Complacent Gaming Syndrome / Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

• Bigger than any class option below are Feats and Multiclassing, which are both "optional rules" in this edition, meaning it's perfectly acceptable for your DM to ban them. But tables that do so are practically non-existent because they provide the bulk of character customization beyond just race, class and subclass.
• Barbarian:
  • Expect to hear "I would like to Rage" a lot if you have a barbarian in the party. Rage is pretty much the go-to move for barbarians, but they do it so well that there's really not much need to do anything else.
  • The Path of the Totem Warrior is pretty much the default choice for Barbarians in 5th Edition, simply because of the Bear Totem. Taking this path at 3rd level makes the Barbarian resistant to all damage except psychic while raging. Since psychic damage is fairly uncommon, this effectively doubles your health while raging. And since a Barbarian already has the highest natural HP pool in the game, you've got a character that's Nigh-Invulnerable simply because it's so hard to bring them down. It's commonly thought that the sudden influx of monsters and spells that deal psychic damage in the next few sourcebooks, some of them at fairly low CR, is an attempt to "stealth nerf" this specific class feature.
  • If it's not a Totem Warrior, the Barbarian is probably a Zealot, which is widely considered to be the second-best Barb subclass, and it does a few things better than the Totem Warrior. The Zealot can be brought back from the dead without material components for revival spells, reroll failed saving throws, inspire the party with advantage rolls, and deals extra radiant or necrotic damage with each attack. Plus, the "Rage Beyond Death" ability means that the barbarian outright won't die if they hit zero HP, even if they fail three death saves, as long as they're raging. They're effectively the idea of "Man Literally Too Angry to Die" given form. The Totem Warrior still gets more useful abilities for out-of-combat roleplaying and is a better defensive powerhouse, even if the Zealot can deal more damage and be brought back to life more easily.
  • If the player is only using the base races for playing a Barbarian, expect it to be a Half-Orc. Half-Orcs gain a +2 in Strength and +1 in Constitution, the ability to get back up if reduced to zero HP, and the ability to add an additional damage roll if they crit with a melee weapon. These all combined make a Half-Orc Barbarian hard to kill while giving them a high damage output potential, as with their starting modifiers, they can reach high Strength and Con modifiers with ease. Mountain Dwarves are a close second because of their +2 to Constitution and Strength, however they lack the extra combat bonuses' the Half-Orc gets, as they instead get resistance to poison and a history of stone-like skill instead. Goliath's are also semi-common among Barbarian players due to the race being tailor-made to be one.
• Bard:
  • If a group has a Bard, expect for that Bard to be a Half-Elf most of the time. This is because Half-Elves get a flat +2 to their Charisma modifiers and the ability to put a single point in any two stats, all while gaining two free skills, two starting languages, in addition to getting to pick a third, and advantage on being charmed, all of which doesn't even account for Backgrounds. This makes them the best race option since those extra two stat points can be put in the stat that they will need depending on their sub-class, which combined with the Bard's natural ability to help stop Charms and gain skills, allows them to practically be good at everything they need to be. To a lesser extent, Tiefling Bards are also common for also getting +2 to Charisma and a few free spells or a flying speed, but they are favored more if they are playing a solely magic-focused Bard.
  • Ask anyone who has played a bard, and most will probably use their Magical Secrets to get Counterspell, as bards don't get it by default, and with bards being generally support focused, Counterspell is considered top tier for bards to pick.
• Life Cleric in general is one of the most popular Clerics, largely because of the stigma attached to Clerics via classic video games and even some earlier editions as the 'healbot.' It also tends to get the most shilling. It's a perfectly good class, too, one of the few where everyone will agree it can function well for mid-combat healing, and only loses out because of later options that inherently have more powerful tools.
