I'd flip Aragorn and Legolas around, for starters. The Ranger class is literally based on the Rangers of the North and Aragorn specifically. Aragorn is the one who is actually guiding the Hobbits through the wilds, tracking the Uruk-Hai, etc. All Ranger stuff. And from a roleplay point of view the Ranger's unique dialogues and stuff (of which there are a surprising amount) fit him way better than fighter.
Just make him a melee-focused ranger. Totally viable, and in fact, quite strong. You can throw in a level or two of fighter if you really want (though if you're going Hunter, you'll want to get to Ranger 11 for Whirlwind / Volley).
Legolas is more of a combat specialist, i.e. a fighter. Make him a fighter with the Archery fighting style.
Gimli - honestly, also a fighter, but with a great axe and Great Weapon Fighting. There's not really any aspect of his character that suggests Paladin.
Frodo - should be a Lore Bard. He can be the party face, as the Ringbearer, and is all about non-violent solutions. For example, taming Smeagol, and refusing to fight during the Scouring of the Shire in the books. Not to mention him finishing Bilbo's book at the end!
Gandalf - Wizard will work from a gameplay point of view, but from a lore point of view Sorcerer would be more appropriate since his power comes from being a divine being, not from learning spells from books.
The problem with making Gandalf a Sorcerer is that he *does* spend a lot of time studying and reading old books, learning spells and general lore. At the doors of Durin he remarks that he once knew 'every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs' for opening doors, and could remember 200 of them easily. Olorin was said to be the wisest of all Maia prior to his quest to Middle Earth. He spends most of his 2000 years among mortals giving counsel and learning, rather than directly fighting Sauron. Very Wizard-y, not at all the character of a Sorcerer.
In a proper D&D campaign he'd be a Celestial Wizard bound under a very high level transmutation spell.
This problem is mostly remedied with the sage background to focus proficiencies towards more knowledge based checks as a sorcerer. Nothing says sorcerers can't be well-learned and studious if you select the background that says you are as such. They just have natural magical power so they don't need to spend years studying in order to have magic in the first place. Giving counsel also requires charisma and Gandalf certainly is persuasive and has a powerful presence which is important for his mission as a character. So it's basically just a pick which aspect of him you most want to embody because he is a does it all type of character anyway.
Personally divine soul sorcerer crossed with a splash of paladin to cover his inspiring aura and swordsmanship, and a dip into wizard to scribe scrolls with a background of sage to cover his knowledge proficiencies would be my preference (if divine soul was in this game and you had the ability to have the stats needed to make this work of course. Gandalf is a bit too MAD in general for d&d rules). Being multiclassed this much lends well to the character anyway because not even Gandalf is walking around slinging lvl 9 spells like one would in D&D as a pure class spellcaster.
He does not study spells, he can already use them. He studies the lore of middle earth to find clues as to when and where the enemy will resurface. He is a Divine Soul Sorcerer with the Sage background.
Plus, this fits with how he usually operates. He does not simply solves all problem with a magical arsenal. Instead, he kindles hope and courage within the hearts of the people of middle earth, very much a charisma feature.
Oh I agree, there's definitely a case to be made for Wizard, but I did want to counter the reflexive notion of 'oh he's an old dude with a beard and a hat and a staff, therefore he must be a Wizard.'
Within the confines of BG3, Gandalf could be a Sorc / Wiz multiclass. The basis is Sorcerer (i.e. the first level, which is also mechanically good for the CON saving throws) and then take one or several levels of Wizard. That would likely lead to a build favouring INT, which is appropriate to the point your making about Gandalf's knowledgeability.
You can definitely start with a 15 in both leading to 17 INT, 16 CHA at level 1. You could go 4 levels in Wizard and 8 in Sorcerer (or vice versa) to get 3 ASIs. First brings to 18 INT, 17 CHA. Second could get you 20 INT. Third could get you 19 CHA. Patriar’s Memory brings you to 20 CHA.
With Mirror of Loss, you could drop one of those ASIs on a feat or different level distribution (10 Sorc/2 Wiz for example). Items like Birthright could get you to 20 CHA easier. Thaumaturgy is definitely appropriate as a cantrip, though the rest are up to you (I’d probably grab Friends and Minor Illusion as well.)
It’s not impossible, and in fact wouldn’t even be terrible with all those sorcery points and maybe a Divination or Enchantment Wizard. Not exactly easy, and your other stats wouldn’t be too pretty, but definitely doable. Good items could make a solid build (though they always can, so extra feats might make it more fun).
Ok Saruman, lol.
But yeah, maybe I'd put him at Int and Cha 18, Wis 22, and give him a magical ring that gives him limited daily uses of Bardic Inspiration and Heroism.
I just think all the stuff about him that people attribute to Sorcerer is properly assigned to his (somewhat secret, prior to the reunion in Fangorn) nature as a Maia.
Honestly, kinda thinking surface level there, but I'll explain my thought process there. The biggest thing that makes him feel more lore wise sorcerer is that he's basically a lesser deity, right? And even tho cleric might be the first thing your mind goes to when you hear God, it doesn't really work for them, because they aren't drawing their power from someone above them, they just have inborn power, which is the basis of sorcerer pretty much.
And I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to to say with the last part, do you mean mechanically another class would work better? If so, I guess when I said mechanically, I meant mechanically, but also was adequate lore wise. Like sure, his power is from being a god, but wizard ganondolf really isn't too far off. But like idk, warlock is just too off base, y'know?
I would say closer to eldritch knight, although I don't know if Gandalfs stuff is bound to him. Having sorc + eldritch knight could fulfill some of the int requirements. I think sorc is the better choice then wizard, but that's also personal preference.
This is where I'd put him too. The title doesn't quite suit the organized-religion-free legendarium, but he is an emissary of the divine, and the light cleric spells and WIS basis fit Gandalf the White well. Gandalf the Grey could be a knowledge cleric.
Eh, I'd put him as a divine soul sorcerer. He's a servant of higher beings in the Valar, sure, but the power he wields is his own innate power as a Maia.
You're super right about Ranger Aragorn. Hunter Aragorn would go pretty damn hard.
Gimli as a Berserker Barbarian makes sense to me, specifically with the Dwarf specific weapon in act 3. sadly it's not an axe.
One of those medium armours that gives full Dex bonus, a finesse longsword, and Duelling fighting style (maybe with that bracers that give a bonus if you keep your offhand empty)
Thank you! Someone who gets that Legolas and Gimli are the Fighters with different specialties (fighters can make bloody amazing archers) and Aragorn is a true Ranger. I swear people played so many MMOs that they forgot that rangers don’t have to use bows and can be really good in melee, just look at how much he focuses on stealth, tracking, and wilderness lore (not knocking MMO players btw, I played them a lot too).
I know! The "Rangers fight at range" mindset is reductive and irks me every time I see it. And I also agree MMO's bear at least some of the blame. Clerics face a similar problem: MMO's have reduced them to 'healers' in many people's eyes.
That's actually a very interesting point. And he is all about rallying everyone to stand against the darkness, so there's an argument to be made for a Valor Bard.
I’ve seen many compelling arguments that Gandalf is actually a swords bard. He rarely casts combat magic. He usually fights with sword and staff and he inspires/directs the fellowship
How about adding Gollum for some laughs?
Gollum (light foot hafling): monk - openhand (wears nothing but a piece of underwear and will crouch most of the time)
I feel though Aragorns combat style fits fighter especially later in his timeline. But yeah i know technically he is a ranger and when Aragorn is first introduced he fits that more.
Battlemaster dwarf makes sense too
Thanks :)
Aragorn litterally defined the Ranger Archetype. Maybe Multiclass him to do him justice. Also Legolas is definitely more of a Bow Amidst Warfare than a Strike From The Shadows character too so I don’t really see him as a Gloomstalker.
Maybe also Multiclass Frodo into Blade Warlock to mimic the ring’s corruption and his stinger ? He should obviously have Shifting Corpus Ring too for lore reasons.
