What's your elevator pitch for each class?

[PhoenixPhyre]

I started teaching some colleagues D&D yesterday. It was fun, they had a blast. But one thing I noticed is that I'm not very good with coming up with a very short (2-5 sentence) description of what makes each class special. Why you should play X over Y (or "if you like <that>, you should play a <this class>").

So what would be your elevator pitches for each class? What encapsulates both the flavor (because that's as important as the mechanics) and the play-style of the class?

[hymer]

It seems to me that most classes either are varied in their core or in their subclasses, to a degree where summarizing them effectively in a few words can feel unsatisfactory. Take wizards: Spellcasters to be sure, but depending on spells selcted and found, they can do all sorts of things. And that's without mentioning any arcane traditions.
So don't feel bad.

Edit: That said, I'll give it a quick (and unsatisfactory) go.

Barbarian: Angry, tough warrior.
Bard: Skill-monkey, jack-of-all-trades, and spellcaster with a penchant for hearts and minds.
Cleric: Spellcaster with focus on defence and recovery abilities.
Druid: Shapeshifter and general purpose spellcaster.
Fighter: Master of weapons and armour.
Monk: Mobile support melee.
Paladin: Part fighter, part cleric, and add some nova.
Ranger: Support warrior and spellcaster.
Rogue: Skill monkey and mobile damage dealer.
Sorcerer: Spellcaster with few spells, but particularly good at twisting those s/he knows.
Warlock: Okay, I give up there.
Wizard: The castiest spellcaster.

[Pelle]

The flavor is more or less given as Description in the table on the first page in Chapter 3 in the PHB.

I guess the playstyle is more dependent on the actual mechanics. Is this so important though? For new players I think the flavor is better to focus on. The actual mechanics aren't as important as what they represent IMO. When players have learned the basics they understand the context of the mechanics and can create a new character themselves. I guess you could peg them with party roles like sneaking, talking, support, skirimishing, melee, glass cannon etc if that is useful for them...

[Grear Bylls]

Barbarian: A raging primal warrior, who uses anger to make powerful attacks. This anger harnesses the power of either the wild, ancestors, storms, gods, or just rage. You are so strong that you can literally block attacks with your muscles and rage. Your strength is insurmountable, allowing you to hit creatures with massive weapons harder than any other class

Bard: A scholarly entertainer. Use the power of words, stories, and legends to fuel your your magic. The stories of old can power the heroes of the future with your inspiring knowledge.

Cleric: A devout follower of the gods, versatile in many ways. Depending on your God, you can channel powerful healing magic, holy fire, or martial prowess. Your abilities grant you spells that heal allies, harm enemies, and restore loved ones to life.

Druid: A magician of the untamed natural world. Channel the powers of the wilderness and beast. With your powers, you can summon animals or fey, turn into beasts of the wild, or cast powerful magic.

Fighter: In a world of Mages, Dragons, and Deities, a simple swordsman may seem week. However, your skills that you have more than qualify you as a hero. Any weapon, any style, any armor, all are at your command. Be a master strategist, noble warrior, defender of the weak, or combine magic and weapons in a deadly combo.

Monk: Monks are known for their ability to make even fantastic monsters submit to them, with nothing more than their bodies. Defend with your wisdom and punch with your dexterity. You gain many defenses and some of the fastest movement possible.

Paladin: Paladins are righteous, holy warriors, bound to a noble cause, granting them the strength and prowess of fighters, and the divinity and magic of clerics. Your oath grants you many powers, enabling you to cause you weapon to burn with holy fire, healing friends with a touch of your hands, and sensing evil in order to search it out.

Ranger: A lurker in dangerous places, defending civilization from the very edges of it. Rangers are known for their ability to move through the wilderness with ease, and also their ability to stalk even the mightiest of prey. All of these powers are enhanced with magic, gained through the understanding of the natural world.

[MaxWilson]

I started teaching some colleagues D&D yesterday. It was fun, they had a blast. But one thing I noticed is that I'm not very good with coming up with a very short (2-5 sentence) description of what makes each class special. Why you should play X over Y (or "if you like <that>, you should play a <this class>").

So what would be your elevator pitches for each class? What encapsulates both the flavor (because that's as important as the mechanics) and the play-style of the class?

