Niche Rating For Classes
Or, what PCs actually do in D&D
Disclamers: 1)This is way more specific than tiers. 2) This is blatantly stolen from Person_Man from GitP. Hes a good guy; I just specifically wanted this communitys input. He and Curmudgeon are really the only two useful minmaxers left over there anyway. Given time they be banned like everyone else, of course.
Rubric: (lower scores are better)
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1 - The best for the role at most all times and circumstances. Druids have some of the best summons at the drop of a hat. Immunities and normal defenses dont matter.
2 - High efficiency for most cases or acceptable under all circumstances. Psions with minor creation have many things easy at their disposal for a fairly long time. It doesnt cover everything, but its still very good.
3 - Normal efficiency occasionally. Mass staredown samurai are nice but completely ineffective against something with mind-affect immunity. Class skills often matter here, so monks would reach this level for perceptiveness but a fighter would not.
4 - Low efficiency most of the time or rarely very useful. Most very suboptimal focused builds, like spring attack fighters can be this or a Sorcerer with all useful but obscure utility spells known.
5 - Useless most of the time but low efficiency occasionally. For example a recaster trying to keep mundanes alive via healing spells.
6 - No contest. A sorcerer with a Charisma of 1.
Categories:
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1) Melee Damage: Deal meaningful damage to enemies in reach. Hurting close things is the bread and butter of DnD.
2) Ranged Damage: Deal meaningful damage to enemies within range. What if things you need to hurt arent close?
3) Mobility: Can quickly meet or retreat from enemies. Circumventing barriers and battlefield control. What if you cant get there quickly?
4) Meat Shield: Can stand in the front line of combat with a reasonable chance of not getting killed. What if you cant tank long enough?
5) Scout: Locates enemies, threats, and other useful things while remaining hidden. What if you arent fighting creatures?
6) Trapfinder: Detect and disarm or knowingly bypass traps. What if you cant detect the trap?
7) Buffer: Increase the abilities of allies. What if the buffs arent enough?
Healer: Can restore hit points and remove harmful status effects for allies around encounters. What if its too much to heal?
9) Battlefield Control: Prevent enemies from taking their normal actions and/or movement. What if you cant stop the encounter from continuing?
10) Utility: Rarely used but helpful in some meaningful way. (Examples: Forgery, Tongues, Slow Fall, etc). What if specialized interaction isnt enough?
11) Intel: Knows or can find useful information. What if you know all you can know?
12) Party Face: Interacts with NPCs in a way that gets desirable results. What if the NPCs wont cooperate?
13) Dominator: Take functional command of enemies. What if you cant control you antagonists?
14) Debuffer: Reduce the abilities of enemies, usually by inflicting status effects. What if you cant drag them down enough?
15) Thief: Can take things from an enemy and enemy locations without being discovered. What if you need a diversion?
16) Summoner: Can summon allies (or make them) that fills other niches without putting the character directly in harms way. What if all else fails?
17) Game Changing Panic: Can proactively reshape the game (or realty) to suit your goals. (Examples: Wish, Miracle, Gate, Psychic Reformation, anything that completely breaks the action economy, etc). If this fails, your DM isnt letting you reasonably win.
Class Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate Debuff Steal Summon Panic Average
Archivist 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 1.94
Ardent Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate SoD Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Artificer 3 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 2 3 2 1 3 4 2 3 2 2 2.17
Barbarian 1 3 3 2 4 3 5 6 5 4 6 4 5 5 3 6 6 4 4.17
Bard 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 3 2 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 2.56
Beguiler 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 4 3 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 5 4 3.39
Binder 2 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 5 4 4 2 3 3 3.39
Cleric 2 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 1 2 4 2 1 2.06
Crusader Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Dargonfire Adept Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Divine Mind Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Dragon Shaman Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Dread Necromancer Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Druid 1 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 1.83
Duskblade Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Factotoum 2 4 3 4 2 2 3 4 3 2 4 2 3 3 3 2 4 3 2.94
Favored Soul 2 2 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 2 3 4 3 1 2.72
Fighter 2 3 4 3 5 6 5 6 4 5 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 5 4.78
Healer 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 2 3 4 5 3 6 6 5 6 5 3 3.94
Hexblade Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Incarnate 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 3 5 5 4 3.72
