D&D 5E What is the best class for a single class only campaign?

[Mistwell]

I'd definitely say Bard. Bard can fill all party roles with emphasis on subclasses. You can make a melee bard, a ranged attacking bard, a spellcasting bard, a healing bard, a tank bard, a striker bard, a controller bard, a buffing bard, a faceman bard, an exploration bard, I cannot think of a single aspect of the game that a bard cannot play the role and play it well. And particularly with inspiration, the synergizes would be superb.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Hands down Artificer. You get all your infusions to yourself, you can get at least one animal companion (Steel Defender as a Battle Smith, and/or Homunculus Servant as an infusion at level 2) to absorb some attacks and deal extra damage for you, if you're one of the damage-focused subclasses (any of them except Alchemists) you can deal good damage and use your support features to prevent yourself from dying, you get to attune to more magic items than anyone else in the game, and you get great spells to use on yourself (Guidance, Enlarge/Reduce, Haste, etc).

 

[RangerWickett]

I ran a campaign (in Pathfinder) with four paladin PCs each worshipping a different god. This was PF, so everyone was Lawful Good, but one worshipped the NG goddess of love and art, another worshipped the LN explicitly-stolen-from-Egypt sun god Ra, and then we had a god of hearth and family, and a god of righteous retribution against the wicked.

Then along the way the party met and adventured with a series of other paladins of other gods. LN god of thresholds and defense, NG god of sport and athleticism, LG god of dragons and wayfinding, LG god of military strategy, NG explicitly-stolen-from-Egypt river goddess Wadjet, etc. etc.

And since one of Pathfinder's big historical events is the death, one century ago, of the LN god of human civilization Aroden, the main villain of the campaign was a former paladin of Aroden who was out to kill pious people and destroy temples in protest of their hypocrisy and selfishness.

The name of the campaign was SMITE EVIL.

 

[Dausuul]

Hands down Artificer. You get all your infusions to yourself, you can get at least one animal companion (Steel Defender as a Battle Smith, and/or Homunculus Servant as an infusion at level 2) to absorb some attacks and deal extra damage for you, if you're one of the damage-focused subclasses (any of them except Alchemists) you can deal good damage and use your support features to prevent yourself from dying, you get to attune to more magic items than anyone else in the game, and you get great spells to use on yourself (Guidance, Enlarge/Reduce, Haste, etc).

The problem with artificer is that you will never get any spells past 4th level, and you have to wait till the final third of the campaign to even get those.

 

[Kurotowa]

The warlock is such a flexible chasis...

That's what I voted for. It takes a little coordination but you can get a decently rounded party out of it. You've got your Blade Pact Hexblade Patron or Blade Pact Undead Patron for your melee, a Celestial Patron as your healer, a mix of Tome Pact and Chain Pact as your ranged casters, and maybe someone will be crazy enough to try a Talisman Pact as a support caster.

It's not the most optimized party, but it's one of the more well rounded ones for a single class only campaign.

 

[Charlaquin]

I went with rogue, but not for any mechanical reason. Rather, I think an all-rogue party has the clearest and most cohesive theme and campaign direction.

 

[Charlaquin]

The warlock is such a flexible chasis...

This is what I would have picked if I was basing my answer on the mechanics instead of the concept.

 

[Undrave]

I went with rogue, but not for any mechanical reason. Rather, I think an all-rogue party has the clearest and most cohesive theme and campaign direction.

"We're going to steal the Declaration of Independence!"

 

[Magister Ludorum]

In my current modern arcana game, all the pics except for one ranger are warlocks. Celestial pact, infernal pact, shadow pact and fey pact.

It's based loosely on Sabrina.

 

[Marc_C]

A travelling circus which is in fact a group of rogues who pull off heists.