D&D 5E What classes should be restricted?

[Sacrosanct]

As the title says, what classes do you not like to see in your games? Pretty basic question right? When you don't want to see, or want to restrict a class in your game, why?

Some instructions for this poll:

• you can select multiple items. All but the top four are reasons. The bottom four choices are an either/or where one must also be chosen for the first bonus question. So everyone should have at least 2 options checked (don't have to select bonus option 2 if you don't want, just bonus option 1)
• if you choose "I don't want it in the official game", please explain in greater detail.
• if someone posts a reason you don't agree with, take a breath and stop before replying. I'll kindly ask people not to argue; there are more than enough threads like that already. This is all subjective and a matter of opinion, so even if you disagree, that doesn't make them objectively wrong. Just move on and state your own case.
• (optional) feel free to list those classes you don't want to see

Just trying to get a feel for how our community views this topic.

 

[Weiley31]

None.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Figures as soon as I put the poll up, I remembered another option: the class doesn't bring anything new. I guess I'll put that as "other" for now as one of my reasons.

For me, I do not see a reason for bards, sorcerers, druids, barbarians, warlords, or artificers. I tend to lean more of the "less core classes the better", and with 5e, I think all of those archetypes can be handled as a combination of class/subclass/feats. Except bard. I just don't like bards

I also voted these are for my games only; let everyone else play what they want and I have no issues with any class being in the core rulebooks. In fact, I don't really restrict all of those in my own games either when I DM. I'm just not a fan

 

[Tony Vargas]

For me, I do not see a reason for bards, sorcerers, druids, barbarians, warlords, or artificers. I tend to lean more of the "less core classes the better", and with 5e, I think all of those archetypes can be handled as a combination of class/subclass/feats.

Not unfair, though Paladin and Ranger, at least, would certainly also fall under that rubric, and it wouldn't be hard to whittle it all the way down to Hero, Priest, Mage, and Psion.

As the title says, what classes do you not like to see in your games?

The first reason is the most important, IMHO. If I'm creating a setting, a world, or a theme for my campaign, some classes may or may not fit it - heck, whole swaths of classes may not.
But, having a fairly complete set of classes to choose from is extremely helpful in doing that. If I decided I didn't want religion in my 1e game, for instance, the omission of Cleric, Paladin, and Druid would have had a chilling effect on play, due to the utter lack of healing, while in 5e, Bards & Artificers could step into the support role and the game would play more or less normally.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

This is a simple one, for me:

• If it doesn't fit the setting, then it doesn't belong in the campaign.
• If it's mechanically broken, and it can't be fixed, then it doesn't belong in the campaign.
• If the character concept can already be represented by an existing class, then there's no reason to add a redundant class to the campaign.

 

[Charlaquin]

Voted before I read the instructions, assumed it was about why a class might not be allowed in general, rather than why I specifically might not allow a class. In light of the question being more about personal reasons, I changed my votes.

Basically, I’d really only ban a class if it was unbalanced or didn’t fit the campaign/setting. I also selected the “evil class” option though I really think that’s just a variant of not fitting the campaign/setting, and the 3rd party option, because I don’t want to have to evaluate 3rd party options for balance and if/how they fit into my campaigns/settings. Alsochecked the “don’t care what others play” option.

I don’t have any (1st party) classes banned from my current game, although I don’t allow the Death domain cleric.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I included "The class doesn't fit with what I think D&D is" even though I've never actually seen a class that fits that description without also fitting "The class doesn't fit the game world setting" or "The theme is counter to a heroic RPG (e.g. a class that is primarily an "evil" class)" or "Creates in game issues (balance, etc)". However, I can imagine that such a class might theoretically exist.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Generally the only reason I'll disallow a class is if it's a third party product. Even if it were to be perfectly balanced and cool as heck, I generally draw the line against allowing anything but official player content because there's so much stuff out there that isn't balanced at all. Better not to set a precedent.

Now, 3PP monsters, those I will use with impunity.

 

[Stormonu]

In 3/3.5/PF I excluded a couple classes as I did not feel they were appropriate to the campaign world I was running (example, Gunslinger & Incarnum). I did exclude the entire Tome of Nine Swords as I had a major disagreement with it being “not D&D”.

on the other hand, I have excluded classes initially, until I had a player bring a developed concept that I thought fit the game (Dragon Shaman, for example).

Offhand, I haven’t done the same in 5E, but I have kept the game limited to the core rules (And Xanathar’s).

 

[PsyzhranV2]

I voted class bloat as my reason to potentially exclude a class from a game I'm running. However, I don't think 5e is at that point yet; the 13 we have so far are manageable to me. So in effect I would have voted for no reason, but wanted to future-proof.

I am admittedly a little leery of 3rd party content, but not enough to automatically dismiss it. Stuff from total randoms I won't approve, but if it's from a well known community designer and/or if it's selling like hotcakes on the DM's Guild, I'll be more open to taking a look. Not a guarantee that it will pass muster, but it certainly helps the chances of it being approved.