D&D: Five Feats That Let You Multiclass without Multiclassing
Multiclassing is a powerful option in D&D, but it’s also a slow, sometimes clunky option. Why not skip it and ust take a feat instead?
One of the biggest tools for versatility when it comes to characters is multiclassing. After all, it’s a way to let your character do things that they otherwise might be prevented from doing because their class doesn’t allow for it. Like if you want your Fighter to also be able to Turn Undead, an easy way to do that is to pick up a level in Cleric. But it can be a tradeoff.
D&D has some very specific “breakpoints” for each class, where you have to consider what you gain and what you lose. If you’re a Wizard, those two levels of Fighter that you grab for Action Surge and Heavy Armor proficiency, for instance, are two levels where you don’t gain extra spell slots, spells known, or the like.
But what if I told you there was a way to multiclass without multiclassing? That’s where certain feats come in handy. Depending on what you’re trying to do, these Feats may give you what you want out of multiclassing: the ability to live a little more broadly, and all for the cost of a Feat (which is still kinda steep, but also there are so many ways to pick up an extra one now). This may not be for everyone, but it is worth playing around with next time you’re dreaming up a character.
Martial Adept
This Feat lets you pretend to be a Battlemaster Fighter without having to actually take a level of Fighter. This feat gives you access to two Battlemaster Maneuvers, so you can decide whether you want to knock your opponents prone, potentially disarm them, push them back, menace them, or what have you.
And you can do these maneuvers once per Short Rest or Long Rest, which is another way of saying, fairly often but not necessarily every fight, unless your group frequently only faces a few fights per day, and often not in quick succession.
Ritual Caster
This is a Feat for wanna-be wizards who want to cast powerful spells without having to spend their spell slots. Or even having to have Spell Slots in the first place. Because this Feat only requires an Intelligence or Wisdom of 13+, even the most nonmagical Fighter can pick up the Ritual Caster Feat and have access to a wide variety of spells.
There are 34 spells with the Ritual Tag across D&D right now, and these include practical things like Find Familiar and Alarm, but also some surprisingly potent spells like Leomund’s Tiny Hut, which creates an impervious fortress for your whole party to attack out of, if you do it right. Especially if all you want out of your magic multiclassing is the ability to cast spells (because feats like Magic Initiate only give you a spell and a cantrip), this is a fun, flavorful way to do exactly that, and it’s pretty strong if you have no other casters in the party.
Skulker
For would-be Rogues out there, Skulker is a great way to play into the stealthy sneaky aspect of it. You’ll be extremely accomplished at hiding as Skulker lets you hide when you’re only lightly obscured, and it also pairs well with a character with Darkvision, since it overcomes the penalty for dim lighting, meaning you can see without penalty even in total darkness.
Metamagic Adept
This one is for people who want to dabble just a little in Sorcery without going all in on being a Sorcerer. Metamagic Adept gives you two Metamagic options and two Sorcery Points with which to fuel them. Twinned Spell is a favorite, as is Subtle Spell, which lets you cast an uncounterable, undetectable spell.
Eldritch Adept
Finally, Eldritch Adept allows you to access one of the most unique features of the Warlock class without having to actually make a pact with an otherworldly entity. So if you have a way of getting Eldritch Blast on your spell list, you can take Agonizing Blast, but let’s not be boring.
You could pick endless Disguise Self with something like the Mask of Many Faces. Or pick up Devil’s Sight to see even in Magical Darkness. The possibilities are wide open with this feat, especially since you can change which Eldritch Invocation you have whenever you gain a level.
And sure, multiclassing might still be the way to go, but these feats can add a lot of flavor!
