So. Rogue/bard multiclass. I want to know your thoughts. Would it be good? Would it suck? It would be a charisma based rogue multiclass with bard, which makes sense, because bards have a lot of charisma. The idea is that the bard aspect would lure people close so she could pickpocket. Tell me your thoughts below:
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Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
I guess it depends a lot on what type of Bard you're trying to build; the two extra Expertise from Rogue is great for really doubling down on strong skill checks, thieves' cant might open up opportunities, and Sneak Attack can make your attacks hit a tiny bit harder.
The main problem with multiclassing a Bard with Rogue is that it will slow down your Bard's spell progression; one level in Rogue means you'll be a level behind on your next spell level (e.g- at 7th-level you'll still only have 3rd-level spells if you go Bard 6/Rogue 1, whereas other casters will have got their first 4th-level spell), and the more levels of Rogue you take, the further behind you'll end up. This isn't necessarily a problem though depending upon what role in the party your Bard fulfils, as Bards have plenty of excellent lower level support spells and other shenanigans they can play with.
Meanwhile a bit more Rogue could be great if you're playing a more martially oriented Bard like College of Swords or Valor, as if you take three-levels you'll be adding potentially 2d6 damage each turn with two attempts to land it (once you get Extra Attack), and crucially gain Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage or Hide which can make you a lot more mobile and versatile as a bit of a skirmisher, plus 3rd-level also gets you an archetype feature. Mastermind's ranged Help bonus action for example could be great on a Bard for even more (resource free!) support, not to mention even more proficiencies for out of combat chicanery, Phantom or Soul Knife get some very nice powers, Swashbuckler is even more mobile (and can Sneak Attack more easily) etc.
It's hard to say what the best option is for you without knowing more about the character though, and what you want out of it; I took levels in Rogue on a Bard of mine because I wanted him to be more rakish and handy with his rapier, so I went with Swashbuckler and that was a lot of fun. But after a brief hiatus to play as a different character, I realised it wasn't actually quite the right fit for that character specifically, and really I wanted his spellcasting to be more advanced than it was, so my DM let me use the absence as an opportunity to re-spec a bit; part of the problem was I didn't really have a long-term plan for the character, I was just picking things piecemeal each time I levelled up and I'd made a few mistakes.
Sorry, that might not be a helpful aside, but if you have a clear idea for what you want the character to be like then it's a good idea to think about what option(s) fit that the best, which is the thing I didn't do. 😉
It would be INSANE at role playing. 6 Sets of proficiencies + the ones from your race and background, and then 4 sets of expertise. In combat, it would be more of a ranged rogue, probably sneaking up on a target and then casting Agnazzar’s scorcher on the 9th level. I would probably go swashbuckler for an initiative boost, and then I would also go college of lore bard for more spells and proficiencies. This build could be a force on and off the battle field.
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DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________ Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
Could be really good and helpful for getting out of a scrape when you roll low. Lots of potential and can be the dude that’s great at everything. Another thing is I just like the idea of an overly dramatic thief. You can make yourself one of those villains who rob not for money but to be famous.
Characterwise it is great. As long as you focus on your character and what you want to do you will be fine. That said when you compare it to others at the table it may suffer.
For combat damage every two levels of bard cost you 1d6 sneak, and for spellcasting every two levels of bard hurts your spell casting progression. While your increased versatility will be awesome if you compare yourself to other full casters at the table your lack of slots and lack of higher level spells will stand out. For martial damage you will always feel just a little bit behind, and rogues can already feel a little behind (and bards almost always do). Even a swords bard/rogue will be waiting longer for extra attack and they don't usually get it until 6th already.
There are a couple of delays that will be painful: 1. Delaying 3rd level Bard (or at least 3rd caster level). The jump from 2 to 3 doubles spell slots and is an underrated power jump that you really feel when you multiclass a martial and a caster. 2. Delaying 5th level Bard. The jump in power level from 2nd level spells to 3rd level spells is a big deal. Also font of inspiration is a really big deal.
Good luck. Characterwise you can still make something interesting and if you take it high enough it will work out fine.
PLEASE NOTE: This build isn’t necessarily a good build this is just for some idea of what you could do for a rogue/bard multiclass. By all means use this character, but some adjustments may be required for optimisation.
With that said, here is what I came up with. Enjoy!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________ Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
My friend's bream character is a halfling rogue/bard
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Sorry, but I'm inactive in the forums right now.
Commanding nothing less than the power to create life, many battle smiths turn their genius toward forging technologically remarkable puppies and kitties.
So. Rogue/bard multiclass. I want to know your thoughts. Would it be good? Would it suck? It would be a charisma based rogue multiclass with bard, which makes sense, because bards have a lot of charisma. The idea is that the bard aspect would lure people close so she could pickpocket. Tell me your thoughts below:
Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
I am not a furry, I am a fishie.
