Pros & Cons of each class?

[kookykenku]

I've played a couple of sessions with a group of friends I'm playing with at the moment, We all started out as fighters seeing most sites pointed that the fighter class would be a good beginner class but now our group has decided we want to branch out and try other classes as well since we think we're ready for that step. What I want is just a little summary of the pros and cons of each class and what to expect when playing as them. Will be very much appreciated:smallsmile:

[JellyPooga]

Barbarian: Tough. Smash things good. Doesn't do much else.

Bard: Versatile. Full-caster. Skill monkey. Very supportuve of other players. Doesn't hit things very hard.

Cleric: Full-caster. Remarkably good in a ruck. Healer. "God-squad" stigma. Limited skill list.

Druid: Full-caster. Master of terrain manipulation/control effects. Minionmancer. Wild Shape. Narrow theme. (Seriously. The Druid has very few "cons")

Fighter: You know the Fighter.

Monk: Martial Battlefield control. Variety of abilities that feel like "special moves". A little bit glass-cannon. Not as maneuverable as you want it to be.

Paladin: Nova king. Hit's like a ton of bricks. Nice to have around for Auras and such; a team player. Limited skills. "God-squad" stigma.

Ranger: Hits hard, hits often and hits reliably. Nice spell list for a half-caster. Kind of tails off with insignificant or too situational abilities in the mid-late game.

Rogue: Hits hard. Highly maneuverable. Versatile. Skill monkey. Remarkably tough in a ruck (Uncanny Dodge, Evasion). Few, if any, abilities limited by short/long rest resource. Drawbacks? Err...limited weapon choice (I guess)? Like the Druid, Rogues don't have many "Cons" in my book.

Sorcerer: Full-caster. Metamagic is amazing. Somewhat limited spell list. Glass cannon.

Warlock: Eldritch Blast. Invocations are nicely unique. Interesting play style. Can find itself crippled/ineffective in a group that doesn't take many short rests. "Evik cultist" stigma.

Wizard: Full-caster. Versatile caster. Interesting school abilities make you feel like the school type caster you are. Glass cannon.

[djreynolds]

100% on all of these

I might add, that playing a monk effectively is not easy... it is challenging, IMO the most challenging class to play effectively

Casters, well you just need practice as to which spells will my party need.

Paladin IMO, might be the easiest class to play. Save your smites until needed, can be played with or without feats. You can max strength or charisma first and 2 levels of bard fixes your skill selection and 2 levels of warlock fixes your ranged attacks.

But most of all, very humbly, see classes as aspects of your character. Every class can give you something valuable. So multiclass when you feel you should and allow for it. If you are playing, sat a fighter, leave a stat other than strength and con at a 13 so you grab from another class. Its okay.

There is an excellent multiclassing guide out there on the forum, go ahead and read it.

And don't worry, because of the ability cap and bounded accuracy almost any class can be at least competent and functional and a welcome addition to a party.

[Citan]

I've played a couple of sessions with a group of friends I'm playing with at the moment, We all started out as fighters seeing most sites pointed that the fighter class would be a good beginner class but now our group has decided we want to branch out and try other classes as well since we think we're ready for that step. What I want is just a little summary of the pros and cons of each class and what to expect when playing as them. Will be very much appreciated:smallsmile:
Hi!
My take.

Barbarian: great melee fighter, may require more finesse than you could expect at first glance because it has a tendency to confuse "bravery" with "temerity". Recommended if just bashing things hard and taking the heat is your liking.

Bard: great all-around, simple enough to play beyond choice of spells. Recommended if you really like to interact out-of-combat or particularly like spells to influence people.

Cleric: simple to play, space for originality thanks to Domain features and choice of prepared spell. Good for any and all players.

Druid: one of the most versatile spelllists (barring only Wizard), and Wildshape is extremely good all-around. Low defense though. Recommended for creative players.

Fighter: well, you know it already. ;)

Monk: the most balanced of all martials: extremely resilient, mobile, has some control and decent damage. Like Barbarian, requires some finesse to avoid rushing yourself into a trap or so.
Great for anyone who likes hit and run tactics and the like, or solo play (to simplify).