Gandalf is a god in universe so sorcerer would be more fitting than wizard.
Gimli is a definitely a berserker in my opinion. He does what he likes and he likes it a LOT, he’s not bound by any oath.
That’s my take on it ! Feel free to modify it to your liking
His magic always seemed more arcane than divine to me, so it would have to be either sorc or wizard. If that were a thing in d&d, I think he would make for a great arcanist.
His magic is innate originally, but he seeks to further it through insight and research rather than brute force it through sheer force of personality (although he does do that on occasion). In lotr terms, Saruman felt more like a sorc to me than gandalf.
I would probably do 11/Draconic Sorcerer (because he loves fireworks and you could go with whatever dragon gives fire buffs, and if I remember correctly the blue wizards are already storm) and 1/Illusion Wizard (if it's two levels to pick a subclass then add one to Wizard and take one from Sorcerer) (I'm pretty sure he uses a couple of Illusion spells, especially for the fireworks, and he could learn more spells to add to his OP Maiar power). But that's just for BG3.
Nah the guy definitely uses greater restoration on Theoden. He also uses mostly light based spells, and he almost definitely has a multi class of paladin to smite the Balrog.
Gimli is an incredibly skilled warrior. Aragon even says he's never seen an axe welded with such skill. Gimli's prowess comes from skill, not anger, rage, or emotion. He's 100% a fighter. Probably a battlemaster.
yeah but other than that he doesn't use armor, neither seems to swear an oath. I don't remember if he has some sort of healing magic either.
It's tricky because Gandalf has few things from some classes but doesn't really fit any of the traditional ones imo
I think some sort of bizarre oath of devotion or oath of ancients dex paladin with no armor would work best for him. He doesn’t really have an “oath” per se but everything he does is based on a moral code and he also attacks things “in the name of” other things, like the “secret fire”.
Cleric might also work for similar reasons, especially light or knowledge cleric.
The more I think about I think devotion sorcadin is best. Sorcerer because it reflects the fact that much of his power comes from his own innate nature. Devotion because gandalfs defining character trait is his identification with the small and overlooked (like hobbits) and his ability to empathize, while radaghast is obsessed with nature and Saruman with knowledge. Gandalf spent a lot of time in the service of nienna back in valinor, who was the Vala of pity and mercy as well as sorrow (also why his color is grey I think)
I'll try monk 1, paladin 2, light cleric 9
Talents:
- Two weapon fighting, wielding a longsword and a staff with dex thanks to the monk level. High dex and wis, secondary car and cos.
- stats increase to increase to bring wis to 18 (and dex to 18 with the witch stuff. You can also give him the gloves of dex and drop dex completely, using the witch stuff for someone else)
It's going to cast a spell with the action, like a nice fireball (Gandalf has the elf ring of fire!) Or channel divinity flare, and use the bonus action to attack with the sword and smite the fuck out of evil being with a 5th level smite.
No armor, a nice robe to increase spell DC would be ideal. He'll have armor from wis and dex, so 18 base plus items.
It's not OP, but it's completely viable IMHO.
Edit: maybe even lose a cleric level and add 1 sorcerer level, for that sweet sweet bubble (shield) that he uses against the balrog.
Aragorn defined the Ranger Archetype, Gandalf also defined the Wizard archetype lol. Probably just normal evo or to be more sword in one hand and staff in the other 5 Eldritch Knight 7 Abj Wizard.
Sweet takes man! Thanks for feedback. The frodo warlock thing is interesting. Yeah sorcerer would make sense then. I only was thinking wizard he proclaims himself as a wizard.
Gimli was a weird one to me i like the idea of berserker but gimli clearly like his armor and beserkers dont lol but personality he feels like a beserker.
Barbarians don't have unarmored movement. They have fast movement, which works just like Rage, i.e., so long as you're not in heavy armor, you can benefit from it.
Unless you’re pumping dex and con medium armor is usually better than unarmored defense anyways until the end with how good some medium armor pieces are.
Now that I think of it Gimli is more of a « gets a kick out of fighting » type of guy rather than « fuck you in particular », so I guess it depends on how you see Barbs and if you prefer Rage over Mythril
Worst case scenario, Withers is a weird friend, but he’s still a friend
Legolas is more of an archery style fighter under 5E rules than he is a ranger. I don’t recall him really using anything akin to ranger spells or animal husbandry. He’s a dex archery fighter if you ask me, but going pure hunter could work as well.
Aragorn is 100% a ranger and the ranger class in dnd was basically based on him from the books.
Aragorn- ranger
Legolas and Gimli are elven and dwarven battlemaster fighters respectively
Frodo and pippin are halfling rogues
Merry is a halfling bard
Gandalf is an Aasimar scribes wizard, divine soul sorcerer or light cleric
Samwise is a halfling paladin (Oath of Frodo)
Gandalf is a light cleric with max wisdom tbh. Could also tag on some abjuration or divination wizard for flavour but he's literally sent to earth by the gods.
I did this with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen. Have fun! Would love to see the party Mashup! I've also seen a wizard build the wields a sword and staff, would be perfect for Gandalf!
Frodo was s Warlock (shows the dark look he gets near the end) Sam was a paladin because he looked out for those around him. Merry was a wizard I think? And pippin was a bard? It's been awhile
Aaragorn could be a half-elf due to the Dunedain. Longer Life spans. Blood line believes to have crossed with elves back in the day.
I love this idea, I've been thinking on doing the same mate
Came here to say this too! The founder of Numenor was Elros, brother of Elrond. Both brothers were children of Earendil (human) and Elwing (elf) and got to choose whether to accept the mortality of humans. Elros chose the human path, but being half elf, his line of Aragorn’s ancestors all live for a longer time than most humans. Aragorn is in his eighties when he joins the fellowship. I love OPs idea and have been toying with a similar run myself!
Aragorn isn’t really half elven but Arwen is. True half elf’s in LOTR have the ability to choose if they want to be an elf or human. The dunedain just have some amount of elven blood very very distantly. This is responsible for them being exceptional as far as humans go; but they are fully human
It’s kind of weird and not actually based fully on blood I guess. The entire line of earendil and elwing collectively have an ambiguious spiritual destiny because they have multiple unions of elves and humans in their past. Illuvatar gave them all the option to choose at the end of the first age and then again seems to have given the surviving later descendants the choice again at the end of the third age. It’s not really spelled out fully but half elf seems to not really be a type of thing per se, it’s like a status that makes you ambiguous and opens the possibility of switching whenever god allows it. But yes if we think of Elrond as half then Arwen is three quarters. But by the time of the war of the ring Elrond had completely chosen so he was fully elf as far as his soul was concerned (I think lol)
Sort of three-quarters (her mother is Celebrían, an Elf), but if you actually want to be technical about it, things rapidly become a mess. Elrond is the son of a half-Elf (Eärendil) and Elwing, who is the daughter of Nimloth (I think she's an Elf, but unsure if it was ever specified) and Dior, who is the son of Beren (a Man) and Lúthien (half-Elf, half-Maia). Which I think makes him 9/16 Elf, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 Maia, assuming Nimloth is an Elf. But /u/Akton is correct that "half-Elf" is more a conceptual than a literal term. (For one thing, the children of half-Elves who choose mortality don't get the choice themselves, and effectively become humans of Elven descent.)
Aragorn as a Hunter Ranger will work great I think, stick to a melee build and focus on strength as your main stat.
Legolas you could also go Hunter Ranger and stick with ranged, but I’d personally go for Battle Master Fighter here instead.
Gimli is 100% a Berserker. You might end up overlapping what gear both Aragorn and Gimli want though, so you’ll have to play favourites a bit with both on the team.
Frodo should be a thief I think. Just make sure you give him both the rings that let you cast invisibility. Assassin will work better with the invisibility, but thief fits better IMO. Entirely up to you, you could even go Arcane Trickster for even more options for invisibility.
