I tried to explain Barbarian to new player once. Basically said "You are Conan." His response was "Conan O'Brien?" And so we flipped that around, and Brian O'Conan was born.
The thing is you're asking the DM if you can go into a hyper violent, blood-thirsty mind state where you destroy anything and anyone that's in front of you. It's apreciated if you at least ask politely if you can do so.
My first character was a barbarian half-orc named GVRSH (too hardcore for vowels) who blundered into every single thing, and it was delightful. For me at least. Always good to consider the rest of your party and your DM when choosing this kind of character.
My first character was a Rogue, and the most important thing about Rogue for me that helped make it such a great first class to play was that every single ability of theirs is unlimited use (until you become an Arcane Trickster and you have limited use of your leveled spells, but you still have unlimited use of your cantrips). Never having to make a quick decision about "do I use this ability now, or do I save it for later" helped so much. I always had expertise in Stealth, it was always on. I always had expertise in Thieves' Tools, it was always on. I could use Thieves' Tools an unlimited number of times (although not an unlimited number of times on the same lock). I could use Sneak Attack every round without having to worry about saving it for a time when it is more important. I could use Cunning Action every round without having to worry about saving it for a time when it is more important. Because of my personality, I'm very hesitant to use abilities that have a limited number of uses because I'm very wary about "but what if I need to use this ability again in the future and I no longer have it." With Rogue, that was not a problem at all, and that made it so easy to adjust.
Yes, this is a VERY good point. Resource management, especially Long Rest resources, can be pretty hard for new players. To me this says that the Champion Fighter is, hands down, the winner for ease of use with resources. They literally have none but Second Wind and Action Surge. Second Wind is pretty easy to learn how to use as is Action Surge.
@@crimfan short rest resources are even harder I think, LR can be explained as "you can use this X times per day" SR is like "yea you can use it X times, but if you sit around for a while you can do it again. Wait you have 4 out of 6 unused? No you don't suddenly get 10, it's just 6. Oh yea you also get them back if you sleep. But at least 8 hours or it doesn't count".
@@MerijnH I was thinking more of things like Action Surge, Channel Divinity, etc., which are "once per" and thus don't have difficult counting. A character like a Bard is a particularly noob-unfriendly build because they have both long rest abilities via spells, short rest abilities via the incredibly badly named Bardic Inspiration, and most of their abilities are potent by way of other characters. In general, though, I agree that the rest mechanics really are confusing, so I take your point: It depends a lot on how the DM and group handle it.
@@crimfan ah you definitely have a point there. Things that are once per rest is indeed very easier than "an amount of times equal to your Wis modifier" or smth. Definitely agree on the bard part too
I wish this was true. I started curse of Strahd as my first campaign a little over a year ago (were about to take him on within the next month or two probably) and my first character was a tortle bard, that zany idea sounded fun, but I performed REALLY badly. So when he died, I was really sad, but also, it allowed me to play a simpler character
@Emmy I don’t think it would be too difficult, but it depends on how hard the dm designs the encounters and what level your character is. Make sure to make every spell slot you use count, whether it be to heal an ally, damage an enemy, or to inconvenience them, and I’m sure you’ll do great.
Life cleric as well. I loosely based mine after a Planeswalker. I joined a group at the endgame dungeon crawl, so I didn't have a lot of time, but I learned so much.
Fighter-straight forward mechanics but very versatile Cleric-versatile cuz subclasses at lvl 1 but ez spell mechanics Rogue- cuz ez to play but everyone loves rolling fistfuls of dice
Cleric is far from easy imo. You have may abilities like channel divinity, subclass abilities at lvl 1, changing spells on a LR, knowledge of deities, atks (for some subclasses), all pretty complicated for someone who doesn't even know you have to add +2 to that big die thingy if the DM asks for a perception roll.
