Class Details and Difficulty

Pros

Cons

Barbarians
Hit Die* d12
Skill Points per Level 4+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily physical.
Key Abilities Strength and Constitution
Must be nonlawful (neutral or chaotic)
A barbarian who becomes lawful cannot
level or use Rage.

Automatically proficient with all simple

and martial weapons, as well as most
armors (non-heavy) and shields.

Not usually very smart, so interacting

with anything in a non-combat
scenario is trickier. They get no skills
which benefit them socially.

Gets great buffs on his attacks as well as

his dodge and saving rolls.

Rage can be helpful in especially tough

fights because of the massive buff to
Strength and Constitution (however after
its ended, you get a debuff in those areas
as a cooldown)

Because they primarily use physical

weapons theyre bound by the physical
limitations of that weapon, so later you
may be spending a lot in order to get
enhanced or enchanted gear.

Without multiclassing, they can be a bit

one note. They gain many buffs, but not
much changes about their actual
combat options unless you decide to
switch up weapons occasionally.

If they get caught alone in a situation

they cant talk their way out of, theres
not much they can do to fight their way
out of it.

Their growth in terms of spells and

special abilities is slow and comes in
spurts so rather than gradually
gaining more spells over time, they
stay in the same spot for longer
periods but then get a huge increase at
certain intervals.

They cant use very many spells per

day at early levels (at the earliest levels
they can only use 2-4).

A lot of their usefulness is very based

on being able to communicate and talk
to their party and NPCs, ally and
enemy. If youre not much of a
negotiator, youll likely have a harder
time.

At first you get a lot of options, after

you get started clerics can feel
somewhat restrictive. Because their
magic is so reliant on their domain,
deity, and alignment, and there are
hefty consequences for casting spells
or acting outside of your alignment (a
Cleric who opposes their deities
alignment loses access to all of their
spells and abilities except their weapon
proficiencies).

While some domains are very useful,

certain ones like Animal and Magic
mostly borrow spells from other
classes. Unless you pick it to
supplement another domain, you
might be better of just playing as
whatever class that domain borrows
from.

Changing domains or deities isnt easy

and depends highly on the will of the
DM make sure you know their rules.

Barbarians have a lot of physical combat

skills and are great melee fighters. They also
get higher dodge and damage reduction
later on. Theyre not very bright though, and
are inherently illiterate to start even.

Has some good natural survival instinct

and has higher hit die than any other class,
so is an effective tank.

They have a ton of starting skills unique to

them that other classes have to learn on
the go. Some of them can be really useful
for getting out of situations without
fighting (like sleight of hand).

In terms of their usefulness as a party

member, theyre the most well rounded.
While certain focuses in sorcery may have
some stronger buffs, Bards have a much
wider array of buffs and they have more
utility outside of battle, rather than solely
inside of battle.

Theyre wicked fun to play if you have the

right mindset and are really into the
roleplay portion.

Theyre automatically proficient with

simple weapons as well as an assortment
of others.

They have access to some of the best

divine magic out of any class. Technically a
Cleric can cast any spell (as long as it does
not contradict their alignment or deities
alignment) but they get access to unique
spells based on their domain. The domain
you choose is entirely up to you and can
practically feel like picking a second class
go with whichever benefits you and your
party most. Their range is enormous. You
can select two domains within your
alignment.

Theyre a very balanced class, about as

capable in physical combat as they are in
magic. They can also gain bonus weapon
proficiencies in the War Domain.

They are the most effective class against

undead. Clerics of ALL domains get a level
1 ability that lets them turn or rebuke
undead creatures.

Difficulty: Easy
Bards
Hit Die d6
Skill Points per Level 6+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily arcane magic.
Key Abilities Charisma and Intelligence
Must be nonlawful.
A bard who becomes lawful cannot level but
retains all of his abilities.
Bards can be super fun to roleplay as
theyre usually very cunning and get some
interesting unique spells and abilities. Bards
are one of the magical classes who do not
have to prepare spells ahead of time,
however they can only know a certain
number of spells per level and only use a
certain amount per day. Most of their spells
center around buffing and debuffing, illusion
and manipulation, and crowd control.
Theyre also one of the most effective classes
in non-combat roles.
Difficulty: Medium
Cleric
Hit Die d8
Skill Points per Level 2+Int Modifier
Combat Mixed physical and divine magic.
Key Abilities Wisdom (others depend on
domain and deity)
Must have an alignment within one step of
their chosen deity.
So if their deity is Lawful Evil, they can be
Lawful Neutral or Neutral Evil, but never
Lawful Good or Chaotic Evil). If they have
no deity, they can only be Lawful Good or
Chaotic Evil they cant be neutral.
Clerics are hard to explain in simple terms
because they can go in many different
directions depending on the domain and
deity you choose. Along with the druid,
theyre one of the most complicated classes
to fully understand. However if you take the
time to, theyre among the most powerful,
capable of some fantastically destructive or
amazingly helpful magic.
Difficulty: Hard

