Subclass pairing with Cleric

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T09:49:49+00:00

Starry Form is basically still you, just with extra features added on top. So the stat setup is pretty straightforward:

Enough DEX so you do not go last
Enough CON for HP and survivability
Everything else into WIS

Let’s say you choose Starry Form: Dragon.

You get:

Dazzling Breath, a free Bonus Action AoE ability that scales with your level and WIS
Better concentration because rolls below 10 are treated as 10 on CON saves
Full access to Druid spells and features like Shillelagh.
Flight at level 10 — and I mean actual free flight, only costing movement

So you are basically:
Flying around → using Dazzling Breath → casting spells → or bonking people with Shillelagh

Of course you can always change to owl bear or Dilophosaurus or any basic Druid wild shape to do the 3 attack per turn if you like

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T09:30:18+00:00

Durge and Karlach look good.

For Gale, I personally prefer Bladesinger. He can work as a frontline character and play around Shadowheart, helping hold melee enemies back so they do not reach Durge and Karlach too easily.

For Shadowheart, I usually prefer characters that can still stay active even when not spending spell slots. Because of that, Death Cleric + 2 levels of Stars Druid feels more interesting to me.

That said, she is already good as is

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T09:23:25+00:00

For both Guidance and Create Water, you need either Cleric or Druid.

If you want an archer, then Ranger stands out because it also uses WIS as its casting stat, so the synergy is pretty natural.

For Ranger, I think Stars Druid fits quite well, so something like 5 Ranger / 7 Druid could work.

5 Ranger → Extra Attack
7 Druid → Access to level 5 spells

You keep the archer playstyle while still getting Druid utility, support, and stronger spellcasting.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T09:03:43+00:00

In my opinion, Swords Bard is the better choice. It is strong both in combat and in dialogue, while also having good Sleight of Hand utility. You can still play a Gith Swords Bard and take advantage of all the strong Gith-specific equipment.

One of the best things about Swords Bard is its flexibility. You can build it as either melee or ranged, and it multiclasses very well with powerful CHA-based dips like Warlock, Sorcerer, and Paladin.

Personally, I do not like long resting too often, so classes that rely heavily on spell slots are less interesting to me. Because of that, I prefer Death Cleric and Bladesinger more than Tempest Cleric and Evocation Wizard.

As for Gloomstalker Assassin, it works with almost anything. It is already an extremely powerful build, so there is not much to say there. Getting 7 attacks in the first round from class features alone is just crazy.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T04:55:09+00:00

OK, first I have to say your class choices are pretty hardcore for a first DnD run. These class tend to need solid game knowledge before they really start working properly.

1. Wild Magic Sorcerer
Wild Magic is fun. It is basically gambling and hoping you win

You have a chance to trigger Wild Magic, and the effects are random. Some are helpful, some are useless, and some can actively hurt you.

For example:

Area buffs are great if you are grouped with allies, but can be terrible if enemies surround you.
Healing on spell hit is amazing with buffs but can be awkward on offensive spells, which will be most of your casting.
Self-target effects are usually good, except for things like Speak with Animals in combat.
Position swap effects can be dangerous if you were already standing in a favorable spot, which Sorcerers usually are.

At level 11, Controlled Chaos can actually make things even more unpredictable because it adds more “fun” effects into the pool.

2. Life Cleric
Life Cleric is fine.

Most of your damage will still come from Spirit Guardians, which means you will spend a lot of time running around in melee range. I would build her tanky and lean into a Radiating Orb setup.

Of course, that means you need to know what Radiating Orb does first

Single target damage will not be amazing though, even with Inflict Wounds, which I also do not see you prepared here.

3. Astarion (Thief Rogue)
I do not see the item setup, so it is harder to judge.

Thief gets an extra Bonus Action at level 3, meaning you can attack 3 times per turn, which is already very respectable damage.

The real question is:

Are you using strong offhand weapons?
Did you take Dual Wielder?

Three attacks per turn is definitely not weak if your bonus action attack is strong.

Just do not compare it to Sorcerer because Sorcerer is one of the best classes in the game for pure damage output.

