Paladin Multiclass Tier Ranking in Dungeons and Dragons 5e

[@senneverwaeren4510]

Gods this really is one of my comfort channels

[@sandman9700]

I agree

[@MarceloSantos-pt3hj]

Big mood, smashed that bell icon real quick

[@L337P1R4735]

Same. They're conversational while staying on topic and delivering all the info they need to get in which is harder to pull off than a lot of people think.

[@162manoj]

Same, been following for years, never had friends to play dnd lol

[@Weez2202]

Same

[@DnDDeepDive]

I picked a bad time to go out of town! Backlog growing! Can’t wait to dive in 😊

[@corumhayes8178]

One of the things that I think got lost in the comparing Sorc to Bard is that Bard is a ritual caster. The versatility you can get from Comprehend Language, Speak With Animals, Detect Magic, Identify, etc without having to use those precious spell slots is substantial.

[@dallinadams9422]

Very good point, save those spell slots for the smites

[@iMehKai]

I think the phrase "Opportunity Cost" is the best way to describe the issue with paladin multi classes. Yes you could pick Bard but Sorcerer is so much stronger

[@agilemind6241]

Debateable. Sorcerer is more powerful in combat, but across all pillars of play the Bard is a better MC.

[@CivilWarMan]

@@agilemind6241 Also, you can go Paladin/Bard, pick up the Metamagic Adept feat, and be able to eat your cake and have it, too, to an extent. You lose Flexible Casting by going that route and get fewer Sorcery Points, but in return you get a larger hit die, better skill rolls, and Bardic Inspiration. EDIT: I saw another client further elsewhere here that also pointed out that Bard is a Ritual Caster, while Sorcerer is not, so that can narrow the perceived gap even further.

[@malmasterson]

In addition to the other guy's comments on Bard. The fact is, pair any CHA caster with Paladin and it's an S tier combination. They all just work so seamlessly together. I've made builds utilizing all 4 of them that absolutely slap.

[@Kylora2112]

@@malmasterson Paladin dip into Hexblade Warlock.

[@trebmal587]

And furthermore, bard give you an extra hp per lvl compared to sorcerer, which isn't nothing, and the college of sword is such an amazing subclass for martials just because of defensive flourish.

[@zeedar412]

When doing your fighter dip, make it an eldritch knight, take absorb elements and shield, and it even contributes to your spell slot progression.

[@voicetest6019]

I'd say Rune Knight, but you need 7 levels of Rune Knight to make it good.

[@benthomason3307]

the tradeoff of course is needing to invest in intelligence

[@polygon2745]

@@benthomason3307just take the spells that don’t require spell saves or attack rolls. Things like shield, magic missile, protection from evil and good, alarm, etc. the buff /utility spells. You’re never going to be as good a spell caster as a full caster class so just take things to make life easier for you and your party.

[@KDis0815]

Or Find Familiar...

[@CivilWarMan]

Dipping 3 levels of Eldritch Knight for Absorb Elements and Shield and one extra class level worth of spell progression is a lot less impressive when you can get the exact same thing more quickly and efficiently with a single level of Sorcerer.

[@Nikotheos]

Palabard could totally make the chivalric archetype. Poetry, swordplay, grace, socially adept, a lot of woohing.

[@danielbisping1230]

Skald background and you have the Viking Bard.

[@AshtonTheMelon]

Arguably, a Crown Paladin/Bard is more of a Samurai than the Samurai.

[@ThommeGun]

Did this as a satyr glamour bard ancients paladin... he was very much the life of the tavern and the support tank of the party

[@McDonaldWilliamT]

​@@danielbisping1230nice take on that. Though my personal favorite Skald Bard is multiclass Bard/Barbarian. Use perform to start inspiration off via reciting parts of the Edda. Then fly into a totem rage and watch the limbs fly.

[@bronbust4797]

A changeling palabard makes for the perfect prostitute. Immunity to diseases. A way to not get pregnart and all the charm you can get

[@WearingGoldluck]

As a side note for Paladin/Rogue, sneak attack only requires you use a weapon with the finesse feature, it doesn’t require that you use Dex, so you could instead set your Dex at 13, leave it there, and get some minor benefits from having it tied to that and use Strength and Heavy Armor for the build

[@galensturupcomeau1242]

I was just about to say this!

[@MrSITH-qj6zp]

Exactly and take swashbuckler rogue

[@brewdaly1873]

​@@MrSITH-qj6zpgo Swashbuckler and then pick up Booming Blade, maybe with a 1 level dip into Warlock so you can use CHA. Booming Blade/Smite/Sneak Attack, then walk away where they can't get you without activating BB.

[@beantownbanshees]

@@brewdaly1873outside of dashing I’m trying to think what would be the best use for bonus action since you don’t need to disengage

[@brewdaly1873]

@@beantownbanshees smite spells are bonus actions, and can be stacked on top of everything else I mentioned. Beyond that, there's not a lot, so you could dip into Arcane Trickster for something very similar.

[@Zept-01]

If it wasnt a numerical nightmare, a Paladin/Artificer/Bard that focuses Int + Char could make saving throws near impossible to fail with the Aura of Protection, Flash of Genius, Bardic Inspiration combo.

