Arcane Knight Level Quick Reference

1 Paladin 1
An Aasimar woman takes on the brunt of the attacks from a
2 Warlock 1; Hexblade
Dragon, then turns to heal her fallen ally.
A Warforged blocks the passage to allow their companions to 3 Sorcerer 1; Divine Soul Sorcerer
exit the dungeon, then vanishes to safety. 4 Sorcerer 2

This written guide comes with a video that will explain 5 Sorcerer 3; Metamagic: Quickened, Twinned
the strategy aspect and decisions behind this choices I 6 Sorcerer 4; Feat: Warcaster
have made. https://youtu.be/F5YHmOehHtc 7-8 Sorcerer 5 / Paladin 2
I've noticed a lot of guides for D&D5e have a list of
practically every option you could take, and just ranks every 9-10 Sorcerer 6-7
option you could take. I am instead going to provide an 11 Sorcerer 8; ASI: Charisma
outline of everything to take, and reasons behind these
12 Sorcerer 9
decisions. In some cases the choices I've made are needed to
make the build work and if they aren't taken you might find 13 Sorcerer 10; Metamagic:
the build to be lackluster. Other choices, which I will mark as 14 Sorcerer 11
a "Free Choice", are swappable without impacting the build
that much. Choices that are in Parenthesis() are spells that 15 Sorcerer 12; ASI: Charisma
are gained from swapping spells during a level up. 16-19 Sorcerer 13-16; ASI/Feat
Due to the nature of this build, there are very few options
20 Sorcerer 17; Metamagic
prior to level 10 that are free choices.

The Arcane Knight is a Triple Class build that uses options
from the PHB, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Volo's Guide to
Monsters, Eberron: Rising from the Last War. This build can
be played with just PHB + Xanathar's Guide to Everything if
you are limited to PHB +1. In that case you will be playing a
Half-Elf.
Towards the end of the guide I am going to provide some RP
guidelines to help play this build. First, The Mechanics!
Leveling Guide
The character builds I try to develop are designed to be fully
functional around level 8. A lot of people seem to report that
their characters never get beyond level 13. A lot of the
written campaigns also stop at this point. My desire is for you
to actually play the build at the table, and not wait for a build
to come "Online" at a theoretical level that you either have to
wait until the end of the campaign to play, or never reach that
level.
Race and Stats
Race. There are three different races that I've designed this
build with: Warforged, Aasimar, and Half Elf. We are looking
for a 16 Charisma minimum with point buy. If you roll your
stats and get more than this you can pick whatever you want,
but there are some advantages to Warforged regardless of
stats. For this guide we are choosing Warforged with a +1
Charisma bonus. You can choose any skill and tool, though I
suggest picking Herbalism Kit to be able to create Healing
Potions.
Stats. Standard Pointbuy, Intelligence and Wisdom are Free
Choices. You do not need a 16 strength, we are only getting
15 Strength to be able to wear Heavy Armor.
STR: 15 DEX: 8 CON: 14 INT: 8* WIS: 10* CHA: 15
Tier 1
The first tier of play is between level 1-4. This is where we are
going to establish our proficiencies and attack options.
*Free Choice
Level 1. Even though we have three classes, there is only one
options we are required to pick here. Not picking Paladin first
means we cannot use Heavy Armor. Look at the Multiclassing
Proficiency Chart in Chapter 6 of the PHB for confirmation.
Take the starting equipment package for Paladin.
Level 2. Taking Warlock to gain our initial cantrips, Hexblade's
Curse, and Hex Warrior allows us to use our Charisma bonus
for our Longsword.
- Cantrips: Eldritch Blast* (Ranged Damage), Blade
Ward* (I know, groans.. Watch the video for why I
suggested this!)
- 1st Spells: Armor of Agathys, Shield
Level 3. Divine Soul Sorcerer gives us some strong
concentration options and begins our road toward
Metamagic. Your Affinity option will be used to take another
spell down the road so it doesn't matter in the long term.
However Law gives the Bless spell for now until we can get
the Paladin spells.