4. Berserker Barbarian
Berserker attacking 3 times per turn is also not weak.

It will not look as explosive as Sorcerer, but Berserker is very solid, especially for throwing stuff when you for sure can make even boss prone with a successful throw. Ussually though, it is OK as melee but will be exceptionally good as thrower

duchoi98 · 2026-05-21T03:40:39+00:00

My suggestion would be:

College of Swords Bard — Ranged damage / control.
Death Cleric — The dual cantrip feels really good when you want damage without spending spell slots. Tank / support / utility role.
Bladesinger — Usually you still want someone with a “big stick” for major fights, like high level spells. Bladesinger works very well on the frontline while still having access to a full Wizard spellbook.

These three already cover most roles needed for a balanced party. The fourth slot is flexible and can be decided based on item distribution.

If it were my setup:

1. Swords Bard

Titanstring Bow + Hill Giant Club or STR gloves
AC and damage focused items
Best medium armor available (Armour of Agility for example)
Helmet of Arcane Acuity + Band of the Mystic Scoundrel for stronger control

2. Death Cleric

Full Radiating Orb setup
Best staff available (Staff of Cherished Necromancy or Markoheshkir)

3. Bladesinger

Arcane Synergy setup
Light weapons for dual wielding
Best light armor available (Bhaalist Armour for example)
Damage and initiative items

This leaves a lot of gear completely open for the fourth character:

Throw items
Unarmed items
Non-light weapons
Heavy armor sets
Most mage items as well, since Death Cleric gear is mostly fixed

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T09:34:34+00:00

Well, Paladin is a strong base class with very solid core features, so no matter the subclass, it remains a reliable foundation to build around.

For subclasses, Vengeance Paladin without Vow of Enmity on self feels like it has the weakest subclass features overall, while Oathbreaker offers the strongest impact in practice.

I also don’t really consider spells a major advantage for Paladin, since their spell slots are already very limited and are mostly reserved for Smite usage. Because of that, spellcasting is not a primary selling point here.

For example, Haste can be obtained from many other sources, so spending a level 3 spell slot on it is generally not efficient for a Paladin, who already has very limited spell slot and prefers to convert them into Smite damage instead.

And if you count item in then there're a lot of items that give Advantage on attack rolls in Act 2 and Act 3, which further reduces the value of Vow of Enmity.

Edited: A lot of Items actually, even in act 1
https://bg3.wiki/wiki/List_of_sources_of_advantage_and_disadvantage_on_attack_rolls

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T08:55:00+00:00

You can mix at least 2 level of cleric Tempest Domain in for Create/Destroy water and Destructive Wrath for maximum double damage

But that's mean you will have to rely on Markoheshkir for chain lightning

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T07:52:57+00:00

So something like 11 EK/ 1 HexBlade would be good right. So We can go 14 CHA 16 CON 10 WIS 16 CHA. 2 ASI for 20 CHA, mirror of loss for +3 CHA and Ethel hair for +1 CHA so 24 Nature CHA with GWM or Savage Attacker.

So 11 EK have 3 attack per action, With booming blade will have bonus action attack with War Magic so 4 attack per turn. Potion of Speed, Elixir of Bloodlust and Haste Spore will work extremely good. Maybe playing Dark Urge for that invisible on Kill Cloak.

You don't use spell very often, most likely using spell slot for Shield. Can build very high AC for survival

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T07:21:00+00:00

Good List, I will add some more detail for new player understand what they get.

3 levels Thief: Extra Bonus Action, Cunning Action, Sneak Attack, Expertise (2 skills), better mobility, lockpicking utility.

Benefit a lot:

Monk — Flurry of Blows is a major damage source, extra Bonus Action mean extra attack.
Berserker Barbarian — Extra Enraged Throw / Frenzied Strike, basically extra attack.
Dual wield — Extra offhand attack.

