Fighter Multiclassing: Fun Concepts and Practical Guidance for D&D 5e 📝

Discover fresh ideas for your #DND5e Fighter with disciplined multiclassing.
I have an additional resource for you at flutesloot.com where you can read my in-depth Fighter multiclassing guide: www.flutesloot.com/fighter-mu...
⏰Time Stamps:
00:00​ Intro and article link
00:24 Poll and philosophy
01:22 Best practices for Fighter multiclassing
07:55 Arcane Archer multiclassing
08:42 Battle Master multiclassing
13:22 Cavalier multiclassing
14:00 Champion multiclassing
15:37 Echo Knight multiclassing
17:14 Eldritch Knight multiclassing
18:06 Psi Warrior multiclassing
19:52 Purple Dragon Knight Banneret multiclassing
20:16 Rune Knight multiclassing
22:28 Samurai multiclassing
24:11 Finale
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[@FlutesLoot]

Read the entire article about FIghter multiclassing here: www.flutesloot.com/fighter-multiclassing-guide-dnd-5e/ Thank you for watching! I'd love to read about your multiclass concepts.

[@syvajarvi2289]

I did a Battle master/drunken master fighter/monk multiclass for a lvl 20 one shot. Take fighter initiate (superior technique) and martial adept for the the additional superiority dice pool and additional maneuvers. It save the ki points for flurry of blows and stunning strike as needed. The character was a veteran scout for a fallen kingdom. Basically a forward observer/spy for the kingdom’s army who is now a traveling mercenary/guard/mentor. MAD heavy in Dex, Wis, and don’t dump CHA (doesn’t need to be higher than 12, tbh, just not any negatives on rolls) for performance and deception checks for playing drunk. I had good rolls and we reskinned the Shadar Kai with different lore for flavor for the tanked teleports as a BA as needed. It was very fun to play. The character was not drunk but the class features made for a very chaotic unconventional combatant that could be the face of the party.

[@MarkD5678]

Ive had a number of fighter-rogue multiclass ideas in my head lately. A bodyguard who is a cavalier with just a small 2 level rogue dip for some extra fancy footwork to slip around the battlefield and helping out any allies in need. A battlemaster with a few levels of mastermind to serve as a sort of chessmaster tactician who assesses their surroundings and directs their allies. A battlemaster archer + 3 levels of assassin who uses the ambush maneuver to get the jump during initiative and then spreading their surprise crits out on as many enemies as they can sink arrows into with multiattack and action surge out the gate.

[@FlutesLoot]

I've always liked the Battlemaster+Mastermind combination. It makes sense.

[@TheRobversion1]

battlemaster + assassin is awesome. thrown in a gloomstalker dip and you have the best martial nova core in the game. personally, i'm also a big fan of the battlemaster + phantom.

[@morganpetros9635]

I kind of like the idea of Rune Knight mixed with about 6 levels of Totem Warrior or Zealot barbarian, just because Rune Knights seem kind of "barbarian-esque" anyway. And the Giant's Might feature can either be combined with Rage or used as a sort of "Rage Lite" for when you want Advantage on STR checks ( **cough** grappler build **cough** ) but are either out of Rages or don't feel you need the damage resistance. Same goes for the Hill rune, only more so ... and the other runes aren't spells even though some have spell-like effects, so they can be used while raging. 😈

[@ambrosedystopian1542]

One of my favorite builds was echo knight barbarian. I picked up sentinel and polearm Master. The idea was to use the echo with reckless attack. That way the foes couldn't get advantage on me. 55 to 70 ft range depending on whether or not you wanted summon your echo on the next turn. (30 ft away, 10 ft for the pole arm, moving your echo 15-ft forward and 15 ft back). Plus the added teleportation advantage You can use barbarian ancestor subclass for added

[@ambrosedystopian1542]

The other thing that I did was I kept switching back and forth between both classes at different points to get different abilities. It always felt like I was getting something. Needless to say, fighter and barbarians synergizes like crazy. These are awesome videos! Thank you for making these. They definitely change the way I think about multi-classing. And I've thought of some very odd and crazy combos before.

[@YItGottaBeBlack]

Really liked the Octopath inspired thumbnail for the video. 😊

[@FlutesLoot]

Me too, I love those games :D

[@Zr0din]

My Opinion: Psi Warrior should be a monk!!! So should Echo Knight (everyone knows they got that from Naruto)! So many Combos! OK so ONE D&D says everyone gets subclass at level 3 now. I was told (don't know if it's true) that the reason some non martial classes got their sub classes at level 1 was because they wouldn't last until level 3 with out those powers (due to lack of armor and lower HP and some other stuff). That's why the healing Channel Divinity at Level 1 for the new cleric is so strong (although they really need to make that Cleric Level Related instead of Proficiency bonus).