@@MerijnH I'm just nearing the end of Phandelver with some friends who haven't played before except DM and I. Our cleric is level 4 and they just realized that they can cast more than just their Domain spells x.x
@@MerijnH yeah I'm playing a druid atm, and I can't imagine playing it completely new to the game, I've been dming for 2 years now and I am still getting analysis paralysis
As a DM, my strategy with players interested in getting into d&d for the first time is to just ask questions: What character do you envision playing? What's his/her personality like? Where did they come from, and what do they want in life? Will they be aggressive in the front lines or calm and tactical? From there, I use my personal experiences with game mechanics to match up the answers with a class that can meet that player's expectations for his/her character. The class, in that sense, is an instrument to aid the roleplay experience.
My first character was a Warlock, and to this day she is one of my favorite characters I've ever played, to the point that I have a bit of a warlock obsession. Granted, I also have an obsession with fine tuning builds, and have played a ton of RPGs that encourage a ton of choice with builds, so like, I was willing to do my homework, but it is definitely not one to just yeet at a new player without helping them through their set up pretty carefully.
I just started on my first campaign as a warlock, with a group of players who are mostly just as inexperienced as me. At a certain point in character preparation you just figure out that you really have to do your homework. I think I spent about 20 hours that first week, reading the rules, researching and picking spells, consulting with the dm and helping my fellow players build their character. I'm still far from an expert on all of this, but I'm happy I got this experience, and it has really added to my gaming enjoyment.
I can't say I've ever thought of recommending a certain class for new players in general. I like to start with new players by asking about their favourite parts of popular culture, like books and movies. You probably can't play your favourite hero, but its a good starting point.
I'd probably steer a new player away from a more complicated character type like the Monk or Sorcerer, though, where it's really easy to feel frustrated due to the complexity of the play. One way to do it might be to say something like, "Let's plan on you playing one of those down the line a bit. If you want to we can always swap out a character."
My first character in 3.5 was a Human Sorcerer. Everyone helped me get my stats going but I picked my own spells and the party loved me! People were very happy with all the CC I picked and so was I. We reached level 20 in that campaign. Now that I'm experienced, ironically, my most recent character is a Human Fighter (Battlemaster). She's fun, has things to do that others appreciate, has a high amount of versatility bc she's good at both range and melee, and because I'm rarely counting on my character to get me through things, I need to think a lot more outside of combat and prepare in very salt of the earth ways, which comes in handy more than people expect. Sometimes just doing simple things like bringing a healer's kit ends up saving the day.
Perfect timing dudes! I am in the process of figuring it all out and starting. Daughter is dragging me into D&D. I have been making miniatures for her for a long time, just now getting into actually playing.
You can't go wrong with rogue! In previous editions, they sometimes were very fragile or underwhelming. 5e rogue is great. Oh... it's 5 months later... what did t you pick, how did it go?
@@Observer31 I ended up starting as a War Domain Cleric. I am 4 sessions in now, and enjoying the game. I can now see myself playing many campaigns to learn all I can about all the classes.
@@killsomethin , other than the fact I was turned into glass by an undead Medusa last session...and all the things that people had such as scrolls which could have un-glassed me were cast into some magic melting cauldron, so I am stuck until they figure out a solution...it is great. I still feel like an idiot from time to time, but at least I did not melt all my magic items that could help the party....
My first character, back in the 80's, was a Elven wizard (my second was a Dwarven fighter) and I had so much fun playing both of them (I still have their character sheets and figures). I haven't played in many, many years, and listening to you Dudes and some others, I know there have been a lot of changes since then. I bought the Players Handbook and am reading thru it. Hopefully following your TH-cam game I'll understand more of some the nuisances of what is going on.
Hey, always great to see a seasoned player! I'm a bit of a noob DM but this game is such a joy, I hope you get back into playing soon, and that you have many more adventures with awesome characters
It's awesome that you're getting back into the hobby! 5th edition should be pretty easy to pick up compared to most of the other editions so I'm sure you can get back into it with relative ease.
