D&D 5E I sing the praises of the Champion!

[Particle_Man]

I doubt it is the most powerful choice out there, but I love it. I have a young child and very little time to game. When I am gaming, I am often tired. It is very nice to have a very simple option (indeed, if I choose "Defense" and "Duellist" and stay "sword and board" I don't have to worry about situational modifiers that much at all). The biggest choice I had to make was background and skill proficiencies. I went for guild merchant (hey I got a mule and cart!) and asked my DM to let me have proficiency in vehicles (land) instead of an artisan's tool so I could actually be proficient with said mule and cart. I also went for the non-variant human (again for the simplicity).

I just want to say I am grateful to Wotc to giving me (and presumably others like me) a playable option that is dead simple and still fun, even if I never multi-class and never take any feats.

Kudos!

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Oofta]

Yep. Sometimes I just want to play something dirt simple that doesn't require a lot of thought. Although my fellow players may not appreciate it as it just frees up more room to let me think up puns.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Back before the PHB came out the champion was the only fighter there was. I played one for one session. I thought it was fine.

After the PHB I swapped it out for a Barbarian, and I still mostly play barbarians, but at I started DMing and say a playing getting frustrated with her Bard and never knowing which ability to use, I helped her make a duel wielding dexterity champion with the Spy (Criminal Variant). In combat she never had to worry about deciding what to do, and out of combat she really took to the background as her identity for the character.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

My next character is likely to be a Champion. Just a basic, dependable dwarven fighter. No spells to track. No need to worry about getting that sneak attack bonus.

That being said, I kinda wish they had used the UA Brute as the Champion. Given my luck, I’d be more likely to benefit from the small boost to damage it gives, as opposed to the extended critical range of the Champion.

 

[Jer]

I honestly wish they'd put in an "easy to play" subclass for every class. The Champion is a solid design for the kinds of games I've been running lately - and great to introduce new people to the game with! (Though if I were at a table of minmaxers I'm sure its faults would be found quickly.)

 

[iserith]

I had a Dex-based Champion fighter with Sharpshooter in a one-shot that was related to Storm King's Thunder. He was the folk hero Beau Fletcher, the most famous archer of all time. Everywhere he went, people spoke of how he slew this or that tyrant or monster with a single shot of his bow. The DM leaned into that with some NPCs in an effort to get us to take the hook so it worked wonderfully.

In every single encounter we had along the way, not once did Beau Fletcher use his bow. He dodged to draw attacks, he used improvised weapons (including the iron pot he started with), and I did everything possible to not use the bow. After a while, the rest of the players were really egging me on to, you know, actually loose an arrow or two.

And I did - in the final encounter. When things were looking grim and the giant's huge weapon loomed large over us - after four hours of play - Beau finally took out two arrows and let them fly. I spent Inspiration on the first one and took the Sharpshooter penalty to hit for bonus damage. CRIT. Then I did my Extra Attack. Also a CRIT, due to the champion's increased crit range. I don't recall the final damage amount, but it was enough to slay the giant. The legends, it seemed, were no tall tales.

I really like Champion fighters.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I doubt it is the most powerful choice out there, but I love it.

The fighter has remained the most popular class - from bone-simple fighting man, to feudal Lord, to magic-item platform, to 20-level-build-required feat accumulator, to wuxia superhero, and back again. No matter how the current custodian of the D&D IP folds/spindles/mutilates the fighter's mechanics, relegates it to Tier 5 or splits it into fighter, ranger & warlord, or Champion, Battlemaster, & Eldrtich Knight, it's familiar, heroic, relatable archetype retains a primal appeal.

That's why it can get away with under-served, option-poor incarnations like the 0e & 1e fighter, Essentials Knight/Slayer & 5e Champion, and "Tier 5" inferior incarnations like the 3.x Fighter and, well, 5e Champion.

I honestly wish they'd put in an "easy to play" subclass for every class. The Champion is a solid design for the kinds of games I've been running lately - and great to introduce new people to the game with! (Though if I were at a table of minmaxers I'm sure its faults would be found quickly.)

If you made a Sorcerer or Druid or Cleric or Wizard or sub-class of any other class as 'simple' as the Champion, people just wouldn't play it.

But, no matter how hard you make the fighter suck, you'll still have a couple in every party.

 

[Leatherhead]

So what is your opinion on the Brute then?

I find it even easier to play than the Champion.

 

[Oofta]

My first thought when I saw this was the old "I'm a lumberjack" song. So with apologies to Monty Python...

I'm a champion and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I adventure all day
He's a champion and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he adventures all day
I cut down orcs, I eat my lunch
I go to the lavatory
On Wednesdays I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea
He cuts down orcs, he eat his lunch
He goes to the lavatory
On Wednesdays he goes shopping and has buttered scones for tea
I'm a champion and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I adventure all day
I cut down orcs, I skip and jump
I like to press wild flowers
I put on women's clothing and hang around in bars
He cuts down orcs, he skips and jumps
He likes to press wild flowers
He puts on women's clothing and hangs around in bars
I'm a champion and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I adventure all day
I cut down orcs, I wear high heels
Suspendies and a bra
I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Papa
He cuts down orcs, he wears high heels?
Suspendies and a bra?
He's a champion and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he adventures all day
He's a champion and he's OK
Sleeps all night and he adventures all day