To clarify, a "tank" in this context is a build that incentivizes enemies to focus on the character in question and draws fire away from the rest of the party. A tank is not merely a build with high AC and/or good saves, but a build that gives the enemy a good enough reason ignore the rest of the party in favor of attacking it. What is your favorite tank build, and why?
Personally, I'm a bit partial to a battle smith artificer with sentinel and thorn whip. It pulls the priority target toward itself and away from the party and keeps it there with sentinel, while the steel defender stays near the party to impose disadvantage when needed. The enemy will have disadvantage on attacks in just about any situation except staying near the battle smith and attacking it (obviously there are exceptions, but generally this will be the case), and the character's AC and CON mod are good enough to prevent some hits and take the ones that do land without worrying.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown - Champion Challenge feature.
Melee enemies not being able to get close to my caster/ranged friends is a good enough reason to ignore them. Or at least switch to a secondary ranged option which usually doesn't do as much damage.
The first ones that come to mind are the Fighter (Cavalier), the Barbarian/Rogue grappler, Barbarian (Ancestral Guardian), and the Barbarian/Druid (Circle of the Moon, raging while wild-shaped).
Though, I'm currently building an Arcane Trickster (with a Fighter 1 dip) to fill a tank role, magically focused. I'm betting Evasion, Medium Armor, Uncanny Dodge, Counterspell and Spell Thief will all add together nicely to face off against Spellcasting enemies. Edit: Forgot to mention the Mage Slayer feat for this build.
As any paladin can effectively keep enemy attention on them, thanks to compelled duel, it really comes down to the choice of Sacred Oath. I'm partial to the Oath of the Ancients. They have access to ensnaring strike, which they can combine with a javelin for a ranged restrained. And they also have misty step for getting up close to targets that are harassing allies. They can even use both spells while mounted (via find steed) to double their effects. Combine that with the new Interception fighting style and their Aura of Warding and they're pretty hardy.
Solid runners-up here include...
The barbarian, due to their Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Being able to tag the big bad gives them a meaningful choice: attack with disadvantage, or with advantage against someone who may have resistance to my damage? It's so straight-forward that it's almost too simple, but it's also effective and it's hard to argue with the results.
A less-obvious choice might be bards and their College of Valor. Combat Inspiration can be used to increase the AC of anyone who has a Bardic Inspiration die. They can also get expertise in Athletics and have proficiency in Dexterity saving throws and shields, which make them ideal candidates for the Shield Master feat. That said, this build is less about keeping the enemy's attention and more about making the party better.
The fighter, because Battle Masters have oh so many maneuvers to keep enemy attention on them or control the flow of battle. But it's very tactically-minded and if you're not careful you'll burn through all of your Superiority Dice too quickly.
Spores Druid. Temp HP, AOE chip damage, lots of AOE inconveniencing spells (entangle, Faery Fire, Spike growth, Plant growth, combinations of these) Chill touch to stop HP regen. If you wanted to be extra offensive and stop extra HP regen take Death Cleric Dip. Plus ally healing.
Another one that I really like is Abjuration Wizard with Mark of Warding Dwarf for Armor of Agathys. Get temp HP that deals damage to a creature if it hits you, get arcane ward that heals everytime you cast Armor of Agathys that you can use to cover allies, and then just general wizard shenanigans (like slow, or haste) because neither of those things require concentration. Plus you get some martial weapon proficiencies so you can totally go melee with this build and be fine.
The few classes that apply a 'mark' type effect do a pretty good job of taunting at least one enemy at a time, including Ancestral Guardian and Cavalier. However, to taunt an entire battlefield is something that 5E really struggles with, because there's no abilities that really command that attention, and what makes you good at dealing with that attention is also a huge disincentive for the DM to give you that attention. And, even if the DM tries to be a good sport by keeping an enemy or two engaged with your, eventually you're just going to have others walking around you if for no other reason than that they've run out of squares to engage you from.
I think Frightened is a great pseudo-taunt condition, because (1) its something that a couple of martial classes and races can hand out, (2) it's something that can potentially apply to multiple combatants instead of just one enemy, (3) it exerts a "hard" control by imposing an absolute limitation on enemy movement, (4) it exerts a "soft" control by penalizing enemy attack rolls, and (5) the condition you've imposed boosts your own defensive capability alongside the rest of the team. Frightened really does it all, and if it's a longer-lasting version, sometimes the only options available to the enemy are to leave the battlefield or focus you down until they stop being afraid of you. The only drawback to it is, many Frightened abilities are either limited in duration, limited in area of effect, have loopholes that let enemies out of them (often either taking damage or moving away), or are found in higher level spells not within reach of a tank. However, there are a couple of easy-to-access gems that are well within reach of some great fear tanks. My Building Around Fear post from a few months ago is a pretty good recap that leads towards a Paladin/Hexblade/Fighter multiclass, but it was written before Tasha's and the extra flexibility that feats like Shadow Touchedand expanded spell lists provide.
