Paladin/Druid multiclass?

[grahammcgrew]

Happy to return to D&D after a 35 year absence. Playing an Oath of the Ancients, Hermit Paladin. Maybe it's a failure to role play on my part but I am not feeling enough nature in my paladin. Considering taking one (or more?) levels of druid to get some more nature related abilities/skills. What are the pros and cons of such a thing?
My party consists of a healing cleric, rogue gnome, ranger, and warlock. I am tank/back up healer (thus far).
Thanks!

[MrStabby]

Well if you have the wisdom needed to multiclass already you have met one hurdle.

As it is there are other options to at least consider - Nature Cleric and Ranger.

Cleric gives you a good druidy feel and a full caster for those extra spell slots and also gives access to some really great low level spells that stay relevant through the game, so kind of Ok for a dip...

Ranger for a few levels is another naturally feeling class but this would, if you went hunter, give you no extra spell progression but extra combat tools. Not worth getting the second attack as ranger though as you will have that through Paladin.

The trouble with druid is that you have a large amount of the class power tied up in wildshape, which doesnt work well with a lot of combat abilities. Paladin 2 to be able to be a bear that smites people is pretty cool but it sounds like you are past that stage.

All in all it will not be powerful to shift - it doesn't mean it wont be fun or be the character you want to play though.

[DracoKnight]

My personal favorite Paladin/Druid multiclass actually involves another class.

Barbarian 1/Paladin 2/Moon Druid 17

Barbarian 1 gives you Rage (2, +2) and Unarmored Defense (10 + Dex + Con).
Paladin 2 gives you Divine Sense, Lay on Hands, a Fighting Style, and Divine Smite (This is important)
Moon Druid 17 gives you full spellcasting, combat wildshape, and all the other goodies a druid gets.

So, my favorite way to play this: Rage and attack. On the subsequent turn I wildshape into a brown bear, (Bar-bear-ian) and whenever I crit, I can Divine smite with my spell slots of 4th level and below, saving my 5th + slots for things other than DPR. :smallbiggrin:

It's a purty fun build :smallsmile:

[bardo]

The cantrips and spells from a 1 level dip sounds very useful, but how would a Pally tank deal with the no-metal-armour restriction of the Druid?

Bardo.

[ardorrean_thief]

The cantrips and spells from a 1 level dip sounds very useful, but how would a Pally tank deal with the no-metal-armour restriction of the Druid?

Bardo.

Well, you can always transmute ironwood at CL 6 to make plate as strong as steel. You also have bulette plate and dragon hide if you're rich. And greenwood armor can repair itself.

[deathbymanga]

Paladin + Moon Druid is one of the BEST synergies in the game actually. You only need 2 levels of Paladin (maybe three if you wanna take an oath) and then grab as many Moon Druid levels as you can. Divine Smite can be used with other class's spell slots (fixed in the AMA), which means that you can smite more often than ever. Your Natural Weapon Attacks can be used with Divine Smite and If the animal you wild shape into has multiattack, you also get multiattack, which is also awesome. Plus you can sacrifice Spell slots still to regenerate health while in Wild Shape.

You basically become a spell slot burner, using them to regenerate and dish out monsterous damage to the enemy.

[MrStabby]

A lot of people seem to miss that the OP is Oath of Ancients. I.e. LEVEL 3. I.e. cannot stop taking paladin levels at level 2. I.e. cannot actually do what is being suggested by a number of people.

[Demonic Spoon]

Happy to return to D&D after a 35 year absence. Playing an Oath of the Ancients, Hermit Paladin. Maybe it's a failure to role play on my part but I am not feeling enough nature in my paladin. Considering taking one (or more?) levels of druid to get some more nature related abilities/skills. What are the pros and cons of such a thing?
My party consists of a healing cleric, rogue gnome, ranger, and warlock. I am tank/back up healer (thus far).
Thanks!

You could always take magic initiate (druid) or ritual caster (druid), allowing you to get some useful druidic spells without having to dip. In the former case, you could even cast the spell with your paladin spell slots if I recall right.

[DracoKnight]

You could always take magic initiate (druid) or ritual caster (druid), allowing you to get some useful druidic spells without having to dip. In the former case, you could even cast the spell with your paladin spell slots if I recall right.

