Can you really play a buffer

[Sir cryosin]

So I'm a damage dealer type of player I love to deal the most damge I can. So for my next character I wanted to play a buffer, support type of player. I had a go at it before but that game only lasted a few sessions.

So I'm having trouble see how to play one.
1. You only get one concentration.
2. There don't seem to be a lost of spells that buff allies and they seam to all be concentration.
3. I feel if I casted a good spell it could easily be a waste.
So those are some fears I have.

So what classes, spells, and tactics in playing this type of player.

[Lombra]

Be a sorcerer. Twinned spell basically gives you two concentration slots with which you can buff two allies simultaneously, the problem is that bards tend to get the best buff/support spells, so maybe a multiclass of the two could be what you are looking for. Feats-wise I don't see something useful to the concept, maybe inspiring leader.

[Sir cryosin]

Be a sorcerer. Twinned spell basically gives you two concentration slots with which you can buff two allies simultaneously, the problem is that bards tend to get the best buff/support spells, so maybe a multiclass of the two could be what you are looking for. Feats-wise I don't see something useful to the concept, maybe inspiring leader.

I was thinking of playing a new favored soul Sorcerer so I should get access to those spells thank to cleric.

[Lombra]

I was thinking of playing a new favored soul Sorcerer so I should get access to those spells thank to cleric.

That's great, it should make it simple, in addition you have access to big damage spells when needed.

[Naanomi]

You can be a 'buffer' for one or two rounds (and it is a great use of that first round); but be prepared to do other things past that... healing is always an option, or just use cantrips with debuff riders on them

[lperkins2]

Does it work in 5e? Depends on the party composition. The right buff spell, at the right time, on the right party member, can make a huge difference. At level 1, Dropping shield of faith on the melee character with 18 AC comes pretty close to making them untouchable. Dropping the same bonus on the AC 10 wizard doesn't make much of a difference.

If the party members won't take advantage of the buffs you hand out, it tends to be pretty lackluster. If you buff the party strengths, you can often push them way beyond what enemies can counter.

Most of the non-self-target buffs require concentration, or won't be as good as tossing out a damage cantrip. Rather than pair with battlefield healing, I tend to pair with battlefield control. In a sense, buffing and BFC are two sides of the same coin. If I am casting something on a party member that makes them harder to hit, it functions very similarly to a spell that makes the enemies fight worse. Between BFC and buffs, I can usually get a decent number of non concentration spells.

[Slipperychicken]

My personal favorite buff spell is Bless, at all character levels. It scales your allies' damage considerably by raising tohit, it improves all of their saves significantly, it lasts long enough for most fights, and despite taking concentration it's very light on your spell slots.

5e as a system is designed to discourage excessive buff-stacking. Spellcasters get many options, and buff spells are just one part of the bigger picture. Besides, there are a lot of other ways to help your party. Examples include debuffing, healing, and status effect removal. I think the latter is underrated. After all, how many times have players been forced to abandon quests over status effects they weren't prepared to remove?

[Citan]

So I'm a damage dealer type of player I love to deal the most damge I can. So for my next character I wanted to play a buffer, support type of player. I had a go at it before but that game only lasted a few sessions.

So I'm having trouble see how to play one.
1. You only get one concentration.
2. There don't seem to be a lost of spells that buff allies and they seam to all be concentration.
3. I feel if I casted a good spell it could easily be a waste.
So those are some fears I have.

So what classes, spells, and tactics in playing this type of player.
Buffs are somewhat spread out in all classes, but a few get much more.
- Cleric gets all the "preventive" buffs.
- Bards and Sorcerer gets a decent variety of "utility" buffs (that can be used in fight also).
- Wizard gets a great variety also.

You have several ways to go at this.
Either build your character specifically for your party: then you should consider different buffs for different people: a Barbarian wouldn't need anything usually, but if it's a Fighter tanking a Warding Bond may help. A Rogue that wants to fill the shoes of a monk (rush in, SA, rush back) would always benefit from a Longstrider and Shield of Faith.
Etc etc...
Basically, choose one (or two) people you want to buff, consider what spells are useful for them and build around.

