Why take small levels of certain classes?

[mkzblah]

1. I played the game when it first came out, got a character to 8 I think, and then left ... don't remember why.
2. Just started playing a little under a month ago and have a lvl 11 cleric, which I really enjoy.

I'm starting to think about my next character (or alternative to play when not playing the character), and while viewing the various build threads and what not, I'm rather confused. Perhaps someone would be willing to enlighten me?

A. What are the benefits of taking 1 or 2 of some other class (most notably I've seen monk / rogue / ranger / ftr)? I'd love to see a break down of what each one gives and when you're supposed to take it.

B. If i wanted to start preparing for a new character, where is a good place to look for a list of gear I should start farming for?

Thanks.

[Thailand_Dan]

Im sure there are other who can give you a far more lengthy explanation for the various classes, but I'll give this a shot.

2 levels of rogue give you evasion, probably one of the best feats in the game.
1 level of monk boosts your A/C
1 lvl of sorc gives you more sp (double for magi/wiz 6, etc items) and access to some cool lvl 1 spells.
1 lvl of rogue allows you to disable traps and unlock doors.

Haven't done a fighter, but I think it gives you access to some enhancements.

Hope that helps

[dopey69]

Im sure there are other who can give you a far more lengthy explanation for the various classes, but I'll give this a shot.

2 levels of rogue give you evasion, probably one of the best feats in the game.
1 level of monk boosts your A/C
1 lvl of sorc gives you more sp (double for magi/wiz 6, etc items) and access to some cool lvl 1 spells.
1 lvl of rogue allows you to disable traps and unlock doors.

Haven't done a fighter, but I think it gives you access to some enhancements.

Hope that helps

1 lvl of sorc will only give you one sixteenth of double sp just so you no
and you can add 1 lvl of wiz to the list will give you a meta magic feat of your choice pluss the use of all the arcane wands, stoneskin,blurr pk etc.

[Dexxaan]

All the reading material, feats, enhancements and benefits from 1, 2, 3 levels of anything is all in http://ddo.enterwiki.net

I don't suggest multiclassing a an experiment. Read, ask and then plan it out.

[Goldeneye]

Why do people multiclass? Because with the right build, (lets make ranger as an example): 9 ranger/1 Monk > 10 Ranger.

Often you benefit more from a level or two of another class, then you do if you go pure class.

[captain1z]

fighter
1 = 1 feat + all martial weapons & armor granted + tower shield
2 = 2 feats + 1 str bonus + all martial weapons & armor granted

paladin
1 = all armor an martial weapons + some clerical wand usage + minor AC bonus
2= bonus to charisma + bonus to saves + lay on hands
3 = fear immunity + disease immunity

barb
1 = rage ability + all weapon and medium armors + fast movement
2 = bonus to con + uncanny dodge + dr 1/-

ranger
1 = all weapons + light armors + some cleric wands + bow str feat
2 = dex bonus + 2 weapon fighting feat + rapid shot
6 = access to Tempest and manyshot

rogue
1 = + 30 skill points at 1st level (with full pts in UMD)+ sneak attack 1d6
2 = evasion + dex bonus

sorc
1 = bonus sp and arcane wand use

wiz
1 = bonus metamagic feat and arcane wand usage

cleric
1 = clerical wand usage + access to dvs
2 = wis bonus

monk
1 = AC bonus +1 feat
2 = evasion + AC bonus (wis based) + 2 feats

Bards
1 = few songs + a level 1 spell + both some clerical and arcane wand usage + light armor use

[bruha118]

just adding on to Captain:

2 monk= evasion, wis bonus to ac, 2 feats
and in addition to rogue u get UMD

[Drekisen]

Also, and this applies to all classes, u will get a bump to that classes primary save or saves.

If u splash a full BaB class with a 3/4 or 1/2 BaB class u will also attain a higher BaB.

[mkzblah]

Thanks everyone for your help - this is exactly the info I was looking for. Wish this was a sticky.