Paladin: comes close to Monk as the most balanced, although this one relies on long-rest resources. Has an edge in nova strikes thanks to Smite, and much better low-level survivability compared to Monk (heavy armor + aura of protection). Comes with strings attached roleplay wise though.

Ranger: one underrated class: obviously the best chassis (barring Fighter) to make archer builds, but can also work very well with dual-wielding. Although being a half-caster, gets a pretty decent variety of spells to choose from. Some features rely on your DM's preparation though (the ones linked to Favored Enemies and Environments).

Rogue: one very strong attack, great at skills he's proficient in, gets several great defensive features, making him very resilient in one-on-one. You don't want to get swarmed though: good thing, you should never be in that kind of situation thanks to lvl 2 feature granting great mobility and disengage.

Sorcerer: fullcaster with fewer spell known than other casters but Metamagic fun. Not recommended as a "caster first experience" unless you are experienced in roleplay/d&d in general, because choosing the spells&metamagic combination and using them efficienctly requires some finesse. In the right hands, can easily outweight other casters in a particular sort of spellcasting (AOE / debuff / control / etc) as long as you are fine using more or less always the same spells.

Warlock: different kind of caster: you are even more limited in your spell known by leveling, but you get some at-will utilities from Invocation to compensate. This is for people who really like the idea of using the same few spells as often as possible. Also gets a powerful cantrip and great archetype features.

Wizard: the largest number of spell known possible (potentially all), Schools stressing your efficiency with one particular kind of spells, but very squishy unless you spend many slots to defend yourself, right up until the 18th level. Good in large groups or if you are a planner kind of guy, who thinks before he acts (at least at early levels).

[Specter]

Beyond what others said, you should also be mindful of the level of complexity to play each class. Here's my take:

- Barbarian: 1 (just smash)
- Bard: 6 (spells, skills and inspiration to manage)
- Cleric: 6 (very domain-dependent though; life/light are probably simpler)
- Druid: 10 (less if you're a land druid and forget about Wild Shape)
- Fighter: 2 (a bit higher if Eldritch Knight)
- Monk: 6 (much round-by-round strategy required)
- Paladin: 3 (basically manage smite and you'll be fine)
- Ranger: 4 (skills and magic beyond a fighter)
- Rogue: 3 (many skills and bonus action management)
- Sorcerer: 5 (enhancing your own spells is the hardest)
- Warlock: 5 (much reliance on cantrips)
- Wizard: 10 (a lot of things to keep track of)

[JellyPooga]

Beyond what others said, you should also be mindful of the level of complexity to play each class. Here's my take:

- Barbarian: 1 (just smash)
- Bard: 6 (spells, skills and inspiration to manage)
- Cleric: 7 (very domain-dependent though; life/light are probably simpler)
- Druid: 10 (less if you're a land druid and forget about Wild Shape)
- Fighter: 2 (a bit higher if Eldritch Knight)
- Monk: 6 (much round-by-round strategy required)
- Paladin: 3 (basically manage smite and you'll be fine)
- Ranger: 4 (skills and magic beyond a fighter)
- Rogue: 3 (many skills and bonus action management)
- Sorcerer: 5 (enhancing your own spells is the hardest)
- Warlock: 5 (much reliance on cantrips)
- Wizard: 10 (a lot of things to keep track of)

Not so much a criticism as a commmentary; I find it interesting that you rate Cleric higher than Bard, Monk and Warlock. I've always seen Clerics as one of the easier Classes to play; good AC keeps you in the game without having to worry about maneuvering about too much, their spell list is pretty one-dimensional compared to most and if in doubt they can just hit things with a hammer. There's really not much going on, option-wise, for the Cleric in actual play (character building may be another story).

I also find it interesting that you rate both Wizard and Druid as 10's. They can be a challenge because they have diverse spel lists, but beyond spellcasting there's very little that complex about them. Further, a given situation usually has a pretty obvious "solution" from the spells a Wizard/Druid has prepared, so there's not all that much thinking to do in actual play. Compared to a Bard, for instance, who may well have a choice between up to half a dozen or more different actions on a given turn.

