5E Multiclassing

They did a lot of thinking and work in Level Up Advanced 5e to fix broken multiclass builds, where people would dip a level here, a level there, get that sweet fighter action surge, and Frankenstein a character into something built more for numbers and attack forms than anything real.

https://www.levelup5e.com/news/keeping-it-classy-updated-core-classes-in-level-up

I can see why many hardcore optimizers avoid this 5E version and why the base 5E game has a lot of issues. Multiclassing is a nightmare in base D&D 5E, and it is used to break the game - and in doing so, breaks immersion and storytelling. Granted, multiclassing can do some incredible things, and it should be in the game - but this is one of those late-edition problems they could not have foreseen, and it only got worse. And sometimes, like the sorc-lock build, it is the only way for a class to be viable in the game. Which just sucks.

Do you mean I can't just play a straight fighter or ranger and do well? I have to do dips into classes and sticky-ball abilities that stack with each other in never-intended-to ways? Why aren't the base classes designed to be exciting and powerful by themselves? Shouldn't we design them to eliminate one-level dips for grabbing frontloaded class powers?

Yes, we should, but base 5E is too popular now to change things.

By allowing power builds, the challenge level of the game goes down, so adventure writers write for the high-power characters. And what happens is the base classes are devalued. A new player who goes straight ranger and comes to a table should not be seen as an idiot for taking 14 levels of the ranger class and nothing else.

By allowing exploits, you are hurting the new player experience.

You are also hurting the game since none of the base classes are great without exploiting other classes with multiclassing. Your entire game is devalued and the property of the min-max players. How many players would you get coming to your game if you banned multiclassing?

I suspect many would stay away. But the horse is out of the barn, and multiclassing is seen as the "key to winning 5E." Get that action surge for double attacks, dip into warlock for an eldritch blast, a level of the paladin, and all sorts of other tricks and exploits to mix and match class powers and abilities to break the game in creative ways.

Honestly, I feel it is terrible for the game in the long run - after people have fun breaking the rules, they will move on. Many games have been through this and down this road before.

Frankly, if I were to play base 5E, I would limit multiclassing - even if it were just me playing solo. This is why Level Up appeals to me so much, I get to play 5E, but experienced players have gone over the game, fixed it, and made classes fun again. They rebalanced classes and made significant changes to a few, such as the above article mentions rangers and fighters.

The thing is, I like their changes. This is the balance mod that has been in development for the game that you just want to start playing with since you agree with the changes and like that experience better. And now that I know about the exploits, I don't want to tempt myself and abuse them - it would feel wrong.

They also have multi-class feats, which create the sort of "prestige class" builds we saw in 3.5E - and that is very cool.

I get it; One D&D is trying to make changes for the better, but I am going to wait and see. The follow-on books for D&D did a lot of damage to the game's balance and, in some ways, invalidated entire classes (Tasha's unarmed fighter vs. monk). D&D has always had a problem with the core books being the best game version, while the expansion books inflated player power to ludicrous degrees - which is why people bought them.

The One D&D Core books will probably be worth it.

But I can wait and enjoy other things until then.

And it gives others the chance to review and let everyone know if the new edition is worth buying.