Hi there! I'm relatively unexperienced with dnd. I played in a after school group when I was 12 but other than that I don't know much. I've been thinking about getting back into it and I've begin to play with the idea of a paladin rogue. Strength and dexterity sounds like a fun duo and the idea of roleplaying as a combination of two classes that are typically polar opposites sounds fun! I'm just wondering what such a build would look like. Could I run a great sword sneak attack? Can I smite with my sneak attack? What levels would you take?That kinda stuff. Thanks!
Depending on how strict your DM is… the biggest problem Multi classing a paladin is making sure the playing of your other class doesn't violate your paladins oath. So properly pairing your subclasses can make or break your experience.
Being an ancients paladin (being and fostering the light for others) and at the same time being a cold-hearted assassin Will be difficult to maintain. On the other hand being a devotion paladin and a thief rogue go well together because its just what needs to be done for your patron. Likewise pairing rogue assassin with vengeance or conquest paladin would blend nicely.
You don't actually need STR and DEX, you only need one of those.
You will need a finesse weapon to use Sneak Attack, so great sword is out. Smite doesn't have any restrictions except it must be a melee weapon attack, so they can stack - a crit would be very impressive. Your best bet is Rapier/Shield. If you go STR, you'll want heavy armor, if you go DEX, medium or light. Cunning Action will allow you to be very mobile, so you can always be where you need to be.
Another option would be to use the Double Scimitar (you need to be a Valenar elf for proficiency unless you work something out with your DM). This wouldn't fully work until level 4 though when you get your first feat, which you can use to make DS a finesse weapon.
You don't actually need STR and DEX, you only need one of those.
You will need a finesse weapon to use Sneak Attack, so great sword is out. Smite doesn't have any restrictions except it must be a melee weapon attack, so they can stack - a crit would be very impressive. Your best bet is Rapier/Shield. If you go STR, you'll want heavy armor, if you go DEX, medium or light. Cunning Action will allow you to be very mobile, so you can always be where you need to be.
Another option would be to use the Double Scimitar (you need to be a Valenar elf for proficiency unless you work something out with your DM). This wouldn't fully work until level 4 though when you get your first feat, which you can use to make DS a finesse weapon.
Actually, you need Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma for a Paladin-Rogue multiclass.
Actually, you need Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma for a Paladin-Rogue multiclass.
You'd need STR 13 to multiclass, but you don't need higher than that. Looking at the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), for example, you could take a variant human and have 12+1 STR, 15+1 DEX, 14 CHA and divide the 8, 10 and 13 between the others however you'd like. Plus, you get a feat. If you're using Tasha's rules, you could swap the +1 to WIS/INT the Valenar Elf gets to have a STR of 13 and use the build you suggested above. Lastly, if you're rolling for scores, you have a good chance to have a better than the standard array anyway.
As for the levels, it really depends on what levels will you get to with the character and what do you want as your "main" class, if at all.
Yeah, I should have clarified. I meant you don't need attack-level STR and DEX. As firecat explains, you need at least 13 in the relevant abilities to multiclass unless your DM overrides that rule.
Actually, you need Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma for a Paladin-Rogue multiclass.
You'd need STR 13 to multiclass, but you don't need higher than that. Looking at the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), for example, you could take a variant human and have 12+1 STR, 15+1 DEX, 14 CHA and divide the 8, 10 and 13 between the others however you'd like. Plus, you get a feat. If you're using Tasha's rules, you could swap the +1 to WIS/INT the Valenar Elf gets to have a STR of 13 and use the build you suggested above. Lastly, if you're rolling for scores, you have a good chance to have a better than the standard array anyway.
As for the levels, it really depends on what levels will you get to with the character and what do you want as your "main" class, if at all.
Haha that's funny. I've rolled for scores 7 times and never gotten four scores of 12 or higher. One time I rolled so badly that they let me reroll right away (the total of my 6 rolls was 59). Statistically, it's only a 57.85% chance that you'll get four scores of 12 or higher.
If we're talking about what scores a certain build needs, there's almost always only going to be one score that you need at attack level unless you're doing a martial Cleric, a Gish, or some weird multi-class. If we're talking about any single class as a two stat class, Paladin is very near the top of that list due to their charisma being their spellcasting modifier and giving them a bonus to saving throws. I'd put them behind martial Clerics on that list, but that's about it.
If we're talking about having 13+ Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma, as well as having a good Constitution score (ideally 14+, but likely just 12 or 13), it's far from guaranteed that someone will roll well enough to get a 12 in Constitution and three other stats at 13+.