You do. The "once a day" clause only applies to non-magical characters. I believe it was in the Errata.

[Starsinger]

An alternative route, is you could take Tome-Feylock, grab Shillelagh, Druid Craft, and some other toy with the tomes cantrips...

Among other things, this lets you stay Charisma focused, you get cantrips, you can get ritual casting if you want it, and changes the feel from "Paladin of Trees" to "I protect the primeval forces of nature."

[Tanarii]

Very first thing you need to do is ask your DM how he interprets the rules for MC Druids and armor. Will you lose the ability to use non-metal armor? That alone might be enough to stop you from wanting to MC Druid.

What spells or abilities are you hoping to gain from Druid to make yourself feel sufficiently "Naturey"?


IMO Ancients Paladins aren't really "naturey" nights anyway. There's a reason the very first name for them is Fey Knights. Paladins aren't Druid-Warriors, that's one (potential) aspect of Rangers. Instead, they are Seelie Paladins of the Summer Fey, the counterpart to the Unseelie Warlocks of the Winter Fey. That's all irrelevant if that's not how you think of *your* Paladin though.

[MinaBee]

Cleric gives you a good druidy feel and a full caster for those extra spell slots and also gives access to some really great low level spells that stay relevant through the game, so kind of Ok for a dip...

An otherwise single-classed half-caster won't get extra spell slots from a single level full-caster dip. "Half-caster X" has the same spell slots as "Full-caster 1/Half-caster (X-1)", according to the Multiclass Spellcaster table. You'll need two levels of full-caster before you see any extra spell slots.


You could always take magic initiate (druid) or ritual caster (druid), allowing you to get some useful druidic spells without having to dip. In the former case, you could even cast the spell with your paladin spell slots if I recall right.

You are incorrect. You can use spell slots to cast the spell you learn from Magic Initiate if, and only if, you have at least one level in the same class that you chose for Magic Initiate. Otherwise, it is a once per long rest ability, just like the racial abilities that allow you to cast spells.

[grahammcgrew]

Thank you for all the thoughtful responses. I should have made clear that while my intention is Oath of the Ancients Paladin, our campaign thus far has only brought us to second level, so I haven't taken my oath yet.

Disclaimer: I recognize and acknowledge that I have no idea what I am doing.

As far as which nature spells/abilities appeal . . . I like the green, growing things aspect of Oath of the Ancients. I am considering tossing min/max combat efficacy out the window and taking multiple levels in both Nature Cleric and Druid, taking all spells and abilities which relate to a green, growing things theme. No lightning, fire, etc.

Nature Domain Cleric, 2nd Level Channel Divinity: Charm Animals and Plants: I feel like this should have been a cantrip for my character. When we got attacked by hundreds of rats, and had to swing away at them: it felt so wrong. I should have been using this ability.

Druidcraft. Make a flower bloom? Not much combat use perhaps but this is my character all over. (Although Dura doesn't make a flower bloom, he participates in the blooming of a flower . . . you get it.)

Thorn Whip. Ensnaring Strike. Plant Growth. Commune With Nature. Tree Stride. Wall of Thorns. Speak With Plants. These are the spells. For example.

Why not be a Druid? Wild Shape wasn't grabbing me. I don't wanna be some bear or whatever. However, the GM seems open to the possibility of becoming a tree . . .

[Demonic Spoon]

Given that it seems like you're really after some ways to do nature-y magic, you might just consider asking your DM if you can re-create the character as a nature cleric.

Since nature clerics get heavy armor proficiency you wouldn't have to explain away your armor; in addition, you could grab druidcraft due to the free druid cantrip, plus ritual casting + speak with animals from first level. Later on, nature cleric would give you things like plant growth and tree stride which both seem like things you might like.

[Tanarii]

MC Nature Cleric sounds like your class then. Assuming you have Wis 13+. You're probably only going to want Druidcraft cantrip and steer away from attack roll/save spells. Unless you plan to go full Cleric (or no more than six paladin levels), have a very high Wis already, and increase your Wis. In which case you could take Magic Initiate (Druid) for Thorn Whip & Produce Flame.