Multiclassing in 5e: Prerequisites, Proficiencies and Spell Slots (2024 Rules)
Multiclassing in 5e lets you take a level in a new class instead of your current one when you level up. You need 13 or higher in the primary ability of both your current class and the new class. You gain only some of its proficiencies, keep your first class's saving throws, and combine spell slots on a shared table.
How does multiclassing work in 5e?
Every time you gain a level, you can put it into any class you qualify for instead of your current one. Your character level is the total of all your class levels, and it sets your proficiency bonus and the XP you need. Your class level in each class sets which of that class's features you have.
A Fighter 2 / Wizard 3 is a 5th-level character with a +3 proficiency bonus, Action Surge from the fighter side and 2nd-level spells from the wizard side. The catch: they won't see Extra Attack (Fighter 5) or Fireball (Wizard 5) until much later than a single-class character would.
Multiclassing is an optional rule in both the 2014 and 2024 Player's Handbooks. Check with your DM first, then sketch the build in the character generator before you commit a level to it.
What are the multiclassing prerequisites?
You need at least 13 in the primary ability of your current class and of the class you want to add. If you're already multiclassed, you need it for every class you have. The requirements are the same in 2014 and 2024.
| Class | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| Barbarian | Strength 13 |
| Bard | Charisma 13 |
| Cleric | Wisdom 13 |
| Druid | Wisdom 13 |
| Fighter | Strength 13 or Dexterity 13 |
| Monk | Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13 |
| Paladin | Strength 13 and Charisma 13 |
| Ranger | Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13 |
| Rogue | Dexterity 13 |
| Sorcerer | Charisma 13 |
| Warlock | Charisma 13 |
| Wizard | Intelligence 13 |
This is why paladin, sorcerer, warlock and bard mix so well: they all want Charisma. A Strength fighter who wants to add wizard needs a 13 in Intelligence, which means spending real points on a stat the fighter half ignores. Plan this at character creation; see ability scores and point buy for how far a 27-point budget stretches.
How many hit points do you get when you multiclass?
Only your very first character level gives maximum hit points. Every level after that, including the first level of a new class, gives that class's hit die (rolled, or the fixed average) plus your Constitution modifier.
Example: a Fighter 5 with Constitution 14 (+2) has 12 + 4 × 8 = 44 HP using fixed values. Taking Wizard 1 next adds 4 + 2 = 6, for 50 HP. A wizard who instead dips into fighter at level 2 gets 6 + 2 = 8 from that level, not 12. Run the numbers with the HP calculator.
What proficiencies do you get from multiclassing?
You get only a subset of the new class's starting proficiencies, and you never gain its saving throws or starting equipment. The 2024 list:
| New class | Proficiencies gained (2024) | Different in 2014? |
|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Shields, martial weapons | Also simple weapons |
| Bard | Light armor, one skill of your choice, one musical instrument | Same |
| Cleric | Light and medium armor, shields | Same |
| Druid | Light armor, shields | Also medium armor |
| Fighter | Light and medium armor, shields, martial weapons | Also simple weapons |
| Monk | None | Simple weapons, shortswords |
| Paladin | Light and medium armor, shields, martial weapons | Also simple weapons |
| Ranger | Light and medium armor, shields, martial weapons, one ranger skill | Also simple weapons |
| Rogue | Light armor, one rogue skill, thieves' tools | Same |
| Sorcerer | None | Same |
| Warlock | Light armor | Also simple weapons |
| Wizard | None | Same |
Notice that no class gives heavy armor through multiclassing. That's why "start as a fighter or paladin, then add a caster" is so common: heavy armor and Constitution saves come only from your first class. A wizard who wants plate has to start in plate. (A 2024 cleric's Protector Divine Order is a class feature, not a multiclass proficiency, so a one-level cleric dip can still pick up heavy armor that way.)
How do spell slots work when multiclassing?
If you have the Spellcasting feature from more than one class, add up a combined caster level and read your slots from the table below. You still prepare spells separately for each class, as if you were single-classed in it, and each class uses its own spellcasting ability.
