Druid Multiclassing Suggestions

[Rusty Spoon]

Hi all. Been playing 5e for a little while now, but not 100% sure of all my options, so after a little input.
I have a 4th level Moon Druid about to level up, and I'm looking at multiclassing for roleplay reasons.
Backstory-wise, he has a strong survivor's guilt complex because his family died while he wasn't around. And now his best friend was disintegrated in front of him, so he's looking for more immediate ways to protect his allies.
Currently I'm thinking going fighter (good dex score) to grab protective fighting style. Which archetype would allow me more ways to protect my allies? Any good Eldritch Knight spells that don't rely on Int to buff/shield others? (I'm thinking a good attack cantrip or two could round out my offensive options as well.)
And more long term, I might use the next two ASIs to bump Cha up so I can multiclass Paladin later for more ally protecting goodness.
Or would cleric work better than Paladin for that?

[CTurbo]

Go Cleric all the way since it keys off of your main stat too. Nature Cleric probably fits the best thematically, but really just about any domain would work.

[DarkKnightJin]

Cleric would be very much less MAD for this sort of thing. And it wouldn't slow down total Caster progression like Paladin would.

Eldritch Knight doesn't need to rely on Int. Shield and Absorb Elements don't worry about Int at all. Neither does Find Familiar.

If you're a Moon Druid, you're probably in Beast form for combat a lot, so the Protection fighting style wouldn't be too useful.

I'd personally consider Cleric if you really want to multiclass.

[Garfunion]

I would suggest monk. You can use martial arts in beast form.

Edit: basically you can use everything a monk can do in beast form

[Ventruenox]

Given how you mentioned a good Dex score, why not Monk? Unarmored Defense might be worth it when you are in caster form, then protect your allies by tanking in beast form. If you go Sun Soul you can shoot lasers while wildshaped.

Edit: Shadow Monked.

[CTurbo]

I would suggest monk. You can use martial arts in beast form.

Edit: basically you can use everything a monk can do in beast form


Yeah and you would be able to add Wis mod to AC to a lot of wild shapes.





There is always the Life Cleric Goodberry cheese too

[Nifft]

I'd suggest NOT multi-classing, and instead spending as much time as a beast as possible.

Guilt has driven you to escape from being a human. It doesn't work, of course -- you keep your mind when you change -- but escapism is seldom productive.

If you MUST have a mechanical justification for your personality roleplaying, then I'd suggest retroactively changing your level 4 ASI to something appropriate. The feat Sentinel might be a good choice, since it's all about protecting your allies from the front line.

Frankly having that feat is probably a lot better mechanically than taking a Fighter level, plus you're casting level 3 spells which is also better than getting the perks of a level 1 Fighter.

[prototype00]

Might I suggest the ever popular Barbarian Dip? Nothing protects the party more than a couple of hundred HP and the ability to strangle Giants as a giant octopus.

Giant octopi have 52 HP, with rage that’s effectively 104 HP most times, and twice per combat And you can auto grapple and restrain huge creatures with your tentacle attack.

[hymer]

Might I suggest the ever popular Barbarian Dip? Nothing protects the party more than a couple of hundred HP and the ability to strangle Giants as a giant octopus.

Giant octopi have 52 HP, with rage that’s effectively 104 HP most times, and twice per combat And you can auto grapple and restrain huge creatures with your tentacle attack.

The rage can be fluffed as an outlet of the emotional anguish the PC is going through. I don't know if the character has the strength to do that multiclass, though.
And in the department of nitpicking & pedantry: The plural of English 'octopus' is 'octopuses'. You're taking a Latin plural there, influenced by the '-us' ending. But 'octopus' comes from Greek, not Latin. If you wanted to make a hypercorrect plural there, it should be 'octopodei'. :smallbiggrin:

[GreyBlack]

And in the department of nitpicking & pedantry: The plural of English 'octopus' is 'octopuses'. You're taking a Latin plural there, influenced by the '-us' ending. But 'octopus' comes from Greek, not Latin. If you wanted to make a hypercorrect plural there, it should be 'octopodei'. :smallbiggrin:

Further nitpick: the plural can vary by region. Another variant could be "octopodes".

As to the OP: Barbarian if strength is good enough, otherwise just take Sentinel.

[hymer]

Further nitpick: the plural can vary by region. Another variant could be "octopodes".

I stand and applaud! :smallbiggrin:

[Beelzebubba]

If you want to protect allies and stay a spellcaster, Cleric has the best spells for that, and you’d be keeping your spell progression intact. Guidance, Spare the Dying, Aid, Bless, Protection from Evil, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith... those are all available even with just a 1-level dip.

Going non-spellcaster will work, but won’t pay off for a while, since Battlemaster and Eldridge Knight stuff don’t hit until level 3. Since you’ll be staying where you are as a spellcaster, and spells ‘scale’ to handle multiple people at range and the Fighter stuff will protect only one person at a time, you’ll be gaining single-target protection at the expense of the group. So, it’s a trade-off, not an improvement.

[Aett_Thorn]

Can’t believe that nobody yet (that I saw) recommended at least getting to Druid 5 first. Nothing protects your allies more than a pack of wolves summoned to the battlefield.

[Appleheart]

Well, a bit of a side-point suggestion I guess, since you already said that you're a moon druid, but here is what I've been doing...

Wood elf. Level 5 Kensai Monk, Level Everything Else as a Spore Druid. :)

Extra attack, bonus action attack, and flurry of blows for even more attacks, all with bonus damage from the spore druid. And the +2 AC from Kensai helps a lot with the AC, especially early on.

