey Wanderer. You get a small bump in damage from Dreadful Strikes, but with tasha's choices you can grab favored foe, a skill, a skill expertise, two languages, a fighting style, a charisma skill from Fey Wanderer, and get your wisdom bonus on your charisma skills from Fey Wanderer. The bonuses to damage generally keep you up to speed on sneak damage with the main cost being behind three levels on getting rogue abilities. For spells you can have speak with animals once per day, 3 spells known, Charm Person and 3 slots.
Rogue/ Trickery cleric: Love the idea of using the double to get advantage combined with the rest of the fun you get from a level of cleric. Arcana cleric can be fun here as well since it lets you get a blade cantrip, shields.
I'm not playing a rogue, but next chance I get, I will. I wanted to know, what multiclass options work best for rogues at low level? I've been searching for a good fit, but I cant find any. I kinda want the rogue to be a melee combatant. So what other classes could I take?
Here are some examples, sticking to builds where you won't feel like you're nerfing yourself deliberately by leaning into melee:
Barbarian/Scout (the goal here is Reckless Attack, so you'll want to be Strength-based with Dex 14)
Hexblade Warlock/Swashbuckler (also a build where you probably want Dex 14)
Any build that gives you a battle buddy for Sneak Attack legality by being present but costs you action economy to use the Help action so you have a good reason not to stay out at range: Beast Master Ranger, Drakewarden Ranger, Wildfire Druid, Battle Smith Artificer, etc. Battle Smith Artificer will generally encourage you to be Int-based with Dex 14; Ranger solutions can get you Blind Fighting, so if you have access to Darkness, you'll have an extra way to legally sneak attack that encourages melee, provided you have the slots.
Rogues lend themselves particularly well to ranged combat, so it's challenging limiting your options to ones where melee is a reasonable choice - for example, Genielock is a fantastic 1-dip for any Rogue, but for melee specifically will have a tough time competing with Hexblade.
I've got a ranger/rogue planned out that I'm itching to use-- technically his first level is in ranger, but his background is charlatan, and is setting him up to pick up levels in rogue as part of his return to civilization after a stretch of time in the wilderness. I wanted him to have a real, in-story reason to be able to say 'oh yeah, I can also hustle at gaming tables and pick locks actually, and it didn't come up before, but now that we're entering X city, I have some soft connections to the criminal underworld and I'm not totally averse to getting back into crime if it's in service to the greater good'.
Rogue/bard also really appeals to me-- leaning into the charisma side and making a con artist performer more than a thief or assassin. The overall party makeup would influence how much I would focus on buffing party members vs how much I'd be out there trying to do massive amounts of damage-- if I was playing alongside another DPS type character, then I could focus on scouting for traps as a rogue, then spend combat in a support role and test out spell-slinging as a bard, while still having my more familiar rogue abilities to fall back on.
In terms of starting from character ideas and NOT optimizing a build, perfectly devout Paladin turned Oathbreaker Paladin turned Swashbuckler Rogue would be a fascinating progression to play out-- the break with his faith, the taking up of a completely new path, it appeals to me as someone who likes to tell a compelling story, even if he'd be kind of a mess.
I'm not playing a rogue, but next chance I get, I will. I wanted to know, what multiclass options work best for rogues at low level? I've been searching for a good fit, but I cant find any. I kinda want the rogue to be a melee combatant. So what other classes could I take?
If you are talking about a 1-2 level dip:
If you envision tanking a Fighter in heavy armor is probably best.
If you plan to play more of a striker a Ranger or Barbarian go really well. On a Barbarian I would be a swashbuckler which will enable reckless attack without needing to use a bonus action for disengage.
If you are going more than 2 levels there are a lot of options -
Most of the time going 3 levels in a martial means you are just 2 shy of of both an ASI and extra attack, but in the case of gloomstalker and battlemaster it is still awesome on just 3 levels. With battlemaster you would get quick toss and run a high intelligence and dexterity. This lets you open with an offensive spell like Tasha's laughter or hold person and still get a sneak attack in with quick toss.
I’m currently a level 4 AT looking to try that 6 level dip in bladesinger, but I’m wondering what level should I start taking wizard levels. Originally I was thinking after level 5 AT so I can get my next sneak attack increase and uncanny dodge.
I'm not playing a rogue, but next chance I get, I will. I wanted to know, what multiclass options work best for rogues at low level? I've been searching for a good fit, but I cant find any. I kinda want the rogue to be a melee combatant. So what other classes could I take?
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.A barbarian and bard multiclass are great for rogues. Fighter and Ranger have specific builds.
Barbarian: The reckless attack with 2 two levels of barbarian is quiet the effective multiclass, as that grants you advantage: To provide an sneak attack dice and higher chances to hit. Then you can just use your bonus action to either dash or hide. Works well with haste too specially if you use the haste action to disengage or hide depending on your subclass. However the down side here is that you need to use strength weapons for the advantage (buff rogues) or have the savage attacker feat instead of multiclassing.
