Life Cleric 8 looking to multiclass for more support options

[Tiluwie]

Hello there,

I'm currently playing Cleric Life 8. The answer is probably "Don't do it", but I am looking for your invaluable insight for my options anyway. My "player fantasy" would be to be an enabler/supporter/buffer for my teammates primarily. Since I'm already a monster at healing with Cleric Life level 8, I hoped to do some more direct buffing or at least debuffing/controlling the enemies. Definitely not looking to blast my enemies myself, though. The stats: 8 12 18 8 16 14

So, it's probably some sort of Druid, possibly Sorcerer? If so, what subclasses? Maybe even a mix of the two sometime down the road or something?

I traded proficiency in armor for two feats already, so the armor restriction on druids wouldn't be a problem.

Thank you a lot in advance! Ask away if I forgot anything important. <3

[KorvinStarmast]

I'd suggest holding off on the MC until level 9 where you get a level 5 spell (raise dead) that is pretty special.

Beyond that, is debuff of enemies more important, or buff of friends?
Cleric has some decent buff spells, so what buffs are you looking for?

Bard strikes me as a decent choice, since you'll get Bardic Inspiration Right Away.

[Frogreaver]

Druid could be solid for control. If you can take fey touched and pick up silvery barbs. Sorcerer would be solid but probably more so later. Focus on buffs and twin spell.

[Keravath]

Banishment is probably the best cleric control spell out there, and you already have it. A level 5 slot allows you to target two creatures with it.

At level 8, you have to ask if some lower level spells are going to be more useful control or attack options than the higher level spells that you get from progressing in Life cleric? In many cases, the answer is no especially for taking sorcerer levels that use an even lower stat and resulting DC for the spell saves. How many levels do you want to spend in another class trying to get something to upcast? Spells like hypnotic pattern or slow or fireball are all 3rd level which would require 5 sorcerer levels and 13 total levels and you might find yourself being a bit unhappy with the character as a level 8 cleric/5 sorcerer even compared to a level 13 cleric with 7th level spells.

If you want to double down on healing, a level of Druid with Goodberry combined with the Life Cleric bonus will keep your party at full hit points between fights with very little effort if you stock up on them the night before by using unused spell slots. Goodberry cast using a 3rd level spell slot will heal 6 hit points/berry with the life cleric bonus factored in.

[RogueJK]

The answer is probably "Don't do it"

Pretty much. There aren't really any low-level control/buff spells that it would be worth skipping or delaying Level 5+ Cleric spells to obtain.


If you feel that you absolutely, positively must multiclass, stick to 1 level only before going back to Cleric.

Druid is the obvious option, being the other WIS caster. You can pick up a few useful buff/debuff/control spells like Entangle, Faerie Fire, and Longstrider, along with a few additional WIS-based cantrips. Plus, as already mentioned, you can then do the nifty Life Cleric + Goodberry combo.

Bard is an option, but not a great one. Your middling CHA means you'd only have 2x Bardic Inspiration dice per day, and your few useful buff/debuff/control spells like Hideous Laughter, Dissonant Whispers, or Faerie Fire would be unlikely to land frequently. Heroism is a situationally useful buff that Clerics don't normally get, but again, you're only looking at +2 Temp HP per round due to your middling CHA.

Sorcerer is a little bit better than Bard potentially, but still not a great option if you're specifically wanting buff/debuff/control spells. You don't really get any useful spell options along those lines from a Sorcerer dip, although you could potentially benefit from some Sorcerer subclass abilities. Clockwork Soul is probably your best bet for a Sorcerer dip, allowing you to pick up some solid non-CHA-dependent 1st level spells like Shield/Silvery Barbs/Absorb Elements, 4x non-CHA-dependent utility cantrips like Mage Hand/Message/etc., and the buff/debuff subclass ability to either negate a teammate's Disadvantage or negate an enemy's Advantage, usable Proficiency times per day (so it at least scales with your overall character level, not your lower CHAMOD or Sorcerer level.

Warlock is a poor choice, with only 1x 1st level Pact slots that doesn't stack with your Cleric spellcasting, and no really useful buff/debuff/control spells to pick from for your two Warlock spells known.

You don't have the INT required to multiclass into Artificer or Wizard.


So basically... either don't multiclass at all and just stick to Life Cleric (the better option) , or dip 1 level into Druid or Clockwork Soul Sorcerer before going back to Life Cleric (the least bad multiclassing options, which at least have some redeeming features).

[LudicSavant]

Hello there,

I'm currently playing Cleric Life 8. The answer is probably "Don't do it", but I am looking for your invaluable insight for my options anyway. My "player fantasy" would be to be an enabler/supporter/buffer for my teammates primarily. Since I'm already a monster at healing with Cleric Life level 8, I hoped to do some more direct buffing or at least debuffing/controlling the enemies. Definitely not looking to blast my enemies myself, though. The stats: 8 12 18 8 16 14

So, it's probably some sort of Druid, possibly Sorcerer? If so, what subclasses? Maybe even a mix of the two sometime down the road or something?

I traded proficiency in armor for two feats already, so the armor restriction on druids wouldn't be a problem.

Thank you a lot in advance! Ask away if I forgot anything important. <3

Life Cleric scales very well with more Life Cleric levels. That said if you do want a 1-level dip, Druid and Sorcerer are where it's at.

Sorcerer gives you all of the reactions you could ever want -- Shield, Absorb Elements, Silvery Barbs, whatever. It also gives you access to an AC-targeting cantrip (that can thus bypass things like magic resistance and legendary resistance) like Ray of Frost, Booming Blade, or Fire Bolt (which can then be boosted by Blessed Strikes).

Your subclass should be Lunar or DSS. Lunar will give you a bonus Shield slot, spell known, and ability to twin your Sacred Flames. DSS will give you the ability to boost your saving throws.

Druid gives you Absorb Elements (but not Shield et al) and an AC-targeting cantrip such as Thorn Whip, Primal Savagery, or Shillelagh (the latter being useful if you picked up Booming Blade from somewhere, like being a high elf or mpmm kobold). Thorn Whip is especially good for things like, say, pulling people into Spirit Guardians to proc it multiple times. It also gives you access to the cheesy Disciple of Life + Goodberry combo.

[Quietus]

Some people have mentioned 1 level druid, but also an option : a second level of druid could get you Stars. Chalice would make it so every healing spell you cast comes with a free 1d8+wis healing to a second target within 30 feet.