D&D 5E (2014) What is the best class for a single class only campaign?

[Zardnaar]

I voted cleric as a well built one has all bases covered.

Utility, healing, ranged and melee combat etc.

Divine soul, Bards and Divine Souls would be next.

 

[pogre]

Clerics - an order of templars!

 

[ECMO3]

Wizards would probably be the most difficult, at least sorcerers have divine soul.

I think a party of wizards would be substantially easier to play than a party of Paladins, and with the bladesinger subclass easier than Sorcerers too (a sorcerer party would be better than Paladin IMO).

Divine soul is great, but healing magic is not strictly necessary and things like spare the dying and healing word are available through a feat.

 

[TwoSix]

I'm surprised that there's so few votes for fighters. Their super flexibility and staying power in a campaign that allows feats is really powerful and allows for a lot of different concept.

• Battlemaster Sword n Board + Interception FS + Inspiring Leader + Healer + Chef as the Quarter Master
• Rune Knight Defensive FS+ Ritual Caster + Magic Initiate as the Mage
• Psi-Knight Halberdier + Telekinetic + Telepathic as the Mystic
• Champion Throwing daggers + Delver + Skill Mastery as the Rogue
• Arcane Archer + Alertness + Keen Mind + Observant as the Sharpshooter

One nice thing about fighters (and the other noncasters) is that you have some stat freedom to have Intelligence or Wisdom or Charisma as a secondary stat for skills, and gives you a little more diversity in characterizations.

 

[TwoSix]

A lot of it depends on how you run your games and what type of campaign it will be. Rogues for an urban campaign with a lot of skill based challenges could be difficult to balance, a thief's fast hands and healer feat can heal people with a bonus action. Do you run 2-3 encounters per long rest or a dozen? It's going to make a big difference.

Yea, it would definitely be a case where I plan the campaign around the class the party picks. A campaign that works well for all rogues would be very different than for one with all paladins.

 

[Shiroiken]

Due to the sheer number of domains, Cleric stands far above all other options, and so far the poll shows this. I don't agree about the Bard being 2nd best, a s they don't have many (if any) good DPR builds. I've seen Wizard work, and having a lot of sub-classes helps keep the variety. Tanks are hard to do, but dwarves and bladesingers help in this regard. In all three cases, the party has to carefully balance their spells, since working off only cantrips will likely lead to a TPK.

Non-full casters are going to struggle, since there's almost no healing and crowd control. Paladin and Ranger could add some, but they lack versatility. Warlock might work... if the party can take a short rest after every other battle minimum (variety is still a bit of an issue). I know nothing of Artificer, so I don't know.

 

[Cadence]

The game we're starting next is kind of the opposite... At the end of the last one, the characters saved all of the gods (ascended mortals, something the world's clergy didn't know) from being captives of the Ilithid... saved them by letting them die. The next one will use new characters who were clerics or paladins when all the divine power went away. So, Cleric (or Paladin) 2/Something else 1 with no cleric spells or powers. I tried to get everyone to choose bard for the Something else, but they wouldn't bite.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Vote as per the title.

Assumptions:

1) 5 player characters in the campaign.
2) The bulk of the game will be Tier 2-Tier 3.
3) Feats Yes, multiclassing No. (No dips!)
4) Assume you're trying to strike a balance between these goals:
a) Diversity in character concepts and builds.
b) Overall group effectiveness.
c) Shared class synergy (wizards sharing spells, druids being able to group wildshape, mass first round fighter action surge, etc.)

No consideration for it being an interesting story, though, which is why we get checks notes an all-cleric campaign.

If you're going with a campaign that would actually be interesting, all-rogue, all-bard or even all-monk would be a lot better.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

All of them.

I have a hard time picturing anyone playing more than one or two sessions of an all-cleric or all-artificer campaign.

 

[ECMO3]

Here is how I would do a party of wizards:

1. Bladesinger 1 (melee damage) - mountain dwarf (trade axe for greatsword) - GWM, ASI, ASI - S20/D14/C16/I10 at level 12. Green flame blade, half plate, spam shield and absorb elements. GWM greatsword GFB+ GWM attack. Never uses save spells, never uses bladesong, uses polymorph when at low hps.

2. Bladesinger 2 (melee defender) - human- criminal background - fey touched (bless), ASI, ASI, ASI D20/I18 level 12. effective AC27. GFB+Rapier on attack. defensive spells are protection from good and evil, blur, mirror image, haste. This is also the guy who casts evocations and "big bang" spells.

3. Bladesinger 3 (ranged/blaster) - high elf (trade longsword for hand crossbow, shortbow for heavy crossbow) urchin background- magic adept (hex, EB, mind sliver), sharpshooter, ASI D18, I16 level 12. crossbow(SS) + 3xEB + 4xhex every turn. When he casts, he generally casts buff spells (haste, fly etc). If enemy gets close he goes into bladesong and retreats (take AOO) or he casts misty step. Uses mind sliver on extra attack sometimes to facilitate follow up spell from #4/#5.

4. half elf Enchanter (face) - fey touched (bane) ASI ASI I20/Ch18 casts control spells and buffs on melee characters

5. human diviner (investigator) - magic adept (guidance, spare the dying, healing word), ASI, ASI, ASI I20/W18. Casts save or suck spells.