im new to d&d [Archive] - Wizards Community

im new to d&d [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Jaw
11-13-04, 01:58 PM :rimshot: im new to d&d what do you think is a good starting class and race:rimshot:
AngryJoe
11-13-04, 02:47 PM First time to D&D? Human Fighter. Nothing could be simpler. All you need to concern yourself with is running up and hitting things, and when you can't do that, maybe shoot them with a bow. Getting a ton of feats means you can experiment with different combat feats and see which ones work best for your style. Get a good Constitution and Strength score, with maybe secondary focus in Dexterity and Intelligence (at least 13 so you can get access to some of the more tactical feats). You'll be the primary damage dealer during earlier levels (1-6) and later on you just protect the spellcasters in your party so they can nuke them at range. It's a pretty fun class all around.
Jaw
11-13-04, 03:03 PM :rimshot: thanks:rimshot:
Rathis Darkwielder
11-13-04, 03:57 PM I wouldn't really go for the most 'easy' class when deciding. You think about what kind of character you want. If you post a general idea on these boards, most people will be happy to help decide on the mechanics side of your character.

Please don't mind the people who say mages are more difficult than fighters. It may take a bit more work, but it's certainly not too difficult.
Jaw
11-13-04, 04:02 PM :rimshot: interesting comment ill consider it :rimshot:
ChaosProphet
11-13-04, 10:59 PM hey jaw i'm new too but i decided to make my first character an elven ranger, i dunno y but i just like the idea of being the in the woods for a home, i wanna be like an assasin and work mostly on long range attacks but i could be making now sense at all cause i still havent played at all so dont listen to me
Jaw
11-14-04, 04:44 AM :rimshot: not a bad idea chaos prophet:rimshot:
Molitor
11-14-04, 07:47 PM I welcome the two of you ( Jaw, ChaosProphet) to D&D. I read in your posts what it was like for me to be a beginning player 22 years ago. I would like to help you out in the future if you have any questions. So...just send me a personal message or something. And again, welcome.
Osiris Memnoch
11-14-04, 08:24 PM Why does everyone always say human fighter is the easiest to play? Managing that many feats takes a little experience. Barbarians are definately easier to play. All you need is a great sword and high strength and you're in. No exra feats to worry about

Of course I don't really like forcing anyone into playing a specific class. It's better for the player to pick the class that speaks to them. They're all good so it really doesn't matter. After that I help them pick feats and skills.

Come back when you get a better idea of what you want to do and we'll talk.
Light Dragon
11-14-04, 09:22 PM But with Barbarian, you have to manage the Rage option and if you are going to roleplay it correctly, you have some very specific things you must do- IE: you must either be at one with nature and rejective of society, or be ill mannered and unintelligent, etc.

Whereas with a fighter, you can choose any sort of path to take him/her down! And a lot of the basic feats included in the Player's Handbook are pretty straightforward.

Now, when you add the splatbook feats, that's where Fighter becomes more nuanced and difficult to play than a Barbarian...
Death Unlimited
11-14-04, 09:50 PM I remember my first character was a human thief in 1e, when i was eight. :D This was...18 years ago. Of course, all the thief skills were at set numbers then and there was no picking and choosing. Nowadays classes all have a lot of options. It's true tho, go with what you like. Human Fighter may be the simplest, but if you like nature or something like that, nothing's stopping you from going Ranger, Barbarian, or even Druid instead. Just read thru the classes and see what ya like. :)
allenchan
11-15-04, 12:16 AM (half) orc barb. simple, effective, and fun. that was my first. After you play awhile you realize its not so great, but, hey. He was a blast.
Rathis Darkwielder
11-15-04, 01:35 AM I think it would help if you gave us a little information about what kind of character you want to play: Magic-user/combat specialist/scout/???"

If you've got a race in mind as well, please tell us too.

With that information I'm sure the people on the boards here can help you pick a (combination of) class(es) for your character.

Good Luck,

Rathis
Dreaming_in_the_void
11-15-04, 01:42 AM Play a bard. They may not be tough, but they fight, they'll use feats/special abilities/bardic music, are part skill monkey, and cast spells from both the arcane and divine sides of the fence.

