D&D 5E D&D Beyond Releases 2023 Character Creation Data

D&D Beyond released the 2023 Unrolled with data on the most popular character choices for D&D. The full article includes a wide variety of statistics for the beta test of Maps, charity donations, mobile app usage, and more. However, I’m just going to recap the big numbers.

The most common species chosen by players are Human, Elf, Dragonborn, Tiefling, and Half-Elf. This contrasts with the stats from Baldur’s Gate 3 released back in August 2023 where Half-Elves were the most popular with the rest of the top five also shuffling around.

Also, keep an eye on the scale of these charts as they’re not exactly even. It starts with just over 700,000 for Humans and 500,000 for Elf, but the next line down is 200,000 with the other three species taking up space in that range. This means the difference separating the highest line on the graph and the second highest is 200,000, then 300,000 between the next two, 100,000 between the next, and finally 10,000 separating all the others.

Top classes start off with the Fighter then move onto the Rogue, Barbarian, Wizard, and Paladin. The scale on this chart is just as uneven as the last, but the numbers are much closer with what appears to be about 350,000 Fighters at the top to just over 100,000 Monks in next-to-last with under 80,000 Artificers. This contrasts far more from the Baldur’s Gate 3 first weekend data as the top five classes for the game were Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Rogue, and Bard.

And the most important choices for new characters, the names. Bob is still the top choice for names with Link, Saraphina, and Lyra seeing the most growth and Bruno, Eddie, and Rando seeing the biggest declines from last year.

Putting that together, it means the most commonly created character on D&D Beyond is Bob the Human Fighter. A joke going as far back as I can remember in RPGs is, in fact, reality proven by hard statistics.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Thx. I think we just take different approaches to these.

Sure. And I am not saying that everyone will definitely have an issue with these spells, but there are number of people who often complain about spells such as these, and have for a long time. So if there is an issue, there is an easy solution: just ban them. You don't need to wait WotC to do it for you; they probably won't.

 

[Oofta]

Sure. And I am not saying that everyone will definitely have an issue with these spells, but there are number of people who often complain about spells such as these, and have for a long time. So if there is an issue, there is an easy solution: just ban them. You don't need to wait WotC to do it for you; they probably won't.

It has always been up to the DM to tweak their rules to fit the group and what they want out of the game. It's not new with this edition, which is both D&D strength and it's weakness.

 

[Oofta]

So I spent some time writing up an all caster party and running an encounter. Note: it did not end well.

So I created a party in DDB and ran an encounter. I'm ignoring a couple of cantrips and I only care about spells they can cast. The party is heavily optimized for this particular fight and uses optional rules. DC is 13 for all PC saves.

Spoiler: PCs

Barry the Half-elf Bard: AC 14, HP 10. Vicious mockery. Cure wounds, dissonant whispers, faerie fire, healing word.
Clary the Hill Dwarf Cleric: AC 18, HP 12. Sacred Flame, Toll of the Dead, Bless, Command, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Healing Word, Sanctuary.
Drew the Wood Elf Druid: AC 16, HP 10. Produce Flame, shillelagh. Entangle, healing word, ice knife, thunderwave.
Sarah the Half-elf Sorcerer: AC 16, HP 9. Fire Bolt, Frostbite, Green-Flame Blade, Shocking Grasp.
Warren the Half-elf Warlock: AC 13, HP 11. Chill Touch, Eldritch Blast. Cause Fear, Hellish Rebuke.
Wiz the High Elf Wizard: AC 13, HP 8. Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Toll the Dead

1st combat at 50 feet. Personally? Setting it up this much in favor of the party is something I rarely do.

Initiative was randomly determined, all rolls done with DDB.

Round 1:
Barry: casts faerie fire so everyone gets advantage on attacks. Troll saves, no effect.
Troll: Runs up to group, ends up next to Sarah and Wiz based on random roll
Sarah: casts shocking grasp, she does not want to be here. Hits for 2 damage.
Warren: casts cause fear. Troll fails, disadvantage to hit. Warren stays close to limit movement.
Wiz: casts hideous laughter, troll fails. Wiz backs away behind
Drew: backs up and casts produce flame that she hurls at the troll, at disadvantage. Misses.
Clary: casts toll of the dead. Troll takes 6 points damage, saves against hideous laughter.

