Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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We are doing a one-shot campaign in a spooky Halloween setting for October. I rolled my spooky character and got a changeling rogue, and then I decided to go with Swashbuckler. When looking into Swashbuckler, I realized that it uses Charisma a lot, which I thought was cool. That made me wonder if I could multiclass into Bard, and College of Swords seems like a really good fit. I’m stuck, though, because I don’t really understand how to build the character. I’m not very good at building characters yet, and I would really appreciate some help.
Character Information
Base Ability Scores
Wayfarer Ability Increases
Final Ability Scores
I really want Nix to use a rapier because I feel like it fits him better. However, I’m unsure whether I should stick with the rapier or use a shortsword and dagger instead. I would really appreciate some input on which option would work better for this build.
For a 5th level character it is almost always worse to MC than to go straight classed.
Why is multiclassing usually worse for a fifth-level character? Does Rogue or Bard get something especially important at level 5 that I would be missing? We expect to gain about four levels and finish around level 9, so would the multiclass become worthwhile by then?
Consider:
Swords Bard-5 : BI recharge on a short rest = 3d6 extra damage per short rest + 2x 3rd level spells, 3x 2nd level spells, 4x 1st level spells
Rogue-5 : Sneak Attack = 3d6, Uncanny Dodge (1/2 damage on one attack every round)
Rogue-4 : Sneak Attack = 2d6 + Swords Bard-1 : 3x 1d6 extra damage per day + 2x 1st level Healing Words (11-15 hp of healing)
In words, Rogue-5 gets more damage and more survivability than the MC, whereas the Swords Bard-5 can cast a good (level 2-3) concentration spell every combat in addition to using their weapons to deal damage.
It's more context-dependent, but in general even at level 9 the multiclass is weaker strong than either one as a single class. Evasion (Rogue-7) is an extremely powerful boost to survivability, which will generally be better than getting 2nd level spells, similarly 4th and 5th level Bard spells are in general stronger than 1-2 Sneak Attack dice and Cunning Action. Bard and Rogue don't synergize well as a multiclass because they have opposing roles in the party, Rogue is an infiltrator outside of combat and Striker in combat, whereas Bard is a social character outside of combat and support/controller in combat.
Rogue multiclasses much better with other strikers such as Fighter, Paladin, Ranger or even Barbarian or Warlock, Bard is pretty much the worst class to multiclass a rogue with (Though Artificer, Druid and Cleric are also poor choices). The main purpose of multiclassing a rogue and bard is to get proficiency/expertise is as many skills as possible.
That said, if you really want to multiclass Swords-Bard-6 then Rogue-3 isn't terrible, basically plays like a Swords-Bard but with 2d6 extra sneak attack damage and stuck with just 3rd level spells.
This is the part I got stuck on the most. No matter which way I pulled it, the build just felt terrible. Seeing your data really helped me put everything into perspective. What I wanted out of this character isn’t what I was actually getting, so I think I’m probably going to take him in a different direction. Thank you for your help and for helping me see it in a more mechanical way.
If you want to keep some mechanical support for the high-charisma character then you could take the Inspiring Leader feat at level 4, and/or the Musician Background feat. Alternatively, Rogue-Warlock can work well if you are very strategic in the subclass of Warlock you pick.
I decided to roll a new character because I couldn’t get the Rogue/Bard build to play the way I wanted. I’m keeping the name Nix Shaw, but he is now a level 5 Plagueborn Monk with the Wayfarer background and the Warrior of the Pestilent Haze subclass.
stats are STR 9, DEX 17, CON 14, INT 12, WIS 16, and CHA 10. I’m currently deciding between Grappler and Speedy for his level 4 feat.
If you intend to grapple enemies often, Grappler is definitely the better choice to take as early as possible. Monks already get a lot of movement speed, and if you are grappling your enemies you won't be needing to worry about an Opportunity Attack since you will be staying in melee range anyways. Grappler will let you both hit and grab your enemy, drag them across the battlefield at your full speed, then attack them with Advantage.
If you intend to mostly be a skirmisher, running in to hit your enemies then darting away, then Speedy will be the better pick.
"Miasmic Plague. When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can expend 1 Focus Point to force the creature to succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be cursed for 1 minute. While cursed, the creature has the Poisoned condition, and it takes extra Necrotic damage from your Unarmed Strikes equal to one roll of your Martial Arts die. A creature can take this damage only once per turn. The creature repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
If you forego the extra damage granted by Claws of Pestilence, you can use Miasmic Plague without paying its Focus Point cost."
the subclass has this so, im thinking Speedy to run around and poison dudes.