OR: be an all-around versatile buffer.
In which case...
- Sorcerer is a golden: Twin and Extended metamagic will help you much: you also get many of the great buffs: Haste, Greater Invisibility, Enhance Ability, Enlarge, Fly, See Invisibility, Polymorph. Bad thing is: now that many spell known.
- Cleric is the second golden: Bless, Shield of Faith, Protection spells, Aid, Enhance Ability, Warding Bond, Water Walk.
- Wizard is the third one on INT side: Jump, Longstrider, See Invisibility, Enlarge, Spider Climb, Protection From Energy, Haste, Water Breathing.
- Druid is the third one on WIS side as good or better as Wizard because prepared spells and potential bonus spells from Land Druid: Longstrider, Jump, Pass Without Trace, Protection from Poison, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Conjure Woodland Beings (which can cast buffs) + Spider Climb/Haste/Protection from Energy depending on if you choose a Land domain.
- Lore Bard is a decent pick: get some great buffs, Magic Secrets and Bardic Inspiration + skills to help being useful outside buffs.
- Warlock is a decent pick: to provide good damage option when you need to, and otherwise provide a few short-rest slots.
Obviously you cannot pick all (ah, well, you COULD technically if you really spent 100% time buffing, but once you leave theorycraft, you really want a) to survive b) to have at least one decent damaging option).

What I would do in your stead: ensure that you have at least the following spells one way or another:
- Bless: the best group buff, no questions asked.
- Sanctuary: seems lackluster considering it prevents the target any offense, but can really be a lifesaver in some situations.
- Warding Bond: costly for you since you share the damage, but you halve it in the first place so...
- Pass Without Trace: non-concentration 1h "certified group sneaking".
- Longstrider, Jump: generally underrated but can make a difference, and 1-hour non-concentration.
- Enhance Ability: because it's golden for anyone in any situation.

Then choose one caster class and push it as high as possible (I did't speak about higher level buffs because I'm much less familiar with them, but I'm sure others will detail their benefits). Bonus point if you get some metamagic but you can do without though, other casters bring strong benefits through class features. ;)

For a low level campaign, I'd just stick with a Lore Bard, Sorcerer or Land Druid with a single level in Life Cleric (healing is one good kind of buff ^^).
If you can plan on high-level campaign, I'd aim at something like this...
a) Moon Druid 11 main (because at least you can be useful in Elemental Form + you get Freedom of Movement and later Wind Walk which is great for fast traveling) + 3 Life Cleric (Warding Bond) + Sorcerer 6 (Extended + Twin, choose Draconic to be good with some spells or Wild Magic to be good at some single-target debuff).
You get most of the great spells including some high-level ones and pretty versatile all-around.

b) Lore Bard 10 (mainly for Circle of Power which is the second best buff of the game imo, but you can also grab Warding Bond and Haste) / Life Cleric 1 / Land Druid 5 / Sorcerer 4: you probably lose some good buffs but you keep essentials and you get one of the best protective buffs.

c) Ancients Paladin 18 / Life Cleric 1 / Druid 1 : well, I just had to quote it: I mean, it's not "spellcasting" per se, and there are many buffs you won't have, but permanent 30 feet +CHA to saves + resistance against spell damage is a pretty great buff don't you think? You even get Circle of Power to go with.

Now for a few tricks that heavily rely on Sorcerer's Extended metamagic or more generally multiclass options.
- Aid: base duration is 8 hours, doubled to 16: you have a big fight tomorrow? Upcast Extended Aid as high as possible to get up to 45 on 3 creatures, or up to 30 on six then take your long rest.
- Offensive buffer: cast any spell that allows you to deal damage as a bonus action (Heat Metal, Spiritual Weapon, Flaming Sphere, etc) then (Extended) Sanctuary on yourself: you are now a pretty potent threat, you can contribute a bit damage-wise, and you are still free to buff every other round.
- Glyph of Warding (Bard or Cleric or Wizard 5 required): check with DM beforehand he accepts buffs: cast Extended non-concentration buffs such as Longstrider on objects you put in another dimension one way or another (remember: objects must not move in that dimension), or cast a powerful self-centered Extended buff such as Circle of Power on something near you just before you go to rest in case creatures ambushes your party while sleeping. This one is to double-check with DM first if you use Portable Hole, Bag of Holding or spells like Demiplane.

[Callin]

If not doing the Help Action every round is your cup of tea then using the Virtue Cantrip from the Starter Spells UA is a nice way to mitigate 1d4+mod damage. They only last 1 round so you would have to cast it each round.

The Favored Soul Sorcerer is a good option. Pick up maybe Magic Initiate Bard for Faerie Fire and Vicious Mockery (Debuff is a type of buffing) and one other Cantrip of Choice (Prestidigitation). I would then pick up Bless and Guidance, Maybe Resistance. Up until 5th when you want to start Twinning Haste I would just Quicken a Cantrip if needed or save them to regain Bless and Faerie Fire.

Enhance Ability could have some use Specially if you have a Trip Rogue, Expertise and Advantage. Sign me up. Though I would think Enlarge/Reduce would be a better choice for that aspect. However the versatility of Enhance Ability could be useful. Probably not on a Sorc though. Wizard maybe.