You learn it all for the low low price of one character (whom your party will probably eventually kill... because he's a bard. that last part was a joke... sort of).

Best of luck,
DitV
lilymaid
11-15-04, 03:29 AM I'm rather new to this all myself, and I'm still playing my first character. I picked a mage because I thought it would be more interesting, but don't think it was a wise first choice. There's a bit more to it, and I had to deliberate a great deal about everything I did, and constantly look things up, at first. For awhile I was hoping she'd get killed off, to be honest, but she seemed to have incredibly good luck. :)
Rathis Darkwielder
11-15-04, 12:41 PM The best advice I have for any mage (new of experienced) to make copies of all the spells you have and put them (alfabetically sorted of course) with your character sheet. This will provide you with a simple, fast source to find the specifics of any spell you can't remember.

The basic rules of casting spells are pretty simple, so don't be put off by that. It's just the large number of spells available that can make it difficult for a while.
AngryJoe
11-15-04, 04:51 PM The only reason I posted Fighter was he asked for advice on a good starting class, not necessarily the easiest. Fighters allow him to experiment with all kinds of fun combat feats, and see which ones he likes. This way, he'll have a much easier time seeing what he likes and doesn't like.

As far as starting as a spellcaster, I'd say sorcerer. You won't spend as much time anguishing over what spells to memorize every day, just spend some time picking your spells known every time you level. Good advice here is pick a mix of some good damage spells (Magic Missile, Scorching Ray, Fireball, Cone of Cold, etc...) along with some good support spells (Evard's Black Tentacles, Glitterdust, Invisibility, Haste, etc...).

Cleric isn't a bad choice either, since it allows you to kind of play both a fighter and a spellcaster. You're not as tough as the fighter, and your magic is mostly support and healing (which makes your party happy), but overall it makes a pretty strong character.

