Updated: which class for the party

[Mikaleus]

UPDATED special thanks to the people who replied and gave some great advice.

I’m to join a party of adventurers that consist of

Moon druid Gnome
Dreams Druid Wood Elf
Hunter Ranger Wood elf
Tempest Cleric genasi
Beserker Dwarf

My mate who is DM, has advised me that undead and specifically fiends (devils and demons) will feature heavily into the campaign.

I have decided I’d like to play a character with Arcane abilities.

To give some really obscure background, there is a major event about to happen that obviously needs to be stopped (sorry for vague and generic just in case those players see this post).

The character ideas I’ve come up with so far

Wizard.
Gnome (or Vuman) who happens across a Tome in a hidden part of the wizard towers library, detailing a catastrophic event yet to happen. The author, is actually an ancestor of the wizard which perks his interest and decides to investigate the claims made.

Warlock
Half elf or Vuman whose patron is an ancient empyrean whose father was Azuth, a god of magic. The empyrean has sent the warlock to investigate the rising darkness, and may know more about it than what the warlock has been told.

And despite not being an arcane focused class (I like 5e Paladins and has much fun a previous campaign with a sword and shield ancients Paladin)

Paladin
Aasimar. Took an oath of vengeance and travels the lands looking to eradicate evil. Wields a halberd or great weapon and hunts fiends, cultists and undead with no mercy.
When he was young he nearly lost his life to cultists looking to harvest his celestial power.
The deva has guided him to the area to best utilise his talents.

[KOLE]

There’s always rolling for it, if you really can’t make up your mind. Otherwise, sounds liek what’s stopping you is overthinking party composition. It’s respectable to think of the team, but this is 5e, honestly almost any party comp works as long as the DM doesn’t actively attempt to sabotage it- IE, never allowing a party of warlocks and monks to take short rests, or always using high speed bruisers in a party of squishy casters, but even then a clever team can make it work.

So, stop thinking of what your party wants/needs and focus on what you want. That might help you.

Also, based on what you’re looking for in this campaign, might I suggest an Arcana Cleric might work nicely? Just a thought

[Zetakya]

So immediately I think the group could do with
A party face
Someone with a respectable Arcana
Capable of dealing with said enemies

Can’t decide on whether to choose
Celestial Warlock, Divine Soul Sorcerer or a Wizard (charm person).

With those requirements, Charm Person being singled out, and the fae-aligned nature of the party, have you considered Glamour Bard?

[Mikaleus]

KOLE- rolling for it is a great suggestion. And yeah, I am guilty of trying to adapt to a party’s needs. That said, I did that with my paladin and he turned out amazingly fun which was fortunate.

Zetakya- I have. Rolled for stats and if I went half elf or Eladrin I’d have some ridiculous stats. Really embracing their fey heritage. I think it would fit in great, but my DM wants to portray that the event in the game has far, plane reaching effects and having a character with celestial and or arcane ties could represent this quite well. I nearly rolled with a Tiefling Fiendlock

[Nagog]

Have you considered the Bard? High Cha, expertise for the Arcana and a Face ability (I personally favor Deception), and can fill in for the Roguish elements of the campaign. College of Lore can help pick up some great Feind-blasting spells from the proper spell lists, or a Swords Bard can be a good front-liner if your Moon Druid and Cleric aren't enough of a front line for ya. My personal favorite is College of Satire for the 6th level feature making fools of the enemy if they save (or granting you valuable information if they don't)

[Zetakya]

What level are you starting at? Bard is a fairly slow starter, but Glamour is one of the best, especially with a large party like the one you have described. As soon as you have +5 to CHA you can give Temporary HP to the entire rest of your party. You might also want to look at the Inspiring Leader feat, for even more Temporary HP availability (just remember: Temporary HP doesn't stack, so if you reapply before it is completely depleted you lose any remaining Temporary HP).

There are also other way of getting Temporary HP. The two really Bard-available ones are Heroism and Enhance Ability (Bear's Endurance). These are both Concentration, but are both really useful in other ways as well, and can be upcast for addition targets.

Note that at level 10 you can also get your hands on any 2 Spells from someone else's Spell List. That could be Aura of Life, or one I've always wanted to try Find Greater Steed.

Your job is entirely to protect your party from whatever the other side wants to throw at you. You have a very extensive toolbox of options that all say "no, you can't do that".

[Mikaleus]

Nagog- I have thought about the bard. I think cause my shepherd Druid is the groups healer and buffer in the other campaign I’m playing (totems like the bear granting THP, greater healing, faerie Fire is amazing etc) I’m finding myself more drawn to potential blasting and CC. Which with the right magical secrets a bard could perform but the character I have in mind is bit more battlemage I guess.