Barbarian Ancestral Guardian is probably among the best of tanks, they can make it very punishing for enemies to attack your allies. But really any melee class with a strong defense and can hit hard can be an effective tank. Just charge in and draw aggro. Every DM I've played with have the enemies hit back when you hit them, and also attack whoever is most convenient. Just by charging in you'll usually draw the attention away from others.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Mark of Warding Dwarf Abjurer. Unusual choice for a tank, but you are far more durable than a Fighter with all the great shenanigans that everyone knows Wizards are capable to do.
Mark of Warding Dwarf Abjurer. Unusual choice for a tank, but you are far more durable than a Fighter with all the great shenanigans that everyone knows Wizards are capable to do.
Upcasted Armor of Agathys + Arcane Ward.
Dude.... I have racked my brain trying to figure out how to make an Abjurer Wizard who can upcast Amor of Agathys without dipping into Warlock. You are my hero!
A low level cleric that casts sanctuary on them self, then precedes to give the help action the rest of the combat.
This, except I ran mine with the Healer feat and carry around a healer's kit or two. Nothing screams "attack me" more than undoing the hard effort a foe has accomplished in fighting someone else, all while right in front of them.
As for Help spam, I did this using a SCAG Dex bladesinging wizard under invisibility. Intelligent enemies knew taking her out was key, but actually trying to effectively wasted their turns.
So Ancestral Guardian Barbarians have already been mentioned, but you can make that build even more effect by dumping Strength and going for a Dexterity build. Now, you'll have an insane AC that the opponents will be forced to attack.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
So Ancestral Guardian Barbarians have already been mentioned, but you can make that build even more effect by dumping Strength and going for a Dexterity build. Now, you'll have an insane AC that the opponents will be forced to attack.
That depends. If you’re using point buy and you do 16 Dex and 16 Con you’ll have 16 AC using Unarmored Defense, the same you can have with just scale mail amor, and you’ll lose out on all the Barbarian strength benefits. Which are substantial. Half plate will take it to 17.
In all cases you give up way too much if you want to get a slightly higher AC through a Dex build.
I'm currently playing a character who's turned out to be an amazing tank: A Rune Knight wielding a greatsword, and with the feat Heavy Armor Master.
Instead of using spells or feats to force enemies to focus on me, I'm literally turning into the biggest threat on the battlefield with the Giant's Might ability. You shouldn't underestimate the psychological effect this has. Additionally, the HAM feat really stretches out my durability (considering that I use a greatsword instead of sword&board).
The lvl 7 ability Runic Shield (force an enemy to reroll its attack against your ally) should also be a great help, though I havent gotten there just yet.
To clarify, a "tank" in this context is a build that incentivizes enemies to focus on the character in question and draws fire away from the rest of the party. A tank is not merely a build with high AC and/or good saves, but a build that gives the enemy a good enough reason ignore the rest of the party in favor of attacking it. What is your favorite tank build, and why?
Personally, I'm a bit partial to a battle smith artificer with sentinel and thorn whip. It pulls the priority target toward itself and away from the party and keeps it there with sentinel, while the steel defender stays near the party to impose disadvantage when needed. The enemy will have disadvantage on attacks in just about any situation except staying near the battle smith and attacking it (obviously there are exceptions, but generally this will be the case), and the character's AC and CON mod are good enough to prevent some hits and take the ones that do land without worrying.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown - Champion Challenge feature.
Melee enemies not being able to get close to my caster/ranged friends is a good enough reason to ignore them. Or at least switch to a secondary ranged option which usually doesn't do as much damage.
The first ones that come to mind are the Fighter (Cavalier), the Barbarian/Rogue grappler, Barbarian (Ancestral Guardian), and the Barbarian/Druid (Circle of the Moon, raging while wild-shaped).
Though, I'm currently building an Arcane Trickster (with a Fighter 1 dip) to fill a tank role, magically focused. I'm betting Evasion, Medium Armor, Uncanny Dodge, Counterspell and Spell Thief will all add together nicely to face off against Spellcasting enemies. Edit: Forgot to mention the Mage Slayer feat for this build.
Art Portfolio
As any paladin can effectively keep enemy attention on them, thanks to compelled duel, it really comes down to the choice of Sacred Oath. I'm partial to the Oath of the Ancients. They have access to ensnaring strike, which they can combine with a javelin for a ranged restrained. And they also have misty step for getting up close to targets that are harassing allies. They can even use both spells while mounted (via find steed) to double their effects. Combine that with the new Interception fighting style and their Aura of Warding and they're pretty hardy.
Solid runners-up here include...
Anything with four levels of echo knight and sentinel.
A low level cleric that casts sanctuary on them self, then precedes to give the help action the rest of the combat.
So, I've got some weird ones that I like.