[@captainpolar2343]

6 7 (best numbers has 5 and chr per short) 18 levels to add maybe 13 to saving throws? (the 13 is assuming max chr, 16 int for +3 and avg roll of d8 for +5) (or +12 at 14th but per long) not too bad

[@vernonhampton5863]

You know that this is Blaster from the Transformers, right?

[@Teaandephemery]

Palabard is beautiful on a concept level, and just needs a decent bit of theorycrafting to become really powerful.

[@wumbojet]

I've seen incredibly Bardladins, getting divine smite and using magical secrets to get the paladin spells before the paladin would and it's awesome

[@cohesian1]

I have a player that is a Conquest Paladin/Sword Bard and can be kind of a pain. 😅 He can get his AC really high and also has really good saves.

[@Teaandephemery]

@@cohesian1 Conquest 6 Eloquence makes a wonderful Evangelical character.

[@dragoninthewest1]

My concept is a defense attorney or civil rights lawyer. They use their oratory skills and if necessary, their blade to pursue justice

[@dragoninthewest1]

​​@Teaandephemery I had a concept of a devotion Paladin eloquence bard that proselytizes to the people that he meets. Also, it's kind of unfair that you'll probably have a really ridiculously high bonus to persuasion and deception, which you can never under get under 10 thanks to silver tongue

[@IneffablyDescribed]

One slight protest with Wizard... War Magic. Take aura of protection and arcane deflection and you have got a saving throw making machine with shield, absorb elements, find familiar, etc.

[@ShieTar_]

I think the one option of a cleric dip that the Paladin really loves is the War Domain. A few extra bonus action attacks, and a +10 to your attacks when you role bad, really helps you to throw even more burst damage when its really needed.

[@voiceofthemartyrs]

Palidin barbarian is Mace windu. Vaapad his signature fighting style dips into the dark side of the force (rage and reckless attack) while maintaining peace with the light (divine smite)

[@dracone4370]

Something I think gets overlooked regarding the Warlock is just how much synergy the Paladin and Celestial Warlock have with each other; you're getting all of that Cleric stuff as a Warlock, which means you don't have to worry about stretching out your stats, and you also get a whole lot of extra healing, including a Warlock ability akin to the Paladin's Lay on Hands ability, an additional pool of non-spell healing is something that is overlooked in Warlock build when it is discussed here. Maybe when the Warlock multiclassing video rolls around, Monty and Kelly can talk about how well the Celestial Warlock plays with Clerics and Paladins, and they can also discuss how well Archfey really plays with Druid and Ranger, along with the other subclasses that seem to play well with specific builds and the like.

[@AzureKite]

It really feels like they made the Warlock to be THE multiclass class, because so many of the subclasses mesh so well with other classes.

[@davec8385]

Celestial warlock is incrediblely underrated. It effectively adds a first lv spell slot to cast healing word every level as well as invocations. It's a great choice for almost any multiclass especially melee attackers who don't want to use CHA on attack rolls.

[@CW-hw8nu]

I made a paladin/warlock and refused to do hexblade cause I wanted to be special. I did oath of conquest/undead patron. I feared on hit and any enemy feared near me had 0 movement. I was also a bugbear so I attacked from 10ft away. It was such a fun build lol

[@dcoffinh]

OH. OH THE FEAR FROM UNDEAD. That is a *great* way to get use from conquest’s aura

[@alemar1122]

I used to play Bretonnia as well, that super cool! I've been looking forward to this video since you started the series... I'll admit I'm a little biased here with the Fighter/Pally because I was brand new at table starting off as a Fighter and I ended up getting along really well with the party's Cleric. So my character multied into Paladin as a sort of show of kinship with them, and it was just such a good feeling to play

[@captainthorrek262]

Paladin/Bard-> Pro Wrestler. I love the thought of smiting with a steel chair, and using your mic skills for Bardic Inspiration and either inspiring leader if you're a babyface, or cutting words and vicious mockery if you're a heel! 😂😂😂

[@captainthorrek262]

Come to think of it... Pluto Jackson could make for a great Pally/Bard!

[@branecollision]

Throw on Tavern Brawler, Grappler, and take unarmed fighting and you're dropping holy fury from the top rope.

[@KnicKnac]

Take Chef and keep an icebox full of cans of whoopass

[@danielbisping1230]

I have seen the Paladin with Tavern Brawler and Unarmed fight. It was annoying as a role-play. Maybe it was just me and the player.

[@adamtownsend9606]

😂😂 brilliant

[@daedricarmor]

Bretons were one of my fav armies in fantasy! Every miniature’s beautiful. A paladin bard is a combination I rolled once as a zealot who preached during combat (very warhammerish) being a bard dedicated to poems

[@TBoring]

While Divine Soul is definitely the obvious choice for a Soradin I’d like to point out Clockwork Soul may be as good. You might not get Spirit Guardians but you can trade Alarm for Armor of Agathys which is incredible and thematically it works as a Paladin can view there duty is to bring Order so having a connection to a realm of Order works really well.

