Who is Number... 5?

[Chun-tzu]

Cleric or ranger.

Clerics, of course, are often the most indispensable members of the party. If you have two, they can share the healing and support functions. And it's very easy to build two clerics who are very different from each other.

Rangers, like Bards, are utility characters, and can serve in multiple functions. But I'd rather have a Ranger for that #5 spot.

 

[Larry Fitz]

Any healing class, Paladin, Cleric, Druid, Bard I don't care, as long as it's a class that can heal the cleric when he goes down, makes a TPK that much less likely.

 

[Buttercup]

I'd have to say a cleric, for all the reasons stated above. Since it's the 5th member, you have lots of flexibility. Perhaps a cleric/sorcerer, or a cleric/fighter, depending on what you want to do with the character. But I would only take a few levels of the other class, maybe 3, and concentrate on cleric.

And if I were building a sorcerer cleric in this case, I would concentrate on spells other than direct damage. I would instead suggest the utility spells, so the cleric could still don armor and mix it up in combat, then afterwards, take off the armor and cast identify, mage hand and so forth.

If I were building a cleric/fighter, I would probably take enough levels of fighter so I could get weapon specialization in the god's favored weapon, and take the rest as cleric.

 

[Drawmack]

start a fourth level and have a ftr/wiz/clr/rog

 

[diaglo]

So you've assembled the classic D&D party, Mage, Cleric, Fighter, Thhhhhh.. rogue.

What class do you want to fill the number 5 spot? Bard? Druid? Monk? Who complements the standard party?

-Andor

well since it is classic D&D, i would go with Dwarf.

Mage, Fighter, Bard, Druid, Monk and Thief weren't classes.

Fighting Man
Cleric
Magic-user
Dwarf
Elf
Hobbit


so in that group. i would have Cleric, Fighting Man, Magic-user, Dwarf as the four. and Elf as #5

but that's just me.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

diaglo's usual throwback comments aside ...

Depends a lot on the nature of the campaign.

If it's wilderness heavy, ranger or druid.

If it's a city adventure, or particularly RP heavy, bard.

If it's a combat-heavy dungeon crawl, another fighter-type (fighter, barbarian, ranger, paladin, or another class built to excel in melee or ranged combat, like a cleric-archer).

The best all-rounder group support character, though, is definitely the bard. Plus then someone can chronicle the group's story ...

 

[Airwolf]

I have to agree with several other posters, mostly. It depends on the type of campaign.

Wilderness: Ranger or Druid
City or Heavy RP: Bard
Hack and Slash: Cleric

 

[afreed]

<u>You</u> are Number 6.
(Someone had to say it.)

 

[Angelsboi]

Johnny is Number 5

 

[francisca]

Re: Re: Who is Number... 5?

well since it is classic D&D, i would go with Dwarf.

Mage, Fighter, Bard, Druid, Monk and Thief weren't classes.

Fighting Man
Cleric
Magic-user
Dwarf
Elf
Hobbit


but that's just me.

Damn, and I thought I was grizzled....

(With apologies to SNL...)



Since I don't run any of the pre-fab 3E modules, all of the groups I DM are 6-8 characters, harkening back to my Basic/Expert and 1E roots. Typically it's two fighters, cleric, rogue, ranger, wizard. They can't seem to understand that the ranger is not a tank, however.