Last Updated: September 18, 2023

Character optimization, at its simplest, is the act of looking at two choices when building a character and choosing the option which will make your character more mechanically effective. The practice is a bit more nuanced, if only because the abundance of options makes weighing those choices challenging. The collection of articles below includes detailed guidance on building your ideal character from top to bottom.

Intro to Character Optimization

Are you new to character optimization? Does reading a wall of text with a bunch of colors and stars and funny names seem daunting? Start here. Once you’ve got the basics, everything below will make more sense.

State of the Character Optimization Meta

A discussion of the current state of the character optimization meta, including changes introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

This article will be periodically updated as new source books are released and rules changes are introduced.

Classes

General guides to building and playing your class.

Races

Sometimes you want to play a specific race. Knowing which options are available for that race can make playing that race more viable.

Feats

Guides to getting the most out of individual feats.

Spells

Detailed guides on how specific spells work and how to get the most out of them.

Other Support Articles

Articles digging into specific mechanics and character options which don’t fit neatly into other existing categories.

• Dragonlance Backgrounds and Feats Breakdown
• Dunamancy Spell List Breakdown
• Epic Boons Breakdown
• The Fundamental Math of Character Optimization
• Glory of the Giants Backgrounds and Feats Breakdown
• The Healbot Olympics
• Melee Cantrips vs. Extra Attack
• Practical Guide to Grapple
• Practical Guide to Mounted Combat
• Practical Guide to Multiclassing
  • Bugbear-y Me in Damage
  • Fistful of d4s
  • Hexbuckler of the Astral Seas
  • Oversized Weapons Handbook
  • Tetragrammaton Cleric (uses Kobold Press’s Tome of Heroes)
  • Totembreaker: Scourge of Nature
• Practical Guide to Poisoner, Poison, and Poisoning
• Practical Guide to Impractical Skill Checks
• Practical Guide to Status Conditions
• Practical Guide to Tools
• Ravnica Background Breakdown
• Strixhaven Backgrounds Breakdown
• Tal’Dorei Feats Breakdown

Support Articles for 3rd-Party Publishers

RPGBOT has covered some 3rd-party content from our favorite creators. This content is published under the Open Gaming License, under Creative Commons, or through DMsGuild, and is not considered official content. As such, it is not available in Adventurer’s League organized play, and your group may not allow it in your game. If your group wants to explore 3rd-party content, we hope that these articles will help you make them work for you.

• Practical Guide to Kobold Press’s Gunpowder Property – DnD 5e
• Practical Guide to MCDM’s Monstrous Companions

For class and subclass handbooks for 3rd-party content, see our Classes page.