Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Verification of Multiclass DCs mechanics

Hi I made a Wizard main character and part of the idea was to get lots of skills so I am a rock gnome, Wizard, Guild Artisan (background). The first level I took as a Cleric of domain Knowledge to get even more skills. Right now I'm Wizard 2/ Cleric 1 but I started level One as Cleric. So I notice that the Cleric isn't completely separate from Wizard in terms of spell slots. What I'm asking in this thread is to just confirm that if I start level 1 as Cleric will it screw up my DCs when I use Wizard casting? My Intelligence is 16 and Wisdom is 12 so I'm hoping when I cast Command should use Wisdom but when I cast Grease it should use the Intelligence to modify DC, right? Just looking for verification before I spend lots of time on a broken build.

Yes, a spell obtained from a class will use its innate attribute for accuracy, so Cleric spells will use Wisdom while Wizard spells will use Intelligence. DC checks also use the main attribute of a class the spell is cast from, even if their DC checks vary.

Also if a spell is shared by the two classes, you can choose from which class you wish to cast it for better accuracy.

Crimsomrider, Hmmmm sounds like I should restart then right? Are you saying (for example) that if I cast Grease it will use Wisdom to modify the DC rather than Intelligence?

Edit: oops failed my reader's comprehension check! Now I see that you're NOT saying that taking Cleric at level 1 has screwed my build

Sorry for terrible writing, adjusted the comment to make sense

Grease because it comes from a Wizard will use Intelligence, Command because it comes from a Cleric will use Wisdom.

If for example you were to obtain Command from a Paladin, it would use Charisma. If you have Command from both a Cleric and a Paladin, then you could choose whether to use Wisdom (Cleric) or Charisma (Paladin) when casting it. It's based on the main attribute of the class the spell is obtained from.

Spells granted by a class, use that classes spell casting stat (So if you obtain a spell from the Wizard class it will use INT, while if you obtain a spell from Cleric it will use WIS)

The only thing to be concerned about when building a character is spells granted by an item. As those will use the spell casting stat of the last class you put a level in. (So if the last time you leveled up you gained a Wizard level, items will use INT. If the last time you leveled up you gained a Cleric level, items will use WIS)

Though, you can always use Withers to respec and reorder the way you obtain levels to make sure that the class you want is being used for item DCs. (I.e. If you wanted items to use INT but decide you want another level as Cleric, you can respec and put the extra Cleric level earlier so you end up with a Wizard as your last level up)

Spells from items use the last spell casting stat so any scrolls/ staffs etc cast with your Intel

If you added a bard, sorcerer or warlock level then from that point on your charisma will be what scrolls use

Yes taking another cleric slows down your wizard but it delays when a feat becomes available and what maximum spell slot i.e you won't have max level spells in the late game unless you cast from a scroll but your actual DC should be fine

Wizard can bypass such limitations. Since they can scribe to learn any spell that is up to the level of their highest spell slot. Which, if you're multiclassing into another full caster, you'll still get your full spell slots and thus can scribe level 6 Wizard spells and prepare them like any other spell.

also be aware that any spell you scribe to learn as a Wizard will be lost if you ask for a respec... this makes retraining a Wizard $ and keeping scrolls for spells you already know worth considering

Actually, no. You keep scribed spells even if you completely stop being a Wizard and then become one again.

So long as you get the required spell level, they'll be in your Wizard spell list available to prepare.

Thanks for everyone's help! I've noticed something else as a multi class character. I'm now Level 1 Cleric(Knowledge), Level 2 Wizard(Diviner)... I've found several wizard scrolls including protection from evil. And that scroll it is weird I cannot learn the spell. I can "prepare" it in my cleric list but not my wizard list. I guess it's that way because my spell slots are pooled between my classes. In DnD 3.5 like Icewind Dale 2 and NWN 2 the spell slots are completely separate. I like this (BG3) better because I have level 2 slots while DnD 3.5 I would have 1st level wizard slots and 1st level cleric clots. So LOTS of low level spells. I think this makes it more viable to multi class a caster?

This is simply due to the janky way that the game identifies things. Since you know it as a Cleric the game thinks you know it as a Wizard.

A similar thing happens if you multiclass 2 Divine casters and try and prepare a spell shared by both of them... The game will simply make you be unable to cast it if you prepared it in the "Wrong" class (Since it considers it "Unprepared" by the class the game is looking at for whatever reason)

If you really want, you can use Withers to respec out of Cleric, then scribe the spell. Which will permanently put it into your Wizard spell list allowing it to be prepared using Wizard spell preparations (Whether the game will let you use it is another matter entirely)


Kind of.

The older system, would allow multiclass casters to have more spell casts overall, albeit only lower level casts. The new system will have overall fewer spell casts, but you can upcast to make some spells stronger.

This can make some builds weaker (Like if you were multiclassing to get more uses of spells that don't benefit much, if at all, from upcasting) while other builds can be made stronger.

One of the more notable things comes from BG3 specific homebrew, in which Wizards can scribe any spell that they have the spell slot for rather than being based on their actual Wizard level. This is most commonly used to do things like dip 1 level of Wizard to scribe up high level spells to prepare and cast while still being essentially a fully leveled alternate class (Since level 11 will give you access to 6th level spells. The only thing you miss out on is the level 12 Feat)

This is a bit of a confusing thread. Lets summarize:

- Spells you gain through a class always use the spellcasting attribute of that class. Which is Intelligence for Wizard, Fighter, Rogue; Wisdom for Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Monk; Charisma for Sorcerer, Warlock, Bard, Paladin, Barbarian. This of course also applies if you pick up any of the Magic Initiate feats.

- Barbarian is the only class that never gets spells by itself (Fighter, Rogue, Monk have their respective subclasses) and, if multiclassed, still cannot cast spells or maintain concentration during rage, however for the next point its still important that Charisma is their spellcasting stat.

- If multiclassed, the LAST class picked decides what stat is used IF casting from items or scrolls or using the feats Spell Sniper (Bone Chill, Eldritch Blast, Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp or Thorn Whip) or Warcaster (Shocking Grasp as an Opportunity Attack reaction only). [1]

- The wizard cantrip that High Elf and High Half-Elf can pick always uses Intelligence, which is why Fire Bolt from Shadowheart and Jaheira and to a lesser degree Astarion is most of the time useless in combat, unless you want to merely burn an object, such as an oil surface, or unless you change their class to Wizard and actually push their intelligence, or unless you reserve their helmet slot for the intelligence boost item.

[1]: And I really, really, really wished they would fix that and either pick the highest mental stat one has a class for automatically or allow the player to choose which stat to use, because this arrangement puts quite a penalty on many setups, such as my own favorite multiclass Lore Bard (11) / Knowledge Cleric (1) [of Oghma, the deity of Bards which indeed has Knowledge as domain].