- Cantrips: Booming Blade, Guidance, Light, Green-Flame
Blade
- 1st Spells: Absorb Elements, Magic Missile
Level 4. Sorcerer Level 2, You can pick any spell here as it will
get replaced next level. Some good options to get you to the
next level are Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Shielding of Faith,
or Expeditious Retreat. All of these spells just work and you
don't have enough spell slots to risk on spells like Guiding Bolt
or Command.

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Tier 2
The second tier of play is between level 5-10. This is where
we are aiming to complete our kit, and have tools available to
handle many different situations.
*Free Choice
Level 5. Sorcerer 3, we are going to trade the spell pick from
level 2 in to gain two level 2 spells here. If you find yourself
using your level 2 spell pick in your group composition such as
Healing Word, do not trade it for Misty Step here.
- Metamagic Picks: Quickened, Twinned
- 2nd Spells, Spiritual Weapon, (Misty Step)
Level 6. Sorcerer 4, getting Warcaster enables us to use our
Sword and Shield at the same time to cast spells and attack. If
you didn't grab Misty Step last level, this is where you grab it.
If you did take Misty Step, you have a Free Choice here.
- Cantrip. Whatever you want. Resistance, Message,
Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation are all good picks.
- Spell. Healing Word, Darkvision, and Earthbind are solid
choices.*
Level 7/8. This is where you pick your next class level up
based on how you are interacting in your groups meta. If you
are needing to frontline or heal you will pick up Level 2
Paladin. If your group needs a solid Area of Effect option, then
you must take Sorcerer level 5. When you take Sorcerer 5,
swap your Divine Soul Affinity spell for (Spiritual Guardians).
Whatever you pick for level 7, then take the other one at level
8.
- Paladin spells to prepare: Cure Wounds, Command,
Protection from Good and Evil, Bless, and Shield of
Faith
- Sorcerer spells:
3rd Spells, (Spiritual Guardians), Counterspell
- Paladin Fighting Style: Defense
Level 9. Sorcerer Level 6
- 3rd Spell, Dispel Magic
Level 10. Sorcerer Level 7, There are a few potential picks at
this level. Greater Invisibility, Banishment, Freedom of
Movement, and Polymorph. These can all synergize with our
Metamagic choices, but my suggestion for most people
playing this build is Polymorph. You can Twin Polymorph for
two Giant Apes or T-rex's. Giant Apes can be better against
single targets. However, a T-rex can Restrain a target for
advantage on every attack from your party.
- 4th Spells, Polymorph
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Tier 3
The third tier of play is between level 11-16. Now that the
build has all the tools we need most of these picks are just
enhancing what we already have.
*Free Choice
Level 11. Sorcerer 8, We are finally getting a charisma boost.
There are a couple good spells we can pick here. Banishment
and Dimension Door. You can also drop back and pick up a
spell that is from a previous level. As someone that likes being
able to teleport someone else to safety I'm going to
recommend Dimension Door.
- 4th Spell: Dimension Door
Level 12. Sorcerer 9, 5th level spells! Wall of Stone can help
split difficult combats into multiple parts. Greater
Restoration, Raise Dead, and Teleportation Circle are all good
choices as they add new capabilities to your current kit based
on the needs of your party.
- 5th Spell. Greater Restoration*
Level 13. Sorcerer 10, Another 5th level spell and a new
Metamagic option, and a new cantrip! I am suggesting distant
spell here to enable 120ft Counterspells. If you aren't roaming
in a large world environment I wouldn't pick Teleportation
Circle, and instead choose a spell like Raise Dead
- Cantrip, Whatever*
- 5th Spell, Teleportation Circle*
- Metamagic: Distant Spell
Level 14. Sorcerer Level 11, These spells are based on what is
going on in your campaign. If you are fighting vampires, then
Sunbeam becomes a much higher priority. Heal is an amazing
burst heal, Heroes' Feast can ready your party for a very
difficult fight. If you need some more damage you can grab
Chain Lightning or Disintegrate.