I would tend to agree with djreynolds that Monk is probably one of the most challenging Classes in actual play; on paper they look great, but practically everything they do is an exercise in resource management, from Actions, Bonus Actions and Reactions to Ki points. That, combined with a remarkable fragility for a Class that has almost zero ranged options makes them somewhat tricky to keep alive while being useful.

[Specter]

Not so much a criticism as a commmentary; I find it interesting that you rate Cleric higher than Bard, Monk and Warlock. I've always seen Clerics as one of the easier Classes to play; good AC keeps you in the game without having to worry about maneuvering about too much, their spell list is pretty one-dimensional compared to most and if in doubt they can just hit things with a hammer. There's really not much going on, option-wise, for the Cleric in actual play (character building may be another story).

I also find it interesting that you rate both Wizard and Druid as 10's. They can be a challenge because they have diverse spel lists, but beyond spellcasting there's very little that complex about them. Further, a given situation usually has a pretty obvious "solution" from the spells a Wizard/Druid has prepared, so there's not all that much thinking to do in actual play. Compared to a Bard, for instance, who may well have a choice between up to half a dozen or more different actions on a given turn.

I would tend to agree with djreynolds that Monk is probably one of the most challenging Classes in actual play; on paper they look great, but practically everything they do is an exercise in resource management, from Actions, Bonus Actions and Reactions to Ki points. That, combined with a remarkable fragility for a Class that has almost zero ranged options makes them somewhat tricky to keep alive while being useful.

Druids are terribly hard to play because of Wild Shape mechanics, where every animal is a different stat block. Wizards have a lot of book-keeping (literally) to do.

Agreed on monk's difficulty, it can be deceiving.

[MrStabby]

Really surprised sorcerer doesn't rate more highly in terms of difficulty. Spell selection and progression is really tricky to plan out right, likewise with metamagic. How to most efficiently use your limited resources of spell slots and metamagic which interact is pretty complex.

A sorcerer played by a player with low system mastery feels like a bit of a one-trick-pony with limited options, a sorcerer played by someone who knows the game really well feels like a god.

[JellyPooga]

Druids are terribly hard to play because of Wild Shape mechanics, where every animal is a different stat block. Wizards have a lot of book-keeping (literally) to do.

Agreed on monk's difficulty, it can be deceiving.

On Druids and Wild Shape, that's mostly just a case of identifying the best options for your level OR your chosen "favourite" and sticking to it. It's rare that a level 2 Moon Druid, for example, will use any form but Brown Bear in most combats. In actual play, there's not really many decisions to make.

Similar with the Wizard; yes they can have a lot of spells in their book, but typically they will have only one or two lists of spells prepared that they stick to and make minor adjustments as they go. The play experience they have is not that complex and because the "right spell for the job" is usually fairly obvious, they don't have to do much agonising over which spell to use on their turn.

I find the likes of Rogues and Fighters much harder in actual play because they have to get really creative with their abilities to make them shine. Perhaps that's just me though :smallbiggrin:

[Matticusrex]

Pros of fighter: Fun for kids!

Cons of the fighter: Every class can do it's job better and with infinitely more complexity.

[Beelzebubba]

Pros of fighter: Fun for kids!

Cons of the fighter: Every class can do it's job better and with infinitely more complexity.

This is the 5E board. 3.x talk goes somewhere else. :smallamused:

[Ninja_Prawn]

Don't really disagree with anything here, but I'll have a go from my perspective anyway.



Class
Pros
Cons


Barbarian
Easy & fun. Like a fighter, but tankier.
'When all you have is a hammer' mentality might be boring/counterproductive.


Bard
Best suite of support abilities; great if you're feeling altruistic.
You're useless on your own.


Cleric
You can be whatever you want to be.
DM can use Gods to mess with you.


Druid
Awesome in campaigns that involve a lot of exploration/survival/nature.
Fluff is very restrictive.


Fighter
Easy to play. Character basically runs itself, allowing you to focus on other things.
Might be boring if you don't have anything else going on 'on the side'.


Monk
Interesting fluff, no loss of power when equipment is stolen/lost/confiscated.
You're a bit of a lightweight.


Paladin
Loads of cool abilities, useful in many situations.
Other PCs & NPCs will expect you to behave a certain way.


