D&D General Single class party?

[Istbor]

In 5E all Bard party needn't be a band or troupe of entertainers either. They could be explorers, archeologists and all sorts of things. Such a party could handle almost any problem though skill overlap might be an issue.

Agreed. However for this group. I can already picture many nights around the fire as a sort of drum circle. When we play bards we get pretty zany.

 

[ART!]

In 5E all Bard party needn't be a band or troupe of entertainers either. They could be explorers, archeologists and all sorts of things. Such a party could handle almost any problem though skill overlap might be an issue.

Especially if the group can break away from the assumption that all bards are music performers. Heck, they don't even have to be performers. Stripping away the description of the class features and just looking at the mechanics, they just need to be someone who inspires, motivates, etc.: an insult comedian, a storyteller, a seer, a charismatic leader, someone who just dominates social situations because they're large, tall, good-looking, outgoing, funny...

 

[Ashrym]

Especially if the group can break away from the assumption that all bards are music performers. Heck, they don't even have to be performers. Stripping away the description of the class features and just looking at the mechanics, they just need to be someone who inspires, motivates, etc.: an insult comedian, a storyteller, a seer, a charismatic leader, someone who just dominates social situations because they're large, tall, good-looking, outgoing, funny...

Of course they can all be different. Most of my bards skip the musician theme. Just because that's true doesn't mean they can't all be musicians, shouldn't all be musicians, or that a party of musicians wouldn't be fun.

Magical music is a trope, and bards themed that way are neither good nor bad because of it; they are just a fun option.

 

[ART!]

Of course they can all be different. Most of my bards skip the musician theme. Just because that's true doesn't mean they can't all be musicians, shouldn't all be musicians, or that a party of musicians wouldn't be fun.

Magical music is a trope, and bards themed that way are neither good nor bad because of it; they are just a fun option.

You say "of course", but much of the descriptive text for bard and the subclasses assumes a music-oriented bard.

I in no way meant to suggest an all-music bard group was a bad idea or anything. Go for it.

 

[Zardnaar]

That would definitely provide a bit more survivability.

We died alot. Didn't get to start with much in the way of magic items.

I flunked a save vs a troll shamans hold person everyone else cast teleport nom nom nom.

Clone number 1.

Power word kill, power word liquify etc.

 

[Blue Orange]

The thought of a bard party of comedians is amusing. "So did I ever tell you about the time we went into the twelfth level alone...we were petrified. Literally, there was a medusa riding a basilisk waiting...

It was a pretty horrible sight, for those of us who made it. I mean, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder...but if that's the case I'll just avoid it, I don't want to get disintegrated.

Thank you, I'm here all night."

Some of the Conan games are so low-magic they might as well be all-fighter parties.

Ars Magica and its derivative, Mage: the Ascension are all-mage games.

 

[Eltab]

I can see where an all-Paladin party would want to kick down the door to solve a problem, not listen outside (or sneak in through) a window. Figuratively and literally.

An all-Monk party would give 4-elements a good workout.

 

[Ace]

I can see where an all-Paladin party would want to kick down the door to solve a problem, not listen outside (or sneak in through) a window. Figuratively and literally.

An all-Monk party would give 4-elements a good workout.

A scouting paladin even single classed is pretty easy to make with backgrounds and racial choices.

I've also found that so long as everyone is on point what the game is about and the character feels right even when you eschew multiclassing a single well thought out "other" class won't be disruptive and can even add to the experience.

For example a party of 4 Lawful Good Paladins with various backgrounds and oaths adventuring with a Celestial Pact Warlock would still feel on point. The Warlock is the same alignment as them but maybe less disciplined or whatever heck he even has the same patron.

Though corny a group of Bards either a band or a carnival with Fighter who is either roady or strongman could be fun and with careful uses of feats, won't lack for skills.

 

[Musing Mage]

Player fiat, really. As DM I don't dictate what class complement the players choose to have.

Personally I wouldn't want to be in a game where the DM says 'No, you have to play <insert class> because the group needs it' or 'No, you can't play <insert class> because another player is already running one.'

 

[Ath-kethin]

I've both run and played in single class parties in AD&D/2e/Basic, 3e, and 5e, and all of them were a blast. Most popular was rogues(thieves) followed by fighters followed by clerics.

We had a great 5e all-warlock game once too (all GOO, but each of us dedicated to a different elder evil).

I've never cared much about party composition, TBH. Everything works.