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

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I love the idea of an all Barbarian party. Just 3-5 raging behemoths, slaying and plundering their way across the realm or protecting their homeland from a more advanced civilization. Even better would be a 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead inspired campaign.

“Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars.”

 

[Undrave]

If it was to play in any campaign I'd vote for the boring clerics are they are full casters and quite well rounded.


However, provided the gm notices that all his PCs are artificer, he would hear the unmissable subtext of "we wanna build things." A party of 5 artificers at level 10 can crank out an uncommon item every day or a very rare item every 5 days working 8 hours a day. Magic item replicating spells can overcome the need for utility high level caster. I don't they would be lacking so much on the offense front either in this situation. Harder to play than a Clerix group of assorted domains but doable if there is sufficent (but not extraordinary) downtime and the opportunoty to acquite reciped and schematics.

5 Artificer is just a team from Team Fortress

 

[Dausuul]

Well, level 5 spells now, they are half casters, not 1/3 casters like the original UA...

buuuut your point remains true.

Per the OP, the campaign is tier 2-3. Half casters don't get fifth-level spells until tier 4.

 

[Dausuul]

There is notging wrong with having characters with different kind of abilities.

Nobody said there was. But this thread is about a campaign where everyone is the same class, and in that scenario you don't get to mix and match. Either everyone has high-level spells, or nobody does.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yea, I voted homebrew/other, but focusing on the PHB, I think those are definitely the strongest overall contenders. I favor Bard over Cleric for reasons I explained earlier, but I think Druid is my choice out of the PHB classes. I just can't get over how many shenanigans you can pull when everyone can wildshape. Who's going to notice 5 crows flying over a bandit keep, or 5 mice sneaking into a cave?

Yup. I was kind of "Meh..." on Druids in 5E until we had a sidekick for one adventure because of a player shortage, the DM said "I dunno, make a Druid or something..." and then I just kept having ideas for him, and next campaign I was the Druid! Shapeshifting is absolutely bananas, especially when essentially the worst that can happen is that you can get bonked back into human form. With everyone having it? Wow.

 

[was]

paladins with different auras

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Nobody said there was. But this thread is about a campaign where everyone is the same class, and in that scenario you don't get to mix and match. Either everyone has high-level spells, or nobody does.

ok, thanks for clarifying... i somehow misread it (no multiclassing, but a single class for everyone).

I stand by my choice though:
I think with infusing items and 4 different subclasses, you should be prepared for a lot. And I think it will be a fun choice.

Although of course, being a full caster would be ok.
I could actually vote for wizards:
dwarven Abjurer to be the tank
even bladesinger to be the melee damage dealer
battlemage to counter enemy spellcasters
transmuter for his stone
and another one.

You can heal with a good choice of feats.

 

[Ancalagon]

I love the idea of an all Barbarian party. Just 3-5 raging behemoths, slaying and plundering their way across the realm or protecting their homeland from a more advanced civilization. Even better would be a 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead inspired campaign.

a somewhat "wider" version of this (paladins, rangers, fighters and barbarians - maybe monks?) is a classic and great theme.

edit: in fact, I'm in an SKT campaign (level 6 now) as a psi warrior (me!), hunter ranger, paladin of glory, shadow monk and enchanter wizard. It's great!

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

Clerics or druid
Clerics are the best as you can have a couple solid damage dealers (light and another), a healer (life), a tank (war), and a face (trickery)

Druid works as pinch with a moon druid as tank and a shepherd as off-tank. Dreams as healer, stars as damage, and the fifth as misc. Little less deceptive and sneaky, but it's a party where everyone can be a mouse

 

[Zardnaar]

If it was to play in any campaign I'd vote for the boring clerics are they are full casters and quite well rounded.


However, provided the gm notices that all his PCs are artificer, he would hear the unmissable subtext of "we wanna build things." A party of 5 artificers at level 10 can crank out an uncommon item every day or a very rare item every 5 days working 8 hours a day. Magic item replicating spells can overcome the need for utility high level caster. I don't they would be lacking so much on the offense front either in this situation. Harder to play than a Clerix group of assorted domains but doable if there is sufficent (but not extraordinary) downtime and the opportunoty to acquite reciped and schematics.

Getting to level 10 is the hard part. Class is underpowered until level 10 or so anyway.