[@FlutesLoot]

I'd love to see a psionic Monk option. Echo would be cool, too. I've not heard that critique of level-1 subclasses before, but my initial reaction is to reject that supposition. I believe those subclasses were given earlier for narrative reasons. Those narrative reasons are not valuable to me and my outlook of the game, so I favor all subclasses at level 3. The only way I'd want level-1 subclasses would be if they came with downsides and counter balances like previous editions of the game used.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@FlutesLoot i think based on 3.5, the closest options for a psionic monk is a seer or nomad. personally, i agree with WOTC that they are delaying subclass abilities. i disagree with it being at level 3 though. i think level 2 would've been a better spot as it establishes the flavor/identity of a character's build earlier but not being too early that people are just encouraged to do a lot of level 1 dips for power.

[@TimothyMReynolds]

So many great ideas for multiclass synergy

[@FlutesLoot]

I'm relieved to hear that the ideas are helpful! :P

[@TheRobversion1]

nice vid! happy holidays to you and Opal! a couple of inputs: 1. definitely agreed as seeing a multiclass as a unique class thing and that PCs in the world dont see themselves as the classes most of the time. they see themselves as a weapon user, magic caster, skilled expert or any mix of those. the classes imo are just statblocks and players should be free to mix and match to realize their character concept. 2. agreed that fighter mixes well with other classes. imo it's the best multiclass dip in the game as action surge is useful for everyone regardless of tactics. they can also multiclass with anyone as the fighter suite simply focuses on the basics of the game. fighter is my most used class in all of my builds, mostly as a dip class or a main class in tier 3-4. 3. the roleplay aspect of fighters is what i struggle with. since they are very basic and generic, what separates them from a ranger, paladin, barb, rogue and monk? all of those feel like they have a bit of fighter in them and something else. the fighter class itself doesnt have that "something else." when trying to realize a fictional character, its hard to deduce if that character is a fighter though its easy to say that any protagonist has a bit of fighter in them.

[@FlutesLoot]

Thank you and happy holidays, Rob! I always appreciate your thorough reactions to videos. I'm been reflecting this week on the Fighter in previous editions compared to 5e. In the Baldur's Gate (1&2) games based on D&D 2e, Fighter was extremely effective. Fighters could reach grand mastery in weapons they invest in. Since 5e only has "proficient or not proficient" with no grand mastery or "leveling up" with types of weapons, Fighter struggles to stand out. There's more to it that I'm not an expert on from past editions, but it's still something that causes me to reflect.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@FlutesLoot yeah. i remember weapon spec from 3.5e and weapon master prestige classes. but like you, i'm not happy as seeing the fighter as simply being a "weapon master" as that's a separate subclass and to an extent this flavor has already been co-opted by other subclasses such as the soul knife. if they leaned into it harder like making weapons have different abilities and effects in the hand of the fighter instead of just dmg or additional attacks, i'd be more enthused.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@TheRobversion1 I have a video in the pipeline about what the 5e Fighter almost was in the words of Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford. It's a common talking point, but I believe it's not spoken of accurately as it's basically gossip.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@FlutesLoot cool looking forward to it. btw a little feedback on what stuff gets mentioned in these multiclassing vids you have. i know you have a long list in the article and you choose to mention some of them in the vid with some inputs on how they're supposed to work together. i think in similar future vids, i may be more interesting to lessen the amount that you mention (the article can remain the same) but you can talk more about why a particular combination was noteworthy to you either from an RP or mechanics standpoint. mentioning more about how the mechanics work together/combos, how the flavor/backstory ties together, perhaps even citing anecdotes. i'm not sure about the others but i tend to glaze over some of the other entries and tend to focus on what you mention in the vid.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@TheRobversion1 good to know! I think I'd prefer to talk more about a single concept anyway.

[@reigoj8228]

my current character is aimed to be warlock hexblade + fighter runeknight Spell blade who flings around dealing massive damage one time per round and spells revolve around stuff like hellish rebuke and agathys. You hit me, you get hurt. Resistances? No problem, would you like a fire sword, ice knife or maybe eldrich blast or just for lols human feat magic initiate bard vicious mockery. Feats will be healer and poisoner, being spell blade with utility out of combat that helps in combat. For rest of the spells I just go with spellblade theme. Roleplay as this timid dude who got dragged into hexblade contract in middle of bardic school studies while being a soldier by background. Thus lvl 1 fighter start with hexblade warlock atm lvl 2 and that bardic school student with magic initiate. Try to slowly "Boost" characters confidence in himself. Basically I get one round xD8 + charisma modifier for all attacks with 1d6 + spellslot lvl D8 + 2d6 + possible stack up for additional damage, varying between fire force necrotic and "Extra" which I don't really know if it is slashing or fire but hey, who cares. Hexblade curse and normal hex also can be thrown in. Also poisoner later on gets me shit ton of extra damage that bypasses resistances thanks to the feat.

[@FlutesLoot]

I love the idea of a character who punishes those who attack them. It feels cool. I can see how these two subclasses would be fun together!

[@TheRobversion1]

just as an fyi on poisoner. there aren't alot of enemies with poison resistance so that's not really a benefit. poison dmg type gets shit on by the community because alot of the enemies in the game have poison immunity. poisoner doesn't help with those.

