What class is best suited for my character?

[Strudel1000]

Hello all! I am very new to playing D&D (3 sessions into my first campaign), and I’m loving it so far!
My favorite part of D&D is it’s ability to provide technical structure to thematic/narrative content.
That being said, I had an idea for a character, but I’m not sure which class is best suited to represent their abilities.

The character in question is a deep gnome whose parents died in their adolescence. He was taken in by someone who was an exorcist by trade, and trained to fight the undead.
However, during a battle against a powerful spirit/demon, he was knocked unconscious, and he woke up alone, with no master and with no knowledge of the outcome of the battle. He is searching for his master and the creature that defeated him, all the while working to help those in need of an exorcist’s services.

Any recommendations for what class this character should start out as, and what he should continue to level up as?
I am more interested in what class can narratively represent this character, as opposed to which one is most effective from a meta-gaming or efficiency standpoint. I am also open to learning about homebrews/custom or prestige classes, if y’all know of any.

I would love to hear any feedback you have!

[opaopajr]

Luckily for you 5e is very open and has divided Background from Class/Archetype functions. :smallcool: Sounds like you have a Deep Gnome race with an Acolyte background. Pick your heart's desire for class and archetype! :smallsmile:

So how do you see this character interacting with the world? What did it do to support their exorcist teacher? Those questions can help guide you.

[Catullus64]

Any class that gets access to the Protection from Evil and Good spell, which makes a creature immune to possession by specific creature types for its duration, is a good start for an exorcist-type; Cleric, Wizard, and Paladin all have access. Cleric and Paladin can also make their own Holy Water at the cost of 25 GP worth of materials. Grave Domain Cleric and Devotion Paladin have some specific anti-undead or anti-fiend features.

A wizard could also be an interesting take, if you don't want the religious angle implied by Paladin or Cleric; certainly a good class for a Gnome. Maybe a wizard who has learned Necromancy specifically to control and combat dark forces, or an Abjurer who wants to guard against evil.

If you take a more cynical view of exorcism, you could also do something like my current character, a multi class Rogue/Wizard. He's a charlatan who uses knowledge of the supernatural and magical tricks to fake possessions and hauntings, so he can accept a cash reward for "banishing" the evil. If your master was more of a sham exorcist, and trained you accordingly, try Rogue (Arcane Trickster)/Wizard (Whatever school you like, but I would vote Illusion, Enchantment, or Transmutation). It's also a ton of fun gameplay-wise, with tons of fun little tricks; and the role-play potential of a fake exorcist coming face to face with genuine supernatural evil can also be very interesting.

[micahaphone]

How did your character learn to fight undead? With divine force and conviction? Skill and cunning? Magical knowledge? Tracking like a beast?

-If you want to play a magic using character, a wizard or a cleric would work.

Many new players have a video games mindset, that clerics are just heal bots. That's not true. They can do damage, tank, buff or debuff. Very strong in 5e, and generally you should only spend resources healing when your allies go unconscious.

Maybe your mentor was teaching your character to hinder monsters and to exploit their weaknesses with magic, a wizard. Wizards can be swiss army knives, a spell for every problem.

-if you want to be more martial, a paladin or a ranger could fit the idea.

Paladins can deal big damage, tank on the frontline, and spot heal. No party would ever complain about a paladin with them.

Rangers, especially Gloom Stalker or Monster Slayer, would fit the idea well. Learn to track the undead, study their weakness, and hunt them down.

[MrStabby]

I would go warlock to be honest.

Firstly, the pact could be the price paid for being spared but there is no need to play up this side of things if you dont want.

The main thing is that warlocks are simply the best at banishing stuff from level 7 onwards till at least level 11. Banishment refreshing on a short rest and scaling to level 5 spell levels is no joke. Dispel magic with effects like dark ones own luck can add to the theme.

[Verble]

Keep in mind 5e doesn't have prestige classes, but archetypes chosen somewhere between first and third level.

I agreed that you'd probably choose the Acolyte background.

Are you adventuring above ground or in the underdark? I'd be curious how you ended up above ground if that's the case. The underdark tends to be a very dangerous and risky place. Perhaps you were rescued by a Cleric or missionary and sent back to a temple to be raised, and were apprenticed to a wandering exorcist of the faith.

Good suggestions here so far.

Some of this revolves around what you see your character doing in combat and where you see your character going. Do you worship a God, or follow an Oath? Do you attempt to 'outwit' the undead through twisting reality? Perhaps as someone suggested you made a deal with a dark, or even divine being, but maybe part of your bargain was forgetting. I'd suggest discussing this with your DM.

Keep in mind that though your focus may be undead, depending on the DM you may not see very many of them.

Some thematically appropriate suggestions
Grave Cleric, Celestial Warlock, Devotion Paladin, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Wizard

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Grave Cleric. You're good at healing downed allies(rescuing them from death's door) and gain the ability to sense undead several times per long rest. They get good support and debuff abilities, ontop on the powerful and flexible cleric full casting chasis. Here's the fluff description.

