It is a very common fantasy troupe. The warrior hero on a quest. His charisma and drive draw in fellow travelers, and eventually he is leading a small group against the big bad.
This has often been an awkward troupe in dnd terms for as long as charisma has been a dump stat for fighters. And yet in 5e there are some ways to make the charismatic fighter that inspires and is the true leader of the team work mechanically.
In this poll, we want to judge which core class (no splats) with standard rules (no feats, magic items, etc) pulls off the sterotype best at 6th level.
Ultimately the judgement is based on 3 criteria:
1) Fighting power. The hero is still a warrior at heart. While he may be the charismatic leader, he still kicks butt when the time comes.
2) Charisma as a mechanical asset. Its easy to say "get persuasion + charisma = win", but we are looking at what classes actually incorporate charisma into the class, as opposed to just window dressing.
3) Ability to inspire and improve a party. Again, we want to show some mechanics as to why a group follow this person. How does this leader "lead" using the mechanics of the game?
I've boiled the list down to 3 main choices. But of course I suspect people will argue that, so I've left an other option for your thoughts.
1) Battlemaster Fighter: The fighter's fighter, he boasts strong direct fighting power and the most straightforward flavor representation of the "warrior hero". Through the use of the "Commander's Strike" and most importantly "Rally" maneuvers, he uses his charisma to guide and inspire his allies on the battlefield.
2) Paladin: The shining knight. Also boosting a strong fighting power, the paladin protective aura literally puts his charismatic light as a shield for his fellow. The paladin also boasts spells that boosts his fellows fighting power.
3) Valor Bard: While the valor bard doesn't have the fighting power of the others, the class possesses an incredible ability to inspire others. Whether its a skill check or an attack roll, the valor bard lets his team operate beyond their limits. And when that is not enough, he brings powerful buff spells to the arena.
So which class does it best? Which is the best representation of the archetypical "warrior hero"?
This has often been an awkward troupe in dnd terms for as long as charisma has been a dump stat for fighters. And yet in 5e there are some ways to make the charismatic fighter that inspires and is the true leader of the team work mechanically.
In this poll, we want to judge which core class (no splats) with standard rules (no feats, magic items, etc) pulls off the sterotype best at 6th level.
Ultimately the judgement is based on 3 criteria:
1) Fighting power. The hero is still a warrior at heart. While he may be the charismatic leader, he still kicks butt when the time comes.
2) Charisma as a mechanical asset. Its easy to say "get persuasion + charisma = win", but we are looking at what classes actually incorporate charisma into the class, as opposed to just window dressing.
3) Ability to inspire and improve a party. Again, we want to show some mechanics as to why a group follow this person. How does this leader "lead" using the mechanics of the game?
I've boiled the list down to 3 main choices. But of course I suspect people will argue that, so I've left an other option for your thoughts.
1) Battlemaster Fighter: The fighter's fighter, he boasts strong direct fighting power and the most straightforward flavor representation of the "warrior hero". Through the use of the "Commander's Strike" and most importantly "Rally" maneuvers, he uses his charisma to guide and inspire his allies on the battlefield.
2) Paladin: The shining knight. Also boosting a strong fighting power, the paladin protective aura literally puts his charismatic light as a shield for his fellow. The paladin also boasts spells that boosts his fellows fighting power.
3) Valor Bard: While the valor bard doesn't have the fighting power of the others, the class possesses an incredible ability to inspire others. Whether its a skill check or an attack roll, the valor bard lets his team operate beyond their limits. And when that is not enough, he brings powerful buff spells to the arena.
So which class does it best? Which is the best representation of the archetypical "warrior hero"?
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