D&D 5E Are Bards the most flexible class?

[mellored]

Versatility in builds? Yes. No one else has more options. sword and board, 2-handed, bow, disabler, support, blaster, tanky, etc...
Versatility in play? No. Bards can't trade swift quiver for fireball. If you need flight, and they didn't pick it, they can't help until they level up. Jack-of-all-trades helps, but only a little.

I'd say moon druids would probably be the most versitile in play. They can wild shape for melee, or for keen senses, to fly, to swim, to lift something heavy. Plus they can switch out their entire spell list each night, with plenty of control or support options.

After that probably paladin/tomelock. Just for having all the tricks and using Cha for everything.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I don't know.

Depends on what we mean by flexible as evidenced by the jokes earlier

 

[Brandegoris]

I don't know.

Depends on what we mean by flexible as evidenced by the jokes earlier

Can he touch his toes?
Can he Juggle as well as play a flute while his party is getting themselves beat up? You know...Flexibly useless I think... LOLOLOLOL

 

[gyor]

Versatility in builds? Yes. No one else has more options. sword and board, 2-handed, bow, disabler, support, blaster, tanky, etc...
Versatility in play? No. Bards can't trade swift quiver for fireball. If you need flight, and they didn't pick it, they can't help until they level up. Jack-of-all-trades helps, but only a little.

I'd say moon druids would probably be the most versitile in play. They can wild shape for melee, or for keen senses, to fly, to swim, to lift something heavy. Plus they can switch out their entire spell list each night, with plenty of control or support options.

After that probably paladin/tomelock. Just for having all the tricks and using Cha for everything.

I meant primarily flexiblity of build, not in the moment.

 

[tglassy]

I've always found Warlocks to be fairly flexible. You can have a caster, a melee, a skill monkey, a scout, a face. I made a Rogue/Warlock that was a fantastic con artist. But you could also have a deadly bladelock wielding a two handed weapon, or a devious castor learning every ritual in the game. Lots of versatility.

Very little healing, though. Best he gets is the Spare the Dying cantrip if he gets the Tome. That's one of the few things a Warlock can't possibly do with the right build.

 

[jgsugden]

No thief acrobat joke?

 

[TheCosmicKid]

I meant primarily flexiblity of build, not in the moment.

In all seriousness, I think "flexibility of build" is a complete red herring as a method of evaluating a class. Players by default have the ultimate flexibility of build: they can choose the class that does what they want to do. The ability or inability of any particular class to do what they want to do is irrelevant.

 

[gyor]

I've always found Warlocks to be fairly flexible. You can have a caster, a melee, a skill monkey, a scout, a face. I made a Rogue/Warlock that was a fantastic con artist. But you could also have a deadly bladelock wielding a two handed weapon, or a devious castor learning every ritual in the game. Lots of versatility.

Very little healing, though. Best he gets is the Spare the Dying cantrip if he gets the Tome. That's one of the few things a Warlock can't possibly do with the right build.

Undying Warlocks also get spare the dying cantrip.

You could multiclass Bard/Warlock for healing.

 

[tglassy]

You can multiclass anything to make anything. This thread was about which class is the most versatile.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I meant primarily flexiblity of build, not in the moment.

Until higher levels, dealing and taking damage is not a strength of the Bard.

They are the absolute best at skills, they have massive amounts of buffing, debuffing, healing, and social abilities.

They don't do damage well, if you want to play a damage dealer I would never recommend a bard.

I recognize a valor bard with high dex or strength has decent combat abilities, but I don't think they do as well at that as they do at other things.