[@ricardorodriguez-ll1iv]

the Paladin Oath of Conquest get Armor of Agathys from expanded spell list

[@callmeconvay7977]

@@ricardorodriguez-ll1iv But not nearly enough spell levels/slots to use to the fullest. And if I'm grabbing a domain spell on Pally I'm taking Oath of the Crown for Spirit Guardians.

[@voicetest6019]

6 levels of Aberrant Mind Sorcerer gets you Psionic Sorcery, letting you potentially cast something completely undetected, provided its on your psionic spells list(which you can customize), and you use sorcery points at a 1:1 to spell level to cast it. Only question is what order goes with aberrant mind's Cthulu-esque approach? Watchers? Devotion? An interesting take on Ancients?

[@malmasterson]

Honestly, it's hard to say there are any bad options for Sorcadins. They Two classes blend perfectly well enough just with CHA base, Metamagic, AoP, and Smites alone that the subclasses really don't matter that much. There's a few obvious non-bos like Draconic Sorcerer, but even then it's still hard to go wrong.

[@bobswag710]

No contest, divine soul is better. Access to all divine spells is unbeatable

[@legomaniac213]

The Paladin/Bard or the Fighter/Bard whose has an Axe that is both a weapon and a guitar and whose music is just Sabaton songs. Also, Paladin/Barbarian isn't the Punisher, they're the Doomslayer. Paladin/Bard: Savage! Paladin/Sorcerer: Sick Skills!! Paladin/Warlock: Smokin' Sexy Style!!!

[@TsorovanZero]

Doomslayer is definitely the better comparison. Rip and tear until it is done.

[@dragoninthewest1]

​@@TsorovanZero Doom Stalker

[@derekhandson351]

Points for knowing Sabaton

[@destro6971]

Then the Winged Tieflings arrived!

[@StopperJJ]

Another great example of a paladin/bard might be Gurney Halleck from Frank Herbert's Dune. Side note: I hope we get to see the cut content of Josh Brolin playing the baliset in the 2nd film. But going back to the character as a whole. He is a deeply religious man often, reciting scripture in the books and movies, which gives you a paladin flavor. But he also has strong elements of devotion to his house and is a master tactician and student of war. He also inspires the soldiers of house of Atriedes throughout the series and trains Paul in the art of combat and political maneuvers.

[@helixxharpell]

That's a great point! 🙂👍

[@_emory]

I believe he himself has stated that he wanted a baliset scene but I could have just made that up. Personally I think gurney halleck would be fighter/bard, but his devotion is 1000% Nvm yeah I forgot about how often he quotes from the orange Bible

[@Crowsinger]

Religious? Didn't he quote only song lyrics?

[@StopperJJ]

@@Crowsinger In the original book he often quotes segments of the Orange Catholic Bible, the religious text that was an amalgamation of multiple religious texts in what we call the modern day of humanity. This text was a major factor for a lot of the political factions in Dune and varied across the imperium as the bene gesserit seeded multiple worlds with messianic prophecies to further their agenda of social control.

[@StopperJJ]

@@_emory I think it can swing either way but the devotion factor to house Atredies and the vengefulness he shows towards house Harkonnen for the time he spent in the slave fighting pits could take it in either direction subclass wise. He also develops some roguish factors in his time with the spice smugglers after the assault on Arrakeen and the death of Duke Leto.

[@AngelCanseco1]

For the paladin bard Joe made such an amazing one for the wild west one shot in Westimar you guys made. That ending was just perfect

[@ancientgammoner6961]

I think the multiclass dip for Wizard is for 2 lvls in War Magic. Adding +4 as a reaction to your saving throws, on top of +5 from your Aura of Protection, is REALLY strong. Stack on the 2d4 from 1 lvl in Divine Soul, plus Bless, plus 1 lvl in Peace cleric, plus Autognome... means you can build a crazy multi-classed character where failing a saving throw is basically mathematically impossible.

[@zivosthrintolimgren3513]

Personally, in 5th Edition, I've played a multi-classed Warlock/Paladin and a gestalt-build Paladin/Sorcerer. And the only thing that ever brought me down about playing them were the disastrous campaigns they were a part of. That I can look on them somewhat fondly despite those traumas is a testament to how truly powerful said combinations are!

[@ryanball8944]

Gestalt!!

[@cpt.arctourus7950]

As a new dm with only new players ive been using this channel to help my players thanks guys

[@sacherry5300]

I’m realizing with the Paladin/Divine Sorcerer combo presented not only would you have access to Quickened Spell spirit guardians, but a Quickened Haste too. One great spell for crowd control, and the other to better focus in your damage on a big boss And for every other sorcerer option a Paladin throwing out a Quickened Fireball is just very funny to me

[@larw0lf701]

Been listening to you guys for over a year, and I love your content… especially these videos. BUT DAMN!!! It’d be nice if Monty let Kelly finish a thought, or his own jokes without interrupting or stealing his thunder.

[@Serenessl1994]

You said for all of us!

[@quinnjones1655]

Thematically, my favorite is paladin/warlock because of the dichotomy of having a deep evil inside you that you're desperately trying to suppress with willpower and discipline.

[@TheHypnomonkster]

I created one where he took on the pact to save his father from having to pay a debt to a demon. Hated his extra powers.

