D&D 5e Race/Class

[Kerchunk]

What are some race/class combos that you rarely or never see? Specifically I'm talking about the core races and classes from the PHB. I feel like I'm always reaching for the same ole things but I want to stretch myself a little.

[Wynamoinen]

There has actually been a full analysis of this question (based on D&D Beyond)! Unless I am mistaken, it looks like half orc sorcerer is the least common.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...haracter-rare/

[Kerchunk]

I'm surprised. I thought that Elf Barbarian or Dwarf Druid would be contenders. Thanks for that link though.

[loki_ragnarock]

Honestly, it's hard to pull up a genuinely loser combination in 5th edition, so anything is fair game mechanically.

Half-Orc sorcerers are perfectly viable and aren't going to be trying to scale a near insurmountable barrier to entry; they won't be perfectly optimized, but that's about it.

[NinjaTeeHart]

I'm always surprised at how many human PCs there are that are created, most of the groups I have played with seem to actively avoid playing as a human in order to get that "outside of normal" feel to the PC. But stats, even if not perfect, tend to tell a pretty reasonable tale of truth. So that chart is SUPER interesting compared to my personal experience, thanks for sharing!

[BlackDouglas]

As far as it goes, I tend to resurrect similar characters from my "rogue's gallery" in differing campaigns, altered as required.

It serves two purposes - I save having to come up with plausible and playable "unique" characters, and if they are a character I like, I can spend more time "inhabiting" their mentality and style.

As far as that chart goes, apparently my Dwarf Fighter, Elf Rogue, Half Elf Bard, and Human Fighter are all straight out of the textbook, my only "wild card" is apparently my half orc sorcerer (that lad just really loves fire)

[Auron3991]

Well, my last group might as well have been trying to defy the chart, as it involved a Goliath, two Tiefling Rouges, an Aismar, and a Dragonborn Druid, so maybe I'm not the best judge, but I find that any of the classic four tend to get used with significant regularity no matter the race. It's usually the slightly less venerable classes that start stratifying out amongst the races. Unless you're monk, because I don't think I've encountered a monk ever.

[TADHG]

Humans are...familiar in 5e, whether you roll or use standard array, you get to add 1 to every stay. Which isn't too bad.

In earlier edition, dwarven magic users, tended not to be common. I've rolled up several characters in anticipation of playing and the most amusing to me are the hafling barbarian and hafling paladin.

[SnakeOilCharmer]

Originally Posted by Kerchunk

I'm surprised. I thought that Elf Barbarian or Dwarf Druid would be contenders. Thanks for that link though.

Hill Dwarf is probably the third most common Druid choice (Wood Elf, Variant Human).

Humans are common because the across-the-board or of-your-choice skill increases mean you can always start with a 16 in the skill you rely on, if using standard array or point buy. Plus, I dunno about anyone else, I always feel like there should be two humans in every party. There's such storytelling variety available to you with humanity. Seems to me it's easier to avoid falling into the common tropes.

When you roll, there's a bit more leeway. I feel like peeps who roll big should always compensate by taking less optimised race/class combos. Some of my faves:

Tiefling Paladin (of a good deity)
Half-Orc rogue (ex-military 'security' type for organized crime)
Half-Elf Barb (Uthgardt/Wood Elf parentage)
Kenku Bard (the ultimate tribute act)

I'm also surprised the dex-based halfling fighter is quite as rare as it is.

[ZixSerro]

Currently playing a dragonborn druid in my rl game, which is apparently pretty rare. The character I want to play on here is a tiefling monk/sorcerer; surprised that tiefling monks are rare, and that sorcerers are rarer than warlocks. I'd think that more people would imagine their tiefling as having innate magical powers, but I guess if their patron is, like, their demonic ancestor, that could make sense as well.

[SnakeOilCharmer]

Originally Posted by ZixSerro

Currently playing a dragonborn druid in my rl game, which is apparently pretty rare. The character I want to play on here is a tiefling monk/sorcerer; surprised that tiefling monks are rare, and that sorcerers are rarer than warlocks. I'd think that more people would imagine their tiefling as having innate magical powers, but I guess if their patron is, like, their demonic ancestor, that could make sense as well.

Why does that surprise you? Monks as a class rely on Dex and Wis, and tend to dump INT and CHA. Mechanically, Tieflings are probably the worst possible racial choice for a monk, and their infernal flavor doesn't normally gybe with the quiet, lawful monk. (Don't get me wrong, if someone rolled well enough to make the build viable, it sounds like a great opportunity for roleplaying).

[TADHG]

Originally Posted by SnakeOilCharmer

Why does that surprise you? Monks as a class rely on Dex and Wis, and tend to dump INT and CHA. Mechanically, Tieflings are probably the worst possible racial choice for a monk, and their infernal flavor doesn't normally gybe with the quiet, lawful monk. (Don't get me wrong, if someone rolled well enough to make the build viable, it sounds like a great opportunity for roleplaying).

Redemption arc. Moving away from evil. I've developed a tiefling monk, because it needed boosts in the scores that tieflings improve. I'm not necessarily trying to get every score above 16 rf even one to 20. But I do want to get rid of any negative modifiers. If that means talking a tiefling to get my Charisma to 11, then great. Dragonborn sorcerer, draconic origin seems like a gimme. But I never see it.

[SnakeOilCharmer]

Originally Posted by TADHG

Redemption arc. Moving away from evil. I've developed a tiefling mom, because it needed boosts in the scores that tieflings improve. I'm not necessarily trying to get every score above 16 off even one to 20. But I do want to get rid of any negative modifiers. If that means talking a tiefling to get my Charisma to 11, them great. Dragonborn sorceror, draconic origin seems like a gimme. But I never see it.

Ah. Most people prefer builds with defined strengths, and weaknesses covered by the rest of the party. A character with 12-14 in each stat will always have another party member who's better at anything they want to do. Hence the concept of the "Dump stat." And Monks need to be more high-low than almost anyone. They have no need for INT, CHA, or STR.

I'd agree trying to redeem the feeling of being touched by evil is an interesting RP arc. But for mechanical play, not having boosts to Dex or Wis makes your character underpowered compared to anyone else's. I think you're less concerned about having an effective character and more focused on pure RP than most people are.

Dragonborn Sorc's problem is that the strength boost is a waste for a class that doesn't want to be anywhere near the frontline, and can't get extra attack.

[TADHG]

What can a sorcerer do after they've expended their two spells? At first level, anyhow?

Even casters need to be capable at melee, and it isn't like 1st edition, where they had the weakest chart, and only 4 hit points per level.

Additionally, if they already have 16 or higher in those stats, that's good enough. No one needs a 20 in a stat.

[Rinninian]

I had an Elf Barbarian a while back, made a Hyborian Elf from another world, not much mod to the sub race really, like +2 dex, +1 Con, Stealth and Survival from a Wasteland background

She fought with a metal inlaid club, so basically a baseball bat = Tetsubo = Maul Stats