D&D 5E Can't decide whether to play a sorcerer, a wizard, or a druid.

[rfkannen]

Im starting a new game, and I can't choose what class to play, but what im thinking is either land druid, illusion/divination wizard, or wild sorcerer.


The campaign is going to go from level 1-20.
I have never played any of these classes.


Sorcerer sounds the most fun, I would focus on spells like charm person, silent image and enlarge. Wild magic seems super fun. My one worry is that for a long campaign a sorcerer could get boring as they can't mix it up ever. My other worry is they don't have many utility spells.


Wizard would be a lot like sorcerer, but I could switch up spells more. It seems less fun than a sorcerer (I could be wrong though I never played one), so I am less interested in this one than the other two, and I am afraid that at high levels the wizard will just overshadow everyone else, as they can do literally everything. Also when you have everything you have less opportunities to be creative with what you have. So yeah, least interested in this but It seems to be a better class from everything i've heard.


The druid . I like the idea of a druid first off. Being able to heal is a major plus, I like the scimitar(I like my spell casters to be proficient in swords even if they aren't that good with them), and they seem to be the best at battlefield control, also utility spells like awaken are the main reason I like spellcasters. My problem are first, its a big group so I don't want to do any summoning, they don't get illusion spells(which I really like), and they don't have any cool class features besides spell-casting(like portent or wild magic) Also It seems like they don't get a bunch of the cool spells. It seems like they could get kinda samey to play even though they can change up their spell lists.


What do you think would be best? I don't have any experience with any of these classes so I am just guessing, and I would love the input of people who know how they actually play. are my instincts about each class right? What reasons would drive me to pick each class?


ps. I do not want to play a bard

 

[Caliban]

Sorcerer's can "mix it up" by swapping out a spell when they level, by using metamagic on their spells, and by creative use of their spells. Plus, scrolls, wands, and staves can expand their available spell options.

That being said, wizards are generally the best at battlefield control.

 

[jaelis]

One thing, if you want to play a wild magic sorc, you should talk to your DM about how often he'll let you use Tides of Chaos. That has a big impact on how the class feels and plays.

 

[rfkannen]

One thing, if you want to play a wild magic sorc, you should talk to your DM about how often he'll let you use Tides of Chaos. That has a big impact on how the class feels and plays.

I asked. "A ton" was basically what she said.

 

[jaelis]

Cool, that is what you want

 

[Ancalagon]

Think about the character's personality, the style, how he or she thinks, behave.... then the proper class choice will become apparent

 

[Shiroiken]

One downside of the Chaos Mage. While it is rare, you can cause a TPK at lower levels if you Fireball yourself with a Wild Surge. Having personally experienced this, I can say that it is several levels of not fun. At higher levels (4+) it may not be so bad, but at level 1 many of us died outright regardless of save.

 

[cbwjm]

One downside of the Chaos Mage. While it is rare, you can cause a TPK at lower levels if you Fireball yourself with a Wild Surge. Having personally experienced this, I can say that it is several levels of not fun. At higher levels (4+) it may not be so bad, but at level 1 many of us died outright regardless of save.

I'm sure that I would find that annoying in game, but when I hear stories of a wild surge fireball wiping out a party I just find it hilarious. If only spells were still based on caster level, a 1d6 fireball would have been survivable but an 8d6 at level 1, not so much.

 

[Lancelot]

If you can't decide between the class abilities and spells, here's another way of looking at it: how do you like paying the game from an abilities perspective?

If you enjoy playing a "Face" (e.g. a character that talks a lot with NPCs, likes to achieve success in social interactions), go with the sorcerer. You'll be Charisma-high, which means you'll stand a solid chance of succeeding with Deception, Intimidation, Performance and Persuasion even if you're not trained in those skills. I personally tend to be the most talkative at my table in NPC interactions, and it's quite frustrating to have the perfect gambit or response ruined by a -1 untrained ability modifier for a Cha 8 wizard. I can't remember the last character I played that didn't have positive Cha, and it's much easier if you're going with a class where it's going to be your high stat anyway.

If you want to play a knowledge-resource and detective, go with a wizard. In addition to all the divination spells, you're likely going to have good chances of succeeding at Investigation checks... and you'll be able to better analyze the information, items and creatures you find (Nature, History, Arcana, Religion). This suits a play-style where you like quickly determining the answers to things, finding out potential weaknesses of creatures, locating and identifying magical items, etc.

The druid is more of an all-rounder. Wild shape is amazingly flexible for adventuring situations (tight space? squirrel... wide chasm? hawk... rushing river? salmon...). But also consider the ability scores. Wisdom will be your high stat, so your Perception is going to be excellent. This means you'll rarely be surprised. You will have decent Insight, Animal Handling, Medicine and Survival. These are all useful skills, but none of them particularly lend themselves to puzzle-solving, treasure-finding or NPC interactions. You'll get best mileage out of the character if you simply prefer adventuring - dealing with wilderness challenges, healing your companions, figuring out if the situation ahead of you is a trap (Perception finds the pit; Insight determines the trapped NPC is actually a doppelganger).

My advice is to consider the primary ability scores first and pick something that best supports your play-style and character concept (face, brains, or wilderness competence). Once you've determined that, use the class abilities and spells to fill any gaps or further flesh out your concept.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Would you rather spend four hours per week pretending to be Intelligent, Wise, or Charismatic?