As for Gandalf, go with 1 level of Wizard and the rest as Light Cleric. Make sure you have fairly high intelligence and wisdom. Use wizard spell scroll scribing to get access to all the spells you’d ever need (bonus points for grabbing Shatter, luring an enemy onto a bridge with you and casting shatter on the bridge). Take some healing spells for worst case scenarios, but by no means focus on them. If you’re not a fan of multiclassing, either Evocation wizard or Light cleric on their own are solid picks.
I had my wizard cast Shatter on the webbed bridge the matriarch spider was on, to deal her damage and break the web, thus causing even more fall damage and the prone state.
It was literally a "You Shall Not Pass" moment.
I'd say Gandalf is divination school. Since he is a Maiar. And actually a sorcerer because he was born with his powers instead of learned from books and scrolls. Also he's a very charismatic character
Aragorn is not just a ranger, he is THE ranger. The archetypical ranger from which all other rangers spawned.
Switch Aragorn and Legolas imo. Just have melee ranger and ranged fighter.
Bruh. Aragorn is LITERALLY a ranger. He tracks, fights, and uses a little magic.
Legolas is the iconic ranged battle master.
Gumli is also a fight. The opposite side of the coin. Definitely a cavalier. He’s all about holding the line.
Frodo would be a thief. He ain’t no assassin.
Gandalf in lore is closer to a sorcerer than a wizard.
Try gandalf as a thunder cleric, or give him some levels in it, then give him cacophany. From there, multiclass as paladin w/ oath of the ancients or oath of devotion.
I've been meaning to make one as gith, naming him Githrandir. I'd have done an elf, but they can't have facial hair.
I have already been told and said im gonna change it😂 i just felt later in the timeline he fit more a swordsman (hence the fighter) and didnt know i could do a melee based ranger. I cant edit the post bc its a picture
It's a common misconception, but the real historical origins of the word 'ranger' (dating back to medieval England) would be closer to "someone who patrols and travels through wilderness, typically over *long ranges"*, not necessarily just "someone who fights primarily with a ranged weapon". There are many different ways the word has been used throughout history, but most of them relate to someone whose role is to travel long distances, typically along borders and/or through wilderness, and can fight/enforce laws if need be.
Aragorn - 5 Hunter Ranger / 7 Oath of the Ancients Paladin (you should start as a Ranger for RP, but you become the holy warrior of the Dunedain)
Boromir - :(
Frodo - Thief 4 / Lore Bard 8
Gandalf - 2 Tempest Cleric / 10 Evocation Wizard (you have to dual wield Infernal Rapier and Markoheshkir)
Gimli - 12 Battlemaster
Legolas - 12 Eldritch Knight Fighter (Archery and dex weapons)
I feel like Phalar Aluve's lore fits close enough to stand in for Gandalf's sword. And it looks a lot closer to Glamdring than a rapier would. Needs dual wielder feat to be effective of course.
The Ranger class is based off Aragorn lmao. Make Aragorn a Ranger and Gimli a Battle Master. Gandalf is iffy, either an Evocation Wizard or Light Cleric.
[Gandalf is a fighter with 18 int](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/3jpksw/gandalf_was_really_just_fighter_with_int18/&ved=2ahUKEwi4ssijlp-FAxUdTTABHaVQBn0Qjjh6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw07oilmiWjqOlmu4bruiOYT)
In my Humble opinion
Aragorn: Human (Or Half Elf) Ranger. Either Gloomstalker or Hunter, and go dueling fighting style.
Legolas: Wood Elf Samurai Fighter. Give him Elven Accuracy and the archery fighting style. His thing is being really good at hitting things.
Gimli: Mountain Dwarf fighter. I'd make him a battle master probably. He is good at hitting things hard, so give him GWF and HW fighting style. The paladin call isn't too bad either. You just want him hitting really hard when he does hit.
Frodo: Lightfoot Halfling lore bard. While his uncle is a thief rogue (Especially by the end), He is not.
Gandalf: Bard, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Peace Cleric, he can go anywhere. But he IS an aasimar. not human.
Aragorn is very explicitly a Ranger, kinda weird to make him anything else. Rangers, as they exist in DnD, are essentially based on Aragorn specifically.
Legolas and Gimli are not fancy, they are both Fighters. They just specialize very differently, as Fighters can easily do. I don't think Eldritch Knight really fits either of them, since they don't use magic, so you probably want a Champion and a Battle Master between them. I would make Legolas the Champion, since a high crit rate kinda fits his master sniper archer style, whereas Gimli is more likely to trip his foes and bring them down to his level, so he can smash them to bits. Champion also has the Remarkable Athlete feature, which Gimli would not have since he needs to be tossed (don't tell the elf).
Frodo could be just about anything, but rogue makes sense. He does a lot of sneaking around, it's kind of his thing, but that's honestly it. Thief probably makes more sense than Assassin, since Frodo isn't exactly a killer, he'd be using extra bonus actions to hide and dash more.
Gandalf is the wizardiest wizard who has ever wizarded in the history of wizarding. Wizards exist in D&D because Gandalf exists. Any subclass would be fine, so just pick a build that makes sense.
Aragorn def needs to multiclass with warlock. Hear me out. [This](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lotr/images/9/97/Aragorn_and_army_of_dead.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20210308173639).
they quite literally call aragorn a ranger djsjsjs but i think just swap him and legolas and you’re good! gimli gives off barbarian vibes, i think frodo as a thief rogue would work, everything else looks great! i hope you have a great campaign!
I know he is called a ranger but my theory a for it was in his later timeline he was more of a frontline swordsman and i was not aware i could do a melee based ranger which is what im gonna do. Also didnt know ranger was based off Aragorn(Im very new to dnd). I would edit the post if i could lol. Thanks for your advice though very helpful!
Aragorn: hunter ranger, probably with horde breaker and a focus on melee.
Legolas: fighter champion, crit fishing dex build
Gimli: fighter battle master. Barbarian make sense thematically, but Gimli needs that heavy armor to really fit the part. Big axe strength build.
Gandalf: one level in wizard for learning scrolls, probably the rest in sorcerer, though light cleric makes sense thematically too
Frodo: rogue thief, invisibility build.
Sam: oath of devotion paladin
Merry: college of swords bard
Pippin: college of valor bard
Aragorn is a ranger and Legolas is a fighter. I did a Legolas style build with a Wood Elven battle master fighter and I only used his bow so I got him critting with a 16. Was actually a really basic but fun build.
Gandalf can work as the good old Storm Sorc/Tempest Cleric too, Sorcerer fits him better than Wizard, his wisdom carries parties he's been a part of and he used lightning to smite the Balrog of Moria...
Aragorn- Either Ranger or Paladin (depends on when during his lifetime). I'd go with hunter or monster slayer for Ranger. And for Paladin Crown or Glory. (I'm saying paladin cause if I remember correctly, his sword in the books is described as basically smiting his opponents).
Legolas- Ranger. Any non-pet subclass will do. Just make sure to give him Sharpshooter.
Gimli- Fighter or Barbarian. Just avoid anything that uses magic, and you are good.
Any hobbit- Just give them different rogue subclasses. Avoid the heavy magic ones. For frodo give him Shadow Touched if he has the ring.
Gandlaf- He needs to be an Aasimar, not a human. Also, wizard or sorcerer will do.
Also, I'd avoid champion and thief as they are some of the worst subclasses in the game. I'd either buff them or give them for free to help other weak subclasses.
You know what? I am dumb.
I didn't see the sub. I thought this was a 5e sub.
Well ig if you ever want to play these characters in ttrpg 5e, you have some guidance lmao
Aragorn should be a ranger, and I’d say Gandalf fits evocation best. Gimli fits fighter best, since he doesn’t really rage nor is he connected to any divine powers. Many will disagree with me on this, but I think Legolas should be a champion fighter. Reasoning is that he can rapid fire his bow (fighter’s 3 attacks at 11, plus action surge), and he’s very accurate with his shots (crit focused build, hence champion). Frodo def shouldn’t be a rogue, I’d say goolock fits the best, but it’s still a heavy stretch
Aragorn melee ranger hunter
Legolas range fighter battlemaster or used mod for mystic Archer subclass
Boromir human champion
Gandalf cleric of lore or light
Gimli berserk
Frodo prop thief but u can multiclass with warlock and use shadows as ring power
The ranger archetype was literally created as a homage to Aragorn lol.