My pitch:

If you want to be like Conan or Sir Lancelot or Legolas, sneak around pretty well when necessary, but primarily be good at hitting things with a sword or shooting them with a bow, play a Fighter. You're good at fighting and you make a good leader of troops, if you can find followers who can fight.

If you want to be like Gandalf or Harry Dresden, some day, play a Wizard, and be prepared to work hard before the payoff. You can sometimes turn the tide with the right spells when you choose them just right, but in a straight-up fight you're not as tough as a Fighter.

If you want to be a sneaky one-hit-one-kill thief, ninja, or assassin like Snake Eyes, James Bond, or the Punisher, play a Rogue or a Shadow Monk or both at the same time. You can't beat a Fighter in a straight-up fight but you have lots of options for mobility and stealth, and you might be able to stab the fighter in the back.

There are some others but for the most part they all resemble one of these three types.

That's enough to get a new player started. The goal isn't to describe every mechanical option in the game; it's to introduce them to the archetypes.

[GlenSmash!]

Sometimes I use analogies.

If you like the Hulk, you might like playing a Barbarian.

Sometimes I use a description:

If you like being stealthy and thieving or sneak attacking you might like a Rogue.

Sometimes I compare and contrast:

While a Wizard learned magic through dedication and study, a Warlock takes the shorter easier route, but at a price.

[Ventruenox]

With 12 classes, 2-5 sentences may make the elevator speech 5 minutes long unless you are the micro machine man. I don't know how tall your buildings are, but here is my take on a condensed version.

Barbarian: Conan style smash it all with massive damage and shrug off your enemies' attacks.

Bard: A bit of this, a bit of that. Help your friends and confound your foes. With style.

Cleric: Buff and bash, spread the good word in shiny armor.

Druid: Command the forces of nature and shapeshift into all sorts of critters.

Fighter: You like weapons? Lots of ways to use them here.

Monk: Everybody was kung-fu fighting. Woa-Pah!

Paladin: Make a vow. Armor up and smack 'em down with divine zeal.

Ranger: Hunters who rain death with bow & arrow or a pair of blades.

Rogue: The sneaky one who figures out how to do the most stuff every turn and stab enemies in the back.

Sorcerer: Magic is in my blood, I'll blast you in ways no one else can.

Warlock: Make a deal with dark powers for power overwhelming.

Wizard: Find ancient secrets, have a magic solution for any situation.

*DING* This is my floor. See you on game night.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Barbarian- Be so mad it hurts others
Bard- A musician so good that they only have 3-5 fans that can properly appreciate their music
Cleric- Ask a god to fix all your problems and then get all the credit
Druid- Become man vs. nature incarnate
Fighter- A tradesman who's tools are pain and who's product is death
Monk- Give physics the finger, which can hit with greater force than a very large hammer
Paladin- A super hero that fights for truth, justice, or absolutely none of that
Ranger- Scout leader from the post apocalypse
Rogue- A menace to civilized society
Sorcerer- Sparklers and razzle dazzle, or Just Some Dude who secretly exploits your feelings and laughs about it later
Warlock- Used car dealer who went a step too far
Wizard- A pajama god that can theoretically solve any problem if they only picked a much better spell at level up. Detect Magic is not optional, Andrew.

[strangebloke]

Honestly, at this point with brand new players (and I've introduced a fair number to 5e at this point) I pretty much just say:

1.Fighter is a combat specialist
2.Rogue is a sneaky, skilled guy
3.Cleric is a holy man who helps his teammates do better.
4.Wizard is a magic man who can do anything... if he prepared for it properly.

-if those sound unnapealing-

5.Bard is a magical troubadour who is good at everything except direct damage.

That keeps it simple. Warlocks, sorcerers, rangers, monks, and druids are all pretty complex to build and to play, IMO. If you just roll up to your first game with a silly warlock you slapped together, you might be really ineffective by accident. Paladins are pretty paint-by-the numbers, but the resource tracking is a nightmare. Barbarians are great for newbies, but ultimately, the fighter covers every archetypal 'barbarian' character and then some.

And, more to the point, DND is a big system. There's no need to dump 12 classes on them when you only need 4 to get started with.