Knight 3 5 5 3 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 4 5 6 4 5 6 5 4.94
Marshall 3 4 4 4 3 4 2 4 4 4 5 3 5 6 6 4 6 4 4.17
Monk 3 4 4 4 4 6 6 5 6 4 6 4 5 4 4 5 6 5 4.72
Ninja 3 5 3 5 3 2 6 6 5 4 5 4 6 5 5 2 6 5 4.44
Paladin 2 4 3 3 4 6 3 3 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 6 4 5 4.06
Psion 4 2 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 1 2 3 5 3 1 2.72
Psychic Warrior 2 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 3.56
Ranger 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 5 3.83
Rogue 2 3 4 5 2 2 5 6 6 4 5 3 6 6 4 1 6 5 4.17
Samurai 3 5 5 4 4 6 6 6 5 6 6 5 5 6 5 6 6 6 5.28
Scout 3 3 3 4 2 3 6 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 4 5 6 5 4.56
Shadowcaster 4 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 3.83
Shaman 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 5 2 2 2.67
Shugenja Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Sohei 3 4 5 4 3 3 4 5 5 6 5 3 5 6 4 3 5 5 4.33
Sorcerer 3 2 2 3 3 4 2 4 2 3 4 3 2 2 2 4 3 1 2.72
Soulborn Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Soulknife 4 4 5 5 3 6 5 6 5 5 6 4 5 6 4 5 6 5 4.94
Spelltheif Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Spirit Shaman Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Swashbuckler 3 4 4 4 3 5 6 6 4 5 6 4 6 6 4 4 6 5 4.72
Swordsage 3 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 3 4 4 3 6 4 4 3 6 2 3.83
Totemist 2 4 3 3 4 3 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 3 4 5 4 3.89
Truenamer 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 5 6 4 4 6 4 5 4
Warblade 1 3 3 1 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 6 2 3.72
Warlock 4 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 5 2 3 5 3 4 4 3 3.39
Warmage Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Wilder Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Wizard 2 1 2 3 3 2 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 4 2 1 2.11
Wu Jen Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate BFC Debuff Steal Summon Panic 0
Class Melee Range Move Tank Scout Traps Buff Heal BFC Utility Intel Face Dominate Debuff Steal Summon Panic Average
Druid 1 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 1.83
Archivist 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 1.94
Cleric 2 2 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 1 2 4 2 1 2.06
Wizard 2 1 2 3 3 2 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 4 2 1 2.11
Artificer 3 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 2 3 2 1 3 4 2 3 2 2 2.17
Bard 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 3 2 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 2.56
Shaman 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 5 2 2 2.67
Favored Soul 2 2 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 2 3 4 3 1 2.72
Psion 4 2 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 1 2 3 5 3 1 2.72
Sorcerer 3 2 2 3 3 4 2 4 2 3 4 3 2 2 2 4 3 1 2.72
Factotoum 2 4 3 4 2 2 3 4 3 2 4 2 3 3 3 2 4 3 2.94
Beguiler 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 4 3 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 5 4 3.39
Binder 2 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 5 4 4 2 3 3 3.39
Warlock 4 2 2 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 5 2 3 5 3 4 4 3 3.39
Psychic Warrior 2 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 3.56
Incarnate 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 3 5 5 4 3.72
Warblade 1 3 3 1 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 6 2 3.72
Ranger 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 5 3.83
Shadowcaster 4 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 3.83
Swordsage 3 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 3 4 4 3 6 4 4 3 6 2 3.83
Totemist 2 4 3 3 4 3 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 3 4 5 4 3.89
Healer 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 2 3 4 5 3 6 6 5 6 5 3 3.94
Truenamer 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 5 6 4 4 6 4 5 4
Paladin 2 4 3 3 4 6 3 3 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 6 4 5 4.06
Barbarian 1 3 3 2 4 3 5 6 5 4 6 4 5 5 3 6 6 4 4.17
Marshall 3 4 4 4 3 4 2 4 4 4 5 3 5 6 6 4 6 4 4.17
Rogue 2 3 4 5 2 2 5 6 6 4 5 3 6 6 4 1 6 5 4.17
Sohei 3 4 5 4 3 3 4 5 5 6 5 3 5 6 4 3 5 5 4.33
Ninja 3 5 3 5 3 2 6 6 5 4 5 4 6 5 5 2 6 5 4.44
Scout 3 3 3 4 2 3 6 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 4 5 6 5 4.56
Monk 3 4 4 4 4 6 6 5 6 4 6 4 5 4 4 5 6 5 4.72
Swashbuckler 3 4 4 4 3 5 6 6 4 5 6 4 6 6 4 4 6 5 4.72
Fighter 2 3 4 3 5 6 5 6 4 5 6 5 5 6 4 6 6 5 4.78
Knight 3 5 5 3 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 4 5 6 4 5 6 5 4.94
Soulknife 4 4 5 5 3 6 5 6 5 5 6 4 5 6 4 5 6 5 4.94
Samurai 3 5 5 4 4 6 6 6 5 6 6 5 5 6 5 6 6 6 5.28
Outliers:
Bard
Warlock
Ranger
Healer
Truenamer
Expansion:
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Feel free to fill out an entry. Also feel free to critique what is here. I will be updating whats here based on community consensus.
PrCs are not considered although breaks will be given for usual/unique PrCs. Yes there are better wizard PrCs than Truenamer ones.
ACFs are not included, yet.
No one probably cares about: NPC classes, Battledancer, Death Master, Jester, Mariner, Master, Montebank, Mystic, Nightstalker, Savant, Shair
I will eventually post this in handbooks.
Thoughts?
