Solasta Is a D&D 5e Game: A Character Creation Guide

Introduction

Hello. I've seen a lot of guides and videos for Solasta that are just full of weird assumptions and flat out misinformation, and while I don't hold it against the creators, I do want to try and correct these ideas. New players are going to come into this game reading these guides and watching these videos and get the wrong idea about how to play this game, what the classes are good at, and so on, and that's going to frustrate them when they run into problems with the builds they've been given. Even people who might consider themselves experienced in Solasta or in the games it draws inspiration from might get the wrong ideas from those other guides and videos!

So it's my goal here to provide an accurate resource for fans and players to make strong, reliable character choices and experience most of the game's content.

If you're ready, I'll begin.

What Is Solasta?

Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a video game currently available only for PC which uses the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition rules. The developers, Tactical Adventures, do not have the rights to use any of the copyrighted, restricted material from Dungeons and Dragons, unfortunately. They are only able to use the rules and material published in the "System Reference Document", which is essentially a public domain version of the full game. All of the core system mechanics are contained in this SRD. What it lacks are extra spells, subclasses, monsters, and other material that are unique to the settings owned by Wizards of the Coast.

For our purposes, therefore, Solasta runs on the D&D 5th Edition rules and system, differing only in the specific races, subclasses, monsters, and locations available. In nearly every other way, it plays identically to the tabletop game, and the same strategies, tactics, and character build advice applies. Therefore, a lot of my advice throughout this guide will apply equally to the 5th edition of the tabletop game.

What ISN'T Solasta?

Many people will be coming into Solasta from games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, and other computer and console RPGs, and will make assumptions derived from their experiences there. The problem is that Solasta doesn't play like those games. The rules for D&D 5e are very different from the rules for those games in a number of key areas, and as a result, trying to play it like it's a traditional video game RPG will see you struggle and get frustrated.

Likewise, other people will have experience in other tabletop RPGs and in past editions of Dungeons and Dragons, and will come into Solasta assuming that it plays just like third edition, or just like games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, which used other earlier editions of the game. Again, this isn't true. The fifth edition of D&D, and by extension Solasta, has its own unique rules and properties that fundamentally change the assumptions and alter what's "optimal" and what's not.

You need a lot of experience playing, reading, and optimizing 5th edition characters and gameplay in particular in order to make a strong, well-rounded party in this game. And that's what I'm going to try to do with this guide.

The (Unknown) Basics

This isn't going to be a section about how to click to move your characters, or cast spells, or any of the actual in-game basics that you'll learn in the tutorial. This is all the things the game doesn't tell you, and that other guides and videos often get wrong.

Clerics Are Not HealersI know what a lot of you are thinking. You're coming into this from, like I said above, other games and past editions of D&D. And in those, you make a Cleric, or a Priest, or a White Mage, with the understanding that they're going to spend the vast majority of their playtime casting healing spells. I'm here to tell you that 5e doesn't work that way, and therefore neither does Solasta.

In this game, the first thing that a Cleric typically wants to cast in most fights is going to be either Bless or Spiritual Weapon or Spirit Guardians. These are going to make the biggest long-term impact in each fight, and over your adventuring career. Unlike other games, you don't want to cast healing spells unless the fight lasts for a very long time. If your ally is above half health and you are casting a healing spell on them, you have essentially wasted that spell. It's simply better to buff your party or cast debuffs and damage on enemies than it is to cast healing. The main use of in-combat healing is when someone is at or near zero HP, at which point healing brings them high enough that they're no longer dying or close to dying and can instead resume fighting.

"Then how am I supposed to heal between fights," some of you may be asking?

TAKE SHORT RESTSThe number one thing I don't hear people talking about enough is the Rest mechanic in this game. Not only can - and likely should! - you take Long Rests at every campsite in Solasta's dungeons, and backtrack regularly to reuse them later, you should also absolutely be taking Short Rests after pretty much every fight you have. Short Rests cost nothing but in-game time, taking 1 hour and allowing your characters to recover some of their abilities and their HP. Instead of spending spell slots on healing during and after combat, you should be taking Short Rests and Long Rests all the time. There's campfires all over the place in the core campaign, too, so you'll be able to take Long Rests pretty often. Resting is hugely important in Solasta, and you should definitely be taking advantage of it.

You Don't Need A RogueThere actually isn't anything unique about Rogues that makes them vital to your party. While the bonus damage they get from Sneak Attacks is nice, the fact that it's not reliable damage and that their only other unique feature is Expertise in two skills means that while you can make them really good at sneaking around, literally any other role they'd fill in your party can be filled by another character. Druids and Rangers, for example, are typically going to be high-Dexterity characters, so giving them the Lowlife background means they'll be sneaky, proficient in Thieves' Tools, wear light armor, use Finesse weapons or bows... and they'll get Druid/Ranger spells, which Rogues can only come close to doing via one of their four subclasses. You can likewise get similar results with a high-Dexterity Paladin, Cleric, or Fighter with the Lowlife background, trading off the Sneak Attack dice for spells or more attacks and better weapon proficiencies.

Honestly ask yourself, are Expertise in two skills and unreliable Sneak Attack dice really better than all of the things you'd gain from having a different class in your party? Remember, any character can use Thieves' Tools with the Lowlife background or the Lock Breaker feat, and combining the two makes them just as good as a Rogue with Expertise in Thieves' Tools.

Diversify Your PartyYes, you absolutely can just make an entire party of Sylvan Elves, or Hill Dwarves, or Half-Orcs, all of them Clerics, and get through the game just fine. You're going to have a more fun and varied experience, however, if you spread things out to have different races, classes, and backgrounds in your party. For one thing, each background has its own sidequest in the core campaign, meaning that you'll need to play the core campaign at least twice to see every sidequest available. For another, by picking different races and classes, you're going to cover more skills, languages, and other proficiencies than a mono-class, mono-race party will.

Again, this isn't a hard and fast rule, it's just what I'd recommend to most players, especially new ones. Try multiple races and classes, experiment a bit, and learn the differences between them all. It also just looks better, in my opinion, to have four characters who look significantly different, since each race has a fairly limited selection of faces, and you can't change body types much.

The Tank-Healer-DPS Triangle Doesn't Exist In Solasta

I know that sounds insane, but it's true. The usual dynamic of having one set of characters to soak hits, another set of characters to heal them as they get hit, and a third set of characters to deal all the damage just isn't a thing in Solasta. Let me explain why.

Either Nobody Can Tank, Or Everybody DoesPicture this. You have two characters with heavy armor and shields in front of two other characters wearing light or no armor and using spells or ranged weapons. The two heavy armored characters have only a couple narrow holes, one square wide, around them for enemies to get through. But the enemies would have to go past the heavily armored characters to reach the spellcaster and archer, so they're safe, right?

Wrong. The 5th edition rules include an action called "Disengage", that any character can perform, friend or enemy. When you perform the Disengage action, you're able to move right through enemy melee attack ranges without them getting a chance to perform so-called "opportunity attacks". On top of which, some enemies will have high enough HP to simply take your opportunity attack and keep going anyway! So if the AI is set smart enough, they can basically ignore those heavy armored characters and go straight to your squishies! And this is ignoring the existence of enemies with ranged attacks, or enemies that can crawl on walls or ceilings, and simply go around your front line in those ways.

You cannot rely on "tanking" as a strategy in Solasta. You have to use the game's mechanics to your advantage, and play around them. Every character should have high AC, not just your front line.

This isn't as hard as it sounds. The best non-magical heavy armor, Plate, only gives its wearer an 18 AC. For comparison, with a Dexterity of 14, Half-Plate adds up to a 17 AC, whereas with a Dex of 20, Studded Leather also reaches a 17 AC. These are just one point lower, and in exchange for wearing them, you get an improved Dexterity score, which improves your ability to use ranged weapons effectively, and still lets you fight with a weapon and a shield thanks to rapiers and other finesse weapons. Later on, any magic items you find that would improve your AC will either be wearable by any character, or have equivalents for other armor classes. Even paladins, clerics, and fighters can have high AC with light armor, a finesse weapon, and a shield, so there's really no need to make your tanks heavy armored. In fact, the biggest advantage to giving characters high Strength has nothing to do with combat - it's so their carrying capacity is higher, so you can carry more magic items, crafting ingredients, ammunition, and other goodies out of dungeons and random encounters.

Give your whole party high AC, and stop thinking that heavy armor = tank. You're doing yourself a disservice thinking that way, and making the game harder on yourself as a result.

Healing Is Not A JobI've mentioned this before, and I'm going to bring it up every time it comes up, because it's so important for people to understand. The healing spells in Solasta, much like in the tabletop version of the game, aren't meant for healing people to full mid-combat. Characters are just as able to fight effectively when they're at 1 HP as when they're at full HP. Instead, you want the character to be able to survive one hit without being instantly killed and skipping death saves. Even if that means the next hit puts them at 0 HP, that's still fine, because one single cast of Healing Word will get them right back into the fight again on their next turn. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need to be healing your party constantly. Use their HP as a resource to determine how many more rounds of combat they can endure, alongside their spell slots and other abilities and items.

DPS Is A Job For EveryoneThis should kind of go without saying, but every character in Solasta needs to be able to put out consistent damage of some sort. Whether from cantrips, weapon attacks, leveled spells, or some other source, every character needs some way to deal damage on the turns when they're not doing something else. And for a lot of characters, "something else" is rarely going to come up.

For some characters, though, "something else" can literally be class and playstyle-defining.

Except Wizards, But Kinda Them Too ReallyWizards, and to a lesser extent Druids who pick the right subclass, certainly can take direct damage spells. If you just want someone who casts Fireball and Lightning Bolt and so on, however, you should seriously consider a Sorcerer, who already has a limited number of spells known, and therefore wants to specialize in one specific thing that they can do repeatedly - like blowing things up.

What makes Wizard and Druid is their sheer variety of other useful spells in and out of combat. Summoning monsters to tip the action economy in your favor, using disabling spells like Sleep and Entangle and Hideous Laughter, these may not be as flashy as a Fireball or do the up-front damage, but they vastly improve your ability to focus your party's attacks on one enemy at a time.

Doing a little damage to a lot of enemies is neat, but removing one enemy from combat, temporarily or permanently, is better simply because of...

The Action Economy Is Your New GodThe "action economy" is a term from tabletop and turn-based gaming in general. Essentially, it refers to how many actions you and your characters have in every round of combat, compared to the number of actions your enemies have. The more things you can do in a given round relative to your enemy, the better the combat is going for you.

Again, compare a spell like Fireball to a spell like Sleep. Fireball is absolutely iconic, and will do a lot of damage. Enemies will be able to save against its damage, though, and there's no guarantee it'll kill anyone, due to this and the steady growth of enemy HP over time.

