Best Spells for Multiclassing

[MrStabby]

I was wondering what interesting options could be for creating a multiclass caster and what the spells might be.

So the ideal spells are:

Low level;
Scale well cast from a higher spell slot; or
Have an effect that is still important at high level (so bless or shield better than extra damage).

Which ones do people find most useful?

[TopCheese]

I was wondering what interesting options could be for creating a multiclass caster and what the spells might be.

So the ideal spells are:

Low level;
Scale well cast from a higher spell slot; or
Have an effect that is still important at high level (so bless or shield better than extra damage).

Which ones do people find most useful?

Earth Tremor, fan fricken tastic spell for melee focused casters. The damage is meh to a single target but to a horde it's nice. The probe is great at all levels.

Earthbind: Oh no the caster is flying away... Nope.

Dust Devil.

Warding Wind, for all the same reasons Windwall was awesome in 3e. This plus a caster shooting lightning bolts (and people thought I was silly for picking mountain druid) makes for a fun time.

[Citan]

I was wondering what interesting options could be for creating a multiclass caster and what the spells might be.

So the ideal spells are:

Low level;
Scale well cast from a higher spell slot; or
Have an effect that is still important at high level (so bless or shield better than extra damage).

Which ones do people find most useful?
Hi! :)
Fun thread to start, I asked myself the same question a few months ago when creating multiclass PC and NPCs... :)

Please note that I didn't play all classes yet, so some of the options may be counter-argumented by experienced players... ^^

So, to try a concise answer, I'd say...
- All spells that bring a good defense bonus (Shield, Mirror Image, Blur, Mage Armor, Armor of Agathys, Warding Wind)...
- All spells that bring a consistent bonus to damage or hit (Bless, Elemental Weapon, Haste, Hex, Hunter's Mark)
- All spells that bring strong debuff (Slow, Bestow Curse)...
- Spells that can be used in various contexts (Pass Without Trace, Enhance Ability, Fly)...
- Fireball (because ranged, damage, scaling, "low" level, classy).

After that, there are several more dozens of potentially good spells, it depends on builds and taste. I tend to love selecting spells that fill in a somewhat lacking field. Such as choosing a spell that uses a bonus action each turn, because my build has currently no good bonus action.

For example, take a tank-oriented Champion/Battlemaster Fighter: your class provides you no bonus action per se (IIRC), and since you're not spellcaster you have no use for your Concentration. Dipping into Cleric would give you immediately useful and always relevant spells such as Bless or Command, and going to 5 would give you Spiritual Guardian: concentration, bonus action.

An (often) underestimated spell for martials would be Expeditious Retreat: it uses your concentration but provides same mobility as Rogue's Cunning action.
Another one is Absorb Elements: just the "half damage" could save your ass a few times, and extra damage scales very nicely.

@TopCheese: why is Dust Devil in your recommendations? I must have missed the potential of this spell, I found it nice for fluff but a bit lacklusting... Is it because the potential heavily-obscured area?

[TopCheese]

@TopCheese: why is Dust Devil in your recommendations? I must have missed the potential of this spell, I found it nice for fluff but a bit lacklusting... Is it because the potential heavily-obscured area?

Failed save = 1d8 damage and pushed 10'. I don't care about the damage that much. You can move it 30' with a bonus action.

Mix this with the Warlock evocation that lets you push creatures 10' and you have yourself a party.

It also gives a melee type (who will have decent Con like the fighter) a way to keep enemies away from squishes and near them.

I need to get going so I'll post more about why this spell is fantastic later. Sorry I totally forgot to add why to my post.

[Dimolyth]

Bestrow Curse - starting from 5th level, no concentration - that means, stacking with any other debuff.

Major Image - at 6th level it is really awesome. You can just make it to be your suit, and travel with it for a whole campagn. Ok, maybe unless your DM invokes a dispell magic upon you.

Shield, Absorb Elements, Counterspell. Reactions that save a day at any level of adventuring.

Blindness/Deafness, Enchance Ability, Bless and everything that gets +1 target per level. Having a lot of mass spells for any situation - it is better than having that one cool high level spell for the slot.

[TopCheese]

Some great things to do with Dust Devil!


Sorcerer (Careful Spell Metamagic)
Warlock/Sorcerer Multiclass (Push 20' per round)
Rogue Multiclass (Use Item/Cunning Action Bag of Dirt)
Anyone (Give yourself 10' extra movement for 1d8 damage)


Careful Spell Metamagic means you can, for at least one round (some DMs allow careful spell to last the duration of the spell as it seems they intended for careful spell to be used with damaging spells and not controller type spells), make sure that either no one stays next to you or an ally (or both) or push those creatures away without hurting your ally.

Warlock/Sorcerer multiclass could do a couple things. Push the creature 20' or use Eldritch Blast to keep a target next to the dust devil. You will want to set it up in such a way it is beneficial for the enemy to be next to your dust devil or that they can't really get away from it.

Rogue Multiclass is mostly using dust devil to cover an escape or keep enemies from being able to see you (and specifically target you) as you move around the battlefield.

