D&D 5E Some guys want to run a campaign using a Sorcerer, Land Druid, Wizard, and Lore Bard only.

[CTurbo]

No meat shield, no healer, no tank, no str character at all. How do you think this would go?

I think it's an interesting idea, but it seems challenging to DM. I almost feel like I'd need to scale down combat oriented encounters especially at low levels.

 

[GlassJaw]

I think it will be really fun. Lots of crowd control. Will make for some interesting options for overcoming encounters.


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[Tobold]

I am currently running a game with 2 monks, 1 ranger, and 1 barbarian. Works just fine. The "tank - healer - dps" setup is more World of Warcraft than Dungeons & Dragons anyway. In 5E there are no real tanks, because there is no taunt mechanic other than a very limited Compelled Duel paladin spell. Combat healing in 5E is also very limited, more designed to get characters back into the fight that have been knocked unconscious rather than keeping them at full health in the first place. Which means that in most fights pretty much everybody is just there to deal damage in various ways.

 

[Waterbizkit]

Any party composition can work, it all comes down to how your players leverage the strengths of their characters while minimizing their weaknesses. This party may have to try talking their way out of things more often, potentially quite easily with a lore bard in the party, and maybe they need to plan ahead a bit more than a "typical" party or maybe they'll just have to flee a bit more often. Eventually the amount if magic they'll be able to bring to bear will possibly alleviate the lack of a strength character.

Additionally, they do have a healer: the land druid. Druids get all the cure and restoration spells you need and they only really lack resurrection spells early on like revivify but eventually get reincarnation and true resurrection way down the road. This will mean they need to be careful early on, unless NPC clerics are readily available and the party can pay.

Anyway, I think it'd be a fun party to run because these kinds of party compositions mean the players have to really use their noodles and think about how they approach everything. Should be fun no matter what.

 

[Aldarc]

The druid and bard can both heal.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

It really depends on the type of campaign. However, expect a lot of requests for long rests.

 

[WarpedAcorn]

No meat shield, no healer, no tank, no str character at all. How do you think this would go?

I think it's an interesting idea, but it seems challenging to DM. I almost feel like I'd need to scale down combat oriented encounters especially at low levels.

As was stated, you have 2 classes that CAN heal whether they choose to be dedicated healers or not. While also true that D&D doesn't specifically have a "Tank", there is a role of the guy that runs up to the enemies and blocks doorways/tunnels. With that party set up its going to be interesting when you ask for a "Marching Order".

That being said, I don't think it will be a challenge to DM. Play it normally. The players will need to adapt their styles to make it work, but like was also previously stated, there is a lot of Control in the party that can totally negate combat. Right now, even at first level, you have multiple Sleeps as well as Entangle that can trivialize most encounters. If they all want to Nuke and burn their spell slots recklessly though...then don't be afraid to let them have it.

Oh, and since they are a 100% magic group, you should be aware of enemies with Magic Resistances or things that require physical attacks to hurt. Those will be the problem enemies.

 

[Aldarc]

I also think that the question depends on the environment of campaign adventure. In an urban setting, this may be less of a problem. In a more traditional dungeon crawl, the weaknesses of the composition may come into play more often. You may want entertain the possibility of starting them out with a "tank" NPC. Perhaps they are in the service of a noble paladin lord, a knight, or some such figure, only for you to pull the rug out from under them and kill off the NPC, forcing them to regroup and re-strategize. And this NPC's death then becomes the hook for the campaign.

The composition of that party definitely evokes a lot of potential campaign ideas. It would be an interesting venue to explore their different approaches and philosophies on magic.

 

[cmad1977]

They'll be fine.


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[Ralif Redhammer]

That sounds pretty cool. I’m a firm believer that a DM can make any party composition work. Just because no one wants to play a tank, or healer, or any other role, shouldn’t mean that the group gets punished.

But yeah, at low levels I’d probably start out softballing the combat encounters until I got a good feel for what the sweet spot was.