D&D 3E/3.5 Which D&D 3.5 Core Base Class is the Most Powerful?

[Jacob Marley]

... but EN World is most popular home for 3.5 enthusiasts I know of...

GitP also has a fairly large 3.5 base...

There is also The Gaming Den... if you can handle the language they use when addressing each other.

 

[JamesonCourage]

If we're going for just raw power, I'd probably pick Druid.

What do I mean by most powerful?

-I want your most objective measurement of the ability of a class to contribute to the successful resolution of any given encounter throughout the level range of 1-20 based on actual play experience. Thus, if you feel class "X" is the most effective in the most types of encounters over the life of a 20th-level character, you choose class "X" for the poll.

Based on this, I chose Cleric. I played a long, long campaign (over 2,000 hours of play time) of 3.5, but it was core-only (with about 7-8 custom prestige classes). Based on my personal experience during all of my 3.5 games (including the long one), I think there was pretty much never a time when people wouldn't want a cleric there to contribute. Certain other classes come close, but that's what I experienced. As always, play what you like

 

[Dandu]

Druid:
*Only really needs Wis and Con - Animal companion and spells can be his main contribution to combat at low levels, and after level 5 he has Wildshape.
*No dead levels.
*Powerful class features
*Full spellcaster with access to many useful spells
*4+Int mod skill points per level
*Real life experience: Yes.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Definitely druid. Animal companion, skills, polymorph, decent BAB, HD, and saves. The spells are a bit weaker than the other full casters, but spells are a bonus, really. The skills and animal companion are significantly better that turning and domain powers. And while druids can't do the things wizards can, their bounty of nonmagical abilities makes them more durable and versatile.

I've played and DMed quite a few druids over the years and it's one of my preferred classes.

That being said, I would not call the druid overpowered, and I've never experienced the CoDzilla phenomenon. It takes an enormous amount of skill and effort and DM largess in order to fully leverage its mechanical benefits, and there are significant conditional limitations on where and when druids are most effective. Most of the druids I've seen have been most effective at supporting other party members. They also make excellent NPCs.

To me, the druid is pretty close to the benchmark for what a good 3.5 class looks like: few dead levels and flavorful, but versatile, but specific abilities. Other classes fall short in having too many dead levels or not enough game-changing higher level abilities. In designing or revising classes or approving player requests, I generally have the druid in mind as one benchmark for power.

 

[TwoSix]

Definitely druid. Animal companion, skills, polymorph, decent BAB, HD, and saves. The spells are a bit weaker than the other full casters, but spells are a bonus, really. The skills and animal companion are significantly better that turning and domain powers. And while druids can't do the things wizards can, their bounty of nonmagical abilities makes them more durable and versatile.

I've played and DMed quite a few druids over the years and it's one of my preferred classes.

That being said, I would not call the druid overpowered, and I've never experienced the CoDzilla phenomenon. It takes an enormous amount of skill and effort and DM largess in order to fully leverage its mechanical benefits, and there are significant conditional limitations on where and when druids are most effective. Most of the druids I've seen have been most effective at supporting other party members. They also make excellent NPCs.

To me, the druid is pretty close to the benchmark for what a good 3.5 class looks like: few dead levels and flavorful, but versatile, but specific abilities. Other classes fall short in having too many dead levels or not enough game-changing higher level abilities. In designing or revising classes or approving player requests, I generally have the druid in mind as one benchmark for power.

Other than your 3rd paragraph, I largely agree with you. I think the PF druid is a little closer to a balanced baseline, due to its inability to dump physical stats if it wants to wildshape effectively.

I won't touch your 3rd paragraph other than to state I disagree, and I expect you to get longer rebuttals shortly.

 

[Dandu]

It takes an enormous amount of skill and effort

Like flipping through the PHB until you come across Natural Spell?

 

[Dice4Hire]

Like flipping through the PHB until you come across Natural Spell?

Yes, the single thing that breaks druids.

Either or? Nahh, let's let you do both.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Other than your 3rd paragraph, I largely agree with you. I think the PF druid is a little closer to a balanced baseline, due to its inability to dump physical stats if it wants to wildshape effectively.

That is a significant change, yes.

I won't touch your 3rd paragraph other than to state I disagree, and I expect you to get longer rebuttals shortly.

That may be. I think maybe if you agree with the 4th paragraph, you're not too far off from the 3rd, though. If anything, I think it's better to look at fighters and ask what reason you have to advance them in their original class, or to look at rogues and ask why they're so SA-dependent, etc. etc. Druids play well at all levels. Other classes, progressively less so.

There's not much question in my mind that Natural Spell is overpowered (not simply powerful), but that's a feat, not a class.

 

[Remathilis]

I'm going to shock everyone and say "There are no overpowered classes, only overpowered spells and feats".

First off, the three God-Tier Classes (Clr, Drd, Wiz) are all spellcasters. They're also prep-casters with the ability to amass huge amounts of spells known.

Second, its certain spells (Buff/Scry/Teleport, Divine Power, Death Spells) that really break these classes. A cleric with cure wounds and magic vestment, a wizard with fireball and stoneskin, or a druid with call lightning and entangle aren't really all that broken.

Similarly, the classic "broken" builds require certain feats (persistent spell, item creation, natural spell) to really break.

You can fix a lot of 3.5 problems with the banning of 1/2 a dozen spells and feats. Without these broke combos, they end up on par with fighters and rogues again.

Its unchecked power that breaks these classes.

 

[Manbearcat]

Druid. Absolutely. Not even close. By 9th level, Wizards are more game-breaking and more agonizing GM-side. But in terms of sheer power? Druid. Just outrageously powerful in all the tangible metrics while also having about 50 - 75 % of the Generalist Wizard's intangibles (game-changing divinations, game-changing travel and exploration tools, powerful reconnaissance tools); and 50 - 75 % of the Generalist Wizard's intangibles is serious, game-changing power.

Oh yeah. Also has ridiculously powerful healing to boot.