Level dip or not

[Drsnotrocket]

Hi there.
Very new player here and first post , so please forgive me if this has been covered before.

My character is just about to turn lvl 5 warlock (chain) but I'm tempted to take a dip into fighter 1. Mostly because my character seems quite squishy and there are a couple of magical weapons/armour floating about that I have my eye on.
So the question is, do you think it's worth dipping into fighter 1 or just go for the super upgrade lvl 5 gives?

[Nifft]

Tell us more about your character -- with more details, we might have a better option for you.

[Drsnotrocket]

Chain Warlock who enjoys getting into trouble by running his mouth off. Often acting as diversion and very avaricious for ALL the magic items!

[bearsquito]

Based on that description, your character seems more the type to talk a big game and not necessarily be able to back it up. If that's the case, grabbing a level of fighter doesn't fit the theme, IMO. If you are looking to go outside of warlock, perhaps rogue or bard would be better suited.

Knowing more about your combat style may help.

[bid]

So the question is, do you think it's worth dipping into fighter 1 or just go for the super upgrade lvl 5 gives?
Warlock 5.

Fighter is a good first level because you get Con save, but it's too late for that now.
See if you can correct your level 4 ASI and grab moderately armored feat instead.

[Drsnotrocket]

I went for magic initiate at lvl 4 with bard choices - mostly for vicious mockery

[Foxhound438]

Level 3 spells are a bit too much for me to give up were I in your spot, but if you don't rely much on casting levelled spells you could easily get away with fighter 1 here. The increase in HP is pretty small by comparison, but if you decide to walk around in medium armor with defense fighting style using shield and wand, however, you might find a lot of tankiness that way- half plate in this case gives you an AC of 20, if you have the +2 in dex. So all that said, if you have the cash to grab that armor, it's probably worth your while. I'd still wait until you have warlock 5 to dip, but in either case you'll be well off in the end.

[mephnick]

5 is a pretty big level for all classes. 3rd level spells are probably the biggest relative jump in spell power in the entire game, so it's pretty hard to put that off.

[Nifft]

I went for magic initiate at lvl 4 with bard choices - mostly for vicious mockery

I would recommend NOT doing that -- you already have a solid debuff (Hex), and a fantastic cantrip (Eldritch Blast), and there's more synergy between the two of those than you can add with Vicious Mockery.

I'm in agreement with bid -- see if your DM will allow you to swap your 4th level feat for Moderately Armored.

Actually, what's your Dexterity?

[Grod_The_Giant]

The dip isn't bad (though something like War or Tempest Cleric can do an even better job, albiet a fluffier one), but it's probably worth waiting another level. Third level spells and another Invocation is big.

[Citan]

Hi there.
Very new player here and first post , so please forgive me if this has been covered before.

My character is just about to turn lvl 5 warlock (chain) but I'm tempted to take a dip into fighter 1. Mostly because my character seems quite squishy and there are a couple of magical weapons/armour floating about that I have my eye on.
So the question is, do you think it's worth dipping into fighter 1 or just go for the super upgrade lvl 5 gives?
Hi!
Well, as others said, lvl 5 is a big time for any class, so you probably should stick with it: you get better slots, more spells, another invocation...

Now the true question should be...
- How often is your life endangered?
- Why does it happen?

As a Warlock you should stay in the backlines and avoid being targeted at all costs, using Minor Illusion, Darkness or even Invisibility for worst cases...

So first, in your place, I'd wonder what I can do as a pure Warlock to reduce the risks.
Basically...
- Darkness + Devil's Sight: can be very annoying for your party, but at least you got a great defense.
- Mirror's Image: if you have 16 or 18 DEX it's a good tool. Otherwise better use...
- Blur: uses up concentration, but very efficient boost.
- Vampiric Touch: this is actually a pretty big gamble since it requires you to be in melee. To manage an isolated, not too powerful enemy it can be worth it. I'd advise against it if you don't usually have someone that can cover for you if you must run away though, it's really tricky (it would be different if you already had great AC and higher level slot ;)).
- Misty Step: great cost, but great to have for emergency fall-back.
- Minor Illusion: create something to hide behind, or at least take cover.
- Phantasmal Force (Patron spell): very powerful but only single-target.
- Fear: frighten imposes disadvantage, so it's even better than Blur provided you can maintain the effect (which means you have to stay visible).

Beyond that...
IF you have high enough WIS, by far your best bet is Forge Cleric (if allowed) or otherwise Life Cleric: up to heavy armor, plus shields, plus buffs and healing.
If you don't have high enough WIS, then dip Draconic Sorcerer: Shield can save your life, even if it's only 2 per long rest, and unless you really have dump DEX (why would you) it provides a small but always useful AC boost (well, I know it goes against your wish to get magical armor, but in the meantime...).
Both are things you could consider after level 5 Warlock.

I also agree that you should consider asking DM for a swap of your previous feat choice for Moderately Armored if you really feel in that much danger. :)

[Beelzebubba]

The game is VERY forgiving with multiclassing now. It'll work out fine either way, but I do tend to agree with 'take level 5 in your main class first'. All the classes come into their archetype in a huge way that level. You might find the additional spell level and invocation solve some of the problems you're having now.

[Specter]

After level 5, maybe, but level 5 is too good to wait.