Ranger
No one will complain if you play an exaggeratedly emo loner.
You probably won't be the best at anything.


Rogue
Lots of fun to play, with all the skills and trickery.
You'll get blamed whenever anything gets stolen or your allies step on a trap.


Sorcerer
Feels awesome when you use metamagic to completely shut down an encounter.
A one-trick pony at lower levels.


Warlock
You can use patron to mess with the DM.
DM can use patron to mess with you.


Wizard
ALL THE SPELLS LOL.
You'll kind of suck at fights.

[Waazraath]

This is the 5E board. 3.x talk goes somewhere else. :smallamused:

+1. And even in 3.x the statement should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Beechgnome]

Barbarian. You can hurt and are hard to hurt. if something flies away or attacks from range, you are so screwed.
Bard. You can cast spells, have skills and can even fight a bit. Against undead, constructs or things immune to charm you got nothing.
Cleric. You can cast spells, heal and fight. Every round your teammates will hope you heal/buff them and you will defer what you really want to do. Or will you?
Druid. You can cast all sorts of spells and even join the fight as a beast. Every spell you have worth a damn is concentration. Every. Single. One.
Fighter. You can fight any way you please. once you settle on a style, you'll wish you were playing that class instead.
Monk. You have crazy mobility and can do lots of cool stuff in a fight. You will probably die first.
Paladin. You can kill the crap out of things. You will likely be at odds with your party.
Ranger. You will excel as an archer. You will wish there was more to it than that.
Rogue. You can deal damage and then run away. You need your teammates to be effective in a fight.
Sorcerer. Metamagic lets you break the game in ways that will make your DM cry. You will be casting the same spells over and over again.
Warlock. You get to blast things and you get a class that really defines your character. Does your DM give you short rests? No? You are toast.
Wizard. The most versatile and super-powered spellcasters in the game. Every morning you will choose your spells, and you will choose the wrong ones for That Situation. It will drive you crazy.

But seriously, they are all great.

[Ninja-Radish]

Pros of fighter: Fun for kids!

Cons of the fighter: Every class can do it's job better and with infinitely more complexity.

Every class? No. Personally, I'd take a Fighter over a Barbarian or Bladelock any day. However, I will agree that Paladins and Revised Rangers are more versatile than Fighters and are very comparable in combat.

Barbarians rank at the bottom of my personal martial list for one reason: almost every class ability they have is tied to rage, which is a long rest resource. If they run out of rage, they're basically worthless. Fighters get all their stuff back after a short rest.

[kookykenku]

Thanks guys for the help, This has all been very useful. And apparently my DM being new finds this useful as well

[Citan]

Druid. You can cast all sorts of spells and even join the fight as a beast. Every spell you have worth a damn is concentration. Every. Single. One.
Rogue. You can deal damage and then run away. You need your teammates to be effective in a fight.
But seriously, they are all great.
I'm sorry but the two statements in bold are seriously wrong.
1. Druid: Goodberry, Healing Words, Longstrider, Thunderwave, Pass Without Trace, Plant Growth, Sleet Storm, Water Breathing, Ice Storm, + potential from Land Druid... Sure, *most* of the great spells are concentration indeed, but you still have several others to complement. And this unbalance is easily explained in the first place by the fact you cannot cast any spell while Wild Shaped until very high level. So having duration spells ensure you get a good mileage of your casting aspect even when you are as a beast. ;)

2. Rogue: Swashbuckler archetype does not need advantage. Arcane Trickster can combine obscuration/invisiblity spells + Cunning Action to Hide easily. Any Rogue could pick Expertise in Athletics and dual-wield to Shove before landing the Sneak Attack. Or Magic Initiate for Mold Earth, carve a small wall far off the front line to be able to Hide between ranged attacks. Or Ritual Caster for Find Familiar.
Having friends make enabling SA much easier, but you don't *need* them stricto sensu.

[djreynolds]

Don't really disagree with anything here, but I'll have a go from my perspective anyway.



Class
Pros
Cons


Barbarian
Easy & fun. Like a fighter, but tankier.
'When all you have is a hammer' mentality might be boring/counterproductive.


Bard
Best suite of support abilities; great if you're feeling altruistic.
You're useless on your own.