Round 2:
Barry: Dissonant whispers, troll saves
Troll: Regenerates all damage, attacks Sarah with disadvantage (fear effect), hits (but didn't crit) on first attack. Sarah is unconscious after the first hit so the troll picks her up and runs away to have supper since it can't approach the party due to the fear effect.

A few minutes later after the fear effect wears off and it's eaten Sarah it will continue the hunt.

Do I need to continue? The troll is not stupid, it will continue hit-and-run tactics until it's full or everyone is dead as far as I can tell. I have to get ready for my game now. I'll see if my group can last more than 1 round without a fatality.

EDIT: the cleric should have readied her cantrip ... more later.

 

[Clint_L]

If you have all party members with burning hands and firebolt for when that runs out, and there are 8 party members, and they don't losing a few members, they handle the troll fairly well but only if you play the troll as being really stupid.

I got a bit obsessed with trying to come up with a party to fight a troll at level 1 and got my best result with a party of three barbarians, two life clerics, and three wizards. Each of the barbarians was a variant human with the sentinel feat. The strategy was simple: surround the troll with the raging barbarians, using the life clerics to attack the troll with toll the dead but mostly to bring a barbarian back up when they got knocked down. The sentinel feat prevents the troll from getting at the wizards. The wizards maintain the bonfire cantrip under the troll and then just keep pelting it with firebolt; their main job is to keep it from regenerating. This worked very well.

 

[bedir than]

Me? I'd LOVE a more streamlined Monster Manual that strips spells out of the creatures. I don't want spell casting critters because they're a HUGE pain to run and prep. But, am I going to get that? Not if that 30% has their way.

As a reminder, this is already the default and has been for a few years.
Magical monsters don't need to use spells anymore.
Multiple books have come out with these options and this is the default moving forward.

 

[ECMO3]

Troll: Regenerates all damage, attacks Sarah with disadvantage (fear effect), hits (but didn't crit) on first attack.

If Sarah backed away after Shocking Grasp and the Troll was frightened it should not have been able to move closer to Sarah unless Sarah and Warren totally botched their positioning. Cause Fear is one of the best 1st level control spells and if you land it in melee (not sure Warren was in melee) you should take an AOO and back away trading one AOO for 3 regular attacks.

Until it made its save against Cause Fear, the party should have had it at Range, hitting it at will.

While I think it is going to be very difficult for any characters of 1st level to down a Troll, this party demonstrated no cooperation at all. Also why is Warren using TTD instead of Chill Touch?

1. Faerie Fire is a waste in this situation IMO, you need to control its movement.

2. Sarah should have some kind of first level spell. With a 16 AC shield maybe.

3. I think either THL or Cause Fear were both good options on round 1, if you were going flee. Using both is dumb, and using THL if you are going to attack is really dumb as it puts him on the ground where you are getting disadvantage.

If you are going to fight (which is not smart), the best spells you have for this combat are Cause Fear, Dissonant Whispers, Firebolt, Chill Touch, Produce Flame, Entangle, and Tasha's hideous Laughter in that order. If your Dwarf speaks Giant add Command in there after Cause Fear. You need to leverage those spells to maximum effect.

In the situation you describe; here is how this should have played out (trying to use the same rolls you did in the first round). Iam also giving Wiz a familiar:

Round 1:
1. Barry (barry could use either VM or DM, but since he is not frightened yet we will go with VM). Troll saves
2. Troll runs up next to Sarah and Will
3. Sarah uses Shocking Grasp and backs away (troll down 2 points)
4. Warren: casts cause fear. Troll fails
5. Wiz backs away (Troll has no reaction with shocking grasp), casts firebolt and misses.
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - Uses help/flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: backs up and casts produce flame with advantage. Misses.
7. Clary: casts toll of the dead. Troll takes 6 points damage.