• If you have a high-level game (or a game that promises to end at high-levels) and a group of people who understand the ins and outs of 5e, expect at least one in five groups to have a Circle of the Moon Druid. While Circle of the Land offers more versatility, Circle of Dreams has better healing, Circle of the Shepherd has incredibly useful buffs, and Circle of Spores gives a consistent means of causing constant damage, the Circle of the Moon is notorious as being Nigh-Invulnerable. A lot of the base Druid's late-game abilities mesh far too well with the Moon Druid's last few abilities, including casting Wildshape at will, the ability to cast Druid spells while Wildshape is in effect, and the ability to Wildshape into any Beast of Challenge Rating 6 or lower. This doesn't sound devastating until one remembers that any damage incurred while Wildshaped doesn't carry over to the Druid's normal form. Starting at Circle of the Moon Druid Level 18, the Druid can transform into a Mammoth with 126 HP as a Bonus Action every round. This means that enemies have to constantly rip into the Mammoth Moon Druid and hope they deal more than 126 damage in a single round of combat. They might be able set up a turn where they damage the Druid after bringing down the Wildshape, but this is excessively meta-gamey. And even if they do, all of that effort that's focused on the Druid is effort that isn't focused on anyone else, leaving the rest of the Druid's party to rain death on the enemies.
• Fighter:
  • While the Fighter class as a whole is quite versatile, the Fighting Styles it offers are not. Expect most Fighters to use either Dueling, Defense, or Two-Weapon Fighting if they are a melee-focused Fighter due to the fact that the three provide simple bonuses that are very useful throughout the player's lifespan. Archery only works well if the player decides to focus on being a ranged-attack Fighter, though it is probably the most powerful fighting style in the game if one does, while Great Weapon Fighting and Protection are seen as very weak and gimmicky and overspecialized choices, respectively, which are not useful long term for most characters (there are some exceptions). Furthermore, simply because none of the other Fighting Styles really complement one another, everyone who gets a second Style almost invariably picks Defense if they didn't take it at the beginning already. If they have that Fighting Style already, typically takes one of the other two mentioned options.
  • According to one data set from the D&D Beyond website, Human Fighter is the most common combination in all of Fifth Edition. This is likely on account of the Boring, but Practical applications both have; humans gain +1 to all stats, and Fighters are a class that generally want to be good at most things but don't need to be the best. The additional features Fighters get early on helps create a strong character that can keep up with the party. However, this data was probably skewed by the fact that D&D Beyond makes you pay for many races & classes, while Human Fighter is one of the characters you can create for free. Even with that factored in though, Human Fighters are often suggested for new players because of the simplicity of the combination.
  • One of the Fighter builds most recommended is a Variant Human that uses a reach weapon (such as a glaive) and takes the Sentinel, Polearm Master, and Great Weapon Master feats. Such a build can easily trap enemies where the enemy cannot attack them unless they also have a reach weapon, as Sentinel triggers an attack of opportunity when the enemy attempts to move closer that, if it hits, prevents any more movement. The Fighter can then pump out huge amounts of damage with the bonus from Great Weapon Master, the corresponding accuracy penalty being made up for by Polearm Master allowing them to make another attack as a bonus action. As a Variant Human can start at level 1 with a feat, this build can be completed as soon as level 8, with the most important parts (Polearm Master and Sentinel) obtained as quickly as level 4. What subclass to pick isn't considered a big deal, though the Cavalier subclass is often suggested because of the Hold the Line nature of its abilities making it well suited for the build.
  • Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master is also a very common combination for Hexblade Warlocks. Hexblade's Curse expands crit range and Darkness/Devil's Sight combo allows for easy advantage on attacks, both of which synergise very well with Great Weapon Master. Hexblade also relies heavily on spells that add extra damage to weapon attacks (Hexblade's Curse, Hex, Spirit Shroud) so the Bonus Action attack is very useful despite a lower damage.