[@glassberg5018]

I am currently playing an Archfey Warlock/Oath of the Ancient Paladins. Started as a Paladin and the RP is that my deep devotion to nature is how I encountered an Archfey with the same goal.

[@matthewlavender1361]

When they brought up the different subclasses and themes I thought of ghost rider hex blade pact of the chains with vengeance paladin

[@glassberg5018]

@@matthewlavender1361 Hell yeah that rules

[@Renariusbb]

Me watching this currently playing a Vengeance Pally/ Divine Soul Sorcerer multiclass, is EVERYTHING I needed!

[@jm.519]

I'm doing the same thing, but with the hexbalade dip, LOL.

[@jvtrevisan]

I’m doing it too, as Vuman with Polearm Master, just awesome. Which combos you prefer most?

[@The_Real_Pseudonym]

Half elf Swashbuckler Paladin really addresses those characterstic needs. And add some Elven Accuracy later on. Which really increases those crit chances for the Nova sneak attack smite.

[@thetruegavinator]

I thought elven accuracy didn't apply to str att rolls? maybe grab some hexblade as well

[@The_Real_Pseudonym]

@@thetruegavinator Any Rogue Paladin will be dex based using finesse weapons. 13 STR at best.

[@thetruegavinator]

@@The_Real_Pseudonym I'm just saying, that hex dip would be immaculate. makes your auras stronger

[@The_Real_Pseudonym]

​@@thetruegavinator It could help. half elf makes stats 13 STR, 14 Dex, 14 CON, 17 CHA. 1 Hexblade, then six straight into paladin, grab elven accuracy along the way then 3 for swashbuckler. probably go 4 levels swashbuckler to get to 20 CHA by level 11. if it's a campaign going beyond 12, to 20 or so, I'd consider it, especially if the game started in the mid-levels. For a game stopping in levels 10-12, probably would just do Sorcadin

[@LawisLawless5001]

Just wanted to point out that a palabarb can also go for a more introspective build with oath of the Ancients and totem warrior or storm herald - haven't done any number crunching but I like the way the rage auras stack with the paladin auras.

[@saltypork101]

It's not just hexblade. Undead warlock is also S tier. Any warlock subclass can take EB+AB to let you fight from range and prioritise CHA at the same time, allowing you to get the absolute most out of your aura of protection by maximising the bonus and staying close to the vulnerable members of the party. Any warlock subclass can take RB on top of that to keep enemies away at the same time. But only Undead can do all that while also sprinkling the Frightened condition in there to keep enemies away even better.

[@TerraDoctor]

Fighting from range means no smite.

[@KobeEscalante]

​@TerraDoctor Which means more slots to spellcast. Smite's overrated anyway, and you're technically getting free damage by playing at range because you take less damage at range. This means your damage trades are worth more. Smite is still there to rely on if you want that damage immediately to take out a high-priority target like spellcasters, but now it's more of a backpocket thing, which tbh it sort of has always been.

[@WillowGreenheart]

@@KobeEscalante Then why play it instead of sorlock if you want no smite and no melee build.

[@adamhachimi1476]

As someone who's been reading 12MB since the beginning, was not expecting that advert. 8.5/10 would definitely recommend to anyone on the fence about reading it.

[@davec8385]

I love how they bring up expertise here with the Bard. Yes the sorcerer does more damage but the Bard has great out of combat utility with that and jack of all trades. Bardic inspiration with a creation Bard or lore Bard also are great fits for the paladin depending how you want to focus on support

[@logangoodner9559]

I love the idea of you guys promoting books as sponsors on the channel. We should all look to broaden our exposure to help us as DMs and players and I feel books often get over looked. I would actually love to see you guys give some recs for DND lovers to get into reading fantasy. Maybe partner with a fantasy book channel if you need help. Just a thought. Love you guys.

[@Fafnirod123]

I played a lawful good paladin/bard 6/5 in a oneshot and role played him as everyone’s dad, aura of protection and bardic inspiration were a powerful combo. Had a blast!

[@thespian2204]

I just wrapped a paladin11bard6 character and he was one of my favorites. So much utility and damage. Oath of the ancients and college of eloquence

[@1rotzy]

An interesting idea that is probably only for short adventures or one shots is a high-level oathbreaker/necromancer. Summon undead, and give them a power up.

[@seymourfields3613]

I'm playing an Oath of Conquest paladin (of the Sacred Flame!) that's multiclassed into Celestial Pact warlock (of the Sacred Flame 😊). Not only is this an A+ build with the paladin and warlock covering one another's shortcomings (Paladin with eldritch blast is OP), but thematically it is a blast to play. The one liners are endless, and my friends are beginning to listen to me when I tell them to watch your show from episode 1 😊

[@nathanielspohn3004]

Once you get through these ,it would be cool to have a wuick look at the ones that get dropped immediately because of ability scores. Say a guaranteed start 15 to 17 on each of the ability scores needed, then see how it works with the features

[@carsonrush3352]

I keep saying that you can make a paladin/ monk work. You need to use point buy to get five 13s and a 10, and then use PHB human to raise all stats by a +1. Now you have 14s in everything, and all of your abilities work okay.

