One of the best multi-classers are warlock/sorcorer builds called the sorlock. They go Warlock only enough for Eldritch blast with the invocation adding charisma.
Then use sorcerer to just SPAM the hell out of quickened Eldritch blasts in combat. They take few (if any) other combat spells and mainly pick their spells for non-combat purposes.
You can do the same with even MORE low level spells via some bard levels, as you don't care that much about sorcerer spells. You will now a lot of low level spells and not that many high level ones.
I'd recommend some edits. I'd drop bard altogether and go warlock3/sorcerer17. I'd change the high elf to a half elf (extra skills, better charisma). You can be a noble, without the noble background. I'd start off as the sorcerer with the entertainer background making you into a somewhat "quasi bard". perhaps you're tied to the feywild because your mother was a human bard who wandered into the fey wild accidently and after she returned...you were born. Your father is fey, and that's why you are so closely tied to the fey wild...perhaps he becomes your patron.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
crzyhawk is right. Unless they want the bard for the skills, role playing aspects, or the few class abilities, there is no real reason to burn the levels on it. Warlock 3 and Sorcerer 17 is the best way to go for power. That way you can get the 9th level spells with Sorcerer that you could not do with adding in the bard levels.
crzyhawk is right. Unless they want the bard for the skills, role playing aspects, or the few class abilities, there is no real reason to burn the levels on it. Warlock 3 and Sorcerer 17 is the best way to go for power. That way you can get the 9th level spells with Sorcerer that you could not do with adding in the bard levels.
Assuming that power and 9th level spells was your goal. Versatility also has power and adding the bard levels would give you that versatility. You just have to know the costs.
crzyhawk is right. Unless they want the bard for the skills, role playing aspects, or the few class abilities, there is no real reason to burn the levels on it. Warlock 3 and Sorcerer 17 is the best way to go for power. That way you can get the 9th level spells with Sorcerer that you could not do with adding in the bard levels.
Assuming that power and 9th level spells was your goal. Versatility also has power and adding the bard levels would give you that versatility. You just have to know the costs.
This! Planning for 9th level spells is nice and all but it's a little shortsighted to focus all character development on 20th level. I myself have played in and ran several games that crept above the 15th level mark but of those only two ever hit 20 or higher. And never did we play for long once that level was attained.
I am banking on Eldritch Blast to carry me most of the way as a combat option. In my mind, once I get 3 levels of warlock and 4 or 5 with sorcerer the rest is an open field. So the question is: What will best carry through those higher levels?
Levels of sorcerer will add to my sorcery points and gain me higher level spells. In addition, if I take wild magic like I want, I'll eventually get Controlled Chaos somewhere around 17th level which can be powerful.
Levels of bard would add a lot of versatility. If I take glamour, the Mantle of Inspiration can be pretty handy. Not to mention the skills, wider selection of spells, and other class features a bard gets. The bard also gets a few more spells known over those levels as well (10 additional for sorcerer versus 15 for bard).
So is levels 5 to 16 of sorcerer better on the whole then levels 1 to 12 of bard? Trying to think what 7th, 8th and 9th level spells that would be so important. Besides wish of course. :)
What you want to remember is the more you thin your skills while you level, the weaker your spells will be while you're leveling. While your partners have 4th and 5th level spells, you will have 2nd level spells. The question is, what are you looking for out of your character? Eldritch blast will carry your damage certainly, but that's not everything.
I played a sorlock, with only a two level dip up to 7ish. Frankly, it was a mistake. I wish I'd have stayed single class. the two levels of warlock were not worth the price of delaying my sorcerer progression. I looked at myself as a sorcerer with a dab of warlock. I'm currently playing a bard lock, at level 3. I'm primarily a warlock, with a dab of bard, and I do /not/ regret delaying my warlock progression a little. if I felt like I was primarily a bard, I'd probably be frustrated with the delay.
My opinion of a bard/sorcerer/warlock? It can do a lot of stuff, and none of it very well. I don't recommend it at all, but if that's what you /really/ want to do, then by all means do it. Don't be surprised though when your magic feels extremely weak because you simply do not have access to high enough spells at any given time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Mainly it comes down to a few things. Is it going to be fun to play is the first one. The rest is more based on how the adventure runs. Is a lower power character with a wide variety of abilities better than one devoted to one class?