Anyone can use this to get 10' extra movement for 1d8 damage. Silly, yes, but I've seen multiple times where someone needs 5 or 10 more feet and they are out of harms way. If you don't have the spell or a high enough level slot for a speed boosting spell this can always help.

When using dust devil you want to place it where you don't want the enemy which may not be where the enemy currently is. Combine this spell with Mold Earth or any spell that creates difficult terrain and you can maneuver your enemy into a corner quite well. Your use of this spell should be about control or defending and not about damage, let your minions do the physical labor.

Is it the best spell out there? No. But it is one of the more fun and more tactical spells in your arsenal. If you find that 5e lacks tactics then playing with this spell can help alleviate that issue.

I could go on but I think I got my point across :)

[MaxWilson]

I was wondering what interesting options could be for creating a multiclass caster and what the spells might be.

So the ideal spells are:

Low level;
Scale well cast from a higher spell slot; or
Have an effect that is still important at high level (so bless or shield better than extra damage).

Which ones do people find most useful?

Roughly in order of desirability:

Shield
Bless
Conjure Animals
Pass Without Trace
Spike Growth
Counterspell
Absorb Elements (Elemental Evil Player's Companion)
Enhance Ability
Blur
Shield of Faith
Blink
Mirror Image

[TopCheese]

Roughly in order of desirability:

Shield
Bless
Conjure Animals
Pass Without Trace
Spike Growth
Counterspell
Absorb Elements (Elemental Evil Player's Companion)
Enhance Ability
Blur
Shield of Faith
Blink
Mirror Image

I think for a multiclass character, such as a Fighter or Barbarian, Absorb Elements is one of the best spells they can pick up.

Not just absorbing enemy elemental spell damage but also ally spell damage. Sorcerer with careful spell (one of my favorite MM) can drop a fireball in the MC fighter/barbarian when they are surrounded by creatures. The fighter/barb would pass the save (half damage) and then resist the damage (half damage) and then be able to get a damage boost in their turn. 1/4 damage from a fireball is better than getting attacked by multiple enemies, play you get an extra Xd6 on your next turn.

This is so good/cool it should have been a class feature and not just a spell.

[MrStabby]

I like this; whilst a lot of these were on my own personal list a few had slipped by. I had focussed on level 1 and 2 spells so had missed some of these (especially the elemental evil ones).

[TopCheese]

I like this; whilst a lot of these were on my own personal list a few had slipped by. I had focussed on level 1 and 2 spells so had missed some of these (especially the elemental evil ones).

Catapult is another one that is fantastic. It doesn't stop moving till it hits something... So if you have a line of enemies the object keeps flying till a creature fails the save or it hits a solid object.

3d8 on a fail dex save isn't bad. Especially since its a line spell. Its no lightning bolt but you get to scream "boot to the face" a lot.

[MrStabby]

My worry about catapult is that its damage isn't the best use of an action at higher levels. If you have a melee attack that does d8+4 and two attacks per action it will fall off pretty badly.


One thing I do like about a lot of the spells suggested is that they do not use casting stat - this means I can have 13 in those stats and raise the stats i need for other classes.

[TopCheese]

My worry about catapult is that its damage isn't the best use of an action at higher levels. If you have a melee attack that does d8+4 and two attacks per action it will fall off pretty badly.


One thing I do like about a lot of the spells suggested is that they do not use casting stat - this means I can have 13 in those stats and raise the stats i need for other classes.

What helps catapult is that you don't need line of sight or effect to where the object flies, you just need to see and be able to effect the object.

So if you just turned the corner in a hall way, you can fling an object down where you came from and keep running instead of waiting around for the enemy to turn the corner and get too close for comfort.

Also great for a distracting spell at higher levels out of your first level slots. Use catapult to throw a rock and then ghost sound to make it seem like someone is laughing. Tget will probably be distracted and that's when you go sell the guards some rock insurance (or stab them, whatever).

Direct damage is nice, but utility is king.

[Citan]

I think for a multiclass character, such as a Fighter or Barbarian, Absorb Elements is one of the best spells they can pick up.

Not just absorbing enemy elemental spell damage but also ally spell damage. Sorcerer with careful spell (one of my favorite MM) can drop a fireball in the MC fighter/barbarian when they are surrounded by creatures. The fighter/barb would pass the save (half damage) and then resist the damage (half damage) and then be able to get a damage boost in their turn. 1/4 damage from a fireball is better than getting attacked by multiple enemies, play you get an extra Xd6 on your next turn.

This is so good/cool it should have been a class feature and not just a spell.
I totally agree with you, detailed this in an old post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19476022&postcount=39) and suggested an "elemental ranger build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19538486&postcount=36)" (very MAD and niche but fun).

But in truth, I was frustrated that it's basically the only spell of this kind (manipulating incoming attack to gain benefit from it), so I'm currently designing a homebrew class that goes around manipulating raw elements to fight, with something similar as Absorb Elements as one of the core abilities. :)

[PoeticDwarf]

Conjure spells (especially conjure animals).
Dust devil, see other replies
Fog cloud, better than it looks like if you cast it with a higher level slot.