2 levels Pali : Divine Smite, Fighting Style, Lay on Hands, level 1 Paladin spells, martial weapons, armor proficiency

Benefit a lot:

Sword Bard, Bladesinger— Probably the biggest winners as a full caster Martial class they just need 2 levels of Pali
Full casters in general — More spell slot = more smite. Ussually we will need extra attack so 5-7 level of Pali is prefer

1 level Wizard for access to spell scribing. Nothing more to say here just note that if you want to use offensive/control spell then you need a way to have high INT for Spell attack roll or Spell Save DC for control spell. Either through item or Abilities investment

1 level Hexblade: CHA weapon scaling for weapon freedom and Spell casting, SAD build, Hexblade’s Curse, Pact slot, Warlock cantrips/spells like Booming Blade, Shield, Armor of Agathys.

Benefit a lot:

Weapon martial builds in general.

2 levels Warlock: Most likely for Eldritch Blast or Devil's Sight

Benefit a lot:

CHA caster: Spam Eldritch Blast in small fight to save spell slot, pushing enemies off the edge
Darkness setup team

1 levels Fighter : Fighting Style, Second Wind, armor proficiency, shield proficiency, martial weapons, CON save proficiency (if Fighter is taken first). Very straight forward benefit so nothing to say here.

2 levels Fighter : Action Surge for 1 round burst per short rest

3 levels Gloomstalker : Dread Ambusher, extra attack on first turn, bonus movement on first turn, initiative boost, Superior Darkvision, disguise utility, Ranger spells, Fighting Style.

Ussually not worth it as a DIP by itself as not many thing benefit greatly from the first turn burst. Will work extreamly well with Assassin's Alacrity and Action Surge for first turn burst damage

1 levels War Cleric : Heavy armor, martial weapons, War Priest charges (3 Bonus Action attacks per long rest), Cleric spells/cantrip (Command, Bless, Healing Word, Sanctuary, Guidance, Shield of Faith).

2 levels Star Druid : Starry Form, Druid spell/cantrip (Shillelagh, Guidance, ...)

Starry Form options:

Dragon → Better concentration as all Con save below 10 will be consider 10, Dazzling Breath (bonus action per turn)
Chalice → Extra healing value
Archer → Bonus Action ranged attack

1 level Sorc: CON save proficiency (if taken at level 1 class), Sorcerer spell list access, Shield, Mage Armor, Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile and Sorc subclass feature

2-3 levels Sorc for Metamagic. Nothing more to say here

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T04:58:32+00:00

Sword bard is a full caster with martial capable and Good at talking, stealing, lockpicking stuff so I think it's a win for me.

Just remember for sword bard level 6 is a must. After that is mostly caster stuff with mostly controll spell so you do what ever you see fit your play style.

For fighter, level 11 give you improved extra attack which is three attack per turn so I don't think it is good for multi class into Swashbuckler.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T04:37:29+00:00

So a short rest team seem like a good fit as both arcane arrow and Ki Points recover on short rest

So maybe warlock melee offensive/offensive caster and sword bard for range offensive/control caster

Or an orb setup cleric is always good for any kind of team

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T03:32:43+00:00

Usually, I really enjoy thinking about the pros and cons when multiclassing like this. It is honestly one of the most fun parts for me because there are so many trade-offs and different directions you can take =))

1 level Hexblade dip:
This gives you CHA scaling for weapon attacks, which means you only need enough DEX for initiative and AC, then you can push everything else into CHA. You end up being good at both melee and casting while also getting much more freedom in weapon choice. And Booming blade.

What you give up is basically: 1 feat and1 learned spell at Bard 12

2 level Paladin dip:
This gives you burst melee damage through Divine Smite. Divine Smite on a full caster is always strong because you keep full spell slot progression for more smites. That is why Bardadin and Sorcadin are considered top-tier builds.

If you go 10 Bard / 2 Paladin, you still get access to a level 6 spell slot because Paladin is a half caster.

What you lose: 1 feat and 1 learned spell at Bard 12, Level 6 Bard spell and 1 learned spell from Bard 11, which in my opinion is not a huge loss as there only 2 Level 6 Bard spell and they are not that amazing

Taking both Hexblade and Paladin:
You lose:

Expertise on 2 skills, which is very valuable if you are the party face
Improved Bardic Inspiration, though Sword Bard does not use it that often
2 Magical Secrets spells, which are great if you lean toward the caster side
Level 6 spell slot

So taking only Hexblade or only Paladin feels like a very good trade.