I like having a lit of little abilities as I can almost always find a use for them. And with skills difficult to get in 5e, starting as a bard gets an extra skill and Jack of all trades gets you 1/2 proficiency. That may be worth the Bard levels over the very diminished spell casting power.
A someone who's playing a bard/warlock presently, 1/2 proficiency on my skills isn't good compensation for lower level spells. There are plenty of reasons why I am happy with my choice to MC bard, but JoaT is not on the list.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
I'm planning on making a Bard(Lore)14/Warlock(GOO-tome)3/Sorcerer(Divine Magic)3
The reasoning is because I want to get as many spells that I can that I like (there are only a few higher level spells that really speaks to me) I prefer the spells on the lower level side. Even Revivify can be more helpful than a Resurrection spell.
Spells that I would feel I have missed out on: Bard: Power Word Heal, True Polymorph Sorcerer: Gate, Time Stop (I would put Wish here as well but if my DM is anything like me when it comes to this spell, then it'd hurt me more than be helpful) Warlock: Demiplane, True Polymorph
The Barderlock... and yes I will take the credit for naming this particular multiclass, thank you ;)
If you want to play this multiclass optimally, it's the utility spell caster, relying on the most prevalent utility spells and strictly having Eldritch Blast, Sacred Flame and Fireball as the only sources of damage. You don't want this character in the front lines unless you absolutely have to and you don't want to be the main damage output of the group, your role in combat is to sustain the party, to keep them on their feet while holding Bless, Beacon of Hope or Haste on them depending on the situation. Outside combat you can easily become the face of the party due to this being a dedicated CHA build and thanks to all of the utility spells you could pick up (many of which you could even ritual cast).
You should start off as a Bard on level1, then take a single level in Sorcerer and Warlock in any order. I personally prioritize Warlock levels above all for the sake of Invocations and the Pact and I'm going 3 extra levels of Warlock after picking up all three classes. The build reaches a fork in the road at level7, at this point the decision of prioritizing either Bard or Sorcerer levels largely depends on the group composition, the main factor being the ability to cover any aspect the group is missing out on. You should keep in mind that the strongest spells you are ever going to be able to pick will be level5.
You will go 6 levels of Lore Bard, 10 levels of Divine Soul Sorcerer and 4 levels of Celestial Warlock (Pact of the Chain, Devil's Sight + Voice of the Chain Master Invocations). You will be using your Action mainly to cast and maintain the buffs on yourself and your allies, or to heal them using Cure Wounds through your familiar or via Distant Metamagic or Mass Heal spells when you acquire them. Your Bonus Action will be mainly dedicated to applying Bardic Inspiration and Healing Light rather than burning spellslots to recover Metamagic. Healing Word for Bonus Action is somewhat redundant but it's a good contingency to have. Quickening Eldritch Blast should definitely be the lowest mark on your priority list and you should only resort to it in clutch situations when that extra damage counts the most and effectively removes enemies from combat.
Alternatively you could drop two levels of Bard and dip deeper into the Warlock, changing the build into the 4-10-6 variant, in which case you should probably change your focus to the Pact of the Tome to acquire the Book of Ancient Secrets Invocation and become able to get all of the ritual spells up to level3, along with the Aspect of the Moon Invocation to become the perfect sentry and point and laugh at the damn Elves and their precious little 4 hour trance. Still, going Tome is not something I would recommend, since you would be giving up on two Additional Magical Secrets from the Lore Bard and the Inspiration Dice increase, along with the familiar versatility. All in all, it's your choice, so choose wisely.
Since the Barderlock gains access to only 4 Ability Score Improvements, you should dedicate to maxing out CHA and picking Resilient (CON) and War Caster. As far as skills go, you should definitely pick proficiency in Acrobatics to avoid grapples and increase your AC. CHA is your main asset and you should slam it up to 20 as soon as possible, DEX should be your 2nd highest score followed by CON or WIS, depending on how you flavor your character.