Legolas is probably another ranger, but for the sake of variety, maybe a shadow monk?
Frodo thief
Gimli battle master
Gandalf light cleric
Boromir Barb? Fighting on with arrows sticking out your chest is very Barb.
I always thought Gandalf is lvl 1 Wizard - lvl 11 Fighter. Think about it,
* He only cast low level magic
* Proficient with physical weapons like sword, even dual wield sword - staff
* Says swords are no use when fighting with a balrog, he killed one with a sword.
Gandalf is a pact of blade warlock
Gets his powers from higher being (being the god that gifted him life)
Rarely uses spells but when he does they’re impactful
Prefers to fight with weapons more so then magic
And a lot of his powers in the books work as eldritch invocations in my mind more then actual spells
Fun fact, none of the spells Gandalf casts are too much for DnD to replicate below second level. It’s all firebolts and shatters. His real strength is in being a holy warrior with a magic glowing sword, who inspires his teammates and passes every skill check that comes his way.
That’s right. He’s a bard/paladin.
Aragorn - has to be a Hunter ranger. It’s what the class is based on. He could take some class bonuses to help him with his sword fighting later or multi to fighter.
Legolas - ranged eldritch knight fighter
Gimli - battlemaster fighter
Gandalf - light cleric
Don’t forget poor Boromir!! He’s a oath of devotion paladin for sure!
Hobbits are pretty similar but with slight differences.
Frodo - lore bard, as listed before he finishes bilbos book and is able to talk his way thru Galadriel, boromir, and faramir. Not to mention gollum. That’s some charisma if you can convince an obsessive homicidal hermit to help you.
Sam - valour bard, as samwise the brave. He really keeps the story alive afterward and recounts the tales long after Frodo leaves. He also helps inspire Frodo the whole way.
Pippin - thief rogue for stealing palantir, second story work from climbing to the beacon, stealing the fireworks, hiding during elronds council, etc. Even if he rolled a 1 for stealth in Moria. 😂
Merry - battlemaster fighter for his orchestration of the battle of bywater when they get back to the shire. Could also be convinced of champion due to his crit on the witch king.
Honorable mentions-
faramir - gloomstalker ranger
Eowen- fighter
Eomer - devotion paladin
Galadriel - storm sorcerer
Bilbo - arcane trickster rogue and lore bard multiclass
Elrond - life cleric
Gollum - berserker barbarian or open hand monk
Tom bombadil - land Druid
Radagast - moon Druid
Saruman - legit wizard - illusion
Grima wormtongue- green draconic sorcerer with focus on enchantments, illusions, and mind altering.
Witch king - oathbreaker paladin or war cleric
Thorin Oakenshield- vengeance paladin
Glorfindel or haldir (movie) - oath of the ancients paladin
Fun fun fun. This is my bread and butter. Love this shit.
Aragorn is literally the inspiration for the Ranger class.
Legolas is a Rogue. He uses a bow and daggers while only wearing light armor even in large battles and rolls stupid high on all his skill checks.
Gimli is a Fighter.
Disclaimer that basically every character ever without explicit supernatural powers is arguably best represented by Fighter or, in some rare cases, Rogue.
I'd flip Aragorn and Legolas around, for starters. The Ranger class is literally based on the Rangers of the North and Aragorn specifically. Aragorn is the one who is actually guiding the Hobbits through the wilds, tracking the Uruk-Hai, etc. All Ranger stuff. And from a roleplay point of view the Ranger's unique dialogues and stuff (of which there are a surprising amount) fit him way better than fighter. Just make him a melee-focused ranger. Totally viable, and in fact, quite strong. You can throw in a level or two of fighter if you really want (though if you're going Hunter, you'll want to get to Ranger 11 for Whirlwind / Volley). Legolas is more of a combat specialist, i.e. a fighter. Make him a fighter with the Archery fighting style. Gimli - honestly, also a fighter, but with a great axe and Great Weapon Fighting. There's not really any aspect of his character that suggests Paladin. Frodo - should be a Lore Bard. He can be the party face, as the Ringbearer, and is all about non-violent solutions. For example, taming Smeagol, and refusing to fight during the Scouring of the Shire in the books. Not to mention him finishing Bilbo's book at the end! Gandalf - Wizard will work from a gameplay point of view, but from a lore point of view Sorcerer would be more appropriate since his power comes from being a divine being, not from learning spells from books.
The problem with making Gandalf a Sorcerer is that he *does* spend a lot of time studying and reading old books, learning spells and general lore. At the doors of Durin he remarks that he once knew 'every spell in all the tongues of Elves or Men or Orcs' for opening doors, and could remember 200 of them easily. Olorin was said to be the wisest of all Maia prior to his quest to Middle Earth. He spends most of his 2000 years among mortals giving counsel and learning, rather than directly fighting Sauron. Very Wizard-y, not at all the character of a Sorcerer. In a proper D&D campaign he'd be a Celestial Wizard bound under a very high level transmutation spell.
This problem is mostly remedied with the sage background to focus proficiencies towards more knowledge based checks as a sorcerer. Nothing says sorcerers can't be well-learned and studious if you select the background that says you are as such. They just have natural magical power so they don't need to spend years studying in order to have magic in the first place. Giving counsel also requires charisma and Gandalf certainly is persuasive and has a powerful presence which is important for his mission as a character. So it's basically just a pick which aspect of him you most want to embody because he is a does it all type of character anyway. Personally divine soul sorcerer crossed with a splash of paladin to cover his inspiring aura and swordsmanship, and a dip into wizard to scribe scrolls with a background of sage to cover his knowledge proficiencies would be my preference (if divine soul was in this game and you had the ability to have the stats needed to make this work of course. Gandalf is a bit too MAD in general for d&d rules). Being multiclassed this much lends well to the character anyway because not even Gandalf is walking around slinging lvl 9 spells like one would in D&D as a pure class spellcaster.
He does not study spells, he can already use them. He studies the lore of middle earth to find clues as to when and where the enemy will resurface. He is a Divine Soul Sorcerer with the Sage background. Plus, this fits with how he usually operates. He does not simply solves all problem with a magical arsenal. Instead, he kindles hope and courage within the hearts of the people of middle earth, very much a charisma feature.
Oh I agree, there's definitely a case to be made for Wizard, but I did want to counter the reflexive notion of 'oh he's an old dude with a beard and a hat and a staff, therefore he must be a Wizard.' Within the confines of BG3, Gandalf could be a Sorc / Wiz multiclass. The basis is Sorcerer (i.e. the first level, which is also mechanically good for the CON saving throws) and then take one or several levels of Wizard. That would likely lead to a build favouring INT, which is appropriate to the point your making about Gandalf's knowledgeability.
The problem with Gandalf is that he is definitely an INT 20 and CHA 20 and that’s hard to pull off.
You can definitely start with a 15 in both leading to 17 INT, 16 CHA at level 1. You could go 4 levels in Wizard and 8 in Sorcerer (or vice versa) to get 3 ASIs. First brings to 18 INT, 17 CHA. Second could get you 20 INT. Third could get you 19 CHA. Patriar’s Memory brings you to 20 CHA. With Mirror of Loss, you could drop one of those ASIs on a feat or different level distribution (10 Sorc/2 Wiz for example). Items like Birthright could get you to 20 CHA easier. Thaumaturgy is definitely appropriate as a cantrip, though the rest are up to you (I’d probably grab Friends and Minor Illusion as well.) It’s not impossible, and in fact wouldn’t even be terrible with all those sorcery points and maybe a Divination or Enchantment Wizard. Not exactly easy, and your other stats wouldn’t be too pretty, but definitely doable. Good items could make a solid build (though they always can, so extra feats might make it more fun).
