What are the "party roles" that a group might need?

[Rfkannen]

Hey, so im not currently in a 5e game (current game is pathfinder) but ive been inching for some 5e, so I decided to role up some characters in preparation for the next game that might come up.

So I decided I would make characters that would fill each role that a party might need. The problem is im not sure what those roles are?


So what roles do you think a party might need.


ps. In case im not being clear what I mean is, "hey our group has an x and a y" "well okay then I guess ill bring a z since the group lacks that" what are x, y, and z?

Bonus question, what role would an illusion focused bard, sorcerer, or wizard be? (im itching for some illusions)

[Steampunkette]

Face: Someone to do the talking. May or may not have a good charisma and appropriate skills, might just be an eloquent player.

Skill Monkey: The person who manages the most consequence-having skills like disabling traps or sneaking past guards.

Support: Damage mitigation for party members in the form of healing, target removal, and/or area denial.

Meat: Someone to get beat up on whilst everyone else avoids damage.

[DruidNei]

No role is really 100% mandatory in 5e.

Life is much easier with tanky characters in party, so that is one.

Party face to cover social interactions.

Depending on DM, rogue(ish) character to cover traps/locks, skillmonkey bard or a different class with criminal background can cover this aspect (my current party goes without one).

Dedicated healer is not really needed but support/control can really help with combat.

[Tanarii]

It's not official, but 5e classes basically break down into 4 roles: Warrior, Skirmisher, Magical Buff/Debuff and Magical Offensive/Utility. And some cross the lines a bit to pick up stuff from the other roles.

Warrior: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin
Skirmisher: Monk, Ranger, Rogue
Magical Buff/Debuff: Bard, Cleric, Druid
Magical Offensive/Utility: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

[Rfkannen]

Bonus question, what role would an illusion focused bard, sorcerer, or wizard be? (im itching for some illusions)

[Dudu]

There are, roughly, in and out of combat roles.

In combat you get tanks, buffers, debuffers, battlefield controllers, damage dealers and healers.

Out of combat you will have plenty. Utility caster, scout, party face, book worm, crafter. Notice how they are not obrigatory, at least not all of them.

Also, no one is bound to only one role.

If I had to pick only a few of both in and out combat role, I would pick tank, battlefield controler, damage dealer and healer. For Out it would be Scout, Party Face and Utility Caster.

Tanks are necessary because a party of papers will get rekt, Fighters, Barbarians, Paladins, Moon Druids and, to some degree, Clerics, are more apt of doing that. The new beast ranger might cut in that role as well.

Battlefield Controler so you can dictate the pace of the fight. Who acts, who doesn't, mostly. Wizards and Sorcerers are kings there. Bards are very good too, as well as druids. Monks can work, with their Stunning Fist.

Damage Dealers. A plethora of classes allow this. It's really the best way of dealing with an encounter is doing a lot of damage very fast. Most players are leaned towards optimizing this.

Healers. The obvious kings are Clerics, but Bards and Paladins can rock, with the right build, even surpass clerics. The UA monk of tranquility is very powerful. Some people underrate that role, but they are there for when sh1t happens, and depending on the brutality of the DM, it happen often.

Buffers include Clerics, Bards and Sorcerers as the best fitted for the job. Bless is perhaps the most reliable lvl 1 spell. Bards have their inspiration. Sorcerers can twin powerful buffs.


Out of combat includes.
The scout. It includes perception and investigation. You can have wilderness scout and you can have a dungeon scout, which requires different sets of skills and tool proficiencies. Those guys are important in most campaigns.

The face. He is good in one or more interaction skills. That or powerful illusions and enchantment. Obviously good in campaigns with lots of social interaction.

Utility caster. Biggest king might be the Wizard. Clerics and Druids are strong contenders. Teleport, Telephatic Bond, Scry, etc etc.

[Arkhios]

I don't have much to add to this, but I kinda liked the roles 4th edition gave for classes. And that's almost where the good things end with it :smallbiggrin:

Although in 5th edition the borders between each role blur between classes, here's a few of the more iconic classes per roles:

Controller: Wizard (the one with the biggest toolkit to mess with enemies' plans)
Defender: Fighter (the one who can take the most beating and still keep going)
Striker: Rogue (obviously the one who deal crazy damage)
Leader: Cleric (I know it's weird, but hear me out. Being the one able to heal wounded allies is quite heavy leverage when considering who can call the shots)

[Azazel_Unbound]

Bonus question, what role would an illusion focused bard, sorcerer, or wizard be? (im itching for some illusions)

Generally, at least from what I've seen, they make a good party face, and controller. Good for when you need to lock down a target or slip past some guards. Wizards of the largest list, but Bards probably make the best use of Charisma. Warlocks are pretty good as well. If you really wanna focus on illusion and facing, a MC (dependent on DM) may allow for good mix between Bard and Warlock.