"Gods of the grave watch over the line between life and death. To these deities, death and the afterlife are a foundational part of the multiverse’s workings. To resist death, or to desecrate the dead’s rest, is an abomination. Deities of the grave include Kelemvor, Wee Jas, the ancestral spirits of the Undying Court, Hades, Anubis, and Osiris. These deities teach their followers to respect the dead and pay them due homage. Followers of these deities seek to put restless spirits to rest, destroy the undead wherever they find them, and ease the suffering of dying creatures. Their magic also allows them to stave off a creature’s death, though they refuse to use such magic to extend a creature’s lifespan beyond its mortal limits."

[Strudel1000]

Thank you all for your excellent suggestions! I didn’t know about a lot of the options that were suggested, and the guiding questions really helped me clarify and focus some things!
In terms of how this character fights, his main weapon is preparation, followed by control and melee strikes. He always scouts before combat and seeks to learn about his enemy; in combat, he uses a whip to move his opponents where he wants them, and uses a greatclub or shortsword to engage them in close combat.
For background, I am tied between Acolyte and Haunted One, a background from the Curse of Strahd expansion that really spoke to me.

I love the idea of the Rogue/Wizard sham exorcist. For a while, I was thinking of having that be this character’s mentor, but now I’m leaning more towards a mentor who was a ranger/warlock.
As a ranger, she hunted the undead and the necromancers who controlled them. While fighting a necromancer, she was exposed to one of the Great Old Ones, and she began spiraling into madness, following the whispers of an eldritch god who gave her power.
She continued to hunt undead, which brought her to the Underdark, where she met my character, recently orphaned after his parents’ mysterious death. He was functionally adopted by this mentor, who taught him how to fight, but did not expose him to the source of her powers, keeping her secrets locked away in a Book of Shadows. They continued to travel both the Underdark and the world above in pursuit of her quests.
After his mentor’s disappearance, he woke up holding the greatsword that was her signature weapon. He found the Book of Shadows nearby, incomprehensible but still intact, meaning his mentor is still alive somewhere...

So far, I’m seeing this character as Lawful Neutral, sworn to fight the undead as an apprentice to their master, not necessarily out of a sense of moral goodness.
I’m leaning towards the paladin Oath of Vengeance, but there are definitely a lot of alternative options to consider! The Grave Cleric domain is very tempting as well.
Of course, both of those would mean choosing a deity for my character to follow, which is something I would have to work into the story.

I love the idea of a pact being made that requires forgetting that any agreement was made at all.
One idea I had early on was that this character was cursed with some form of lycanthropy at the time of his mentor’s disappearance, but I’m not sure how that fits in with any kind of class selection...

Thank you all for your advice, I am always open to more suggestions! I just joined this forum as well, so thank you all for such a great introduction to D&D as well as the GiantITP boards :)

[micahaphone]

Have fun smiting evil as a vengeance paladin! I want to warn you of one rule snafu- gnomes are size small, and small creatures have disadvantage when using heavy weapons, such as greatswords. But there's plenty of other great weapons for paladins. The dueling figting style works with a shield, so a paladin with a longsword and shield (nicknamed "sword and board") has higher AC and roughly equal average damage to using a greatsword!


If you're not super into the grave domain deities or aren't sure where to start, you could check with your DM about a god who is giving you power, rewarding your work and saving you in a time of need. You don't necessarily know who or why you've learned these powers, but whoever it is certainly also dislikes the undead, so you you'll strap on your breastplate, pick up your short sword, and get back to hunting. An extra mystery in your backstory is like candy to a DM.

[Verble]

In terms of how this character fights, his main He always scouts before combat and seeks to learn about his enemy; in combat, he uses a whip to move his opponents where he wants them, and uses a greatclub or shortsword to engage them in close combat.


Keep in mind that you'll likely be part of a group, they might not use stealth. Also unless you go with a Dex Build for paladin, you'll probably be tromping along in heavy armor(disadvantage to sneaking) likely without proficiency in sneak.

Also, are there agreed upon rules for the whip effects? The Midguard setting by Kobold Press has special weapon options for each weapon, such as restraining or disarming with a whip. Also you'd probably need good strength or proficiency in Athletics to try and pull people around.




Of course, both of those would mean choosing a deity for my character to follow, which is something I would have to work into the story.


Keep in mind that paladins have their Oaths, but don't need to worship a God. Clerics can worship a concept instead of a God.




I love the idea of a pact being made that requires forgetting that any agreement was made at all.
One idea I had early on was that this character was cursed with some form of lycanthropy at the time of his mentor’s disappearance, but I’m not sure how that fits in with any kind of class selection...