Basically, just pick something that sounds fun or has a flavour you like and play around with it. I have yet to find a class I really don't enjoy playing. Good luck.
Jaw
11-16-04, 02:52 PM :rimshot: thanks everybody who posted youve been loads of help :rimshot:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jaw 11-13-04, 01:58 PM	:rimshot: im new to d&d what do you think is a good starting class and race:rimshot:
AngryJoe 11-13-04, 02:47 PM	First time to D&D? Human Fighter. Nothing could be simpler. All you need to concern yourself with is running up and hitting things, and when you can't do that, maybe shoot them with a bow. Getting a ton of feats means you can experiment with different combat feats and see which ones work best for your style. Get a good Constitution and Strength score, with maybe secondary focus in Dexterity and Intelligence (at least 13 so you can get access to some of the more tactical feats). You'll be the primary damage dealer during earlier levels (1-6) and later on you just protect the spellcasters in your party so they can nuke them at range. It's a pretty fun class all around.
Jaw 11-13-04, 03:03 PM	:rimshot: thanks:rimshot:
Rathis Darkwielder 11-13-04, 03:57 PM	I wouldn't really go for the most 'easy' class when deciding. You think about what kind of character you want. If you post a general idea on these boards, most people will be happy to help decide on the mechanics side of your character. Please don't mind the people who say mages are more difficult than fighters. It may take a bit more work, but it's certainly not too difficult.
Jaw 11-13-04, 04:02 PM	:rimshot: interesting comment ill consider it :rimshot:
ChaosProphet 11-13-04, 10:59 PM	hey jaw i'm new too but i decided to make my first character an elven ranger, i dunno y but i just like the idea of being the in the woods for a home, i wanna be like an assasin and work mostly on long range attacks but i could be making now sense at all cause i still havent played at all so dont listen to me
Jaw 11-14-04, 04:44 AM	:rimshot: not a bad idea chaos prophet:rimshot:
Molitor 11-14-04, 07:47 PM	I welcome the two of you ( Jaw, ChaosProphet) to D&D. I read in your posts what it was like for me to be a beginning player 22 years ago. I would like to help you out in the future if you have any questions. So...just send me a personal message or something. And again, welcome.
Osiris Memnoch 11-14-04, 08:24 PM	Why does everyone always say human fighter is the easiest to play? Managing that many feats takes a little experience. Barbarians are definately easier to play. All you need is a great sword and high strength and you're in. No exra feats to worry about Of course I don't really like forcing anyone into playing a specific class. It's better for the player to pick the class that speaks to them. They're all good so it really doesn't matter. After that I help them pick feats and skills. Come back when you get a better idea of what you want to do and we'll talk.
Light Dragon 11-14-04, 09:22 PM	But with Barbarian, you have to manage the Rage option and if you are going to roleplay it correctly, you have some very specific things you must do- IE: you must either be at one with nature and rejective of society, or be ill mannered and unintelligent, etc. Whereas with a fighter, you can choose any sort of path to take him/her down! And a lot of the basic feats included in the Player's Handbook are pretty straightforward. Now, when you add the splatbook feats, that's where Fighter becomes more nuanced and difficult to play than a Barbarian...
Death Unlimited 11-14-04, 09:50 PM	I remember my first character was a human thief in 1e, when i was eight. :D This was...18 years ago. Of course, all the thief skills were at set numbers then and there was no picking and choosing. Nowadays classes all have a lot of options. It's true tho, go with what you like. Human Fighter may be the simplest, but if you like nature or something like that, nothing's stopping you from going Ranger, Barbarian, or even Druid instead. Just read thru the classes and see what ya like. :)
allenchan 11-15-04, 12:16 AM	(half) orc barb. simple, effective, and fun. that was my first. After you play awhile you realize its not so great, but, hey. He was a blast.
Rathis Darkwielder 11-15-04, 01:35 AM	I think it would help if you gave us a little information about what kind of character you want to play: Magic-user/combat specialist/scout/???" If you've got a race in mind as well, please tell us too. With that information I'm sure the people on the boards here can help you pick a (combination of) class(es) for your character. Good Luck, Rathis
Dreaming_in_the_void 11-15-04, 01:42 AM	Play a bard. They may not be tough, but they fight, they'll use feats/special abilities/bardic music, are part skill monkey, and cast spells from both the arcane and divine sides of the fence. You learn it all for the low low price of one character (whom your party will probably eventually kill... because he's a bard. that last part was a joke... sort of). Best of luck, DitV
lilymaid 11-15-04, 03:29 AM	I'm rather new to this all myself, and I'm still playing my first character. I picked a mage because I thought it would be more interesting, but don't think it was a wise first choice. There's a bit more to it, and I had to deliberate a great deal about everything I did, and constantly look things up, at first. For awhile I was hoping she'd get killed off, to be honest, but she seemed to have incredibly good luck. :)
Rathis Darkwielder 11-15-04, 12:41 PM	The best advice I have for any mage (new of experienced) to make copies of all the spells you have and put them (alfabetically sorted of course) with your character sheet. This will provide you with a simple, fast source to find the specifics of any spell you can't remember. The basic rules of casting spells are pretty simple, so don't be put off by that. It's just the large number of spells available that can make it difficult for a while.
AngryJoe 11-15-04, 04:51 PM	The only reason I posted Fighter was he asked for advice on a good starting class, not necessarily the easiest. Fighters allow him to experiment with all kinds of fun combat feats, and see which ones he likes. This way, he'll have a much easier time seeing what he likes and doesn't like. As far as starting as a spellcaster, I'd say sorcerer. You won't spend as much time anguishing over what spells to memorize every day, just spend some time picking your spells known every time you level. Good advice here is pick a mix of some good damage spells (Magic Missile, Scorching Ray, Fireball, Cone of Cold, etc...) along with some good support spells (Evard's Black Tentacles, Glitterdust, Invisibility, Haste, etc...). Cleric isn't a bad choice either, since it allows you to kind of play both a fighter and a spellcaster. You're not as tough as the fighter, and your magic is mostly support and healing (which makes your party happy), but overall it makes a pretty strong character. Basically, just pick something that sounds fun or has a flavour you like and play around with it. I have yet to find a class I really don't enjoy playing. Good luck.
Jaw 11-16-04, 02:52 PM	:rimshot: thanks everybody who posted youve been loads of help :rimshot: