Character optimization for DnD characters, 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.
You don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of DnD to benefit from the articles below. We try to write everything in a manner that’s approachable, but still thorough and informative. If you’re ever lost by discussions of individual options, it’s perfectly fine to pick an example build from our class and subclass handbooks and play it exactly as described. Every example build includes a description of how the build works and how to use each part of the build to great effect.
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 the class and subclass of your choice, including guides on multiclassing, example builds, and a handful of optimized multiclass builds.
Races, Lineages, and Species
Sometimes you want to play a specific race. Knowing which options are available for that race can make playing that race more viable so that you can build your ideal character around your race of choice.
Feats
Some feats require some investigation to get their full value. In these articles we examine individual feats or collections of related feats in depth in order to get the most value out of each of them.
Spells
Detailed guides on how specific spells work and how to get the most out of them. We dig into the mechanics, implications, and uses of each spell so that you can use them to the greatest effect.
Other Support Articles for DnD Characters
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
- Planescape Backgrounds and Feats Breakdown
- Practical Guide to Fighting Styles
- 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
- Practical Guide to Weapons
- Ravnica Background Breakdown
- SRD Monster Stats Analysis: What the SRD Can Tell Us About Optimization
- 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 (Kobold Press)
- Practical Guide to MCDM’s Monstrous Companions (MCDM)
For class and subclass handbooks for 3rd-party content, see our Classes page.