Class Details and Difficulty

Pros

Cons

Druid
Hit Die d8
Skill Points per Level 4+Int Modifier
Combat Mixed physical and divine magic.
Key Abilities Wisdom
Must be at least partially neutral.
Meaning neutral good, neutral evil, chaotic
neutral, lawful neutral, or true neutral.

You get an animal buddy! Technically

anyone can get a pet, but Druids are one of
only a few classes who get one to start, and
as they adventure together your
companion gets more unique skills and
can be very helpful. Later levels allow
more intimidating friends, include a T-rex.

Very open ended a druid is not limited

by domains or specializations and could
theoretically specialize in everything
(though I wouldnt recommend it).

Almost too open ended. It can be easy

to spread yourself too thin and unless
you have a very specific idea in mind,
you can often run into the Lego
Principle (when you have too many
options, it becomes harder to choose).
It also requires being able to think on
the fly a lot. If you are mid-combat and
deliberating on whether you should
change into a wolf or a bear, the enemy
has little already cut your knees off.

Druids get some of the most fun abilities in

the game, the big seller being Wild Shape,
which allows you to turn into any animal
your character knows about (within the
limitations of the spell). At first this is only
a handful of animals, but later you can
change into elementals, dinosaurs,
depending on how nice your DM is you can
change into dragons. You can do this at
will starting off once per day. This is such
an impressive spell, not just in combat but
for utility. This is also what your
secondary abilities will be based on.
Whatever you change in to partially
borrows from your stats, so if you have
certain animals in mind, those are the stats
youd focus on. HOWEVER, you want to
keep most of your points in Wisdom, as
that is absolutely critical to Druids.

They have a lot of unique restrictions.

While their alignment is not as
restricting (its not typically difficult to
maintain some level of neutrality) they
are also required to constantly revere
nature and are forbidden from wearing
metal (if they have a deity, they must
also remain loyal to that deity). So if
you accidentally burn down a forest, or
decide to try on a piece of steel armor,
you lose access to your spells and
Druidic abilities, including your animal
companions. The inability to wear
metal can make early levels tough,
because you will naturally have a lower
AC in your normal form.

There is a lot of memorization and

organization involved, especially if you
focus on summoning or Wild Shape.
Like most magical classes, to do well
you will probably be doing a lot of
research on your own time moreso
than other because you should also get
to know a lot of animal stats.

Like barbarians, Fighters can be a bit

one note without multiclassing. Unless
you get creative with feats, youll find
combat is very similar from enemy to
enemy.

You dont gain a lot of natural

resistance against magic and effects.
Its usually better to pick a non-human
race so you can pick up some of those
benefits (and because you already get
so many feats, you likely wont need
the bonus feat humans get).

Again, like barbarians, youre bound to

the physical limitations of your
weapons. Youll be spending a lot of
time and coin on upgrades.

Druids are probably the most unique class

out of the set, and also one of the more
complicated. Unlike Clerics which are open
ended at first, but more restrictive after you
choose an alignment, Druids are always open
ended and can change their focus at any
time. The only thing wrong with this is that
you may easily spread yourself too thin going
into later levels. Druids are divine casters,
and have some fun spells and a ton of
abilities that are exclusively made for them,
as well as a special language, a lot of natural
affinity for animals, and you can basically do
with them whatever youre most comfortable
with, as long as you keep a level of
consistency.
Difficulty: Hard

Fighter
Hit Die d10
Skill Points per Level 2+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily physical.
Key Abilities Strength and Constitution
Any alignment allowed.
Fighters are the most simple class and has
the fewest hard restrictions. Theyre almost
exclusively physical (they are allowed to use
enchanted and magical items, but cannot
learn magic) and are proficient with most
weapons as well as all armors and shields.
The main feature of fighters is they get far
more feats than any other class. Rather than
gaining unique abilities with levels, Fighters
may select bonus feats at every other level.
This means its a lot easier to chain feats and
get your prerequisites quickly.
Difficulty: Easy

Druids get a lot of cool weather and

summoning spells. Summon an entire
army of wolves and then shoot lightning at
your enemies while they get their ankles
bitten off!