The main strength of the build is it's insane versatility up to reaching level5, mainly due to having 10 cantrips and more spells than any single class build could acquire at that point. Sadly there's a serious drop after 5th level since that's the moment when the drawbacks of multiclassing kick in. While other characters are acquiring Extra Attacks and level3 spells such as Fireball, the Barderlock will still be mainly stuck with level 1 and 2 spells for quite a while. This power drop lasts for as long as the Barderlock doesn't manage to take 5 levels in Sorcerer to gain access to level3 Cleric and Sorcerer spells or 6 levels in Bard to gain the two Additional Magical Secrets (which will most likely be taken by Counterspell and Fireball).
Not going to lie... This build does require dedication to research, constantly weighing your options on what to pick and what to lose at every corner. It also involves a lot of number crunching and situational awareness, so it's a pretty demanding build for newcomers. Although I'm still fine-tunning the build, I have to admit I relish in playing it, since I've entered D&D from the MMORPG realm of gaming and I'm a dedicated healer / support. I relish in buffing and healing others and I wouldn't have my characters any other way :)
Fascinating build, I might have to give that one a try. One note, proficiency in Acrobatics doesn't increase AC.
I might consider Vicious Mockery as a damaging cantrip, but more for those moments when you want to do some damage and want to throw some utility around, but don't want to (or can't) quicken a spell.
Also, starting as a bard will mean that you will have to buy a component pouch or another arcane focus for sorcerer and/or warlock spells unless your DM is willing to hand wave that requirement.
Edit: Also, Bard will be your only ritual casting class. Find out if your DM will limit you to casting only spells taken with bard classes as ritual spells (Tomelock with Book of Ancient Secrets does change that). Some DMs may only require that the spell be on the Bard spell list and not care which class took it, while some might require that the spell be taken with Bard.
Yeah, sorry, pretty long text which I edited multiple times so I somehow forgot that AC bit. I'm aware Acrobatics doesn't affect it but they are both tied to DEX... still, imma leave that mistake in, would be stupid to fix it retroactively now :)
If you want to dedicate the build to Ritual Casting, refer to my 4-10-6 mix suggestion. Alternatively, you could also take the Ritual Caster feat due to 80% of all ritual spells being available through the Wizard spell list, but I wouldn't recommend it since you're already giving up on one ASI when you multiclass like this.
As for the Arcane focus, it really doesn't matter what it is as long as your character has at least one hand occupied with it. It honestly wouldn't make much sense for a character to have more than a single Arcane focus just because of multiclassing... Speaking of which, if you DO decide to play this multiclass, you should be aware that it's pretty nightmarish to implement the multiclass storywise into the campaign, so you should do your backstory homework in advance to spare your GM the headaches. The best way of resolving this is to start the character off as level3, otherwise the lore gets pretty lobsided...
For the arcane focus, I was just referring to the fact that bard starts without gaining an arcane focus. They pick up an instrument that they can use as one for their bard spells, but RAW Sorcerer and Warlock can't use those.
Lore Bard is actually a good jumping off point for background reasons since they are collectors of knowledge. Particularly if Arcana is one of your skills, you can use the researcher aspect (maybe with the Sage background for added oomph with the tie ins) to discover the pact for Warlock and that you are doing something innately periodically that you finally figure out when you get your Sorcerer levels. The Sorcerer aspect is basically Luke Skywalker discovering his connection to the force or Harry Potter being able to make the glass disappear in the zoo and speak Parseltongue in flavor.
After having built one of these a few levels in (Bard 1/Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4) I'd agree that the Pact of the Chain is probably the optimal way to go. I was running out of cantrips that I wanted to take from a utility aspect. While there were a few more available, and I could have picked up 3 more without getting explicitly attack cantrips, that wouldn't have left much for any other casters to have a utility niche. Understanding that the Tome cantrips can come from any spell list, you've already got Sorcerer, Warlock, Bard and Cleric (from Divine Soul and Sacred Flame and Light from Celestial Warlock. That only leaves Artificer, Druid, and Wizard for spell lists that you don't have the full list to select unique spells from and there is a fair amount of overlap with those spell lists with the ones you have already. Perhaps the variant build would work if the casters in the party were limited and/or wanted to focus on being blasters and having lots of different effects associated with their attacks and be able to target multiple saves. I'll also agree that the ritual caster option works best with Tomelock, particularly since Ritual Caster (Wizard) feat would be an extra burden on the ASIs for this build.
