Loader image
Loader image
Back to Top

Blog

Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Backgrounds  > Multi-Class Character Builds in Dungeons & Dragons 5e The Sorcerer

Multi-Class Character Builds in Dungeons & Dragons 5e The Sorcerer

Multi-Class Character Builds in Dungeons & Dragons 5e (The Druid)
Star Wars Role Playing Game - Force and Destiny

sorcerer

Hello fellow Nerdarchests, Art here. I’m back with the next installment of my series Multi-Class Character Builds in Dungeons & Dragons 5e.

As usual I’d like to take a moment to talk about the class in general. With the Sorcerer my personally feelings are mixed of sort. On one hand you basically have a Wizard and on the other hand you have a variation of the Wizard. But, after a closer look and a rows through the spell lists I’ve come to find Sorcerers to be very diverse as a class. Able to handle things in a multitude of ways due to their Sorcery Point ability as well as any abilities from their Blood Lines.

The first build on the agenda will be sort of an under played build I think. Mostly due to the fact allot of players don’t buildrealize the potential of the build. This is the Sorcerer of twelve levels with Draconic Blood Line and the Monk of eight levels with Way of the Four Elements. “Why?” you ask, the sheer ability to cast spells and wade into melee combat and still have the diversity of the Sorcerer Sorcery Point ability mixed with the Monk’s Ki powers can be a deadly combination. First off, Way of the Four Elements Monks use Ki points to cast their Elemental Spells which because those certain abilities are spells can be effected by the Sorcerer’s Spell Point Meta Magic abilities. Thus making them even more devastating.  Also the Sorcerer Dragon blood line adds the proverbial 3 point bonus to armor class along with the Unarmored Defense of the Monk giving the character a very decent Armor Class in combat. Thematically I can see this build as a dragon style monk of sorts that is very “Dragon Ball Z” like.

The second build I’m going to cover is “Electrifying” to say the least and that is the Stormborn Sorcerer from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide taking twelve levels and the Cleric of the Tempest Domain of eight levels. This build allows the character to shockingly wear heavy armor and wield martial weapons as well as manipulate spells with their meta-magic and channel divinity to maximize the damage of their lighting or thunder spells. Having the ability to move as a bonus action each round to cast a spell and move without provoking attacks of opportunity with Tempestuous Magic is huge.  On the cleric side you gain the Wrath of the Storm feature allowing you to effectively cast a version of Hellish Rebuke that instead uses lightning damage a number times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier and deal 2d8 damage as a reaction. The cleric also allows the channel divinity to maximize the damage of a lighting damage spell cast and when combined with the sorcerer’s twin spell meta magic can be devastating! The last thing is at the cleric’s level eight they gain the Devine Strike feature making them do more damage in melee. You can also heal your party members which is a must for any adventuring party. All in all this build I feel is the best as far as Sorcerer multi class builds go, due to its immense versatility, survivability and party utility.

spellThe last and final build I want to cover here is a bit of a bit of an evil build you could say. This taking a Sorcerer type from the online Unearthed Arcana Underdark edition called The Shadowborn Sorcerer with the Pact of the Tomb feature with fourteen levels and the Warlock Parton from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide called The Undying of six levels. Some of you may say, “How do these two have any similarity to each other?” well, my answer is… They both represent the dark side of spell casting as well as can have a few pets at their disposal. These casters are able to summon the Hound Of Ill Omen as well as have an Imp or other familiar by their side providing resistance to spells and performing menial tasks. This caster is also ignores my normal rule of twelve and eight for the purposes of leveling due to the fact all the class features fit perfectly into the build with these levels. Instead of the normal five attribute increases or feats you will only be receiving four, so choose wisely my friends. With this build and class mixture it allows the Sorcerer to due things like brink party members back from the brink of death with Spare the Dying as well as use their Sorcery Points to twin spell Eldritch Blast the staple Warlock spell. Having the Hound of Ill Omen to give your targets disadvantage on saving throws against your spells and attack them to boot is a huge advantage in combat. Sense both of these caster types are Charisma based you’ll have an easy time distributing your attributes as well. The Undying Warlock also has its’ uses in making the character seem very hard to kill with its’ Defy Death feature while saving other party members or yourself. The utility this multi-class mixture brings is quite a different one for sure and one I would only recommend for more experienced role-players as there are allot of things to keep track of having two pets and spells as well as remembering class feature abilities and when to do them.
… For a look at the Shadowborn Sorcerer here is a link to the Wizards of the Coast, Unearthed Arcana website where you can get the class feature, click HERE.