The same doesn't hold true of Sleep. In the earliest levels, you can cast it at the start of a fight, and it'll put one enemy to sleep without a saving throw or attack roll. It's almost guaranteed. At later levels, you can't guarantee it'll knock enemies out at the start of a fight anymore, but midway through a combat, you can start knocking enemies out and moving on to their allies earlier. Positioning isn't even a counter argument to this, as the damaging area effect spells will be just as prone to friendly fire. Seriously consider the utility of these disabling spells, as they might not be guaranteed to work, but they're likely to work, and will absolutely turn battles around for you.

Ancestries

Your choice of ancestry is much less mechanically significant than your choice of class, so I'm mostly going to focus on classes and the choices you can make there. However, for a quick overview of each ancestry:

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC)Dragonborn get a +2 to Strength and a +1 to Charisma, making them naturally favor the Paladin and Warlock classes above most others. The breath weapon is a handy area attack in a pinch, but doesn't scale well, and thus shouldn't be relied on beyond the very early levels. They can also serve as decent Fighters or Barbarians due to the Strength bonus, but are generally inferior at classes that favor Dexterity or non-Charisma casting. Be aware that Dragonborn also lack Darkvision, meaning they require a light source in the darkness.

DwarvesDwarves come in two subraces, which I will cover separately. Both share +2 Constitution, which is great for survivability, and a Movement speed of 5, making them slower than average. The movement speed might make you not want them as a front line character, as they'll have trouble chasing down retreating enemies.

Hill Dwarves: The +1 to Wisdom makes this subrace highly suited towards Clerics, Rangers, and if you have the DLC for them, Druids. The +2 Constitution, coupled with the +1 HP per level, also help to make them more survivable in these classes, as Cleric and Druid tend to have lower HP than Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers, and Ranger characters tend to use bows or dual wield rather than carry a shield.

Snow Dwarves: With a +1 to Dexterity and innate proficiency in Heavy Crossbows, these actually do a great job as Rangers, Rogues, and Finesse weapon Fighters and Paladins. Though they don't get an Intelligence or Wisdom bonus, you can even consider them for Druid or Wizard, provided you intend on having them use a Heavy Crossbow for attacks instead of using cantrips. I wouldn't, but the option's there.

ElvesElves come in two subraces, which I will cover separately. Both of them share a +2 to Dexterity, which like Constitution, aids in surviving combat, in this case by reducing the changes of taking damage rather than increasing the HP they'd have left. The other racial features are more flavorful than anything particularly impactful, with the exception of proficiency in Longbows, which some classes might get more use out of than others.

High Elves: With a +1 to Intelligence and a free Wizard cantrip cast from Intelligence, it's obvious which class High Elves are geared for. The weapon training is less likely to matter at all, as wizards typically don't want to be in close combat, so all you're really getting there is a Longbow - and like I hinted with Snow Dwarves, is that really better than a cantrip? You can maybe make a decent Rogue out of this race if you plan on going Shadowcaster, but I'm not a huge fan of the Rogue.

Sylvan Elves: The Movement speed of 7 is the big draw here, making them able to move around the map with more freedom than most characters. They also get +1 Wisdom, so they actually make great Clerics, Druids, and Rangers. If you really want a party that all moves as fast as possible, an all-Sylvan Elf party is going to be your answer, but I would recommend diversifying your ancestries as well as your classes, even if for no other reason than to cover all your desired proficiencies more easily.

Half-ElvesPaladins. What else is there to say? You can also make them into pretty much any class reasonably well, especially Sorcerers, but the ability to boost your Strength or Dexterity and your Constitution while also having a guaranteed high Charisma makes the Half-Elf Paladin an obvious combination.

Half-Orcs (DLC)With Darkvision and a +2/+1 distributed to Strength and Constitution, Half-Orcs lend themselves well to any class that can wear heavy armor and/or wield martial weapons. This means most Cleric subclasses, Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and even Ranger if you're willing to deal with the class not starting with two-handed martial melee weapons.

HalflingsHalflings come in two subraces, which I will cover separately. As far as things they share, they're sort of like a cross between elves and dwarves, in that they have the subpar Move 5 of dwarves, but the +2 Dexterity of Elves. They do uniquely get Brave and Lucky, however, which are both handy traits to have, so it's not all rehashed material here.

Island Halflings: A +2 to Dexterity and a +1 to Charisma makes this choice naturally inclined towards finesse Paladins and most Sorcerers. Be aware that they're Movement 5 and lack Darkvision, so having light sources will be even more important when you include an Island Halfling in your party. If you're willing to plan around these drawbacks, you've got a decent race for those two classes here.

Marsh Halflings: The +1 Constitution puts them in the same boat as the Snow Dwarves, funnily enough, making them good for multiple classes. Finesse weapon Fighters and Paladins, ranged weapon Rogues and Rangers, even Finesse Clerics if you're willing to build around the lack of a Wisdom bonus, are all good choices. Note that Marsh Halflings DO get Darkvision, so they're easier to fit into a party than Island Halflings.

HumansWith +1s to every single ability score and not much else to speak of, Humans in the current form in Solasta just lag behind most other races at most other classes. The lack of Darkvision also hampers the ancestry, as only they and Island Halflings lack Darkvision, and many enemies have it as well. If you do feel the urge to play one, I'd recommend putting them in a class that wants multiple high ability scores. Something like Cleric, or Druid, or Paladin, or Ranger, where you want a good Dexterity or Strength, a good Wisdom or Charisma, and a good Constitution, because you plan on getting close in combat but also casting spells while there. Alternately, if you want to play a Barbarian, due to the class wanting high Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores to make the most of all its features, Human works reasonably well there too. Hopefully someday Tactical Adventures will add their own subrace for Humans at some point which gives them better bonuses.

Backgrounds

There's not much to say about the different backgrounds in Solasta, apart from how they synergize with each class. So, to avoid repeating myself as much as I already have and no doubt will, I'm going to just go over the most interesting and impactful ones.

AcademicStarting with an improved relationship with a core campaign faction is a nice benefit to be sure. It's not a huge boost, but if you want to maximize your faction relationships, it's worth giving one of your characters this background. Otherwise, it's mostly just for flavor.

LawkeeperCharacters who don't get proficiency in martial weapons, and who you'd want that for, can take this background. Off the top of my head, the only class that might even fit that description would be Druid, and you can get similar benefits from the Sylvan Elf subrace. That said, the option's here if you have some other combination in mind.

LowlifeSingle-handedly obsoletes the Rogue class. Make a character of any race and class you like, give them a high Dexterity score, and then add on this background, and you'll have someone who can pick locks, disarm traps, and begin ambushes. You lose out on Sneak Attack damage dice, but you can put this background on classes like Paladin, Ranger, Cleric, or Druid. The addition of spellcasting, and other bonuses like Divine Smite or Favored Enemy, means the tradeoff is probably worth it in most parties. Remember: Rogues can't cast Pass Without Trace, but Rangers and Druids can!

SellswordMost Wizards, Bards, Warlocks, and Sorcerers are probably going to want this background. This is the one that gives a character proficiency in medium armor, after all. There's a reason that's not a thing in the tabletop game - put your arcane casters in half-plate and save yourself from ever having to cast Mage Armor again! Couple this with the Court Mage Wizard subclass and it gets even sillier.

SpyThis is mostly a flavorful background again, but it's also notably the only way to get the ability to read the Spy's Codebook language. If you want to be able to read absolutely everything that can be read in Solasta, you'll want someone in your party to have this background.

Acolyte, Aristocrat, PhilosopherThese all do more or less the same thing, giving extra skills and either languages or crafting proficiencies. Take them to help you flesh out a character's personality and life, but outside of roleplaying, they're not that interesting.

Wanderer (Primal Calling DLC)See above on the Acolyte, Aristocrat, and Philosopher. This is essentially the same thing. It's only on a separate line because it's a DLC background, and I didn't want to confuse anyone into thinking those were too.

Artist, Ascetic, Occultist (Inner Strength DLC)Again, see above. These are also DLC backgrounds and they also give minor bonuses such as extra skills and languages or crafting proficiencies. Unfortunately, they also lack subquests in the Crown of the Magister campaign, meaning that if you pick these backgrounds for characters you'll use there, you're going to miss out on content.

Classes Overview

Solasta, as a D&D 5e game, defines your characters primarily through the base classes you can pick for them. Since multiclassing currently isn't in the game without modding, your choice of each character's class when you create them is hugely important. Rather than try to simply do this all in one single section, I'm going to split my thoughts up class-by-class.

I'm also not going to go into detail about what the classes unlock at what level, as these are all things you can look up in-game or on multiple wikis. What I plan to do instead is go over my thoughts as to how to build each class, the decisions you'll face when making characters, and how good or bad each subclass is in my estimation.

For the full casters, I plan to give my thoughts on what spells are particular standouts at their given levels, but I won't be doing the same for partial casters like Paladin, Ranger, or Warlock.

As a quick overview, however, the classes currently in Solasta: Crown of the Magister as of December 2022 are:

Barbarian (added in the Primal Calling DLC), a melee-oriented, Strength-focused class

Bard (added in the Inner Strength DLC), a supportive Charisma-based spellcasting class that's sort of a jack-of-all-trades

Cleric, a supportive Wisdom-based spellcasting class also strong in melee combat

Druid (added in the Primal Calling DLC), a support and control oriented Wisdom-based spellcasting class with the ability to Wild Shape into animals

Fighter, a weapon-specialist effective at range or up close depending on ability scores and loadout

Monk (added in the Inner Strength DLC), a Dexterity and Wisdom-based melee combat class that trades raw damage for control and debuff effects

Paladin, a melee-oriented class with some supportive capability in spells and features

Ranger, a ranged-oriented class with some supportive capability in spells and features

Rogue, a skill-oriented class with the ability to sometimes land Sneak Attacks in battle

Sorcerer (added in a free DLC update), a Charisma-based spellcasting class generally oriented towards damaging spells

Warlock (added in the Inner Strength DLC), a Charisma-based spellcasting class with a greater emphasis on rapidly recharging their spells in Short Rests

Wizard, an Intelligence-based spellcasting class specializing in the casting of rituals and control/debuff spells

The Barbarian Class (Primal Calling DLC)

If you choose to make a barbarian a part of your party, you're faced with the choice of two ability scores to focus on. You can either focus on Dexterity, and make a character who uses finesse weapons with shields and ranged weapons, or you can focus on Strength, and make a character who uses heavier weapons, up to and including two-handed ones. Each has its benefits and drawbacks.

Dexterity Focused BarbariansWith access to martial weapons, shields, and medium armor, and the option to, if your Dexterity and Constitution are high enough, simply go without armor at all, Barbarian would seem like a well-rounded class capable of fighting at range and in melee equally well. If only. Sadly, the Barbarian Rage feature, and the Reckless Attacks feature, both make Dexterity builds for a Barbarian highly unappealing.

Now, it may not seem like Rage is bad for a Dexterity character. After all, it says it applies the bonus damage to "melee weapon attacks". Unfortunately, what it means is "Strength-based melee weapon attacks". This is how the feature works in the tabletop version of D&D 5e, and it's also how it works here. If you're using Dexterity with a weapon, even if it's a melee weapon, the bonus doesn't apply.