[Fishyninja]

My two pence is:

Controller: Moving enemies around, locking enemies down, making enemies focus on them.

Tank/Meat: Damage Absorber (normally also one of the primary damage dealers

Support: This can be a buff or debuff role as well as a healer.

Face

Skill Monkey.

Now as others have said as 5E is pretty flexible somone may encompass parts of both roles so if you can have characters that can cover parts of multiple roles, that is always a bonus.

[Irishkatana]

Now as others have said as 5E is pretty flexible somone may encompass parts of both roles so if you can have characters that can cover parts of multiple roles, that is always a bonus.

For Example, the Tank/Meat shield makes an excellent backup trap disabler. Although it's only because he has the highest hitpoint total. *wink*

[LudicSavant]

Bonus question, what role would an illusion focused bard, sorcerer, or wizard be? (im itching for some illusions)

It really depends how they're built. Bard, Sorcerer, and Wizard are highly versatile classes and can be built to fill most roles well.

[SLIMEPRIEST]

You need to be able to do everything a fighter, wizard, thief and cleric can do, plus a face.

[Anderlith]

What all groups usually have are
The Muscle, the Fighter Type or just anyone who can deal directly with a threat
The Brain, the Tactical/Controller Type, harasses/hinders foes, solves problems relating to mental abilites
The Hands, the Skills Type, they deal with stuff like traps, or anything needing the character to do something tricky
The Face, the Social Type, they deal with social problems
The Mother, the Supportive Type, this doesn't have to be a PC but can be, this is the "Mother" ofnthe group that mostly helps & supports others. Samwise from LOTR is an example
This is not related to class. A wizard can totally be the Muscle if they are just a blaster. Or a Battlemaster can be a Brain with some Knowledge skills & the right manuevers. You're Illusionist could totally be a Hands or a Brain.

[Sigreid]

All you really need is:

1. Damage dealer - This is exceling at depriving opponents of hp.
2. Damage mitigation - this can take the form of a tough tank with high AC, a battle field controller or a healer
3. Non-combat challenge defeating - skills, spells, chutzpah, charm, etc.

Ideally each member of the party will excel at one of these, be solid in a second one and have some basic competency in the third. It's best to avoid a situation where any party member feels like they aren't pulling their weight when it hits the fan, or feels useless outside the blood shed activities. Or for that matter feels that a avoiding a TPK in a certain situation is all on them.

[Fishyninja]

For Example, the Tank/Meat shield makes an excellent backup trap disabler. Although it's only because he has the highest hitpoint total. *wink*

So your saying my rogue now has a valid reason to convince the barbarian to step in bear trap? Tremendous!

[Addaran]

One role that hasn't been addressed much (i think) is the nature guide. Someone who can avoid natural dangers, make sure the team doesn't get lost and can find food/water if they don't have any.

You just need the outlander background, ranger class or very good survival/nature.

Depending on the style of the game (if the DM just handwave travelling and/or rations) and the team composition (create food and water, goodberry, leomund's tiny hut, teleportation) it's not always needed though.

[Waterdeep Merch]

I've played a few games missing certain key roles before. This is how they went down-

Tank: Stealth became essential. The party required careful setups and couldn't afford a fair fight.

Skill monkey: Opening or interacting with the world beyond combat was extremely frustrating. Magic became a lot more necessary to manage our weaknesses.

Utility caster: Combat against anything tricky became surprisingly dangerous, with few ways to shut down important enemies. Interacting with the world was noticeably harder as well without bread and butter utility spells. The party resorted to brute force more often.

Healing/Buff caster: Each fight was a lot deadlier, everyone panicked a bit when hit, even lesser injuries were cause for alarm. Debugging and fighting dirty was the best way around this, but this was the only missing role that was deemed so bad the party got themselves to safety to wait for the return of the party cleric in a later session.

Ranged: Not exactly a role, but certain DM's who shall remain nameless have a bad habit of requiring ranged attacks for entire major fights, like against floating, laser-spewing statues with hundreds of health each. This is horrible for any melee specialist, and ungodly frustrating for any party that doesn't have a dedicated ranged damage dealer. Who gets to shine while the party barbarian throws spears uselessly and starts to rage in real life. Please don't do this to your players, DM's. Vary the usable tactics in your fights.

[mephnick]

Almost every build does decent damage, so I'm not sure "damage dealer" is much of a role any more. Other than pure controllers, you have to really work at it to get a character that doesn't at least skirt average damage. Sure a couple builds do more damage but the difference isn't worth it being your defining role.

[Sigreid]

Almost every build does decent damage, so I'm not sure "damage dealer" is much of a role any more. Other than pure controllers, you have to really work at it to get a character that doesn't at least skirt average damage. Sure a couple builds do more damage but the difference isn't worth it being your defining role.

It's true that nearly every character can do reasonable damage, but it can be very helpful to have a character or two that can kick it up a notch (nova) when the situation calls for it and do significantly more damage over a shorter period of time.