Very simply to play pick one or two

weapons which will be your primary
weapons and pick a shield type. Then pick
feats related to improving your abilities
with your weapons and abilities related to
combat. Because you get so many bonus
feats, you also have the ability to pick up
feats that would be most useful to your
team like Tracking.

There are no deities or alignments

involved youre never going to lose your
feats and you dont have to worry about
atoning for anything.

Class Details and Difficulty

Pros

Cons

Monk
Hit Die d8
Skill Points per Level 4+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily physical.
Key Abilities Wisdom and Strength OR
Dexterity
Must be lawful.
If a monk becomes non-lawful (neutral or
chaotic) they can no longer level though
they retain all their abilities.

There are a lot of neat fighting styles that

only Monks can use and they have a
natural proficiency not only in exotic
weapons, but in some specific weapons
only Monks can use. Its also one of the
only classes that is naturally adept at
unarmed combat, and gets special abilities
to buff them.

Aside from your natural quickness, you

dont have to a lot to protect you from
a hit. Monks are the only class which
both cant wear armor and have no
spells to give them an armor
equivalent. As well, they fight
exclusively at close range so youre
going to be on the front line most of the
time.

Youre fast by nature because you cant

carry a lot or are weighted down by armor,
and because you will likely be putting a lot
of points into your Dexterity, youre going
to be a lot faster than most.

A monk is one of the most self-sufficient

classes. Unlike others, if you get caught
out, you have a lot more means to escape
and defend yourself even separated from
your party. Youre not invincible
obviously, but youll likely survive more.
At later levels you gain self-healing and
better escapes as well.

Monks are one two classes who gets a

penalty for multiclassing, and a pretty
hefty one. If you start off as a monk,
and ever select another class, then you
can no longer level up as your monk
class. You will retain all your abilities
up to that point though. If you are
another class and decide to multiclass
as a monk, the minute you level up
your first class again, you cant level up
as a monk anymore. Basically, you are
a monk to the day you die (or until you
hit level 20 and have gained all the
special abilities).

Eventually you can become a magical

creature. Permanently and forever.

Its a good deed, basically you will

eventually become equipped for it.
Paladins get special buffs against creatures
who are evil, a pretty good heal which
scales with Charisma, and is the only class
aside from Clerics who can turn undead.

Paladins get very special mounts that are a

lot better than your average horse. One,
theyre considered magical creatures so
gain a lot of natural immunities. Later they
are also able to command other creatures
themselves. The Paladins mount is
smarter than most mounts and you are
empathetically linked, so you shouldnt
lose each other easily.

A lot of immunity to diseases and poison

and auras associated with it so you can
share some of that with your allies.

Paladins are the only class whose

required alignment impacts not only
them, but the rest of the party. Paladins
must be lawful good, and they must
live by that code to the letter (DMs may
be more or less strict about this, but
generally, it is a strict conduct). In
addition, theyre not allowed to
associate with anyone who is evil. They
may associate with neutral and good
individuals, but they must disassociate
from evil of any kind. This code also
means if you have a party who isnt
evil, but may occasionally do evil acts,
you basically have a righteous duty to
be the party nag and tell them not too
(though most likely you arent
absolutely obligated to stop them).

Paladins, like Monks, take a penalty for

multiclassing. If you level up another
class, you cant level up your Paladin.