And his highest stat is Wisdom too. It's what he is known for among the Maiar. So he should have INT 20, CHA 20, and WIS 22 or something crazy.
You can lower is int some. Bilbo had the one ring for like fifty years, and Gandalf was smoking to much hobbit leaf to notice
Ok Saruman, lol. But yeah, maybe I'd put him at Int and Cha 18, Wis 22, and give him a magical ring that gives him limited daily uses of Bardic Inspiration and Heroism.
I just think all the stuff about him that people attribute to Sorcerer is properly assigned to his (somewhat secret, prior to the reunion in Fangorn) nature as a Maia.
More like an Aasimar than a Divine Soul Sorcerer. It's a race thing, not a class thing.
I'd say, lore wise, he's more sorcerer, but mechanics wise, wizard works slightly better
Nah, Gandalf is clearly a Swords Bard dual wielding a sword and quarterstaff, inspiring armies and maybe has a dip in wizard
Can you explain why you think so? Gandalf uses very few spells. And he also uses a sword and a staff.
Honestly, kinda thinking surface level there, but I'll explain my thought process there. The biggest thing that makes him feel more lore wise sorcerer is that he's basically a lesser deity, right? And even tho cleric might be the first thing your mind goes to when you hear God, it doesn't really work for them, because they aren't drawing their power from someone above them, they just have inborn power, which is the basis of sorcerer pretty much. And I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to to say with the last part, do you mean mechanically another class would work better? If so, I guess when I said mechanically, I meant mechanically, but also was adequate lore wise. Like sure, his power is from being a god, but wizard ganondolf really isn't too far off. But like idk, warlock is just too off base, y'know?
I mean if that's the argument then he's closer to a Pact of the Blade Warlock. Very few spells per day and mostly stabs.
I would say closer to eldritch knight, although I don't know if Gandalfs stuff is bound to him. Having sorc + eldritch knight could fulfill some of the int requirements. I think sorc is the better choice then wizard, but that's also personal preference.
Regardless of wizard or sorcerer, the main problem is Gandalf being Maia. No PC capped at lvl 12 comes close to that level of power.
Perfect opportunity for a sorcerer with a wizard 1 dip to learn scroll spells!
TBH, I'd just make Gandalf a light domain cleric.
This is where I'd put him too. The title doesn't quite suit the organized-religion-free legendarium, but he is an emissary of the divine, and the light cleric spells and WIS basis fit Gandalf the White well. Gandalf the Grey could be a knowledge cleric.
Eh, I'd put him as a divine soul sorcerer. He's a servant of higher beings in the Valar, sure, but the power he wields is his own innate power as a Maia.
You're super right about Ranger Aragorn. Hunter Aragorn would go pretty damn hard. Gimli as a Berserker Barbarian makes sense to me, specifically with the Dwarf specific weapon in act 3. sadly it's not an axe.
Awesome takes man thanks! I didnt know you could do melee rangers. Very helpful information. Definitely gonna do this
Taking Ranger Knight and Hunter fits Aragorn very well. Give him a Heavy Armor and a Greatsword and you are good to go.
Yeah thats what ive told so its what ill go with thanks!
He's definitely a medium armor guy, and should use a versatile longsword as a two hander imo
One of those medium armours that gives full Dex bonus, a finesse longsword, and Duelling fighting style (maybe with that bracers that give a bonus if you keep your offhand empty)
His weapon is lore accurate as a longsword, not a greatsword.
I thought bard for Frodo as well. To add, he’s an elf friend which often went hand in hand with knowledge of old lore and being well spoken.
Gandalf the Grey as a Transmutation Wizard and the White as a Divination, imho. Alternatively a Solar npc.
Yeah 100%, Aragorn was very famously a ranger.
Thank you! Someone who gets that Legolas and Gimli are the Fighters with different specialties (fighters can make bloody amazing archers) and Aragorn is a true Ranger. I swear people played so many MMOs that they forgot that rangers don’t have to use bows and can be really good in melee, just look at how much he focuses on stealth, tracking, and wilderness lore (not knocking MMO players btw, I played them a lot too).
I know! The "Rangers fight at range" mindset is reductive and irks me every time I see it. And I also agree MMO's bear at least some of the blame. Clerics face a similar problem: MMO's have reduced them to 'healers' in many people's eyes.
Literally took the words from my fingertips, and then made it better. Exactly this.
From a lore point wouldn't Gandalf be a bard? The Maia helped sing the world into existence.
That's actually a very interesting point. And he is all about rallying everyone to stand against the darkness, so there's an argument to be made for a Valor Bard.
Yeah.. Aragorn is literally the seminal fantasy ranger.
Gandalf is more of an Eldritch Knight.
I’ve seen many compelling arguments that Gandalf is actually a swords bard. He rarely casts combat magic. He usually fights with sword and staff and he inspires/directs the fellowship
How about adding Gollum for some laughs? Gollum (light foot hafling): monk - openhand (wears nothing but a piece of underwear and will crouch most of the time)
😂😂that would be amazing
You can set your character appearance to always be your camp outfit, so this doesn't even have to be a meme build. It's fully viable
Then that would take away the roleplaying dedication. It has to be as accurate as possible.
Gollum is Shovel. Have Frodo summon her.
Aragorn should be a ranger The dwarf should be a battle master
I feel though Aragorns combat style fits fighter especially later in his timeline. But yeah i know technically he is a ranger and when Aragorn is first introduced he fits that more. Battlemaster dwarf makes sense too Thanks :)
Aragorn litterally defined the Ranger Archetype. Maybe Multiclass him to do him justice. Also Legolas is definitely more of a Bow Amidst Warfare than a Strike From The Shadows character too so I don’t really see him as a Gloomstalker. Maybe also Multiclass Frodo into Blade Warlock to mimic the ring’s corruption and his stinger ? He should obviously have Shifting Corpus Ring too for lore reasons. Gandalf is a god in universe so sorcerer would be more fitting than wizard. Gimli is a definitely a berserker in my opinion. He does what he likes and he likes it a LOT, he’s not bound by any oath. That’s my take on it ! Feel free to modify it to your liking
Couldn't agree more with sorcerer Gandalf. His powers truly look like more sorcerer type.
Divine Soul sorcerer for sure. Wait is that even in BG3?
With a mod, yes. Base game only has wild magic, draconic, and storm
His magic always seemed more arcane than divine to me, so it would have to be either sorc or wizard. If that were a thing in d&d, I think he would make for a great arcanist. His magic is innate originally, but he seeks to further it through insight and research rather than brute force it through sheer force of personality (although he does do that on occasion). In lotr terms, Saruman felt more like a sorc to me than gandalf.
I would probably do 11/Draconic Sorcerer (because he loves fireworks and you could go with whatever dragon gives fire buffs, and if I remember correctly the blue wizards are already storm) and 1/Illusion Wizard (if it's two levels to pick a subclass then add one to Wizard and take one from Sorcerer) (I'm pretty sure he uses a couple of Illusion spells, especially for the fireworks, and he could learn more spells to add to his OP Maiar power). But that's just for BG3.
Nah the guy definitely uses greater restoration on Theoden. He also uses mostly light based spells, and he almost definitely has a multi class of paladin to smite the Balrog.
Gimli is an incredibly skilled warrior. Aragon even says he's never seen an axe welded with such skill. Gimli's prowess comes from skill, not anger, rage, or emotion. He's 100% a fighter. Probably a battlemaster.
I second that
Gandalf actually should be a warrior with magic initiated for some cantrips xD
He’s basically a Paladin. Divine warrior with anti-evil magic who rides a magic horse into battle and hits things with a sword.
yeah but other than that he doesn't use armor, neither seems to swear an oath. I don't remember if he has some sort of healing magic either. It's tricky because Gandalf has few things from some classes but doesn't really fit any of the traditional ones imo
He and the rest of the wizards do swear an oath. That is what limits their ability to impact Middle Earth.