That said, if you're willing to forego the damage bonus from Rage, and never activate Reckless Attacks, there's something to be said for a Dexterity-based Barbarian. Rage will dramatically reduce the damage the character takes from most sources, as most enemies will attack physically and not with spells or other sources of elemental damage. Unarmored Defense is actually substantially stronger for a Dexterity Barbarian than a Strength one, reducing or negating the need for armor if their Dexterity and Constitution are both high enough. The finesse build also enables the Barbarian to make use of their longbow and heavy crossbow proficiencies that they'd otherwise never use, instead defaulting to javelins for ranged attacks.

It's not my favorite class by any means, and it requires going against pretty much every players' gut instincts for the class, but you can make a Dexterity-based Barbarian and have a good time.

Strength Focused BarbariansBut what if you want to go the traditional route? Well, a Strength-based Barbarian is going to want to go one of two routes. If you're looking for maximum durability, get them a battleaxe, warhammer, or longsword, put a shield in their other hand, and get them half plate as soon as possible. With the bonus to damage from Rage, you'll be putting out respectable numbers with each hit, while also being tough to take down. It's certainly nothing to write home about, but the sword-and-board Barbarian can at least hold its own. Alternatively, if you want to try to do as much damage as possible, give your Barbarian the biggest two-handed melee weapon you can find and give them the Follow-Up Strike feat, granting them an extra attack as a bonus action every round and therefore the potential to add their Rage damage one extra time. These bonus actions will conflict with your Rage, which also takes up your bonus action, as well as the features of some Barbarian subclasses, so you won't always be able to make these Follow-Up Strikes every round. Either way, you're going to want the Strength-build Barbarian to spend as much time as possible next to at least one enemy, so half plate ASAP is essentially a requirement.

Barbarian Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) The +2 Strength is good for a Barbarian, and the breath weapon provides some early versatility. It still scales poorly, though, and the Charisma bonus adds nothing to the class's functionality.

DwarvesHill Dwarves: The +1 HP per level and +2 Constitution are nice things for most characters, Barbarians included, but the wasted Wisdom bonus and weapon proficiencies aren't great.

Snow Dwarves: With +2 Constitution and +1 Dexterity, Snow Dwarves lend themselves well to a finesse build for a Barbarian. The weapon proficiencies are again wasted here, but the ability score bonuses alone are worth considering this ancestry.

ElvesHigh Elves: The +2 Dexterity is nice if you want to do a finesse Barbarian, but otherwise you don't get much out of this ancestry. Even the cantrip isn't useful here, as with a high Dexterity and martial weapons, you could simply use a longbow for your ranged attacks. I guess you can learn Light...

Sylvan Elves: The +2 Dexterity, coupled with the 7 cell Movement range, makes this more appealing than High Elf ancestry. It's still not a great match, but it's at least something.

Half-ElvesAlthough the +2 Charisma isn't useful here, you can assign the other two bonuses to your choice of Constitution and your preferred attack ability score, making this at least an okay choice for either type of Barbarian build.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)A +2 Strength and a +1 Constitution, and bonus damage on critical hits with melee weapons, means Half-Orcs are well suited to being non-finesse Barbarians! I wish more ancestries gave Strength bonuses, but at least half-orcs are here as an option.

Halflings Island Halflings: The +2 Dexterity is good, but +1 Charisma isn't much use to a Barbarian, and there's little else here.

Marsh Halflings: With a +2 Dexterity and a +1 Constitution, Marsh Halflings make good choices for a finesse Barbarian, much like Snow Dwarves.

HumansWith a +1 to all ability scores, Humans are okay choices for every class. There's almost always a better option, though. I can't even say this is a good choice for a Strength build, because the same DLC that unlocks the Barbarian class also unlocks Half-Orcs.

Barbarian Subclasses

Path of the BerserkerThe Berserker is considered one of the weaker Barbarian subclasses in the tabletop game, and frankly, it's no better here. Gaining a melee weapon attack as a bonus action isn't worth the risk of a level of exhaustion. If you're using a two-handed weapon, you can get that without Frenzy from the Follow-Up Strike feat, and if you're using two weapons, you get that anyway, so it really only serves to benefit weapon-and-shield builds. The later features aren't much better, either, so for most Barbarians this is effectively a Barbarian without a subclass.

Path of the Claw (Lost Valley DLC)Gaining an immediate +1 AC while raging at level 3, and resistance to an extra damage type, is a nice early upgrade. The bonus action breath weapon is nice for a weapon-and-shield build, and doesn't require Strength, either. And since eventually, you get bonus damage on weapon attacks, this is a good choice for a finesse-build Barbarian. It won't be as durable as a Path of Stone Barbarian, but it'll have more versatility in the things it can do.

Path of the MagebaneA lot of what characters get from this is situational, like a bonus weapon damage die when attacking spellcasters, or a reaction to deal damage in an aura around the character when they take damage from spells and magical effects. At level 10, they do get advantage on saves against spells, so this does eventually get broadly applicable, but most of the time, the features aren't going to see much use.

Path of StoneGaining temporary hit points while the Barbarian is raging is a big benefit. It may be a small amount, but it refreshes every round, so Path of Stone is easily the most durable Barbarian subclass in combat. Later on, they can substitute their Constitution modifier in place of any other ability score on saving throws, further emphasizing the subclass's toughness, and late in the game, they can boost their AC depending on the number of adjacent enemies. If you want an MMO-style "tank", then a Path of Stone Barbarian with a melee weapon and a shield, using Strength on attacks and Reckless Attacks, is about as close as you can get. Enemies can still just walk past them, but they're an appealing, yet tough target this way.

The Bard Class (Inner Strength DLC)

Solasta's nice in that Bards don't need to have a physical death grip on their musical instrument at all times in battle. The quick item slot makes it much easier to manage spellcasting requirements. While they can't match a Wizard in terms of sheer scope of spells, the Magic Secrets class feature makes them outperform Sorcerers in versatility while still having access to strong spells like Haste, Counterspell, Fireball, and others. The main downside of having a Bard in your party is that they're not great at front line weapon combat, being a Charisma-based full caster. But so are Wizards, and everyone runs them, right?

Basically, you want to build a Bard the same way you want to build a Wizard. Charisma is first, followed by Dexterity, then Constitution. Even if you plan to wade into melee combat regularly this is the way to go, as you'll get the strongest spells out of it.

Honestly, due to the spell list for each, I'd argue that Bards make better healers than Clerics. It's not because of subclass bonuses, but rather because Clerics have such standout spells as Bless, Aid, Spiritual Weapon, Spirit Guardians, and so on that are extremely beneficial to the party, even before taking bonus subclass spells into consideration. Because of this, if both a Bard and Cleric are in the same party, I'd rather the Bard spend spell slots on healing over the Cleric.

Good Spells Per LevelCantrips: Vicious Mockery is your go-to damage cantrip as a Bard. Shadow Dagger is a good alternate choice.

Level 1: Healing Word, Hideous Laughter. The former is to heal people back from 0 HP so they stay in the fight and don't make too many Death saves, the latter takes an enemy out of the fight temporarily. Faerie Fire is a good counter against invisible enemies.

Level 2: Invisibility will see lots of use in most modules. Silence is a great counter to enemy spellcasters. Heat Metal works great against enemies in medium or heavy armor, or holding shields. Blindness can render some enemies harmless. See Invisibility can help if you can't figure out where to Faerie Fire or target your spells.

Level 3: Dispel Magic is good against some effects. Bestow Curse can absolutely cripple an enemy.

Level 4: Confusion can make enemies much less threatening. Greater Invisibility is mostly good if your party has a Rogue, but is still good for certain other class builds.

Level 5: Hold Monster and Dominate Person are strong control spells, and Mass Cure Wounds can be useful if multiple party members go unconscious in the same turn.

Level 6: True Seeing can be okay, but this is mainly a time to go back and pick up spells you passed up the first time, like Lesser and Greater Restoration.

Bard Ancestries

Bards and Sorcerers have a lot of functional overlap in party role, so most of this is going to be a copy of the Sorcerer ancestry section, which I wrote earlier.

Rather than go into detail about every ancestry and subrace, I'm going to focus on the highlights.

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) You get a bonus to your most important ability score, Charisma, a breath weapon, and resistance to a damage type. Like with Sorcerer and Paladin, it's not as good as Half-Elf, but it's still a really good ancestry for the class.

Snow Dwarves+2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, and proficiency in heavy crossbows means this is a Bard who can avoid using damaging cantrips until fairly late in the game, and who will be tough to take out. Just be aware of the Movement 5 problem.

ElvesHigh Elves can get an extra utility cantrip, like Light, while Sylvan Elves get Movement 7 to help them run around the battlefield more freely. Neither's a great pick, but neither's terrible either.

Half-ElvesMuch as Half-Elves are the best ancestry for Paladins, Warlocks, and Sorcerers, they're also the best ancestry for Bards. With the ability to boost Charisma, Dexterity, and Constitution, it's just an obvious synergy.

Island HalflingsThe lack of Darkvision and a Movement of 5 hurts, but the +1 Charisma and +2 Dexterity are a good combo for Bards.

Bard Subclasses

College of HeroismSo, if Bolster Morale makes your allies roll their d20 with advantage, this is an okay subclass. On the other hand, if they roll the Bardic Inspiration die with advantage, it's substantially worse. The level 6 feature is handy for reducing enemy damage output but doesn't do much damage, so at best the subclass is just "okay" overall.

College of HopeThe healing subclass. I've made my feelings on healing-focused characters known by now, surely. On the plus side, Healing Ballad costs no resources and improves short rest healing, making it way better than spending spell slots on healing already conscious allies. You also get Revivify for free, and you get to apply free healing to people who you've given Bardic Inspiration to, so if you're going to take a healing-focused subclass, this is probably my least hated one.

College of LoreThe SRD subclass, and it's a real good one. Bonus skills, bonus spells known, and the ability to use Bardic Inspiration dice to debuff enemies instead of buffing allies are all really good additions to your toolkit. And as a Bard, having a big toolkit is what you're all about.

College of Tradition (Lost Valley DLC)Bards aren't generally going to have high Insight, and Intimidation is an odd skill choice. That said, Mage Armor is better than non-magical light armor, and the level 6 feature has a stun behind an Intelligence saving throw and scaling damage, so it's not terrible. Overall this is probably my second or third choice after Lore and maybe Hope.

The Cleric Class

As with any weapon-using class, Clerics can either have high Dexterity and low Strength, or high Strength and low Dexterity. With Clerics, another alternative presents itself - a pure Wisdom build, forsaking weapons entirely in favor of cantrips.

Like the Barbarian, a Dexterity-based Cleric won't lose much in the way of durability or AC, and can still use finesse weapons. However, since Wisdom is going to be the primary ability score of most Clerics, and they get access to the Sacred Flame cantrip and the Guiding Bolt leveled spell, there's less appeal to using ranged weapons. Since more ancestries give Dexterity bonuses than Strength ones, there's certainly reasons to go this route, and it does open the class up to alternative skills, like Stealth and Acrobatics through backgrounds.

