Barbarians are good tanks that do crazy damage until level 15+ when the casters just become OP. wish, true polymorph, etc. Druids with unlimited changes. I personally thing rage is the best tanking spell in the game other than early level druids with HP pool cheese. Half damage is great while you have high DPS.
Paladins are good tanks but can also be Boss killers with crits and smitesif you build them correctly.
I played a monk who I built as a tank once. I think I averaged 4 or 5 points of damage per round, but I absorbed tons of attacks/damage so the rest of my party could do damage. I had fun playing him and so did everyone else. I used most of my Ki points to Dodge and I used a few for Stunning Fist.
When your opponents can’t get to the party members who do lots of damage because you’re in the way it’s just as much fun as doing the damage yourself.
I played a monk who I built as a tank once. I think I averaged 4 or 5 points of damage per round, but I absorbed tons of attacks/damage so the rest of my party could do damage. I had fun playing him and so did everyone else. I used most of my Ki points to Dodge and I used a few for Stunning Fist.
When your opponents can’t get to the party members who do lots of damage because you’re in the way it’s just as much fun as doing the damage yourself.
That's how it should be, it's a group effort. People getting upset that the tank isn't doing as much damage as the DPS guy.....are just going to make problems. Healer isn't doing as much damage at the Rogue? Yes....that's kinda the point. The Rogue can't heal at all (probably). Caster can't take a hit, but does awesome damage.
IMO, people pick a role...then they either hate it later or disparage other people that took a more "fun" role.
It feels better if you are doing something. You don't want to run in and get punched, you want to go in and avoid damage while holding back enemies. Build your tank with abilities that play into the role. Reactions to avoid damage and stop enemy advances.
Rage for resistsnces, Step of the Wind to dodge, Sentinel to stop enemies, Disarming Strike, Polearm Master, Totem of the Bear, etc., etc. If all you've got is high AC and health you may find that underwelming.
Now my tanking experience is mostly from MMOs, what makes a good tank in my experience there isn't taking damage, it's controlling challenges. Every player, every mob, every wall, and spell is an opportunity for everything to suddenly go wrong. The tanks job is to make sure that everything that does go wrong is quickly brought under control.
In D&D a damaging character can often take and avoid damage as well as, if not better than, a tank. Also, without threat and AI the player lacks the control of an MMO.
You need a tank? Ask the Wizard. Mage Armor, Mirror Image, Blur, Shield, False Life, Arcane Ward, etc... Your party isn't going to die so long as that bearded old man has spell slots left.
I used to play a halfling ranger, who's weapon got destroyed in session 2 at level 2. Didn't get a replacement till level 5 when he cross classed into Druid (and eventually took the reclass feat to replace his ranger levels with Druid). For those handful of levels he wasn't even that, he was just basically a guide saying "let's not eat the strange colored fungus you stupid human twit" to his only traveling companion, a human fighter until they forged a mercinary company and got a bunch of other players in, where my Druid still ended up spending most of his spells healing and supporting the group. (This was all 3.5)
It it was still fun though. Now I'm about to play a fighter doctor, taking the hits and mending the parties broken bones and stabs with medicine skills. (Now in 5e).
My my wizard had the medicine skill too.. I just can't seem to stay away from being a support or side support character lol
I don't know why, but my first campaign, the wizard was the tank. The barbarian had about 20 health at level 3. The wizard had almost 40
You remind me, I had a kobold sorcerer in 3.5 with 22 hp at level 1. High con and he Had a handful of flaws which I had extra feats for and I took a bunch of draconian feats including draconian toughness, giving me extra hp per draconian feat lol, and I had ok AC thanks to the shield spell. When we converted him to 5e, he turned out pretty tough as well, even after dropping the draconian bonus feats. That con score man, is where it's at!
Party, "We need someone that can soak up hits!"
Hero, "I'm your guy! I'll charge forth and confront the evil doers in righteous combat!"
Casters and Ranged DPS. "We kill everything."
Hero, "Wait....that wasn't very heroic of me, all I did was charge forward and take a bunch of damage."
Party, "That WAS very heroic!"
Hero, "Uhm...everyone else did tons more damage than me and I didn't even get to kill a single monster!"
Party, "That's what tanks do!"
Hero, "Uhm, I don't want to be a punching bag."
DM, "You could reroll if you're unhappy being the tank."
Hero, "Yes! I'd like to do damage like everyone else does. THAT sounds heroic!"
DM, "Ok....big fight, tons of mobs, there's no tank, you all die."
Barbarians are good tanks that do crazy damage until level 15+ when the casters just become OP. wish, true polymorph, etc. Druids with unlimited changes.
I personally thing rage is the best tanking spell in the game other than early level druids with HP pool cheese. Half damage is great while you have high DPS.
Paladins are good tanks but can also be Boss killers with crits and smitesif you build them correctly.
I played a monk who I built as a tank once. I think I averaged 4 or 5 points of damage per round, but I absorbed tons of attacks/damage so the rest of my party could do damage. I had fun playing him and so did everyone else. I used most of my Ki points to Dodge and I used a few for Stunning Fist.
When your opponents can’t get to the party members who do lots of damage because you’re in the way it’s just as much fun as doing the damage yourself.
Professional computer geek
It feels better if you are doing something. You don't want to run in and get punched, you want to go in and avoid damage while holding back enemies. Build your tank with abilities that play into the role. Reactions to avoid damage and stop enemy advances.
Rage for resistsnces, Step of the Wind to dodge, Sentinel to stop enemies, Disarming Strike, Polearm Master, Totem of the Bear, etc., etc. If all you've got is high AC and health you may find that underwelming.
Now my tanking experience is mostly from MMOs, what makes a good tank in my experience there isn't taking damage, it's controlling challenges. Every player, every mob, every wall, and spell is an opportunity for everything to suddenly go wrong. The tanks job is to make sure that everything that does go wrong is quickly brought under control.
In D&D a damaging character can often take and avoid damage as well as, if not better than, a tank. Also, without threat and AI the player lacks the control of an MMO.
You need a tank? Ask the Wizard. Mage Armor, Mirror Image, Blur, Shield, False Life, Arcane Ward, etc... Your party isn't going to die so long as that bearded old man has spell slots left.
Extended Signature
I used to play a halfling ranger, who's weapon got destroyed in session 2 at level 2. Didn't get a replacement till level 5 when he cross classed into Druid (and eventually took the reclass feat to replace his ranger levels with Druid). For those handful of levels he wasn't even that, he was just basically a guide saying "let's not eat the strange colored fungus you stupid human twit" to his only traveling companion, a human fighter until they forged a mercinary company and got a bunch of other players in, where my Druid still ended up spending most of his spells healing and supporting the group. (This was all 3.5)
It it was still fun though. Now I'm about to play a fighter doctor, taking the hits and mending the parties broken bones and stabs with medicine skills. (Now in 5e).
My my wizard had the medicine skill too.. I just can't seem to stay away from being a support or side support character lol
edit: spelling
I don't know why, but my first campaign, the wizard was the tank. The barbarian had about 20 health at level 3. The wizard had almost 40
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In my current game, we all inadvertantly picked backline fighters, each and every person is designed to stay away from combat and throw damage in.
We have come close to dying quite a few times.
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My homebrews - Naturalcrit
Unbalanced parties can be the most fun sometimes, look at the hobbit! A halfling rogue, 13 dwarves fighters and a wizard that was sometimes there :)