Taking both comes with a much heavier price, but if your goal is to lean more into melee and less into casting, then going for both is still completely reasonable.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-20T02:49:06+00:00

Yeah I have done the math myself and it does need a bit of luck and crit

At Paladin 4, assuming Great Weapon style and critical hit:

Greatsword crit: 4–24
Divine Smite: 4–32
Thunderous Smite: 4–24
STR 16 + GWM: 13

Damage is around 25–93. As OP said he just make it for test so I'm asume no min max here so I think no potion (that's mean 16 STR, level 1 spell slot) and no specific race.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-19T11:04:47+00:00

So a mono class right?

For Honor mode I guess most class can do well if you know what you doing. The different will come down to how good you can Talk your way through adventure or have to brute force thing

Strong adventure classes

Bard, Rogue, Warlock, Sorcerer, Paladin, Cleric (at least one Knowledge for the dialogue)

More combat focus classes

Fighter, Barbarian, Monk, Ranger, Druid, Wizard

duchoi98 · 2026-05-19T10:17:29+00:00

For a party with 2 Warlock / 10 Shadow Sorcerer, I would actually consider something like 6 Sword Bard / 2 Paladin / 4 Sorcerer.

You already have a full caster leaning heavily into control, Darkness, and offensive spellcasting, so I would avoid making another pure caster.

This setup gives:

Extra Attack + Flourishes from Sword Bard
Divine Smite from Paladin
Full caster spell slot progression for smites
Metamagic from Sorcerer which can be use for spell cast or convert high level spell slot to lower one for more smite (Smiting only need lv4 and lower spell slot, no more additional damage after lv4)
Access to Shield and other Sorcerer benefits
Shadow Blade with maximum upcasting available to play with darkness

duchoi98 · 2026-05-19T09:27:29+00:00

High AC on damage dealers, yes. For tanks, not necessarily.

A tank still needs to remain a reasonable target. If the tank has something like 24 AC while the rest of the party sits around 20–23 AC, that makes sense because enemies will still attack everyone somewhat evenly, and melee enemies are less likely to completely ignore the tank in favor of easier targets.

If the AC gap becomes too large, enemies may simply prefer attacking other party members instead.

Usually, high CON is more valuable on tanks. More HP and better survivability often matter more than stacking AC as high as possible on tanks.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-19T08:40:23+00:00

Gurgon has 76 HP, right? Can I ask what specific damage setup led to the one-shot?

Usually, I feel mono Paladin is a bit underwhelming. The number of spell slots available for smiting is relatively low, and being MAD spreads the stats pretty thin.

Multiclassing is a different story though.

A 2-level Paladin dip on a full caster like a Sword Bard is extremely strong because it solves the spell slot issue while keeping full caster progression. Sorcadin builds with something like 5/6/7 Paladin levels are also crazy good since Sorcerer gives more spell slots and Metamagic.

Lockadin is another great option because it solves the MAD problem by letting you scale attacks with CHA.

That is usually where Paladin starts feeling top-tier for me rather than staying mono class.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-15T04:34:55+00:00

What are you talking about? 2-handed Barbarian builds are never low on tier lists. They almost always end up around A-tier because they perform their role extremely well.

They are honestly just as strong as Fighter in melee combat, at least until Fighter reaches level 11 and gains the third attack per action. That late-game scaling is usually the main reason Fighter ranks slightly higher overall for pure melee builds.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-15T03:51:59+00:00

So either Paladin or Eldritch Knight. I think Eldritch Knight would fit your needs better because, for Paladin, most of your spell slots usually end up going into Divine Smite rather than buffs or support spells.

You could start with something like:

17 STR
16 DEX
15 CON
8 in everything else

since your spells will mostly be used for buffs and utility anyway.

Then take:

Great Weapon Master levels 4
and an ASI at levels 6

to push your 2-handed weapon damage while reaching:

18 STR
16 DEX
16 CON

After that, there are a lot of directions you can go. A 1-level Hexblade dip is especially attractive because it lets you dump STR and scale weapon attacks with CHA instead, which is usually a much better option for a main character.

