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Best Class and Why???
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7077547" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>'Best' class has often been a subject of debate. The answer was clearest in 3.5: the Tier 1 classes, the Cleric, Druid, & of course, Wizard were the best, hands down. 5e has changed some from 3.5, but not so much that those three, the 'neo-Vancian' casters, aren't still obviously at the top of that particular way of heaping classes. In other editions, the answers not so clear. 4e classes were unusually balanced for D&D, you can pick out a couple - Seeker, RunePriest - that were badly under-supported, and a few (Vampire, Binder, etc) that were just lacking. But the classes that were around long enough to appear in a PH and get a '_____ Power' book could all stand about equal (albeit, in 3.5 terms, all hanging out in about Tier 3). In the classic game, 'best class' really depended on level. At low level, the fighter was actually pretty awesome and the Cleric indispensable, but non-/demi- human multiclasses were really were it was at. By 3rd or so, casters were pretty good (the Druid got surprisingly good at 3rd, and again, at 7th), but there was a little sweetspot, there when all the classes (except the poor thief, of course) were doing pretty well, at high level, magic-users ruled. Though the Cleric was surprisingly capable at all levels, the 'healing burden' mostly kept it in check - it was potentially a CoDzilla waiting to happen, were it not always using so many of it's spells to heal.</p><p></p><p>:shrug:</p><p></p><p> My personal preferences have changed over the decades:</p><p></p><p>1980: Class? Does it really matter, as long as you have cool items?</p><p>1981: Magic-user, always looking for new spells and trying the memorize the right ones. Hmm...Druid, wow, 3rd level spells at 3rd level? Shapechanging at 7th? This class is wild(pi)... ...hm... this Celtic stuff is kinda fascinating, too...</p><p>1990: Druid sucks, Wizard is old hat, the Priests in CPH though, are pretty cool because, as DM (and at this point, I rarely play, mostly DM) I can use them to fill my world with all kinds of interesting religions and priesthoods. </p><p>2000: The fighter is a surprisingly elegant, customizable class design. Druid has become the D in CoDzilla, how annoying. </p><p>2003: After getting over how forced it initially seemed (not Vancian for the sake of not being Vancian), it turns out the Sorcerer is a also a neat, customizable design, much better suited to build-to-concept than the Tier 1 wizard. </p><p>2008: Wot, no Druid? The Warlord, though, that's something I'd been trying to do with fighter builds (and PrCs and such) for years and never could, now it's as easy as choosing a core class, and so much better, too. Too bad there are fighter 'battlefield control' builds I could do for years that I can't anymore, though.</p><p>2010: Druid is chopped into pieces to fit in different roles.</p><p>2014: Hey, look, the cool Druid's back.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7077547, member: 996"] 'Best' class has often been a subject of debate. The answer was clearest in 3.5: the Tier 1 classes, the Cleric, Druid, & of course, Wizard were the best, hands down. 5e has changed some from 3.5, but not so much that those three, the 'neo-Vancian' casters, aren't still obviously at the top of that particular way of heaping classes. In other editions, the answers not so clear. 4e classes were unusually balanced for D&D, you can pick out a couple - Seeker, RunePriest - that were badly under-supported, and a few (Vampire, Binder, etc) that were just lacking. But the classes that were around long enough to appear in a PH and get a '_____ Power' book could all stand about equal (albeit, in 3.5 terms, all hanging out in about Tier 3). In the classic game, 'best class' really depended on level. At low level, the fighter was actually pretty awesome and the Cleric indispensable, but non-/demi- human multiclasses were really were it was at. By 3rd or so, casters were pretty good (the Druid got surprisingly good at 3rd, and again, at 7th), but there was a little sweetspot, there when all the classes (except the poor thief, of course) were doing pretty well, at high level, magic-users ruled. Though the Cleric was surprisingly capable at all levels, the 'healing burden' mostly kept it in check - it was potentially a CoDzilla waiting to happen, were it not always using so many of it's spells to heal. :shrug: My personal preferences have changed over the decades: 1980: Class? Does it really matter, as long as you have cool items? 1981: Magic-user, always looking for new spells and trying the memorize the right ones. Hmm...Druid, wow, 3rd level spells at 3rd level? Shapechanging at 7th? This class is wild(pi)... ...hm... this Celtic stuff is kinda fascinating, too... 1990: Druid sucks, Wizard is old hat, the Priests in CPH though, are pretty cool because, as DM (and at this point, I rarely play, mostly DM) I can use them to fill my world with all kinds of interesting religions and priesthoods. 2000: The fighter is a surprisingly elegant, customizable class design. Druid has become the D in CoDzilla, how annoying. 2003: After getting over how forced it initially seemed (not Vancian for the sake of not being Vancian), it turns out the Sorcerer is a also a neat, customizable design, much better suited to build-to-concept than the Tier 1 wizard. 2008: Wot, no Druid? The Warlord, though, that's something I'd been trying to do with fighter builds (and PrCs and such) for years and never could, now it's as easy as choosing a core class, and so much better, too. Too bad there are fighter 'battlefield control' builds I could do for years that I can't anymore, though. 2010: Druid is chopped into pieces to fit in different roles. 2014: Hey, look, the cool Druid's back. [/QUOTE]
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