• If a Monk is a Shadow Monk, expect that Shadow Monk to take two levels in Rogue (sometimes more, but two is the most common due to taking the least amount of time and investment) if they don't already start in Rogue and move into Monk around level two or so. There are two major reasons why a Shadow Monk would want this. First, without Expertise, a Shadow Monk is honestly just a lesser Rogue; a Rogue will easily do their job of sneaking better 100% of the time and out-damage them to boot. It's more than likely they'll have a better starting AC, since any Rogue worth their salt will do everything possible to start with a Dex mod of 3-4, whereas a Monk would need that and a good Wis mod to bump up AC. Getting Expertise in Stealth and Perception makes the Shadow Monk comparable, if not better in some cases, than a Rogue in sneaking, even once Reliable Talent comes online for Rogues. (Largely as a result of Pass Without Trace, nigh-free invisibility, and teleportation allowing them to make up for a lack of consistency in their rolls.) The other reason is access to a free bonus action version of their favorite actions in battle and on a mission - dash, disengage, and hide. If there aren't any shadows nearby to teleport in, a Shadow Monk greatly appreciates the ability to still hide somewhere.
• Oath of the Ancients Paladins are one of the more commonly picked subclasses for Paladins, in large part of their Aura of Warding gained at level 7, which gives any allies within 10 feet of the Paladin resistance to all magic damage. When you combine this with the already existing aura that gives nearby allies a bonus to saves equal to your Charisma modifier, it can absolutely trivialize some fights. Your party gets hit by the Fireball spell? Well, even if they fail the save, they still take half damage. Pass the save? That halved damage gets reduced even more! The other abilities it gets are also pretty useful as well, making it potentially the strongest Paladin subclass defensively.
• Ranger:
  • First of all, the Tasha's revised version of the Ranger is universally considered better than the original and has almost entirely taken over usage from its predecessor. Second of all, if you meet a DM who mandates players to use the PHB Ranger, expect them to choose the Hunter subclass. While the Hunter still isn't nearly as good as most Paladins, Fighters, or even Monks, it does have a few unique features that puts it head and shoulders over the other options, most notably an easy increase to total damage per round, multiple methods of melee AOE effects, and an incredible defensive ability that punishes any target that tries hitting the ranger multiple times in a round. Other subclasses just can't keep up.
  • Rangers who aren't restricted to PHB content will most likely choose Gloom Stalker thanks to them having very useful features, ranging from granting Darkvision (useful for humans and improves existing Darkvision for others) to an improved spell list. They're also completely invisible to other creatures' Darkvision, making them particularly powerful in cave- and dungeon-heavy campaigns. What makes them really good however is the combination of Dread Ambusher (which grants a huge bonus to offense and mobility on the first turn) and Iron Mind (which boosts Wisdom saving throws, arguably the most important saves).
  • For Rangers with a panther companion, expect to hear “I command my Panther to pounce” a lot; a successful pounce attack lets the panther do both a claw and bite attack at the same time, on top of knocking the enemy in question prone.
• Rogue:
  • Halfling Rogues are by far the most common race option for Rogues. Partially because of the flat +2 to Dexterity they get, but also the Halfing's "Halfling Nimbleness" feature allowing them to move through spaces occupied by creatures larger then you, which makes Halfings very deadly when they want to use sneak attacks since they can outright use their party members as essentially cover. Kenku and Tabxai are similarly among the most common picks due to their racial features and bonuses, but in terms of base races, Halfings are the top of the game for Rogues.
  • It's common for some Rogues to end up taking several levels in Fighter, usually up to around level 5 or 6. This is because the Rogue cannot perform a second attack, and lack some of the helpful martial features to be consistent without Sneak Attck. Fighter provides a lot of tools a Rogue would want with that in mind; more HP via Hit Dice, additional fighting styles, Extra Attack, Action Surge, and Second Wind. All of these make a Rogue stronger in battle, and can help keep a struggling Rogue be better in a fight.
• Sorcerer:
  • It is usually advised that anyone who plans to play one of the earlier Sorcerer subclasses should multiclass to one of the other Charisma-focused classes in order to bump up their strength, as the Sorcerer's limited abilities need help in order to offset their flaws. In particular, Warlock is often the go-to class because of the power they get from the class's abilities, including the ability to get spells back on a short rest. When combined with the Sorcerer's ability to convert spells into Sorcery Points, this essentially allows them to convert Warlock spells into Sorcery Points, then convert those Sorcery Points into Sorcerer spells, aiding them in getting around the fact that Sorcerers need a long rest to regain both resources (outside of their capstone ability, but this method will help them out more in the long run).