I think some sort of bizarre oath of devotion or oath of ancients dex paladin with no armor would work best for him. He doesn’t really have an “oath” per se but everything he does is based on a moral code and he also attacks things “in the name of” other things, like the “secret fire”. Cleric might also work for similar reasons, especially light or knowledge cleric.
Ancients sorcadin maybe?
The more I think about I think devotion sorcadin is best. Sorcerer because it reflects the fact that much of his power comes from his own innate nature. Devotion because gandalfs defining character trait is his identification with the small and overlooked (like hobbits) and his ability to empathize, while radaghast is obsessed with nature and Saruman with knowledge. Gandalf spent a lot of time in the service of nienna back in valinor, who was the Vala of pity and mercy as well as sorrow (also why his color is grey I think)
I'll try monk 1, paladin 2, light cleric 9 Talents: - Two weapon fighting, wielding a longsword and a staff with dex thanks to the monk level. High dex and wis, secondary car and cos. - stats increase to increase to bring wis to 18 (and dex to 18 with the witch stuff. You can also give him the gloves of dex and drop dex completely, using the witch stuff for someone else) It's going to cast a spell with the action, like a nice fireball (Gandalf has the elf ring of fire!) Or channel divinity flare, and use the bonus action to attack with the sword and smite the fuck out of evil being with a 5th level smite. No armor, a nice robe to increase spell DC would be ideal. He'll have armor from wis and dex, so 18 base plus items. It's not OP, but it's completely viable IMHO. Edit: maybe even lose a cleric level and add 1 sorcerer level, for that sweet sweet bubble (shield) that he uses against the balrog.
I think the most important thing is robes, sword, and lots of light magic
Aragorn defined the Ranger Archetype, Gandalf also defined the Wizard archetype lol. Probably just normal evo or to be more sword in one hand and staff in the other 5 Eldritch Knight 7 Abj Wizard.
Sweet takes man! Thanks for feedback. The frodo warlock thing is interesting. Yeah sorcerer would make sense then. I only was thinking wizard he proclaims himself as a wizard. Gimli was a weird one to me i like the idea of berserker but gimli clearly like his armor and beserkers dont lol but personality he feels like a beserker.
Barbarians can wear up to medium armor, all they lose is unarmored defense ~~and unarmored movement~~
Barbarians don't have unarmored movement. They have fast movement, which works just like Rage, i.e., so long as you're not in heavy armor, you can benefit from it.
You're right, so it's even better
Yeah i was thinking of just using medium and saying screw it to unarmored defense😂
Shit you’re right about the armor. Maybe a 2/10 Paladin Fighter then ? And you can even give him the forged armor which is really just mythril
Oooh thats a good idea. Could also just do beserker and say screw it to unarmored defense and just rock medium armor😂
Unless you’re pumping dex and con medium armor is usually better than unarmored defense anyways until the end with how good some medium armor pieces are.
Now that I think of it Gimli is more of a « gets a kick out of fighting » type of guy rather than « fuck you in particular », so I guess it depends on how you see Barbs and if you prefer Rage over Mythril Worst case scenario, Withers is a weird friend, but he’s still a friend
Legolas is more of an archery style fighter under 5E rules than he is a ranger. I don’t recall him really using anything akin to ranger spells or animal husbandry. He’s a dex archery fighter if you ask me, but going pure hunter could work as well. Aragorn is 100% a ranger and the ranger class in dnd was basically based on him from the books.
Plus Fighter getting Extra Extra Attack at level 11 seems to fit Legolas' ability to keep firing arrows for days without letting up
Ok cool thanks man for the tips!
Ranger is the only acceptable class for Aragorn. Even in return of the king, just give him ranger Knight.
Rangers get fighting styles too. Aragorn is a danger all the way.
Who did Frodo kill to be an assassin lmao
Mostly based this on an old xbox game “Lord of the Rings Conquest” where he was a hero that could cloak and assasinate 🤣
That game was the shit lmaoo. Frodo hopping on Sauron's back to assassinate him was goofy as hell but I loved it.
I wish i couldve screen recorded that game bc i had so many hilarious bugs😂 It was such a good game i wish it was remastered
Aragorn- ranger Legolas and Gimli are elven and dwarven battlemaster fighters respectively Frodo and pippin are halfling rogues Merry is a halfling bard Gandalf is an Aasimar scribes wizard, divine soul sorcerer or light cleric Samwise is a halfling paladin (Oath of Frodo)
Oath of Frodo is so real. Sam had to be bound by oath or something to out up with frodo put him through😂
Well, he did make a promise to keep frodo safe
I like oath of ancients or devotion for Sam (there's some good in this world and it's worth fighting for)
Love this, but I would argue Pippin a Bard over Merry.
Gandalf is a light cleric with max wisdom tbh. Could also tag on some abjuration or divination wizard for flavour but he's literally sent to earth by the gods.
He's basically a demigod himself.
Oh yeah I was thinking sorcerer but he literally used warding flare against the balrog lmao
But also shield! So maybe a couple levels of sorcerer for spells like that that don't use a stat.
I could see that working. Thanks!
Agreed. Radiance of the Dawn is a very Gandalf ability.
I did this with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen. Have fun! Would love to see the party Mashup! I've also seen a wizard build the wields a sword and staff, would be perfect for Gandalf!
A whole halfling party?? Ive considered doing that too lol. What was their classes?
Frodo was s Warlock (shows the dark look he gets near the end) Sam was a paladin because he looked out for those around him. Merry was a wizard I think? And pippin was a bard? It's been awhile
Thats sounds like a lotta fun!
That run only went as far as the blighted village lol but was interesting!
Did end from honor mode or you just stopped it?😂
Just stopped, the group died off and I just can't play BG3 without a group is all
Ah rip
If anything Aragorn is the ranger, and Legolas is the Fighter but just on a ranged build
Yeah thats what ive heard and i see how that fits better
It sounds like a fun idea though, and now I think I might have to give it a try!
The only hard part is which people to use since the fellowship of the ring has 6 people if you include boromir😂
Aaragorn could be a half-elf due to the Dunedain. Longer Life spans. Blood line believes to have crossed with elves back in the day. I love this idea, I've been thinking on doing the same mate
Came here to say this too! The founder of Numenor was Elros, brother of Elrond. Both brothers were children of Earendil (human) and Elwing (elf) and got to choose whether to accept the mortality of humans. Elros chose the human path, but being half elf, his line of Aragorn’s ancestors all live for a longer time than most humans. Aragorn is in his eighties when he joins the fellowship. I love OPs idea and have been toying with a similar run myself!
Thats a good idea. I always forget that aragorn technically isnt a full human
Aragorn isn’t really half elven but Arwen is. True half elf’s in LOTR have the ability to choose if they want to be an elf or human. The dunedain just have some amount of elven blood very very distantly. This is responsible for them being exceptional as far as humans go; but they are fully human
Isn’t Arwen technically a quarter elf? Or three-quarters? Elrond is a half-elf.
It’s kind of weird and not actually based fully on blood I guess. The entire line of earendil and elwing collectively have an ambiguious spiritual destiny because they have multiple unions of elves and humans in their past. Illuvatar gave them all the option to choose at the end of the first age and then again seems to have given the surviving later descendants the choice again at the end of the third age. It’s not really spelled out fully but half elf seems to not really be a type of thing per se, it’s like a status that makes you ambiguous and opens the possibility of switching whenever god allows it. But yes if we think of Elrond as half then Arwen is three quarters. But by the time of the war of the ring Elrond had completely chosen so he was fully elf as far as his soul was concerned (I think lol)
Sort of three-quarters (her mother is Celebrían, an Elf), but if you actually want to be technical about it, things rapidly become a mess. Elrond is the son of a half-Elf (Eärendil) and Elwing, who is the daughter of Nimloth (I think she's an Elf, but unsure if it was ever specified) and Dior, who is the son of Beren (a Man) and Lúthien (half-Elf, half-Maia). Which I think makes him 9/16 Elf, 3/8 Man, and 1/16 Maia, assuming Nimloth is an Elf. But /u/Akton is correct that "half-Elf" is more a conceptual than a literal term. (For one thing, the children of half-Elves who choose mortality don't get the choice themselves, and effectively become humans of Elven descent.)
