D&D 5E (2014) [poll] How much does party class composition impact your choice on class?

[Sacrosanct]

Basic question. When you are creating a new PC for an adventure or campaign, how much does the class composition of the rest of the PCs matter? Like that old saying about AD&D, "No one plays a cleric unless there isn't a cleric in the party."

Do you choose your class based on the party/team dynamic, or do you play what you want to play regardless of what anyone else is playing?

 

[Istbor]

While I no longer feel that you need a healer or a tank, I like to build a character that will do the least amount of toe stepping, and have his/her toes kept relatively free from steps.

That way the maximum amount of people feel relevant and needed in the party.

With bigger groups, this is less of a worry as some aspect of toe stepping will happen, in that case, I play what I want, but perhaps with a twist.

Did I mention I like saying toe stepping?

Edited for typos.

 

[Iry]

When I'm not GM'ing, I'm always the last to pick my class.

I'm a big support player so I'm usually the Bard, the Cleric, or the Wizard with a focus on Crowd Control or Buffing.

 

[Charlaquin]

I usually have a couple of ideas floating around, and I’ll settle on one depending on the needs of the party. This is both to help the group out and to preserve a niche for myself. A party of four Wizards gets kind of awkward as even with different subclasses and spell choices there’s a huge amount of overlap in the characters’ capabilities, which can be frustrating. Heck, even in a party of four full casters of different classes. I had this situation once, where in an ostensibly low-magic setting, our party consisted of a Dragon Sorcerer, a Necromancer Wizard, a Life Cleric, a Land Druid, and an Old One Book Warlock. Every challenge devolved into everyone “whipping out our spell dicks”’ as one player described it. Everyone wanted to be the cool guy with just the right spell for the situation, and more often than not, one or more other party members had exactly the same spell.

 

[phantomK9]

I'm usually GM, but when I'm not I'll see what everyone else is making and then make mine based on what holes need to be filled in the group. This goes for D&D or any other system that we are playing. Generally I can play anything so for me it is about the character's story rather than making sure I get all the cool skill/feat combos (or the equivalent in the specific system we are playing).

 

[ethandrew]

For myself, I wait to see what others are playing and see what is missing, then see if I can come up with a compelling character I want to play with the remaining classes. With my group that usually means I'm responsible for the arcane, which I'm more than okay with as a character.

As a DM, it seems none of my players have any regard to what others are playing. If they want to play a Fighter and they find out there's a martial Cleric, a Monk, a Barbarian, and another Fighter, well by golly a Fighter they will play.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I'm usually the DM, so whenever I'm a player, I have a few concepts I like to play since I don't get a chance to play often. Then I'll look at the party, and choose from those concepts which would probably work better. So I get to play a concept I wanted anyway, and don't feel like I'm playing a PC for party need over my want.

 

[Ganymede81]

It impacts my choice preciously little.

I avoid duplicating someone else's thematic shtick, but otherwise I play whatever I want without heed to what the rest of the party are playing. I certainly don't build a PC in tandem with someone else to get a Wombo Combo going or to fill out the classic fighter/thief/cleric/magic-user party.

 

[Warpiglet]

I play what I am in a mood to play, period. If everyone ends up with rogues/thieves, guess we are gonna be stealthy. We used to sometimes surprise the group and laugh.

And then play!

 

[iserith]

I generally prefer to play support classes, but my ultimate choice depends on what the rest of the group is bringing. I try to wait for last to choose.