D&D 5E Which classes have the least identity?

[Remathilis]

Oh, right. I forget if one isn't "unique" then they can't possibly have an identity. Yes, yes. Everyone is "special." All tiktok and youtube channels are created equal/matter.

If I have 31 different types of ice cream and they all taste like vanilla, I don't have 31 unique flavors, I have 1 flavor trying to be 31.

 

[pawsplay]

I voted for cleric and bard. We know what they can do, but it has very little to do with who they are.

A lot of people voted fighter, but I think the fighter has one of the strongest identities. "I have a bow and arrow, none of this makes any sense" guy is a strong archetype. It's Madmartigan, it's Batman. If the fighter didn't exist, nature would have had to invent them.

 

[Undrave]

their 'lack' of identity more comes from the fact that they are not allowed to truly excell is what is meant to be their area of specialty in comparison to the other classes as well as everyone else being made mostly competent in combat due to it basically being the core pillar of gameplay, even if others may lean more to magic than martial ability to do that everyone possesses a decent capability to hold up in battle that undercuts the fighter's capacity at it, but the fighter should have way more customisability in how they specifically fight and should be far more superior at doing it.

That’s a good point. The Fighter isn’t allowed to excel or have anything that really stand out in battle. They should have kept the Fighter ‘sticky’. The part of the Sentinel feat where you reduce the speed of someone you it with an OA should be a basic part of the Fighter, it would at least be something unique.

Honestly, the fact that Ranger isn't running away with this would tell me everything I need to know about how there is no consistent definition of "identity" in this context if those arguments weren't already happening in the comments

I voted Ranger. Just haven’t had much to say on the subject.

 

[mellored]

If I have 31 different types of ice cream and they all taste like vanilla, I don't have 31 unique flavors, I have 1 flavor trying to be 31.

To be fair.

I would expect one of those 31 flavors to be Vanilla. Maybe 2 with a French Vanilla.

 

[CleverNickName]

I voted for cleric and bard. We know what they can do, but it has very little to do with who they are.

A lot of people voted fighter, but I think the fighter has one of the strongest identities. "I have a bow and arrow, none of this makes any sense" guy is a strong archetype. It's Madmartigan, it's Batman. If the fighter didn't exist, nature would have had to invent them.

This is a good point.

 

[Yaarel]

I feel the Cleric should focus on a specific spiritual community, rather than on a specific deity. It would be more relevant to the adventure setting, while less dependent on cosmological assumptions.

 

[Remathilis]

To be fair.

I would expect one of those 31 flavors to be Vanilla. Maybe 2 with a French Vanilla.

Yeah but people would complain vanilla and French vanilla both have similar stories and players should just eat regular vanilla with a French accent.

 

[TwoSix]

A lot of people voted fighter, but I think the fighter has one of the strongest identities. "I have a bow and arrow, none of this makes any sense" guy is a strong archetype. It's Madmartigan, it's Batman. If the fighter didn't exist, nature would have had to invent them.

Being able to come up with lots of examples is a marker of a weak identity, not a strong one.

Identity is rooted in specificity. "American" is a weak identity, "New Yorker" is a little stronger, "24 year old barista raised in Alphabet City" is very strong.

Note that for classes, which are intended to be used for a broader group of characters, too strong of an identity is absolutely a weakness. Fighter's lack of identity is a strength if you want to have a class capable of representing a very broad swathe of somewhat-related characters.

 

[CreamCloud0]

If I have 31 different types of ice cream and they all taste like vanilla, I don't have 31 unique flavors, I have 1 flavor trying to be 31.

i think this misunderstands/represents what the fighter is doing, the fighter isn't trying to be 30 flavours of ice cream, it's building 30 kinds of dessert off of vanilla ice cream, that means the classic waffle cone, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, banana splits, served with pies, cakes, brownies, ice cream cakes, and so on and so forth,

it's all vanilla ice cream, but that doesn't mean it's all one thing.

a strong identity can still have a wide array of specific manifestations that fit it.

 

[pawsplay]

Being able to come up with lots of examples is a marker of a weak identity, not a strong one.

Identity is rooted in specificity. "American" is a weak identity, "New Yorker" is a little stronger, "24 year old barista raised in Alphabet City" is very strong.

That's an absurd assertion. Narrowness is certainly not a synonym for strong.