D&D 5E (2024) Which class is the most durable (level 1)?

[FrogReaver]

@mellored

Just wanted to add, I don't think anyone seriously considers being 100ft from combat hiding behind a wall a measure of character durability. It just doesn't align with the basic premise, despite being a perfectly fine tactic to employ in an actual game.

 

[mellored]

Enemies cannot move 100ft behind a wall?

Eventually. But you survive more turns than the fighter would.

@mellored

Just wanted to add, I don't think anyone seriously considers being 100ft from combat hiding behind a wall a measure of character durability. It just doesn't align with the basic premise, despite being a perfectly fine tactic to employ in an actual game.

Sure. Depends on your definition.

If it's "can take the most theoretical attacks" then chain wins with their familiar taking a lot of damage.
If it's "survive the longest rounds" then chain also likely win.

We could also say Ranger is the toughest if your being attacked with Dex saves.

 

[FrogReaver]

Eventually. But you survive more turns than the fighter would.

Sure. Depends on your definition.

If it's "can take the most theoretical attacks" then chain wins with their familiar taking a lot of damage.
If it's "survive the longest rounds" then chain also likely win.

We could also say Ranger is the toughest if your being attacked with Dex saves.

Durable doesn't mean I substitute an army tank in my place to prove I'm durable. Da heck?

Durably doesn't mean 'survive the longest rounds even when not being attacked'...

 

[ECMO3]

Hiding isn’t full proof and you only have 10hp and 14-15 ac yourself. Armor of Agathys helps some. Strong build, but ‘durable’ isn’t the descriptor I would use.

No it is not fool proof, but nothing is on a 1st level PC. I think with a shield spell for an easy +5 AC and Armor of Agathys for an extra 5 hit points at the start of the day, which last all day, it is a lot safer than being exposed and able to be easily attacked with fewer total hit points. Also even when hiding fails it will still be difficult to get in melee and they will usually have cover otherwise.

 

[ECMO3]

Maybe. Not everyone plays with xp as the leveling option.

Not everyone plays with 4 encounter days at 1st level either. I would guess the former is more common than the latter, and it certainly is in published adventures. I mean you can just walk down the road to get a milestone to pick up level 2 is SODQ.

 

[ECMO3]

Warlock does have 1 particularly tanky build. Fiendish Vigor Invocation.

12 temp hp per action.

Couple that with Goliath Stones Endurance and Healing Word / Cure Wounds and thats a ton of hp to chew through. If one can get armor of agathys in there, then do that, but it doesn't aid in durability, it's just really strong due to the high temp hp you can get.

You can't get Fiendish Vigor at 1st level.

In any case, even if you could, I think getting a familiar with 23hps that does significantly more at will damage on an attack than a 1st level Fighter, gives you +2 on your saves and which you can also replenish with a magic action is going to be more effective.

Armor of Agathys is also going to be better than Healing Word and much better than Cure Wounds. Cure Wounds is an action. To make Healing Word to be better just in terms of math you need to put points into a casting stat which will take points away from other abilities (Constitution and Dexterity). Even then the problem with Healing Word is the ceiling on the hit points. I can cast AOA and get 5 temp hit points and I can do it first thing in the morning and have those hps until I lose them. With Healing Word your Warlock is going into combat with 11 hps (16 Constitution) and he has to get below 6 before he can get 5 hps out of Healing Word. With Armor of Agathys you go into combat with 16 total hps, so you get the whole 5 regardless.

Also after playing 2024 for a while I think Orc beats either Dwarf or Goliath for the most durable PC at 1st level.

 

[ECMO3]

Requires level 2.

But Pact of the Chain works better than you think.
13 AC and 24 HP, for 10GP and an action.

You can easily get 120HP if you dumped money into incense. On top of Armor of Agathys.

Not going to be a long term strategy, but there you go.

Also if it is a 1st level build you can dump Charisma with no consequences.

 

[ECMO3]

It's not about preventing allies being attacked, it's about you being durable. If they attack you instead of your familiar then you aren't durable even if your familiar ultimately ends the encounter after your dead.

They can, but it is not going to be easy if you are avoiding attack and if you are successful at hiding they will usually have to waste an action first to do it .... and you have a slot for a Shield Spell and probably cover even if they do find you.

Meanwhile your familiar does massive (for 1st level) 1d4+2d6+3 per hit AND gives you a +2 to saving throws.

The concept is a layered defense. I am not relying on one thing - Hide, making it difficult to engage while dealing high damage to kill enemies quickly, get cover and shield spell for a high AC if they do engage me and then finally total relatively high hit points.

 

[ECMO3]

Enemies cannot move 100ft behind a wall?

At 1st level? Not before they die generally.

I would not be 100ft away, mostly because I want the saving throw bonus, but I would probably be far enough and positioned to make melee difficult and if they do get me in melee I use my familiar for cover and rely on my shield spell and relatively high hir points, while the familiar puts a beat down on them.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Yea. That's fair. I don't presume it's always up precombat like the cast every minute cheese.

I do assume that there will be opportunities to precast it, but that's assuming more exploration style encounters. One could presumably cast it before any conversation began and it might last till combat starts, though maybe they just talk longer to give your spell time to drop. Or maybe the mere act of casting any spell triggers combat in your world.

In any event, I think it's fair it can be precast some, maybe not all or most but a significant proportion of encounter like 1/5 at least or something like that.

I tend to think of it mostly like star trek, clearly defensive actions like shields up maybe set another party on edge, but don't constitute combat starting.

I think it is good to say "in your world", certainly there is a reasonable split on this idea either side of the fence.

Star Trek (great source material) to bring over to DnD for sure.

But yeah, Star Trek style of engagement includes some pretty formal implied rules of engagement, representing a large governing body... so shields up is implied.

In my world, magic does not have very common use/application + enemies will almost never have that imperial rules of engagement style - they won't know if you are casting shield, fireball, or summon hill-of-beans. They WILL see you initiate an aggressive action and magic is common enough to recognize you are casting a spell, but the specific spell is too much metaknowlege for most my opponents. I liken it to suddenly drawing a weapon from a social encounter, it is an awkward change to hostility & out in the wilderness where no one will hear from you again, the response is usually initiative... more decorum to an encounter and maybe not so much.

Mechanically, this is to say, traditional combat actions will bring about initiative in my game more often than not.