This question is kind of pointless because there will always be an element of Rock Paper Scissors depending on the circumstances of any fight between them and of course how the dice go.
Still stand by my choice of any heavy spellcaster would be best though simply because they're so versatile.
This question is kind of pointless because there will always be an element of Rock Paper Scissors depending on the circumstances of any fight between them and of course how the dice go.
Still stand by my choice of any heavy spellcaster would be best though simply because they're so versatile.
It would also depend on how the character is built, with their stats.
I stand by what I said, Paladins are better. Wizards are more versatile, and their high level spell are pretty powerful, but they are normally only once a day. Sure, if they have prep, anything can beat anything else, but Paladins have high AC, high damage, high hit points, high healing, and are VERY good at nova when they get a critical hit.
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Anyone can argue that any class is better than the others at certain levels because of what abilities they get then. Any class can do way more damage than the others at certain levels if built correctly, but a class built wrong (sorcerer with no damage spells, monk with a greatsword, paladin with a light hammer) is the weakest class.
Don't think anyone can really say one class is the most powerful, it depends on the circumstances and build.
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Paladin is in my opinion the strongest because it can do everything: tank, heal, burst damage...which sucks because it's so solid at all those things that it can make more specialized party members feel useless.
The best class in game however is definitely the Bard.
Why? Because in game, though they may not be the best class, they can sure as heck PERSUADE the other members of the party and everyone else around them that they're the best!!! ;)
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I agree it is rather confusing why the class with the lowest hit die, and would be crushed if it didn’t have a barbarian to cower behind is the top of the polls.
Because there's a lot more to character power than just "how well can I soak a hit".
Though even in that regard - Mage Armor, Shield, and a decent Dex can get you through a lot of attack rolls very easily, and Bladesinger can walk through small armies and come out the other side without a scratch once you get into the mid-levels. And that's only scratching the surface of what a Wizard can do defensively; there are a *lot* of spells predicated on keeping you alive. Area/save oriented effects can still be problematic, but a Wizard can handle a decent set of those through Counterspell and more through Absorb Elements.
But on the whole when I'm talking how strong a class is I'm looking at combat more holistically - not just "who can take a hit" but "who can neutralize enemies fastest?". And that's an area where the Barbarian often lags behind a Wizard, who gets access to things like Hypnotic Pattern to disable swaths of enemies, and the Wizard's offensive capabilities are often harder to straight up prevent than the Barbarians - who tend to run into issues with things like kiting or flying enemies. To be sure those things exist; the annoyingly common "advantage on saves vs. magic" and later on legendary resistances are also issues, but those tend to be far easier to surmount than "well I can never melee the big flying thing".
And even past that, there are the assorted noncombat roles to consider as well. Things like scouting, social interaction, and investigative work are important things, and Barbarians are good at... relatively few of them. Barbs can be decent scouts since it's not horrendously unusual for them to have a decent Dex and Wis, but they're not particularly good at it when compared to specialists like the Rogue or Bard. Wizards can choose to be excellent scouts when needed with their spellcasting options, and even with very light casting, a familiar can do a very good scouting job in its own right, or just constantly provide Help to the party scout. And then you get to very common picks like Invisibility.
The same goes for social interactions. Barbs are very very bad at social interactions, but Wizards can at least be okay at them thanks to very basic spells like Charm Person. It's nowhere near what a Cha class or Rogue can do if they want to, but it's a lot better than the nothing of the Barbarian. Which is not to say that I think the Barbarian is a bad class by any means, but Barbarians are hyperspecialized into their role and that means that what happens a lot is the player itching for a fight because it's the only place their class features matter.
And all of /that/ said, it honestly shocks me that the Wizard is getting top billing over the Cleric.
I say that there’s no best class, and that a good party will an even mix of non-spellcasters and spellcasters, but also combat and support. But a party also needs players with good social interaction.
But if i have to be honest, I’d that the best class is the one your best at. For some people it might be spellcasters, but i think spellcasters are to complicated for most beginners, because there are lots of spells to choose from and it can be overwhelming. But for me, my favorite is either Warlock or Barbarian. I love the ability to tank lots of damage, but i also like sitting in the back casting spells.
Like others have said that's a complex question. I think spellcasters in an "endgame" scenario are the most powerful, but put a wizard in a tiny room with a barbarian and see who walks out.
The Barbarian walks out, just because the wizard uses a teleport to leave. Walking is for chumps!
The best class in game however is definitely the Bard.
Why? Because in game, though they may not be the best class, they can sure as heck PERSUADE the other members of the party and everyone else around them that they're the best!!! ;)
They also have an amazing amount of versatility in their spellcasting thanks to their Magical Secrets, especially Lore Bards who get them relatively early, and can be decent skill monkeys in general.
also their normal spell list is pretty versatile as well, with a lot of enchantments and illusions and stuff, as well as awaken for some reason and a bunch of other cool utillity spells, but combined with magical secrets and subclass features and you can build an bard to fit literally any role an party needs and do it competently, archery, summons with infernal calling and glibness or any other stolen conjuration spell, healing, damage, melee DPS, burst damage, armor of agathys for some decent ish tanking, divination magic, counterspells with jack of all trades and glibness, there is nothing the bard cannot do. Nothing
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This question is kind of pointless because there will always be an element of Rock Paper Scissors depending on the circumstances of any fight between them and of course how the dice go.