Round 2:
1. Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll saves, takes 6 damage.
2. Troll: Regenerates all damage, no one is within reach and can't move closer. Troll dodges. Fails save on Cause Fear. Troll has 84hps
3. Sarah: Cast's Firebolt with disadvantage (misses), backs up 30 feet
4. Warren: casts Chill Touch (with disadvantage) - hits for 2 damage, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: casts Ray of Frost with disadvantage - misses, backs up 30 feet
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - uses help/flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Uses Crossbow straight up (dodge+help). Misses. backs up 30 feet
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll Makes save. Backs up 30 feet

Round 3:
1. Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll fails save, takes 11 damage, moves 30 feet. Barry also backs up 30 feet. Troll is now 70 feet from closest PC.
2. Troll: Does not Regenerate because he was hit with Chill Touch. Dodges again. Troll at 71 hps. Makes save against Cause Fear (no longer frightened).
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt with disadvantage, misses backs up 30 feet (now 100 feet away)
4. Warren: Readies action to cast Cause Fear if Troll gets within 60 feet. (Warren 70 feet away)
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt with disadvantage - misses, backs up 30 feet (Wiz 100 feet away)
5a. Wiz Familiar - uses help/flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame straight up. Hits for 4 damage. Backs up (Drew 100 feet away)
7. Clary: Readies action to cast Toll the Dead if Troll gets within 60 feet.


Round 4:
1. Barry readies VM if Troll gets within 60 feet.
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit with flame. Troll dashes. It moves 10 feet and triggers all reactions. Fails save against Cause Fear (stopping movement). Fails save against TTD taking 7 damage. Fails save against VM taking 1 damage. Troll at 59 hps. DM decides since he only moved 10 feet he did not take the dash action and instead readies an action to attack the familiar if it does flyby again. Save again against Cause Fear at end of turn.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt hits for 5
4. Warren: Fires crossbow hits for 5, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: Moves up, uses crossbow misses
5a. Wiz Familiar - uses help with flyby to give Drew advantage, but gets hit and killed by the Troll from redied action
6. Drew: Moves up, uses crossbow. Misses
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 12 damage

Round 4:
1. Barry casts VM for 3
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit flame. Troll dodges. Troll at 35 hit points. Troll fails save at end of turn.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt misses
4. Warren: Casts Chill Touch misses
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt misses
6. Drew: Casts produce flame. Hits for 2 damage.
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 8 damage

Ok here we are 4 rounds in, the party has taken no damage, used less than half its leveled spells and the Troll is at about 30% of its hit points. The party is going to get at least 70 feet away from the troll once he makes his save against CF and then continue moving away, giving them 3 rounds before they are attacked minimum. When the Troll finally makes his save against Cause Fear he is going to get hit with Entangle and THL and this is without the Dwarf being able to use command. With the initiative order the way it is Wiz can use Ray of Frost if Warren hits with Chill Touch and kills regeneration. This will rob the Troll of 10 move giving it even more limited mobility on a hit.

Limfacs: With one PC having Chill Touch and 3 more having fire cantrips, the Troll is not going to regenerate often and the party will probably eventually overwhelm it even if only doing 6 DPR or so. Also Clary, Sarah and Warren have subclass abilities and while Sorc and Cleric subclasses are mostly not particularly useful in this whiteroom, most Warlock subclasses would be very helpful even at level 1. Feylock or Undead for example would really put the Troll in a hurt locker giving the party even more control. Also we did not consider Bardic inspiration in this whiteroom.

If the party could not back up this would change it a lot, but a smart party with healing word and many more 1st level slots left is probably still going to win this combat eventually ..... probably with some dead PCs, but they will still probably win.

 

[Oofta]

If Sarah backed away after Shocking Grasp and the Troll was frightened it should not have been able to move closer to Sarah unless Sarah and Warren totally botched their positioning. Cause Fear is one of the best 1st level control spells and if you land it in melee (not sure Warren was in melee) you should take an AOO and back away trading one AOO for 3 regular attacks.

Until it made its save against Cause Fear, the party should have had it at Range, hitting it at will.

While I think it is going to be very difficult for any characters of 1st level to down a Troll, this party demonstrated no cooperation at all. Also why is Warren using TTD instead of Chill Touch?