[@reigoj8228]

@@TheRobversion1 well immunities don't matter when you have other things to kill with 😅

[@TheRobversion1]

@@reigoj8228 that's true but also means the poisoner feat is s wasted feat/bad feat unless you are taking it on for flavor. and even if you're going for that whole elemental dmg flavor on a weapon, you're better off with gift of the chromatic dragon.

[@siobhannicolson5566]

okay i have a multiclass idea but im not sure if its that... good so you can all correct me if this sounds stupid; i was thinking of combining artilerist artificer and arcane archer fighter. it doesn't seem like a very good idea - especially as its M.A.D (multi-ability score dependant) as hell requiring con, dex and int to be quite high. but combining the eldritch cannon features with certain arcane archer arrows (grasping arrow and bursting arrow spring to mind) would be a lot of fun imho

[@FlutesLoot]

It has its limitations as you described, but I don't see why it couldn't work and be fun!

[@anotherdadjoke]

I have a thrown weapon battlemaster build I have running around my head. Problem is: magic weapons are expensive, which class/subclass would help mitigate the repeat cost?

[@FlutesLoot]

I think it would make sense to get some of the returning thrown weapons, the magic ones that return to you in some way after you throw them. You could also have wristbands that generate temporary thrown weapons, like conjuring weapons in the Elder Scrolls games.

[@scottburns4458]

Funny you talk about this now as the druid at my table announced he will be taking a 2 level dip into fighter for action surge. Nicely done And I will wish you both a happy Xmas Take care

[@FlutesLoot]

Action Surge is very desirable! Happy holidays, Scott. Good health and fortune to you. Take care.

[@TheRobversion1]

good judgement call by that druid. i do the same though not early. i'd typically wait past level 6 (level 10 for moon druids).

[@Balcamion79]

I'm doing a rogue/monk/fighter grabby stabby character who emphasizes brewing potions and other concoctions as well.

[@FlutesLoot]

I enjoy Rogue+Fighter. What are you using the Monk levels for?

[@Balcamion79]

@Flutes Loot mostly for unarmored defense and dexterity based unarmed strikes. I'm going 3 levels to get Way of Mercy for both thematic and practical reasons so I can slap some health into my allies. My character is a plasmoid from the swamp that likes to eat everything and brew interesting liquids, including alcohol and alchemist fire, sometimes together.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@Balcamion79 awesome!

[@TheRobversion1]

@@FlutesLoot ditto. fighter, specifically the battlemaster, is my fave rogue multi. phantom is my fave rogue. i like the assassin as well but don't really build around them (typically used as a dip class).

[@ambrosedystopian1542]

Not sure if you're done making videos cuz it seems like they're pretty old at this point. I just wanted to know I find your stuff super creative and has changed a lot of the ways I view making characters. Thank you

[@FlutesLoot]

Thank you! I really appreciate you saying so. I posted a new video a few days ago, and I'm getting back into it. 😄

[@ambrosedystopian1542]

@@FlutesLoot I got my love of character builds from playing a persistent world of Neverwinter nights. I've come up with some pretty unique builds for d&d 5e as well. I like your thoughts on multi-classing. That it's its own class. I'm probably going to try to design my own. Anti- paladin or black guard. I never thought of clerics as a single level or two-level dip before. I'm an old school player that just got back into it a few years ago.

[@tillfangohr9286]

I have a question for you about grappling and Mirror Image: "You create three illusory duplicates of yourself". Great, I wanna use this spell! But what if I'm grappling someone? The grappled creature will not be dublicated, so everyone can tell who the really me is, and the spell becomes worthless, right? (I'll have the pleasure to play a runeknight-doalock, that's why I'm asking).

[@FlutesLoot]

I've encountered this scenario in the wild! When it benefited the players, I allowed them to overcome Mirror Image in this way. They really wanted it to work. However, I'd generally rule it to allow Mirror Image to still work. I'd describe it in different ways for the scenario, such as expanding the spell to make it difficult to tell where the grappler is, too (though not benefiting the grappler). There might also be a constant shifting of the images, and that's how I always picture the spell anyway.

[@vernonhampton5863]

Where is the fighter bard combination?

[@FlutesLoot]

Do you like that combination?

[@sixtyninemangler]

I don't see how Fighter rogue can work well, you lose out on backstab damage in favor of another attack and a few measly HP. I feel like a full rogue swashbuckler is more effective than multiclassing.

[@FlutesLoot]

It works out fine depending on what you want out of it.

[@sixtyninemangler]

@Flutes Loot Well in 3.5 the fighter levels increased my damage output significantly. I had originally created the character after a dragon magazine class called a Nightblade which allowed a fighter/thief to specialize in a weapon. Long time ago I know.

[@FlutesLoot]

@@sixtyninemangler makes sense! My wife enjoys the added options and mobility when mixing Fighter with Rogue in 5e. She feels clever when she navigates the options as it's a satisfying play experience for her.