What class would work best with this party?

[minute]

Heyo, imagine a party of a fighter, rogue, wizard, and druid. What class do you think would work best with this party?

If you want some additional information, feel free to continue reading. An important thing to note is that the fighter is DEX-based, so while he will still have a good chunk of health, he obviously won't be as tanky as a STR-based one. The rogue has also stated that he has a good charisma stat, and will be taking expertise in some face skills.

I've essentially narrowed it down to a bard, cleric, or paladin.
Cleric: great damage, utility, healing, and (depending on the subclass) even tanking. Would add divine/holy magic into the mix, as well as an official deity being apart of the party for cool RP stuff. Would also make any future undead encounters easier.
Paladin: almost the exact same as the cleric, but with an even higher emphasis on tanking/damage. Would also add divine magic into the party, as well as extremely useful buffs like Aura of Protection. Their two main stats are also STR/CHA, and nobody else in the party has either of those as a main stat.
Bard: in terms of skills and the like, pretty much good at everything. Would be a straightforward face for the party, and would obviously focus on utility and buffs/debuffs, since that's what the bard spell list is all about (also, bardic inspiration). Only thing that would be lacking in this one is tanking. I'd probably go Lore Bard, choosing Counterspell and Revivify at level 6, but the subclasses for cleric and paladin are still up in the air.

If you have any advice for me please let me know! If you want to know what the party's subclasses are, I can try to let you know.

[Sigreid]

Of the 3 classes you have narrowed down to, I would go with bard as it has abilities that let it cover any missing ground as well as act as a force multiplier for the rest of the group.

That said, I personally would consider monk or warlock. The monk develops incredible mobility and a lot of targeted control potential as well as being able to be built to competently accompany or enhance the rogue for scouting missions. The warlock on the other hand can provide reliable ranged damage that will never run out of ammo and a variety of on demand tricks that can be very handy via invocations. Depending on the patron and pact you choose, a warlock can handily support in melee, an invisible scout, ritual versatility, healing or provide extra HP to the party.

You've got the basic four specialties covered. It's a great time to take a class with abilities that expand beyond the basic needs of a functional group.

[arnin77]

My first thought was Paladin so you’d get bonuses to saves, support tanking, nova damage and some additional healing; however a totem barb could be a good damage sponge for the party.

[Eldariel]

Cleric obviously adds a missing list to the party and is a full caster. Revivify is huge. There's nothing Cleric can't really do. Lore Bard can do the same, but at more cost. Cleric adds another frontliner, while Bard leans towards support. Either would be great for the party though.

[minute]

Of the 3 classes you have narrowed down to, I would go with bard as it has abilities that let it cover any missing ground as well as act as a force multiplier for the rest of the group.

That said, I personally would consider monk or warlock. The monk develops incredible mobility and a lot of targeted control potential as well as being able to be built to competently accompany or enhance the rogue for scouting missions. The warlock on the other hand can provide reliable ranged damage that will never run out of ammo and a variety of on demand tricks that can be very handy via invocations. Depending on the patron and pact you choose, a warlock can handily support in melee, an invisible scout, ritual versatility, healing or provide extra HP to the party.

You've got the basic four specialties covered. It's a great time to take a class with abilities that expand beyond the basic needs of a functional group.

Huh. I definitely didn't expect anyone to recommend a monk. This group and I have actually already started our campaign, and I made this post simply because I wanted to finally sit down and create a backup character. My current character in the group is actually a shadow monk lol. Although I've been thinking lately that I made the wrong decision in being a monk within this group; I just feel like another caster or a tankier class would've worked a lot better with the other classes. I definitely don't feel useless or bored or anything with my monk; I actually love the character and he's been a lot of fun to play, but I guess I've just been overthinking the higher levels, wondering how useful I'm gonna be able to be once we start getting up there in levels. You're completely right, though: my character is great at scouting and will have loads of mobility, especially once he gets that level 6 ability (provided the encounter is in dim light/darkness). If my monk somehow doesn't die anytime soon, I'm definitely going to be challenging myself to be as strategic as possible during combat, trying to work with the fighter to aggro the enemies. I expect patient defense is going to become my best friend.

[Sigreid]

@minute I think monk gets a little bit of a bad rap because they're often judged based on what other classes are designed to do rather than what they do. I've currently got a shadow monk and he's just hit the level where he can move in and strike and just teleport away if he's not in a brightly lit area.

[Nidgit]

Bard would probably be my third choice since you already have both a support caster and a skill monkey. Rogue and Druid can cover the Bard's skill set quite effectively.

Between Cleric and Paladin, I'd say it depends on how subclass the Druid is going. If it's Moon Druid, go Cleric to cover healing. If it's Shepherd you could go either way, but anything else and I'd lean Paladin for superior tanking. Never hurts to have a secondary face either, and a Paladin can still help out with healing.

[Nidgit]

Cleric obviously adds a missing list to the party and is a full caster. Revivify is huge. There's nothing Cleric can't really do. Lore Bard can do the same, but at more cost. Cleric adds another frontliner, while Bard leans towards support. Either would be great for the party though.

With Tasha's, Revivify is now a Druid spell too so that need is covered.

[CTurbo]

After reading the thread title, and before I read the first post, I was thinking Cleric, Paladin, or Bard.

After reading the entire post, I'd consider Paladin or Bard since there is plenty Wis in the party so a Cha based character would fit nicely.

Since there is a Rogue in the party, I'd lean towards Paladin. Paladins can be good faces and they bring a lot of damage to the group as well as some off healing and plenty of buffs.

You could still make Bard work if you're a bit less concerned with damage and would prefer to be the main buff/debuff character.

[Ashrym]

The bard would be my first choice. It's crack-fill for anything the party might be missing, and with inspiration to help fight rolling poorly on important rolls.

The paladin would be my second choice. It's not as versatile as the bard but much tankier with better damage and the protective auras are options. The slower spell progression and range on auras are what give me pause compared to the bard.

The cleric would be my third choice. It's clearly not a bad choice and has faster spell progression than the paladin, but it's the bonuses to rolls from bardic inspiration or auras that look more appealing for the group.

[Sigreid]

Another option would be a second wizard. That would let both your party's wizards gain spells up to twice as fast. Assuming they're willing to share and if your DM is scroll/spell book stingy.

[LordShade]

Strength and heavy armor look like the main things missing from this party.

I think Str paladin (probably pure class, but 6/14 sorcerer or warlock are also possible) or any kind of barbarian is probably the right answer. Heavy armor cleric would also be fine--Tempest, Forge, Order, Twilight and Peace all look great. I wouldn't go Bard if you already have a charismatic rogue and a wizard.

Is the Dex fighter going archery, TWF or shield master?
Is the druid going Moon, or a backline build?