Monks are a unique fighting class. Unlike

Barbarians and Fighters, they are skilled in
unique, exotic weapons and unarmed
combat. They are essentially glass cannons,
able to deal a lot of damage but are very
fragile, as they cant wear armor or use
shields. However, their armor class scales
with their Wisdom, so they can at least avoid
hits well. They also gain a lot more natural
resistance than other melee classes.
Difficulty: Medium

Paladin
Hit Die d10
Skill Points per Level 2+Int Modifier
Combat Mixed physical and divine magic.
Key Abilities Charisma and Wisdom
Must my Lawful Good.
All Paladins are lawful good. If a Paladin
commits an evil or chaotic act, they lose all
of their Paladin abilities, including their
mount until they atone.
Paladins are the quintessential class if you
want to play the good guy and moral center
of the group. Most of a Paladins strength
comes into play when fighting evil
characters, which you likely will be a lot
unless your party is evil (in which case, Im
not sure if a Paladin will fit in much). Theyre
both tough and capable in a fight, with a lot
of their skills based on their Charisma. They
also tend to be good in social situations, and
most established cities have a decent respect
for them. You also get your own horse!
Difficulty: Medium

Class Details and Difficulty

Pros

Cons

Ranger
Hit Die d8
Skill Points per Level 6+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily physical (some divine
magic)
Key Abilities Wisdom and Dexterity OR
Strength (depending on combat style)
Any alignment allowed.

Rangers can only wear light armor or

else they lose the benefit of their
combat specialty. If they put on
anything heavier, all their buffs
disappear.

Rangers are essentially hunters, and

naturally gain buffs in their selected style of
combat. Like Druids, they get an animal
companion and access to similar spells and
traits, though not as many. They make up for
it with their combat proficiency though. Its a
good class to pick if youre interested in the
Druid, but find it too overwhelming or
difficult to play.

At level 2, Rangers pick a combat specialty

and you will become very good at that
specialty. You can specialize in either
archery or two-weapon combat. You can
gain a lot of feats even without
prerequisites through this specialization.
Pick based on what your party needs if it
needs more range, pick up a bow. If it
needs a front liner, get a knife in both
hands. Rangers can also pick favored
enemies that theyre more powerful
against.

Rangers get access to spells, but most

of them are the same as a Druids,
except it takes much longer to get to
them and you dont get to cast nearly
as many per day. To drive this point
home, at level 8, a Druid can cast the
same spells as a Ranger can at level 15.

Rangers get tracking and hiding skills no

other classes get. The tracking can be
especially useful to the party, and means
no one else will have to use up a feat to get
it, because youll have it naturally.

Theres always a benefit to having

someone who is adept at sneaking in and
out of places and bluffing, and Rogues
pretty much fit all your needs there. If you
need to sabotage the enemy, break in to
steal the crown jewels, or talk your way
out of imprisonment, Rogues pretty much
have the skill for that. They also get the
most skill points per level in the game so if
they distribute it right, they should get to
high ranks quickly.

Dont ever get hit as a Rogue. While

your Dexterity will allow you to keep
out of the reach of most attacks, you
dont get the Wisdom buff that Monks
get, and you dont have the range of
Rangers. Even later levels you are
going to have very little health. Your
best bet is to jump in, stab once then
hope they keep focusing on your team
or go down.

Rogues are the only class in the game that

can detect traps above a certain difficult
and disable magic traps above a certain
difficulty. While some DMs will be kind
and not pit a team without a rogue against
such traps, its still a nice thing to have.
They get a natural buff to detecting traps
as well.

Rogues get some pretty sweet damage

buffs on sneak attacks, though there are
limitations on these.

Difficulty: Easy

Rogue
Hit Die d6
Skill Points per Level 8+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily physical.
Key Abilities Dexterity and Charisma
Any alignment allowed (Id recommend
against lawful good as a rogue though).
Rogues are exactly as you probably expect
cunning, fast, and not at all afraid to stab
you in the back. Rogues get a lot of
specialized abilities regarding sneak attacks
and flanking, and they have an even wider
spread of natural skills than the Bard. That
cunning is good both in and out of combat.
Theyre the weakest class in the game health
wise though and cant wear anything more
than light armor in order to keep their
sneakiness.
Difficulty: Medium

Like a Druid, you get an animal

companion. While they dont level up as
quickly as the Druids, theyre still a
helpful friend to have around, and since
your combat abilities are more specific, its
easier to pick a companion most beneficial
to you (pick a hawk to gather your arrows,
or a wolf to flank your enemy, etc.)

Class Details and Difficulty

Pros

Cons

Sorcerer
Hit Die d4
Skill Points per Level 2+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily arcane magic.
Key Abilities Intelligence and Charisma
Any alignment allowed.