- Full levels: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, wizard.
- Half levels: paladin and ranger. In 2024 you round up; in 2014 you round down.
- One third (round down): Eldritch Knight fighters and Arcane Trickster rogues.
- Warlock: Pact Magic doesn't count. You keep pact slots separately, and you can spend pact slots on your other classes' spells and vice versa.
| Caster level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 11–12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 13–14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 15–16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Example: a Paladin 5 / Sorcerer 3. Under 2024 rules that's 3 (half of 5, rounded up) + 3 = caster level 6: four 1st, three 2nd and three 3rd-level slots. Under 2014 rules it's 2 + 3 = 5, so only two 3rd-level slots. Those slots can fuel paladin smites, but the paladin still only knows spells up to 2nd level and the sorcerer up to 2nd level. Big slots, small spells: that's the trade.
Which class features don't stack?
- Extra Attack: two classes with Extra Attack still give two attacks, not three.
- Unarmored Defense: if you already have it (barbarian or monk), you can't gain the other version.
- Saving throws: only from your first class, as above.
- Cantrip damage: cantrips like Eldritch Blast scale with your total character level, not your class level, which makes cantrip dips efficient.
Is multiclassing worth it?
Sometimes. Every level you spend elsewhere delays your main class's big spikes: Extra Attack at 5, 3rd-level spells at 5, and the level 20 capstone you'll probably never see anyway. Short dips of one to three levels are usually where the value is. A few builds that work in the 2024 rules:
- Fighter 1–2 dip: a Fighting Style, Weapon Mastery, Second Wind, and Action Surge at Fighter 2. Great on Dexterity or Strength casters who already have 13 in the stat.
- Paladin + Warlock or Sorcerer: all Charisma, so the prerequisites are free. Extra slots mean more Divine Smites; warlock pact slots come back on a short rest.
- Warlock 2 dip: Eldritch Blast plus Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma modifier to every beam. Popular for sorcerers and bards.
- Cleric 1 dip: armor, shields and a handful of prepared spells for a Wisdom character. In 2024 the domain waits until Cleric 3, so the 1-level dip is weaker than it was in 2014.
- Rogue dip: Expertise, Sneak Attack and (at Rogue 2) Cunning Action for any Dexterity build. See Sneak Attack for the damage math.
If you're new to the game, play your first character single-class. Multiclassing rewards system knowledge and punishes guesswork, and a single-class character is never a trap.
How did multiclassing change from 2014 to 2024?
The prerequisites, the hit point rule and the spell slot table are the same. The main differences: paladin and ranger levels round up for the slot calculation in 2024, a few multiclass proficiency lists dropped simple weapons (every class already has them), and every 2024 subclass arrives at level 3. That last change matters: in 2014 a single level of cleric, sorcerer or warlock gave you a subclass feature, so 1-level dips into those classes were much stronger. See subclasses for the full list.
FAQ
What are the multiclassing requirements in 5e?
You need a score of 13 or higher in the primary ability of the class you are leaving and the class you are entering. Paladins need Strength and Charisma 13, monks and rangers need Dexterity and Wisdom 13, and fighters need Strength or Dexterity 13.
Is multiclassing an optional rule?
Yes. Both the 2014 and 2024 Player's Handbooks present multiclassing as an option your DM can allow or forbid. Most tables allow it, but ask before you plan a build around it.
Do you get saving throw proficiencies when you multiclass?
No. Saving throw proficiencies come only from the class you took at character level 1. A wizard who dips fighter does not gain Strength or Constitution saves.
How do spell slots work when multiclassing?
Add your full levels in bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer and wizard, half your paladin and ranger levels, and a third of your Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster levels, then read your slots from the multiclass spellcaster table. Warlock Pact Magic slots stay separate.
Does Extra Attack stack when multiclassing?
No. Extra Attack from two classes never gives more than two attacks with the Attack action. Only the fighter's own higher-level features push past two attacks.
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Contains content from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.