D&D 5E Solo play class? I LOVE 5E!!!

[GreenTengu]

This is done a lot easier by just using a Paladin and gaining proficiency in Stealth and thieves' tools through your background.

Maybe I should have explained why then...

Those three classes will give you proficiency bonus in all saving throws. The importance of this cannot be overstated given that every ability on every monster will be thrown at you and if any of the things you fail leave you stunned, entangled, asleep, charmed, etc.... you are dead. Instantly, right there, on the spot you are dead. There are no other party members to wake you up or heal you or keep the monster from getting close to you.

The monster just walks up and coup de graces you. It is as simple as that. Every single ability that would normally simply be "take a PC out of combat to focus on the rest of the group" becomes a "save or die" spell when you are solo. You need your save. You need ALL your saves.

Now, the Cleric level gives you the ability to restore your hit points. Maybe not a huge amount, but enough to keep you alive and going.
The Rogue level gives you the ability to deal an extra 1d6 damage whenever you can get advantage. Stealth and Deception give you ways of getting advantage. It also gives you the requisite Thieves Tools giving you the ability to get past various locked doors and traps.

Straight Paladin doesn't get you any of that. You need to take Fighter/Cleric/Rogue to be able to achieve this. You can start with whichever piece you like, but you should have 1 level in each at level 3 and you'll be the best rounded level 3 you can be. You won't be nearly as good as a specialized class, but you won't have any giant glaring weaknesses to be exploited like most classes...

Well... there is one....

Anyone with a net can kill you and you won't be able to do much of anything about it. But that is going to be true if you play anything but a strength-based character.

 

[the Jester]

Maybe I should have explained why then...

Those three classes will give you proficiency bonus in all saving throws.

There's a fatal flaw in your plan right there. Only your starting class grants proficiency in saving throws.

 

[GreenTengu]

There's a fatal flaw in your plan right there. Only your starting class grants proficiency in saving throws.

Oh, okay. I thought it did. I don't multiclass, so I missed that it was different in the final product. Well then... your just screwed.

There is no possible way to play D&D solo without realizing the difficulty has been more than doubled. Even by level 5, a Goblin with a net or a Kobold Sorcerer with a sleep or charm person spell is going to have a greater than 50% chance if killing you.

The only way to play D&D as a solo adventure is to carefully omit certain combat tactics, have the enemies fight dumbly or just play only social adventurers...

Or create a bunch of NPCs to follow the main character around.

 

[Joe Liker]

If you're playing a solo campaign, the best way to do it is to build the character you want thematically, without regard to optimization.

Why? Because optimization is only relevant in comparison to other PCs. If you're running the only PC in the universe, you are by definition the best. (And worst.)

I'm not sure I really understand what is meant by "solo play" here. Is it just one player and a DM, or one player playing and DMing simultaneously?

In any case, I hope you aren't planning to run published adventures with a single character. They aren't designed for that, and for the amount of fudging you'd have to do, you might as well just make up your own adventure.

For this to work, the DM needs to design a campaign that fits not just a solo character, but your character specifically. If you choose to play a rogue, it should be a crime or espionage adventure. If you're a wizard, it should be filled with challenges that are best overcome with magic. And so forth.

That's going to be a far more satisfying experience all around than trying to optimize a single character for use in a generic or published campaign.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

I'm not a lapsed player literally speaking because I never stopped playing D&D. However, I stopped buying D&D after the mid 90s, and stuck with 1e and 2e all these years. 5e is the first edition I've bought since, and enjoy playing. To me, it feels like 5e cleaned up 2e as much as 2e cleaned up 1e.

Yes, 5th Ed is what I wanted back in August 2000.

As for the OP: Paladin.

 

[Wrathamon]

If you are running a single player in an adventure you can always surround that hero with npcs that help out and you dont have to worry about party optimization because your the DM and you can change the difficulty of a situation based on the hero. You can also spoil the single player more with magic items and not worry about how it affects the other players at the table. If you are running a pre-made adventure like Hoard, just be aware that its intended for 4-5 players (its hard even for 5 players that are new). For single player, you could start out at a higher level, make the encounters easier (lower AC by 1 or 2, lower saves by 1or 2, lower hps by half, and lower their attack scores by 2 or 3. They get hit more often, they die faster and they miss more often) and/or stock them with some magic items to make up the difference.

Being good at stealth is always a good thing for a single player, as is perception. Find out what character concept you feel the player wants to play and work around that.

Also, the DMG should have Gestault rules where you can play two classes on the same character at once. This is great for single player campaigns.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

My favorite idea for a "solo" character (although I'd play him in a party also) would be a half-elf ranger/bard.

It's primarily conceptual. Half-elf has always been my favorite race, and a ranger/bard is adept at both social and wilderness situations. In 5e, the half-elf also adds extra skills into the mix. Your entire concept is a highly competent loner. And it isn't some forced character "build" that requires mental gymnastics to make sense in the world. Just a good solid idea for a character with old-school multiclassing sensibilities.

Mechanically it's probably decent, though I'm not really interested in doing detailed comparisons. You have arcane and divine magic, good weapon proficiencies, excellent skill potential, and you can strike a balance you prefer between emphasis on magic or combat abilities.

If you want, you can pick up a familiar and/or (if you can stomach the implementation) an animal companion.

It's been years since I've had this idea and I really want to play it.

 

[Wrathamon]

My favorite idea for a "solo" character (although I'd play him in a party also) would be a half-elf ranger/bard.

It's primarily conceptual. Half-elf has always been my favorite race, and a ranger/bard is adept at both social and wilderness situations. In 5e, the half-elf also adds extra skills into the mix. Your entire concept is a highly competent loner. And it isn't some forced character "build" that requires mental gymnastics to make sense in the world. Just a good solid idea for a character with old-school multiclassing sensibilities.

Mechanically it's probably decent, though I'm not really interested in doing detailed comparisons. You have arcane and divine magic, good weapon proficiencies, excellent skill potential, and you can strike a balance you prefer between emphasis on magic or combat abilities.

If you want, you can pick up a familiar and/or (if you can stomach the implementation) an animal companion.

It's been years since I've had this idea and I really want to play it.

In solo play I would allow for the animal companion to act independently since you don't have to worry about power balance. I thought ranger also, but was thinking ranger but with an arcane class like warlock or wizard, maybe even sorcerer.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Gestalt could also help.

 

[Mistwell]

[MENTION=3424]FireLance[/MENTION] made an excellent solo adventure for a Paladin in 3.0e, and I think it could be pretty easily ported over to 5e without many changes.

A bard would make an excellent solo PC in 5e as well. They have good healing, good skills, good spells, and decent melee or ranged fighting skills. And they can get by in social and exploration as well.