1. Faerie Fire is a waste in this situation IMO, you have a bunch of casters who are probably rolling few attacks. Oil, caltrops, ball bearings or VM are the play here.

2. Sarah should have some kind of first level spell. With a 16 AC shield maybe.

3. I think either THL and Cause Fear were both good options on round 1, but after that you flee. Using both is stupid, and using THL if you are going to attack an already frightened troll is really stupid as it puts him on the ground where you are getting disadvantage.

If you are going to fight (which is not smart), the best spells you have for this combat are Cause Fear, Firebolt, Chill Touch, Produce Flame, Dissonant Whispers, Entangle, Green Flame Blade, and Tasha's hideous Laughter in that order. If your Dwarf speaks Giant add Command in there after Cause Fear. You need to leverage those spells to maximum effect.

In the situation you describe here is how this should have played out (trying to use the same rolls you did to the extent possible). Iam also giving Wiz a familiar:

Round 1:
1. Barry (barry could use either VM or DM, but since he is not frightened yet we will go with VM). Troll saves
2. Troll runs up next to Sarah and Will
3. Sarah uses Shocking Grasp and backs away (troll down 2 points)
4. Warren: casts cause fear. Troll fails
5. Wiz disengages and backs away. Now Troll can't attack anyone
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - Uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: backs up and casts produce flame straight up. Misses.
7. Clary: casts toll of the dead. Troll takes 6 points damage.

Round 2:
Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll saves.
Troll: Regenerates all damage, no one is within reach and can't move closer. Troll dodges. Fails save on Cause Fear.
Sarah: Cast's Firebolt with disadvantage (misses), backs up 30 feet
4. Warren: casts Chill Touch (with disadvantage) - hits for 2 damage, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: casts Ray of Frost with disadvantage - misses, backs up 30 feet
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame straight up (dodge+help). Misses. backs up 30 feet
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll Makes save. Backs up 30 feet

Round 3:
1. Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll fails save, takes 11 damage, moves 30 feet. Barry also backs up 30 feet. Troll is now 70 feet from closest PC.
2. Troll: Does not Regenerate because he was hit will Chill Touch. Dodges again. Troll at 71 hps. Makes save against Cause Fear (no longer frightened)
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt with disadvantage, misses backs up 30 feet (now 100 feet away)
4. Warren: Readies action to cast Cause Fear if Troll gets within 60 feet. (Warren 70 feet away)
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt with disadvantage - misses,, backs up 30 feet (Wiz 100 feet away)
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame straight up. Hits for 4 damage. Backs up (Drew 100 feet away)
7. Clary: Readies action to cast Toll the Dead if Troll gets within 60 feet.


Round 4:
1. Barry readies VM if Troll gets within 60 feet.
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit with flame. Troll dashes. It moves 10 feet and triggers all reactions. Fails save against Cause Fear (stopping movement). Fails save against TTD taking 7 damage. Fails save against VM taking 1 damage. Troll at 59 hps. Makes another save against Cause Fear with -2 from VM at end of turn and fails.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt hits for 6
4. Warren: Casts Chill Touch hits for 2, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt misses
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame with advantage. Hits for 2 damage.
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 12 damage

Round 4:
1. Barry casts VM for 3
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit flame. Troll dodges. Troll at 35 hit points. Troll fails save at end of turn.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt misses
4. Warren: Casts Chill Touch misses
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt misses
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame with advantage. Hits for 2 damage.
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 8 damage

Ok here we are 4 rounds in, the party has taken no damage, used half its leveled spells and the Troll is at about 25% of its hit points. The party is going to get at least 70 feet away from the troll once he makes his save against CF and then continue moving away, giving them 3 rounds before they are attacked minimum. When the Troll finally makes his save against Cause Fear he is going to get hit with entangle and then finally THL and this is without the Dwarf being able to use command. With the initiative order the way it is Wiz can use Ray of Frost if Warren hits with Chill Touch and kills regeneration. This will rob the Troll of 10 move making more use of its limited mobility.

With one PC having Chill Touch and 3 more having fire cantrips the party will probably eventually overwhelm it even if only doing 6 DPR or so.