Rolling for stats has always been a pain. The dice eater love you what they don't. That's why I prefer to use the point buy system. In which case it's totally doable as long as you don't mind to dump stats. Running the numbers just now for base stats and a total of 27 I was able to get…
14 str, 14 dex, 13 con, 8 int, 9 wis, 14 cha
Throw in race bonuses and so on... Not too bad for lvl one.
Other than the stats possibly being a challenge, a Paladin who is multiclassing with an Inquisitive seems like a good RP possibility, or depending on the oath, a Swashbuckler rogue could be intriguing, using "honor" as a reason for being a rogue. It does seems interesting.
Rolling for stats has always been a pain. The dice eater love you what they don't. That's why I prefer to use the point buy system. In which case it's totally doable as long as you don't mind to dump stats. Running the numbers just now for base stats and a total of 27 I was able to get…
14 str, 14 dex, 13 con, 8 int, 9 wis, 14 cha
Throw in race bonuses and so on... Not too bad for lvl one.
Personally, I don't like point-buy. It almost instantly asks for 15x3 and 8x3 or some other kind of min-max. The one time my DM forced me to use point-buy I just "bought" the standard array.
Actually, you need Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma for a Paladin-Rogue multiclass.
You'd need STR 13 to multiclass, but you don't need higher than that. Looking at the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), for example, you could take a variant human and have 12+1 STR, 15+1 DEX, 14 CHA and divide the 8, 10 and 13 between the others however you'd like. Plus, you get a feat. If you're using Tasha's rules, you could swap the +1 to WIS/INT the Valenar Elf gets to have a STR of 13 and use the build you suggested above. Lastly, if you're rolling for scores, you have a good chance to have a better than the standard array anyway.
As for the levels, it really depends on what levels will you get to with the character and what do you want as your "main" class, if at all.
Haha that's funny. I've rolled for scores 7 times and never gotten four scores of 12 or higher. One time I rolled so badly that they let me reroll right away (the total of my 6 rolls was 59). Statistically, it's only a 57.85% chance that you'll get four scores of 12 or higher.
If we're talking about what scores a certain build needs, there's almost always only going to be one score that you need at attack level unless you're doing a martial Cleric, a Gish, or some weird multi-class. If we're talking about any single class as a two stat class, Paladin is very near the top of that list due to their charisma being their spellcasting modifier and giving them a bonus to saving throws. I'd put them behind martial Clerics on that list, but that's about it.
If we're talking about having 13+ Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma, as well as having a good Constitution score (ideally 14+, but likely just 12 or 13), it's far from guaranteed that someone will roll well enough to get a 12 in Constitution and three other stats at 13+.
Your most likely score per roll is 13, standing at 13.3%, according to this site. 16 is more likely than 9. Though bad rolls do happen, you'd have at least fine scores on average. Sure, we all want 18's or more, but don't forget that the game is balanced for 16 in your most relevant stat at first level. That's why there's no way to get past 17 (with racial traits) using point-buy or standard array.
Also, just for the fun, I'll roll ability scores 7 times and we'll see what we get.
Just two of these have less than 4 scores above 12. Some of them are really strong and, tbh, quite boring. The one with the 5 is, IMO, the most interesting set of the 7.
I actually like it quite a bit. Swashbuckler has good synergy, giving a burst of mobility to the Paladin and using your mandatory charisma for extra initiative. Assassin is also an option if you can trigger the surprises, as you can dump a smite into your auto-crit.
You'll probably want to go Rapier and Shield. You can both smite and sneak attack off of a rapier, and you can pick up dueling fighting style for a bit of extra damage. Stats are gonna be spread a bit thin, as people have already stated.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hi there! I'm relatively unexperienced with dnd. I played in a after school group when I was 12 but other than that I don't know much. I've been thinking about getting back into it and I've begin to play with the idea of a paladin rogue. Strength and dexterity sounds like a fun duo and the idea of roleplaying as a combination of two classes that are typically polar opposites sounds fun! I'm just wondering what such a build would look like. Could I run a great sword sneak attack? Can I smite with my sneak attack? What levels would you take?That kinda stuff. Thanks!
Depending on how strict your DM is… the biggest problem Multi classing a paladin is making sure the playing of your other class doesn't violate your paladins oath. So properly pairing your subclasses can make or break your experience.
Being an ancients paladin (being and fostering the light for others) and at the same time being a cold-hearted assassin Will be difficult to maintain. On the other hand being a devotion paladin and a thief rogue go well together because its just what needs to be done for your patron. Likewise pairing rogue assassin with vengeance or conquest paladin would blend nicely.