Hope this helps some.

[ThurlRavenscrof]

Does it work in 5e? Depends on the party composition. The right buff spell, at the right time, on the right party member, can make a huge difference. At level 1, Dropping shield of faith on the melee character with 18 AC comes pretty close to making them untouchable. Dropping the same bonus on the AC 10 wizard doesn't make much of a difference.

If the party members won't take advantage of the buffs you hand out, it tends to be pretty lackluster. If you buff the party strengths, you can often push them way beyond what enemies can counter.

Most of the non-self-target buffs require concentration, or won't be as good as tossing out a damage cantrip. Rather than pair with battlefield healing, I tend to pair with battlefield control. In a sense, buffing and BFC are two sides of the same coin. If I am casting something on a party member that makes them harder to hit, it functions very similarly to a spell that makes the enemies fight worse. Between BFC and buffs, I can usually get a decent number of non concentration spells.

Agree. I play buffers all the time and so much of being a buffer is understanding how tactics and gameplay works in 5e and focusing on exploiting that. And if you have a group that doesn't see the value of a buffer, you might as well not play one because they actually WILL make your character less valuable

[Biggstick]

Light Clerics work great here. You're still practically a blaster caster in being given Fireball, and you have a ton of great options for your concentration. Bless, Faerie Fire, Spirit Guardians, etc. You have the entire Cleric set of buffs and a few blasting spells available to you should your party not appreciate your buffs.

[Sir cryosin]

Buffs are somewhat spread out in all classes, but a few get much more.
- Cleric gets all the "preventive" buffs.
- Bards and Sorcerer gets a decent variety of "utility" buffs (that can be used in fight also).
- Wizard gets a great variety also.

You have several ways to go at this.
Either build your character specifically for your party: then you should consider different buffs for different people: a Barbarian wouldn't need anything usually, but if it's a Fighter tanking a Warding Bond may help. A Rogue that wants to fill the shoes of a monk (rush in, SA, rush back) would always benefit from a Longstrider and Shield of Faith.
Etc etc...
Basically, choose one (or two) people you want to buff, consider what spells are useful for them and build around.

OR: be an all-around versatile buffer.
In which case...
- Sorcerer is a golden: Twin and Extended metamagic will help you much: you also get many of the great buffs: Haste, Greater Invisibility, Enhance Ability, Enlarge, Fly, See Invisibility, Polymorph. Bad thing is: now that many spell known.
- Cleric is the second golden: Bless, Shield of Faith, Protection spells, Aid, Enhance Ability, Warding Bond, Water Walk.
- Wizard is the third one on INT side: Jump, Longstrider, See Invisibility, Enlarge, Spider Climb, Protection From Energy, Haste, Water Breathing.
- Druid is the third one on WIS side as good or better as Wizard because prepared spells and potential bonus spells from Land Druid: Longstrider, Jump, Pass Without Trace, Protection from Poison, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Conjure Woodland Beings (which can cast buffs) + Spider Climb/Haste/Protection from Energy depending on if you choose a Land domain.
- Lore Bard is a decent pick: get some great buffs, Magic Secrets and Bardic Inspiration + skills to help being useful outside buffs.
- Warlock is a decent pick: to provide good damage option when you need to, and otherwise provide a few short-rest slots.
Obviously you cannot pick all (ah, well, you COULD technically if you really spent 100% time buffing, but once you leave theorycraft, you really want a) to survive b) to have at least one decent damaging option).

What I would do in your stead: ensure that you have at least the following spells one way or another:
- Bless: the best group buff, no questions asked.
- Sanctuary: seems lackluster considering it prevents the target any offense, but can really be a lifesaver in some situations.
- Warding Bond: costly for you since you share the damage, but you halve it in the first place so...
- Pass Without Trace: non-concentration 1h "certified group sneaking".
- Longstrider, Jump: generally underrated but can make a difference, and 1-hour non-concentration.
- Enhance Ability: because it's golden for anyone in any situation.

