So I've decided to make a Bard for a new campaign. I'm currently debating a few choices.
1. Race - Toss up between Human Variant and Half Elf.
2. Multiclass into Warlock for 2 levels, and if so, when to do it?
3. Feats
My debate here is directly linked to whether or not to multiclass Warlock for 2 levels.
- If I do, I would likely go Human Var taking Medium Armor feat to start, and grab Devil's Sight and Agonizing Blast as level 2 invocations.
- If not, I would likely take Half Elf to start, OR take Human Var with Magic Adept or Spell Sniper to gain access to the Eldritch Blast.
- If I do multiclass Warlock (starting as a Bard at creation), should I dip the 2 levels right away (Bard 1/Warlock 2) or wait til Bard 6 to dip?
Thoughts?
1: Human. Get devils sight at warlock 2 to cover their main weakness.
2: Either 3 (2 blasts) or 5 (hypnotic pattern, short rest insperation dice). You don't get anything too magical at 6. The next point would be 9, when you get 3 blasts.
3: Inspiring leader. Assuming no one else in the party is taking it.
mellored wrote:
Llokii wrote:
mellored wrote:
Llokii wrote:
I'd consider starting warlock 2.
Or bard 1 then warlock 2
Or bard 3 warlock 2
Or bard 5 warlock 2
Or bard 6 warlock 2...
I think it depends on race choice the most. If taking a dark vision race then go for warlock after level 5 or 6.
If picking a non dark vision race then start warlock or go for him after a level of bard to get dark vision ASAP.
If two of the three skills you'd take at Bard 1 are on the Warlock skill list, start Warlock. If Wis saves are more important to you than Dex saves, start Warlock. Either way, I'd have both levels of Warlock by 5th level to keep your blasts up to speed. If you're not deadset on Devil's Sight, going Warlock 3 to get Pact of the Tome/Book of Ancient Secrets to add more magical versatility to a Lore Bard.
Do you really need even more cantrips and some ritual spells as a bard/warlock, though? By going Warlock 3 you fall yet another level behind in bard spellcasting which might be a bit much.
I'd probably start Bard 1 (for skill, weapon, and musical proficiencies),then Warlock 2, then rest Bard. That is because Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast is better than any other at-will ability you'll hit with, even before you get two blasts. As mellored pointed out, it also depends on how easily you get frustrated by not being able to do reasonable damage up-front (the lore bard in our party is not happy about this).
I'd also go Half-Elf (for darkvision, more skill proficiencies and better stats) and pick up Armor of Shadows as my 2nd invocation, to make up for the lack of Medium Armor proficiency (At Dex 16, you'll have the same AC you'd get from Half Plate or Scale Mail).
Voila, you now have a PC with great at-will damage, a wide selection of skills and the ability scores to use them, decent survivability, and only a few levels behind on your bard abilities.
When playing my character I went Bard 1, Warlock 1, Bard 2-3, Warlock 2. I found Bard to be the better starting class, but picking up Warlock early for Hex and the spell recovery on a short rest was good at this level, even if it's only 1 spell. I was using a crossbow and getting Eldrich Blast going before level 5 (2 blasts) wasn't a big change in damage so I took Bard 2 and 3 for the expertise and level 2 spells before firing up into full blast mode at 5.
I've been toying with the concept for while and I think this is by far the best charcter you can create. There is very little weakness all the way through the build. I like to think of it as Jack of All Trades, Master of Most. Here's what I did/plan on doing.
With the standard array (we actually rolled, but the principle is the same), starting Variant Human go for 15 Cha, 14 Dex, 13 Con. Feat at first level is Moderately Armoured and put a point in Dex, then your 2 human stat increases go into Dex and Cha for a 16 in both. You'll be more than competent mixing it at low levels with a rapier, shield and medium armour. First IAS comes at level 6 and is Cha +2. At level 10 take Resilient Con, 14 and 18 are another +2 Cha and Medium Armour Master. Build to be Lore Bard 3/Warlock 2 by level 5 as above.
You end up with a character who can blast amazingly all day, has an AC of 20+, can cast level 9 spells AND is proficient in loads of skills (expert in 4) and half proficient in the others! You also have a great initiative. The only real weakness you might face is Wis saves, but you pick up Counterspell and add half proficiency to it too 
mister__joshua wrote:
ZHDarkstar wrote:
I was thinking of something like this. A heavy metal musician who sold his soul to the devil.
Would have to go greataxe and blade pact for the thematic effect. Maybe a coold DM could give you a drug addiction in exchange for an extra feat.
FrogReaver wrote:
mister__joshua wrote:
FrogReaver wrote:
mister__joshua wrote:
I do have a different opinion
You seem to be suggeting that getting Eldritch (Agonising) Blast before level 5 is important, but it's only 1 damage per round more than a crossbow (D8+3 vs D10+3) with Dex and Cha at 16.
Really what you're comparing then at level 3 is 1 invocation and 1 damage per round vs Song of Rest and +1 to untrained skills. The Bard also has a larger spell list to choose his spell from. I would call this a close call, but the Warlock probably edges it. At level 4 though it's no contest. Level 2 spells are better than 1 damage a round and an invocation. You could have invisibility, blindness/deafness or heat metal on your list. Also "some new ways to use bardic inspiration" is a pretty big undersell on Cutting Words, widely considered one of the stronger abilities in the game. I think either you're placing a lot more value on 1 invocation than I am, or you're dicounting the fact that the Bard has a crossbow and 16 Dex.
However, whether you think it's better to take Warlock 2 early or not, my way certainly isn't the "absolutely most unoptimal way ever" to build the character, which is the comment I originally quetstioned. I think it stands up well to the other suggested builds too: Bard 3/Warlock 2, Bard 5/Warlock 2, Bard 6/Warlock 2.
durntaur wrote:
mister__joshua wrote: