1 level dip for a Rogue

[elyktsorb]

I've been looking into Rogue stuff (since I'm currently playing a Rogue) and it occurred to me that the lvl 20 capstone isn't super important (I'm playing in a game that has a significant chance of getting to the lvl 17-20 range) And I began wondering if I should dip my toe into another class, especially since 1 lvl won't interrupt my Rogue lvling except for that capstone ability for the most part, I probably won't dip into another class until lvl 9 since I want to hit 20 Dex and I was to get my other Expertise at lvl 6. Mostly this just puts 'Use Magical Device' back 1 lvl, which would be the biggest thing. Mainly I'm looking to see what the most I can get out of a single level is, in ANY terms, not just combat.

For the record my character is currently a lvl 5 Thief Rogue Lightfoot Halfling with this stat spread

STR: 8

DEX: 18

CON: 8

INT: 10

WIS:15

CHA:16

[KorvinStarmast]

For the record my character is currently a lvl 5 Thief Rogue Lightfoot Halfling with this stat spread

STR: 8

DEX: 18

CON: 8

INT: 10

WIS:15

CHA:16 I'd be very tempted to suggest one level in Cleric or Druid so that you can get the Guidance Cantrip. Take your good skills and make them better sometimes.
A single level in Sorcerer, Shadow, gives you dark vision and 4 cantrips. And you can bounce back up to 1 HP once per long rest if you need to.
either one is pretty good.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

One level of fighter isn't bad. Get more weapon options, including longbow, and a fighting style, for instance archery. You compensate being one level behind on the sneak attack progression with some extra damage and become a bit less dependent on sneak attack in the process. Not the most creative option, but certainly an option. Ranger gets you the expanded weapon list, an extra skill and two class features, but not the reliable extra damage of he fighting style.

[KorvinStarmast]

One level of fighter isn't bad. Get more weapon options, including longbow, and a fighting style, for instance archery. Halfling; Longbow attack with disadvantage. (Fighting style is a decent point, however)

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Halfling; Longbow attack with disadvantage. (Fighting style is a decent point, however)

O right, heavy weapon.

Thanks for the reminder.

[elyktsorb]

I'd be very tempted to suggest one level in Cleric or Druid so that you can get the Guidance Cantrip. Take your good skills and make them better sometimes.
A single level in Sorcerer, Shadow, gives you dark vision and 4 cantrips. And you can bounce back up to 1 HP once per long rest if you need to.
either one is pretty good.

If I pick Druid I'd be sorely tempted for 2 levels at least. I have been thinking quite a bit about cleric though.

[KorvinStarmast]

If I pick Druid I'd be sorely tempted for 2 levels at least. I have been thinking quite a bit about cleric though. If you do choose Druid, 2 levels would seem to me the best way to go. :smallcool: But that's a matter of personal taste.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a level 1 dip into Sorcerer, Shadow. You can fit a dozen RP reasons into this.

[Keravath]

With those stats I would be very tempted by 2 levels of warlock for the devils sight invocation and one other.

Halflings can't see in the dark so it makes it very tough to be a sneaky rogue in a dark place. Even if you obtain some goggles of the night or a friend with the Darkvision spell you still have disadvantage on all your perception and investigation checks to see things in the dim light.

On the other hand, with devils sight, the darkness is as clear as day and there is no impact on your perception and investigation checks so seeing traps/secret doors or other hidden creatures or objects is much easier. You also pick up some spells, some cantrips, two short rest spell slots, another invocation and some other goodies depending on which type of warlock you choose. In this case though you might wait until after reliable talent at 11 ... though it is a trade off either way and 2 levels of warlock has a lot of utility.

Other options:
1 level of cleric for healing stuff/bless/guidance for skills
3 levels of battlemaster fighter for action surge, riposte, other maneuvers and a fighting style
1 level of sorcerer for some spells, 4 cantrips, and a ribbon ability like 120' darkvision from shadow sorcerer which would be very useful for a halfling without darkvision

Rogues combine well with a number of classes ... in this case pick something that supplies something you need (like darkvision), plugs a gap in your party, or provides some increase in versatility.

[JellyPooga]

I'll second the 2-lvl Warlock dip, if dip you must. Devil's Sight on a Halfling Rogue is golden and a little magic goes a long way.

Barbarian is also a really solid pick for Rogue; even just one level gives you:
- Martial weapons. Whip. Reach, Finesse. You have all the bonus damage, so that 1d4 doesn't count for squat. 'nuff said.
- Shield. Who doesn't like +2 AC for free? You're not using 2-handed weapons anyway. You're a Rogue with a Whip. Right?
- Rage. Plus Uncanny Dodge. Rage. plus Uncanny Dodge. RAAAGE!!1!. plus UNcanny DooOodge. Do I need to say it again?