I have started multiclassing with the bard for the proficiencies and it has really worked out. I think that it is a great idea
Pronouns, They/Them/She/Her
Neither one of us can survive without the other. Forget host. Forget symbiote. There is only Carnage.
Once a winner, always a winner
I win... Most of the time...
Unbeatable
Petal in the Wind!
I guess it depends a lot on what type of Bard you're trying to build; the two extra Expertise from Rogue is great for really doubling down on strong skill checks, thieves' cant might open up opportunities, and Sneak Attack can make your attacks hit a tiny bit harder.
The main problem with multiclassing a Bard with Rogue is that it will slow down your Bard's spell progression; one level in Rogue means you'll be a level behind on your next spell level (e.g- at 7th-level you'll still only have 3rd-level spells if you go Bard 6/Rogue 1, whereas other casters will have got their first 4th-level spell), and the more levels of Rogue you take, the further behind you'll end up. This isn't necessarily a problem though depending upon what role in the party your Bard fulfils, as Bards have plenty of excellent lower level support spells and other shenanigans they can play with.
Meanwhile a bit more Rogue could be great if you're playing a more martially oriented Bard like College of Swords or Valor, as if you take three-levels you'll be adding potentially 2d6 damage each turn with two attempts to land it (once you get Extra Attack), and crucially gain Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage or Hide which can make you a lot more mobile and versatile as a bit of a skirmisher, plus 3rd-level also gets you an archetype feature. Mastermind's ranged Help bonus action for example could be great on a Bard for even more (resource free!) support, not to mention even more proficiencies for out of combat chicanery, Phantom or Soul Knife get some very nice powers, Swashbuckler is even more mobile (and can Sneak Attack more easily) etc.
It's hard to say what the best option is for you without knowing more about the character though, and what you want out of it; I took levels in Rogue on a Bard of mine because I wanted him to be more rakish and handy with his rapier, so I went with Swashbuckler and that was a lot of fun. But after a brief hiatus to play as a different character, I realised it wasn't actually quite the right fit for that character specifically, and really I wanted his spellcasting to be more advanced than it was, so my DM let me use the absence as an opportunity to re-spec a bit; part of the problem was I didn't really have a long-term plan for the character, I was just picking things piecemeal each time I levelled up and I'd made a few mistakes.
Sorry, that might not be a helpful aside, but if you have a clear idea for what you want the character to be like then it's a good idea to think about what option(s) fit that the best, which is the thing I didn't do. 😉
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It would be INSANE at role playing. 6 Sets of proficiencies + the ones from your race and background, and then 4 sets of expertise. In combat, it would be more of a ranged rogue, probably sneaking up on a target and then casting Agnazzar’s scorcher on the 9th level. I would probably go swashbuckler for an initiative boost, and then I would also go college of lore bard for more spells and proficiencies. This build could be a force on and off the battle field.
DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
Could be really good and helpful for getting out of a scrape when you roll low. Lots of potential and can be the dude that’s great at everything. Another thing is I just like the idea of an overly dramatic thief. You can make yourself one of those villains who rob not for money but to be famous.
Skyrim!
Also I will cripple your bank accounts.
Characterwise it is great. As long as you focus on your character and what you want to do you will be fine. That said when you compare it to others at the table it may suffer.
For combat damage every two levels of bard cost you 1d6 sneak, and for spellcasting every two levels of bard hurts your spell casting progression. While your increased versatility will be awesome if you compare yourself to other full casters at the table your lack of slots and lack of higher level spells will stand out. For martial damage you will always feel just a little bit behind, and rogues can already feel a little behind (and bards almost always do). Even a swords bard/rogue will be waiting longer for extra attack and they don't usually get it until 6th already.
There are a couple of delays that will be painful:
1. Delaying 3rd level Bard (or at least 3rd caster level). The jump from 2 to 3 doubles spell slots and is an underrated power jump that you really feel when you multiclass a martial and a caster.
2. Delaying 5th level Bard. The jump in power level from 2nd level spells to 3rd level spells is a big deal. Also font of inspiration is a really big deal.
Good luck. Characterwise you can still make something interesting and if you take it high enough it will work out fine.
Here is an example of a build of this type:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/113175287/builder/home/basic
PLEASE NOTE: This build isn’t necessarily a good build this is just for some idea of what you could do for a rogue/bard multiclass. By all means use this character, but some adjustments may be required for optimisation.
With that said, here is what I came up with. Enjoy!
DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew
My friend's bream character is a halfling rogue/bard
Sorry, but I'm inactive in the forums right now.
I’m playing one too. It is SO BROKEN! Expertise in the most important skills, and if I roll a 1, I can just roll it again!
DM: “Who’s your patron?”
Warlock: “Ummm”
DM: “Hurry Up”
Warlock: “yOu”
*All other players look at each other with utter fear*
__________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my homebrew: My Homebrew