Best Multi class for bards

[jjadned]

So with a bard you can get access to a wish spell at level 18 (magic secrets) So it would make sense that if you were going to multi class you would want to atleast get to bard lvl 18. Because the last 2 levels of bard are so lackluster (an ASI and a mostly useless feature) I think that for those two levels a warlock gets you the most for your levels.

Because while you won't be able to get armor and such that you would from a cleric a Lore bard would be able to get 2 invocations and the first lvl warlock spells and feature.

I will probably get 3 then go for warlock 2, then move up from there. Because expertise is so nice.

[nickl_2000]

Hex Blade is probably the most common dip. Good damage, good armor, shields, all kinds of goodness.


Many people actually wait until Bard level 5 to get 3rd level spells and Font of Inspiration

[jjadned]

Hex Blade is probably the most common dip. Good damage, good armor, shields, all kinds of goodness.


Many people actually wait until Bard level 5 to get 3rd level spells and Font of Inspiration

Quick question about Hex Blade, my DM and I both agree that the warlock starts with said Hex Blade but how do you run it or how does your DM?

[mormon_soldier]

For valor bards, a two level dip into Paladin at level 7 gives you better damage output right after you get your extra attack. Plus smiting is fun for everyone.

[WhiteWolf]

My experience with bard multiclass;
I'm currently playing a lvl 4 half-orc valour bard but took my first level as fighter. Con saving throws (for concentration checks), heavy armour and shields from lvl 1, a couple extra HP and a fighting style. Worth delaying my spells by 1 level IMO. And only miss out on 1 level 7 spell slot and the crappy bard capstone feature. Focus on buffing spells that require concentration and ritual spells, mainly just take the attack action in combat. Current fave is enhance ability on self - bears endurance, 2d6 temp HP, and adv on con saving throws to maintain concentration on the spell. Wield a sword and shield w' chainmail for AC 18 and duelling fighting style for bonus damage. Love the flavour of the character and i think the mechanics compliment it well.

[Nidgit]

Hexblade and Paladin are two easy dips with obvious benefits. Fighter and Revised Ranger are both nicely frontloaded, and Rogue is an option for some more skill monkeying if you want it.

Beyond that...I guess Barbarian's Unarmored Defense could be ok? Cleric has some decent options too.

[Citan]

So with a bard you can get access to a wish spell at level 18 (magic secrets) So it would make sense that if you were going to multi class you would want to atleast get to bard lvl 18. Because the last 2 levels of bard are so lackluster (an ASI and a mostly useless feature) I think that for those two levels a warlock gets you the most for your levels.

Because while you won't be able to get armor and such that you would from a cleric a Lore bard would be able to get 2 invocations and the first lvl warlock spells and feature.

I will probably get 3 then go for warlock 2, then move up from there. Because expertise is so nice.
Hi!
Considering your post, I'm not sure whether you ask "best multiclass" in general, "which is best Warlock Patron" or if you don't actually even ask and just partake your own view on the subject.

Sooo. I'll just view option 1 as being the good.
Answer is: mostly all classes except Monk, Barbarian and Ranger.
- Monk because it's very MAD, and you don't get enough use of bonus action attack when it would be simpler to use feats.
- Barbarian because many of Bard spells are concentration, so unless you like playing a Double Face kind of character, it's too much a hassle for the investment (especially when you could use Inspiring Leader + some spells to, by the end of the day, achieve a similar result of extended lifespan).
- Ranger because it's somewhat MAD (to be fair, Bard usually gets 14 DEX whatever happens), you don't care about Hunter's Mark (too much competition for concentration with Bard spells already) and Fighting Style you can get earlier with Fighter.

Beyond that? It's really a matter of objective and taste.
Cleric
1 level brings many goodies, from extra skills to useful abilities, plus many great low spells.
2nd level for Channel Divinity can open a nasty amount of combinations with Bard spells and Magic Secrets. All Domains are great for a Bard.
>>> Very small MADness for a big boost in your "buffer" role as well as various goodies (AOE, extra skills, special features, etc).

Fighter
1 level brings proficiencies, including heavy armor and Constitution if starting dip. Great to help surviving the low levels.
2nd bring Action Surge. Although you do lose a decent chunk of slots, being able to cast two full spells in a row can be very worthwhile.
>>> Not for everyone, but if you have tricks in mind that require two spells chained as fast as possible, this is your best choice.

