D&D 5E Guide: How To Multiclass – Rogue
Multiclassing in D&D is a great way to customize your character. Round out your rogue with this D&D 5E multiclass guide.
Rogues are one of the iconic parts of D&D. Originally thieves, rogues are a class that can do a few things very well. They are better than most with their skills, they have powerful combat abilities that allow them to do a lot of damage to a single target, and with features like cunning action, they always have a bonus action or two up their sleeve.
But what happens when you decide to layer on multiclassing? It can get tricky–but if you do it right, there’s a lot you can pull off.
Rogues can be particularly well-suited to multiclassing. They benefit greatly from proficiencies with martial weapons and heavy armor, or if you go the Arcane Trickster route, they benefit from added magical prowess as well. A lot of it comes down to what you’re trying to do with your subclass, and of course, you’ll feel the lag of the sneak attack– since that only increases every other level, rogue rewards focus. But depending on what you’re trying to do, there can be a lot of fun and interesting possibilities in a multiclassed rogue. Let’s take a look at some popular options.
Going Rogue
One of the best ways to multiclass as a rogue is to take just a level or two of another class– often just enough to get an entry-level feature, or a class feature from one of the other class’s archetypes. Even two or three levels can give a powerful boost to a character that is otherwise primarily roguish.
Rogues and rangers work together surprisingly well. Often if you’re picking up a ranger as a multiclass you’ll want three levels– just enough to secure the first archetype feature. Depending on your own subclass, there’s a lot to pick from. Assassin and Thief pairs well with Gloom Stalker, gaining invisibility in darkness as well as dread ambusher, which adds to your damage and pairs well with your wisdom. Inquisitive rogues pair well with the Fey Wanderer or Monster Hunter rangers
Rogues and clerics are another great dipping combo. Pair a Grave Cleric with an Assassin and you’ll make characters especially vulnerable. Even a single level of cleric can be a serious boost to a canny rogue. War Cleric and Arcana Clerics are popular choices, because they convey proficiency with armor and weapons, as well as different spells that can be handy in a pinch. Twilight cleric can be a lot of fun and is one of those rare subclasses that makes pursuing more than just a level worth it.
Rogues and druids are a weird combo, but they can do what many others can’t. If you’re great at thinking outside of the box, picking up a druid’s wild shape ability will get you places where you wouldn’t be caught dead otherwise. Combo that with your natural stealth abilities, and you’ll be excellent. Especially if you have a DM that lets you thief it up like nobody’s business. After you steal possessions, you can just change into an animal and scamper off without a trace!
Balancing Act
The other big play as a multiclassed rogue is to find classes that will blend well with your plan. As most games tend to fade around level 10, a lot of times you’ll just end up with a level or two anyway–but with the right plan, you can make every level an exciting one.
Rogues and fighters work exceptionally well together. As you level up, you’ll gain abilities that rogues love at pretty much every level. Action surge is a huge one for rogues, who can use their extra action to ready an attack on their turn, allowing them to deal sneak attacks twice in one round. Add to that the Battlemaster Fighter’s combat maneuvers and you’ve got a great recipe for a rogue. Arcane archer and Champion fighters are other great options, as is the Rune Knight.
Rogues and monks are a surprisingly good combo. Which is saying something because monks typically don’t like to multiclass. But what you really want is to play a Way of the Shadow monk, which is already very rogue-y. If you take monk and rogue to at least level six, you’ll gain incredible mobility as well as darkness powers that can help you to ambush unprepared enemies like nobody’s business.
Rogues and barbarians are another great combo. The barbarian mixes especially well with swashbuckler rogues. It’s not the combo you’d expect, but it lets you get in and out of enemy’s melee range, and you’ll be ready to dish out and take more damage than a rogue on its own might be. With the defensive capabilities of the swashbuckler, you get quite the upper hand.
D&D 5E Rogue Guide
Happy Adventuring, and let us know your favorite ranger multiclass builds in the comments!