Also, no-one expects Halfling Barbarians for some reason :smallsmile:

That said, I'd advise not multiclassing at all. Rogue gets tasty goodness at every level and you need to really weigh the value of the dip against more Rogue. It's a genuinely hard choice, but I'd err on the side of more Rogue almost every time.

edit: Damnation. Just noticed you can't do Barbarian because of that weedy Str score.
edit2: That sucks.
edit3: 'cos, you know...Rage plus Uncanny Dodge.

[elyktsorb]

I'll second the 2-lvl Warlock dip, if dip you must. Devil's Sight on a Halfling Rogue is golden and a little magic goes a long way.

Barbarian is also a really solid pick for Rogue; even just one level gives you:
- Martial weapons. Whip. Reach, Finesse. You have all the bonus damage, so that 1d4 doesn't count for squat. 'nuff said.
- Shield. Who doesn't like +2 AC for free? You're not using 2-handed weapons anyway. You're a Rogue with a Whip. Right?
- Rage. Plus Uncanny Dodge. Rage. plus Uncanny Dodge. RAAAGE!!1!. plus UNcanny DooOodge. Do I need to say it again?

Also, no-one expects Halfling Barbarians for some reason :smallsmile:

That said, I'd advise not multiclassing at all. Rogue gets tasty goodness at every level and you need to really weigh the value of the dip against more Rogue. It's a genuinely hard choice, but I'd err on the side of more Rogue almost every time.

edit: Damnation. Just noticed you can't do Barbarian because of that weedy Str score.
edit2: That sucks.
edit3: 'cos, you know...Rage plus Uncanny Dodge.

I would have considered it, but I'm basically the stand in the back and shoot Rogue for the most part.

[JellyPooga]

I would have considered it, but I'm basically the stand in the back and shoot Rogue for the most part.

As a stand-back'n'shoot Rogue, you need to think what will compliment your suite of abilities. If you're not much of a scout, then Warlock may not be a great choice. Likewise, dipping Sorcerer or Wizard for GFB is clearly not a great choice.

Ranger 2 may be a decent choice for you; you get an additional skill proficiency and at Rng2 you get Hunters Mark to compensate the loss of Sneak Attack. You also get some additional accuracy from Fighting Style.

Again, though, I'd say not to MC at all.

[elyktsorb]

Again, though, I'd say not to MC at all.

Yeah but the only thing the MC will really cost me is putting off using magical items for a level. (since only 1 level would be worth it in my eyes at the moment) and the immediate bonuses the additional class could give me would greatly outweigh getting Use Magical Items, at least in my eyes. The game I'm playing at the moment involves a lot of social stuff, ability checks, and the multiclass will help me lean into that sort of thing if it helps. Though that isn't to say that there hasn't been combat, I was the lions share of damage in our recent fight against an Otyugh

[LudicSavant]

When considering optimal 1-level dips for almost every class, one must consider sigh the Hexblade.


Booming Blade is a considerable benefit to anyone with a single attack.
And you can pick another cantrip too, which can be something like Minor Illusion (no verbal component means you can mess with people while hiding).
Shield proficiency provides a significant defense boost.
Armor proficiency will become obsolete once you max Dex but can be useful before then.
1 spell slot per short rest from a useful list.
Hexblade's Curse can boost your damage output.

[Cikomyr2]

Trickery Domain cleric

Commit :)

[CTurbo]

If you're a stand back and shoot Rogue, grabbing a level of Fighter for Archery would be worth it.

I think Cleric is a great choice for a single level dip. Just take Res(Wis) at some point to round out your Wis score. Cleric 1 would be worth it for Bless and Guidance alone.
I'd choose War probably. With a 16 Wis, you'd have 3 chances a day to fire off another shot with your bonus action if you miss. That's huge for a Rogue. Light would be my second choice. Using your reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack against you is pretty good if/when an enemy gets close to you considering your Con is 8.

[Bobthewizard]

Trickery Domain cleric

Commit :)

This is what I came to post. Disguise self and charm person, guidance, spare the dying, light, healing word, bless, command, sanctuary and blessing of the trickster would give you a lot of toys to play with.

[elyktsorb]

When considering optimal 1-level dips for almost every class, one must consider sigh the Hexblade.


Booming Blade is a considerable benefit to anyone with a single attack.
And you can pick another cantrip too, which can be something like Minor Illusion (no verbal component means you can mess with people while hiding).
Shield proficiency provides a significant defense boost.
Armor proficiency will become obsolete once you max Dex but can be useful before then.
1 spell slot per short rest from a useful list.
Hexblade's Curse can boost your damage output.


I'm not much of a melee combatant very often, especially with my low con score, and stealth is actually a pretty big deal so using Booming Blade in an attack would be very detrimental in a lot of circumstances. Not to mention I could get this with sorc with more cantrips as well.

Shield Proficiency would be good, but I can get that in a lot of places, and as I mentioned I'm mainly a, shoot guys from the back, Rogue.