Zetakya- level 3.

[CollectorOfMyst]

<snip>

My mate whose DM, has said his campaign will feature a lot of fiends and undead.

So immediately I think the group could do with
A party face
Someone with a respectable Arcana
Capable of dealing with said enemies

Can’t decide on whether to choose
Celestial Warlock, Divine Soul Sorcerer or a Wizard (charm person)

Honestly, to me it sounds like a Paladin would be the best bet. I know that isn't one of the ones you suggested, but you already have two druids and a cleric as casters. Adding another would make it a very caster-heavy group.

Now, I know you said you've already played an Ancients Paladin, but due to their need for charisma, Paladins often fall into the Party Face role, and their Divine Smite/spell list can be a great asset on dealing with the undead. Ancients is more for fitting into 'team primal'.

However, it seems that you're also very healer-heavy. Two druids, a cleric and a ranger - all have healing spells. So I'm not sure if the Paladin would be a good fit (on the other hand, Paladin is the only class that has confirmed amounts of healing). For this same reason, I would advise against Celestial Warlock, if only so that not everyone is focused on that one role.

In that same vein, we again have your two druids and your tempest cleric. Three casters very often focused on damage. We also have four tank-capable classes - the moon druid, the ranger, the tempest cleric and your barbarian. So there may not be room for a tank/caster or a damage caster like a paladin or sorcerer.

Of your original three, my best advice is the wizard for something 'different', offering a different utility, but a Divine Soul Sorcerer for your personal theming. I would still say consider maybe a paladin or even a Bard, but that's the best I've got.

[Zetakya]

Yeah, that is not a setup that lacks for damage output; if it lacks anything (and with 5 characters already, it's got most bases already covered pretty adequately), then it's control and counters.

[nickl_2000]

Necromancer Wizard. Take control of the undead and make more of them. Fill that battlefield with fodder

[Mikaleus]

Updated original post.
Thanks again for the great advice so far :)

[Keravath]

You could start with one level of knowledge cleric (perhaps Mystra, god of magic), working as a librarian in a city, who discovers something of what may be coming and decides that they need to pursue the arcane arts to learn how to oppose it better. Evoker wizard or divination wizard might fit. Your diety could have suggested the course of action in a dream.

[Bobthewizard]

Necromancer Wizard. Take control of the undead and make more of them. Full that battlefield with fodder

I love this. Maybe make them Lawful Good with the goal of using their abilities to ultimately destroy the source of undead. They've been studying how to defeat undead so much that now they know their secrets.

[zinycor]

I would go with wizard, focus his spells on control and you are golden for the entire campaign.
Having said that any of your character concepts would work. Have a good time.

[Mikaleus]

I would go with wizard, focus his spells on control and you are golden for the entire campaign.
Having said that any of your character concepts would work. Have a good time.

What school would you suggest?

[Teaguethebean]

What school would you suggest?

Well for control Wizards Divination and Enchantment work amazingly.

[Mikaleus]

Well for control Wizards Divination and Enchantment work amazingly.

Would enchantment still be effective against undead and fiends?

I haven’t really played wizard out side of a low level introductory session and a cast of mage armor and firebolts .

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Would enchantment still be effective against undead and fiends?

I haven’t really played wizard out side of a low level introductory session and a cast of mage armor and firebolts .

It looks like only half of the undead and fiends have charm immunity.
You should be OK(base of the undead and fiend you will meet).

I recommend illusion wizard for control.
Wizards main thing is the spells, not the subclass so you should be ok anyway.

[Teaguethebean]

Would enchantment still be effective against undead and fiends?

I haven’t really played wizard out side of a low level introductory session and a cast of mage armor and firebolts .

Good point most undead are immune to the charmed condition so for control lean towards Divination or Transmutation. Or if you tend to fight a lot of spell casters even abjuration wizard can work well. Also to fight fiends make sure you take banishment.

[zinycor]

What school would you suggest?

Divination, though any school would work. I once a played a mean necromancer who ended up using mostly disabling spells.

[Nidgit]

I'd give some serious thought to Sorcerer. Your group needs a face and a blaster and a Sorcerer can do both of those things quite well. Warlock could also work- it exchanges some AoE effectiveness for single-target damage and a bit of extra skill monkeying.

My personal pick would be a Half-Elf Shadow Sorcerer who's always been drawn to the dead and demonic and is quietly terrified that he might actually be undead himself.