Invocations. This was surprisingly hard for me to narrow down. I ended up with Repelling Blast for added utility and Misty Visions to add another spell known (and castable at will). There are several that didn't fit the theme for me and I wasn't sure that I wanted the cast once using a warlock slot when I could usually get those and cast them with whatever slot with by other spell lists. However, this might be the time for those to really shine since you may not want them as frequently and it still fits the theme of more breadth than depth utility.
I like this idea.
One of the best multi-classers are warlock/sorcorer builds called the sorlock. They go Warlock only enough for Eldritch blast with the invocation adding charisma.
Then use sorcerer to just SPAM the hell out of quickened Eldritch blasts in combat. They take few (if any) other combat spells and mainly pick their spells for non-combat purposes.
You can do the same with even MORE low level spells via some bard levels, as you don't care that much about sorcerer spells. You will now a lot of low level spells and not that many high level ones.
I'd recommend some edits. I'd drop bard altogether and go warlock3/sorcerer17. I'd change the high elf to a half elf (extra skills, better charisma). You can be a noble, without the noble background. I'd start off as the sorcerer with the entertainer background making you into a somewhat "quasi bard". perhaps you're tied to the feywild because your mother was a human bard who wandered into the fey wild accidently and after she returned...you were born. Your father is fey, and that's why you are so closely tied to the fey wild...perhaps he becomes your patron.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
crzyhawk is right. Unless they want the bard for the skills, role playing aspects, or the few class abilities, there is no real reason to burn the levels on it. Warlock 3 and Sorcerer 17 is the best way to go for power. That way you can get the 9th level spells with Sorcerer that you could not do with adding in the bard levels.
Assuming that power and 9th level spells was your goal. Versatility also has power and adding the bard levels would give you that versatility. You just have to know the costs.
This! Planning for 9th level spells is nice and all but it's a little shortsighted to focus all character development on 20th level. I myself have played in and ran several games that crept above the 15th level mark but of those only two ever hit 20 or higher. And never did we play for long once that level was attained.
I am banking on Eldritch Blast to carry me most of the way as a combat option. In my mind, once I get 3 levels of warlock and 4 or 5 with sorcerer the rest is an open field. So the question is: What will best carry through those higher levels?
Levels of sorcerer will add to my sorcery points and gain me higher level spells. In addition, if I take wild magic like I want, I'll eventually get Controlled Chaos somewhere around 17th level which can be powerful.
Levels of bard would add a lot of versatility. If I take glamour, the Mantle of Inspiration can be pretty handy. Not to mention the skills, wider selection of spells, and other class features a bard gets. The bard also gets a few more spells known over those levels as well (10 additional for sorcerer versus 15 for bard).
So is levels 5 to 16 of sorcerer better on the whole then levels 1 to 12 of bard? Trying to think what 7th, 8th and 9th level spells that would be so important. Besides wish of course. :)
Current Characters I am playing: Dr Konstantin van Wulf | Taegen Willowrun | Mad Magnar
Check out my homebrew: Items | Monsters | Spells | Subclasses | Feats
What you want to remember is the more you thin your skills while you level, the weaker your spells will be while you're leveling. While your partners have 4th and 5th level spells, you will have 2nd level spells. The question is, what are you looking for out of your character? Eldritch blast will carry your damage certainly, but that's not everything.
I played a sorlock, with only a two level dip up to 7ish. Frankly, it was a mistake. I wish I'd have stayed single class. the two levels of warlock were not worth the price of delaying my sorcerer progression. I looked at myself as a sorcerer with a dab of warlock. I'm currently playing a bard lock, at level 3. I'm primarily a warlock, with a dab of bard, and I do /not/ regret delaying my warlock progression a little. if I felt like I was primarily a bard, I'd probably be frustrated with the delay.