[@garyco766]

@@carsonrush3352 14s in everything is.... terrible. "all of your abilities work okay" is basically saying "solid "C-". Nobody wants to play a C-, especially as a paladin, which baselines as S tier.

[@johneasterling7120]

Love my 6 Swords Bard 3 Swashbuckler. All the skills/expertise. Still a good bit of battlefield control. Solid pop on melee. Great initiative. Great in social/exploration

[@fire_tower]

Ancients Paladruid gets you even tankyer, allows you to take thornwhip, and makes the most versatile class even more versatile with wild shape. Just take two levels of druid and the rest as paladin. Plus it has great rp elements w/ ancients.

[@dallinadams9422]

For a later build in palabard by level 8, just 2 levels in paladin and the rest in sword or valor bard, you pretty much get everything except for auras, with extra attack and full level casting, and if you really want to get spicy you can add a 3 level dip for sorcerer in the combo as well for quicken spell. Can hold enemies with your bonus action and smite with your main action.

[@BlubberNotBubble98]

Remember about the Bard-Paladin: the Paladin is immune to diseases!

[@revilo1st]

I watch your videos on occasion, this episode has inspired a character (paladin bard) who wants to be a town mayor, and is using his adventuring prowess to get more experience, garner more support.

[@DerangedEagle]

Paladin with 2 levels of war magic wizard is a pretty decent build. Arcane Deflection giving you a +2 to AC when hit or a +4 to Saving Throws on command is not to be ignored when combined with a paladins aura. This reaction limits you from casting spells but doesn't prevent you from still smiting and using booming blade. Of course you also speed up your spell casting progression, and get ritual casting.

[@aimerw]

Chronurgy 1 for Chronal Shift, Temporal Awareness, and Gift of Alacrity (as well as common standouts in Shield, Absorb Elements and/or Silvery Barbs) also works pretty well. High Initiative all the time and crit immunity twice for two attacks/LR partywide is very desirable for any class.

[@Lightfire398]

@@aimerwWould need to be 2 levels cause you don’t get your subclass on wizard until 2nd level, but otherwise yeah, good points. Personally I think the initiative boost is actually one of the stronger points, given Dex is often a dump stat for paladins.

[@aimerw]

@@Lightfire398 True, was going from the other direction as a Chronurgy Wizard taking a level 1 Peace Cleric dip and forgot the subclass wasn't level 1 for Wizard in turn. Yeah, Initiative is essentially like getting a free turn since combat ends on your turn eventually, unless you lose. In a game where combat is often two or three rounds it is big. Saying nothing of the practicality of being able to cast control spells and aoe before any mixing of sides can occur.

[@chico_peltier]

Please make a set of videos analysing three class multiclassing! Love from Brazil!

[@edamommy]

Sorcadin, aka "the response to a midlevel TPK"

[@kostaliounis7316]

Great video guys! It was nice to see you at the bakery the other day!

[@jeremyleyland1047]

Oh good another Colby Challange Accepted video!

[@Lulu_Kazoo]

I've been OBSESSING over a dexadin with 3 levels into swashbuckler rogue for months now, glad to see it was appreciated here. For paladin I'd definitely go either vengeance or glory. Vengeance to mark your target with advantage, or glory if you want to be an athletic threat using expertise from rogue mixed the advantage you can get from the glory channel divinity. Mixed together you can be a formidable grappler with a relatively low Str score, so you still take advantage the strength you have from multiclassing out of pally

[@TheHorribleCreature]

Paladin/wizard: you like pain and you hate sorcerers.

[@Praetarius]

Maybe bladesinger with metamagic adept for quicken? Quickened greenflame blade + extra attack where one of those is another greenflame blade, and of course smite when possible. Not great for extended battles, but an option why someone might choose that over sorcerer.

[@ranekeisenkralle8265]

More like you like to frustrate your enemies by boosting your AC, saves, AND initiative by picking two levels of war wizard in addition to aura of protection. That is really all you need from the wizard. The ful-caster spellslot-progresson is but a nifty bonus

[@TheHorribleCreature]

@@Praetarius Bladesinger6/paladin2/Sorcerer 12. In that order. Vanilla human with 12/15/13/13/8/12 as base stats.

[@Praetarius]

@@TheHorribleCreature I think at that point it is no longer a paladin multiclass, but a wizard one.

[@TheHorribleCreature]

@@Praetarius True

[@adamtownsend9606]

I am loving the discussions going on in the comments of these multiclass videos

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Personally, I feel like the Palabarian can be S tier with the right setup. I call him the "righteous fury" paladin

[@wumbojet]

A paladin with rage is a beast

[@Marabcd315]

Zealot barbarian+improved divine smite is just an absurdly consistent way to be pumping out damage

[@OneWingedAngelsBand]

My dhampir Divine Soul Sorcadin is probably my favorite character of all time. My DM allowed me to use your Homebrew Expanded Spell list, so for the domain I chose the Twilight cleric's expanded spell list. I replaced a few spells from the expanded spell list to get Guiding Bolt (because of twin guiding bolts), Spiritual Weapon and Spirit Guardians. 🤟😤

[@jw__11]

PSA: Oath of the Crown also gives you Spirit Guardians (if nothing else...)