  • Four exceptions to the above (though it's still generally advised to take levels in Bard for the expertise, since the Sorcerer's last three levels don't always offer anything significant once they inevitably grab Wish at 17th level) exist in the most recent Sorcerer subclasses, which many prop up as proof that the early half of 5e didn't properly balance classes and subclasses and the latter half fell into Power Creep. Lunar, Aberrant Mind, and Clockwork Soul Sorcery all solve the Sorcerer's biggest weakness by inflating the Sorcerer's spell count by significant margins; Lunar gives Sorcerers fifteen additional spells, which literally doubles an endgame Sorcerer's spell list, while Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul give the Sorcerer ten additional spells and add a retraining mechanic out of Pathfinder which allows the Sorcerer to take any of those additional spells learned and trade them for spells from certain schools even outside of their class. A Clockwork Soul Sorcerer could get Armor of Agathys, one of the best personal defense spells, right from the Warlock class by second level. The final subclass, Divine Soul, doesn't bump up the Sorcerer's spell count much, but does let them choose from the Cleric spell list and gives them several excellent survivability options. Any modern 5e player interested in sorcery is typically highly encouraged to take one of these four subclasses due to how much they close the gap between Sorcerer and other spellcasters, to the point even the vaunted Wizard is sometimes compared unfavorably in matchups with a Sorcerer that has Lunar magic backing them. Simply put, Draconic, Wild, and Storm sorcery are just considered underpowered next to the sheer versatility the recent half of Sorcerer subclasses brought to the table.
  • In terms of Metamagic, expect to see Sorcerers take Empowered, Subtle, Twinned, and Quickened Spell. Empowered allows Sorcerers to be proper nukers that make Evoker Wizards utterly obsolete while also being stacked with any other Metamagic option, Subtle is the one completely official way for a caster to use a spell without making visible use of their components (which ensures any fight between mages will end in the Sorcerer's favor, since they can Counterspell with impunity but their opponent can't since you need to see or hear a spell to counter it), Twinned (particularly Twinned Haste) offers the Sorcerer one of the few tricks Wizards can't do better through doubling up on single-target spells for a reasonable price in sorcery points, and Quickened is often homebrewed to allow the Sorcerer to use two full spells. Even without homebrew, Quickened is amazing because it allows a Sorcerer to safely turtle-up with Dodge, cover more ground with Dash, cast a Cantrip, or all sorts of other useful options.
• Warlock:
  • Before the release of the Hexblade Patron and Investment of the Chain Master Invocation, the Pact of the Tome was far-and-away the best Pact Boon option in the game. The Pact of the Blade was seen as gimmicky and limited in usefulness, requiring the use of many Invocations just to bring it up to par with the class's signature Eldritch Blast cantrip, while the Pact of the Chain quickly fell off in usefulness as the player progressed in level, since its unique familiar never improves or gains hit points as monsters grow more powerful, and the Magic Resistance most of the choices for it grant requires it to be in the area of effect for spells that will kill it through raw damage even if it makes its saving throws. Conversely, the Pact of the Tome offers enormous upgrades to the class's versatility, via not only several free cantrips, but has an Invocation that lets a warlock learn every ritual spell they can find, hugely expanding the class's out-of-combat utility. Even after later options were added, Pact of the Tome is still arguably dominant; a Hexblade warlock is still a formidable obstacle even without the Pact of the Blade and the Pact of the Chain's weird fixation on trying to make a fragile and weak familiar combat-viable hamstrings much of its usefulness.
    
    Additionally, while Gift of the Ever-Living Ones and Investment of the Chain Master, along with the already useful scouting option Voice of the Chain Master, did improve the Pact of the Chain significantly, they have to also compete with the new Pact of the Tome Invocations that came with them. Not only can Pact of the Tome Warlocks get all ritual spells and new cantrips, Xanathar's Guide to Everything gave them Aspect of the Moon, which gives a Tome-bearing Warlock the best possible gift for camping and resting in the wild and grants them immunity to sleep effects, and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything gave them the powerful Gift of the Protectors Invocation, which offers the entire party a free effect similar to a shared Death Ward every day, and the gamechanging Far Scribe Invocation, which gives Warlocks infinite usage of the Sending spell for a select number of people, making them the single best class for coordinating scouting and stealth efforts and keeping track of important NPCs. This second Invocation is an especially brutal blow to Pact of the Chain Warlocks, since a party with even a single Rogue, stealth-inclined Monk or Ranger, or caster with invisibility access and Far Scribe effectively renders the one niche Pact of the Chain has moot.