- 6th Spell, Heroes' Feast*
Level 15. Sorcerer Level 12, 20 Charisma! Notice we are only
getting one known spell every other level now. Which means
you only get one pick per spell level UNLESS you trade a spell
from earlier.
Level 16. Sorcerer Level 13, 7th Level Spells are also very
campaign specific. Resurrection can allow you return life to
someone that has been dead for less than a CENTURY.
Imagine the countless figures in the story that have died from
unnatural causes. You just find the tomb of some great hero
and bring them back! Seriously though, Teleport and Plane
Shift are here. If there is no Planar Travel in your campaign,
then don't take Plane Shift and take Teleport. It's worth it to
have both of these spells.
- 7th Spell, Plane Shift*
Tier 4
The fourth tier of play is between level 17-20. If you are still
following this guide, then you are playing at character levels
that most people never reach. Congratulations! We are on
the road to 9th level spells here.
*Free Choice
Level 17. Sorcerer 14, You gain WINGS! Remember to
evaluate any spells that aren't working for you based on your
party synergy.
Level 18. Sorcerer 15, Even with Cleric and Sorcerer spell list
you don't have many 8th level spell choices. There are several
good spell picks here, however my choice may surprise you.
Getting a guaranteed stun on a target when their HP is below
150 is actually pretty amazing to buy your party an entire
round of action economy against a boss. They might fail their
save and use a legendary resistance as well to end it, but it
still cost them their turn.
- 8th Spell, Power Word Stun*
Level 19. Sorcerer 16, Raising your CON score here would be
great, or taking the tough feat for even more Hit Points.
Level 20. Sorcerer Level 17, Metamagic option is open here.
Subtle spell could help if you are facing things that can
Counterspell. Because of your limited spell choices there can
be only one pick here that gives you a potential spell solution
to many problems…
- 9th Spell, Wish
Notes to a DM
The following sample backstory is intended to be a case of
purpose that was lost through time. This is essentially a
fantasy version of a coma where someone wakes up and
everything is different.
You can do whatever you like with the Arcane Forge, but an
interesting take on the story is that it is simply gone.. Perhaps
it was destroyed by the gods for creating properties that
belonged to the gods, such as raising the dead.
This means that someone is waking up and needing to find
purpose again since the reason for their being is lost to time.
Perhaps they find a Deity to worship, perhaps they Naively
follow the party just following orders because that is how
they were made? The point of the story is to find new
purpose in a new world, it can be anything!
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Roleplaying Guide
Some people look at multiclassing like gene splicing several
classes together. That is one approach, however the PHB
gives us an alternative.
"Multiclassing allows you to gain levels in multiple classes.
Doing so lets you mix the abilities of those
classes to realize a character concept that might
not be reflected in one of the standard class options."
-PHB (pg.163)
Based on this quote we can see that we don't need to have
the history of a Paladin, Warlock, or Sorcerer. We have just
gained similar talents and skills from other sources. We don't
have to be bound to the constraints of any of these classes
and can build and design our own path.
Alternatively you can play it as you were a Paladin that is
harnessing the pure strength of their Deity, that all of these
gifts were given to you by your patron, or that all of this
strength appeared to you naturally.
Sample Backstory
As a Warforged you were created 1000 years ago for the
purpose of fighting a war. The Elves armed with The Arcane
Forge created you and imbued you with Arcane Fire, a blue
flame that surges when you unleash your power.
The Arcane Knights were known for their incredible arcane
power that mirrored the properties of the Divine. Their
Arcane Fire was destructive, but it could also heal wounds
and even resurrect the dead. They could also channel their
Arcane Fire through their weapons to cause severe wounds.
You marched upon the battlefield and had great strength.
Each Arcane Knight was gifted with slightly different
specializations (picked different spells or were a different mix
of classes). The war was long, but the Knights were making
progress. During a battle the earth opened up and you were
swallowed by it. You called for help, but no one could hear
you. You were in the dark, and the sound of battle echoed
until it could be heard no more…
You were trapped, but your tenacity would give you hope…
Every year you inched your way up toward the surface
slowly scratching and making very slow progress. When you
rose to the surface you were ready to continue the war, but it
was nowhere to be found.
