What is the most broken character in 5e?

What is the most broken character in 5e?

Dungeons & Dragons’ 5th edition, commonly referred to as 5e, has witnessed numerous broken characters and overpowered builds. These are the creations of clever adventurers and tacticians who experiment with various combinations of racial traits, class features, and magical abilities. These "broken" characters usually dominate their opponents, make impossible choices, and dictate the course of the battle.

The Twilight Cleric: A Prime Contender

One of the most broken characters in 5e is the Twilight Cleric. They belong to the Cleric class and have access to Channel Divinity, a powerful ability that provides temporary hit points to nearby allies each turn. This feature synergizes exceptionally well with many racial traits and class abilities, allowing the Twilight Cleric to become an indestructible force on the battlefield.

The Synergy: Channel Divinity and Temp HP

This character’s power stems from the interaction between Channel Divinity and temporary hit points. Temporary hit points don’t contribute to the caster’s spellcasting ability checks or initiative, making the Twilight Cleric nearly impenetrable. Channel Divinity’s temporary hit points are also not treated as part of the enemy’s total hit points. This means that even enemies with regeneration or healing auras cannot recover from their attacks.

The Feats and Abilities

1. Racial traits: Racial traits from classes like the Kalashtar (from the Eberron setting), the Tiefling, or the Aasimar greatly enhance the Twilight Cleric’s capabilities. These include racial features like Fear Immunity, Etherealness, and Immunity to Energy.
2. Feats: Feats like War Caster, Shield Master, or Mobile become game-changers for a Twilight Cleric. With the War Caster feat, the clerics gain the ability to cast spells while wearing light armor and drawing one weapon, expanding their versatility.
3. Spells: Picking up spells like Bless, Martial Masters, Glibness, and Heroism further expands the character’s capabilities, including boosting allies, influencing enemy decision-making, or improving combat performance.

Comparison with Other Broken Builds

Here’s a ranking of other broken builds (out of 10 in terms of power level), keeping in mind that rankings are subjective and may depend on specific playstyles, encounters, and DM allowances:

• Warlock/Sorcerer: Powerful combinations of spellcasting capabilities and feature synergies have created formidable builds. (~7.5/10)
• Barbarian/Rogue: Cunningly crafted builds that wield high-damage potential (e.g., Rage and Second-story Swing) and cunning options like Expertise, Improved Critical, or Cunning Action, all combine to create almost unstoppable force. (~6.5/10)

The Twilight Cleric: The Most Broken 5e Character?

Based on the synergy described above, the Twilight Cleric has the potential to dominate almost any encounter and adapt to various situations in ways other broken builds fail to match. Their regenerative capacity, combined with their Channel Divinity-empowered temporary hit points, ensures they can waste enemy magic, weather any damage, and dictate the pace of a battle. This makes The Twilight Cleric the most broken character in D&D 5e

Please note that the Broken builds’ power level rankings can change depending on metagame, DM guidelines, and playstyle decisions. This article aims to present an overview of influential characters, not to necessarily establish definitive rankings. Feel free to experiment and enhance your gameplay experience with our examples, but remember – with great power comes significant responsibility to balance and narratively integrate these characters to avoid spoiling the group experience.

Conclusion:

D&D 5e has given rise to various powerful and broken build combinations, but the Twilight Cleric’s Channel Divinity-TP HP synergy stands atop the broken build hierarchy for now. This character exploits its incredible regenerative powers to maintain an advantage at any given moment, thus, dominating the battlefield from a commanding position. Stay creative, experiment with mechanics, and remember to weave a captivating narrative around the actions of your characters and foes.