On the other hand, you'll probably want at least one person in the party to wear medium or heavy armor and have a high Strength purely from a gear standpoint - you'll want someone strong to carry the party's crafting materials and spare weapons, and so that the magical armors you find get distributed more evenly among your party members rather than being forced to ration out a limited supply of Leather Armor +2 to the specific characters who need it most. It's also worth noting that in Solasta, rather than holding a fixed amount of weight, the Bag of Holding and Handy Haversack act as multipliers to the user's Strength score, meaning that they're more effective on characters who already have high Strength.

The third option is simply to make a character with a Dexterity of 14, a high Constitution, and the highest Wisdom score they can get and focus entirely on their spellcasting. Medium armor can carry a Cleric all the way through the game, and normally has no Strength requirement, so this is a perfectly viable build. Get this Cleric a magic staff to replace their main weapon and make sure they learn Sacred Flame as one of their cantrips, because they're not going to be hitting much with melee weapons with a low Strength and a mediocre Dexterity!

Good Spells Per LevelCantrips: Cast Guidance on whoever has the highest Charisma before talking to anyone new or opening any new doors. Sacred Flame is the go-to damage cantrip, and annoyingly, Clerics don't get an alternative option in Solasta.

Level 1: Healing Word, Bless, Guiding Bolt. The former is to heal people back from 0 HP so they stay in the fight and don't make too many Death saves, the second is practically required in early game fights and stays useful throughout the game, and the last is just a really powerful damaging spell with a great bonus effect. If one party member's AC is lagging behind the rest, or one character is under attack by multiple enemies, Shield of Faith can help them out.

Level 2: Spiritual Weapon is your reliable damage dealer from this point forward. As one of the few classes with access to Lesser Restoration at early levels, Clerics should probably have that memorized. Silence is a great counter to enemy spellcasters. Blindness can render some enemies harmless. Aid is a great spell to cast at the start of an area to give the whole party temporary HP. Enhance Ability is an option before a social check to make your highest Charisma character more likely to succeed, or to make another spellcaster more likely to Counterspell.

Level 3: Dispel Magic is good against some effects. Bestow Curse can absolutely cripple an enemy. Nobody wants to cast Revivify, but one party member should be able to cast it just in case. Spirit Guardians can combine with Spiritual Weapon and either weapon attacks or cantrips to let a Cleric do lots of damage every turn. Mass Healing Word is useful in an emergency to bring multiple downed party members back into the fight.

Level 4: The default Cleric spells are less impressive at this level, but most domains offer good options, and you can use your choices here to take additional lower level spells. In some situations, Banishment can be a good choice, as can Guardian of Faith, but neither is a staple.

Level 5: You want Greater Restoration, as Clerics get access to that earlier than Paladins. Raise Dead can make up for not being able to cast Revivify in time. Mass Cure Wounds is much better than regular Cure Wounds, due to having a longer range and multiple targets.

Level 6: True Seeing can be okay, and Harm hits very hard, but this is mainly a time to go back and pick up spells you passed up the first time, like Lesser and Greater Restoration.

Just remember your mantra: "My job isn't to heal, it's to help others cause harm," and you'll do fine.

Cleric Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) With bonuses to Strength and Charisma, neither of which a Cleric cares about, the only things here worth examining are the elemental resistance and the breath weapon. Neither are good enough to make up for the lack of a Wisdom bonus.

DwarvesDwarves universally have reduced movement per round as compared to other ancestries, but also gain proficiency in three martial melee weapons. It's up to you whether the added weapons balance out the decreased speed, but personally, I have no problem with 1 less cell of movement per turn.

Hill Dwarves: With +2 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, and +1 HP per level, this ancestry lends itself well to Clerics. If you don't pick Battle domain, it also gives proficiency in several martial melee weapons that you wouldn't otherwise get.

Snow Dwarves: If you want to make a finesse Cleric, Snow Dwarves make a surprisingly decent choice. The extra addition of heavy crossbows means you don't necessarily have to take the Sacred Flame cantrip and can instead deal your damage through ranged weapon attacks.

ElvesMost of the shared features the two types of Elves have are more flavorful than anything else, though the bonus weapon proficiencies are counted as coming from each subrace rather than being shared. Even factoring that in, though, all it really adds are longbows, longswords, and shortswords if you're not making a Battle Cleric.

High Elves: The +2 Dexterity would be good if you wanted to be a finesse Cleric, but there's otherwise nothing here. Even the bonus cantrip is cast off of Intelligence instead of Wisdom, making it less useful than it could be.

Sylvan Elves: With +2 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom, and a Movement of 7, Sylvan Elves lend themselves well to Cleric, Ranger, and Druid. I personally like them better for the latter two, but they make fine Clerics as well.

Half-ElvesThe +2 to Charisma is again wasted here, but you can boost Wisdom and your choice of Constitution, Strength, or Dexterity.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)With a +2 to Strength and a +1 to Constitution, Half-Orcs make fine Battle Clerics, or any other sort of Cleric that's going to wear medium or heavy armor and use a melee weapon. If you're not making them a Battle Cleric, I recommend giving them a two-handed weapon, and maybe getting proficiency in greatswords from a feat, to give them a better selection of weapons.

Halflings Sharing the reduced Movement with Dwarves, and the +2 Dexterity from Elves, Halflings are sort of the awkward stepsibling of these other two ancestries, and come with their own subraces as well.

Island Halflings: The +1 Charisma isn't useful, and they lack Darkvision, all in exchange for a situational proficiency. Consider looking elsewhere for a finesse build.

Marsh Halflings: +1 Constitution is a nice bonus, and even though they're a little slow, an all-shorty party could work well with one of these replacing one of the Dwarves.

HumansYou get a +1 to your important ability scores, since you get a +1 to all ability scores, so it's not a terrible ancestry for a Cleric. The Cleric basic class chassis does a lot to make up for the mediocrity of the Human ancestry.

Cleric Subclasses

Battle DomainMartial weapon proficiency, the ability to cast spells with your hands full, a pseudo-Divine Smite, a pseudo-Extra Attack, a Paladin-esque aura, and one of the best bonus spell lists of all the Cleric subclasses? There's honestly little reason to ever make any other type of Cleric, the Battle domain is just that good. The tabletop game's War domain wishes it was this.

Elemental Domain (Fire, Ice, Lightning)The spell list is the same for these three, so you're really picking which cantrip you want right away and what type of damage you want to resist, and do to enemies with an action. Fire lets you do the most damage overall, Lightning has the best debuffs attached to its damage type but does the least damage and gives a melee cantrip, and Ice is somewhere in between. None of these seem hugely impressive to me, but if you want to be a sort of pseudo-blaster as a Cleric without picking the Battle domain, this gets you part of the way there.

Insight DomainIf you want to make a party without a Wizard, but still want to be able to cast Identify, and have good Intelligence skill checks, and all the other things a Wizard can do besides casting Wizard spells in battle, then you can bring an Insight Cleric instead. Really, though, just bring a Wizard. It's not a bad subclass, it's just trying to be something it shouldn't be.

Law DomainThe big draw here is the spell list. Shield, Branding Smite, and Counterspell are great additions to your spell list, even if you're not trained in Arcana and it's unlikely you'll know what spell's being cast. Giving disadvantage on the saving throw against one of your spells with your Channel Divinity is nice too, especially if you're planning to cast lots of debuffs. It's a shame this doesn't get any bonus weapon proficiencies or the ability to cast while your hands are full, because I'd otherwise find this quite appealing. As-is, it's just okay.

Life DomainMost overrated, overhyped subclass in the game. Actually think about what you're getting here. The entire bonus spell list is spells you can already memorize as a Cleric, and many of them are healing spells that cost an entire action to use. Heavy armor proficiency is literally just part of a feat that also gives an ability score increase and extra weapon proficiencies on top of that. And we already went over how heavy armor isn't that big of an increase. Getting a bonus to HP healed by healing spells would be great if this was a game that incentivized keeping your characters at or near max HP with healing spells, but that's just not true in Solasta. This isn't Team Fortress 2, you can't overheal someone to give them stacking temporary HP. That's right, I'm going against popular opinion and saying this subclass is BAD and you should avoid it! Everything it succeeds at, another Cleric subclass does better, and it does a lot of things it doesn't succeed at.

Mischief Domain (Lost Valley DLC)Getting proficiency in Stealth means this Cleric can help support your main sneaky character, so they're not doing everything alone. They also get to add an impressive amount of damage to their weapon attacks, and can add even more to one attack by spending their Channel Divinity. That's the main draw here, the sheer damage output, but since it's only once per long rest, it's not something you can rely on in most fights. You don't get much else, either, except the ability to Dodge and Disengage simultaneously as a reaction to getting hit. And is that worth the lack of other subclass features?

Oblivion DomainAdding Sleep to your spell list is nice, but there's really not much else here. Protection against being attacked or ambushed during long rests just isn't important enough to take this over the alternatives, and anything that might actually be good comes at levels 6 and above. I suppose you do get an extra damage-dealing cantrip, so you can skip taking Sacred Flame, but...

Sun DomainWanna deal lots of radiant damage all the time? The improved Sacred Flame is really nice, and there's a few good spells in the spell list. All in all, it's a decent option. I'd probably take it if I was doing a party with two or more Clerics and one of them was already a Battle Cleric.

The Druid Class (Primal Calling DLC)

You really can't build a Druid around Strength. For one thing, if you want to be doing melee damage as a Druid, you should probably be Wild Shaping, and for another, with the strict armor restrictions the class has, you kind of need to have a high Dexterity as a Druid. The question, therefore, isn't whether you're going Strength or Dexterity, but rather whether you're going Dexterity or Wisdom. They're both going to be your two highest ability scores, but unless you're using Free Edit or unlimited rerolls, you can't guarantee they'll both be 18s or higher. So which of the two should you raise first?

The advantage to emphasizing the Druid's Dexterity is that they become much harder to kill. Dexterity is a common saving throw against damaging spells, reducing the damage by half, and it adds to the Druid's AC, since they're likely to be wearing leather armor. While a Druid can wear hide, it's not recommended, as it caps their AC fairly low, at just a 14 without a shield and with +2 from Dexterity. You can easily surpass that with just a Dexterity of 18 and the leather armor a Druid starts with. Even just a Dexterity of 16, which isn't hard for a starting Druid to have, still puts them equal to Hide armor. So there's really no reason to ever switch to it.

On the other hand, Wisdom is the Druid's primary spellcasting ability score, and their spell list is full of debuffs like Entangle, Hold Person, Heat Metal, Faerie Fire, and Charm Person, so boosting their spell save DC by maximizing their Wisdom is also a strong option. You'll still be able to make their Dexterity their second highest ability score, so they can still be as hard to hit as it's possible for a Druid to be.

Whatever you choose, Wisdom and Dexterity should absolutely be your Druid's two highest scores, in whichever order you prefer, followed by their Constitution, then whatever else you feel like emphasizing.

