I currently have a party or four (all at 1st level) that will start playing late January. It consists of a barbarian, druid, rogue and sorcerer. However, a fifth person wants to join, and I have no idea which class would help balance out what I have so far. So that's why I'm turning to you fine, fantastic people! If you could help me come up with a few character ideas, that would be awesome! :D
They should play whatever makes them happy. Party composition doesn't have as much of an impact in 5th edition. That said, a Bard would round you out pretty well.
yeah, forget the illusion of party balance. if he has a character he's excited to try, let him just do that. even if you double up on a role, it will be fine.
Now i do get some players are all into "i have fun filling roles the party lacks" so i'd also agree with bard for a ton of versatility. or some non-magic ranged options like a ranger or fighter skilled in archery.
I agree that party balance isn’t very important, and you have a good mix there. But I’d say wizard or artificer. Someone to help with those int skills.
I currently have a party or four (all at 1st level) that will start playing late January. It consists of a barbarian, druid, rogue and sorcerer. However, a fifth person wants to join, and I have no idea which class would help balance out what I have so far. So that's why I'm turning to you fine, fantastic people! If you could help me come up with a few character ideas, that would be awesome! :D
As pointed out, the party is pretty balanced and balance is pretty forgiving so let the fifth person play what they want. If they want advice I would recommend a bard, however, because that class can crack fill whatever the party seems to be missing as the party levels advance and focus on social encounters.
I agree that party balance isn’t very important, and you have a good mix there. But I’d say wizard or artificer. Someone to help with those int skills.
A would agree with that but for other options would require to know more about the other players.
Ideally in a party of 5 you would want at least 2 in melee. The barbarian almost certainly is, the sorcerer almost certainly isn't but the rogue and druid could be either. If you want a melee character with high int, you can go Bladesinger, Armorer or Battlesmith (using the steel defender in melee).
What subclass in the druid? If they are cicle of the moon you might want to consider another PC with healing so that the druid doesn't need to come out of wild shape is somebody goes down, especially if potions will be scarce. You can do this and have high it if you go artificer.
Yeah, I’m going to join the chorus of “whatever they want to play” chanters. It really doesn’t matter too much this edition. If it were me I would go bard or cleric, but neither is necessary.
You are missing a character covering intelligence skills, so either a wizard or artificer would be the correct choice.
When playing the intelligent character, look to milk as much lore about the world out of the DM as possible with your skill proficiencies in arcana, history, religion, etc. And use it to the party's benefit.
With this party composition, I would favor a combat oriented artificer over a wizard. Either a battle smith or armorer to take some heat off the barbarian.
You are missing a character covering intelligence skills, so either a wizard or artificer would be the correct choice.
When playing the intelligent character, look to milk as much lore about the world out of the DM as possible with your skill proficiencies in arcana, history, religion, etc. And use it to the party's benefit.
With this party composition, I would favor a combat oriented artificer over a wizard. Either a battle smith or armorer to take some heat off the barbarian.
Honestly, you can never go wrong with adding an Artificer to the party.
....Wait, what's that ticking noi-
Seriously though. If you want to go with a class that can help the party out, I'd recommend something like an Artificer or a Ranger. They've got a whole bunch of different spells and features that can let them assist in a general Jack-of-all-Trades sort of manner. They may not be the best at any specific thing, but you've already got a Barbarian who can tank, a Druid that can heal, a Rogue for stealth, and a Sorc for spell damage. You don't really need a specialist. You can just go with a generalist, who can help the party in odd, but surprisingly effective, ways.
It's been said here before, but I'll emphasize it with my comment: The traditional "roles" mean very little in 5e. Covering strict roles isn't usually very optimal either if that's what you are looking for.
A few ideas that are IMO importan when making this choice:
1. It's not a bad idea for a party to cover all of the Attributes if possible. But for all we know, the rogue has a high int score and int profis. And you don't really need high scores either. Usually a +1 and a profi goes a long way.
2. Heals, heals, heals. Dnd doesn't usually require a dedicated healer, but the more party members have access to any kind of heals, the easier it is to revive fallen friends and end their death saves. You only need to heal 1pt for this. Bonus action heals heals are always good.
3. A party of 5 is very versatile and strong anyways. In a party of 2 or 3 you need to worry more about each member being pretty well equipped for combat. In a party of 5, you can easily have one character who doesn't do as much in combat. So the best character is an enjoyable character.
It's also important to keep in mind that difficulty is not fixed like in video games. In video games a fight is always the same, so the more optimal the party, the easier the fight.
In PPRPGs the difficulty is created by the DM. So if combat is too easy, then the DM can adjust it. If combat is too deadly, then the DM can adjust it.
So party optimization doesn't really exist here. Well maybe temporarily before the DM figures out a nice balance.
What's the context/expected challenges? How tanky/range-focused are the druid, rogue and sorcerer? Do existing characters have strategies in mind? Will stealth be important or will a need to swim need consideration?
On heals, the druid could distribute goodberries, especially to the sorcerer with mage hand.
Bladesinger wizard. Can be a backup for the barbarian but also has full wizard casting and int skills. Get hunters mark via the Fey Touched feat ftw.