  • The Warlock class is extremely customizable thanks to having two effective subclasses and the versatile and useful abilities offered by Invocations, but every warlock grabs the class's signature Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast Invocation that upgrades it to add the character's Charisma modifier to damage rolls. Indeed, the class is arguably designed around the assumption that most players will select both, and within their first few levels.
  • The Hexblade Patron is basically the way to play a Pact of the Blade Warlock, and trying with any other patron will see you outclassed in basically every way by the melee classes. They get medium armor, a single-target hex buff, and Charisma to attacks and damage — fixing their issue of needing several high ability scores. And since they get this at first level, it also makes them a popular 1 level dip for other Charisma gishes like the Bard or Paladin.
  • It's fairly common for Warlocks to take the Devil’s Sight Invocation and the Darkness spell; this combination allows them to throw up a cloud of magical darkness that leaves even creatures with natural Darkvision blind and then move in to attack them while they are. However, as party members without Devil’s Sight are also blinded, this can anger non-Warlock players for making things harder for them.
  • The Genie (Dao) Patron provides the foundation for a build lovingly called the "Eldritch Cheese Grater". The subclass adds Spike Growth to the Warlock's spell list, which causes 2d4 damage for each five feet that a creature moves through it. When combined with the forced-movement effects that can be added on to Eldritch Blast (Grasp of Hadar and Repelling Blast) and optionally the Crusher feat, which triggers due to the fact that the Dao patron also adds on a small amount of bludgeoning damage to the Warlock's attacks, a Daolock can swiftly shred any foe that isn't able to teleport or fly away with irresistible pushing-and-pulling through the spikes.
• When it comes to multiclassing, Rogue is by far the most popular choice and a strong reason to multiclass in general, as any dip into Rogue will massively benefit the character for the rest of the game. One level gets two instances of expertise in two skills of the player's choice, which is a defining advantage for anyone who cares about skills. ^note A character who spends their entire career with proficiency in a skill and who maxes out the attribute associated with it will, under normal circumstances, raise that skill to a +11 by endgame. In contrast, by endgame, someone with a +0 in that skill's associated attribute but expertise in that skill will end play with a +12 in the skill, highlighting just how powerful expertise is - especially if the associated attribute is instead maxed out to +5, bringing the skill's total points to +17 at endgame. Two levels gets the character Cunning Action, which is a similarly massive buff to the character's movement speed and allows them to get out of attack range of other creatures without needing to take the Mobile feat, which is perfect for fast-but-frail Monks and melee-locked Barbarians who want a rushdown ability, in addition to mages who don't want to waste spell slots on Misty Stepping. Finally, third level brings in a host of amazing subclass options, from the Scout's free additional expertise skills and ability to break away from creatures ending their turn next to the character without provoking attacks of opportunity, to the Swashbuckler's charisma bonus to initiative, to the Soulknife's additional dice to skill checks that only expend themselves if the character succeeds on the check. Unless the character being played is a Barbarian or an Artificer, taking even one level in Rogue is often seen as just a straight upgrade to the character's capstone, which are typically seen as being mediocre-to-weak final level benefits.
• Similarly, dipping a level or two of Warlock is extremely common for both of the other Charisma-based casters. The Warlock's one or two Pact Spells that regenerate on a short rest help alleviate both the Paladin and the Sorcerer's design issues regarding chewing through their spell slots quickly and not really having a way to get them back, eldritch blast is, as noted under the Warlock section, a potent attack option that scales entirely with character level and comes online very early on (a level 1 Warlock can still add their Charisma modifier to damage rolls), and a lot of Invocations are Boring, but Practical, including one that just offers a couple free Charisma skills.