Cleric
You can be whatever you want to be.
DM can use Gods to mess with you.


Druid
Awesome in campaigns that involve a lot of exploration/survival/nature.
Fluff is very restrictive.


Fighter
Easy to play. Character basically runs itself, allowing you to focus on other things.
Might be boring if you don't have anything else going on 'on the side'.


Monk
Interesting fluff, no loss of power when equipment is stolen/lost/confiscated.
You're a bit of a lightweight.


Paladin
Loads of cool abilities, useful in many situations.
Other PCs & NPCs will expect you to behave a certain way.


Ranger
No one will complain if you play an exaggeratedly emo loner.
You probably won't be the best at anything.


Rogue
Lots of fun to play, with all the skills and trickery.
You'll get blamed whenever anything gets stolen or your allies step on a trap.


Sorcerer
Feels awesome when you use metamagic to completely shut down an encounter.
A one-trick pony at lower levels.


Warlock
You can use patron to mess with the DM.
DM can use patron to mess with you.


Wizard
ALL THE SPELLS LOL.
You'll kind of suck at fights.



This great.

[Escribblings]

I'd just like to add something re the Barbarian.

I'm completely new to D&D, and picked barbarian as my first class.

In a fight with Peryton's and no magic weapons between us and only a handful of low level damage spells we eventually overcame the odds without serious casualty...

By me grappling 2 of the birds and repeatedly dragging them through a magic bonfire.


Being raged I halved the damage that did hit me, abs being frenzied meant I also managed to put the boot in a couple of times (Unarmed attack) despite it only doing half damage.

It's not all about hitting.

[Beechgnome]

I'm sorry but the two statements in bold are seriously wrong.
1. Druid: Goodberry, Healing Words, Longstrider, Thunderwave, Pass Without Trace, Plant Growth, Sleet Storm, Water Breathing, Ice Storm, + potential from Land Druid... Sure, *most* of the great spells are concentration indeed, but you still have several others to complement. And this unbalance is easily explained in the first place by the fact you cannot cast any spell while Wild Shaped until very high level. So having duration spells ensure you get a good mileage of your casting aspect even when you are as a beast. ;)

In the examples you have, 4 are first level spells... and pass without trace and sleet storm are actually also concentration. Of the land druid options, the only non-concentration I can think of are mirror image and Misty step, which is why coast is great.
More to the point, I wasn't being literal, despite my word every sentence. I was attempting to capture how it feels to play a druid. It is great fun, but there is a downside.

As for the specific rogue archetypes, I mean sure, there are ways to get around it, but if you were to try and come up with a downside for rogues (who are pretty awesome) then that was the best I could come up with.

[Citan]

In the examples you have, 4 are first level spells... and pass without trace and sleet storm are actually also concentration. Of the land druid options, the only non-concentration I can think of are mirror image and Misty step, which is why coast is great.
More to the point, I wasn't being literal, despite my word every sentence. I was attempting to capture how it feels to play a druid. It is great fun, but there is a downside.

As for the specific rogue archetypes, I mean sure, there are ways to get around it, but if you were to try and come up with a downside for rogues (who are pretty awesome) then that was the best I could come up with.

Oops, thanks for the correction on PWT and SS. Was putting a list from memory, should have double-checked. :smalltongue:

And ok, I didn't understand your intent (I indeed agree with you that you spend most time casting concentration spells, no argue on that ;)). Thanks for clarifying. :)

[Beechgnome]

Oops, thanks for the correction on PWT and SS. Was putting a list from memory, should have double-checked. :smalltongue:

And ok, I didn't understand your intent (I indeed agree with you that you spend most time casting concentration spells, no argue on that ;)). Thanks for clarifying. :)

No worries. I just know from experience when I'm a druid I start looking long and hard at somewhat subpar spells like Protection from Poison, Daylight and Tidal Wave just to have something that isn't concentration.

It gets better at higher levels but 2nd Level options in particular are pretty grim. Cleric at least has Blindness or Spiritual Weapon and Wiz/Sor have Blindness, Misty Step, Mirror Image, Pyrotechnics, Scorching Ray and Shatter. Without Coast, the druid selection is Lesser Restoration and um, not much useful.