Then choose one caster class and push it as high as possible (I did't speak about higher level buffs because I'm much less familiar with them, but I'm sure others will detail their benefits). Bonus point if you get some metamagic but you can do without though, other casters bring strong benefits through class features. ;)

For a low level campaign, I'd just stick with a Lore Bard, Sorcerer or Land Druid with a single level in Life Cleric (healing is one good kind of buff ^^).
If you can plan on high-level campaign, I'd aim at something like this...
a) Moon Druid 11 main (because at least you can be useful in Elemental Form + you get Freedom of Movement and later Wind Walk which is great for fast traveling) + 3 Life Cleric (Warding Bond) + Sorcerer 6 (Extended + Twin, choose Draconic to be good with some spells or Wild Magic to be good at some single-target debuff).
You get most of the great spells including some high-level ones and pretty versatile all-around.

b) Lore Bard 10 (mainly for Circle of Power which is the second best buff of the game imo, but you can also grab Warding Bond and Haste) / Life Cleric 1 / Land Druid 5 / Sorcerer 4: you probably lose some good buffs but you keep essentials and you get one of the best protective buffs.

c) Ancients Paladin 18 / Life Cleric 1 / Druid 1 : well, I just had to quote it: I mean, it's not "spellcasting" per se, and there are many buffs you won't have, but permanent 30 feet +CHA to saves + resistance against spell damage is a pretty great buff don't you think? You even get Circle of Power to go with.

Now for a few tricks that heavily rely on Sorcerer's Extended metamagic or more generally multiclass options.
- Aid: base duration is 8 hours, doubled to 16: you have a big fight tomorrow? Upcast Extended Aid as high as possible to get up to 45 on 3 creatures, or up to 30 on six then take your long rest.
- Offensive buffer: cast any spell that allows you to deal damage as a bonus action (Heat Metal, Spiritual Weapon, Flaming Sphere, etc) then (Extended) Sanctuary on yourself: you are now a pretty potent threat, you can contribute a bit damage-wise, and you are still free to buff every other round.
- Glyph of Warding (Bard or Cleric or Wizard 5 required): check with DM beforehand he accepts buffs: cast Extended non-concentration buffs such as Longstrider on objects you put in another dimension one way or another (remember: objects must not move in that dimension), or cast a powerful self-centered Extended buff such as Circle of Power on something near you just before you go to rest in case creatures ambushes your party while sleeping. This one is to double-check with DM first if you use Portable Hole, Bag of Holding or spells like Demiplane.

You can't attack or make a creature make a save with Sanctuary up.

[Citan]

You can't attack or make a creature make a save with Sanctuary up.
Half-wrong.
The limit is "If the warded creature makes an attack or casts a spell that affects an enemy creature".
So, indeed Spiritual Weapon doesn't work, because it requires you to make a (melee spell) attack. I forgot it required an attack and not a save, sorry.

However, Heat Metal, FLaming Sphere or even Spirit Guardians would totally work as long as you cast them BEFORE Sanctuary. Because none of them require to "make an attack" nor make you "cast a spell", you are just using the effect of an already cast spell which you are concentrating on. Whether this requires a save or not from a creature, or require you using an action resource, is irrelevant.

Not sure if it was the intent but by RAW it totally works. Besides, there are many other spells that could be used like this, basically Sanctuary yourself whenever you want to improve your chance of maintaining concentration (like a very successful Slow or a Conjuration spell, or help preparing a Tiny Hut).

I just quoted those because they give you a good use of your bonus action. Dust Devil from EE is another great spell to use paired with this (damage and control), Compulsion (provoke OA or protect squishies), Eyebite ("progressive AOE debuff") or Compelled Duel (although this forces you to totally stay on the defensive, at least you can lock down someone with little risk for you: cast Compelled Duel then Sanctuary, spend other turns using Dodge as an action, casting buffs/heal when necessary).

[Findulidas]

For something to do every round you can take the Help action.

This is why I think the mastermind rogue subclass is underrated. Help someone as a bonus all the fricking time, every round forever. You dont even have to be next to them.

[Socratov]

The buffing and debuffing game is strong in 5e (as it was in 3.5). It's just you should consider them one and the same: disabeling an enemy is about as valuable as boosting an ally, especially if disabeling an enemy leads to boosting all allies (like a successful hold person boosting the party in dmg by allowing advantage on attack and auto-crit on a hit).

and this doe snot stop at targeted effects, but can go for terrain advantage as well. A small anecdote.

My fellow players and I were in a cave with dragon cultists in HotDQ. We had found some kobolds in a pit with 1 ladder going out.

We burnt the ladders to make sure they could not get out.

After that killing them was like shooting fish in a barrel. Almost literally.

That was a great use of produce flame to disable the kobolds form engaging us.

But wait there was more: they had a stash of vials of Alchemist fire.

One fire spell targeted at that later the kobolds were covered by DnD napalm.



Another fun one was casting fog cloud on some ranged attackers while we engaged the melee half orc before us.

Once the h-orc was down we had all the time to engage the crossbowmen since they first needed to get out of the fog. We made short work of them.

buffing and debuffing is so situational depending on party composition (have martials? sorc twin haste is a great way to create 2 blenders), environment, enemies, party resources and so on. But so very effective when done right that playing the support can man the difference between a hard won victory and a cakewalk.