I hope you do what you can to get back into gaming. There's a little politics these days coming from wizards of the coast (sjw left wing agenda) but I have to admit the 5e system they've made is well balanced and it feels like the versatile party is more necessary than ever. In a party of 4 through 6 players if you pick up tank, damager, crowd control, healer, or support you will feel essential and important. That means the one thing you'll need to seek out for a veteran lime yourself are skilled role players. Unless you have the heart and habits of a teacher, then a newbie party is right up your alley!
5e is awesome! I can see why it's called the most inclusive system around. It really makes an effort to break down the artificial walls some try to put up around the game. :) Wishing you great games!
My first character was a human fighter. But then again when I started Elf, Dwarf, & Halfling were classes. I still have a soft spot for Demi-Humans. (Gnomes are pretenders that should be forsaken at all times!!!!!)
@@marcdavis4509 what experience? You really can play a decent paladin with little to no experience, and unless you level up like once per session or start at a higher level, you will no longer be a new player when you hit those higher, more complicated levels.
My first character was a monk and while I understand at later levels they can be harder to play and their damage falls off, but getting 2 attacks every turn with the martial Arts bonus and getting to add your modifer to both rolls or 3 attacks with flurry of blows you easily out damage even the fighters and barbarians early on. Your unarmored defense and unarmored movement give you the ac and speed to get wherever you need on the battlefield and not worry about getting hit. If needed you can spend a ki point and get to attack and dodge/disengage in the same turn making you very flexible. Great class early on that gives you time to learn the new abilities you gain as your level progresses. Maybe harder for some to utilize the ki points effectively but for me it was really simple and a ton of fun
i made a monk once.... but on that saga i had the worst luck imaginable.....my hit rolls were almost exclusively 3,7, and 5....and often 1.....i critically failed a trip, and ended up falling prone....and getting almost killed...and my character finally died in a duel with another monk....who was of a higher level, had perma-haste, and nunchaku......it was a horrible death by bludgeoning.... but i'll make a new monk, in pathfinder....and hopefully my rolls will be better
Definitely pick what speaks to you! My first character was a human bard, and I loved him to death! He was witty and helpful, and kind to everyone, and accidentally ended up marrying Sildar from Lost Mines because he was a lovable idiot with a big heart. Because of him, I loved finding ways to be supportive with all the different classes! My favorite character so far was my 4th! My half-elf divination wizard with lucky saved the party so many times with his visions of the future. :)
Man i wish i knew people around my area who played so i could join, Im new but watched so many vids on d&d i kinda want to be a druid tho which im sure is not good for new playrs
My first character I ever played was a Great Old One Warlock, and I absolutely loved it. She had a buttload of cantrips and because of the charisma casting I even got to be the party face. Honestly any class is a good class if the DM can help you understand it.
I agree on the barbarian for one single reason. While on Rage "You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage" That's so satisfying and yet so simple to new players, and really takes a huge weight off from the player.
So members of my Historical fencing group decided to start a dnd group which me and my wife joined. Having played since 5e's launch we had plenty of experience under our belts. The other in our party had not played before and I was curious to see what they would choose. My wife went as a bard and I as a Paladin, the three others went for Fighter, wizard and Ranger. The fighter was the easiest to for my mate to pick up. Having played one myself he started to use the battle master subclass in ways I hadn't even thought of. Plus the DM suggested he take GWM as a variant human. So he was dealing the damage with great satisfaction. In fact there is a friendly rivalry between characters and ourselves on the damage we're pumping out. However the wizard class does have some more learning curves imo. The wizard can do massive damage but you have to understand how and when. My friend wanted to be in the front lines with his 10 AC, no HP wizard because he didn't know he should pick mage armour and stay at the back. He wanted to be the cool damage dealer wizard but wasn't seeing the results, was often getting 0 HP'd, and my Paladin was wasting turns keeping him alive with healing hands. After a few sessions I spoke to him after fencing and explained the class a bit more broadly. That it was more supportive in some aspects, buffing and debuffing, shaping the battles and terrain. That its damage dealing comes from AOE spells that need to used at the right time. I don't think just being a cool spellcaster is essentially a bigger priority than knowing your roll. The fighter fights, the cleric heals, the rogue assassinates, people inherently know the roles. The wizard has such a broad scope it's easy to get lost in what the party role should be, making it that much harder for a new player to find their footing.
