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

[TorgoTheWhite]

At 1st level? Not before they die generally.

I would not be 100ft away, but probably far enough 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.

A bunch of monsters are high mobility, and if you are behind the wall. The enemy also has cover... though not from your summon. Then you have to hope your summon can glue the enemy in place though, instead of them bypassing the summon and now trapping you by a wall

 

[ECMO3]

A bunch of monsters are high mobility, and if you are behind the wall. The enemy also has cover... though not from your summon. Then you have to hope your summon can glue the enemy in place though, instead of them bypassing the summon and now trapping you by a wall

But you are not going to typically be fighting a bunch at 1st level.

And going 100ft and then attacking is usually 3 turns. My familiar might not stick them in place, but he is going to do around 35 damage in the 3 rounds it takes them to get to me. 35 damage is enough to end many 1st level encounters for a party of 4 even if no other party members are helping.

But like I said I am not going 100 ft away usually. Usually 25-30 feet with terrain and obstacles.

 

[FrogReaver]

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.

So to stop this pointless back and forth because there’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of warlock using a strong familiar and staying out of the way. The only thing wrong is trying to force that concept into a durability discussion. It’s literally not what durability means in any sense of the word.

 

[FrogReaver]

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

Right. I’d forgotten that prerequisite.

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.

More effective probably. More durable? That’s not what durability is.

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.

My argument was based on 12 temp hp from fiendish vigor making the temp hp from AoA pointless.

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

How so?

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

But you are not going to typically be fighting a bunch at 1st level.

And going 100ft and then attacking is usually 3 turns. My familiar might not stick them in place, but he is going to do around 35 damage in the 3 rounds it takes them to get to me. 35 damage is enough to end many 1st level encounters for a party of 4 even if no other party members are helping.

But like I said I am not going 100 ft away usually. Usually 25-30 feet with terrain and obstacles.

There are plenty of 1/4 CR mini-hordes though. Giant insects, rodents, beasts all clip along over difficult terrain with ease, I cannot remember what your summon's move speed is but it cannot hit every round if it is out-paced.

This is all kind of a sidebar though, since that all is circumstantial survivability versus durability on the character's own two feet. I don't deny the efficacy of the char at Lv1, the unconventional fun potential, and the evasiveness. At Lv. 1, with that warlock, I would probably let that summon 1-shot a weiner, then use my awesome charisma on an intimidate action from 50' away to end the fight through demonstration of pure power ... and this build would certainly allow you the evasiveness to "waste" actions on the unconventional like that.

However, along a broad range of encounters and accounting for possible multiple encounters (endurance). White, Grey, or Neon room discussion, I would bet on the barb or fighter. With that magic initiate fighter taking the edge potentially on a mini horde, but the barb taking the edge potentially off higher attack mini bosses.

 

[mellored]

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'...

Ok. So the most durable is the Sphynx of Wonder, who can be resurrected 10 times a day by it's patron.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

So, curious, would: Mage Armor, (8 hour duration) work for, say, the human barbarian with magic initiate. So, if the character cast it like 3 hours before combat/rage use?.. would that barbarian now be around 21-22 AC?

 

[FrogReaver]

So, curious, would: Mage Armor, (8 hour duration) work for, say, the human barbarian with magic initiate. So, if the character cast it like 3 hours before combat/rage use?.. would that barbarian now be around 21-22 AC?

Different armor formulas don’t stack. Its use it or the other. If mage armor granted +3 ac it would stack.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Different armor formulas don’t stack. Its use it or the other. If mage armor granted +3 ac it would stack.

I was wondering, ah well, worth a shot