Bard: Pick this if you want to not only be the face off the party (Have at least +2 - +3 in Charisma) and a bit of magic spells. Also you gain additional expertise for your rogue which is good because you either pick to gain expertise in stealth or acrobatics checks. Specially if you multiclass 3 levels in bard you gain two expertise. And foundation for persuasion or deception checks for the d20's
Ranger: Two levels of ranger can grant you a fighting style and access to the hunters mark spell. Three levels can grant you a subclass and the hunter subclass can select the colossus slayer or giant killer as their third level ability feature. giant slayer hit or miss build this works well with uncanny dodge because of its reactions. Making up for the lost damage or counter damage against foes.
Other:
For more help you can search up rogue rpg bot or flute lutes to gain the specifics. (If you want to optimize or fully understand the build your planning for at least)
These are optimized suggestions I am inputting for you and you don't necessarily have too follow them. As long as you have fun then you are good to go. Fighter Eldritch Knight and Rogue Scout? Fire from afar with spells like fire bolt and move away as an reaction when they get close to you!
You may also like to give rogue Swashbuckler and Bard Sword / Valor if you like.
The combinations I am most enthralled with currently:
Rogue/Ranger: Specifically three levels of Fey Wanderer. You get a small bump in damage from Dreadful Strikes, but with tasha's choices you can grab favored foe, a skill, a skill expertise, two languages, a fighting style, a charisma skill from Fey Wanderer, and get your wisdom bonus on your charisma skills from Fey Wanderer. The bonuses to damage generally keep you up to speed on sneak damage with the main cost being behind three levels on getting rogue abilities. For spells you can have speak with animals once per day, 3 spells known, Charm Person and 3 slots.
Rogue/ Trickery cleric: Love the idea of using the double to get advantage combined with the rest of the fun you get from a level of cleric. Arcana cleric can be fun here as well since it lets you get a blade cantrip, shields.
Here are some examples, sticking to builds where you won't feel like you're nerfing yourself deliberately by leaning into melee:
Rogues lend themselves particularly well to ranged combat, so it's challenging limiting your options to ones where melee is a reasonable choice - for example, Genielock is a fantastic 1-dip for any Rogue, but for melee specifically will have a tough time competing with Hexblade.
I've got a ranger/rogue planned out that I'm itching to use-- technically his first level is in ranger, but his background is charlatan, and is setting him up to pick up levels in rogue as part of his return to civilization after a stretch of time in the wilderness. I wanted him to have a real, in-story reason to be able to say 'oh yeah, I can also hustle at gaming tables and pick locks actually, and it didn't come up before, but now that we're entering X city, I have some soft connections to the criminal underworld and I'm not totally averse to getting back into crime if it's in service to the greater good'.
Rogue/bard also really appeals to me-- leaning into the charisma side and making a con artist performer more than a thief or assassin. The overall party makeup would influence how much I would focus on buffing party members vs how much I'd be out there trying to do massive amounts of damage-- if I was playing alongside another DPS type character, then I could focus on scouting for traps as a rogue, then spend combat in a support role and test out spell-slinging as a bard, while still having my more familiar rogue abilities to fall back on.
In terms of starting from character ideas and NOT optimizing a build, perfectly devout Paladin turned Oathbreaker Paladin turned Swashbuckler Rogue would be a fascinating progression to play out-- the break with his faith, the taking up of a completely new path, it appeals to me as someone who likes to tell a compelling story, even if he'd be kind of a mess.
If you are talking about a 1-2 level dip:
If you envision tanking a Fighter in heavy armor is probably best.
If you plan to play more of a striker a Ranger or Barbarian go really well. On a Barbarian I would be a swashbuckler which will enable reckless attack without needing to use a bonus action for disengage.
If you are going more than 2 levels there are a lot of options -
3 level dips:
Gloomstalker/Any Rogue- shadow sorcerer/Arcane Trickster - Any Bard/Arcane Trickster - Battlemaster/Arcane Trickster
Most of the time going 3 levels in a martial means you are just 2 shy of of both an ASI and extra attack, but in the case of gloomstalker and battlemaster it is still awesome on just 3 levels. With battlemaster you would get quick toss and run a high intelligence and dexterity. This lets you open with an offensive spell like Tasha's laughter or hold person and still get a sneak attack in with quick toss.
5 level dips:
Gloomstalker/Any Rogue - Vengance Paladin/Arcane Trickster - Any Bard/Arcane Trickster - Elk Barbarian/Swashbuckler - Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster -battlemaster/Any Rogue
6 level dips:
shadow monk/any Rogue, Bladesinger/Arcane Trickster
If you take 6 levels in non-Rogue then a bladesinger-Arcane Trickster is extremely powerful
Swash / Shadow Monk 6. Shadowstep = advantage on melee attack. Sneak. Swash iso on target. Sneak. Frenemies step up. Shadowstep to iso. Repeat.
I’m currently a level 4 AT looking to try that 6 level dip in bladesinger, but I’m wondering what level should I start taking wizard levels. Originally I was thinking after level 5 AT so I can get my next sneak attack increase and uncanny dodge.
I would start taking the wizard levels now and go to 6. Yes you will have to wait on the next `d6 in damage but you get spells and defenses.
As far as uncanny dodge goes, once you have bladesong online you will be using shield if you get hit anyway.