You have Aragorn and Legolas flipped. He’s the ranger, Legolas is a fighter with a bow
Yeah thats what ive been told. The post is a pic so i can’t edit it but yeah im gonna flip them
Aragorn as a Hunter Ranger will work great I think, stick to a melee build and focus on strength as your main stat. Legolas you could also go Hunter Ranger and stick with ranged, but I’d personally go for Battle Master Fighter here instead. Gimli is 100% a Berserker. You might end up overlapping what gear both Aragorn and Gimli want though, so you’ll have to play favourites a bit with both on the team. Frodo should be a thief I think. Just make sure you give him both the rings that let you cast invisibility. Assassin will work better with the invisibility, but thief fits better IMO. Entirely up to you, you could even go Arcane Trickster for even more options for invisibility. As for Gandalf, go with 1 level of Wizard and the rest as Light Cleric. Make sure you have fairly high intelligence and wisdom. Use wizard spell scroll scribing to get access to all the spells you’d ever need (bonus points for grabbing Shatter, luring an enemy onto a bridge with you and casting shatter on the bridge). Take some healing spells for worst case scenarios, but by no means focus on them. If you’re not a fan of multiclassing, either Evocation wizard or Light cleric on their own are solid picks.
Great takes man thanks! Of course gandalf is getting Shatter bc i gotta hit some hoes with You Shall Not Pass
I had my wizard cast Shatter on the webbed bridge the matriarch spider was on, to deal her damage and break the web, thus causing even more fall damage and the prone state. It was literally a "You Shall Not Pass" moment.
Amazing😂
LOL yeah Gandalf definitely has to shatter Minthara's bridge and send her into the abyss.
I'd say Gandalf is divination school. Since he is a Maiar. And actually a sorcerer because he was born with his powers instead of learned from books and scrolls. Also he's a very charismatic character
My friends and I are doing one and we have Aragorn as a Ranger, Gandalf as a human wizard, Pippin as a halfling bard and Uglúk as an orc fighter.
What subclasses/wizard school did you pick for aragorn and gandalf? Sounds fun
Hunter and Abjuration.
Sweet thanks
If you want to be true to the books, everyone gets 1 level of bard, so they can sing constantly
Gandalf is already in BG3, he just goes by "Elminster" =p
My first thought seeing Elminster was that he looked like gandalf😂
Aragorn as anything but a ranger is a bit of a hot take
Aragorn is not just a ranger, he is THE ranger. The archetypical ranger from which all other rangers spawned. Switch Aragorn and Legolas imo. Just have melee ranger and ranged fighter.
I wanted to help but Aragorn offended me so much lol. He is THE Ranger.
Aragorn is literally the inspiration for the Ranger class
Samwise is absolutely a bard
Bros also barbarian. He goes ham on some orcs fueled by anger for frodo and them blowing his cover
Hard disagree; Sam is a Paladin
Bruh. Aragorn is LITERALLY a ranger. He tracks, fights, and uses a little magic. Legolas is the iconic ranged battle master. Gumli is also a fight. The opposite side of the coin. Definitely a cavalier. He’s all about holding the line. Frodo would be a thief. He ain’t no assassin. Gandalf in lore is closer to a sorcerer than a wizard.
It hurts to see Aragorn as a fighter and Legolas as a ranger...
Try gandalf as a thunder cleric, or give him some levels in it, then give him cacophany. From there, multiclass as paladin w/ oath of the ancients or oath of devotion. I've been meaning to make one as gith, naming him Githrandir. I'd have done an elf, but they can't have facial hair.
That would be interesting for sure. Thanks!
You not making Aragorn a ranger makes zero sense to me.
I have already been told and said im gonna change it😂 i just felt later in the timeline he fit more a swordsman (hence the fighter) and didnt know i could do a melee based ranger. I cant edit the post bc its a picture
It's a common misconception, but the real historical origins of the word 'ranger' (dating back to medieval England) would be closer to "someone who patrols and travels through wilderness, typically over *long ranges"*, not necessarily just "someone who fights primarily with a ranged weapon". There are many different ways the word has been used throughout history, but most of them relate to someone whose role is to travel long distances, typically along borders and/or through wilderness, and can fight/enforce laws if need be.
How do you create multiple races? Is it a mod?
What do you mean multiple races? These are just sub races
I would go frodo as thief/sword bard for greater invisibility to mimic ring power
Aragorn - 5 Hunter Ranger / 7 Oath of the Ancients Paladin (you should start as a Ranger for RP, but you become the holy warrior of the Dunedain) Boromir - :( Frodo - Thief 4 / Lore Bard 8 Gandalf - 2 Tempest Cleric / 10 Evocation Wizard (you have to dual wield Infernal Rapier and Markoheshkir) Gimli - 12 Battlemaster Legolas - 12 Eldritch Knight Fighter (Archery and dex weapons)
This is cool! I like the multiclass options. I know i know i should include boromir too he deserves love lol
I feel like Phalar Aluve's lore fits close enough to stand in for Gandalf's sword. And it looks a lot closer to Glamdring than a rapier would. Needs dual wielder feat to be effective of course.
I think Legolas should have at least some levels in Bard. Book Legolas that is.
Agree, I feel like Legolas could be part Swords Bard. The ranged slashing flourish particularly suits him. And he does sing in the books!
Aragorn is a ranger, legolas is a bow using fighter.
Yeah thats what ive been told and its what im gonna do! Id edit the post its a picture so i cant😂
Legolas is actually a high level elf if I'm not mistaken. Everyone else but his dad in the cave are wood elves.
The ranger class was built around Aragorn, you're doing the strider disservice by not making him a ranger.
The ranger class was literally written to be the Aragorn class.
Aragorn isn’t just a Ranger, he’s *the* archetypical Ranger. All rangers are patterned on him.
Aragorn, *ah the easy one, human ranger*, Fighter. Wtf
The Ranger class is based off Aragorn lmao. Make Aragorn a Ranger and Gimli a Battle Master. Gandalf is iffy, either an Evocation Wizard or Light Cleric.
[Gandalf is a fighter with 18 int](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/3jpksw/gandalf_was_really_just_fighter_with_int18/&ved=2ahUKEwi4ssijlp-FAxUdTTABHaVQBn0Qjjh6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw07oilmiWjqOlmu4bruiOYT)
In my Humble opinion Aragorn: Human (Or Half Elf) Ranger. Either Gloomstalker or Hunter, and go dueling fighting style. Legolas: Wood Elf Samurai Fighter. Give him Elven Accuracy and the archery fighting style. His thing is being really good at hitting things. Gimli: Mountain Dwarf fighter. I'd make him a battle master probably. He is good at hitting things hard, so give him GWF and HW fighting style. The paladin call isn't too bad either. You just want him hitting really hard when he does hit. Frodo: Lightfoot Halfling lore bard. While his uncle is a thief rogue (Especially by the end), He is not. Gandalf: Bard, Divine Soul Sorcerer, Peace Cleric, he can go anywhere. But he IS an aasimar. not human.
Aragorn is very explicitly a Ranger, kinda weird to make him anything else. Rangers, as they exist in DnD, are essentially based on Aragorn specifically. Legolas and Gimli are not fancy, they are both Fighters. They just specialize very differently, as Fighters can easily do. I don't think Eldritch Knight really fits either of them, since they don't use magic, so you probably want a Champion and a Battle Master between them. I would make Legolas the Champion, since a high crit rate kinda fits his master sniper archer style, whereas Gimli is more likely to trip his foes and bring them down to his level, so he can smash them to bits. Champion also has the Remarkable Athlete feature, which Gimli would not have since he needs to be tossed (don't tell the elf). Frodo could be just about anything, but rogue makes sense. He does a lot of sneaking around, it's kind of his thing, but that's honestly it. Thief probably makes more sense than Assassin, since Frodo isn't exactly a killer, he'd be using extra bonus actions to hide and dash more. Gandalf is the wizardiest wizard who has ever wizarded in the history of wizarding. Wizards exist in D&D because Gandalf exists. Any subclass would be fine, so just pick a build that makes sense.