If the party could not back up this would change it a lot, but a smart party with healing word and multiple 1st level slots left is probably still going to win this combat eventually ..... with some dead PCs

The Shocking Grasp missed. But ... more later.

 

[Ancalagon]

If you have all party members with burning hands and firebolt for when that runs out, and there are 8 party members, and they don't losing a few members, they handle the troll fairly well but only if you play the troll as being really stupid.

I got a bit obsessed with trying to come up with a party to fight a troll at level 1 and got my best result with a party of three barbarians, two life clerics, and three wizards. Each of the barbarians was a variant human with the sentinel feat. The strategy was simple: surround the troll with the raging barbarians, using the life clerics to attack the troll with toll the dead but mostly to bring a barbarian back up when they got knocked down. The sentinel feat prevents the troll from getting at the wizards. The wizards maintain the bonfire cantrip under the troll and then just keep pelting it with firebolt; their main job is to keep it from regenerating. This worked very well.

But this is a huge party - the "default" is 4 members... it's effectively a double party.

Both on the importance of casters and numbers... in our Drakkenheim game (the one with 3 full casters, a half caster and a soul knife) we were in a fight vs 3 NPCs. We hit them with an overlapping hypnotic pattern (wizard), web (ranger) and then focused fire as needed. If you have both numbers, and "control magic superiority", and still ability to do damage... you win.

 

[Clint_L]

If Sarah backed away after Shocking Grasp and the Troll was frightened it should not have been able to move closer to Sarah unless Sarah and Warren totally botched their positioning. Cause Fear is one of the best 1st level control spells and if you land it in melee (not sure Warren was in melee) you should take an AOO and back away trading one AOO for 3 regular attacks.

Until it made its save against Cause Fear, the party should have had it at Range, hitting it at will.

While I think it is going to be very difficult for any characters of 1st level to down a Troll, this party demonstrated no cooperation at all. Also why is Warren using TTD instead of Chill Touch?

1. Faerie Fire is a waste in this situation IMO, you need to control its movement.

2. Sarah should have some kind of first level spell. With a 16 AC shield maybe.

3. I think either THL and Cause Fear were both good options on round 1, but after that you flee. Using both is stupid, and using THL if you are going to attack an already frightened troll is really stupid as it puts him on the ground where you are getting disadvantage.

If you are going to fight (which is not smart), the best spells you have for this combat are Cause Fear, Firebolt, Chill Touch, Produce Flame, Dissonant Whispers, Entangle, Green Flame Blade, and Tasha's hideous Laughter in that order. If your Dwarf speaks Giant add Command in there after Cause Fear. You need to leverage those spells to maximum effect.

In the situation you describe here is how this should have played out (trying to use the same rolls you did to the extent possible). Iam also giving Wiz a familiar:

Round 1:
1. Barry (barry could use either VM or DM, but since he is not frightened yet we will go with VM). Troll saves
2. Troll runs up next to Sarah and Will
3. Sarah uses Shocking Grasp and backs away (troll down 2 points)
4. Warren: casts cause fear. Troll fails
5. Wiz disengages and backs away. Now Troll can't attack anyone
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - Uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: backs up and casts produce flame straight up. Misses.
7. Clary: casts toll of the dead. Troll takes 6 points damage.

Round 2:
Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll saves.
Troll: Regenerates all damage, no one is within reach and can't move closer. Troll dodges. Fails save on Cause Fear.
Sarah: Cast's Firebolt with disadvantage (misses), backs up 30 feet
4. Warren: casts Chill Touch (with disadvantage) - hits for 2 damage, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: casts Ray of Frost with disadvantage - misses, backs up 30 feet
5a. Wiz Owl Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame straight up (dodge+help). Misses. backs up 30 feet
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll Makes save. Backs up 30 feet

Round 3:
1. Barry: Casts Dissonant whispers, troll fails save, takes 11 damage, moves 30 feet. Barry also backs up 30 feet. Troll is now 70 feet from closest PC.
2. Troll: Does not Regenerate because he was hit will Chill Touch. Dodges again. Troll at 71 hps. Makes save against Cause Fear (no longer frightened)
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt with disadvantage, misses backs up 30 feet (now 100 feet away)
4. Warren: Readies action to cast Cause Fear if Troll gets within 60 feet. (Warren 70 feet away)
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt with disadvantage - misses,, backs up 30 feet (Wiz 100 feet away)
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame straight up. Hits for 4 damage. Backs up (Drew 100 feet away)
7. Clary: Readies action to cast Toll the Dead if Troll gets within 60 feet.


