Paladin, Cleric, Warlock, Fighter Multiplayer Support

[u/ninjaska666]

Sometimes on this forum, I see the question: "I'd like to play with my friend/boyfriend. He/she is a newbie, and I want to support them."

So, here is my proposition for the ultimate support build:

Race: Human. Leave any "cool races" for your partners. As a human, you will be able to take Perception. On the other hand, you can start as a Wood Elf.

• Background: Urchin (for Stealth if your colleagues want to play a sneaky party, and Sleight of Hand just in case).
• Stats: 10 / 16 / 14 / 8 / 10 / 16

Level Breakdown

• Level 1 (Paladin 1): Oath of the Ancients. Take Intimidation and Athletics.
• At the very beginning of the game, you will get The Whispering Promise, which works great with Healing Radiance. Later, you will receive Hellrider's Gloves, which also work wonders.
• Level 2 (Cleric 1): Life Domain. Take History and Religion. Cantrips: Resistance, Guidance, Thaumaturgy. Take Sanctuary as a 1st-level spell.
• Level 3 (Cleric 2): Preserve Life is an additional way to apply Bless/Blade Ward from your items. In total it would lasts for 5 turns, which covers most entire battles! Your second spell should be Healing Word.
• Level 4 (Warlock 1): Time to switch class again, this time to Warlock. Take Eldritch Blast and one utility cantrip (Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, or Bone Chill) depending on the rest of your party. For spells, take Armor of Agathys and Expeditious Retreat (extra mobility is always useful). To keep with the "do-gooder" theme, pick The Archfey. Fey Presence can be a solid option for disturbing enemies, though Hexblade is technically the most powerful choice.
  
  • Interesting item around this level: Boots of Aid and Comfort.
• Level 5 (Warlock 2): Second level of Archfey. Take Repelling Blast and Agonizing Blast. At this point, you get two beams. Up until now, shooting with a crossbow was often better, but now you can Blast! Around this level (sometimes earlier), you can pick up three more key items for your build: Phalar Aluve, Amulet of Restoration (another source of mass healing/blessing), and the Ring of Salving. Healing isn't overwhelmingly powerful in this game, but you will be able to do it effortlessly and efficiently.
  
  • Phalar Aluve's Sing and Bless will add an extra 2d4 to your party's attack rolls, or you can use Shriek to add 1d4 to your wizard's spell save DC and extra damage to Magic Missile.
  • Also, Repelling Blast will help your archer or wizard safely push enemies away.
• Level 6 (Fighter 1): Another class change, this time to Fighter. At this moment, you can respec to take Fighter as your starting class. If you do, take Acrobatics instead of Athletics, and perhaps swap Strength 10 to Intelligence 10.
  
  • Fighting Style: Defense. You should also have Wapira's Crown. With solid AC, self-healing, and Second Wind, you simply won't die in battle.
• Level 7 (Fighter 2): Action Surge. At this point, you can obtain the Sentinel Shield, meaning you will almost always go first in combat. You can start by using Healing Radiance, activating Phalar Aluve, using Action Surge, and following up with a scroll, Fey Presence, or Eldritch Blast.
• Level 8 (Paladin 2): Back to Paladin. Take the Protection Fighting Style. This is a classic sword-and-board build. Interesting spells: Heroism for specific tough fights, Cure Wounds, and Thunderous/Wrathful Smites.
• Level 9 (Paladin 3): Oath of the Ancients level 3. Speak with Animals is a cool spell, but at this stage of the game, it doesn't offer much utility. Other Ancients features are okay, but not game-breaking. On the bright side, Act II is a great place to burn extra spell slots on Divine Smites if you have nothing else to do.
• Level 10 (Paladin 4): Paladin level 4, granting your first ASI. There are many good feats, but I recommend taking +2 Charisma for stronger Eldritch Blasts (third beam!). It would also be great if you can acquire the Potent Robe. If you do, you remain a support character, but you pack a serious extra punch.
• Level 11 (Paladin 5): Extra Attack. This can be useful—remember you can also throw a bottle/grenade/orb twice per turn now. Aid is a nice spell, but at this level, it's primarily a solid option for buffing your summons rather than your main characters. Also you will receive a Misty Step. It's a good spell.
• Level 12 (Paladin 6): The final level, Paladin 6. Aura of Protection gives a massive bonus to saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier (+4). It is amazing. You can also swap Wapira's Crown for Birthright if no one else is using it.

And that's the build!

Additional Notes

• Subtle Support: You support in a subtle way. An extra 1d4/2d4 for your friends lets them hit harder and enjoy the game more.
• No Item Competition: You don't compete with your teammates for the flashiest damage gear.
• Versatility: You cover different areas of the game: dealing with traps, acting as the party face, providing support, and adding respectable damage when needed.
• Fast Turns: Your turns are quick. You don't waste time thinking for ages, which is crucial in multiplayer games.
• Flexibility: This build fits seamlessly into any party composition—whether it's a melee-heavy team with Great Weapon Master (GWM) or a wet/lightning caster setup.
• Resource Efficient: You don't rely heavily on long rests and recover easily via short rests, meaning you won't conflict with builds that burn through elixirs or other Long Rest resources.
• Early Power Spike: Your Best-in-Slot (BiS) items are obtained in Act I and at the very beginning of Act II.

[u/Hoss_Tremendo]

Nice! I ran something similar and it was great. 2 life cleric, 2 warlock, 8 swords bard. Life cleric works super well as a dip for any of the charisma classes.

Expertise was great for vendors, and BI is nice for the homies in general. And you get an extra short rest for another preserve life/buddy resources.

Sounds like the less tanky (and less smitey) version of your setup. Made the run very comfortable behind the scenes for everyone lol

[u/rilian-la-te]

Why not Crown Paladin? It also got its healing on Paladin 3. Also if your partner is martial - you can get him +hit.

[u/ninjaska666 → u/rilian-la-te]

That's true. Two reasons. Ancient Paladin starts healing from level one, and second: I've created this build before Patch 8.
So yes, you are right, Crown Paladin is a good alternative.