Is this Barbarian/Sorcerer/Paladin multiclass a terrible idea?

[Ukala]

Hey all,

I'm in a group running Tomb of Annihilation, and we're about to hit level 6. I'm currently a Goliath Zealot Barbarian, and have been toying with the idea of multiclassing for the rest of the campaign, up to level 11. Because of her backstory, the idea of a Vengeance or Devotion Paladin are pretty attractive, and her history with her deity fits the description of a Divine Soul Sorcerer pretty well. Her stats are 18 Str, 19 Con, 14 Dex, 10 Int, 12 Wis, 13 Cha. The rest of our party is a Lore Bard, Moon Druid, Grave Cleric, and Great Old One/Tome Warlock. Here's what I'm thinking:

Level 6: Divine Soul Sorcerer 1
Level 7: Paladin 1
Level 8: Paladin 2
Level 9: Paladin 3 (Vengeance or Devotion)
Level 10: Paladin 4
Level 11: Back to Barbarian 6 for the HP

Obviously the Barbarian/Sorcerer multiclass is one of the... least conventional choices out there, and I'd be taking it to get extra spell slots for Paladin smites, as well as interesting and useful utility spells like Shield, Jump, and light cantrips (since she doesn't have darkvision) and SCAG melee cantrips (which level with character, not class). Since my charisma modifier is only +1, I'm not really counting on making spell attacks. The Divine Soul level 1 ability to add 2d4 to a failed saving throw or attack roll seems like it would make up for the Zealot level 6 ability to reroll a failed saving throw, and then from there, the Paladin abilities seem pretty well suited to fighting undead in a swampy, disease-infested jungle. My DM and I talked about it, and agreed that while taking a level of Hexblade would be really nice mechanically, it would make no sense at all thematically for this character, especially when Divine Soul exists, and is a much better fit for her history.

I'd obviously be making myself a little less tanky, but hopefully making up for it by giving myself something to do out of combat when I'm not raging, and getting the ability to smite undead a little harder (which I can still do while raging). I'm also basically putting off my last ASI until the end of the campaign- I was hoping to take Great Weapon Master with this character, but at that point, wonder if I should just up my strength to 20.

Any thoughts? This is a complicated enough multiclass that I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing.

Thanks!

[GlenSmash!]

You can smite while raging, and if going sorcerer for extra smites, it works.

It's MAD but really no more Mad than the typical Paladin.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

I will say stop at paly 2, you don't have the cha to want to go paly 6.

You can already get advantage from reckless attack, no need vengeance channel divinity and devotion channel divinity is Cha scaling.

I say go paly 2 Sorcerer 3 before the barb 6

[Ukala]

I will say stop at paly 2, you don't have the cha to want to go paly 6.

You can already get advantage from reckless attack, no need vengeance channel divinity and devotion channel divinity is Cha scaling.

I say go paly 2 Sorcerer 3 before the barb 6

Ooh, that's interesting. Access to metamagic and second level spells, too. Casting Blur with a quickened spell, and then attacking recklessly for a minute without my opponents having advantage against me sounds tempting.

[OverLordOcelot]

You're giving up a chunk of HP, 1 rage/day until 11th level, Brutal Critical (extra die on criticals, assuming you use greataxe that's 1d12 per crit), Relentless Rage (DC10 save to drop to 1 instead of 0 while raging, DC goes up by 5 each time), Fanatical focus (Reroll a save 1/rage), and zealous presence (give advantage to attacks and saves for your party 1/LR). You're gaining 4/2 spell slots that together give 8d8 extra damage per day (more if you use them on crits) and probably won't get used much as spells, Lay on hands for 20/day, immunity to disease, +2d4 on one save or attack once per rest, and cantrips.

IMO you'll be worse at just dropping into the middle of enemies and fighting, as you're giving up significant defense for utility and some controllable damage. I would be hesitant to give up survivability in TOA since there is no revivify, but you are gaining some useful stuff and certainly won't be useless. Also wouldn't bother with a SCAG cantrip, you can't use them while raging and probably don't want to cut your two attacks down to one at other times.

[Matticusrex]

3-way multi-classes are always terrible ideas.

[Ukala]

You're giving up a chunk of HP, 1 rage/day until 11th level, Brutal Critical (extra die on criticals, assuming you use greataxe that's 1d12 per crit), Relentless Rage (DC10 save to drop to 1 instead of 0 while raging, DC goes up by 5 each time), Fanatical focus (Reroll a save 1/rage), and zealous presence (give advantage to attacks and saves for your party 1/LR). You're gaining 4/2 spell slots that together give 8d8 extra damage per day (more if you use them on crits) and probably won't get used much as spells, Lay on hands for 20/day, immunity to disease, +2d4 on one save or attack once per rest, and cantrips.

IMO you'll be worse at just dropping into the middle of enemies and fighting, as you're giving up significant defense for utility and some controllable damage. I would be hesitant to give up survivability in TOA since there is no revivify, but you are gaining some useful stuff and certainly won't be useless. Also wouldn't bother with a SCAG cantrip, you can't use them while raging and probably don't want to cut your two attacks down to one at other times.

I'm definitely worried about going from d12 to d6 hit dice. Because the Zealot's level 3 resurrection feature is basically useless in ToA, my DM replaced it with needing to fail 4 death saving throws instead of 3 to actually die, so that helps, but I'll still basically be expected to tank. Good point about the SCAG cantrips- seems like they mostly require a saving throw anyway, and as I said, my Charisma modifier isn't good enough for me to expect to cast any spells that require that. I'm not totally against staying with Barbarian the whole way, or even taking a few levels in Fighter, but even that wouldn't radically alter my trajectory and function the way this would. I'm just not sure that some of the Barbarian features coming up, like Zealous Presence or even Brutal Critical (and I do use a +1 greataxe), are going to be as useful or be used as often as Paladin smites. This is my first campaign, too, so part of this is truly just not having seen a lot of these class features actually play out.

[MagneticKitty]

Alternatively if you just want smite and utility spells there's whispers bard instead of sorc. Also more hp

I think I would do: barb 5, pal 2, whisper bard 3, barb 6
for this concept.

Bards can heal so just flavor it as being divine.

[Ukala]

Alternatively if you just want smite and utility spells there's whispers bard instead of sorc. Also more hp

I think I would do: barb 5, pal 2, whisper bard 3, barb 6
for this concept.

Bards can heal so just flavor it as being divine.

Not a bad idea, and I like the Bard's abilities, but my DM will never let me MC into Bard. Early on I failed a performance check by singing the song of my people, a deep guttural toneless throat-singing, and it has become a running joke.

[Galithar]

Not a bad idea, and I like the Bard's abilities, but my DM will never let me MC into Bard. Early on I failed a performance check by singing the song of my people, a deep guttural toneless throat-singing, and it has become a running joke.

You could always play up the fact that you can't sing and contest it against the fact that you are apparently an amazing musician. Not all bards sing, maybe that's even part of WHY you started to play an instrument, because you realized you couldn't sing?