Ultimate Optimizer's Multiclassing Guide

[PeteNutButter]

At this point you seem to have decided so I will not try to change your mind as to make Wizard/Artificer gold.

However, what you are saying here does call the entire validity of the gold rating into question. I agree with you on Sorlock and other Eldritch Blasters being impossible to screw up due to simplicity, but that is not the case for other combinations you have rated gold. Using the trade-off as an example of what you mentioned, a Paladin dip of 6 does heavily delay access to higher leveled spells and could make the character worse than it was before the dip.

I would rather not come off as rude but it seems you are using differing expectations for multiclassing in your responses than in your guide. I don't know if this is based on your changing opinions but, after looking through the gold combinations in the chart, there are some that would be better relegated to sky blue due to them having the ability to go wrong.

I understand how it can seem that way. I've tried not to alter what the colors mean, but perhaps some clarification is in order. "You really can't go wrong here. These two just compliment each other so well."

There are a number of things to consider when rating these combinations, and ultimately it comes down to a certain amount of opinion. Of the classes I've rated gold most of them have very simple requirements and no "land mines" that can screw you up. Sure, can screw up a sorlock by making it with 13 charisma, but no practical optimizer is going to do that other than for the luls. On the flip side an inexperienced optimizer might take too many levels in his dip class and slow his casting progression to the point of gimping his character. You might argue the same is the case for the sorlock, but no matter what the sorlock does it can always blast.

In that vein the gold class combos seem to have the least barriers into getting it right (take agonizing blast, take at least 2 levels of paladin, etc) and least ways to screw it up (once you've done these things you can do whatever with any subclass and remain fully functional).

There isn't really an exact science to it. I'm sure personal biases come into place, despite my best efforts. The good thing is people rarely argue more than one color up or down (no one says a gold should be red etc), so I think it's in a fairly good place. I appreciate the input, and your original points will certainly make it into my entry.