And then add in cool spells for support and utility, and you'll have a ton of fun. :)

[etrpgb]

1 level as Warlock doing a pact to the Old One. So you can speak in beast form... never leave your animal spirit form evermore!

[Vogie]

Go Cleric all the way since it keys off of your main stat too. Nature Cleric probably fits the best thematically, but really just about any domain would work.

Life Domains augment your raw healing, Grave domains help you stop your allies from dying - Both are in lockstep with the change in personality.
Light domain allows you to flare in protection of yourself & others.

A Single Ranger dip will give you a favored enemy, which could indicate you're out for vengeance.

A monk dip will boost your AC when you shift into shapes with no natural armor, taking the shapes' Dexterity.

[Khrysaes]

Life cleric would improve your good berry's healing to minimum 4, and by the way its worded, although there is no benefit to upcast goodberry as a default, you can get good berry to heal up to 12 HP with a 9th level slot. or 120 for all 10 berries.

In addition, Healing spirit can now heal from 60-100 HP for 1 creature as a second level spell. What with the conga line, out of combat healing is just so much better.

[tieren]

Tempest cleric/ moon druid would be fun, reactive lightning damage while tanking in bear form? yes please!

[Tubben]

If you plan to play a moon druid later at lv 20, dont multiclass.
If you stop before, np :-)

[Rusty Spoon]

Life Domains augment your raw healing, Grave domains help you stop your allies from dying - Both are in lockstep with the change in personality.
Light domain allows you to flare in protection of yourself & others.

A Single Ranger dip will give you a favored enemy, which could indicate you're out for vengeance.

A monk dip will boost your AC when you shift into shapes with no natural armor, taking the shapes' Dexterity.
Ranger is a possibility, but monk is just lacking in terms of protecting others.

Can’t believe that nobody yet (that I saw) recommended at least getting to Druid 5 first. Nothing protects your allies more than a pack of wolves summoned to the battlefield.
This is tempting, but I want something more hands on for now.

If you want to protect allies and stay a spellcaster, Cleric has the best spells for that, and you’d be keeping your spell progression intact. Guidance, Spare the Dying, Aid, Bless, Protection from Evil, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith... those are all available even with just a 1-level dip.

Going non-spellcaster will work, but won’t pay off for a while, since Battlemaster and Eldridge Knight stuff don’t hit until level 3. Since you’ll be staying where you are as a spellcaster, and spells ‘scale’ to handle multiple people at range and the Fighter stuff will protect only one person at a time, you’ll be gaining single-target protection at the expense of the group. So, it’s a trade-off, not an improvement.
Battlemaster has some good maneuvers for what I want, can't see much from Eldritch Knight that protects others instead of myself.

I'd suggest NOT multi-classing, and instead spending as much time as a beast as possible.

Guilt has driven you to escape from being a human. It doesn't work, of course -- you keep your mind when you change -- but escapism is seldom productive.

If you MUST have a mechanical justification for your personality roleplaying, then I'd suggest retroactively changing your level 4 ASI to something appropriate. The feat Sentinel might be a good choice, since it's all about protecting your allies from the front line.

Frankly having that feat is probably a lot better mechanically than taking a Fighter level, plus you're casting level 3 spells which is also better than getting the perks of a level 1 Fighter.
Sentinel is great, actually. Adding that to the wish-list.

Cleric would be very much less MAD for this sort of thing. And it wouldn't slow down total Caster progression like Paladin would.

Eldritch Knight doesn't need to rely on Int. Shield and Absorb Elements don't worry about Int at all. Neither does Find Familiar.

If you're a Moon Druid, you're probably in Beast form for combat a lot, so the Protection fighting style wouldn't be too useful.

I'd personally consider Cleric if you really want to multiclass.
Beast form is getting less useful for combat, so I need some other options.

Tempest cleric/ moon druid would be fun, reactive lightning damage while tanking in bear form? yes please!
Cleric definitely seems the way to go over Paladin, Tempest and Light both seem appealing.

So I think I'll go Fighter, grabbing Battlemaster and Sentinel, then Cleric with domain depending on whether I'm still going vengeful or have calmed down a bit.

[Citan]

Ranger is a possibility, but monk is just lacking in terms of protecting others.

I'll have to strongly disagree on that: there is at least one Monk that would work well for you, although it would come online late and that may be a dealbreaker: Long Death Monk.

His "Fear as action" ability works extremely well, would fit perfectly with many beast forms (some roars can be frightening ^^), and would protect you as well as the rest of the party while you concentrate on a spell.

Otherwise, Glamour Bard is one of the best options if you can afford it thanks to the mass THP per Bardic Inspiration. As well as Crown Paladin if you're not afraid to draw aggro.
Then comes the classic Nature Cleric with reaction to halve elemental damage. :)

[sophontteks]

So I think I'll go Fighter, grabbing Battlemaster and Sentinel, then Cleric with domain depending on whether I'm still going vengeful or have calmed down a bit.
You might be shooting yourself in the foot doing this. Your character doesn't need to change classes in order to represent their emotional state. Changing your class may be going overboard. If you keep switching classes you'll never attain the higher-level abilities necessary to keep up with your teammates. Every level in another class puts you another level behind the curve for higher-level spells.

[Vogie]

I'll have to strongly disagree on that: there is at least one Monk that would work well for you, although it would come online late and that may be a dealbreaker: Long Death Monk.

His "Fear as action" ability works extremely well, would fit perfectly with many beast forms (some roars can be frightening ^^), and would protect you as well as the rest of the party while you concentrate on a spell.

While true, he was referring to my post of all one-level dips.

If that is something a druid wanted, however, it could be achieved once per rest with a single level of Archfey Warlock dip. I didn't include it because it'd be pretty MAD, but it is something that exists.