You wandered and found a land that you did not recognize.
Your body was injured, and not capable of the same abilities
you once had. You would have to slowly repair them, but first
you would need to find help….
Armor
One of our primary ambitions is to achieve a high Armor Class
through the combination of several sources.
At level 1 Your AC should be 19.
16AC Chainmail + 2AC Shield + 1AC Warforged
When you are hit you can use the Shield spell to increase your
AC to 24. This means that you can put yourself in a position to
be attacked and use your Action to take the Dodge action to
make all enemies rolling against you have to hit a 24 with
disadvantage. If you get a Cloak of Displacement then this will
happen automatically. Finding ways to make enemies roll
with disadvantage gives you Critical hit protection.
When getting Platemail and access to Shield of Faith you can
really push the AC number. However, you can't always rely on
having your concentration used for Shield of Faith as Bless
tends to be a better option in a lot of circumstances. Choose
Shield of Faith if the enemy looks like it hits really hard but
doesn't have a very high AC, and choose Bless if the enemy
looks like they have an 18+ AC.
18AC Platemail + 2AC Shield + 1AC Warforged +
1AC Defense Fighting Style
22AC + 5AC = 27AC when using Shield
This armor class is with no magic items so by adding +1 armor
and +1 shield with a Ring of Protection you would have a
25AC and then use Shield for a 30AC. Add Shield of Faith for a
32AC
Remember that Shield last until the start of your next turn so
it is useful against multiple hits. You don't need to use it until
the first attack that actually hits you. Absorb Elements works
similarly for elemental attacks.
Attacking
You do not have extra attack so it is assumed that when you
want to attack you are going to use Booming Blade. The
reason why this build doesn't fall behind on damage is that
this spell increases damage automatically while leveling. At
level 5 you will deal an extra 1d8 damage when you attack.
This means that the dice you roll are equal to extra attack
(2d8) however you only get your modifier to damage once
instead of twice in comparison. Though you also have access
to Spiritual Weapon to add damage as well. This means you
only need to use Spiritual Weapon during Medium difficulty
fights to just make it go faster.
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Casting Spells
Normally you have to have a hand free to cast spells. This
means early on to use Sorcerer spells you will need to have
your Shield out and not carry your Longsword until you are
ready to attack. Remember that drawing your Longsword is
part of the Attack when you use Booming Blade.
The argument you might run into is that War Caster
only allows you to perform the Somatic
components of spells when you have weapons or
shield in one or both hands.
In several places of 5e the book the book makes comments
that if taken out of context will drastically change what is
intended. Feats are intended to change and interact with
rules. In this case the relevant rule is on page 203 of the PHB.
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's
material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus —
but it can be the same hand that he or she
uses to perform somatic components."
-PHB (pg.203)
By War Caster allowing us to use Somatic components this
rule also allows us to use Material Components with the same
hand. However, this means that if a spell does not have a
somatic component we would need a free hand to cast the
spell using only material components. The exception to this is
Booming Blade which is a V/M spell, but the material
component is the weapon we want to use.
Magic Missile
When dealing damage with Magic Missile it is a single
damage roll. This means no matter how many missiles you
have, you roll 1d4+1 and each missile deals that much
damage. The spell is a AOE that breaks the rules. For example
if you cast Fireball you roll 8d6 one time and that is how much
damage everyone affected by the spell takes. Magic Missile
follows the same rule, but it breaks the normal rule of AOEs in
that it's effect can be overlapped to the same target. Imagine
this like taking the Fireball and folding it over one target. Each
piece of the pie would deal 8d6 damage and you could fold it
3, 4, 5, or even more times. Magic Missile sacrifices area for
the ability to fold it's damage to the same target more than
once.
This allows interaction with Hexblade's Curse that allows
each missile to deal increased damage to your cursed target.
- You roll a single damage roll 1d4+1+proficiency
- Deal that damage total multiple times to the cursed
target with each missile. If you hit with 5 missiles it
would be (1d4+1+proficiency)x5 damage
Change Log
V1.0 Initial Released Guide

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