You don't actually need STR and DEX, you only need one of those.
You will need a finesse weapon to use Sneak Attack, so great sword is out. Smite doesn't have any restrictions except it must be a melee weapon attack, so they can stack - a crit would be very impressive. Your best bet is Rapier/Shield. If you go STR, you'll want heavy armor, if you go DEX, medium or light. Cunning Action will allow you to be very mobile, so you can always be where you need to be.
Another option would be to use the Double Scimitar (you need to be a Valenar elf for proficiency unless you work something out with your DM). This wouldn't fully work until level 4 though when you get your first feat, which you can use to make DS a finesse weapon.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Actually, you need Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma for a Paladin-Rogue multiclass.
You'd need STR 13 to multiclass, but you don't need higher than that. Looking at the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), for example, you could take a variant human and have 12+1 STR, 15+1 DEX, 14 CHA and divide the 8, 10 and 13 between the others however you'd like. Plus, you get a feat.
If you're using Tasha's rules, you could swap the +1 to WIS/INT the Valenar Elf gets to have a STR of 13 and use the build you suggested above.
Lastly, if you're rolling for scores, you have a good chance to have a better than the standard array anyway.
As for the levels, it really depends on what levels will you get to with the character and what do you want as your "main" class, if at all.
Varielky
Yeah, I should have clarified. I meant you don't need attack-level STR and DEX. As firecat explains, you need at least 13 in the relevant abilities to multiclass unless your DM overrides that rule.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
Haha that's funny. I've rolled for scores 7 times and never gotten four scores of 12 or higher. One time I rolled so badly that they let me reroll right away (the total of my 6 rolls was 59). Statistically, it's only a 57.85% chance that you'll get four scores of 12 or higher.
If we're talking about what scores a certain build needs, there's almost always only going to be one score that you need at attack level unless you're doing a martial Cleric, a Gish, or some weird multi-class. If we're talking about any single class as a two stat class, Paladin is very near the top of that list due to their charisma being their spellcasting modifier and giving them a bonus to saving throws. I'd put them behind martial Clerics on that list, but that's about it.
If we're talking about having 13+ Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma, as well as having a good Constitution score (ideally 14+, but likely just 12 or 13), it's far from guaranteed that someone will roll well enough to get a 12 in Constitution and three other stats at 13+.
Rolling for stats has always been a pain. The dice eater love you what they don't. That's why I prefer to use the point buy system. In which case it's totally doable as long as you don't mind to dump stats. Running the numbers just now for base stats and a total of 27 I was able to get…
14 str, 14 dex, 13 con, 8 int, 9 wis, 14 cha
Throw in race bonuses and so on... Not too bad for lvl one.
Other than the stats possibly being a challenge, a Paladin who is multiclassing with an Inquisitive seems like a good RP possibility, or depending on the oath, a Swashbuckler rogue could be intriguing, using "honor" as a reason for being a rogue. It does seems interesting.
Personally, I don't like point-buy. It almost instantly asks for 15x3 and 8x3 or some other kind of min-max. The one time my DM forced me to use point-buy I just "bought" the standard array.
Your most likely score per roll is 13, standing at 13.3%, according to this site. 16 is more likely than 9. Though bad rolls do happen, you'd have at least fine scores on average. Sure, we all want 18's or more, but don't forget that the game is balanced for 16 in your most relevant stat at first level. That's why there's no way to get past 17 (with racial traits) using point-buy or standard array.
Also, just for the fun, I'll roll ability scores 7 times and we'll see what we get.
Ability scores: 16 8 12 17 9 7
Ability scores: 12 14 15 11 11 13
Ability scores: 12 7 15 15 12 10
Ability scores: 11 8 15 12 12 15
Ability scores: 13 7 13 8 14 11
Ability scores: 12 12 12 17 11 13
Ability scores: 16 10 11 13 13 10
Just two of these have less than 4 scores above 12. Some of them are really strong and, tbh, quite boring. The one with the 5 is, IMO, the most interesting set of the 7.
Varielky
I actually like it quite a bit. Swashbuckler has good synergy, giving a burst of mobility to the Paladin and using your mandatory charisma for extra initiative. Assassin is also an option if you can trigger the surprises, as you can dump a smite into your auto-crit.
You'll probably want to go Rapier and Shield. You can both smite and sneak attack off of a rapier, and you can pick up dueling fighting style for a bit of extra damage. Stats are gonna be spread a bit thin, as people have already stated.