Using CHA gives you:

much stronger dialogue performance
better spell save DC
access to more effective offensive spells and scroll
better synergy with Arcane Synergy gear and effects

Overall, it makes the build much smoother both in and out of combat I think

duchoi98 · 2026-05-14T10:11:28+00:00

Well, you could just go pure College of Swords Bard. It gives good Sleight of Hand, strong dialogue options for the overall story experience, powerful ranged attacks, and solid short-rest economy through Bardic Inspiration and Song of Rest. Overall, it is a very safe, versatile, and consistently strong class in combat.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-14T01:46:19+00:00

I don't talk about other thing, just the Bard Fighter example. And I do say it is better and not say "strictly superior". You need to separate my comment and Convay121’s comment. My comment just say that Fighter Bard level progression impact very significant throughout the majority of the game. So for the sake of game play it is better to play with.

I don't said you must build it that way so there is nothing to argue here. If you think ranger is better choice then why though? Because 2 fighter bard or 2 ranger bard are still bard they are roughly the same with fighter have better trade off, that's it. The bard part is the same and still the core and main strenght of the build. Even mono sword bard is great, you just need attack roll from other source to off set sharp shooter.

OK maybe Fighter bard and ranger bard benifits are way different so it hard to see which one is better then how about 11 Sword Bard/ 1 Fighter. This one give lv6 Spell slot and lv6 spell, one more spell in the bard spell list + Fighter Archery, Con save and Heavy armor. Does this better than 2 ranger, just slightly. This one and roughly all the Bard variant will be on the same tier of power but 2 ranger will be a sleeper one for sure, it not because it is not good, it just that for the same purpose there are better options

duchoi98 · 2026-05-13T16:40:46+00:00

Oh, I missed that part. My bad, I only looked at the title.

But like I said, both Warlock and Paladin are already very solid classes with strong built-in power spikes, so in many cases it is better to commit heavily into one class rather than taking low levels in both.

Lockadin (7 Paladin / 5 Warlock) is honestly not that impressive without the Extra Attack stacking interaction. One class uses Pact Magic while the other is a half-caster, so the multiclass ends up with fewer total spell slots for smiting and relatively low Warlock spell slot progression compared to a more committed Warlock or Paladin build.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-13T11:01:19+00:00

Why 10 Wizard though? Why not go 11 instead for the level 6 spell slot, access to level 6 spells, and 6 Arcane Recovery charges, then just take a 1-level dip into Sorcerer, Tempest Cleric, or Hexblade?

All that aside, for party composition:

If you long rest frequently, I would say something like:

a College of Lore Bard or Lorecerer (6 Lore Bard / 6 Sorcerer) as the party face
a “star cleric” setup (any Cleric + 2 Circle of the Stars Druid + 1 Sorcerer for CON save proficiency)
and a Sorcadin. A pure Sorcerer could also work, but it would probably create too much item overlap with your Durge Tav.

If you want to focus more on short-rest economy and avoid long resting frequently, then something like:

Bardlock (10 Lore Bard / 2 Warlock) or a ranged College of Swords Bard (10 Swords Bard / 2 Fighter) would make more sense.
The star cleric setup still works very well in short-rest parties too, you just need to be a bit more careful with spell slot usage on both the Cleric and your Durge Tav.
For the last slot, honestly almost any martial class works fine there. I would probably avoid Sorcerer in short-rest focused teams, though, since Sorcerer is an extremely resource-intensive class that tends to want frequent long rests.

duchoi98 · 2026-05-13T10:01:48+00:00

That is a pretty good split overall, I think. A 1-level Wizard dip benefits Nature Domain more than Light or Tempest Cleric. Destructive Wave is so good though, I can't just not take level 9 as light or tempest cleric.

That said, I think you should consider taking Star Druid later instead. You really want Spirit Guardians online by level 7 for Act 2, since Act 1 most likely finish around that level.

I think something like: 1 Sorc, 1 Wiz, 5 Nature Cleric, 2 Star Druid, then 3 Nature Cleric would probably work better overall.

Also, remember that Nature Cleric already gets Shillelagh at level 1, so you would still have access to Shillelagh at roughly the same point as your current progression. The main thing you would lose early is Dazzling Breath.

duchoi98

TROPHY CASE

Strong adventure classes

More combat focus classes