[Saaluta]

fighter
1 = 1 feat + all martial weapons & armor granted
2 = 2 feats + 1 str bonus + all martial weapons & armor granted

paladin
1 = all armor an weapons + some clerical wand usage
2= bonus to charisma + bonus to saves + lay on hands + AC bonus (minor)
3 = fear immunity

barb
1 = rage ability + all weapon and medium armors
2 = bonus to con

ranger
1 = all weapons + light armors + some cleric wands + bow str feat
2 = dex bonus + 2 weapon fighting feat
6 = access to Tempest and manyshot

rogue
1 = + 30 skill points at 1st level (with full pts in UMD)+ sneak attack 1d6
2= evasion + dex bonus

sorc
1 = bonus sp and arcane wand use

wiz
1 = bonus metamagic feat and arcane wand usage

cleric
1 = clerical wand usage
2 = wis bonus and access to DV's

monk
1 = AC bonus
2 = evasion + AC bonus (wis based) + 2 feats

Bards
x = not very knowledgable of bards

just to add on barb +10% run speed at level 2. So, with 30% boots, you move at haste speed :) But all in all, good report on splashes :)

and as for bard, gives umd as rogue and some 1st level spells as well as songs, so decent for solo builds

Saal :)

[Visty]

just to add on barb +10% run speed at level 2. So, with 30% boots, you move at haste speed :) But all in all, good report on splashes :)

Saal :)

barb runspeed is at lvl1

[SteeleTrueheart]

Paladin AC bonus is at level 1.

[geoffhanna]

monk level 2 also gets you animal paths

fighter splash also gets you +1 seeker enhancement and attack haste boost clicky

bard1 opens up CHA-based skills (UMD!), some cleric and some arcane wands, and allows sorcs and wizards to wear light armor with no chance of spell failure

[Aesop]

fighter
1 = 1 feat + all martial weapons & armor granted and Tower Shield
2 = 2 feats + 1 str bonus + all martial weapons & armor granted

paladin
1 = all armor an Martial weapons + some clerical wand usage
2= bonus to charisma + bonus to saves + lay on hands + AC bonus (minor)
3 = fear immunity and Disease Immunity

barb
1 = rage ability + all weapon and medium armors and Speed Increase
2 = bonus to con and Uncanny Dodge and DR 1/-

ranger
1 = all weapons + light armors + some cleric wands + bow str feat
2 = dex bonus + 2 weapon fighting feat and Rapid Shot
6 = access to Tempest and manyshot

rogue
1 = + 30 skill points at 1st level (with full pts in UMD)+ sneak attack 1d6
2= evasion + dex bonus

sorc
1 = bonus sp and arcane wand use

wiz
1 = bonus metamagic feat and arcane wand usage

cleric
1 = clerical wand usage
2 = wis bonus and access to DV's

monk
1 = AC bonus and 1 Feat
2 = evasion + AC bonus (wis based) + 2nd feat

Bards
x = not very knowledgable of bards

Just rounding it out

Aesop

[Aerendil]

Also, don't forget enhancements.

Monk offers stances, which is a big draw for some (Clerics using kamas, for example).
Rogue 1 offers 1d6 sneak attack damage which, for 1 AP, can be upped to 1d6+3 damage.

Rogue 1 and Fighter 1 also both offer a Haste boost clicky, which is quite nice for any melee class.

Ranger 1 offers a favored enemy (+2 to-hit, damage, and AC vs. said enemy type), with enhancements to augment those by a further +1 (so you can be /1 Ranger splash, and getting +3 damage against your favored enemy).

For me these bonuses are sometimes just as important as the feats and other abilities that come with multiclassing.


PS - Monk 1 also offers +2 to all saves, which is nice.

[Zenako]

However, and it can be a big however thesedays, the tradeoffs and benefits of a taking a "splash" class now involve whatever incremental boosts you would be foregoing with the main class (ranger 10 to ranger 11 for example) but also at the level cap of 20, you are now also foregoing the "capstone" enhancement that a pure level 20 character will recieve. Some of them are nothing special, but others seriously outshine the benefits of the splash class. One will be trading off a gain/boost along the way for something that will be gained at level 20. For some players that might be weeks, for others it could be a long long time depending on how you play.

The point being, the relative long term value of some splashes are no longer quite as clear as they once were, since the benefits of not splashing have gone up, albeit mainly at level 20.

[LAWPRE]

This was one of the items that disappointed about DDO. As a tabletopper, I use prestige classes to "bump" BOTH. This makes multiclassing VERY popular. Still, some of the enchancements (Arcane Archer 4 Ranger) sort of mimic the prestige classes.
Just to clarify a couple of things from earlier post.
One, you can up a skill or ability AND widened skills by multiclasses (making Bard/Rogue both 4 UMD rathe popular) as well as make a toon less squishy (Pal/Sorc;Bard/Rog/Sorc, etc.). Some of these require LOTS of planning to max out the benefits and lessen the liabilities. For example, Rogue should always be taken first as it is VERY difficult 2 get the thieving skills up otherwise.
Two, it may work better to experiment with single classes and get their flavor before going onto multiclassing. Some of it has to do with finding out what works for you and some of it has to do with making sense of your choices. I have to reset the enchancements on a Monk because I hate certain animal and elemental paths. Trying to make these work with a second (or third class) may add 2 much 2 the confusion of trying 2 figure out what is going on. For instance, DDO is not set up for the DM to overrule single abilities only use. So, trying to stunning fist and then smite (or vice versa), as opposed to smiting AND stunning, may not work for you.