Round 4:
1. Barry readies VM if Troll gets within 60 feet.
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit with flame. Troll dashes. It moves 10 feet and triggers all reactions. Fails save against Cause Fear (stopping movement). Fails save against TTD taking 7 damage. Fails save against VM taking 1 damage. Troll at 59 hps. Makes another save against Cause Fear with -2 from VM at end of turn and fails.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt hits for 6
4. Warren: Casts Chill Touch hits for 2, backs up 30 feet
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt misses
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame with advantage. Hits for 2 damage.
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 12 damage

Round 4:
1. Barry casts VM for 3
2. Troll does not regenerate because hit flame. Troll dodges. Troll at 35 hit points. Troll fails save at end of turn.
3. Sarah: Casts Firebolt misses
4. Warren: Casts Chill Touch misses
5. Wiz: casts Firebolt misses
5a. Wiz Cat Familiar - uses flyby to give Drew advantage
6. Drew: Casts produce flame with advantage. Hits for 2 damage.
7. Clary: Casts Toll the Dead. Troll fails save takes 8 damage

Ok here we are 4 rounds in, the party has taken no damage, used half its leveled spells and the Troll is at about 25% of its hit points. The party is going to get at least 70 feet away from the troll once he makes his save against CF and then continue moving away, giving them 3 rounds before they are attacked minimum. When the Troll finally makes his save against Cause Fear he is going to get hit with entangle and then finally THL and this is without the Dwarf being able to use command. With the initiative order the way it is Wiz can use Ray of Frost if Warren hits with Chill Touch and kills regeneration. This will rob the Troll of 10 move making more use of its limited mobility.

With one PC having Chill Touch and 3 more having fire cantrips the party will probably eventually overwhelm it even if only doing 6 DPR or so. Also Sarah and Warren have subclass abilities and while Sorcs are not particularly useful in this whiteroom,most Warlock subclasses would be extremely helpful. Feylock or Undead for example. Also we did not consider bardic inspiration.

If the party could not back up this would change it a lot, but a smart party with healing word and multiple 1st level slots left is probably still going to win this combat eventually ..... with some dead PCs

I loved this response, because this entire problem (downing a troll with level 1s) could not be more in ECMO3's wheelhouse.

 

[Clint_L]

But this is a huge party - the "default" is 4 members... it's effectively a double party.

Both on the importance of casters and numbers... in our Drakkenheim game (the one with 3 full casters, a half caster and a soul knife) we were in a fight vs 3 NPCs. We hit them with an overlapping hypnotic pattern (wizard), web (ranger) and then focused fire as needed. If you have both numbers, and "control magic superiority", and still ability to do damage... you win.

I'm a bit stumped on coming up with a party of 4 to beat a troll, in a neutral environment. Maybe barbarian with sentinel, life cleric, ummm...light cleric maybe? For backup heals and backup fire? Oh, and first aid feat plus medicine kit for when heals run out - everything depends on keeping my tank up. Then the wizard, to start the bonfire and then spam firebolt, stepping in closer with burning hands in a pinch. But that is pretty dicey. It feels like one critical hit or one made save from the troll and it goes south fast.

This is a job for ECMO3.

Edit: the troll has 84 HP, and I figure that combo can keep the barbarian in the fight for 5 rounds. So we have to do a total DPR of 17, if we can keep it from regenerating.

Barbarian DPR 7, cleric DPR 4.5 x 2, wizard DPR 2 from bonfire, + 3 from firebolt after first round. So we should be able to do it if we get lucky - there's some wiggle room with being able to use the burning hands at the end if the barbarian is KOed and things are spinning out of control.