The final matchups of our Round of 24 pit Paladin vs. Martyr, Captain vs. Warlock, Bard vs. Binder, and Artificer vs. Gadgeteer!
Use this form to cast your vote before the Sweet Sixteen on March 27 at 12 p.m. CDT! Five winners will be selected at random from those who voted in any round of the tournament, each winner to receive the Complete Class PDF of their choice.
The Championship game has passed, with the Warmage emerging as the ultimate champion!
Not sure who should win? Here’s what you need to know about each matchup.
Paladin vs. Martyr
Holy warriors called to entirely different kinds of servitude. Will you fight for what you worship, even unto death?
Chosen by the gods to complete a task, martyrs are set upon a harsh, predestined path, requiring constant sacrifice. Martyrs use their hit points to fuel their divine abilities, and can supernaturally resist death’s embrace. Play a martyr if you want to experience the push and pull of sacrificing hit points for massive damage, only to heal moments later.
Bound by oath to stand against the forces of evil, paladins draw power from their own devotion and channel it into their weapons.
*Pictured here: A paladin of the Oath of Revelry, featured in Valda’s Spire of Secrets and Taverns & Tankards.
Captain vs. Warlock
Hold together a fighting duo by your force of will alone. Do you bargain for magic or band together in martial prowess?
Brave commanders and savvy tacticians, captains control a second character in the form of a cohort and enhance their allies in combat with dice-fueled maneuvers. Play a captain if you want to lead your allies to victory!
Sworn and beholden to an otherwordly entity, warlocks skirt the boundaries of wisdom and propriety to stay one step ahead of their patron in their never-ending quest for power.
*Pictured: A warlock with a symbiont patron, a living slime exoskeleton of incomprehensible power, from Valda’s Spire of Secrets.
Bard vs. Binder
Dead gods and heroes live on in the stories we tell of them. But do you tell those stories or live them anew?
More than minsters or jesters, true Bards are masters of song, speech, dance, and the magic contained in performance. With their versatile skills and empowering magic, every party is better with a bard around.
*Pictured: A bard from the College of Romance who can enchant even sworn enemies to swooning.
Binders redefine their playstyle each day by attuning to the spirits of dead gods and heroes. Play a binder if you want a supremely flexible class steeped in mythology and roleplaying opportunities.
Artificer vs. Gadgeteer
Work smarter, not harder! Who needs magic or a strong sword arm when you’ve got a perfectly good contraption right here?
Artificers infuse normal, everyday items with magic, providing an arsenal of weapons and armor to their party, along with the occasional flash of creative genius.
Gadgeteers are the space-faring masters of technology and engineering from sci-fi expansion to D&D, Dark Matter. With their AI companions at their side, gadgeteers pursue the cutting edge of science and innovation across the ‘Verse.
We’re playing March Madness all month long
This tournament of champions will pit 15 Mage Hand Press base classes against 13 core classes in D&D until the championship game on April 7. Or download the whole bracket here as a form-fillable PDF, so you can share all your picks for this battle of the titans!
