D&D 5E What PC does Huge DPS in your party ?

[Wuzzard]

Sounds to me like the game is working as intended. The player has an awesome character that does lots of damage. He must be having loads of fun. What's the problem?

In my last campaign the fighter ended up with so much magic it makes this characters damage output look like chump change. Not a problem. Just add more baddies to the combats. Everyone has fun.

 

[hejtmane]

Depends if you are talking big hits and large chunks of damage any Fighter/Paladin/ Barbarian with GWM feat 2H weapon can pump out damage (including some multi-class type builds)

Ranger/Rogue Sharpshooter feat with a bow (more sniper build)

Fighter/Ranger combo (for colossal slayer)/Straight Fighter/straight Ranger with Sharpshooter can pump out some dps at 11 for fighter they get 3 attacks
Heck even straight Rogue with sharpshooter can pump out some damage

Basically GWM/Sharpshooter are big damage booster feat for melee -5 +10 now at least 2 levels in fighter or ranger make the Sharpshooter skill even better because +2 accuracy basically turns -5 into -3

Another feat on certain builds polearm master on a totem Barbarian is quite nice gives a 3rd attack at 1d4 + modifiers (after 5th level) Fighter benefit less over time because at 11th level they get a 3rd attack and frenzy barbs already get a bonus attack

In the aoe department I would say evocation wizards since they can shape there attacks to not hurt their allies so dropping a fireball in the middle of a melee frenzy is while a non issue

I say that is a loaded question

 

[jgsugden]

DPR or DPS? Damage per Round and Damage per Strike end up being very different concepts at higher levels.

The melee characters with the -5/+10 feats and a ready source for advantage are winning the day for DPR. Paladins, especially, are getting in a huge amount of damage when you alow them to smite/spell, etc...

The overpowered bow, rolled stats, etc... are giving you an overpowered PC. It isn't the end of the world, but it does up their damage quite a bit.

 

[hejtmane]

There is a reason why I am custom doing all my magic items I have removed all + accuracy at this point from any magic items. So a +2 bow would be just giving +2 damage still nice and helps a lot but the lack of + acc helps on magic items.

Now if you want to reset what your character magic items are (i already did this once) I had them get in a brawl in a corrupt town; they where blamed put in prison beaten almost to death robbed by the guards dropped in the wilderness left for dead naked and nothing. Yep lost all their magic items bahahaha ( I am evil DM I admit it)

 

[Halivar]

Before 10th level I prefer magic items that are either 1) limited in use, 2) come with a significant drawback, or 3) have the bonuses filed off. A +1 in 5E is a really big deal. That being said, I LOVE handing out loot, and rolling for loot, so even still I tend to have overpowering PC's. I manage to still challenge PC's through relentless attrition. No rests, smart bad guys, etc. The PC that novas the strongest is usually the first to drop. I ran a fight recently where the BBEG was finally taken down by a 1d4+1 dagger hit because that was the only person left standing to challenge them. If nothing else, your Death Star-Laser PC still has hit points, and that is where you bring him down to earth.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

It's worth noting that if his ability score is already 20, and he already has Sharpshooter, and he already has an awesome +2 magic item, then his power from abilities, feats, and weapons is essentially maxed out. He won't grow in power as fast as the rest of the party, so things will even out again.

 

[Eltab]

One way to deal with a PC who can out-DPR everything in the book, is send LOTS AND LOTS of low-to-mid HP enemies at him. Individually, they aren't worth his Alpha Strike. As a group, they can keep giving him the Death of 1000 Cuts treatment until he falls.

Look through the MM. Use archer rangers, archer rogues w/sneak attack, Magic Missile wizards, and Eldritch Spear warlocks. They hide behind Zombies or other creatures with an "I'm not dead yet!" ability.

Rust Monster can zero in on that sword and try to eat it. (Let it electrocute itself once while trying; good story).

Another possibility, requires some role-playing: Is there some class of opponents he will not fight? ("I never strike a blow against a child") BBEG can send traps and pawns out to mess with him. One little kid asks for help to find his kitten ... down a dark alley that just cries out "Ambush". The second little kid DOES lead him into an ambush. Another is the child of a powerful local lord with pride issues. Another wears a explosive overcoat but doesn't know how to make it work. Another wears a Gem of Fireball on a necklace but doesn't know what it is. Another is the niece of the Thieves Guild boss. Another (barely a teenager) thinks she's a seductress even though she's also jailbait (for adults and especially out-of-towners). Kobold younglings of course alert the whole tribe. Orc-ette challenges him to a duel and denounces him as a chicken or a sissy if he demurs. Another child asks to become his squire, while the group is in a big hurry to get someplace else.

Give him things to do that DPR is not the short route to victory (like wrestling the orc girl).

 

[Dausuul]

There are several things feeding into this, but two big ones: The Sharpshooter feat - a known balance problem in 5E - and a crazybroken magic longbow that grants +2 to hit and 1d6+2 bonus damage. Not only are they both too powerful in themselves, but they're reinforcing each other, since the bow's to-hit bonus offsets the Sharpshooter penalty. The natural 18 for Dex is icing on the cake.

Also, as others have pointed out, he only gets one sneak attack per turn. I smell someone playing fast and loose with the rules. Did he actually roll a natural 18 for Dex? Or is he trying to claim multiple ability score increases for being 8th level? If the latter, he's cheating... or at least reading very carelessly with results in his favor. Ability score increases are class features and thus determined by class level, not character level. By multiclassing the way he's done, he should have sacrificed two ASIs compared to a straight fighter. That's one of the big balancing factors that's supposed to keep multiclassing in check.

Keep a close eye on this guy and make sure he's following the rules. Then try to nudge the party up through the levels a bit faster. When they hit level 11-12, the single-classed folks will suddenly start looking a lot better.