Dungeons & Dragons provides players with a litany of tools they can use when creating their own unique and distinct characters. While a player's choice of race and class are often the first decisions made during character creation, a character's choice of subclass can have a significant impact on both the flavor of the character and the utility they bring to a party.
When building characters for a party of adventurers, it's common for players to create characters that can fit various roles in a party. One of the most integral roles of any party is a Face. Faces are characters that excel in social situations, often acting as the party's diplomat. As functionality as a face doesn't particularly impact combat, a Face most often fits more than one role within the party. However, various subclasses within the game are great options for those who really want to crank up their Charisma-based skills. So today, we're going to shine a light on some of the best subclasses players can choose when building a party's face!
6 Banneret - Fighter
While far from the most popular Fighter subclass, Bannerets fill a unique niche for those looking to build a chivalrous, Charisma-focused knight. At level seven Bannerets gain the Royal Envoy feature that immediately allows them to function as an excellent Face.
In addition to providing a character with proficiency in persuasion (or another skill if the character already has that proficiency), they also gain expertise in persuasion, allowing them to double their proficiency modifier when making persuasion checks. When paired with a high charisma modifier, a Banneret can excel in social situations just as well - if not better than they can on a battlefield.
5 Fiend Patron - Warlock
Warlocks are a class known for their traditionally high charisma which they utilize in order to cast spells. While Warlocks are already among the most Charismatic members of a given party, even having access to the Beguiling Influence Eldritch Invocation which provides proficiency in both persuasion and deception, Warlocks with Fiendish Patrons gain access to a great and flexible ability that can help them further function as a Face.
Gained at level six, Dark One's Own Luck is a feature that allows a Warlock to add 1d10 to any ability check or saving throw once per short rest. As this additional die can be added after one has seen the initial roll, it can be used to help ensure success during key social situations, whether a Warlock is persuading, deceiving, or even intimidating an NPC.
4 The Great Old One Patron - Warlock
Another subclass option for the Charismatic Warlock class, The Great Old One Patron provides a character with a stellar Face-based ability from the word go. Through the Awakened Mind feature, a Warlock is capable of telepathically communicating with creatures within thirty feet of them as long as that creature understands at least one language.
What's important to note here is that while creatures being spoken to must be able to understand at least one language in order to comprehend these telepathic messages, they aren't required to know the language the Warlock is speaking. This completely subverts the language barrier and allows a party to easily communicate with any sentient creatures they find, more easily avoiding misunderstandings and potentially solving more problems diplomatically.
3 Oath Of Redemption - Paladin
While Paladins are already a class known for their use of high Charisma, Paladins of the Oath of Redemption boast an additional means of improving their conversational skills. As Paladins that are adept in ending conflicts nonviolently, an Oath of Redemption Paladin has access to the Emissary of Peace Channel Divinity option.
Once activated as a bonus action, the Paladin at hand gains a +5 bonus to all of their persuasion checks. As such a Paladin is likely already proficient in persuasion and likely has high Charisma, this can allow a character to reliably add well over +10 to each of their persuasion checks.
2 Fey Wander- Ranger
Fey Wanders are Rangers that in some manner acquired magics tied to the Feywild. While Rangers are a class that traditionally makes great use of their Wisdom, applying it to skills and magic alike, Fey Wanderers are capable of utilizing their high wisdom in social situations. This is thanks to the Sublcass's Otherworldly Glamour feature which not only provides access to a Charisma-based skill proficiency, but also allows the ranger to add their Wisdom modifier to all of their charisma checks.
This means that if a Feywild Ranger has substantial Wisdom and Charisma, when making a Charisma check, the character is capable of adding a massive modifier that nearly guarantees success. Thanks to the update to the Ranger class in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything that allows Rangers to gain expertise in a skill of their choice, a Fey Wanderer can potentially make one of their Charisma-based skill modifiers all the more impressive.
1 College Of Eloquence - Bard
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The College of Eloquence Bard is by and large the best subclass for a Face character a player can choose in D&D's fifth edition. While other subclasses on this list are able to add sizable modifiers to their Charisma-based skill checks, the College of Eloquence Bard offers unparalleled consistency. Once this subclass is gained, whenever the bard makes a persuasion or deception check, if the player at hand rolls a nine or under, they can simply treat the roll as a ten.
This means that when paired with expertise, a College of Eloquence Bard can eventually guarantee that their lowest possible Persuasion rolls are greater than 20! As if this isn't impressive, once a College of Eloquence Bard gains its sixth level, its Universal Speach feature allows it to knock down the language barrier, allowing any creatures to magically comprehend the bard's words, regardless of which language is spoken.