Still stand by my choice of any heavy spellcaster would be best though simply because they're so versatile.
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It would also depend on how the character is built, with their stats.
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I stand by what I said, Paladins are better. Wizards are more versatile, and their high level spell are pretty powerful, but they are normally only once a day. Sure, if they have prep, anything can beat anything else, but Paladins have high AC, high damage, high hit points, high healing, and are VERY good at nova when they get a critical hit.
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Anyone can argue that any class is better than the others at certain levels because of what abilities they get then. Any class can do way more damage than the others at certain levels if built correctly, but a class built wrong (sorcerer with no damage spells, monk with a greatsword, paladin with a light hammer) is the weakest class.
Don't think anyone can really say one class is the most powerful, it depends on the circumstances and build.
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Paladin is in my opinion the strongest because it can do everything: tank, heal, burst damage...which sucks because it's so solid at all those things that it can make more specialized party members feel useless.
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All the classes have their merits to be sure.
The best class in game however is definitely the Bard.
Why? Because in game, though they may not be the best class, they can sure as heck PERSUADE the other members of the party and everyone else around them that they're the best!!! ;)
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Because there's a lot more to character power than just "how well can I soak a hit".
Though even in that regard - Mage Armor, Shield, and a decent Dex can get you through a lot of attack rolls very easily, and Bladesinger can walk through small armies and come out the other side without a scratch once you get into the mid-levels. And that's only scratching the surface of what a Wizard can do defensively; there are a *lot* of spells predicated on keeping you alive. Area/save oriented effects can still be problematic, but a Wizard can handle a decent set of those through Counterspell and more through Absorb Elements.
But on the whole when I'm talking how strong a class is I'm looking at combat more holistically - not just "who can take a hit" but "who can neutralize enemies fastest?". And that's an area where the Barbarian often lags behind a Wizard, who gets access to things like Hypnotic Pattern to disable swaths of enemies, and the Wizard's offensive capabilities are often harder to straight up prevent than the Barbarians - who tend to run into issues with things like kiting or flying enemies. To be sure those things exist; the annoyingly common "advantage on saves vs. magic" and later on legendary resistances are also issues, but those tend to be far easier to surmount than "well I can never melee the big flying thing".
And even past that, there are the assorted noncombat roles to consider as well. Things like scouting, social interaction, and investigative work are important things, and Barbarians are good at... relatively few of them. Barbs can be decent scouts since it's not horrendously unusual for them to have a decent Dex and Wis, but they're not particularly good at it when compared to specialists like the Rogue or Bard. Wizards can choose to be excellent scouts when needed with their spellcasting options, and even with very light casting, a familiar can do a very good scouting job in its own right, or just constantly provide Help to the party scout. And then you get to very common picks like Invisibility.
The same goes for social interactions. Barbs are very very bad at social interactions, but Wizards can at least be okay at them thanks to very basic spells like Charm Person. It's nowhere near what a Cha class or Rogue can do if they want to, but it's a lot better than the nothing of the Barbarian. Which is not to say that I think the Barbarian is a bad class by any means, but Barbarians are hyperspecialized into their role and that means that what happens a lot is the player itching for a fight because it's the only place their class features matter.
And all of /that/ said, it honestly shocks me that the Wizard is getting top billing over the Cleric.
I say that there’s no best class, and that a good party will an even mix of non-spellcasters and spellcasters, but also combat and support. But a party also needs players with good social interaction.
But if i have to be honest, I’d that the best class is the one your best at. For some people it might be spellcasters, but i think spellcasters are to complicated for most beginners, because there are lots of spells to choose from and it can be overwhelming. But for me, my favorite is either Warlock or Barbarian. I love the ability to tank lots of damage, but i also like sitting in the back casting spells.
All in all, it comes down to personal preference.
The Barbarian walks out, just because the wizard uses a teleport to leave. Walking is for chumps!
also their normal spell list is pretty versatile as well, with a lot of enchantments and illusions and stuff, as well as awaken for some reason and a bunch of other cool utillity spells, but combined with magical secrets and subclass features and you can build an bard to fit literally any role an party needs and do it competently, archery, summons with infernal calling and glibness or any other stolen conjuration spell, healing, damage, melee DPS, burst damage, armor of agathys for some decent ish tanking, divination magic, counterspells with jack of all trades and glibness, there is nothing the bard cannot do. Nothing
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Bards ... because they have Bardic Immunity!
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Wizard, Paladins, Bards and Rogues seem to be the most popular of the classes in each of the four classic roles, it seems.
Counterpoint to the bard argument.
Countercharm is crap
Valor bard sucks
Why do they get Power Word Kill?
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Wizard and its not even close.
Results show this to be true. They get the best spells, the most of them, and have the craziest late game abilities.
Top 2 are Wizards and Paladin. I voted paladin, just from pure nova damage, but a level 20 wizard with the right spells can easily beat them.
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an bard with the right build can beat any wizard, all you need is the awaken spell and ca 50 bears plus a few uses of counterspell and silence
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Not if the wizard has Invulnerability.
There are loopholes for every broken build.
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