D&D 5E Re-Noobed Class Advice?

[Hyperlexic]

My only comment: in 5e the class that used to be the simplest (Fighter) is now one of the most complex mechanically. If you don't want to think about mechanics, don't play a Battle Master Fighter.

Unless you want to write BMSD on your sheet, just for the joy of autocorrect


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[bid]

The biggest gotchas are what looks like more damage ain't better:
- Berserker barbarian doubles up on great weapon master feat.
- Champion's improved critical does less than battlemaster's riposte.
- 4 element monk doesn't have enough ki.
- Beast master ranger replaces one of your attacks for no gain.
- Warlock is spell-starved without enough short rests.
- Known vs prepared spell classes.

Multi-classing adds more gotchas:
- Stats requirements to enter and leave.
- You don't get more save proficiencies.
- Everything in the classes chapter uses class level, not character level.
- Delayed spell progression.


If you pick your class for RP reason it won't matter, but you should evaluate if it impacts your playstyle.

 

[FrogReaver]

I've been gone a looong time. I've been playing from the early 80's, but I've been gone from RPG's since 4th hit the shelves.

Kicking around giving 5th a whirl. I just need a quick hand getting back into the game.

What's the current thought on classes? Are the ones in the PHB fine, or should I go with the revised ones from UA? I see a revised Ranger class, and was/is there a problem with the Druid?

Also, ANY rumors of Greyhawk getting the 5E treatment?

I realize I can do lot's of Google foo to get some answers, but I'd prefer spending the time diving into the rest of the books to get going.

Thanks in advance!

PHB classes are very balanced. Moon Druid in low levels is very tanky. I played one and was very happy with him but didn't stick with that campaign to long. I think Rangers are the worst class in the PHB but even then they are very playable.

 

[Demetrios1453]

As for Greyhawk, the upcoming Tales from the Yawning Portal will update several classic Greyhawk-set dungeons/modules to the new edition. While there will be instructions on how to place them in several major D&D worlds, it would appear that they will canonically still be set in Greyhawk. Granted, that doesn't mean we'll be seeing much more Greyhawk information outside the dungeons themselves, but then again, outside of one book that covers only a fraction of the Forgotten Realms, it's not like 5e has so far had a lot of information for any campaign setting released anyway...

 

[Ancalagon]

another piece of advice: Look carefully at backgrounds. They aren't just a roleplaying tool anymore. 50% of your skill proficiencies (roughly speaking) come from your class, the other come from your background.

This is pretty neat because it allows you to "soft" multi-class. For example, if you are a cleric, but grew up a street urchin... well you're likely to know how be stealthy and pick pockets, even though you are a single-class cleric.

 

[CapnZapp]

I've been gone a looong time. I've been playing from the early 80's, but I've been gone from RPG's since 4th hit the shelves.

Kicking around giving 5th a whirl. I just need a quick hand getting back into the game.

What's the current thought on classes? Are the ones in the PHB fine, or should I go with the revised ones from UA? I see a revised Ranger class, and was/is there a problem with the Druid?

Most PHB offerings are excellent.

I would avoid the following, at least for your first go. Feel free to ask if you don't understand why.
- Berserk Barbarian
- Four Elements Monk
- Beastmaster Ranger (if you can get your DMs permission to use the UA Beastmaster, use that instead!)
- Wild Mage Sorcerer

As you can see, this is a pretty short list, meaning most of the PHB offerings work well enough

 

[Simonb1]

The biggest gotchas are what looks like more damage ain't better:
- Berserker barbarian doubles up on great weapon master feat.
- Champion's improved critical does less than battlemaster's riposte.
- 4 element monk doesn't have enough ki.
- Beast master ranger replaces one of your attacks for no gain.
- Warlock is spell-starved without enough short rests.
- Known vs prepared spell classes.

Multi-classing adds more gotchas:
- Stats requirements to enter and leave.
- You don't get more save proficiencies.
- Everything in the classes chapter uses class level, not character level.*
- Delayed spell progression.


If you pick your class for RP reason it won't matter, but you should evaluate if it impacts your playstyle.

*Apart from Cantrip Scaling

Simon

 

[CapnZapp]

I find the PHB classes to be just fine. Some claim sorcerers are weak, and moon druids OP at low levels. Biggest issue seemed to be the Beastmaster ranger. But I think they're all viable.

As stated above, all PHB classes are fine to play. I've seen people play Sorcerers, Beastmaster Rangers and Druids and enjoy them just as much as any other class. As long as you are enjoying playing your character, you can't really go wrong.

[MENTION=61840]vogless[/MENTION]: Please know that these replies are probably posted because there has been a lot of discussion on what's weak and what's not. So you should probably consider that replies like these are a reaction to that.

I would not listen to such advice for my very first character. While you can make any build work given enough experience, this does not change the fundamental fact that there are some (a few) decidedly weak or underdeveloped choices.

I really don't wish to start a discussion here. I just really wish newcomers weren't given this spiel, since they really don't deserve being recommended clearly problematic choices like the PHB beastmaster, the four elements subclass of the monk, the wild mage subclass of the sorcerer, or the berserk barbarian.

In these four cases, it's much easier to have fun if you choose another subclass of the respective class. This doesn't mean you can't have fun with every offering of the PHB, just that I really wish people would stop offering them to newcomers in their effort to paint an image of 5th edition being great.

I mean, 5E is great, but pretending like all classes are equally easy to get into is probably only doing said newcomer a disservice.

Enough said on that - good luck with your game Vogless, no matter your class pick

 

[rgoodbb]

Provocative, Not.

Should I bite? Should I bite? Should I bite?

........Nope

 

[GameOgre]

Back in 2014 we had this from chris Perkins https://twitter.com/ChrisPerkinsDnD/status/520385395323060224/photo/1 and it seemed that he was at least working on a Greyhawk adventure or setting.

But after all this time we have heard nothing.


I refuse to give up! That said however, there are tons of Greyhawk pdf's over at the DM Guild so at least you have plenty of heavy fluff little crunch greyhawk setting books to use until that update gets here.