[KorvinStarmast]

There's no need to dump 12 classes on them when you only need 4 to get started with. For new players, stick to the Basic Rules. Then, after they get used to the game, consider doing what AL does. Rebuild with another class.
For that matter, Paladin isn't as complicated as you made it sound, but I agree that it takes someone who understands resources management to make the Paladin work to that class's potential.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Using the basic rules isn't an option for me. I've now taught at least a dozen people to play over the last year or two, with all 12 in play. It's only class choice that takes a while. From there, it's just a small slog. In 3 hours we built 3 characters and ran an intro scenario (which took about 2 of those hours). Only choosing classes and then choosing the wizard and druid's spells took any significant time.

I ended up with a wood elf wizard (yes, after saying that the high elves are more "powerful"), a human barbarian (playing no feats, so regular), and a hill dwarf druid.

I did have them do narrative backgrounds and choose two skills that fit their background. We'll add the rest of the pieces later--they've already started to develop their characters. I do offer free rebuilds up to 5th level.

[2D8HP]

I started teaching some colleagues D&D yesterday. It

So what would be your elevator pitches for each class?


Start playing a Standard Human Champion Fighter, if you find after five levels of play you want to try another class go right-ahead, I recommend a different Fighter Sub-class, Ancients Paladin, Swashbuckler Rogue, or Thief Rogue.

After trying those go Ranger, though you can add two levels of Ranger to other classes pretty easily before that.

All of them hit things with sharp things, a couple have extra skills, and a couple do some magic.

Don't play a Wizard at first unless you're being coached.

Sorry you missed your stop.

[Spiritchaser]

To steal a line from an episode of Buffy the vampire slayer

Warlock: I OWE YOU PAIN

Edit: ok, doesn’t work so well for most celestials, and marginal for archfey...

I still like it

[Ryblackadder]

You know the crusaders? The Paladin is that but with magic and less murder... and More polytheism.

[sophontteks]

Bard- Why kill what you can SEDUCE.

Anything else- see bard.

[djreynolds]

It seems to me that most classes either are varied in their core or in their subclasses, to a degree where summarizing them effectively in a few words can feel unsatisfactory. Take wizards: Spellcasters to be sure, but depending on spells selcted and found, they can do all sorts of things. And that's without mentioning any arcane traditions.
So don't feel bad.

Edit: That said, I'll give it a quick (and unsatisfactory) go.

Barbarian: Angry, tough warrior.
Bard: Skill-monkey, jack-of-all-trades, and spellcaster with a penchant for hearts and minds.
Cleric: Spellcaster with focus on defence and recovery abilities.
Druid: Shapeshifter and general purpose spellcaster.
Fighter: Master of weapons and armour.
Monk: Mobile support melee.
Paladin: Part fighter, part cleric, and add some nova.
Ranger: Support warrior and spellcaster.
Rogue: Skill monkey and mobile damage dealer.
Sorcerer: Spellcaster with few spells, but particularly good at twisting those s/he knows.
Warlock: Okay, I give up there.
Wizard: The castiest spellcaster.

These are awesome, perfect.

[Kane0]

Barbarian: Subtlety is for the weak
Bard: Make you dance to their tune
Cleric: If priests took vows of badassery
Druid: The cutest of critters and wildest of storms
Fighter: No nonsense blender of death
Monk: Always be where they don't want to you be
Paladin: The best co-op experience ever
Ranger: hard mode, challenge accepted
Rogue: Backstabbing connoisseur
Sorcerer: Substitute your own reality
Warlock: Magical energizer bunny
Wizard: Choose-your-own-adventure

[Speely]

Sorry if this doesn't help, but I feel like lots of folks have given great advice already.

Barbarian: I smash you, but you no smash me.

Bard: You will love to hate me and hate to love me.

Cleric: I am glue.

Druid: No one really knows why I am here, least of all me... but get off my lawn.

Fighter: Classics never die, and I am classic as f***.

Monk: I am hard to prepare for and easy to overlook, if I am even in your field of vision.

Paladin: Hi. I do everything with no strings.

Ranger: They say I suck, but I have some low-key heroics no one is ready for.

Rogue: You might know me as a skillful damage dealer, but I am actually a defensive prodigy as well.

Sorcerer: Don't tell anyone, but I am the coolest kid in the whole class. Shhh.

Warlock: I am prolly a one-trick pony, but my trick will kill you.

Wizard: Now that you've heard what the kids have to say, welcome to the adult table.