[sirgog]

One more benefit to add:

Paladin 1 OR Ranger 1: Small Wisdom-based SP bonus for spellcaster classes.

I don't recommend splashing these classes on Clerics in general (as you give up a lot for the tiny SP boost) but it's a factor to consider. I still prefer pure cleric for caster/healbot hybrids and ClrX/Ftr1 or ClrX/Bbn1 (for the run speed) for melee/healbot hybrids

[Arianrhod]

To add to that list -

One bard level gives UMD as a class skill (and 6 skill points to spend on it), 1 bardsong (inspire courage, +1 morale bonus to attack, damage & fear saves), and the ability to use cure wands, detect secret doors wands, and one or 2 other useful wands. It can also give the ability to cast 1 first level spell, if you have (or can get) 11+ CHA.

Oh, and something people sometimes forget when contemplating splashing classes:
Must be Lawful Good to take paladin levels
Must be Lawful to take monk levels
Must be non-Lawful to take bard or barbarian levels

[ddoer]

fighter
1 = 1 feat + all martial weapons & armor granted + tower shield
2 = 2 feats + 1 str bonus + all martial weapons & armor granted

paladin
1 = all armor an martial weapons + some clerical wand usage + minor AC bonus
2= bonus to charisma + bonus to saves + lay on hands
3 = fear immunity + disease immunity

barb
1 = rage ability + all weapon and medium armors + fast movement
2 = bonus to con + uncanny dodge + dr 1/-

ranger
1 = all weapons + light armors + some cleric wands + bow str feat
2 = dex bonus + 2 weapon fighting feat + rapid shot
6 = access to Tempest and manyshot

rogue
1 = + 30 skill points at 1st level (with full pts in UMD)+ sneak attack 1d6
2 = evasion + dex bonus

sorc
1 = bonus sp and arcane wand use

wiz
1 = bonus metamagic feat and arcane wand usage

cleric
1 = clerical wand usage + access to dvs
2 = wis bonus

monk
1 = AC bonus +1 feat
2 = evasion + AC bonus (wis based) + 2 feats

Bards
1 = few songs + a level 1 spell + both some clerical and arcane wand usage + light armor use

Check this post: http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=1423599&postcount=4

I have a table for Rgr and Barb at http://www.ddoer.com/guide/melee/class-level, but it's not as good as the above post.

[Saaluta]

barb runspeed is at lvl1

thanks Visty, couldn't remember :) know I took 2 levels of barb on my Barangiter(2 Barb/2 Fighter/12 Ranger) but wasn't sure which level of barb got runspeed, so guessed at 2 :)

Saal :)

[NinetyNineTails]

Check this post: http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=1423599&postcount=4

This link right here is the one you want to look at for class splashes.

[ChadMan]

fighter
1 = 1 feat + all martial weapons & armor granted + tower shield
2 = 2 feats + 1 str bonus + all martial weapons & armor granted

paladin
1 = all armor an martial weapons + some clerical wand usage + minor AC bonus
2= bonus to charisma + bonus to saves + lay on hands
3 = fear immunity + disease immunity

barb
1 = rage ability + all weapon and medium armors + fast movement
2 = bonus to con + uncanny dodge + dr 1/-

ranger
1 = all weapons + light armors + some cleric wands + bow str feat
2 = dex bonus + 2 weapon fighting feat + rapid shot
6 = access to Tempest and manyshot

rogue
1 = + 30 skill points at 1st level (with full pts in UMD)+ sneak attack 1d6
2 = evasion + dex bonus

sorc
1 = bonus sp and arcane wand use

wiz
1 = bonus metamagic feat and arcane wand usage

cleric
1 = clerical wand usage + access to dvs
2 = wis bonus

monk
1 = AC bonus +1 feat
2 = evasion + AC bonus (wis based) + 2 feats

Bards
1 = few songs + a level 1 spell + both some clerical and arcane wand usage + light armor use

very nice responce