D&D 5E Most powerful class in 5e

[Celtavian]

I know one round damage isn't the only measure of class power, but it is fun to measure, which classes do you think can beat it easily?

I'd also be very interested hear about those other classes that can bring the pain.

Consistently?

Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter Fighter (EK). You can do a few levels ranger to get Hunter's Mark.

Sorlock. Sorcerer/warlock using Quicken Spell to fire double eldritch blast for quite a few rounds.

Paladin. GWF Vengeance or Oath. Use your Channel Divinity to eliminate penalty for GWF. Hammer with smites.

Rogue (AT) with haste. Use your haste action to ready an attack on someone else's turn. Generally allows for 20d6 attacks per round. You can also take Crossbow Expert for an extra attack with Crossbow.

Most of these combinations will allow you to do more damage consistently. The paladin's nova can be quite impressive. You can do this more often than most caster classes. It's usually easier to do than dragging around skeleton armies.

 

[Sacrosanct]

DO note that it is really hard to have more than 6-8 encounters per day. .

Not really. Most times because you don't have a choice. This is especially true when dungeon delving or doing something like assaulting a keep or fortress. The game world should never just go on pause because the PCs hit X amount of encounters, or they ran out of resources. When you rile up a nest of baddies in their home, it is highly likely that you won't be able to rest when you want to. Creatures largely shouldn't just sit in their #'d encounter area if they area aware there are adventurers coming through killing everything they see.

Ran out of resources and are trying to take a short rest? Too bad 10 minutes into it a group of monsters is counter attacking you.

It is very easy to have more than 6-8 encounters per day if you just waltz in and go from room to room in combat, especially in larger areas, because you've alerted everyone that you're there, and they won't sit idly by just waiting for you. Yes, you do have a choice of running away to your base camp after X amount of encounters, but you have to risk that with knowing that the baddies will refocus their defenses for when you come back. It's a risk you need to decide if it's worth taking.

 

[Sacrosanct]

half orc champion 3, rogue 17. Double crit chance, and when you do, it's (+9d6+wpn dice)x2+wpn dice. With a greatsword, that's what? 24d6 on 10% of your attack rolls?

 

[pancakemaster808]

Consistently?

Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter Fighter (EK). You can do a few levels ranger to get Hunter's Mark.

Sorlock. Sorcerer/warlock using Quicken Spell to fire double eldritch blast for quite a few rounds.

Paladin. GWF Vengeance or Oath. Use your Channel Divinity to eliminate penalty for GWF. Hammer with smites.

Rogue (AT) with haste. Use your haste action to ready an attack on someone else's turn. Generally allows for 20d6 attacks per round. You can also take Crossbow Expert for an extra attack with Crossbow.

Most of these combinations will allow you to do more damage consistently. The paladin's nova can be quite impressive. You can do this more often than most caster classes. It's usually easier to do than dragging around skeleton armies.

With Eldritch blast and 2 levels in warlock I feel like you're doing at least as much as the crossbow EK.

I do like the sorlock idea, I feel like it loses out later with the more limited spill list of the sorc, but that is good consistent damage.

What does GWF stand for?

Haste doesn't allow you to take the ready action unfortunately =(

I'm still trying to figure out damage that is higher than 60 dice on a single target, I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I must not be looking in the right place if it does.

 

[pancakemaster808]

half orc champion 3, rogue 17. Double crit chance, and when you do, it's (+9d6+wpn dice)x2+wpn dice. With a greatsword, that's what? 24d6 on 10% of your attack rolls?

That does seem like a good way to make the rouge more useful.

 

[Celtavian]

With Eldritch blast and 2 levels in warlock I feel like you're doing at least as much as the crossbow EK.

I do like the sorlock idea, I feel like it loses out later with the more limited spill list of the sorc, but that is good consistent damage.

What does GWF stand for?

Haste doesn't allow you to take the ready action unfortunately =(

I'm still trying to figure out damage that is higher than 60 dice on a single target, I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I must not be looking in the right place if it does.

With a rogue, use your haste attack or bonus action attack to get Sneak attack that round. Use your regular action to ready an attack. If someone casts hold person or hold monster for you, each strike will be 20d6 plus other bonuses.

60 dice on a single target is a nice hit. Round to round other classes do more damage. Other classes can do 60 dice on a hit as well, not just the bard. You make it seem like the bard is the only class that can do it, but it isn't. Any class can take Hex using Magic Initiate and do the same trick.

The main thing to note is the other classes can do their damage a lot more often than one time a day.

 

[pancakemaster808]

With a rogue, use your haste attack or bonus action attack to get Sneak attack that round. Use your regular action to ready an attack. If someone casts hold person or hold monster for you, each strike will be 20d6 plus other bonuses.

60 dice on a single target is a nice hit. Round to round other classes do more damage. Other classes can do 60 dice on a hit as well, not just the bard. You make it seem like the bard is the only class that can do it, but it isn't. Any class can take Hex using Magic Initiate and do the same trick.

The main thing to note is the other classes can do their damage a lot more often than one time a day.

Oh I see, that sounds like a pretty good use of Haste on the AT, good to see there's still a way to cheese your sneak attack haha.

It's true Wizards and Sorcerers can both set up that combo as well, but bards can keep doing it, as they can steal the hex spell, whereas the magic initiate only gives it once per day. I point out bard as the best example because they can do it the most consistently. I also like how they have so much flexibility with their ability to plunder the spell lists of other classes.

The full bestow curse/hold person combo really should be saved for the boss. There are lots of other cool interactions that you can get out of the bard by comboing spells that weren't intended to be present on the same character.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It is very easy to have more than 6-8 encounters per day if you just waltz in and go from room to room in combat, especially in larger areas, because you've alerted everyone that you're there, and they won't sit idly by just waiting for you.

At my table this becomes one giant encounter, not eight separate encounters.

 

[pancakemaster808]

At my table this becomes one giant encounter, not eight separate encounters.

This has been my experience as well, although I would like to see a campaign that actually adheres to this philosophy.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I'm still trying to figure out damage that is higher than 60 dice on a single target, I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I must not be looking in the right place if it does.

In Spelljammer: ram the victim with a Hammership. A 20th level pilot with a major helm would do 60 Hull Points or IIRC 60d6 Hit Points. More with a bigger ship.