If you missed any of my previous articles here is a few links to get you started… Rogue, Paladin, Monk, DruidCleric, Bard, Barbarian 

Well that’s all I have for you this time. Tune in next time “Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel!’ when we will be taking a look at multiclass builds and making pacts with…the Warlock!

So until next year… Stay Nerdy!

Share
Art Wood

I'm a nerd from the days of OLD! Nuff Said!

8 Comments

  • Jason Levato
    March 11, 2016 at 9:50 pm

    So, you interpret a Sorcerer/Monk AC calculated as 13+Dex mod+Wis mod?
    I thought so too, but I have been trying to find if that was the consensus. The book does state that the monk's unarmored defense does not stack with other unarmored defenses, but it didn't say anything about draconic resilience, and it also states that you get all the abilities, just not all the proficiencies (only what was listed).

    • Patrick PH (@oOPPHOo)
      January 28, 2018 at 1:30 am

      What you need to look at is whether Draconic Resilience is phrased as a bonus to AC or as an AC calculation. “When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC equals (…)” is what it says for both Draconic Resilience AND Unarmored Defense. That’s because they are both different ways you may use to calculate your AC (the key is in the word “equals”). You must pick one.

  • Benjamin Fuqua
    August 6, 2016 at 11:22 pm

    Regarding Dragon Sorcerer 12/Element Monk 8: Please do a better job of reading the PHB.

    Page 14 states that features which give you different ways of calculating AC do NOT stack. You either get Draconic Resiliance or Unarmored Defense, never both.

    Second, Monks use Wis for casting Ki spells, as per page 78 of the PHB. While you could do this it, makes you Multiple Attribute Dependant (MAD) You need Cha for Sorc spells, Dex for Monk Attacks, and Wis for Ki spell. Most characters want to focus on no more than two attributes so they can keep those both high.
    There is no synergy between the Monk and the Sorcerer, but even if you wanted to build one, Way of Elements is the worst choice of the three.

    This is honestly the worst build I've seen for 5e. It's especially galling considering Sorcerer mixes well with so many classes. Paladin, Fighter, Warlock, Rogue, even Cleric offer useful options to a Sorcerer. Probably the only worse combination would be Barbarian, as they can't cast while raging.

    • Art Wood
      March 7, 2017 at 9:22 am

      I wrote these articles WAY before the rules were clerified. Sorry about that. But, it’s still a fun build.

      • FoxRobinHood
        June 5, 2021 at 10:06 pm

        Could you explain your thoughts on the Sorc 12/Monk 8 multiclass? I built a character that fits the Draconic Bloodline/ Way of the Elements mold, but do not want to be completely strapped in combat

  • Philip Spencer
    August 8, 2016 at 12:39 am

    Neckbeard has spoken.

  • kilian maerien
    March 7, 2017 at 7:15 am

    if you make a barbarian but multiclass to shadow sorcerer isnt this an OP build? You can make constitution saves all day and never go down? whenever you are raging you take half damage so the saving throw shouldnt be a problem if you have a plus 5 saving throw. So you only need a lvl one in sorcerer and go on with your barbarian that never dies, you dont even need to level your sorcerer.

  • Joshua Nielsen
    August 1, 2018 at 1:13 am

    Interesting stuff but I wanted to point out that Eldritch Blast doesn’t qualify for twin spell, since it’s not restricted to one target. However, you can still quicken it to get the same basic effect.

Leave a Reply