Keep in mind discussing things like this with your DM, as lycanthropy can have important mechanical and story implications. I try not to pack in too much story because a first level character is usually just beginning their adventuring career. Keep in mind the game you'll be playing will be your main method for discovering and growing your character. I've had characters take me in pleasantly surprising directions I never planned.

[Strudel1000]

Have fun smiting evil as a vengeance paladin! I want to warn you of one rule snafu- gnomes are size small, and small creatures have disadvantage when using heavy weapons, such as greatswords.

Honestly, most of this backstory is just to justify a 3’ gnome carrying a 4’ sword ;^) He has other weapons that he’s proficient with, but he has an emotional connection to the weapon he can’t use properly, yadda yadda yadda...
Even with disadvantage, it’s fun to imagine a character swinging a sword that’s taller than they are, IMHO- as you can tell, I’m definitely not focused on creating the most effective character in battle, which is kind of what I enjoy so far!


Keep in mind that you'll likely be part of a group, they might not use stealth. Also unless you go with a Dex Build for paladin, you'll probably be tromping along in heavy armor(disadvantage to sneaking) likely without proficiency in sneak.

I would definitely be looking at a Str/Dex focused build, with medium Hide armor.
When I think about this character’s personality, it seems like they would have low Wis/Cha, representing low self-esteem/lack of insight; that choice clashes with Charisma being the paladin casting stat (as well as Wis being the cleric casting stat), but I’m not thinking of playing this character as very magic oriented anyway.

Thank you for the recommendation re:whip rules, I will check that setting out! I also didn’t know that clerics/paladins didn’t have to be beholden to a god, that is useful information.

I don’t have plans to play this character anytime soon (I’m currently playing a gnome druid/bard), but there’s definitely a lot of things to discuss with my future DM! I’ll be sure to leave blanks for them to fill in, roleplaying a character who has to discover things about themselves looks like a lot of fun.
I’ve seen similar things used on a lot of the actual-play podcasts and shows that I listen to.

I’m always open to further thoughts/feedback/recommendations!

[Cikomyr]

You could also take Divine Soul Sorcerer, for a mix of arcane and divine flavor. Blasting and exorcising

[Throne12]

Idk if anyone said this yet. But the class that can fit any concept its CLERIC.

Go CLERIC just bless it, just smite it.

[opaopajr]

You can use a Lance as a small creature. :smallsmile: Its keywords are "Reach, Special;" there is no Heavy keyword Small-creature penalty! The only catch is two-handed when not mounted, but even then, yay!

Lessee... low WIS & CHA, focused STR & DEX, low to no magic. If Point Buy, I would go for mostly 14s and likely seen ending up with 14s in CON & INT too.

Remember, anyone can Stealth (depending how crazy your GM goes on DCs). So I can totally see a Fighter here. (And if you are worried about Skill selection, just mimic-select your background skills and then follow RAW to get two wild card skill selections). Rogue is also a fun choice, but Fighter already starts out with all armor, shield, & weapon proficiencies. And since in Multiclassing Fighters trade away the farm for nothing, there is little to no reason to not start 2 levels in Fighter for that insane Action Surge goodness.

I would later get your Whip Silvered, it's extremely cheap compared to other weapons! It does what you want, as Silvered affects many magical and evil creatures. With Whip, you can wield either a Shield or another weapon like shortsword (you cannot TWF however as Whip is not Light. Crazy, I know.) Then with a Lance, maybe a future mount, a spare shortsword, and some extra range weaponry, and you should be good to go.

I would expect a readout of...
Skills: Religion (bkrd), Insight (bkrd), Investigation, & Stealth.
Tools: Vehicles (land), Game Set.
Languages: Common, Gnome, Infernal (or Abyssal), and one extra.

Sounds like good fun for a Fighter!

[djreynolds]

There is the fighter archetype "monster slayer" from the UA

[Nidgit]

I'm guessing you're a Dark Souls fan?

A Strength/Dexterity dual-focused build is of very little use in 5e. Outside of a homebrewed magic weapon, there's no ability or item that keys off of both stats at the same time. It's almost always better to pick one of the two stats as your primary physical stat and leave the other average, if not outright dumped.

A few possible starting points for your character:

Monster Hunter Ranger: this is your classic Witcher/vampire hunter archetype, with abilities suited to learning information about your foes', tracking them down, and keeping them from escaping. An excellent thematic option for an exorcist if a Cleric is too magical for you.

Inquisitive Rogue: the investigator, excellent at picking up clues and finding enemy weaknesses. Insight is a major focus for this character, so I'd suggest taking Expertise in Insight but simply never using it out of combat. You can be good at picking up combat tells while being oblivious to social ones.

Zealot Barbarian: literally beat the devil out of them with your divine blows. Could mesh with a few levels in Rogue for a premier grappler or skirmisher.

[djreynolds]

Ever see the 13th warrior?

I liked it. It fun. Point is, have sword reduced in size.