Good Spells Per LevelCantrips: Shillelagh is good if you want to get into melee and don't want to use a scimitar. Guidance helps in social skill checks. Produce Flame is the Druid ranged cantrip, so if you lack a better ranged option, grab that.

Level 1: Healing Word to heal people back from 0 HP so they stay in the fight and don't make too many Death saves. Entangle is a fantastic control spell throughout the game. Goodberry means you never have to worry about food again. Jump can help you reach hidden and difficult treasure chests. Faerie Fire is your answer to invisible enemies.

Level 2: Heat Metal deals with enemies in metal armor. Enhance Ability is as good for a Druid as for a Cleric. The same goes for Lesser Restoration.

Level 3: Dispel Magic is good against some effects. Conjure Animals is a fantastic summoning spell to even encounters out for you. Call Lightning is also good damage, and Sleet Storm is good control. Also, depending on which campaign you're playing, Daylight can render a lot of enemies much easier to handle.

Level 4: Confusion can make enemies much less threatening. Conjure Minor Elementals is another fantastic summoning spell, as is Giant Insect. Wall of Fire is also a good way to restrict and punish enemy movement.

Level 5: You want Greater Restoration and Conjure Elemental. You also probably want Mass Cure Wounds in case things go really badly during a fight.

Level 6: Sunbeam is great against creatures weak to radiant damage, but the real standout is Wall of Thorns, which is essentially Wall of Fire but better.

Druid Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) Again, with bonuses to Strength and Charisma, neither of which a Druid cares about, the only things here worth examining are the elemental resistance and the breath weapon. Neither are good enough to make up for the lack of a Wisdom bonus.

DwarvesBoth dwarf subraces make excellent Druids, as while the +2 Constitution isn't helping with Dexterity or Wisdom, their secondary bonuses are one of those two. The only downside, as usual, is the reduced Movement of 5 instead of 6.

Hill Dwarves: If you plan on attacking with cantrips like Produce Flame, Hill Dwarves make excellent Druids with their +1 Wisdom and their +1 HP per level.

Snow Dwarves: On the other hand, getting +1 Dexterity is nothing to sneeze at either, and proficiency in heavy crossbows might outweigh cantrips in your mind.

ElvesBoth types of elf get +2 Dexterity and training in longbows, so if you want a longbow-using Druid, this is a great place to look.

High Elves: Maybe not so much High Elves, as the +1 Intelligence is wasted and the cantrip, also based on Intelligence, isn't going to be very helpful.

Sylvan Elves: However, with a +1 to Wisdom and a Movement of 7, it's hard to find any faults in a Sylvan Elf Druid. This combination makes even more sense than Sylvan Elf Ranger does!

Half-ElvesYou're able to get a +1 to both WIsdom and Dexterity from this ancestry, but that's about it. Half-Elf isn't a bad choice, but there's going to be better ones.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)Half-Orcs tend to want to be wearing better armor than Druids can, and wielding heavier weapons. That said, if you wanted to make a Strength-based Druid build, probably using the Lawkeeper background, then this would help to get you there.

Halflings Much like with Dwarves, the Movement of 5 is a drawback again, but for a casting-focused Druid, it's more tolerable. The +2 Dexterity is also really appealing.

Island Halflings: +1 Charisma does nothing for Druids, and the lack of Darkvision doesn't help their case either.

Marsh Halflings: +1 Constitution may not be what we're ideally hoping for, but you do at least get some bonuses when being in the swamps, and the aforementioned Dexterity bonus is good.

HumansAs is usually the case, there's just no reason to be a Human Druid when other, more focused options exist that target the ability scores we want while also providing other benefits.

Druid Subclasses

Circle of Balance (Lost Valley DLC)The main things people consider this subclass for are the buff to healing spells, and the bonus healing spells known. In other words, using it as a pseudo-Life Cleric. I already went over my opinions on that subclass, so you can probably infer my feelings here. At least you get Survival of the Fittest at level 6 to improve your debuff and attack spells, and the fact that you even get bonus spells puts this head and shoulders above the ones that don't give you those. Overall, I rate this below most Land Druids, but still above Kindred Spirit and Winds.

Circle of the Land (All)The big winner here is Grassland. Getting Pass Without Trace, Haste, Greater Invisibility, and Mind Twist makes the Druid essentially fill the roles of Ranger and Rogue in addition to itself, and makes the whole party more stealthy as well. And this is all before we factor in the Natural Recovery feature, letting you get back spell slots on a short rest - something usually limited to Wizards and Sorcerers. If you want to primarily be a caster or sneaky as a Druid, Circle of the Land (Grassland) is the pick. In fact, it's my favorite of all the Druid subclasses.

Circle of the Kindred SpiritHey, you want an animal companion? It's gonna be fragile and it won't be doing much damage, but you can get some pretty decent bonuses from them, like +3 Initiative or Spider Climb. Don't let it die in combat, though, or you'll take a big chunk of damage and be stunned for a turn. All the subclass's features are tied to the animal spirit, too, so you'd better be sure you want to be using it all the time.

Circle of the WindsThe level 2 and 6 features here are just so situational, and the fact that you don't learn any bonus spells makes this end up looking like a Druid without a subclass until effectively level 10. If Guiding Winds and Sheltering Breeze traded places, this subclass would be mediocre, but as it stands it's just bad.

The Fighter Class

Pretty much everyone who builds a fighter in this game makes them wear heavy armor and use either a two-handed weapon or a Strength weapon with a shield, and it's a shame, because this is easily one of the most flexible classes in the game when it comes to build and equipment. Wanna make an archer? A fighter can shoot more arrows than anyone, as accurately as them or better. Looking for a sneaky character who can handle themselves in a brawl? The fighter can sneak and stab and take hits that'd leave a rogue floored. Need someone to deal big, reliable damage every round of every fight? A fighter with a two-handed weapon's got you covered. There's just so much variety to find here that it'd be impossible to go over them all in one guide.

Suffice it to say, the one thing this class lacks is a proper toolkit of spells that synergizes with its class features and the things it wants to do. Usually, anyway. But I'll get into that in a bit. Just don't overlook Fighters, there's a lot more here than most people give them credit for.

Fighter Ancestries

Because you can build Fighters in multiple different ways, most ancestries work well with the class. I'm instead going to focus on the notable highlights and stinkers among them.

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) +2 Strength, the breath weapon, and a damage resistance make this ancestry a surprisingly decent pick for a Fighter. It's still better as a Paladin, mind you.

Hill DwarvesThe +1 Wisdom doesn't do anything for a Fighter of any subclass, and the weapon proficiencies are wasted on a Fighter. All you end up with is +1 HP per level, and is that really worth losing any other ancestry bonuses?

High ElvesIf you're planning to make a Spellblade Fighter for whatever reason, the +1 Intelligence and bonus cantrip will be useful to you.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)Want to make a good Strength-based Fighter? This is your ancestry. You even get the ability to stay standing at 0 HP once per long rest!

Island Halflings: Is there ever a reason to take this ancestry? I guess they'd make okay Charisma casters. But we're talking about the Fighter, so pass.

Fighter Subclasses

ChampionBoy howdy I sure do love the SRD subcla-IT SUCKS. It's basically Fighter without a subclass. Moving on!

Commander (Lost Valley DLC)In the words of another guide author, "finally a good Fighter subclass." Seriously, though, this is what the Champion should be. It's just an all-around good subclass, with bonus action - or single attack - abilities that benefit basically the entire party and recharge on short rests. If you're making a Fighter, you should probably give them this subclass at third level. The others are just that bad.

MountaineerThe annoying thing about Mountaineer is that it's dependent on both a gear choice and the terrain you're fighting in. So you need to give this character a shield, and you need them to be up against walls and pillars all of the time. The latter isn't something you can engineer reliably, and the former locks you into two builds, both of them using a weapon and shield. If you are planning on making your Fighter a shield user, this isn't a terrible subclass, but it's still not great.

SpellbladeFor the overwhelming majority of Fighters, the spells they get as a Spellblade actively conflict with their goals. If you've made a Fighter to get into melee, then spells like Magic Missile and Fireball use up their action to do the thing they were already going to do with a sword instead. Make a Wizard instead if you want to be tossing those spells around. On the other hand, what if you're making an archer? Well, the ability to occasionally toss out damaging and debuffing spells in the first few turns of a battle might be a decent way to soften the enemy group or groups up. If you're making a two-handed weapon Fighter or an archery Fighter or a dual-wielding Fighter without any of the DLC, this may be your best choice, sadly. In literally every other case, you're better off elsewhere.

The Monk Class (Inner Strength DLC)

Hoo boy. The Monk. Where do I even begin? The Monk has a spotty history in D&D, varying between extremely powerful but difficult to unlock in early editions of the game, all the way to becoming a complete joke in later ones. Sadly, the 5th edition - and therefore Solasta - Monk is in the joke category. You never have enough ki points to do all the things you want, and the things you want to do are never as effective or potent as you want them to be. If you want to attack a lot of times, play a Fighter; if you want to stun and debuff people, play a Wizard or Druid or other full caster, if you want to run around the battlefield and strike enemies precisely, play a Rogue. Whatever you do, stay away from Monk.

That said, it does exist as a class, so I have to talk about it. Here we go...

Monk Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) The breath weapon gives you a sort of ranged option, but there's not really anything else here of value to a Monk.

DwarvesHill Dwarves: With +1 HP per level, +1 Wisdom, and +2 Constitution, this actually makes for a good Monk, albeit one who's a little more sluggish and less agile than other Monks with a Dexterity bonus.

Snow Dwarves: With +2 Constitution and +1 Dexterity, Snow Dwarves lend themselves decently to a Monk. The weapon proficiencies aren't much use given the restrictions of the Martial Arts ability, but the ability score bonuses are okay, if not optimal.

ElvesHigh Elves: The +2 Dexterity is nice, but otherwise you don't get much out of this ancestry. The cantrip is sort of useful here, letting you make up for a lack of ranged weapon options, but you can just use a light crossbow.

Sylvan Elves: The +2 Dexterity, the 7 cell Movement range, and the +1 Wisdom make this easily one of the best ancestries for a Monk. Just don't expect to be able to wield a longbow and still use Martial Arts for your unarmed strikes.

Half-ElvesAlthough the +2 Charisma isn't useful here, you can assign the other two bonuses to Wisdom and Dexterity. It's not the best choice, but it's far from the worst.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)With neither Dexterity nor Wisdom bonuses, you're mainly taking this for the ability to return to 1 hit point after being dropped to 0 once per long rest. I'm not convinced that's worth the lowered ability scores, but it's fine.

Halflings Island Halflings: The +2 Dexterity is good, but +1 Charisma isn't much use to a Monk, and there's little else here.

Marsh Halflings: With a +2 Dexterity and a +1 Constitution, Marsh Halflings make okay choices for a Monk, much like Snow Dwarves.

HumansWith a +1 to all ability scores, Humans are okay choices for every class. Monk, due to wanting bonuses to Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution all at once, probably gets the best use out of the Human ancestry. But even then, you're still playing a Monk...

