I went with Creation Bard, due to component cost. I'd be able to create up to 200 gp components. I also didn't choose a background, since the OP is only "choose a class". Race was obviously standard human.
I also chose spells that did not use spell save DCs or attack bonuses because there's nothing about stats. Even with +4 from the ASIs, which are indeed class features, I'd probably still have very low, maybe 12 at best. I'm not very charismatic. Besides, most things with these aren't something I would find useful or would be morally against. Suggestion and Dominate Person would certain pave the way for wealth and power, but frankly the idea of controlling people like that is abhorrent to me and should only be done in extreme cases - which, there's not many for these. If "starting stats" were a thing, I'd consider Modify Memory as an absolute last resort should somebody I don't trust find out about my magical abilities.
Bard proficiencies: I chose Persuasion, Animal Handling and Performance. Persuasion because it would be helpful, Animal Handling because I like animals better than people. Performance because I would like to be able to sing. My Expertise features let me choose all 3 as Expert, so with a +8, I think I can do well even if my stats suck. For musical instruments, I chose lute, viol and drum. Good thing about musical instruments is being good at one can make you good at similar types of others: lute can be guitar and viol can be violin or cello, for instance. And understanding these with Performance means learning new ones shouldn't be too difficult.
Now for the spells. I'm a little top-heavy due to swapping lower for higher at level ups, but these aren't things I need to cast every day "adventuring". They're just to help me live my life.
Mending Because it's useful. Dropped my phone and cracked the screen? Fixed. Dropped and shattered a glass? Get all pieces, wave a hand, and fixed. Can make a good side business too that can be hidden ("I'll see what I can do, come collect in a few hours").
Minor Illusion There's a lot you can do with this, even if just to while away boredom. Or to play pranks on family and close friends.
Prestidigitation Because, seriously, one of the best cantrips ever. I can make water taste like cola, I can make bland food taste wonderful, I can clean anything with a wave of a hand (again, potential side business opportunities here), I can do so many things with this.
Feather Fall Doing more adventurous things is a lot safer if you never need worry about fall damage. Imagine the thrill of being able to jump from any height, without a parachute, and guaranteeing to land safely?
Sleep I have nothing for combat. Almost everyone I'll encounter is basically a Commoner or close enough. This gives me an option for peaceful self-defence.
Speak With Animals I would like to have a cat again someday and this will help ensure that I can give them the care they need instead of me having to guess. I can talk to them, find out what they want and need, I can explain why outside isn't safe for them. It can help me train them and so on.
Borrowed Knowledge I can literally just give myself proficiency in any skill I want. Nothing says it's only D&D skills. It's any skill I lack proficiency. I have no skill as a painter, but now with this I can create paintings. I can choose skills that will let me make things - paintings, clothes, figurines, sculptures, heck, computer programs even. The created component lasts 4 hours, so I can cast this 4 times. That's 4 hours of making anything I can then sell. And there's ways to improve on this, coming later.
Lesser Restoration Cure disease, blindness, deafness, paralysis and poison. I can cure and keep safe my family and friends. And, I suppose, if I ever do get discovered my ability to help people will be useful if they don't lock me in a laboratory or dissect me or something.
3rd Level Spells
Create Food and Water [Magical Secrets] Free food for me and my future cat? Yes please. The spell lets you choose the food but it is always "bland but nourishing". So, you can make a cake that is nourishing but bland. Thankfully, there's prestigious to flavour the food. So, yeah - cake and ice cream for dinner and it's healthy? AND FREE? By gods the money I can save.
Dimension Door I'd have to be careful to avoid discovery and it doesn't go very far (it's 500 ft, I have mobility issues and can walk that in like 60 seconds). But, you never know when it might be useful. Got stuck somewhere? Trapped down a hole? Or, when nobody is around can just teleport straight up and then Feather Fall down, just for some fun.
Fabricate[Magical Secrets] Combine with Borrowed Knowledge this will greatly help me make things that could be sold and in a fraction of the time. The 10 minutes of Fabricate results in a fully completed product regardless of how long it would have normally taken. That highly detailed painting that would have taken several hours? That complicated toy that would have taken days? 10 minutes. And since Borrowed Knowledge lasts an hour, you can use all 3 4th and both 5th level slots for 5 products. Better yet, making detailed things only requires "proficiency" but doesn't need a roll - you just make the product, so it would be the best version you can make. Even if it did require a roll, +4 is tidy enough bonus.
Locate Creature Cat has gone walkabouts? Nieces scampered off in a store or crowd? There are times where this could be useful. Few and far between but this is one of those "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" kind of thing.
5th Level Spells
Greater Restoration Kind of a weird one, really, as the only use it has actually applicable to real life is "remove one level of exhaustion". But seriously, as a person with chronic insomnia this would be amazing.
===
Honestly, would rather be Wizard but a lot of my choices there would require costly components.
I also considered Druid, but wouldn't have as much when removing all costly components. Wild-Shape is tempting though.
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It was mentioned when this thread started a few years ago that these are clearly fantasy wishes as opposed to what you'd really be in 10th level game terms.
Oh, well in that case I’d be an Artificer with one of my own subclasses.
I went with Creation Bard, due to component cost. I'd be able to create up to 200 gp components. I also didn't choose a background, since the OP is only "choose a class". Race was obviously standard human.
I also chose spells that did not use spell save DCs or attack bonuses because there's nothing about stats. Even with +4 from the ASIs, which are indeed class features, I'd probably still have very low, maybe 12 at best. I'm not very charismatic. Besides, most things with these aren't something I would find useful or would be morally against. Suggestion and Dominate Person would certain pave the way for wealth and power, but frankly the idea of controlling people like that is abhorrent to me and should only be done in extreme cases - which, there's not many for these. If "starting stats" were a thing, I'd consider Modify Memory as an absolute last resort should somebody I don't trust find out about my magical abilities.
Bard proficiencies: I chose Persuasion, Animal Handling and Performance. Persuasion because it would be helpful, Animal Handling because I like animals better than people. Performance because I would like to be able to sing. My Expertise features let me choose all 3 as Expert, so with a +8, I think I can do well even if my stats suck. For musical instruments, I chose lute, viol and drum. Good thing about musical instruments is being good at one can make you good at similar types of others: lute can be guitar and viol can be violin or cello, for instance. And understanding these with Performance means learning new ones shouldn't be too difficult.
Now for the spells. I'm a little top-heavy due to swapping lower for higher at level ups, but these aren't things I need to cast every day "adventuring". They're just to help me live my life.
Cantrips
Mage Hand
Because I'm lazy.
Mending
Because it's useful. Dropped my phone and cracked the screen? Fixed. Dropped and shattered a glass? Get all pieces, wave a hand, and fixed. Can make a good side business too that can be hidden ("I'll see what I can do, come collect in a few hours").
Minor Illusion
There's a lot you can do with this, even if just to while away boredom. Or to play pranks on family and close friends.
Prestidigitation
Because, seriously, one of the best cantrips ever. I can make water taste like cola, I can make bland food taste wonderful, I can clean anything with a wave of a hand (again, potential side business opportunities here), I can do so many things with this.
1st Level Spells
Cure Wounds
Do I need to explain why?
Feather Fall
Doing more adventurous things is a lot safer if you never need worry about fall damage. Imagine the thrill of being able to jump from any height, without a parachute, and guaranteeing to land safely?
Sleep
I have nothing for combat. Almost everyone I'll encounter is basically a Commoner or close enough. This gives me an option for peaceful self-defence.
Speak With Animals
I would like to have a cat again someday and this will help ensure that I can give them the care they need instead of me having to guess. I can talk to them, find out what they want and need, I can explain why outside isn't safe for them. It can help me train them and so on.
Unseen Servant
Because I am lazy.
2nd Level Spells
Borrowed Knowledge
I can literally just give myself proficiency in any skill I want. Nothing says it's only D&D skills. It's any skill I lack proficiency. I have no skill as a painter, but now with this I can create paintings. I can choose skills that will let me make things - paintings, clothes, figurines, sculptures, heck, computer programs even. The created component lasts 4 hours, so I can cast this 4 times. That's 4 hours of making anything I can then sell. And there's ways to improve on this, coming later.
Lesser Restoration
Cure disease, blindness, deafness, paralysis and poison. I can cure and keep safe my family and friends. And, I suppose, if I ever do get discovered my ability to help people will be useful if they don't lock me in a laboratory or dissect me or something.
3rd Level Spells
Create Food and Water [Magical Secrets]
Free food for me and my future cat? Yes please. The spell lets you choose the food but it is always "bland but nourishing". So, you can make a cake that is nourishing but bland. Thankfully, there's prestigious to flavour the food. So, yeah - cake and ice cream for dinner and it's healthy? AND FREE? By gods the money I can save.
Tongues
It would just be useful.
4th Level Spells
Dimension Door
I'd have to be careful to avoid discovery and it doesn't go very far (it's 500 ft, I have mobility issues and can walk that in like 60 seconds). But, you never know when it might be useful. Got stuck somewhere? Trapped down a hole? Or, when nobody is around can just teleport straight up and then Feather Fall down, just for some fun.
Fabricate[Magical Secrets]
Combine with Borrowed Knowledge this will greatly help me make things that could be sold and in a fraction of the time. The 10 minutes of Fabricate results in a fully completed product regardless of how long it would have normally taken. That highly detailed painting that would have taken several hours? That complicated toy that would have taken days? 10 minutes. And since Borrowed Knowledge lasts an hour, you can use all 3 4th and both 5th level slots for 5 products. Better yet, making detailed things only requires "proficiency" but doesn't need a roll - you just make the product, so it would be the best version you can make. Even if it did require a roll, +4 is tidy enough bonus.
Locate Creature
Cat has gone walkabouts? Nieces scampered off in a store or crowd? There are times where this could be useful. Few and far between but this is one of those "better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" kind of thing.
5th Level Spells
Greater Restoration
Kind of a weird one, really, as the only use it has actually applicable to real life is "remove one level of exhaustion". But seriously, as a person with chronic insomnia this would be amazing.
===
Honestly, would rather be Wizard but a lot of my choices there would require costly components.
I also considered Druid, but wouldn't have as much when removing all costly components. Wild-Shape is tempting though.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Oh, well in that case I’d be an Artificer with one of my own subclasses.
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