Looking for input on this Rogue/Cleric build

[Rahfeekey]

So i have been struggling to create a build for awhile, i promised my group that i would play a cleric and now i can't decide on anything that looks "fun"
what i have decided on is not optimized at all, right now i am just down to flavor and trying to make something interesting.

Right now we will start at level 5 so i have built it 3 Rogue going assassin for the 2d6 melee dmg boost and the assassinate
and 2 in Death Cleric the remaining levels with stay in cleric
the race is a Fallen Aasimar to fit into the flavor of the build and that is it. i am not worried about the stats from the class, i am just curious of what people think of the class combo and what the potential of it may be. we will be playing to about lvl 15.

any input would be very very helpful, thank you ahead of time.

[suplee215]

One question I got is what do you consider "fun"? Rogue and death cleric seems to fit pretty good together. Once you hit 8th level you get extra damage with one melee attack that doubles on the crit. The channel divinity can help you outright murder someone (although the autocrit from assassinate does not boost the damage). Overall the build is awesome although I do prefer my Cleric Rogues to go Trickery.

[Rahfeekey]

for me i couldn't find any fun in just staying only cleric and not multiclassing. i couldn't find anything that interested me to be "just" a cleric so i figured rogue fits the bill here i just am not sure how well the two fit together other than they "sound" cool. and i suck at theorycrafting classes. also i thought i would benefit more in going with rogue rather than the 2-3 levels in fighter for action surge.

[suplee215]

Again I am asking you to define "fun". We all prefer different things out of the game and different characters so I am just trying to get suggestions to try to better offer suggestions. The Pairing works extremely well though.

[Rahfeekey]

ah i am sorry. fun for me allows me to be able to roleplay into why the class is the class which for this set up seems pretty easy. but also i really enjoy being able to stand my own with other "premade" builds which is what most of the people that i play with run. really though fun for me is to be able to do interesting things in combat and keeping up with other classes that may be using something more generic.

[Biggstick]

ah i am sorry. fun for me allows me to be able to roleplay into why the class is the class which for this set up seems pretty easy. but also i really enjoy being able to stand my own with other "premade" builds which is what most of the people that i play with run. really though fun for me is to be able to do interesting things in combat and keeping up with other classes that may be using something more generic.

Generic classes are pretty incredible.

The generic party of a Champion Fighter, Thief Rogue, Life Cleric, and Evocation Wizard (heck, throw in the ultimate 5th man of a Lore Bard and you'll be set) are all pretty generic, and they can do extremely well in combat.

As for a Rogue multiclass with Cleric, I think it's a great multiclass combination. The issue comes in as to what actual role you're filling, or looking to fill with the party. A Cleric that starts as a Rogue and picks up 3 levels of Rogue for levels 1-3 will have a very delayed Cleric progression. By the time the party expects you as the Cleric to be able to cast Greater Restoration (a 5th level Cleric spell available at Cleric level 9), you're only able to cast Revivify (3rd level Cleric spell available at Cleric level 5) or Lesser Restoration (2nd level Cleric spell available at Cleric level 3). To be able to serve in the function they expect of you, it will take you an additional three levels to cast Greater Restoration (now PC level 12). Basically, what I'm getting at, is that dipping three levels into Rogue will put you too far behind in the spell progression to act as the Cleric in regards to a Cleric's expected utility.

The opposite end of the spectrum, is that you're going to have three levels of Rogue. This gives you a good portion of the Rogue abilities that we've come to know and love. What you don't get though from Rogue (since you're going Cleric) are things like Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, and Reliable Talent (skill? I can't remember, the "take 10" Rogue ability at Rogue level 11). A typical party will expect the Rogue to have these sorts of capabilities. If you don't have them, what else are you gaining or bringing to the party that acts in a similar manner?

