D&D 5E Which Class is "The Best" - Your chance to VOTE!

[Blue]

I suspect they're a lot more popular among active members of this community than in the D&D community generally

Everyone wants a bard in their party, just like everyone wants a primary healer in their party.

Which, as you point out, does not translate to everyone wanting to play a bard. Several of the standard buttons (big damage, high survivability, etc.) they don't push.

 

[Blue]

So I picked Bard, Paladin and Barbarian. I see Bard and Paladin are in good company, Barbarian seems to be lagging.

Many people mention Druid as best. Some of the people I've played with roll their eyes every time a summons happens, claiming it slows down the game (though turns are still faster then some of the full casters). So it misses best for me by being less fun to play at my table.

Barbarian for me is just good mindless fun. While I usually play casters and tactical characters, having someone resilient enough that "hold my beer" is a way of life and they can just recklessly pell-mell into any situation - and pull it off - has it's own charm.

Wizards were close, but didn't make the list. Probably because I play battlefield control casters by preference and the bard already has all lights green for that.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I dunno, I don't think bestness and popularity really line up very well.

Thus the whole ad populum being a fallacy, thing, of course - some cranky Greek figured that out thousands of years ago.

OTOH, people who really like something, and know a lot of other folks agree with them, are quick to jump to calling it "best." Thus the whole still using the ad populum fallacy thing.

Everyone wants a bard in their party, just like everyone wants a primary healer in their party.

"But, I repeat myself."

Which, as you point out, does not translate to everyone wanting to play a bard. Several of the standard buttons (big damage, high survivability, etc.) they don't push.

OTOH, there's some perverse button that Vicious Mockery downright mashes.

 

[Blue]

OTOH, there's some perverse button that Vicious Mockery downright mashes.

The first time I insulted someone to death I realized D&D life could get no better than this.

I love playing bards. Well designed support class that also allow me to open my big mouth all the time. What a perfect match.

I've noticed that I've never had a player nor DM complain when I've optimized, nay min/maxed, a support character with the goal to make other PCs shine brighter. I have gotten the occasional variation of "you know, if [your character] wasn't with the party these encounters would kill them all" from a few DMs, but they were all good with it.

 

[Wiseblood]

I selected Fighter and Rogue. All of them are okay.....except paladins.

 

[Ashrym]

Everyone wants a bard in their party, just like everyone wants a primary healer in their party.

Which, as you point out, does not translate to everyone wanting to play a bard. Several of the standard buttons (big damage, high survivability, etc.) they don't push.

I dunno. I've joined games where no one knew what characters the others were creating and have had a few where several made bards. In one case it was 4 bards and a rogue. The rogue player threw up his hands, took the entertainer background, and went arcane trickster so he could fit the theme.

We also tended to avoid direct combat as much as possible. It's one of the squishiest groups I was ever in as well.

I find it odd, however, because that's never happened with any other class. I have joined with 2 or 3 rangers or fighters as the next closest so anecdotal as it is I can't say for sure how accurately it demonstrates more bards. I know I play them more than any other class and I find people who have played with me start playing them in subsequent games so it's likely just the exposure.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Many people mention Druid as best.

I feel like it's the best version of the Druid since 1e... mainly on the basis of it being the closest we've come to the awesome of the 1e druid - without the dead man's shoes advancement & hard level cap.

It's a neo-Vancian caster with a pretty nifty class power, so a strong candidate by the numbers.

But it's also perennially among the least popular classes (though that didn't stop the Bard). ::sigh::

The first time I insulted someone to death I realized D&D life could get no better than this.

My players just loved that. I suppose it didn't hurt that I enjoyed narrating the absurdist fatalities. (I mean, yeah, it's psychic damage, he could just bleed from the ears and keel over, or they could react to the insult in a way that gets them killed...)

 

[Ashrym]

Here is a current visual.

 

[Tony Vargas]

View attachment 114912

Well, it's sure not a Class Tier pareto.

 

[Esker]

In another case of "popular does not equal strong", Monks seem to be really popular choices in the games I've played in. Never played one myself but there seems to be one around about half the time, which I'm pretty sure is more than any class outside the big 4. Dunno what that's about.