Spores Druid. Temp HP, AOE chip damage, lots of AOE inconveniencing spells (entangle, Faery Fire, Spike growth, Plant growth, combinations of these) Chill touch to stop HP regen. If you wanted to be extra offensive and stop extra HP regen take Death Cleric Dip. Plus ally healing.
Another one that I really like is Abjuration Wizard with Mark of Warding Dwarf for Armor of Agathys. Get temp HP that deals damage to a creature if it hits you, get arcane ward that heals everytime you cast Armor of Agathys that you can use to cover allies, and then just general wizard shenanigans (like slow, or haste) because neither of those things require concentration. Plus you get some martial weapon proficiencies so you can totally go melee with this build and be fine.
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
Everything you need to know about Homebrew - Homebrew FAQ - Digital Book on D&D Beyond Vs Physical Books
Can't find the content you are supposed to have access to? Read this FAQ.
"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."
The few classes that apply a 'mark' type effect do a pretty good job of taunting at least one enemy at a time, including Ancestral Guardian and Cavalier. However, to taunt an entire battlefield is something that 5E really struggles with, because there's no abilities that really command that attention, and what makes you good at dealing with that attention is also a huge disincentive for the DM to give you that attention. And, even if the DM tries to be a good sport by keeping an enemy or two engaged with your, eventually you're just going to have others walking around you if for no other reason than that they've run out of squares to engage you from.
I think Frightened is a great pseudo-taunt condition, because (1) its something that a couple of martial classes and races can hand out, (2) it's something that can potentially apply to multiple combatants instead of just one enemy, (3) it exerts a "hard" control by imposing an absolute limitation on enemy movement, (4) it exerts a "soft" control by penalizing enemy attack rolls, and (5) the condition you've imposed boosts your own defensive capability alongside the rest of the team. Frightened really does it all, and if it's a longer-lasting version, sometimes the only options available to the enemy are to leave the battlefield or focus you down until they stop being afraid of you. The only drawback to it is, many Frightened abilities are either limited in duration, limited in area of effect, have loopholes that let enemies out of them (often either taking damage or moving away), or are found in higher level spells not within reach of a tank. However, there are a couple of easy-to-access gems that are well within reach of some great fear tanks. My Building Around Fear post from a few months ago is a pretty good recap that leads towards a Paladin/Hexblade/Fighter multiclass, but it was written before Tasha's and the extra flexibility that feats like Shadow Touched and expanded spell lists provide.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Barbarian Ancestral Guardian is probably among the best of tanks, they can make it very punishing for enemies to attack your allies. But really any melee class with a strong defense and can hit hard can be an effective tank. Just charge in and draw aggro. Every DM I've played with have the enemies hit back when you hit them, and also attack whoever is most convenient. Just by charging in you'll usually draw the attention away from others.
Oath of Conquest Paladin. Fear Tank
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Mark of Warding Dwarf Abjurer. Unusual choice for a tank, but you are far more durable than a Fighter with all the great shenanigans that everyone knows Wizards are capable to do.
Upcasted Armor of Agathys + Arcane Ward.
Dude.... I have racked my brain trying to figure out how to make an Abjurer Wizard who can upcast Amor of Agathys without dipping into Warlock. You are my hero!
Agathon my grappler-build barbarian/stripper. Warning: getting grappled by him will involve transfer of body glitter.
This, except I ran mine with the Healer feat and carry around a healer's kit or two. Nothing screams "attack me" more than undoing the hard effort a foe has accomplished in fighting someone else, all while right in front of them.
As for Help spam, I did this using a SCAG Dex bladesinging wizard under invisibility. Intelligent enemies knew taking her out was key, but actually trying to effectively wasted their turns.
So Ancestral Guardian Barbarians have already been mentioned, but you can make that build even more effect by dumping Strength and going for a Dexterity build. Now, you'll have an insane AC that the opponents will be forced to attack.
"Halt your wagging and wag your halters, for I am mastercryomancer!"
Check out my Expanded Signature
That depends. If you’re using point buy and you do 16 Dex and 16 Con you’ll have 16 AC using Unarmored Defense, the same you can have with just scale mail amor, and you’ll lose out on all the Barbarian strength benefits. Which are substantial. Half plate will take it to 17.
In all cases you give up way too much if you want to get a slightly higher AC through a Dex build.
definitely either paladin (via compelled duel) or Ancestral barbarian.
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
I'm currently playing a character who's turned out to be an amazing tank:
A Rune Knight wielding a greatsword, and with the feat Heavy Armor Master.
Instead of using spells or feats to force enemies to focus on me, I'm literally turning into the biggest threat on the battlefield with the Giant's Might ability. You shouldn't underestimate the psychological effect this has. Additionally, the HAM feat really stretches out my durability (considering that I use a greatsword instead of sword&board).
The lvl 7 ability Runic Shield (force an enemy to reroll its attack against your ally) should also be a great help, though I havent gotten there just yet.
HAM is a brilliant feat.