[Tanarii]

Ranged: Not exactly a role, but certain DM's who shall remain nameless have a bad habit of requiring ranged attacks for entire major fights, like against floating, laser-spewing statues with hundreds of health each. This is horrible for any melee specialist, and ungodly frustrating for any party that doesn't have a dedicated ranged damage dealer. Who gets to shine while the party barbarian throws spears uselessly and starts to rage in real life. Please don't do this to your players, DM's. Vary the usable tactics in your fights.
Was a tactical retreat not an option when you've been out in this situation before?

[Citan]

Hi!
Honestly, any of above answers have good standing.
I'm not sure you need to define such "rigorous" roles though.
My take would be a more verbious one:

1. One that can ensure the party survives during the fight.
It could be a usual full-class geared towards it such as Cleric or tweaked Bard, but you could also do well with an Eldricht Knight having a single level in Bard/Cleric, or a Thief Rogue with Healer Feat, or a Sorcerer with specific spell selection to divide and control battlefield and Inspiring Leader.

2. One that provides adventuring utility (tracking enemies, providing shelter and food, getting information). Any Wizard or Cleric could fill the role well, but a Ranger (or anyone with the Ritual Caster feat really) could fill the role very easily.

3. One that provides reliable spike damage or AOE damage: any Warlock, Sorcerer, Paladin or properly built AT/EK/Monk could work (more or less efficiently of course).

4. One that can take hits and deal consistent damage: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Moon Druid, some special Sorcerers or Wizards can do the trick with more or less expenditure.

Obviously, it's better if all main skills are covered throughout the party.

A 4-man party that covers all ground easily, without any feat or multiclass, could be the following.
Cleric: can take some hits, rituals, plenty of great debuff/healing spells. Covers WIS skills (except maybe Perception).
Eldricht Knight: great tanking ability, consistant and nova damage, STR. Covers the physical related skills, possibly also INT skills depending on build.
Wild Magic Sorcerer: takes care of all the AOE and debuff part, extremely efficiently thanks to archetype features and Heightened. Be the Face.
Shadow Monk: covers Perception, DEX skills, can scout efficiently and apply some control.

But, honestly, nearly any random combination could still easily cover all ground as long as each character is of a different class. Evenmore so when you allow feats.

In fact, with feats (no multiclass), even having the same class 4 times could still work most of the time (with more or less difficulty of course: easiest would probably be 4 Bards, 4 Clerics or 4 Fighters, and most challeneging maybe 4 Barbarians? XD).

That's the beauty of 5E. :)

[Waterdeep Merch]

Was a tactical retreat not an option when you've been out in this situation before?

Stone building, sliding doors, locked behind us before we interacted with the plot-crucial mcguffin and activated a particularly frustrating boss in an enclosed area with a tall ceiling. Two members of the party were primarily melee (me as paladin, another as an eldritch knight), one was a melee cleric, the other was a spent caster (can't remember class. I think wizard). The explanation for making us do this is the DM expected our missing party member, a warlock, and balanced the entire boss fight around him. Which begs the question- what exactly did he expect the rest of us to do in the mean time?

It ended up taking something like two hours, and is the only fight I've ever been in where minute-long concentration buffs actually passed duration and had to be reapplied. Would've taken even longer if I hadn't been adamant about always traveling with a grappling hook and rope- me and the eldritch knight spent turns swinging around like Errol Flynn. Which was even THEN made frustrating by the DM ruling that we couldn't possibly be attacking and holding onto the rope at the same time, causing us to fall at the end of every. Single. Attack.

[Specter]

My personal view:

OUT-OF-COMBAT
- Face: the guy who can use words to make the world like his group more. This guy should also be able to flush out lies and magically enhance his abilities if possible.
- Scout: The one in charge of foreseeing what dangers the group will face, and deal with them. This could be in the form of traps, hazards, bad weather or minor enemies that will obstruct the party before the bigger confrontation. He should have the skills to notice dangers without being noticed, and tools to deal with them. Some spells can fill this role in a pinch (e.g. Arcane Eye).
- Problem Solver: the one in charge of teleportation, communication, illusions and everything else that can facilitate missions (or make them possible in the first place). Wizards, Bards andother utility casters fit here.
- Encyclopedia: this is the most optional of roles, I believe. The guy that provides the group with in-world information (Arcana, Religion, etc.).

IN COMBAT
- Striker: a dude that deals high damage. That's all.
- Sponger: the one with as much HP and/or damage mitigation methods who wants to be targeted if there's no other choice.
- Blaster: a blaster deals damage, but in less quantities and to more people at the same time. Even rangers can be blasters.
- Healer: the one responsible for bringing people back from 0, and remedy those in emergency state.
- Buffer: the one who channels his resources to making other members more effective.
- Controller: the one who puts enemies in the worst position possible.