• For ranged weapon users, expect to see three consistent things: the Archery Fighting Style and the Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert feats. The former is a universally good Fighting Style that increases the chance to hit for ranged weapons, Sharpshooter provides a huge increase in raw damage, doubles your effective range, and ignores all but total cover, and Crossbow Expert lets you use the Heavy Crossbow (which is more powerful than any bow, and Crossbow Expert removes all of its weaknesses except slightly shorter range) multiple times per turn (and also shoot while threatened in melee without a penalty). This combination allows one to basically attack from any range (that their weapon allows), ignore most forms of cover, and do increased damage without a huge penalty to attack. Players can also pull a hand crossbow at short ranges; while its damage dice are less impressive Crossbow Expert also allows a free attack as a bonus action.
• In regards to spells;
  • For spellcasters with access to it, good old Fireball is a deeply simple, yet incredibly powerful tool. Its overtuned damage dice make it the best direct damage spell in the game for its cost, it covers a huge area with a decent range, and it even has some modest utility since it can ignite unattended flammable objects. Its only weakness is the relative commonality of fire resistance, and even then, it splashes enough damage across enough targets that it's often worth it if an enemy isn't outright immune. Even support casters mostly focused in other areas benefit from having it up their sleeves, and dumping a Fireball onto a formation of players or monsters is almost always a good opening move in any combat.
  • Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos was released in November 2021, and with it came the spell Silvery Barbs. It's a level 1 reaction spell you can use to force a reroll on an attack, check, or save, with the target having to take the lower roll. Then, you give advantage to an ally that can be used within one minute. Functionally, this is letting you recast any failed spell by giving disadvantage after a target has already succeeded on a check or save. This could upend everything from combat to social interactions. A party of Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards was already incredibly powerful, but Silvery Barbs means it's so good that no one else needs to show up. It does have downsides — it still doesn't get past Legendary Resistances, doesn't automatically guarantee success, and can only be used once per person per round (since each entity only gets one reaction per turn). But forcing something to reroll while giving advantage to an ally is a massive boost for the cheap cost of a level 1 spell slot.
  • Shield is something all arcane casters pick up if they can - including arcane gishes, like Eldritch Knights and Arcane Tricksters. The benefit's just too good - as a reaction, the character uses a first level spell slot to get a +5 to their AC until their turn starts up. It's a reaction to an enemy hitting the caster, meaning it doesn't need any preparation or gambling. Shield is often seen as one of the major reasons mages are so powerful in 5e, as a Sorcerer with only a little dexterity investment and Shield can match or even exceed dedicated sword-and-board Fighters in terms of AC.
  • Guiding Bolt is a pretty universally used spell among classes that get access to it. Being one of the few low level radiant damage dealing spells already is a good reason, but the fact it gives the next melee attack against a target advantage should the user hit makes it really helpful for any party, since it can allow things like rogue's to get Sneak Attack off without needing the normal requirements of an ally nearby, or give your strongest martial character better odds of hitting.
• Most players always choose Perception as one of their skills if they have it as an option. Having Perception means noticing things like ambushes, important items, or potentially hidden details that could be important, on top of boosting one's Passive Perception as a bonus. Even someone with Wisdom as a Dump Stat is likely to chose Perception, simply because of how important it can be to the table to have a moderately high chance of noticing things. It is often said to be the most used skill in the game, too, which means the sheer amount of times it will be rolled makes it a good investment to be proficient in. As the Sailor background offers Perception and Athletics (which can be used for Strength checks in the same way), it is often a highly-rated background by optimization guides.
• Unless mandated by the DM or simply out of player preference, almost every player playing a spell caster choses to take an arcane focus when making their character. While managing spell components can be fun in some situations, most players find it tedious and annoying to have to scrounge for supplies and worry about how many items they need just to cast a spell, on top of how many modules don't account the possibility of players needing to find specific items like types of plants or animal parts. An arcane focus simply is easier to manage for everyone at the table, and avoids the issue of over focus on resource management just to play a class well.

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