Shield, silvery barbs and mirror image for defence, familiar to gain advantage on one attack per round. Shadowblade, haste, spirit shroud all good offensive ideas. Booming blade and green flame blade are good early on.
A fun option is to take two levels of paladin and gain divine smite. E.g. drow paladin of Eilistraee. But pure bladesinger has a strong appeal also.
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Hello!
I currently have a party or four (all at 1st level) that will start playing late January. It consists of a barbarian, druid, rogue and sorcerer. However, a fifth person wants to join, and I have no idea which class would help balance out what I have so far. So that's why I'm turning to you fine, fantastic people! If you could help me come up with a few character ideas, that would be awesome! :D
Ren
They should play whatever makes them happy. Party composition doesn't have as much of an impact in 5th edition. That said, a Bard would round you out pretty well.
yeah, forget the illusion of party balance. if he has a character he's excited to try, let him just do that. even if you double up on a role, it will be fine.
Now i do get some players are all into "i have fun filling roles the party lacks" so i'd also agree with bard for a ton of versatility. or some non-magic ranged options like a ranger or fighter skilled in archery.
I agree that party balance isn’t very important, and you have a good mix there.
But I’d say wizard or artificer. Someone to help with those int skills.
Let them choose whatever it is they want to play. Composition should not dictate your class choice.
If it were me I'd go Paladin, Cleric, or Monk.
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As pointed out, the party is pretty balanced and balance is pretty forgiving so let the fifth person play what they want. If they want advice I would recommend a bard, however, because that class can crack fill whatever the party seems to be missing as the party levels advance and focus on social encounters.
A would agree with that but for other options would require to know more about the other players.
Ideally in a party of 5 you would want at least 2 in melee. The barbarian almost certainly is, the sorcerer almost certainly isn't but the rogue and druid could be either. If you want a melee character with high int, you can go Bladesinger, Armorer or Battlesmith (using the steel defender in melee).
What subclass in the druid? If they are cicle of the moon you might want to consider another PC with healing so that the druid doesn't need to come out of wild shape is somebody goes down, especially if potions will be scarce. You can do this and have high it if you go artificer.
Whatever character the player wants to make should be okay. IMO a paladin could be a nice addition to support the party and help defend or heal.
Yeah, I’m going to join the chorus of “whatever they want to play” chanters. It really doesn’t matter too much this edition. If it were me I would go bard or cleric, but neither is necessary.
You are missing a character covering intelligence skills, so either a wizard or artificer would be the correct choice.
When playing the intelligent character, look to milk as much lore about the world out of the DM as possible with your skill proficiencies in arcana, history, religion, etc. And use it to the party's benefit.
With this party composition, I would favor a combat oriented artificer over a wizard. Either a battle smith or armorer to take some heat off the barbarian.
Honestly, you can never go wrong with adding an Artificer to the party.
....Wait, what's that ticking noi-
Seriously though. If you want to go with a class that can help the party out, I'd recommend something like an Artificer or a Ranger. They've got a whole bunch of different spells and features that can let them assist in a general Jack-of-all-Trades sort of manner. They may not be the best at any specific thing, but you've already got a Barbarian who can tank, a Druid that can heal, a Rogue for stealth, and a Sorc for spell damage. You don't really need a specialist. You can just go with a generalist, who can help the party in odd, but surprisingly effective, ways.
It's been said here before, but I'll emphasize it with my comment: The traditional "roles" mean very little in 5e. Covering strict roles isn't usually very optimal either if that's what you are looking for.
A few ideas that are IMO importan when making this choice:
1. It's not a bad idea for a party to cover all of the Attributes if possible. But for all we know, the rogue has a high int score and int profis. And you don't really need high scores either. Usually a +1 and a profi goes a long way.
2. Heals, heals, heals. Dnd doesn't usually require a dedicated healer, but the more party members have access to any kind of heals, the easier it is to revive fallen friends and end their death saves. You only need to heal 1pt for this. Bonus action heals heals are always good.
3. A party of 5 is very versatile and strong anyways. In a party of 2 or 3 you need to worry more about each member being pretty well equipped for combat. In a party of 5, you can easily have one character who doesn't do as much in combat. So the best character is an enjoyable character.
It's also important to keep in mind that difficulty is not fixed like in video games. In video games a fight is always the same, so the more optimal the party, the easier the fight.
In PPRPGs the difficulty is created by the DM. So if combat is too easy, then the DM can adjust it. If combat is too deadly, then the DM can adjust it.
So party optimization doesn't really exist here. Well maybe temporarily before the DM figures out a nice balance.
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What's the context/expected challenges?
How tanky/range-focused are the druid, rogue and sorcerer?
Do existing characters have strategies in mind?
Will stealth be important or will a need to swim need consideration?
On heals, the druid could distribute goodberries, especially to the sorcerer with mage hand.
Bladesinger wizard. Can be a backup for the barbarian but also has full wizard casting and int skills. Get hunters mark via the Fey Touched feat ftw.
Shield, silvery barbs and mirror image for defence, familiar to gain advantage on one attack per round. Shadowblade, haste, spirit shroud all good offensive ideas. Booming blade and green flame blade are good early on.
A fun option is to take two levels of paladin and gain divine smite. E.g. drow paladin of Eilistraee. But pure bladesinger has a strong appeal also.