I use Penny Arcade's football metaphor all the time. I'm not going to get the exact quote right, but, Football is an RPG where damage is measured in yards. Field goals are incaps and touchdowns are kills. Receivers are ranged DPS, backs are melee. The quarterback is a spellcaster. That idea of a spellcaster as the "quarterback" of the team works really well. They shouldn't be getting hit very much, but they should be highly flexible. If the enemy focuses too much on them, that should get punished by the rest of the team. They should look for the weaknesses in the enemy's line/formation, and call their shots when they see an opportunity. It's a position that has potentially the biggest impact, but that success relies on taking the highest-percentage shots you can.
@@TrojanManSCP Yeah I'm British, I have a fair understanding of american Football still your metaphor only half understood unfortunately. Probably more confusing for most folks outside the US. Still sure it works well within.
I feel like Circle of the Moon Druid is one of my favorite choices. Such cool uses for the wild shape, access to the full spell list with prepared spells, a pretty comprehensive spell list, and pretty easy roleplaying modes to take on.
I’m going through my very first ever play through, and I’ve picked Moon Druid. I know there are a lot of spells, but it seems like there are so many different ways to play a moon Druid, and I love the creativity surrounding it. Having never even looked at this game (or any other RPG before), I haven’t been this stoked to play a game in a very long time. The amount of effort put into this game and it’s history is just astounding, and it’s very easy to see why so many people love playing it
for a new player to come prepared and manage a full spell list which they will select about 6 from at level 1 and then at level 2 wild shape stat blocks it would probly be the last id recommend to a new player. Now as a DM that maybe is pretty aware of all the spells and stat blocks id say they could just ask what beast would you like to turn into and they could generally guide you but a new player expecting a DM to know stat blocks and what spells do and managing their spell uses is too much.
Paladin is literally everything a new player wants to do and should probably learn rolled into one class. When starting out, they're like a fighter. Run up and smash. They get some other cool stuff but for the most part they're just a big tank the player can easily get behind. Then they get spellcasting later, but not an overwhelmingly large amount of spells that they're not sure what to pick. They'll get more cool abilities as they go along, as well. They get big meaty hits with *SMITE* for those satisfying fistfuls of dice moments. They also have interesting role-playing hooks built right into the class, that helps edge them onto actually thinking about how their character should act, without needing to browbeat them into submission. Paladin is basically the top pic. No scary and specific abilities, not enough spells to be too overwhelming, just a nice combination of everything you should learn about the game rolled into one convenient package.
YES! Exactly! And practically all of your pernament choices (aside from race/class/background, of course) are a little down the line, so you get to choose them after you played for a bit already.
@@anthonynorman7545 literally just follow the suggested build and you will be ok. And if you're running a game in which having a 14 instead of 16 in the main stat would make or brake the build, you're already not running a beginner-friendly game.
Fairly new to D&D. Paladin sounds good for a game starting at level one. That way you get that progression you mentioned. But I had a game starting level 10 (it had already been running a bit). For someone who enjoys building characters, it was actually pretty fun, but it’s hard to see that thing as new player friendly. Didn’t help that I was making a hobgoblin paladin of conquest and my DM wanted to change my paladin skills for a more evil flair.