Monk Subclasses

Way of Freedom (Lost Valley DLC)The offense-focused subclass to go with Survival's defense-focused subclass. You're going to be running directly into hand-to-hand combat at every opportunity with this subclass, and spending your reactions not on defense but on counterattacking. The third attack on Flurry of Blows comes way too late to be impactful, though. If you want to make your Monk into a glass cannon, this is the subclass for you.

Way of LightCongratulations and welcome to the single worst subclass in the entire game! If you choose to make a Way of Light Monk you are essentially choosing to play the game with three normal characters and one walking practice dummy. Luminous Ki doesn't do enough to be worth it, Radiant Strikes only functions if you spend a turn using Luminous Ki to set it up, and Blinding Flash doesn't come online until level 11, meaning you're at the end of the campaign. Do not take this subclass.

Way of the Open HandThe SRD subclass, and like most SRD subclasses, it's trash. And since the Monk class itself is also trash, the combination is essentially unplayable. Not literally unplayable, mind you - you'll still be able to roll dice and perform actions, but neither Monk nor Open Hand give you much beyond that.

Way of SurvivalHigh AC and advantage on all attack rolls for a round after spending 1 ki to dodge as a bonus action. This monk subclass is quite possibly the most appropriately-named subclass in the entire game, because a well-built and well-played Way of Survival Monk will indeed survive most things. It's still a monk, though, so don't expect miracles.

The Paladin Class

It's not really possible to turn a Paladin into a primary spellcaster - they don't advance in spell slots or spell levels fast enough - so that leaves the usual choice of Strength or Dexterity as the primary ability score.

The Paladin's Divine Smite feature, unfortunately, doesn't work with ranged weapons on its own, and none of the subclasses currently in Solasta change that. So while picking Dexterity will give you the ability to equip your Paladin with a longbow or heavy crossbow to reasonable effect, they'll never have the damage output with those that they will with melee weaponry.

Therefore, most players will want to go for a Strength build for their Paladin, either partly, with a 14 in Dexterity so they can wear medium armor, or fully, with a Dexterity of 10 and heavy armor.

That said, you can do a finesse Paladin anyway, and use the character to replace the Rogue in your party. Divine Smite does comparable damage to Sneak Attack, so it's not unreasonable.

Paladin Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) You get a bonus to your most important two stats, a breath weapon to help your lack of ranged options, and resistance to a damage type. It's not as good as Half-Elf, but it's still a really good background for the class.

DwarvesBoth kinds of Dwarf get +2 Constitution, but that's about it as far as shared benefits that matter to a Paladin. Movement 5 is a downside, but if you're willing to put up with it, these can make some pretty sturdy characters.

Hill Dwarves: The +1 HP per level is a nice bonus, but the +1 Wisdom is pretty wasted on a Paladin.

Snow Dwarves: +1 Dexterity is good if you're going for a finesse Paladin, but they already get Heavy Crossbows, so that's not adding anything. Getting a small bonus to Constitution saves is nice, and makes concentration spells less unappealing as a Paladin.

Elves+2 Dexterity is good for finesse Paladins or ones who plan to wear medium armor. An extra skill is neat too, but the rest is situational or minor. Both Elves share weapon proficiencies, but they're all redundant on a Paladin.

High Elves: The Intelligence boost does nothing, and the cantrip is cast off of Intelligence, so it's not ideal.

Sylvan Elves: +1 Wisdom still doesn't do much for a Paladin. You get two skill proficiencies and Movement 7, but nothing else useful from here, so if you're picking this, it's because you want your whole party to have Movement 7.

Half-Elves+2 Charisma and the ability to boost Constitution and your choice of Dexterity or Strength? And two bonus skill proficiencies? This is easily the best Paladin ancestry by a landslide.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)I'd argue this is the third best Paladin ancestry, simply because they're not Movement 5 like dwarves or halflings, they get two ability score boosts that matter to most Paladins, they get a skill proficiency, they get bonus damage on crits, and they have Darkvision. They're a close third behind Dragonborn, but they're still third place.

Halflings As with Dwarves, Movement 5 is rough, but the Lucky trait, the advantage on saves against Fear effects, and the +2 Dexterity make finesse builds more viable.

Island Halflings: +1 to Charisma is nice, but the lack of Darkvision or any other applicable bonuses is a hard sell.

Marsh Halflings: +1 Constitution is also good, and they get Darkvision. If you really want a finesse build, this is an option for you. Seriously consider Half-Elf first, though.

HumansWith a +1 to all your ability scores and nothing else, this ancestry does let you more easily get a heavy weapon and medium armor onto a character, but the lack of Darkvision or any other bonuses makes it tough to recommend.

Paladin Subclasses

Oath of DevotionThe SRD Paladin subclass. Shield's great, but the rest are spells you get normally. Sacred Weapon is a really good Channel option, but the other one's situational, and the aura is too. It's not terrible, but there are better options in the game.

Oath of Judgment (Lost Valley DLC)Getting Guiding Bolt means you don't have to worry about ranged weapons as long as you're okay burning spell slots instead. Haste is also a good add. The aura's really nice, and the Channel Divinity options aren't bad either. I don't like this as much as Tirmar for the core campaign, but outside of it, it's at least as good.

Oath of the MotherlandThe direct damage spells are wasted on a Paladin, especially since they deal fire damage, which is a fairly common resistance. The Channel options aren't great either. The aura's nice, resisting a common damage type and getting +1 AC, but it takes a long time to get there, and is it worth dealing with the rest of the subclass just for that?

Oath of TirmarFor the core campaign, this is actually probably the best Paladin subclass. The overwhelming majority - like 80% or more - of the enemies you fight will either have Darkvision or be able to shapeshift. Some will even do both! The ability to Channel Divinity to aid in Persuasion and Intimidation checks is also nice, and the Shield spell is a fantastic addition to a Paladin. The aura's not bad either. It's really just all around fantastic for that campaign. Outside of that campaign, you still get Shield, you still get the Golden Speech channel, you still get the aura, it's really just the bonus damage against enemies with Darkvision or shapeshifting that's more situational. And you're still likely to face plenty of enemies with Darkvision anyway.

The Ranger Class

The main appeal, at least to most players, of a Ranger is having someone who can do strong damage with a longbow or heavy crossbow, and also has a limited Druid-like spell list. Essentially, it's a Druid without Wild Shape, and with worse spellcasting, but with Extra Attack. For players who have the Primal Calling DLC, I recommend making a Druid instead, but players who don't have that DLC can make a Ranger instead. Both make long-distance travel across the world map much less of a hassle, through spells like Goodberry and abilities like Natural Explorer. Rangers have spells geared more towards buffing themselves, like Pass Without Trace and Hunter's Mark, while Druids focus more on area denial and summons, like Entangle and Summon Beast. They're both very nature-focused, "primal" classes, so it just depends on how much you like spells vs. weapon attacks, and whether you even have access to Druids in the first place.

As far as build choices, the traditional Ranger is pretty much Dexterity and Wisdom all the way, with just enough Constitution to survive a few attacks. Light and medium armor both work fine for AC, and you'll probably be giving them the Archery or Two Weapon Fighting style, depending on what you want their focus to be.

I'm personally of the opinion that you can do a Ranger with a one-handed weapon and a shield just fine, and the Dueling style is good for that, although they'll be limited in the spells they can cast due to not having a hand free. More interesting, though, is a two-handed weapon Ranger build.

Two-handed weapons allow a Ranger to cast spells freely, as they do in the tabletop. You'll want to give them a high Strength score, and aim for a 14 Dexterity at most. It's probably the most MAD of the Ranger builds to be fair, but since people like to roll their stats until they have a bunch of 18s, or use Free Edit, this is more viable than it would be. Alternately, you can get your Ranger heavy armor proficiency at level 4, and dump their Dexterity. It'll slow their progression, and you'll want someone else in the party to get the ambush shots off, but you'd want that anyway with the Ranger using a greatsword instead of a bow, so it's fine.

Ranger Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) A Ranger's two most important stats are Dexterity and Wisdom, and they're usually focused on ranged weapons or dual-wielding. None of these are improved by the Dragonborn ancestry, and the breath weapon even becomes a redundancy with a ranged build. Pass.

DwarvesDwarves make great Rangers despite having Movement 5, as both versions increase an ability score important to most builds.

Hill Dwarves: +1 Wisdom and +1 HP per level means Hill Dwarves make quite tough Rangers who can consider going for a two-handed weapon Strength build instead of the usual Dexterity.

Snow Dwarves: With +1 Dexterity, Snow Dwarves gravitate naturally to ranged builds, like with the Heavy Crossbows the ancestry's automatically proficient in, or longbows like other Rangers.

ElvesThe shared-but-separate weapon proficiencies do nothing for us here, but the +2 Dexterity is great for archery, dual-wielding, or sword-and-shield builds.

High Elves: +1 Intelligence and a cantrip tied to Intelligence? There's better options out there.

Sylvan Elves: With +1 Wisdom and Movement 7, it's hard to go wrong with a Sylvan Elf Ranger. About the only build they'd be bad at would be the two-handed melee weapon, and even then, they could still make it work with that movement speed.

Half-ElvesRangers have no use for the +2 Charisma, so the main draw here is having +1 to your choice of Dexterity, Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom. You only get two, so choose wisely!

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)The two-handed weapon Ranger ancestry. They won't get a Wisdom bonus, but with Strength and Constitution both represented, you'll be able to make a heavy weapon user just fine.

Halflings They're slow, with Movement 5, but the +2 Dexterity is good, so they'll probably be back-line archers.

Island Halflings: There's nothing here for a Ranger, and the lack of Darkvision always hurts.

Marsh Halflings: +1 Constitution is a nice little bonus for an archer-build Ranger, or a sword-and-shield one that doesn't need to move fast.

HumansAs usual, the Human ancestry has no real strengths, and lacking Darkvision, they have a weakness too. At least they're not terrible at filling out all the stats for a two-handed melee Ranger.

Ranger Subclasses

HunterThe SRD option. So bear that in mind when I say this is probably the best subclass if you want your Ranger to focus on ranged weapon damage. Yeah, the situation is that dire. The main things in favor of this subclass are that Colossus Slayer is reliable damage you can apply almost every turn, and that Multiattack Defense gives you an AC boost and makes you immune to opportunity attacks. Note that these also work for melee builds, so it's a flexible subclass.

MarksmanWorse than Hunter. It's *trying* to be the ranged subclass for Ranger, but the things it does aren't impressive compared to what Hunter gets, or even what Shadow Tamer gets. Sure, your Marksman can spend a reaction to shoot back at other archers, but you should be focusing your party's fire on a single target, and that's unlikely to be that archer. And the rest of the subclass features just aren't impressive.

Shadow TamerSorta the Oath of Tirmar of the Ranger subclasses, in that it's stronger against enemies with Darkvision, but it also gains bonuses when in darkness. Most features apply to both ranged and melee attacks, but the level 11 feature does expect a melee weapon. Consider a Strength build with just enough Dex to get the most out of medium armor, so they're still able to cast all their spells.