[@junsonofjack3740]

It’s been a while already but it’s nice you see you sitting next to each other again!

[@theshadow6277]

Stars Druid, specifically the chalice and dragon forms could be kinda cool.

[@glitchking666]

The archer though gives a nice range bonus action attack even with a plus one wisdom mod you can do up to 9 damage as a bonus action not the strongest but it might let you hit a second target in a turn which works well if you kill your target in melee

[@raymondfernholz367]

So something off the top of my head to help promote the fighter multiclass is the other subclasses besides battlemaster. If you increase your int to 13, you can multiclass into eldrich knight, giving you access to wizard spells, particularly shield, in addition to the fighter abilities. I don't immediately recall when echo knight really comes online, but that adds a lot of maneuverability to a paladin too, as well as out of combat scouting.

[@Ubersupersloth]

They say “progression fantasy” like it’s a common phrase. I don’t know what it is.

[@johneubank8543]

Great analysis, as usual. I don't mean to sound critical or picky here, but I think you missed a good bet on a 1 lvl Cleric dip for Pal. And that is War Cleric (if you did cover it, my apologies, I may have been interrupted and missed it by events in the house, heheh). Anyway, it's this lvl 1 feature: War Priest From 1st level, your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the Attack action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. So, a Half Elf w point-buy can go Str 16, Con 14, Ch 14 and Wis 13 - and have a pretty strong character. And you have two bonus round attacks per day, which in some campaigns is not worth it. But in, say, Adventurer's League - yeah, it's arguably worth it. You have 2 fights a day, typically - sometimes 3. And you know when the "boss fight" is coming almost all the time. Now, you can go Polearm master and have a bonus action attack every round. But a War Priest dip lets you go for other feats, like GWM. A two-lvl dip in War: Channel Divinity: Guided Strike Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses. That's usable every short rest. With vengeance, I wouldn't take it. Getting advantage on one big monster for multiple rounds, in theory, is much better. But for other Pal types, this is good. In a clinch moment you roll a 5. You have +8 to hit, so 13 - but you know the thing you're fighting is at least AC 18. Boom, you rolled a 23, and now you smite. Anyway, this dip is not going to be worth it for many builds, but is worth considering for some. Two levels in War Priest also lets a non-devo Pal turn undead, which can be awesome. ---- Agree that Hexblade dip + sword n board Pal is amazing. I was playing a lawful good devo pal in Strahd campaign. Was struggling with him early on - we all struggled - the DM ran it super hard. We met the silver dragon spirit - wow, my Pal was a silver dragonborn as race. I realized the silver dragon in the campaign was my ancestor - so it became my hexblade patron. Hexblade not so much on the "weapon" theme, but this was Bavaria, and everyone was wonky/twisted there. Thematically I felt it worked. When I got the "light saber", wow. I semi-retired him in tier 3. He got the +2 plate armor. Got +3 shield somehow. And he has Shield spell. His AC is insane. I think he has a ring of prot, so Shielded, his AC is 31.

[@dragoninthewest1]

Paladin + Rogue = Matt Murdock Paladin + Barbarian = Frank Castle

[@danielbisping1230]

Dare Devil would not be in the Paladin equation. Shadow Monk/ Gloom stalker and maybe the rogue or Shadow Sorc.

[@Mythlorrr]

I think it would be great to have a summary episode at the end of this series where you poll your audience again to see if your videos have influenced the rankings, as well as add in some things from the comments that you might have missed. And to add where staying single class would have fit into your own rankings. I'd be really interested to see that.

[@MrMoggl]

Paladin / Whisper-Bard. Is insane. You can Smite and Psychic Blades on each of your Attacks… imagine wielding a Glaive and PAW… 3 Attacks… possible 3 Smites and 3 Psychic Blades (which comes back at Short Rest) for exorbitant damage… 🙈❤️

[@Whoracle8531]

You can only psychic blade once per turn

[@OOOGrey_Bush]

I am currently playing a Emerald Dragonborn Vengeance Paladin with a 2 level dip into Hexblade Warlock. I picked Relentless Hex and Grasp of Hadar to augment my Eldrich Blast and for obvious reasons picked up Friends as my second cantrip. I can attest to the strength in the combination. It has been a very fun class to play as well. Friends cantrip can be great fun when you are a charisma-based class like that.

[@derekhandson351]

How do you smite if you use Eldritch Blast?

[@OOOGrey_Bush]

@@derekhandson351 you don't. It's for range attacks if I have to make them. Or to move a creature.

[@brianl9571]

One thing I think didn't get enough attention in this video is that Paladin is one of the least bonus-action-hungry classes in the game. To that point, I think you've somewhat undervalued a Druid dip on a Paladin. Spores could be nice for damage; Moon Druid provides a really nice source of tankiness; and Wildfire could be absolutely incredible for battlefield control using Fiery Teleportation to maneuver allies out of harm's way. Heck, Spirit Totem or Dreams would add some nice healing options to support the party in addition to the Pally Aura.

