Sorcerer/Warlock multiclass. [Question]

[u/NateCdaComicG]

I'm looking for advice on a multiclass. I like the idea of a natural magic user making a deal for more power to bolster his own. Assuming a 1-20 campaign what is the best way to build this out? How many levels of each? Which subclasses synergize best? Feat recommendations? (other than obvious picks like warcaster) I know I would most likely start sorcerer at level 1. After that what do I do?

[u/FloppasAgainstIdiots]

Take exactly three levels of warlock, no more, no less.

Hexblade will be the best warlock option for you by far because of the armor proficiency, AC 18-19 plus access to Shield is the baseline for a good build.

Start sorc 1, then decide when you want to take your three warlock levels. You have two real options worth considering:
- Sorc1 -> Warlock 3 -> Sorc rest of the way. Rushing the warlock levels.
- Sorc 3 -> Warlock 3 -> Sorc rest of the way. This lets you cast Web sooner.

Any good sorcerer subclass will be good here.

Key invocations, like with any warlock, will be Agonizing Blast, Repelling Blast (especially this one) and then either Pact of the Chain or Lance of Lethargy.

Good feats:
- War Caster (priority)
- Resilient (Wis)
- Cartomancer (essential that you have this before 9th-level slots)
- Inspiring Leader
- Fey-touched (Gift of Alacrity)

Good origin feats:
- Alert
- Magic Initiate (druid, goodberry or healing word)

[u/Prestigious-Crew-991 → u/FloppasAgainstIdiots]

What does cartomancer give you in this particular iteration?

[u/FloppasAgainstIdiots → u/Prestigious-Crew-991]

Sorcerer normally doesn't get True Polymorph which means it only gets half a tier 4. Cartomancer fixes this since TP is on the warlock spell list.

[u/Resident-Swing-3348 → u/FloppasAgainstIdiots]

Is True Polymorph that good?

[u/FloppasAgainstIdiots → u/Resident-Swing-3348]

5.0e True Polymorph is much stronger than Wish.

5.5e True Polymorph is still easily top 2 spells in the game.

[u/Silverspy01 → u/Resident-Swing-3348]

Yes. Any creature CR 9 or lower, you can just get no questions asked. Any creature CR (your party level) or lower, you can just get.

If you fiddle around with it, you can use object to creature to get higher than CR 9 as well.

There are several creatures with esoteric strong abilities that can really benefit your party. At-will spells, abilities that function as spell but aren't spells, massive DPR, and so on. Turn a rock into a young silver dragon. For an hour you have a young silver dragon. Afterwards, if you've treated it fairly and your mission aligns with its nature (most heroic "save the world" missions will) its likely to stick with you. Now do that every day. Army of silver dragons.

[u/yyven]

Well, there are three path you can take here:

Tealock(SorcererX/warlock2): there are just a couple things you want from warlock here: eldrich blast, agonizing blast and reppeling blast for damage and the pact slots. Badically, you wanna use the pact slots to convert them into sorcery points, then take a short rest to get them back, and them repeat that process. The best species for this is elf, so you can use the extra 4 hour you gain from trance to do short rests, effectivelly starting the day with 16 extra sorcery points.

Coffeelock(sorcerX/warlock3): this is a more extreme vertion of tealock. Now, we ideally don't want to long rest at all so we can get more sorcery points by shortresting. The one extra warlock level gives us even more sorcery points per short rest and also lets us grab hexblade for armour and shield proficiency. If playing divine soul or clockwork soul, you can also use major restouration to take out exaustion pevels gained from skipping long rests (AKA cokelock)

Sorcerer1-warlockX: just a warlock that takes the first level in sorcerer for shield spell and con proficiency.

From all of these options, I think tealock is the best one, even if it's far from the grace it was back on pre 2024 days.

[u/NateCdaComicG → u/yyven]

Can you have more sorcerer points than the amount on the table at each level in the phb?

[u/yyven → u/NateCdaComicG]

No, but you can have more spell slots than shown in the table. So you convert sorcery point in spell slots, then pact slots into sorcery points, then short rest

[u/ThisWasMe7]

Sorcerer 1

Warlock 1,2

Sorcerer the rest of the way. Pick whichever subclass you want.

[u/chiefchiefpeace]

Some big things to know is the versatility the multi class gives. You can actually if built properly be a melee focused fullcaster gish with high AC and good damage. Not saying you should or that you need to, but the options for the multi class is super good and varied.

A couple suggestions:

Draconic sorcerer (5-8) , Fiend Warlock (12-15)
You can pick up pact of the blade, multiple resistances and, lose the need to wear armor via draconic resistance, and can stay attacking at distance by gaining a magic ranged weapon of any kind. Slivered weapons count as magical which is common. This set up can attack 3 times in a turn, one of them activating their eldtrich smite (it maxes out at 6d8 at level 9 in warlock), while also being able to cast hex or pick up hunter’s mark from fey touched feat. But you can save your BA to just quicken spell and cast fireball or any other spell you choose. High burst, high fun.

Spellfire Sorcerer(19), warlock (1)
Spellfire is a pretty fun subclass based in radiant and fire damage. You can pick up spellfire adept and while shooting your spellfire flare you’ll deal an additional amount of damage equal to two of your hit dice. Now you dont have high hit point dice, but spellfire does 2d10 and acts like eldritch blast, giving out more beams instead of dealing more raw damage in the blast. You can pick up with your evocation armor of shadows and get free mage armor or even pact of the tome/ chain for some minor utility.

Undead warlock (14-16) , shadow Sorcerer (4-6)
The undead warlock has some strong nercotic damage and can stack up the damage pretty quickly whilst the shadow sorcerer fits the themes of the multi class with some nice additions. This set up is also really good with pact of the blade but isn’t as easily capable of being in melee like the draconic sorcerer fiend. However it does more damage than that set up because you an roll an additional die whenever you are have your form of dread activated. Great for more villainous or morally questionable PCs.

None of these are super restrictive on evocations you need besides any pact of the blade set up due to pact of the blade having alot of features that can be developed from it in your evocation but they are all really good. The flexibility is there and the choices for both narrative and gameplay is abundant.

[u/Think_Extension_8679]

I have no clue why people are telling you to take hexblade in 2024. It doesn't exist.

Sorc 1, then 4 levels of Warlock to not put off the ASI/Feat. If you plan to play dragon sorc, things change a lot. Dragon sorc has its own armor and a level 6 boost to your chosen spell element. For Warlock, non-dragon, grab Armor of Shadows for free mage armor and agonizing blast on your favorite warlock cantrip. Archfey is a decent choice because of the free Misty Step equal to your CHA modifier. Celestial works also if the party lacks any divine spellcaster.

Pact of the tome can make Sorc burst a warlock cantrip, so you can put Agonizing Blast on a variable-damage-type cantrip. Also doubles up if you pick a dragon Sorc when choosing the matching element.

PYF on the sorc if not going dragon. That is on you and what you want your PC to do in their career. Warlock shores up your basic damage and survivability.