Swift Blade (Lost Valley DLC)The dual-wielding subclass. Seriously, gaining +2 AC while dual-wielding means it effectively has a shield and a second weapon equipped at the same time, making this choice way more appealing. The added movement is a nice bonus, too. It still can't cast spells while dual-wielding, but with the bonus damage and extra attacks, it's basically a sword-and-board fighter that recharges on long rests instead of short rests, and that can cast Goodberry.

The Rogue Class

Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush, here. I don't like the Rogue class. Given the existence of the Lowlife background, the only appeal of Rogue is to do lots of weapon damage - and there are other classes that do that in other ways and also have other abilities or benefits to boost them up. That said, a lot of people like Rogues, so I'll go over the build choices quickly.

There's really only one way to build most Rogues, and that's to give them the highest Dexterity possible, then the highest Constitution possible, and not care about anything else.

The only exceptions to this are if you're taking a subclass that favors another ability score. One of them wants Strength for attacks instead of Dexterity, and the other wants a high enough Intelligence to cast its spells. Aside from those, whether you want the Rogue to use ranged weapons, melee weapons, or a mix of both, Dexterity and Constitution are the ways to go.

Rogue Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) Neither of the Dragonborn's ability score boosts matter for Rogues, meaning all you get out of the ancestry are the poorly-scaling breath weapon and the elemental resistance. Ask yourself, are these really worth the tradeoff? I know my answer: Leave the Dragonborn for the other classes.

DwarvesSlow but durable, Dwarves tend to make unorthodox but decent Rogues.

Hill Dwarves: +1 Wisdom is wasted, but +1 HP per level helps with the relatively fragile Rogue.

Snow Dwarves: +1 Dexterity and proficiency with Heavy Crossbows means this is one of your better options for a Rogue focused on ranged weapons.

Elves+2 Dexterity and proficiency with longbows means elves will tend to make good archer Rogues.

High Elves: Good if you're going for Shadowcaster, otherwise skip it.

Sylvan Elves: The Wisdom bonus is wasted, but Movement 7 means it'll be easier to get into position for Sneak Attacks.

Half-Elves+2 Charisma doesn't help a Rogue, but a +1 into Dexterity and Constitution, or Strength and Constitution for a Hoodlum, is okay.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)If you're making a Hoodlum Rogue, look no further. As the only ancestry that boosts Strength, this is going to be the go-to for lots of Strength builds, and Hoodlum is no exception.

Halflings +2 Dexterity and Movement 5 puts these in an odd spot for Rogues, but ultimately, I'm not sold on this combination.

Island Halflings: We don't care about Charisma, and there's nothing else for us here.

Marsh Halflings: +1 Constitution makes this sort of like a lopsided Snow Dwarf without the Heavy Crossbow, so I'd actually recommend that instead.

HumansYou have better options above.

Rogue Subclasses

DarkweaverThis subclass is confused about what it wants to be. It lets the Rogue craft poisons, but also eventually applies poison damage automatically to their melee attacks, but also gives bonus damage on ranged attacks if the Rogue is above the target, and makes them able to climb more easily? What? This subclass desperately needed a rewrite, and probably to be split into two subclasses.

Hoodlum (Lost Valley DLC)Ever wanted to make a Rogue who can Sneak Attack with a two-handed weapon, or while holding a shield in their off-hand? That's basically the big draw here. This is the one and only Rogue subclass that ever wants to have a high Strength, though, so for the first two levels, they're going to be even more of a headache than Rogues already are.

ShadowcasterSpellcasting on a Rogue? You get some good ones, like Shield, Invisibility, and See Invisibility, so it's better than the Spellblade Fighter's spell list, and the bonus action teleport once per rest is nice, but not game-changing. Ultimately it's probably the best subclass that's not DLC, so if you're committed to bringing a Rogue, this isn't a terrible choice.

ThiefIt's the SRD subclass. And like most SRD subclasses, it's absolutely terrible. Most of what it gives you isn't useful in combat, which is what Solasta focuses on, and even the things it gives you aren't very useful until level 9, when you finally get to make this character really, really good at sneaking and hiding. And do they really need to be that good at sneaking? They're already a Rogue, they're gonna be good at it anyway.

The Sorcerer Class (free DLC)

What is there to even say about the Sorcerer? It's Wizard-lite. Their Intelligence is worse, so they're bad at Arcana and History and the other skills Wizards are good at, but they're better at Persuasion and Deception and Intimidation because of the high Charisma. They want a high Dexterity (at least a 14 if you've given them the Sellsword background, 20 otherwise) and a high Constitution and don't care about much else.

I guess I can give suggestions for Metamagic options. Quickened Spell is a fantastic way to stack lots of damaging spells and cantrips on a single target, or toss out an AoE spell and follow up with a cantrip to try and finish one of the targets off. Empowered Spell can be useful if you're going for a lot of damaging spells. Twinned Spell is good for spreading single-target spells around. Heightened Spell helps your spells take effect more reliably. I'd really only avoid Distant and Extended Spell, as those are going to be the most situational in my estimation.

I'm really stretching for things to say at this point, so I'm just moving on.

Good Spells Per LevelCantrips: Shadow Dagger, Fire Bolt, and Chill Touch are the three staple damaging cantrips for Wizards. Fire Bolt also doubles as a way to light wall sconces and other environmental light sources, meaning you don't have to learn Sparkle. You only need Light if nobody in your party has either torches or Darkvision.

Level 1: Sleep, Shield, Magic Missile. These are going to be staples through the entire game, no matter the campaign. Jump will also frequently be useful in getting your strongest character across gaps to hidden treasure chests. You lack a spellbook, so skip Identify unless you're the only arcane caster in the party.

Level 2: Invisibility and See Invisibility will both see lots of use in most modules. Misty Step is a good panic button if your Sorcerer ends up surrounded.

Level 3: Counterspell is one of the most useful spells in the game. Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly, Haste, Sleet Storm, and Slow are all also fantastic. Welcome to the pain of being a Sorcerer and having too many good spells to memorize them all.

Level 4: Greater Invisibility is great if you have a Rogue or someone else who benefits heavily from attacking while hidden. Banishment and Confusion are situationally good. Lastly, Wall of Fire is one of Solasta's only wall spells, and I'm of the opinion that wall spells are fantastic battlefield control options.

Level 5: Sorcerers lacking Conjure Minor Elementals or Conjure Elemental really hurts, but at least that means more time to get all the level 3 spells you want.

Level 6: I'm a big fan of Sunbeam, especially against enemies weak to sunlight or radiant damage, but Chain Lightning and Disintegrate are also very powerful direct damage spells.

Sorcerer Ancestries

There's not much to talk about with most of the ancestries, so I'll focus on the ones I like best for Sorcerers.

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC) You get a bonus to your most important ability score, Charisma, a breath weapon, and resistance to a damage type. Again, like with Bard and Paladin, it's not as good as Half-Elf, but it's still a really good ancestry for the class.

Snow Dwarves+2 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, and proficiency in heavy crossbows means this is a Sorcerer who can avoid using damaging cantrips until fairly late in the game, and who will be tough to take out. Just be aware of the Movement 5 problem.

ElvesHigh Elves can get an extra utility cantrip, like Light, while Sylvan Elves get Movement 7 to help them run around the battlefield more freely. Neither's a great pick, but neither's terrible either.

Half-ElvesMuch as Half-Elves are the best ancestry for Paladins, they're also the best ancestry for Sorcerers. With the ability to boost Charisma, Dexterity, and Constitution, it's just an obvious synergy.

Island HalflingsThe lack of Darkvision and a Movement of 5 hurts, but the +1 Charisma and +2 Dexterity are a good combo for Sorcerers.

Sorcerer Subclasses

Child of the RiftGuiding Bolt, Aid, and Greater Restoration are fantastic spells, and the more characters who can cast them, the better, in my opinion. Daylight's often quite good too, since certain difficult enemies in the core Solasta campaign are weakened in sunlight. The occasional refunded spell is too unreliable, but this is Sorcerer we're talking about, so they can just spend Sorcery Points to the same effect anyway. There was apparently an exploit to this subclass revolving around sacrificing HP and then getting it back with Greater Restoration. I don't know if that still works, as I'm generally not a big fan of Sorcerers, but if so, I can't honestly recommend this subclass until they change Offering to the Rift into something less exploitable.

Draconic BloodlineIt's the SRD subclass, and pretty boring. I guess if you really want to make the tankiest Sorcerer possible, making a Hill Dwarf Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer will give them Shield, high HP, Misty Step, resistance to your favorite damage type, and Counterspell. It all adds up to a pretty good defensive Sorcerer package. The AC bonus only matters if you didn't give them the Sellsword background. Alternatively, if you just want to be doing the most damage per spell, picking this subclass and either Blue or Gold Ancestor, then loading up with Lightning or Fire spells depending, is a way to get that. There's something to be said for the humor of making a Dragonborn Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, and picking the same - or different! - colors for each, but otherwise, it's just okay.

Haunted Soul (Lost Valley DLC)None of the added spells are particularly interesting except Mind Twist. The bonus action abilities are neat, helping with either defense or with dealing a little extra damage. It's not the most amazing subclass ever, but it's a respectable option.

Mana PainterSubstituting Charisma for saving throws against spells and other magical effects is a nice bonus for the entire game. Entangle, Sleet Storm, and Conjure Elemental, while not the most flashy spells necessarily, can be useful in the right places. Mana Drain is hard to pull off and not very rewarding when you do, but Mana Tap is so good it should probably just be a core class feature in Solasta. Overall, this is a reliable, solid Sorcerer subclass without any extreme strengths or weaknesses.

The Warlock Class (Inner Strength DLC)

The Warlock is a weird class. Recharging its spells on short rests instead of long ones sounds great, but Solasta encourages taking long rests regularly, so it's not as big a benefit as you'd think. It also has fewer spell slots, meaning you're going to either need to case fewer leveled spells or take a lot more short rests, potentially one after every fight.

The first choice to make is what ability score to emphasize the most. Strength is good for a greatsword-wielding Pact of the Blade Warlock, but for most other Warlocks, the choice will be between Dexterity and Charisma. It all depends on whether you want your Warlock to wield a bow or focus on Eldritch Blast.

Also, due to Warlocks only getting Light Armor proficiency, you might want to give them the Sellsword background if you plan on doing a Strength-focused build.

There are enough options within the base class, before even getting to subclasses, that it's worth going into some of the better choices briefly.

Invocations

You absolutely want the Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast invocation. The reliable damage output this gives you, from a fairly long range, makes it a must-have, even for Pact of the Blade Warlocks. Devil's Sight is situational on the tabletop, but in this it's fantastic, giving full on Blindsight and the ability to see invisible enemies. Your other invocations will depend heavily on what Pact you take and other factors, but these two are basically always good.

Warlock Level 3 PactsThere are three pacts you can choose from in Solasta. Due to the way the game works, however, Tactical Adventures have dramatically changed all three from the way they work in the tabletop game, and as a result, there's one standout among the three when they used to be much closer to even.

