Odd Question But..

[elyktsorb]

What's the validity of a Paladin/Artificer multiclass? Just got it in my head that this would be fun to play with but both classes are ones I know very little about.

[PhantomSoul]

You're valid, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise!

Jokes aside, it's a trickier one based on stat dependence (INT vs. Str+CHA), but you get get (partly) around that in different ways depending on subclass choices;
- You'll probably (but not certainly) want Heavy Armour either from Paladin or from the Armorer Artificer (not necessary, but a consideration). If you get it from the Armorer, then the minimum Strength requirement drops from 15 (for the Armour) to 13 (for Paladin Multiclassing). Not a huge difference, but for some stats could make a difference... and maybe you aren't looking for Heavy Armour anyhow (but then you still need 13 Strength unless the DM house rules that away).
- How much Charisma you actually want will depend on the number of levels in Paladin; at 6 you want to bump that Charisma, but at lower levels that's less necessary. You can quite easily avoid spells that rely on Charisma, which reduces how much it'll "hurt".
- How much Intelligence you actually want will depend on which route you go for Artificer; the Armorer uses it for the Armor-adorned Weapons, but maybe you just decide to use regular weapons, while a big benefit of the Battle Smith is to use Intelligence with Weapons, which makes Intelligence more desirable.

[Sigreid]

You're only real problem is going to be that the attributes don't synergize very well. You'll likely wind up being bad at one or mediocre at both at best.

[chiefwaha]

What's the validity of a Paladin/Artificer multiclass? Just got it in my head that this would be fun to play with but both classes are ones I know very little about.

Not optimal, but could be fun.

Quick build with no time really thinking about things... Hill Dwarf Paladin 2-4/Battlesmith Artificer the rest. Something like 13/10/12/15/10/13 before racial modifiers(how exactly might change on if you can use Tasha's on changing where your racial modifiers go).

You get your heavy armor, still can use your full speed because you're a dwarf and can pump INT for your weapon attacks as long as you get a magic weapon or use your infusions on one. And you get your steel defender.

Overall, I think it wouldn't be the greatest combination, but certainly should be playable.

[Dork_Forge]

There's potential there, you just have to settle for a meh stat line, roll high, or mitigate the MADness with a racial choice.

Personally I'd just leave 13 in Str and 14 in Cha, and choose either Armorer or Battle Smith to be Int focused, preferably Armorer, as losing levels really hurts the Steel Defender.

You can go with a no Tasha's option using a Half Elf to start with:

13 10 14 16 10 14

That hits all the prereqs and leaves you with no hard dumped stats. Personally I'd do this as a tanking character using the Guardian form of the Armorer, making use of the higher AC, temp hp and Thunder Gauntlets to tank. The Paladin levels let you heal yourself more effectively out of combat and deal decent spike damage with Divine Smite and Divine Favor.

[RogueJK]

As noted, not optimal, but doable.

I'd shoot for starting with 2 levels of Paladin, and then the rest either Battle Smith or Armorer, wearing Heavy Armor.

You're looking at something like a Mountain Dwarf with:
STR 14+2
DEX 8
CON 14
INT 14+2
WIS 9
CHA 13

Or a Half Elf with:
STR 15+1
DEX 8
CON 13+1
INT 14+2
WIS 9
CHA 13

Plan on +2 INT for your first ASI at Paladin 2/Artificer 4, and then possibly Warcaster at Paladin 2/Artificer 8. (Although Warcaster's main benefit can potentially be duplicated with the Mind Sharpener infusion.)

While you could drop STR to just 13 on a Mountain/Hill Dwarf and not suffer the Heavy Armor penalty, the problem is you're going to have to rely on that 13 STR as your melee stat for the first 4 levels until you can use INT as your attack stat starting at Paladin 2/Battle Smith or Armorer 3. So going with 13 STR would only be advisable if you're starting out at Level 5+.

You're going to lag a bit behind in melee output at Level 5 and 6, since you won't have Extra Attack yet, but you can help that by picking up Booming Blade to tide you over until Extra Attack comes online at Paladin 2/Artificer 5. While it's on the Artificer list, Artificers only get 2 cantrips until Level 10. The issue is that Battle Smiths especially are definitely going to want to pick up Mending, and will want a ranged cantrip option too, so that doesn't leave much room for Booming Blade. Therefore, High Half Elf with racial Booming Blade would be a good way to go. And this combos well with eventually getting Warcaster, for Booming Blade OAs to dissuade enemies from moving past you to attack squishier allies.

With just 2 levels of Paladin, CHA won't matter for anything but multiclass requirements. There are several good 1st level Paladin spell options that don't rely on CHA, including Bless, Divine Favor, Protection from Evil/Good, and Shield of Faith, and you'll only be able to prepare two of them at a time anyway.

[Amechra]

The main question I have is why? As in, what draws you to a multiclass between the two classes?

The big barrier here is that you're looking at a character who wants three good ability scores — Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma. I'd actually argue that the Battle-Smith is a trap option here — it doesn't actually reduce your need for a good Strength/Dexterity score for AC. I'd say that your best choice is going to be a Guardian-focused Armorer. Focus on Intelligence and Charisma, stick to your Thunder Fists, and you're going to be alright.

[elyktsorb]

The main question I have is why? As in, what draws you to a multiclass between the two classes?

The big barrier here is that you're looking at a character who wants three good ability scores — Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma. I'd actually argue that the Battle-Smith is a trap option here — it doesn't actually reduce your need for a good Strength/Dexterity score for AC. I'd say that your best choice is going to be a Guardian-focused Armorer. Focus on Intelligence and Charisma, stick to your Thunder Fists, and you're going to be alright.

This was actually my line of thought, if you were planning this out for lvl 5 and beyond, I'd figure maxing int and cha would be the go to because you can deal damage with int and just need the 13 str for the multiclass minimum.

And what drew me into the two classes was the thought of a paladin devoted to his oath, to the point that he makes his holy armor and it's got his holy symbol emblazed across it, and you're just punching people with your armored fists and smiting them.

And his whole persona is that 'I am given strength by the resolve of my oath, but I bolster my power through my own means'

Like, imagine a Power Ranger Paladin.

Or I suppose the a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin from the Fallout series would be a good comparison (with less awful ideals and more good ones tho)