Spontaneous casting is quite a blessing

because it allows you to adapt to the
situation, and a Sorcerer, even with only
knowing a certain amount of spells, will
still know a lot more than a Bard.
Essentially, make sure you pick the spells
your party needs and then youll never
have to worry about having prepared the
wrong spell for a day.

Familiars are useful little friends who are

not only capable on their own, but
depending on what you pick can give you a
buff to a certain skill. So cats improve your
sneaking, snakes improve your bluff, etc.
Later familiars can deliver your touch
spells for you so youll never have to get
too close in combat.

Stay as far away from the front line as

possible. Sorcerers and Wizards are
the absolute squishiest classes in the
game, and can go down easily if they
get caught out. You have no weapon
proficiencies and cannot wear armor
or else it makes it harder to cast spells
(you also cant carry a shield for the
same reason). And unlike the Rogue,
you dont have a high dexterity. This is
also why its important to preserve
your spells or, if you can, try to have
some extra scrolls, wands, or charged
staffs prepared so you dont run out.

Youre very exclusive to magic.

Sorcerers and Wizards get access to
some unique skills (related to your
knowledge in magic and spellcrafting),
but you will be putting most of your
very minimal skill points into those
and wont have room for much else.

Sorcerers dont get access to higher

level spells as quickly as Wizards
(though they can cast more per day).

Sorcerers and Wizards are similar in a lot of

ways. Both are the exclusive magic users that
outshine most other casters, but both do it in
unique ways. Sorcerers, unlike Wizard,
Clerics, or Druids, do not have to prepare
their spells ahead of time and can cast them
spontaneously. HOWEVER they can only cast
spells from ones they already know, which is
limited by their level. They can cast from any
specialization, though if they choose a good
or evil, or lawful or chaotic alignment, they
cant cast spells that contradict that
alignment. Both Wizards and Sorcerers get a
familiar, a magical creature straight out of
Harry Potter which is more intelligent and
strong than normal animals.

Difficulty: Medium
Wizard
Hit Die d4
Skill Points per Level 2+Int Modifier
Combat Primarily arcane magic.
Key Abilities Intelligence
Any alignment allowed.
Wizards, unlike Sorcerers, can know any
number of spells. However, unlike Sorcerers,
they must prepare their spells ahead of time
and can only prepare a certain number per
day. They may also choose a specialization,
which means they can cast more spells per
day but they can no longer cast any spells
from two other schools. They also get a
familiar. Essentially, Wizards are bookish
magic types who gain their power through
study, whereas Sorcerers are naturally
talented but thus, not as learned in their
spells.

Magic is just so cool. Sorcerers and

Wizards have access to a lot of the most
interesting spells, and they can cast
considerably more (though not quite as
fast) as other classes.

You can pick from basically the entire

spellbook if you dont pick a specialization.
If you do, you get extra spells to cast per
day. Depending on your partys needs,
either option is good, and the
specializations are pretty much all useful
to an extent. You can use those to fill in
whatever your party is missing no one to
summon or heal? Pick Conjuration. Not a
lot of crowd control? Pick Abjuration. It
usually isnt hard to pick two schools you
cant cast from. If you have both a Sorcerer
AND a Wizard, you can balance that out
more easily.

Stay as far away from the front line as

possible. Sorcerers and Wizards are
the absolute squishiest classes in the
game, and can go down easily if they
get caught out. You have no weapon
proficiencies and cannot wear armor
or else it makes it harder to cast spells
(you also cant carry a shield for the
same reason). And unlike the Rogue,
you dont have a high dexterity. This is
also why its important to preserve
your spells or, if you can, try to have
some extra scrolls, wands, or charged
staffs prepared so you dont run out.

Familiars are useful little friends who are

not only capable on their own, but
depending on what you pick can give you a
buff to a certain skill. So cats improve your
sneaking, snakes improve your bluff, etc.
Later familiars can deliver your touch
spells for you so youll never have to get
too close in combat.

Youre very exclusive to magic.

Sorcerers and Wizards get access to
some unique skills (related to your
knowledge in magic and spellcrafting),
but you will be putting most of your
very minimal skill points into those
and wont have room for much else.

Magic is just so cool. Sorcerers and

Wizards have access to a lot of the most
interesting spells, and they can cast
considerably more (though not quite as
fast) as other classes.

Wizards cant cast as many spells per

day as Sorcerers (though they gain
access to higher level spells faster).

Difficulty: Medium