Spell casting multiclass

[Snig]

Guys, I have a question regarding multiclassing and spell slots. Say for example I was a Paladin 16 / Bard 4. Do the Bard spell slots (Four 1st, and Three 2nd lvl spells) stack with my spell slots of the Paladin (also Four 1st, and Three 2nd) for a total of 8 first level spells and 6 second level spells? And can I choose 8 first level spells from either spell list?

[tieren]

Guys, I have a question regarding multiclassing and spell slots. Say for example I was a Paladin 16 / Bard 4. Do the Bard spell slots (Four 1st, and Three 2nd lvl spells) stack with my spell slots of the Paladin (also Four 1st, and Three 2nd) for a total of 8 first level spells and 6 second level spells? And can I choose 8 first level spells from either spell list?

You become a multiclass caster and use the rules on pp 164-165 in the PHB.

Basically you get one caster level for each level of a full caster class, one for every two levels of a 1/2 caster class (paladin and ranger), and one for every three levels of a 1/3 caster class (arcane trickster or eldritch knight).

In your example of a paladin 16/Bard 4, you would get 8 caster levels from the paladin and 4 from the bard making you a 12 th level multiclass caster for purposes of the table on 165. (you would have 4 1st level slots, 3 2nd, 3 3rd, 3 4th, 2 5th, and 1 6th)

Nevermind you don't know any spells of the higher level slots, you can just upcast your known spells.

[DemonSlayer6]

The amount of spell slots you have when you multiclass are dependent upon the total "Caster Level" or CL. The formula is 1 CL for every level in Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorceress, and Wizard ("Full Casters"), 1 CL for every two levels of Paladin or Ranger ("half casters"), and 1 CL for every three levels of Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster.

So as a Paladin 16, you have CL 8; as a Bard 4, you have a CL 4. Your total Caster Level is thus 8+4, or 12.

You thus have 4 1st-level spell slots, 3 2nd/3rd/4th-level spell slots, 2 5th-level spell slots, and 1 6th-level spell slots.

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As to the amount of spells you know, you know exactly how many spells as each class permits as though your other levels in the other class don't exist.


Paladins are able to prepare spells each day; the specific amount is your Charisma modifier plus half of your Paladin level. So if your Charisma is maxed at 20, you have 5 spells plus 8, for 13 Paladin spells that you can prepare. Note that none of these can be 5th-level Paladin spells because "Paladin 16" does not have access to 5th-level Paladin spells and thus a "Paladin 16" cannot prepare any 5th-level Paladin spells.
Bards know a specific amount of spells. Bard 4 grants you 3 cantrips (at-will spells, always prepared and cannot be changed) and 7 (normal, spell-slot-using) spells (always prepared, but you can only change one at a time and only when you gain a level in Bard). And you cannot know 3rd-level or higher Bard spells because "Bard 4" does not have access to 3rd-level or higher Bard spells.


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In short, there is no way to get 8 1st-level spell slots. Unless you are a sorcerer and burn your sorcery points to make 1st-level spell slots them temporarily...but then why not just cast the 1st-level spell using a higher-level slot?

[Daishain]

In short, there is no way to get 8 1st-level spell slots. Unless you are a sorcerer and burn your sorcery points to make 1st-level spell slots them temporarily...but then why not just cast the 1st-level spell using a higher-level slot?
By default rules yes. The spellpoint variant rules however care not one whit how many first level spells you burn through so long as you can pay for it.

As for casting it in a higher slot, not all spells scale, and many of those scale very poorly. There is indeed good reason to seek more low level slots.

[Malifice]

Guys, I have a question regarding multiclassing and spell slots. Say for example I was a Paladin 16 / Bard 4. Do the Bard spell slots (Four 1st, and Three 2nd lvl spells) stack with my spell slots of the Paladin (also Four 1st, and Three 2nd) for a total of 8 first level spells and 6 second level spells? And can I choose 8 first level spells from either spell list?

A Paladin 16 / Bard 4 casts spells as a single 12th level 'full' caster (half paladin [8] + full bard [4]).

Its contained in the chapter 'multiclassing' in the PHB.

[Ciraq]

One thing that I was never clear on after reading the CL portion in the PHB was what happens when first dipping into a non full caster class. In this example, if a level 4 bard takes 1 level in paladin, would that character still only have CL 4, and then CL 5 with a second paladin level?

[Ruslan]

One thing that I was never clear on after reading the CL portion in the PHB was what happens when first dipping into a non full caster class. In this example, if a level 4 bard takes 1 level in paladin, would that character still only have CL 4, and then CL 5 with a second paladin level?Precisely.

Bard 4/Paladin 1 = CL 4.5 (rounds to 4)
Bard 4/Paladin 2 = CL 5

[Atalas]

[LIST]
Paladins are able to prepare spells each day; the specific amount is your Wisdom modifier plus half of your Paladin level.

Paladins are Charisma based casters.

[Malifice]

One thing that I was never clear on after reading the CL portion in the PHB was what happens when first dipping into a non full caster class. In this example, if a level 4 bard takes 1 level in paladin, would that character still only have CL 4, and then CL 5 with a second paladin level?

Your round fractions down. It's very clear.

For Paladin (half caster) 1 + Bard (full caster) 4:

Half of one = 1/2 (rounded down to 0).

Add 0 to 4.

=4.

[DemonSlayer6]

Paladins are Charisma based casters.

Thanks; I mistyped and didn't realize it. It's corrected now.