Character Optimization...

If there is anything that everyone sitting at the table does when they make a new character, it is definitely optimization. It doesn't matter whether you are a fighter or a wizard or a rogue. And it doesn't matter if your specialty is knives or bows, evocations or divinations. Each person, on some level, is trying to make their character better at what they are supposed to do. Optimizing is how we get closer and closer to the best we can be with what is available. Of course there is such a thing as going too far, but we will talk about that later.

*note: my examples reference D&D, but the principles should be applicable to most systems

There are some very basic ways to optimize a character for the job at hand. The very first step in doing this, is to decide what it is you want to do exactly. Decide on what is most important for your character and their role. Are they going to be dealing the highest damage of the group? Are they going to be able to manipulate the battlefield? Are you a tank, or perhaps a healer? Do you like versatility? These are the questions everyone should be asking themselves. Not everyone does though, coming up with a cool idea and getting it in their head that they know exactly how that will play out.

But part of optimization is knowing how you want to play, as much as knowing what you want to play. If you want to be the damage dealer but hate tracking spells, then sorcerer is definitely not for you. That is an obvious example, though. What if you do want to cast spells, but you want to be right up in melee combat? Sorcerer is still, probably, the wrong choice. An arcane trickster and an eldritch knight are both good choices. Don't stop there! Would you prefer being an unwavering wall of magical swordsmanship or a agile dealer of surprising magical attacks?

Differentiating between the role you want to fill and how you want to fill that role is just the start to optimization. It's the part that gets you into doing what you want in a way that you will enjoy. Or it may be a way of getting you into the role the party needs in a way you would enjoy filling that hole. Beyond that you have to go into the more common form of optimizing: the numbers.

Giving yourself the right stats and picking the right features are the most important part of optimizing your character mechanically. It doesn't matter how good your weapon is or how deep into assassin you are, if you didn't give yourself a dexterity score over 11, you are going to have a bad time. Now, that is an obvious example of just making the necessary choice for your character. But what about when you have to choose between giving one important stat the best score and another the second best? Should my tank have more strength or more constitution?

There is a very easy way to figure this out, at least when you are talking optimization. Is damage or survival more important to you? That's a good place to start. Then just look at other stats. Strength is actually involved in skills. It is also used for melee attacks, throwing things, grappling, and literal feats of strength. Constitution would give you more HP, better healing, survival of long term threats like poison or disease, and allow you to have good endurance for strenuous situations. Mechanically, in a game like D&D, strength is the better choice.

It may depend on racial bonuses as well. You might be able to get two good scores out of those, or you could get one decent score and one really good score. At that point it is up to preference and whether your intention is offensive or defensive. There are other choices to make as well to optimize aside the explicit numbers. Getting the best armor you can to boost your AC, making sure you pick the right fighting style, getting a shield to make up for putting extra into strength instead of constitution, and more can help you make your character the best it can be.

Optimization continues on throughout play as well. Choosing the right gear to buy or simply wearing the right items for the right situation will become regular choices to make. Whenever you level or spend XP, you will want to choose the right feature, spell, or ability. As you learn how you play the character and what you tend to do more often, pick the things that will enhance that. Take note of situations you have trouble with and find items or ways of negating those issues.

Beyond that, picking the race that will give you appropriate stat bonuses is a good idea. Or one that has some racial features that will compliment what you intend to do is also a good choice. Picking the right background or similar aspect to a character can boost the role-playing and skill-based aspects of the character as well. Soldier, for example, is a great choice for a tank and sage is perfect for spell casters.

Be careful though, there is a way to take optimization too far. I have known some people who would do it. As good as those ideas may be on paper and in the numbers, they tend to have problems. As helpful as optimization is, these games aren't video games and getting the best numbers and MOST optimal build is not going to make you "better" at D&D. When it comes down to it, there will be a time when you just need to throw optimization out the window, but we'll talk more on that next week.