Now what I've laid out above are what party's expect of a particular class. You aren't playing a class though, you're playing a multiclass. So if we're looking at it from this perspective, we should look at what actualRole you're trying to fill. Are you trying to act as the party's scout? Does the party need you to be competitive on damage? Does the party need a moral compass? Do they need someone who can patch up party members and keep them in the fight? Does the party need a face? A skill monkey? Or to heck with all that, you decide on a role you'd like to fill. Once you've chosen a role (or two) that you want to be capable of filling, look to how your leveling process and choices help that role perform it's role better.

You say you'd like to be able to "keep up with other classes while doing interesting things in combat." While interesting things in combat seems vague to me, I'll try and provide a build that does this.

Assassin is something I've seen played twice in games I've been in. I've played in a lot of games, and the number of times I've seen the Assassin's ability to double their damage dice in a significant (read boss) encounter numbers on one hand. What works all the time however is Booming Blade and/or Greenflame Blade. I would advise you to instead grab Arcane Trickster, Swashbuckler, or Mastermind. I'd also advise you to look at grabbing the Spell Sniper feat (for BB or GFB, whichever you didn't grab with Arcane Trickster). Since you've gone Death Cleric, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, which include the Whip. We're going to be using a Whip at 10' away from the target, and dropping BB/GFB on the target from behind our "big dumb fighter," and using a Long bow or Chill Touch from range. We'll use Bless for concentration, Healing Word when someone drops, and otherwise be as mobile as possible on the battlefield.

This combination will classes will create a situation in which you can "fill" the Rogue role out of combat depending on proficiencies chosen, while acting as combat support with lower level spells like Bless, Healing Word, and Lesser Restoration. If other Players were to ask what you do for the party, you're a "Rogue" out of combat, and combat support while in combat.

[Herobizkit]

I'd like to bring in an aside here.

What *I* finds great about Clerics is that, by choosing a specific deity, you automatically get some Role-Playing tips built in. Being "just a Cleric" can be boring if the only reason you want to be one is because (for example) they can heal or they get heavy armor.

You mention that you want to be a Death Cleric. What god/dess do you intend to worship? A Cleric of, say, Kelemvor is going to have a slightly different view of Death than Bane, or Sehanine Moonbow, or Myrkul. Or Anubis. ^_^ That alone might help you figure out why you'd become a Rogue/Death Cleric.

[Citan]

So i have been struggling to create a build for awhile, i promised my group that i would play a cleric and now i can't decide on anything that looks "fun"
what i have decided on is not optimized at all, right now i am just down to flavor and trying to make something interesting.

Right now we will start at level 5 so i have built it 3 Rogue going assassin for the 2d6 melee dmg boost and the assassinate
and 2 in Death Cleric the remaining levels with stay in cleric
the race is a Fallen Aasimar to fit into the flavor of the build and that is it. i am not worried about the stats from the class, i am just curious of what people think of the class combo and what the potential of it may be. we will be playing to about lvl 15.

any input would be very very helpful, thank you ahead of time.
Hi!
I would have personally gone Trickster Cleric to go with Assassin because more immediate synergy (Pass Without Trace, Mirror Image), but no worries, Death Cleric works well too, although the combo will show its strength much later... In fact, once you get improved Chill Touch and the Death Cleric's "deal extra necrotic damage" to a decent level as well as "bypass necrotic resistance".
Because Chill Touch is a ranged attack, it works with Assassin's "hit is auto-critical". So you can make a surprise attack with a "twinned" (Death feature) Chill Touch on two close enemies for a great deal of damage.
Because Vampiric Touch is a melee attack, it is compatible with both Cleric's Channel Divinity (extra damage) and Assassinate.
Chances are some creature will live a nasty (probably last) moment once you are something like Cleric 8+ / Assassin 3.

Plus all the low-level buffs like Bless or Shield of Faith that always help a martial. ;)

[Specter]

Another option to consider is 2 levels of Rogue and 3 in Cleric, and then proceding as Cleric.

You get the basic Rogue package of being good at two skills and Cunning Action, which is good for keeping you out of harm's way. After that, focus on spellcasting.