Level/power curve of calsses

[Stygofthedump]

Ok Playground experts, here's my challenge (as i lack the skills)
Produce a relative power curve graph for the classes per level from 1 - 20.
I know this can be subjective but there are some obvious peaks like lv2 moon druid.
any takers?

[Callak_Remier]

Your welcome to do your own research

[Zhorn]

Maybe too subjective to do considering the variables as to what constitutes to a 'power curve'.
Raw damage is one measure, but suitability and tactics can greatly alter how long a character can keep damaging effectively. Single turn novas vs multiple rounds, short rest vs long rest classes. Non-damaging abilities can fairly powerful in circumventing encounters (such as Sleep).

If you're strictly looking as damage in a single nova round, that would be possible to graph, but would not effectively display the overall strength of the classes compared to each other.

[Stygofthedump]

your both right it does seem like a difficult assignment.
I guess a person undertaking this would survey various aspects of a character and ask for rankings at each level for each class. the dataset would be large and difficult to quantify. Id like to see a curve for each subclass in different categories like; combat, social, scout, utility, etc. the curves could then be compared by class.

[djreynolds]

Base it on the attacks of the fighter.

If you can keep up with a fighter with damage you doing well.

Remember a fighter is more than likely going to have a maxed out attack stat right at 6 level.

Roll up a champion without feats, max out strength and dexterity by 12th, and the rest in con and then wisdom.

There is your power curve.

[Laserlight]

I have fairly often talked my way through the encounters, sometimes even converting the hostiles to friendly. How do you count the power level of "Persuaded the ghosts guarding the tomb to give us the juicy magic swords and armor", or "Conned the junior cultists into taking us safely all the way through the dungeon level to the boss" ?

[Jamesps]

Base it on the attacks of the fighter.

If you can keep up with a fighter with damage you doing well.

Remember a fighter is more than likely going to have a maxed out attack stat right at 6 level.

Roll up a champion without feats, max out strength and dexterity by 12th, and the rest in con and then wisdom.

There is your power curve.

Basing it off of damage output, while simple, isn't a very good measure of power.

I mean I guess it could be, but you'd have to make your calculations a lot more complicated. Support characters multiply the damage of their party. Defensive abilities increase the number of rounds you can do damage, etc...

[djreynolds]

Basing it off of damage output, while simple, isn't a very good measure of power.

I mean I guess it could be, but you'd have to make your calculations a lot more complicated. Support characters multiply the damage of their party. Defensive abilities increase the number of rounds you can do damage, etc...

The champion without feats, who has a 20 in strength and dexterity, is the basic basic can do all character.

Now this fighter can't rely on 1 stat sadly, but can deal damage with any weapon.

It's just the basic build.

Now you have a "mean".

[PhantomSoul]

It's just for damage so, depending on your table, might be just a small portion of the game, but it's quantifiable and the question is essentially impossible and underspecified anyway (too many variables, too many unquantifiables, too many things that could play very different types of roles, and too many opportunities for creative use that wouldn't be accounted for), but this could be interesting to look at: https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/4i1dff/the_optimists_guide_to_dd_5e_damage_by_class_and/. It has by-(sub)class damage estimates in a white room with the usual caveats of white room theorycrafting.