Druid
1st level brings a LOT of things: extremely vast array of spells (although half of them depend on WIS), interesting cantrips, and one of the top 5 features as long as you like the concept and know how to be creative with it (Wild Shape).
2nd level is decent if you go Moon (because you have some tricks in mind that involve quickly turning into Wild Shape after casting a concentration spell), great if you go Shepherd (because you get a very versatile short-rest feature that, even if "stuck" at Druid 2 without scaling, will still always be relevant until very high levels), probably not good enough otherwise.
>>> Not for everyone, but probably the best shot for someone who wants to maximize his/her versatility thanks to Wild Shape. Could actually work pretty well offensively with "only" a 16 WIS.

Paladin
One of the obvious choices.
1st level is lackluster: only (heavy) armor and weapon proficiencies basically. If you go Valor Bard, you'd get it anyways. If you go any other Bard, there are much better ways to get just that.
2nd level is when all the juice comes out at once: divine smite, 1st level interchangeable spells.
It does add some MADness (Bard usually prefers DEX over STR because Initiative), and shoehorns you into being a melee gish. Because if not for Divine Smite, why the hell would you go into Paladin only for 2 levels? Fighter 1 + Cleric 1 would give you much more for the same price.
>>> It's not for everyone, but if you envision yourself as a gish that will mainly use non-concentration spells, weapon cantrips and slotted smites to unleash novas it's the perfect fit.

Rogue
1st level is "just good enough": unless you target a very specific gish build, you don't care about another 1d6 that requires advantage and finesse weapon. Additional skills and Expertise are nice, but you already had some so unless you are designated as a skillmonkey by your pals you can really do without.
2nd level is when the dip really shines: now you get a great, permanent bonus action Dash/Disengage/Hide which synergizes extremely well with all your classic Bardness: healing (rush to the melee, apply, fall back to safety with Healing Words), avoid concentration hits (Disengage from a threatening melee), avoid attention in general to sustain that big bad (for enemies) crowd control/environmental spell (Hide).

Sorcerer
1st level brings much for such a small investment: better concentration (if starting) and generally resilience (CON-targeting effects are nasty), better AC (Draconic or Mage Armor, Shield), better offense (Magic Missile or Chromatic Orb, cantrips), better mobility (Expeditious Retreat). Unless you plan on being a melee STR-based gish (Fighter for heavy) or CHA-based gish (Hexblade Warlock), as far as 1st level dips go, Draconic or Shadow Sorcerer is the BEST dip for a Bard. No hesitation. Divine is not too far behind if you just were interested in one particular Cleric spell or just want to get Sorcerer cantrips, Shield and Bless/Sanctuary or the like without a Cleric dip for some reason.
2nd level, in comparison, is basically a dead weight: it's good when you know you'll take the 3rd level just after, which unleash all kinds of awesomeness. Otherwise, unless you just reaaaally want a set of spells only 2 levels of Sorcerer could bring, it's a bad idea. Period.
>>> One level of Sorcerer is the "I can never go wrong with this" option. Taking a 2nd level though? If you don't plan on going Sorcerer 3 and beyond, it's a total trap unless you really have something extremely specific in mind.

Warlock
1st level brings you a good chunk of goodies: one short-rest 1st level slot isn't the main draw here, although it's always one more Healing Words to revive with: rather, a few good cantrips including some of the best melee options and one of the top 3 ranged options, as well as a few spells that scale very well (Armor of Agathys, Hex, Burning Hands if Fiend) and utility (Comprehend Languages for example) and nice Patron features (THP with Fiend, telepathy with GOO, overpowered -for the level- dueling features and proficiencies with Hexblades).
Contrarily to all other classes, the actual value of this first dip will as such varying in a large scale depending on your character concept and your choice of Patron/spells.
2nd level kinda follows the logic: overall good (another short rest slot, another spell, more importantly two invocations among many great ones) but it will range from "good enough" to "really great" depending on your goal.
>>> Warlock can be as good or even better as Sorcerer, but contrarily to the latter, it requires you to think well beforehand and plan long-term. If you just wanted "a debuff spell and some offensive cantrips", it's a waste: Magic Initiate (or another caster dip and Spell Sniper) will be largely enough.
However, Warlock 1-2 level dips can be the best options for... Melee Gishes (actually Hexblade Warlock 1 + Sorcerer 1 ^^), coward blasters (Hexblade/Fiend with Eldricht Blast Invocations), spys (GOO + Comprehend Languages + Disguise/Silent Image invocations for example).