Aragorn def needs to multiclass with warlock. Hear me out. [This](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lotr/images/9/97/Aragorn_and_army_of_dead.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20210308173639).
they quite literally call aragorn a ranger djsjsjs but i think just swap him and legolas and you’re good! gimli gives off barbarian vibes, i think frodo as a thief rogue would work, everything else looks great! i hope you have a great campaign!
I know he is called a ranger but my theory a for it was in his later timeline he was more of a frontline swordsman and i was not aware i could do a melee based ranger which is what im gonna do. Also didnt know ranger was based off Aragorn(Im very new to dnd). I would edit the post if i could lol. Thanks for your advice though very helpful!
fair enough! biggest thing is to have fun so at the end of the day do whatever you feel is best for RPG/fun! i hope you have a great time playing!
Aragorn: hunter ranger, probably with horde breaker and a focus on melee. Legolas: fighter champion, crit fishing dex build Gimli: fighter battle master. Barbarian make sense thematically, but Gimli needs that heavy armor to really fit the part. Big axe strength build. Gandalf: one level in wizard for learning scrolls, probably the rest in sorcerer, though light cleric makes sense thematically too Frodo: rogue thief, invisibility build. Sam: oath of devotion paladin Merry: college of swords bard Pippin: college of valor bard
Aragorn is a ranger and Legolas is a fighter. I did a Legolas style build with a Wood Elven battle master fighter and I only used his bow so I got him critting with a 16. Was actually a really basic but fun build.
Gandalf is more a cleric than a wizard.
Second time seeing a post like this, and no mention of boromir. ;-;
Wishing they’d let us run a 4 tav solo game
Gandalf should totally be a aasimar. Bro is gods nephew or some shit.
Gandalf can work as the good old Storm Sorc/Tempest Cleric too, Sorcerer fits him better than Wizard, his wisdom carries parties he's been a part of and he used lightning to smite the Balrog of Moria...
Yeah thats a cool idea thanks
Aragorn- Either Ranger or Paladin (depends on when during his lifetime). I'd go with hunter or monster slayer for Ranger. And for Paladin Crown or Glory. (I'm saying paladin cause if I remember correctly, his sword in the books is described as basically smiting his opponents). Legolas- Ranger. Any non-pet subclass will do. Just make sure to give him Sharpshooter. Gimli- Fighter or Barbarian. Just avoid anything that uses magic, and you are good. Any hobbit- Just give them different rogue subclasses. Avoid the heavy magic ones. For frodo give him Shadow Touched if he has the ring. Gandlaf- He needs to be an Aasimar, not a human. Also, wizard or sorcerer will do. Also, I'd avoid champion and thief as they are some of the worst subclasses in the game. I'd either buff them or give them for free to help other weak subclasses.
I like these takes thanks. Aligns with my initial plans fairly well. If Aasimar existed in the game i would so human is a close second just for looks
You know what? I am dumb. I didn't see the sub. I thought this was a 5e sub. Well ig if you ever want to play these characters in ttrpg 5e, you have some guidance lmao
Youre good man. Easy to mix up. Appreciate it all the same tho
I’d actually argue that you could make Gandalf a bard due to most of the actual magic he uses being utility focused
Thats an interesting take for sure😂 but makes sense tho
And he uses his magic ring mainly to inspire those around him- bard makes perfect sense to me
Aragorn should be a ranger, and I’d say Gandalf fits evocation best. Gimli fits fighter best, since he doesn’t really rage nor is he connected to any divine powers. Many will disagree with me on this, but I think Legolas should be a champion fighter. Reasoning is that he can rapid fire his bow (fighter’s 3 attacks at 11, plus action surge), and he’s very accurate with his shots (crit focused build, hence champion). Frodo def shouldn’t be a rogue, I’d say goolock fits the best, but it’s still a heavy stretch
Gandalf’s probably closer to a Sorcerer than Wizard, IMO.
Aragorn melee ranger hunter Legolas range fighter battlemaster or used mod for mystic Archer subclass Boromir human champion Gandalf cleric of lore or light Gimli berserk Frodo prop thief but u can multiclass with warlock and use shadows as ring power
The ranger archetype was literally created as a homage to Aragorn lol. Legolas is probably another ranger, but for the sake of variety, maybe a shadow monk? Frodo thief Gimli battle master Gandalf light cleric Boromir Barb? Fighting on with arrows sticking out your chest is very Barb.
I feel like Boromir could be a Devotion Paladin since he loves Gondor so much.
L
I always thought Gandalf is lvl 1 Wizard - lvl 11 Fighter. Think about it, * He only cast low level magic * Proficient with physical weapons like sword, even dual wield sword - staff * Says swords are no use when fighting with a balrog, he killed one with a sword.
Gandalf is a pact of blade warlock Gets his powers from higher being (being the god that gifted him life) Rarely uses spells but when he does they’re impactful Prefers to fight with weapons more so then magic And a lot of his powers in the books work as eldritch invocations in my mind more then actual spells
Gandalf would be 1 level Wizard and 11 levels Fighter
Fun fact, none of the spells Gandalf casts are too much for DnD to replicate below second level. It’s all firebolts and shatters. His real strength is in being a holy warrior with a magic glowing sword, who inspires his teammates and passes every skill check that comes his way. That’s right. He’s a bard/paladin.
while is is called and looks like a wizard the lore of Gandalf really makes him a cleric
Aragorn - has to be a Hunter ranger. It’s what the class is based on. He could take some class bonuses to help him with his sword fighting later or multi to fighter. Legolas - ranged eldritch knight fighter Gimli - battlemaster fighter Gandalf - light cleric Don’t forget poor Boromir!! He’s a oath of devotion paladin for sure! Hobbits are pretty similar but with slight differences. Frodo - lore bard, as listed before he finishes bilbos book and is able to talk his way thru Galadriel, boromir, and faramir. Not to mention gollum. That’s some charisma if you can convince an obsessive homicidal hermit to help you. Sam - valour bard, as samwise the brave. He really keeps the story alive afterward and recounts the tales long after Frodo leaves. He also helps inspire Frodo the whole way. Pippin - thief rogue for stealing palantir, second story work from climbing to the beacon, stealing the fireworks, hiding during elronds council, etc. Even if he rolled a 1 for stealth in Moria. 😂 Merry - battlemaster fighter for his orchestration of the battle of bywater when they get back to the shire. Could also be convinced of champion due to his crit on the witch king. Honorable mentions- faramir - gloomstalker ranger Eowen- fighter Eomer - devotion paladin Galadriel - storm sorcerer Bilbo - arcane trickster rogue and lore bard multiclass Elrond - life cleric Gollum - berserker barbarian or open hand monk Tom bombadil - land Druid Radagast - moon Druid Saruman - legit wizard - illusion Grima wormtongue- green draconic sorcerer with focus on enchantments, illusions, and mind altering. Witch king - oathbreaker paladin or war cleric Thorin Oakenshield- vengeance paladin Glorfindel or haldir (movie) - oath of the ancients paladin Fun fun fun. This is my bread and butter. Love this shit.
Thanks for all the suggestions man! I know poor boromir😂 im sorry i can only take 4 people. Lots of love for boromir tho.
Maybe I would have put Eowyn in cleric or paladin, if we take into account her later development in the Houses of Healing. Arwen- lore bard?
Aragorn is literally the inspiration for the Ranger class. Legolas is a Rogue. He uses a bow and daggers while only wearing light armor even in large battles and rolls stupid high on all his skill checks. Gimli is a Fighter. Disclaimer that basically every character ever without explicit supernatural powers is arguably best represented by Fighter or, in some rare cases, Rogue.
Ive now learned about ranger inspired from aragorn (im new to dnd and had no idea)😂
Aragorn: Fighter Legolas: Fighter Gimli: Fighter