Selecting your Dungeons and Dragons class is the first major choice you’re going to make in this tabletop roleplaying game. Your chosen class will affect many elements of your DnD experience - like your core stats; whether you can cast spells; which weapons you can wield; and what subclasses you can choose from later down the line.
It’s important that you get this decision right. However, getting it right can mean a number of things depending upon what matters most to you as a player: how you approach combat; what archetypes do you favour; what kind of character personality you’re drawn to; and your reaction to different potential roleplaying scenarios.
You can answer the question of which D&D class to pick, by asking yourself one of several potential questions - with your responses hopefully providing the clarity you need to finally make that all-important decision.
Do you want more or less combat?
Which class you choose could depend on whether you want to get involved in more or less combat during your D&D games, alongside how you’d want to engage in that combat. Some Dungeons & Dragons classes are typically better designed for combat scenarios than others. Which is not to say less combat-heavy classes can’t fight, just that they tend to take more of a supportive or utilitarian approach than getting stuck right in on the front-lines. Your preferences towards combat in D&D will have a significant impact on your class choice, so think about where you stand in this regard.
Is there a particular RPG archetype you want to play?
If you’re familiar with roleplaying games or fantasy stories, then you’ll probably be aware of some of the classic RPG archetypes found therein. You might already have an idea of the rough kind of RPG archetype you want to play in your D&D game, and your possible chosen class will fit into one of these categories. This will help to further narrow down your decision, and hopefully push you in the right direction for the kind of roleplaying experience you’re searching for.
Did you have a certain type of personality in mind?
Though character class certainly doesn’t have to determine personality, it can certainly inform. If you want some inspiration for your character’s personality, then you can choose a particular class that’s associated with a certain set of personality traits. These personality traits are very broad and don’t necessarily make for complex characters, they can also be deliberately subverted for comedic or bizarre effect. However, choosing a particular character class to fit with a certain personality type, can provide some important direction when creating your character.
Take a Buzzfeed-style personality quiz
A fun way of choosing a class can be asking yourself what you’d do in certain roleplaying situations, with your approach helping to inform what kind of gameplay you might favour. You can also look at this like one of those classic Buzzfeed personality quizzes, with your answer providing some unique insight into the sort of vibes you want from your D&D game. It’s all about flavour, and offers a great ‘hail mary’ option if you want to embrace silliness as a method for decision-making.
You approach a guarded locked metal door - how do you get inside?
- I would sneak past the guards and pick the lock, of course!
- I would challenge the guards to a duel, with the prize being the key to the door
- I would scale the outside of the building, weaken the wall and break into the locked room
- I would become a tiny bug and crawl through the gap between the wall and the door
- I would crush the guards and smash open the door in a blind rage
- I would use my magical genius to beguile the guards and enchant the lock open
- I would use magic to blind the guards, then steal the keys from them and unlock the door
- I would scare the guards away with dark magic, and blast the lock from the door
- I would persuade the guards to take the day off, then use the key to unlock the door
- I would use my magic to blow up the guards and then blow up the door
- I would call upon my chosen god to smite the guards and blow open the door
- I would strike the guards in the forehead to take them out, then use precise hits to knock the door down
If you answered…
- You’re a duplicitous Rogue
- You’re a skilled Fighter
- You’re a nimble Ranger
- You’re a transformative Druid
- You’re a fearsome Barbarian
- You’re a genius Wizard
- You’re a crafty Cleric
- You’re a sinister Warlock
- You’re a charismatic Bard
- You’re a powerful Sorcerer
- You’re a loyal Paladin
- You’re a dexterous Monk