Wizard
1st level is a total trap: honest. You need to put quite a few points in a stat that, from a mechanical point of view, is sadly rarely needed (note: I wouldn't say that if you were playing in my games. ^^). And for that, you just get 6 spells, many of which could be acquired much more easily through Sorcerer. Even rituals is a non-argument: Ritual Caster will do the job much better. Only reason of taking that level is that it's required to get 2nd level (duh).
2nd level is where you get the real return on investment: not all Schools are equal here:
- Abjurer (no scaling means 6-7 points wards for your whole life, utter crap) and Necromancer (unless you plan a "Vampiric Touch" build) are just traps,
- Conjurer, Transmuter and Illusionist are good only if you really feel you'll be greatly creative with those (but then they are really worth, just search for some threads to see great ideas from people here -don't ask me, this is not my kind of creativity ^^-).
- Bladesinger is probably not worth enough unless you got a 16 INT for some reason (and even then it would just be "good enough"). Otherwise, +10 feet = Longstrider (and much longer, without restrictions), better concentration can be found many other ways, same with AC.
- Evoker is a trap unless you plan on being a blaster Bard (curious choice but hey, a good world needs a bit of everything ^^), in which case it's golden.
- War Magic is actually a pretty decent one, not for the AC, but for the saving throw. +4 is a pretty impressive bonus, and you can learn enough offensive concentration spells that can be repeated to not be THAT bothered by the following restriction.
- Diviner is the "default" choice here: having a say in how a creature succeeds or fails 2 times per day. Can make you the greatest pain and fear of all people except Legendary Creatures when paired with single-target debuffs such as Bestow Curse, Feeblemind and everything similar in-between.
>>> Unless you reaaaallly know what you are doing here, only Diviner and maybe War Magic can be considered as "always good enough -or better-" choices. Otherwise, forget it: you have better and easier elsewhere.

TL;DR: Most classes are worth dipping into, although some require the full two levels to be worth it "in general" (Rogue, Paladin, Wizard). When you really know what you're doing, mostly anything can work.

Finally, if you want a 2-level dip that always work great whatever kind of Bard you build, you have...
- CHA: Hexblade Warlock 1 / Sorcerer 1: crapload of extra spells and cantrips + Constitution proficiency + equipment proficiencies + nice features + only one spell level behind + no MADness (actually more SADness): you will *never* regret those two levels of delaying Bard progression. Sworn. ;)
- WIS: Life Cleric 1 + Druid 1 or Shepherd Druid 2: Life Goodberries, generally very big buff into primary roles (healing/buff/utility) and extremely versatile and powerful (in proper hands) short-rest ability with Wild Shape.
- INT: Diviner Wizard: get Shield, Magic Missile, Comprehend Languages and all good utility spells you were tempted to learn as a Bard, and laugh when seeing the BBEG, who was confident into being impervious to WIS effects, being paralyzed (Hold Person) or submissive to nasty effects (Bestow Curse followed by friend's debuff).
- STR: Paladin 2 for Valor Bard, Fighter 2 for other Bards: unleash nova, either through multiple smites or through chained high-level spells.
- DEX: Rogue 2: this is a big dent in spellcasting progression, and honestly it will frustrate you at times, but Cunning Action is worth that much if you want to rely on mobility (Valor) or sneakiness (all).

[ChainsawFlwrcld]

I was going to reply but then I saw Citan's wall of knowledge and my 140 or less answer seemed so much less informational. So I'll say yea, what he/she said.

Good knowledge dump Citan.

[CBAnaesthesia]

I love Paladin-Bards, personally, either Lore, Swords, or Valor college. You get a million spells to smite with, you can get away with either 13 Str or 14 Dex (in medium armor), you have a ton of slots to smite with, and the flavor is great.
Warlocks are obviously strong also, and EB shores up Bards' biggest weakness by giving you an unlimited source of reliable big damage.