[@Stephen2K4]

You missed the Commander. Just a dip into Collage of Elequence. This is the Paladin who leads an Army, or is the Captian of a Ship. ( MC with Oath of the Open Sea ). First 8 levels in any Paladin, then dip 3 levels into collage of Elequence. the rest is up to you. And you will lead an Army of devoted followers. Start a Rebelion, or a Coup. Oath of the Watchers would make a great pairing also.

[@arthurmiranda8896]

Using your videos to plan my first Baldurs gate playthrough, but God damnit, there are so many great options.

[@orarinnsnorrason4614]

Experimented with a Paladin 6/ Divine Sorcerer rest build. In short its very good the sorcerer fits right in both as a class and you get more slots for smiting and also spells from the cleric spell list in addition to the sorcerer spell list. Over all phenomenal build.

[@silverr1111]

More book sponsors, I really wanted a novel like that.

[@myki3angelo]

Love and appreciate these vids! Really interested in your recommended Hexasorcadin build!

[@tylernelson310]

Also, an oathbreaker paladin/necromancy wizard is really strong, +5 to all your damage and +5 to all your undead summons, lets say your paladin 12/wizard 8, you summon like 5 undead, you personally are dealing 5d8 dmg with divine smite, + 1d8 + 1d8 cause of improved divine smite + 5 with your sword, + 30 with you and your 5 zombies with aura of hate, then your zombies attack damage, lets say 1d8 + 2, thats 7d8 + 37, in one attack each all added up, now with extra attack you deal an extra 2d8 + 10, for a total of 9d8 + 47 or a max of 119 in one round, ny maths might be wrong or missing something, but it's still a pretty good combo that i feel like you missed in the vid, edit: they also add a +6 to damage rolls, for an extra 30 damage, so 149 damage in one turn

[@HeroesBosses]

You got sponsored by LitRPG?? Lucky bastards!! :D haha I freaking love Dungeon Crawler Carl

[@FutureOverYou]

The gourmet burger analogy was so freaking spot on but it also got me hungry AF, lol.

[@benmills4358]

Oh I've been waiting for this one and excited to see Ranger as well as Paladin

[@chrisjacobs4716]

One note on the Pally 6/fighter 2/barb 2, if you want to do this and help the spell slots a tiny bit, get that 3rd level of fighter and instead of battle master pickup eldritch knight. Ignore the knight spells and just take the little bit it helps with the spell slots.

[@DungeonsandDeadlifts1]

I made a paladin artificer work and it went amazing. Infusions can make up for the MAD with amulet of health and belt of hill giant strength. Smites work on Guardian gauntlets and uses int to hit so you can focus on it.

[@garthwebb4643]

Awesome! A fellow Brettonian player! I loved the Tristan la Troubadour model.

[@codemaster2861]

The paladin bard has a lot of team support and skill coverage and you get the option of lore bard magical secrets to snatch spirit guardians and weapon with a meta magic feat to get the quicken meta magic for first turn spirit guardians or subtle spelled bard spells is just so nice, while the sorcerer just so much extra damage with its quickened booming blades and the divine soul options are just so nice. Burn through those sorcery points quick though when you're only lvl5 sorcerer but yeah the conversion is a good supliment, burns gas fast

[@captainpolar2343]

Barbarian Paladin ideas: (as they mentioned, vengeance/conquest and a few levels of barb for rage and reckless) but maybe they are a vessel of the nature god and rage is just channeling their power (ancestral / totem and ancients) perhaps they only use their full strength when it's required, but it can do a lot of devastation if they let it out (redemption maybe paired with berserker, pair this with the haunted one background) maybe they aren't afraid of going all out (glory berserker?, soldier probably) they could be a holier knight (devotion and zealot, acolyte) perhaps they are in a dark place (breaker and ... berserker? i would imagine criminal)

[@scottadare4613]

Most damage I've ever done, or even seen, in one turn was 285 as a Hexblade 9/Vengeance Paladin 6 against an ancient green dragon. I land a crit with the Hand of Vecna(+2d8) wielding Axe of the Dwarven Lords(1d10 + 4d10) unleashing lvl5 Arcane Smite (+6d8) and lvl5 Divine Smite (+5d8). That's 10d10 + 26d8 + 24. Second attack, crit again, no lvl 5 slots, so this one is 10d10 + 16d8 + 24. Total was a little below the average, but 285 was enough to put the dragon down.

[@tonyscoggs1255]

For paladin I had created one of the most ridiculous Lore Vengeance Pallibard. This build gave me access to a reaction with cutting words and I could just wreck monster attacks. The magical secrets allowed my to take Spirit Guardians and counterspell.

[@watcherknight8760]

Definitely get the vibe of the paladin and ranger being like cousins, I'm playing a paladin and my friend is playing a ranger, both of us are half elves, and our backstories are heavily intertwined, it feels pretty appropriate since we cover each other's weaknesses (I've got high charisma, he dumped charisma, he's got high dex and perception, I've got low dex and perception, etc.)

[@ColinKillick]

It doesn't compare to the Hexblade, but Celestial Warlock does pair quite well with Paladin. With healing light on top of lay on hands, it makes you a very viable primary healer without costing you any attacks, radiant soul adds some damage, Guiding Bolt and Sacred Flame on top of Eldritch Blast gives you multiple reliable options at range, and Flaming Sphere very quickly provides a useful way of dealing damage with your bonus action.