[BW022]

I was wondering what interesting options could be for creating a multiclass caster and what the spells might be.

Which ones do people find most useful?

My first choices would be ritual spells. For a wizard... find familiar, comprehend languages, identify, alarm, etc. For other classes speak with animals, comprehend languages, detect magic, etc. While all are typically non-combat, wizard spells don't need to be memorized and even non-wizard spells don't take up many of your overall prepared spells.

My next choices would be longer lasting spells. Mage armor, animal friendship, find familiar (again), find stead, etc. Many of these are essentially class abilities.

Finally, I'd look as spells can be cast in higher level slots. In reality, you don't need a lot of these. Cure wounds, witch bolt, burning hands, etc. Personally, I find you don't need a lot of these. Typically you only have a couple of high level slots and these are easily blown through with cures or offensive spells in most combats.

[MaxWilson]

I think for a multiclass character, such as a Fighter or Barbarian, Absorb Elements is one of the best spells they can pick up.

Not just absorbing enemy elemental spell damage but also ally spell damage. Sorcerer with careful spell (one of my favorite MM) can drop a fireball in the MC fighter/barbarian when they are surrounded by creatures. The fighter/barb would pass the save (half damage) and then resist the damage (half damage) and then be able to get a damage boost in their turn. 1/4 damage from a fireball is better than getting attacked by multiple enemies, play you get an extra Xd6 on your next turn.

This is so good/cool it should have been a class feature and not just a spell.

Nitpicks:
1.) Barbarian likely has resistance already (because barbearians are popular).
2.) You can't cast spells while raging.
3.) It cannot be taken for granted that the fighter/barb would pass the save, because they don't have Dex save proficiency.

I agree though that taking some Fireball damage is often better than being surrounded by multiple enemies, although the barbarian may not agree, especially if he was looking forward to some GWM bonus attacks. Barbarians are funny that way.

[TopCheese]

Nitpicks:
1.) Barbarian likely has resistance already (because barbearians are popular).
2.) You can't cast spells while raging.
3.) It cannot be taken for granted that the fighter/barb would pass the save, because they don't have Dex save proficiency.

I agree though that taking some Fireball damage is often better than being surrounded by multiple enemies, although the barbarian may not agree, especially if he was looking forward to some GWM bonus attacks. Barbarians are funny that way.

1: Bearbarian are popular but they can't do elemental damage. Also, while popular, Bearbarian isn't the only good option. This actually would help a Wolf Totem barbarian have a bit more staying power.

2) You aren't raging all the time. Barbarian/Sorcerer builds are pretty sweet. I think the typical jumping point is Barbarian 2 or 5/ Sorcerer 18 or 15.

3)That's why the Sorcerer careful spell comes in play. The fighter and barbarian doesn't get a choice in saving or failing the saving throw. Besides this isn't a tactic that would always happen or even happen once per session, being surrounded by creatures isn't something you should strive to have happen (even a barbarian can go down eventually). If the caster can use burning hands instead of fireball then taking half damage is fine.

[MrStabby]

One of my favourite spells is hold person. I find it scales very well with level as well (as long as you still end up fighting people not just monsters). It is a bit challenging if you don't have max casting stat but might be worth an honourable mention here.

I have loved Sorcerer eldritch knights before, but they may be a pretty solid tank if only for their ability for near permenant shield. Using sorcery points to restock level one spell slots you are looking pretty goos. If you assume you go first for lvl 6 fighter for the extra attack (and the ASI and the MC spell level at 6) then you are looking at level 9 character where things come online (so only levels 7 and 8 where you are maybe missing out). With 5 caster levels in total I would expect that you can create more level 1 spell slots than you will have combat rounds in a day.

[TopCheese]

One of my favourite spells is hold person. I find it scales very well with level as well (as long as you still end up fighting people not just monsters). It is a bit challenging if you don't have max casting stat but might be worth an honourable mention here.

I have loved Sorcerer eldritch knights before, but they may be a pretty solid tank if only for their ability for near permenant shield. Using sorcery points to restock level one spell slots you are looking pretty goos. If you assume you go first for lvl 6 fighter for the extra attack (and the ASI and the MC spell level at 6) then you are looking at level 9 character where things come online (so only levels 7 and 8 where you are maybe missing out). With 5 caster levels in total I would expect that you can create more level 1 spell slots than you will have combat rounds in a day.

Hold Person is one of those spells that if you are level 20 and you can't find a use for it, then you aren't trying to find a use for it. :P

One of my favorite uses of Hold Person is when screwing around with politics within a game or when I want to see if a creature is not a humanoid. I've always given (and give) a chance to figure out if my spell was resisted or it just didn't work on that type of creature. Typically that rule is for Enchantment spells but I started using it with Hold Person to see if the person isn't actually a demon or devil (or whatever else) in disguise.