Summary
Combat-heavyDungeons & Dragonscampaigns can be a really fun experience for your entire table, both as a Dungeon Master and as a player. Whether you’re traversing treacherous dungeons in a hack-and-slash adventure or having to navigate the length of a random encounter table, a combat-focused campaign requires a great, powerful character build to contend with anything your DM throws at you.
So, if you’re about to dive head-first into a combat-heavy Dungeons & Dragons campaign, you’re going to want to verify that your character build is perfectly tailored to combat first and roleplay second. Here are the best character builds for a combat campaign.
Class or Multiclass
Background
Scribe
The artillerist artificer subclass is, in essence, the offense-based artifcer subclass. If you want to deal high damage with a variety of different offensive features, this is the subclass for you. The spell list for this subclass has a ton of combat-focused spells andgreat AoE effects. Plus, you can create eldritch cannons, making you a ranged force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Gnomes always work well as artificers in DND thanks to their natural advantages on Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence saving throws. Additionally, select the scribe background to gain ability score improvements to your Intelligence and Dexterity, increasing the ferocity of your eldritch cannons and armor class.
Charlatan
By now, many expert DND players have discovered the power of the coffeelock subclass combination of warlock and sorcerer. This is mainly because warlocks can regain spell slots on a short rest, and sorcerers can regain spell slots using sorcery points, meaning you can create a ton of new spell slots for yourself as you play through a session.
For this build, use the hexblade warlock subclass for martial and melee combat prowess, and combine it with the divine soul sorcerer subclass, which can allow you to heal yourself, for an extra-strong build. Tieflings grant additional innate sorcery, and the charlatan background grants improvements to Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma.
Guide
Rangers and clerics can make for anunderrated multiclass combinationthanks to their shared proficiencies and need for high Wisdom scores. The twilight domain cleric and gloom stalker ranger not only work well together in terms of roleplay, but their initiative-based bonuses can synergize very well together, turning you into a martial-healer flex class.
Select dwarf as well for this build, just to make your Constitution that much more formidable. In addition, select the guide background for some free extra druid spells and improvements to your Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.
Sailor
While the way of mercy monk is pretty widely used and enjoyed, the rune warrior fighter subclass is often undervalued thanks to its supportive and flexible abilities. Combine both of these subclasses, and you get a build that not only allows you to heal and bolster yourself and allies but can prove formidable in combat. Both the rune warrior and way of mercy subclasses have abilities that allow you to get highly creative on the battlefield and improve your attacks and defense depending on the situation.
For your species and background, select orc so that you can take the Dash action as a bonus action without having to spend a Focus Point and gain temporary hit points. Plus, this will give you the ability to spring back up in battle when you go down. The sailor background provides improvements to Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom, three key stats for each of these subclasses.
Soldier
Bloodhunters and paladins can be a match made in heaven, and also provide expert players with an interesting roleplay challenge, since bloodhunters tend to be more chaotic aligned while paladins tend to be more lawful. Regardless, the oath of conquest paladin has a ton of subclass features that make you an offensive cannon on the battlefield, while also supplementing the HP you’ll have to lose as a bloodhunter with your pool of Lay on Hands HP.
Goliaths have a ton of different giant ancestry benefits depending on which giant type you select. For this build, Stone’s Endurance is best because it can help reduce damage and keep your HP pool full. Finally, select the soldier background for improvements to your physical stats.
Swashbuckler rogues are great forcombat-focused campaignsthanks to their bonuses to initiative roles and mobility perks, allowing you to play with some creative attack strategies. With this subclass in town, you gain a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Charisma modifier and bonuses to your Sneak Attack, which is going to be a rogue’s bread and butter.
Halflings always make for great rogues thanks to their Halfling Luck feature, which allows them to reroll natural ones, meaning you’re far less likely to waste a Sneak Attack opportunity. Select the charlatan background for this build for improvements to your Dexterity, which is essential for rogues, and your Charisma, which helps boost your bonus to initiative rolls.
Wayfarer
Storm sorcery is an often underrated sorcerer subclass that gains access to a ton of high-damage elemental abilities. With this subclass, not only can you do extra damage with lightning and other elements, but you also gain some defensive abilities that can allow you to move around the battlefield without provoking opportunity attacks or gain immunity to certain damage types.
Aasimar can make for great storm sorcerers thanks to their flight abilities, meaning you’ll be able to construct a highly mobile character build. Wayfarer makes for a good background for this build thanks to improvements to Dexterity and Charisma. Plus, with this background, you gain the Lucky feat, which can help negate poor rolls on your part, meaning you’ll be able to do more damage.
Criminal
This subclass combination brings together two full casting classes and their martial subclasses to create a highly magical and martial build. Bladesinging wizards gain access to proficiency with one melee weapon of their choice and light armor, while college of swords bards gain proficiency with the scimitar and medium armor. This gives you a lot of options in terms of armor and weapons.
Plus, each of these subclasses comes with perks to your AC, mobility, and defensive abilities, as well as the ability to attack twice at level six. Plus, you can use your bardic inspiration to deal extra damage with these subclasses. Select a human for the skilled feat to max out your skill proficiencies, and the criminal background to gain ability score improvements to your Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence.
This subclass combination brings together the power of astral psionics and astral projection into one highly flexible martial class. The soulknife rogue can use pisonic energy to empower their attacks, and potentially even attack multiple times and even teleport. Meanwhile, the astral self monk also gains bonuses to their unarmed strikes with their astrally-projected arms, and the ability to reduce incoming damage, making their build highly formidable.
Dragonborns also get a breath weapon, meaning your attack arsenal at close range will be highly varied, and you gain an additional damage resistance. Select wayfarer to gain a bonus to your Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma.
The circle of stars druid is a highly flexible subclass that allows druids to both take on a more offensive role in their party and a supportive one. Depending on your starry forms, you can either do increased damage or heal yourself and others. Plus, this subclass has boons to maintaining concentration, which you’ll be doing a lot in a combat-focused campaign.
High elves get access to Misty Step, which helps avoid opportunity attacks. Additionally, select the guide background for improvements to your Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.