[@tylernelson310]

The paladin/fighter/barbarian build is that one guy that the dm brings out when he realises his homebrew monster was a bit above a cr 10

[@gregr28]

I did an Oath of Conquest/Path of Ancestral Guardian themed as a Viking and it was awesome. Add in the Sentinel Feat (and a Shield of Missile Attraction for good measure) and you're the ultimate Agro Tank/Party Protector.

[@JBRocky007]

Hearing Monty played Bretonnians reminds of the time I saw a Lance pivot and slam into a brick of Ratlings on turn 3ish. This once lance proceeded to go the length of the table making rats run for their lives.

[@stephenfergerson]

I still think an overlooked combo is the Paladin Barbarian with vengence and Zealot subclasses. Take the concept a step further and be a half orc zealot of Gruumsh and you have 2 times you drop to 1hp instead of 0hp plus a ridiculous ammount of radiant damage when you combine divine smite with zealot class features. I think it works well thematically as well as being good mechanically depending on the campain setting. However there is a decent argument to be made either way when it comes to if you want to build it off barb or pally. I know this video is old but it would be cool to see their opinion on a charater concept like this.

[@docnevyn5814]

clockwork soul sorcerer. Level 2 sorcerer: switch alarm for armor of agythys. Now your paladin has: ranged cantrips, AoA, shield, absorb elements.

[@ricardorodriguez-ll1iv]

that is really cool idea just remember the Paladin Oath of Conquest get Armor of Agathys from expanded spell list

[@fitz8923]

The main character (Jack Black) in the video game Brutal Legend is a Bard-Paladin.

[@logancuster8035]

Monty’s look when Kelly said “Mean Paladins” at the end was priceless.

[@TheNerdzerker]

My current character is a Barbarian 2/ Paladin of Conquest 3, and he is just stupidly strong. The whole concept was that perfect fantasy Viking blessed by the gods. He rolls with no armor, and a great axe. We roll our stats, and with Aasimar bonuses, he ended up pretty stacked early for all 4 of the necessary stats

[@joshuakrzanowski]

The timing of this video is perfect. I just started writing up a centaur pal

[@crepe1346]

i think for Paladin/Druid you all missed that a druid can give a huge boost too the gameplay that most paladins suffer at which is stealth. Imagine being in full plate and the party wants too sneak past the guards well as a druid multiclass you could just go beast and sneak by as a little spider. Party really happy with you.

[@jfalvo]

Dexterity based paladins are a weird niche, but it’s very fun. I built one a while ago and multiclassed with draconic ancestry sorcerer, without armor or a shield, AC is 17. With Shield spell and a shield, AC is 24. That can be paired with Armor of Agathys or similar spells to make you not only hard to hit, but punish anyone who manages it. I haven’t played the build in a campaign, but thinking about the possibilities is super fun.

[@elinamauno8833]

I just friggin love paladins. Have played 2, but for long campaigns. First campaign, in Curse of Strahd, played a Vengeance Paladin who completed her Oath in a sense and turned into an Ancients Paladin at level 9. I just feel like they’re a lot more complex and flexible in concept than many realise. I am playing a paladin of the Oath of Redemption right now, and I know that depending on how this story goes, there is underlying potential for her to either eventually become an Oathbreaker, or take a Warlock pact if offered. Have never played a multiclass build before, so it could be interesting to go that route for the first time.

[@nathancross6258]

I've been binging these vids so hard lately

[@Coopernicuss]

Monty... You're great and even if you're really excited about what you want to say, please stop interrupting Kelly. It's something I've noticed you do with intermittent regularity but in this episode it's particularly bad. Love your show guys, it's been my favorite D&D channel for years.

[@BraghDaMan]

A note on the Paladin/Druid: I was given the idea for a very fun character with those classes whose gimmick is to pair with a melee like a barb or fighter, and use their wild shape to transform into mountable creatures like horses or big cats, and use their lay on hands essentially at will to heal the rider, since they're always in contact, and their rider is always in range of auras, plus in wild shape, even as a mount, you can fight in melee yourself, and can smite while transformed. Plus you can cast buffs before wild shaping and having your rider hop on. It might not be mechanically the strongest, but it seems like a really fun idea if nothing else. *edit* Fighter's "Is this an S" question was about as frequent. Bacon is love. Bacon is life.

[@Eric-cj8sb]

Thanks for the Ideas. Trying to make an Elemental Knight in the guise of The Legend of Dragoon. So far I have 3 Paladin with Oath of the Ancients and one Druid level. Think Land of Forrest Druid or Mage of Prismari for elemental abilities. The contradiction of Paladin and Druid is also part of the characters past.

[@jaredong]

Please put the chapter markings on the video! I love them for the other multiclass tier videos! 😭😭😭

[@natejablonski]

Regarding Clerics, don't forget that you don't get more uses of Channel Divinity. You get more options, but the Paladin options are mostly better when factoring in Harness Divine Power from Tasha's. I think C is right.