My opinion of a bard/sorcerer/warlock? It can do a lot of stuff, and none of it very well. I don't recommend it at all, but if that's what you /really/ want to do, then by all means do it. Don't be surprised though when your magic feels extremely weak because you simply do not have access to high enough spells at any given time.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Mainly it comes down to a few things. Is it going to be fun to play is the first one. The rest is more based on how the adventure runs. Is a lower power character with a wide variety of abilities better than one devoted to one class?
I like having a lit of little abilities as I can almost always find a use for them. And with skills difficult to get in 5e, starting as a bard gets an extra skill and Jack of all trades gets you 1/2 proficiency. That may be worth the Bard levels over the very diminished spell casting power.
A someone who's playing a bard/warlock presently, 1/2 proficiency on my skills isn't good compensation for lower level spells. There are plenty of reasons why I am happy with my choice to MC bard, but JoaT is not on the list.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
I'm planning on making a Bard(Lore)14/Warlock(GOO-tome)3/Sorcerer(Divine Magic)3
The reasoning is because I want to get as many spells that I can that I like (there are only a few higher level spells that really speaks to me)
I prefer the spells on the lower level side. Even Revivify can be more helpful than a Resurrection spell.
Spells that I would feel I have missed out on:
Bard: Power Word Heal, True Polymorph
Sorcerer: Gate, Time Stop (I would put Wish here as well but if my DM is anything like me when it comes to this spell, then it'd hurt me more than be helpful)
Warlock: Demiplane, True Polymorph
That's only 5 spells. I can live without them.
Fascinating build, I might have to give that one a try. One note, proficiency in Acrobatics doesn't increase AC.
I might consider Vicious Mockery as a damaging cantrip, but more for those moments when you want to do some damage and want to throw some utility around, but don't want to (or can't) quicken a spell.
Also, starting as a bard will mean that you will have to buy a component pouch or another arcane focus for sorcerer and/or warlock spells unless your DM is willing to hand wave that requirement.
Edit: Also, Bard will be your only ritual casting class. Find out if your DM will limit you to casting only spells taken with bard classes as ritual spells (Tomelock with Book of Ancient Secrets does change that). Some DMs may only require that the spell be on the Bard spell list and not care which class took it, while some might require that the spell be taken with Bard.
For the arcane focus, I was just referring to the fact that bard starts without gaining an arcane focus. They pick up an instrument that they can use as one for their bard spells, but RAW Sorcerer and Warlock can't use those.
Lore Bard is actually a good jumping off point for background reasons since they are collectors of knowledge. Particularly if Arcana is one of your skills, you can use the researcher aspect (maybe with the Sage background for added oomph with the tie ins) to discover the pact for Warlock and that you are doing something innately periodically that you finally figure out when you get your Sorcerer levels. The Sorcerer aspect is basically Luke Skywalker discovering his connection to the force or Harry Potter being able to make the glass disappear in the zoo and speak Parseltongue in flavor.
After having built one of these a few levels in (Bard 1/Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4) I'd agree that the Pact of the Chain is probably the optimal way to go. I was running out of cantrips that I wanted to take from a utility aspect. While there were a few more available, and I could have picked up 3 more without getting explicitly attack cantrips, that wouldn't have left much for any other casters to have a utility niche. Understanding that the Tome cantrips can come from any spell list, you've already got Sorcerer, Warlock, Bard and Cleric (from Divine Soul and Sacred Flame and Light from Celestial Warlock. That only leaves Artificer, Druid, and Wizard for spell lists that you don't have the full list to select unique spells from and there is a fair amount of overlap with those spell lists with the ones you have already. Perhaps the variant build would work if the casters in the party were limited and/or wanted to focus on being blasters and having lots of different effects associated with their attacks and be able to target multiple saves. I'll also agree that the ritual caster option works best with Tomelock, particularly since Ritual Caster (Wizard) feat would be an extra burden on the ASIs for this build.
Invocations. This was surprisingly hard for me to narrow down. I ended up with Repelling Blast for added utility and Misty Visions to add another spell known (and castable at will). There are several that didn't fit the theme for me and I wasn't sure that I wanted the cast once using a warlock slot when I could usually get those and cast them with whatever slot with by other spell lists. However, this might be the time for those to really shine since you may not want them as frequently and it still fits the theme of more breadth than depth utility.