[KOLE]

Barbarian: Hit things with big sword. Catch arrows between pecks. Laugh at fatal wounds.

Bard: Help your friends, discourage your foes, seduce the maidens. Maybe not in that order.

Cleric: You’re on a mission from God. And he’s PISSED.

Druid: Smoke a little grass. Turn into a bear. Get down tonight.

Fighter: A box full of sharp objects.

Monk: Hit and run personified.

Paladin: “The” Knight in Shining Armor. Damsel in distress not guaranteed.

Ranger: Please try Revised Ranger instead.
Revised Ranger: I can track a man twenty miles from yesterday’s fart, then stab him in sleep.

Rogue: James Bond with a rapier. Prefers his encounters shaken, not stirred.*
*Martinis at DM discretion only

Sorcerer: Everything I can do, a Wizard does better.

Warlock: Choose-your-own caster!*
*DM discretion advised

Wizard: Revenge of the nerds. Spent half his life reading books, can now kill a dozen men with a snap of his fingers.

[Illven]

Don't play a Wizard at first unless you're being coached.

I was 9, and in 3.5 when I played my first character.

A wizard.

Granted I was an evoker (Don't judge me), but I helped!

[2D8HP]

I was 9, and in 3.5 when I played my first character.

A wizard.

Granted I was an evoker (Don't judge me), but I helped!


Well someone has to be smarter than average to balance me out!

[xroads]

Wizard: Now that you've heard what the kids have to say, welcome to the adult table.

This is made me laugh. :smallbiggrin:

[quark12000]

What the hell is an "elevator pitch"?

[AureusFulgens]

What the hell is an "elevator pitch"?

A term that has its origins in business. You have a business plan and you just ran into the CEO in the elevator. You have 15 seconds to explain your idea to him and get him interested enough to want to talk to you more before he gets off in five floors.

It's become an idiom for "a very short explanation of (and possibly persuasive argument for) some thing or idea."

In this case, the OP wants very short descriptions of each class that should explain what they do and/or what kind of player might want to play them.

[xroads]

Barbarian – Wade into battle with reckless abandon and mercilessly slaughter your foes.
Bard – Use your charm to inspire your allies or psychologically destroy your opponent with words alone.
Cleric – Call forth more miracles before breakfast than most folks have seen in a lifetime.
Druid – Most folks try to survive in nature. You become the embodiment of nature itself.
Fighter – Most men fight to live, you live to fight. The true master of martial arts.
Paladin – You made an oath and absolutely nothing will stand between you and keeping that oath.
Rogue – Slip through the shadows and skewer your opponent before they even know what hit them.
Sorcerer - Magic is an art and you’re the artist. Any fool can cast a spell, you make it dance.
Warlock – Charm otherworldly beings into providing you raw power.
Wizard –All problems can be solved with the right spell, and you have all the spells.

I wasn't able to think of one for monk or ranger.

[strangebloke]

1. You want to be good at magic, or fighting?

Magic all the way. Goto #2
Fighting all the way. Goto #4
Both. Goto #6
I don't know/care. goto #7


2. What kind of magic?

Holy. Cleric.
Creepy. Warlock
Nature. Druid
Just plain 'ol magic. Goto #3
Some holy magic, but not exclusive. Bard, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Arcana Cleric.


3. How did you get your magic?

Magic school. Wizard
Born with it. Sorcerer
Made a deal with someone powerful or studied forbidden lore. Warlock.
Picked up the skill along the way somewhere. Bard.
I don't know. Wizard.


4. What makes you good at fighting?

I'm quick on my feet, good at dodging and taking advantage of opportunities. Goto #5.
I'm REALLY strong and tough. Barbarian.
/I'm skilled and I train hard. Fighter.
I don't know. Fighter.


5. Are you more down-to-earth, or more mystical?

Mystical. Monk.
Down to earth. Rogue.


6. What kind of magic?

Holy. Paladin. (Valor bard if you want to fight at range.)
Nature. Ranger.
Creepy. Hexblade warlock.
Normal. Eldritch Knight, Arcane Trickster, Swords Bard.


7. What is your character best at?

Killing bad guys. Fighter.
Operating alone, avoiding combat. Rogue.
Keeping everyone alive. Cleric
Controlling the pace of the battle and the adventure as a whole. Wizard.