Pact of the Blade: Easily the most directly impactful pact of the three, this grants your Warlock proficiency in martial weapons, thus allowing them to equip greatswords and longbows. Since Warlocks can't wear shields, these are going to be the best physical weapon options for them.

Pact of the Chain: Solasta doesn't have the Find Familiar spell, so the way this works now is that your familiar only lasts a minute, but gives passive bonuses while it's summoned. None of them are outstanding or noteworthy, and they recharge on a long rest, making this a hard sell. There is a Level 3 invocation to get an extra use of this per long rest, but the limitations are still quite severe.

Pact of the Tome: Getting three cantrips can't really compare to getting martial weapons, and thus better weapon damage output. If you want a Warlock that leans heavily into the casting, this is probably the best option, as you gain a little more flexibility, and can take an invocation to learn two rituals. Otherwise, most Warlocks will probably favor Pact of the Blade.

Warlock Ancestries

Dragonborn (Inner Strength DLC)+2 Strength and +1 Charisma work well for a Pact of the Blade Warlock wielding a greatsword.

DwarvesHill Dwarves: No Charisma bonus and no Dexterity or Strength bonus. A Hill Dwarf Warlock will be tougher than most, but will lag behind in damage output and spell effectiveness.

Snow Dwarves: With +2 Constitution and +1 Dexterity, Snow Dwarves will have difficulty making good use of Warlock spells, and will probably favor ranged weapon attacks. Since Warlocks have access to Eldritch Blast and Agonizing Blast, that makes ranged weapons - and thus, Snow Dwarves - hard to recommend.

ElvesHigh Elves: A lack of a Charisma bonus kills this ancestry for Warlocks.

Sylvan Elves: An improved movement speed is better than nothing, but so are a lot of things.

Half-ElvesWith +2 Charisma and the ability to get +1 to two of Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity, the Half-Elf ancestry once again shines as an excellent choice for Warlock, like it does for other Charisma casters.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)If you want to make a very tough Warlock who favors a greatsword, half-orc is an option. Dragonborn is probably better for you, though.

Halflings Island Halflings: If you're not interested in using a greatsword, this works pretty well. Just be aware that this ancestry lacks darkvision, and make use of torches, wall sconces, and invocations for vision.

Marsh Halflings: Warlocks kind of require a Charisma bonus, so this ancestry, which favors Constitution and Dexterity, just isn't worth taking.

HumansWith a +1 to all ability scores, Humans are okay choices for every class. Since Pact of the Blade Warlocks will want high Strength, Charisma, and even Dexterity due to armor and weapon proficiencies, the Human ancestry's wide array of ability score bonuses makes up for that need a little.

Warlock Subclasses

Before I get into it, let me just say that all of the Warlock subclasses in Solasta are really good. It's hard to go wrong with any pick, unlike some other classes.

The FiendThe SRD Warlock subclass. You'll get Fireball added to your class spell list, meaning you don't automatically learn it but it becomes available for learning at level 5 and up. Gaining temporary HP whenever you kill an enemy is good, and the temporary pseudo-Bardic Inspiration is a nice little addition. While overshadowed by Hexblades in the tabletop game, Fiend Warlocks are a fantastic choice in Solasta.

The HiveForcing disadvantage on enemy saving throws repeatedly is good if you plan on casting spells that require them regularly. The level 6 free Counterspell per short rest is a great boon, as is the fact that you add your Proficiency bonus to countering high level spells. This subclass takes a while to get going, but all of its benefits are good enough that you'll get frequent use out of them.

The TimekeeperThe damage over time effect is fantastic, and getting access to Haste, Greater Invisibility, and Slow is nice too. The reaction to negate one hit taken can either be minor or huge depending on what you're fighting at any given moment, but it's never a bad option. Overall, this is a really solid subclass that's comparable to Fiend in my opinion.

The Tree (Lost Valley DLC)Pact of the Blade. Seriously, this synergizes so well with that it should be obvious. It's not Hexblade from the official rules, but a free Thorns effect all the way at level 1, spells like Entangle and Confusion, and an aura attack at level 10 with a severe debuff if the enemies fail their Dexterity save against it make this the Pact of the Blade subclass.

The Wizard Class

The traditional magic user. Every party should have a Wizard. Even if you're bringing a Bard or Sorcerer, you should probably bring a Wizard, simply because of the sheer breadth of spells they can cast - including Rituals, due to the way the Wizard's spellbook works. Unlike anyone else except Pact of the Tome Warlocks, Wizards don't need to memorize their rituals, they just need them written in their spellbooks.

You probably want to give your wizard the Sellsword background so they can wear medium armor, and you probably want them to start with at least a 16 Intelligence, with Dexterity and Constitution also fairly high, and Wisdom and Charisma as their lowest scores.

There really isn't an alternative way to build a Wizard, as far as ability scores - they use Intelligence for practically everything.

Good Spells Per LevelCantrips: Shadow Dagger, Fire Bolt, and Chill Touch are the three staple damaging cantrips for Wizards. Fire Bolt also doubles as a way to light wall sconces and other environmental light sources, meaning you don't have to learn Sparkle. You only need Light if nobody in your party has either torches or Darkvision.

Level 1: Sleep, Magic Missile. These are going to be staples through the entire game, no matter the campaign. Jump will also frequently be useful in getting your strongest character across gaps to hidden treasure chests, and Identify in the wizard's spellbook, but not memorized, will help you figure out what all the various magic items you pick up are.

Level 2: Invisibility and See Invisibility will both see lots of use in most modules. Misty Step is a good panic button if your Wizard ends up surrounded.

Level 3: Counterspell is one of the most useful spells in the game. Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly, Haste, Sleet Storm, and Slow are all also fantastic. It's a shame you can't memorize more level 3 spells, as so many are good!

Level 4: Conjure Minor Elementals can upend the action economy in your favor single-handedly. Greater Invisibility is also great if you have a Rogue or someone else who benefits heavily from attacking while hidden. Lastly, Wall of Fire is one of Solasta's only wall spells, and I'm of the opinion that wall spells are fantastic battlefield control options.

Level 5: As with Conjure Minor Elementals, Conure Elemental is a fantastic tool to shift a battle's action economy in your favor.

Level 6: I'm a big fan of Sunbeam, especially against enemies weak to sunlight or radiant damage, but Chain Lightning and Disintegrate are also very powerful direct damage spells.

Wizard Ancestries

You're a Wizard. You practically need an Intelligence bonus. At the very least, bonuses to Wisdom and Charisma are wasted. Since only one ancestry as of December 2022 gives an Intelligence bonus, and many give Charisma or Wisdom, we're left with very few good options here. With that in mind, here are the ancestries that are good enough to talk about.

Snow DwarvesWith +2 Constitution and +1 Dexterity, Snow Dwarves will be tough Wizards to take down. Pair this with the Sellsword background and Court Mage subclass and your Wizard will almost be able to fight on the front lines! That said, the lack of an Intelligence bonus hurts.

High ElvesThe Wizard ancestry. An extra cantrip, a +2 to Dexterity, a +1 to Intelligence, and you even get weapon proficiencies in case you want to get your hands dirty for some reason.

Half-Orcs (Primal Calling DLC)I just like the Relentless Endurance feature a lot, okay? The Strength does mean your wizard can carry more items per trip, though, so it's not as bad as Charisma or Wisdom. It's still bad, it's just not as bad.

Marsh HalflingsSorta like Snow Dwarves but with inverted ability score bonuses, +1 Constitution and +2 Dexterity. What I said there more or less applies here too.

HumansWith a +1 to all ability scores, Humans are okay choices for every class. Since Wizards want high Intelligence, Dexterity, and Constitution, this is an okay choice, provided you make sure to give them the Light cantrip, or a bunch of torches, or some other way to get around their lack of Darkvision.

Wizard Subclasses

Uniquely, Wizards don't have an SRD subclass in Solasta. Instead, we get four custom ones.

Court Mage (Lost Valley DLC)Proficiency with shields, the Protection fighting style, temporary HP on both yourself and an ally, advantage on Counterspell checks, enemies have disadvantage to Counterspell yours... this is easily the best Wizard subclass, and I haven't even mentioned the level 10 bonus! If you're only bringing one Wizard, I recommend a Court Mage.

GreenmageEssentially turns the Wizard into a Druid. Now, the downside is that you lack the actual Druid class features, such as Wild Shape, only gaining access to a bunch of the spells. It's a really powerful subclass if you really don't want to bring a Druid or Ranger in the party, but why wouldn't you?

LoremasterWhat if Wizard, but more? That's the idea here, essentially. Better odds at copying scrolls into your spellbook, more spells per level, and eventually, more spells and cantrips memorized. It's nothing remarkable, but it's a solid subclass.

Shock ArcanistWith free upcasting on a large selection of damaging spells, the ability to temporarily add both your proficiency bonus and your Intelligence modifier to spell damage, and eventually, proficiency in Constitution saving throws, it's clear what this subclass is all about. If you want to be a pure damage Wizard, this is the subclass for you. I'm personally of the opinion that you'd be missing out on a lot of what makes Wizard such a versatile and powerful class this way, but it's an option. Maybe bring two Wizards?

A Sample Party

So, putting all this together, and assuming no DLC, you might decide to run a party that looks like this.

Slot 1: Half-Elf Oath of Tirmar Paladin. Strength build. Greatsword or other two-handed weapon.

Slot 2: Human (or either type of Dwarf) Battle Cleric. Academic background. Spy background. Dexterity build. Shortsword and shield.

Slot 3: Sylvan Elf Hunter Ranger. Lowlife background. Dexterity build. Longbow.

Slot 4: High Elf Greenmage Wizard. Sellsword background. Intelligence build. Staff.

This party gives you four different backgrounds, multiple characters who can heal or revive fallen allies, access to Goodberry to make food less of a problem during overland travel, high AC on all your characters, a variety of armor types, increasing the odds that looted armor will be useful, and you even get someone proficient in Thieves' Tools for picking locks.

You don't have to take these exact characters; in fact, I highly recommend you experiment with different party compositions and learn the way the game works! But if you want to have a strong party that can get you through most situations with smart play and careful use of resources, and that doesn't require any DLC purchases, this is a good way to go.

With DLC unlocked, I recommend changing the Cleric's race to Half-Orc or Dwarf (if they weren't already a Dwarf), replacing the Ranger with a Druid with the same background and ancestry, and making the Greenmage Wizard a Court Mage wizard. The same ideas apply, but now your Druid favors cantrips and spells over longbow attacks, though they can still have one equipped if you want.

Conclusion

I hope whoever's reading this found it useful in at least some way. I've tried to pour as much of my knowledge of both D&D 5th edition, which Solasta uses the rules of, and Solasta itself into this guide. I'd like to thank my friend Imban, who helped me put together this guide and even gifted me the Inner Wisdom DLC. You're a hero.

Take care, and happy gaming!

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2818810451					

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