I won't be taking the new class level until after I max dex so that's a moot point.

This is already not a very short rest heavy campaign, there is a lot of down time between events, but it's almost always of the long rest variety. Not to mention I don't plan on pumping charisma until way later so those 1st level spells aren't exactly going to do much and will pretty much be used on utility stuff for the most part.

Hexblade's curse can do that.

But ultimately I wouldn't consider Warlock anyway, it would be significantly out of character for my character to hop on the Warlock band wagon, not to mention there is already a Warlock in our party, which is a big reason why the character wouldn't become a Warlock, those two are pretty against each other at the moment.


This is what I came to post. Disguise self and charm person, guidance, spare the dying, light, healing word, bless, command, sanctuary and blessing of the trickster would give you a lot of toys to play with.

I've already got proficiency with, and a ring that grants me advantage on Disguise Kit checks, as well as the Charlatan's background feature so I also have a whole other identity already. AND I already considered Trickser, but you can't cast the Blessing of the Trickster on yourself, it has to be on another person.

[Crgaston]

Another vote for 1 level of Fighter for Archery Style. Sorcerer is an excellent option as well.

Heck, you could do one of each and just lose an ASI, of which you have plenty, and 1d6 SA damage, which would be almost entirely mitigated by the +2 to hit.

[OldTrees1]

Knowledge Domain Cleric adds 2 more Expertise & Guidance.

[Misterwhisper]

Most of the time just more rogue, if taking 1 level I would wait until after reliable talent.

For a swashbuckler - hex blade and be all cha based also gains shield and medium armor.
for a main archer - fighter for archery style
for a main melee - barbarian for rage, some extra hp and at least some ok AC if you are unarmored and a shield.

a 2 level dip is much better.

Although staying just rogue is fine too.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

I've been looking into Rogue stuff (since I'm currently playing a Rogue) and it occurred to me that the lvl 20 capstone isn't super important (I'm playing in a game that has a significant chance of getting to the lvl 17-20 range) And I began wondering if I should dip my toe into another class, especially since 1 lvl won't interrupt my Rogue lvling except for that capstone ability for the most part, I probably won't dip into another class until lvl 9 since I want to hit 20 Dex and I was to get my other Expertise at lvl 6. Mostly this just puts 'Use Magical Device' back 1 lvl, which would be the biggest thing. Mainly I'm looking to see what the most I can get out of a single level is, in ANY terms, not just combat.

For the record my character is currently a lvl 5 Thief Rogue Lightfoot Halfling with this stat spread

STR: 8

DEX: 18

CON: 8

INT: 10

WIS:15

CHA:16

Honestly, I wouldn't multiclass. Your additional ASI from the Rogue class at 10th level is rather nice as you can get your Dex up to 20 and then start working on that Constitution score. What the abyss, that's not healthy.


Edit: Honestly, you don't need to boost Dex yet. At 8th and 10th just go +2 Con at each level so you have a 12 Constitution Score. At 12th level you can go +2 Dex or Con. Seriously, ouch.

[elyktsorb]

Honestly, I wouldn't multiclass. Your additional ASI from the Rogue class at 10th level is rather nice as you can get your Dex up to 20 and then start working on that Constitution score. What the abyss, that's not healthy.


Edit: Honestly, you don't need to boost Dex yet. At 8th and 10th just go +2 Con at each level so you have a 12 Constitution Score. At 12th level you can go +2 Dex or Con. Seriously, ouch.

M8 if I was worried about my con score I would have tanked Int instead of it.

Not to mention I'm not losing any ASI if I do multiclass.

[CTurbo]

What feats do you have your eyes on once Dex is maxed? Unless you plan on Crossbow Expert, I would go War Cleric one for the reasons mentioned above. You have nothing to concentrate on so you could cast Bless for pretty much every major battle. Nothing sucks more for a Rogue than to miss with your only shot. War Cleric helps with that in 2 different ways.

[elyktsorb]

What feats do you have your eyes on once Dex is maxed? Unless you plan on Crossbow Expert, I would go War Cleric one for the reasons mentioned above. You have nothing to concentrate on so you could cast Bless for pretty much every major battle. Nothing sucks more for a Rogue than to miss with your only shot. War Cleric helps with that in 2 different ways.

Honestly I wasn't even thinking too much about feats since that won't be until after I've taken this theoretical multiclass level anyway

[SpawnOfMorbo]

M8 if I was worried about my con score I would have tanked Int instead of it.

Not to mention I'm not losing any ASI if I do multiclass.

Figured you rolled in order, plenty of people do that.

[elyktsorb]

Figured you rolled in order, plenty of people do that.

Oh no, this was by point buy. Though if I had rolled I still would have shuffled the stats how I wanted them. (as the kind of person who would religiously sit at that Baldurs Gate/Icewind Dale/other games of these types until I got at least a 90 for each character I made)