Fiddling around with my volunteer certs, and PC creation, I looked at playing a valor Bard-Wizard. Specifically creating a Bard-3/Wizard-1. This appears to be broken.

This appears to be broken because you can easily build a Valor Bard with an AC of 20. This is achieved by using half-plate or lorica segmentata, a shield, and medium armor mastery and an Dex of 15. Then from just one level of Wizard you can take "Shield". Since both classes are arcane full casters, the spell levels stack. So, the Bard can "Shield" multiple times for an AC of 25 each casting. To add insult to brokenness, at Wizard lvl-2 an abjurer generates a Hit Point absorbing ward every time shield is cast.

What I am afraid of this combo coming out in the wild, and then compelling the mod writers to write to the monstrously high AC generated by the combo, leaving less broken PC's behind in the arms race. Bard is already a top tier class, it doesn't need access to both "shield" AND medium armor.

Eric;

Easy answer, harvest the caster. AC 25 is nice, but Arcane Caster out in the open ...

I don't think that the mod authors should worry about this specific combination or any other specific combination. I always thought it was a mistake to play in that arms race. Just make good modules that work for most of the characters, if some of the characters have too easy of a time because of a "broken" combo, oh well. Who cares. The idea is to play the game and have fun, if that is how they have fun then let them. Don't penalize the rest of us because of this potentially broken combo. And don't mess with the rule to much either. 5th Edition seems to be pretty well balanced, there are advantages and disadvantages everywhere. If a character wants to dedicate themselves to being untouchable, then let them. Doesn't help if the monsters attack and kill the rest of the party. <evil grin>

Ask yourself how many 1st level spells do you have available each day at 1 round per casting?
Having checked the book, I don't think it works how you think.

Shield can only be cast using Wizard spell slots (Unless you are a Bard6 (Lore College)).
Shield only lasts 1 round (spell level is irrelevant)
Wizard (Abjurer) ward is only Wizard Level + Int; you can reinforce it with further spells but as soon as it goes down, its gone until a Long Rest.

So for your Brd3/Wiz1, you can cast Shield 2/day (for 1/r each duration). Hardly game-breaking when you could have cast something more useful.
Also, with a shield, you won't be wielding a weapon (due to Somatic Component) which is not particularly useful in melee.

I have used Shield with my Eldritch Knight in a home campaign, and it is a good spell, but not broken. The only time it really "broke" an adventure was when my already high AC fighter plugged a gap, taking 10 attacks in 1 round (2 hit). This gave my Bard (Valor), Ranger, and Rogue to take down the big bad because they didn't have to worry about the smaller fry.

I should point out, it does nothing against spells or effects calling for a saving throw. Visious Mockery will cut right through Shield.

I'll admit, I'm not familiar with 5e rulings for Arcanis, but that is not how vanilla 5e works. When multiclassing, the table on page 165 of the PHB is used to determine total spell slots available. Additionally, there is no restriction on X slots are class Y only. A Bard3/Wizard1 could prepare all 7 spell slots (4/L1, 3/L2) with Wizard spells.


The Feats 'Shield Master' or 'War Caster' negate this limitation.

Still not particularly powerful. You're not going to get hit until you run out of spell slots, but you're going to have other issues playing too far outside your class role.

You're using all your resources for a not particularly useful one-trick pony. Keep in mind that with no marking/taunting mechanic, there's no reason to keep attacking you once you show yourself to be unhittable. Now you've used all your resources for a trick that doesn't matter, and your strength (social pillar) is damaged because you used your spell slots on a combat spell.

Oh I'm not making any judgement about usefulness or power level, merely that it is entirely possible.

That is correct, I think for 5e arcanis, but remember, the Shield spell lasts for one round. So that is at most 7 rounds of high AC a day. And that is using all of your spells so you aren't casting, and as a bard/wizard your not so hot at dealing melee damage, and you've taken a feat rather than raise your primary stat, so what else are you doing? It seems like a pretty boring limited combination.

I like the general "Harvest the Character" response. There is no PC using this at the moment...at least as far as I am aware. I posted this because 5e has balanced most everything very well, and it seamed odd that this combo existed in an otherwise balanced rules set. I gather that the general "harvest the broken PC's" is an a viable, and the designed, solution to this and other potential issues with arcane multi-classing.

To that end GM's I am assuming GM's will work within the Harvesting rules, which overtime, scale in favor of the harvesters..... The more I dwell on it, the more I see the Harvesting rules to be genius.