I feel that Paladin is a great class for a beginner. You get good fighting capabilities, good AC, along with a with a splash of spell casting. Furthermore, if they don't want to bother with spell-casting they can just convert the spells to smites
I was thinking fighter, paladin, and rogue Fighter is simple but it's also flexible and effective and can really be molded to whatever the player wants. Paladin: an easy intro to spellcasting like the cleric but maybe not as overwhelming of a spell list. Rogue: in combat it's pretty simple with sneak attack plus having lots of options outside of combat allowing for great versatility and satisfying but simple role playing as expertise is an awesome ability
we have a halfling barbarian :D he takes out brown bear alone and we are level 4 :D and ofc i'm a wizard Necromancer, just chilling in the back setting things on fire til i can get my undead :D
Dudes you cant imagine how much u helped me Playing D&D, not only helping me to choose and build my Character. The most important for me was the tips and help u give in all your videos that helps to Rollplay , teamplay and personification of the Diferent aspects of the Characters and the Game in general. Ty ty ty ty so much ♥
I like the Paladin as the best introductory class for new player. Charisma means they get experience talking to NPCs to help them get out of their shells. Oaths give them a clear way to roleplay and interact with the world. Paladins get a lot of group buff abilities as they level up, giving the table strong motivation to help them. Being divine half-casters that prepare their spells, it's very easy to get introduced to magic mechanics while still being able to do the easiest thing in the world: I roll to attack, I roll roll damage. People want to be the sword wielding hero? Here's the Holy Knight, ready willing, and able to serve. In addition, you can't help but fall in love with the game that allows you to smite.
My first time playing a cleric was a storm cleric. In a two year campaign that ran to lv 13 i never used a healing spell. I brought the storm not the health
I have a FIghter/Death Cleric (for heavy armor and Con saves). They're sort of the party tank, and literally the only healing spell they have is Healing Word, to get people off their lazy butt when they go lay down to take a nap in the middle of a fight. His Healing Word is "On your feet, soldier!" But, he's a former military officer. And there's a bit of dual persona going on. Out of combat: One of the nicest people you're likely to meet, even if he's a big boi 7ft4 Dragonborn beefcake. In combat: Probably will be your worst fricken nightmare. And he doubles down on that if he casts Vampiric Touch. A switch goes off in his brain, and he just goes MENTAL. He no longer looks out for his party, he just wants to *KILL*.
Before seeing the video, I'll give mine and compare at the end: rogue, fighter, barbarian. As far as subclasses go (for new players, of course): scout rogue, champion fighter, totem barbarian. The reason: very few things to keep track of
My first character was a High Elf, Eldritch Knight Fighter with high dexterity. I had a blast playing him and was still able to roleplay him as the bumbling new kid in this party.
I'm currently in my 1st ever DnD campaign, and I'm so happy I picked wizard for the reasons you listed. My fellow players pointed me to warlock as a beginner wanting to play a spellcaster, and I'm glad I went with my gut. Wizard is a very rewarding class to play with progression that comes in-game from scrolls and books.
I had a good time introducing my friend to Monk. He was a fan of the idea of like, "Disarmed, but i still have TWO ARMS!" And just beating down people with his fists. It was in pf2, and he found stance dancing to be a fun mechanic to punch people in the flavor he needed for the moment. It was magical watching him fall in love with this character in his first rp. :D
As long as you, the DM, help the new player out with spells if they level up, spellcasting isn't hard as far as gameplay goes, only the decisions that come with choosing spells.
the beautiful thing about D&D Beyond is it does most of the calculations for you, proficiency, ability scores, even walks you through character creation. It's a big help.
Your comments on Prepared Casters reminds me of one of my favorite house-rules, which I took from an Unearthed Arcana that didn't make it into Tasha's. Prepared spellcasters can swap out ONE spell per Long Rest. So if the Bard wants to try Silence for a few days before realizing it isn't what they thought it was... they can, and then swap it out for something else the next day. Still not the versatility of a Cleric, but they're not locked into spells they don't like (or out-grew).
Just played my first 5E session last night. I am playing a Scourge Aasimar Celestial Warlock. The session ended in a TPC (Total Party Capture). The giant porcelain golem was doing non-lethal damage. Woke up in a cellar leveling to level 2 and ending the night... Also, when you were talking about Warlock Invocations, They can be swapped out whenever the character gains a level in the Warlock class if the ones they've previously chosen don't actually fit what they had in mind.
I am somewhat amazed that the only thing you have from the Player's Handbook is the Warlock pick itself. Everything else is included in other supplements. I often limit new players to the choices of the Player's Handbook because I made the experience that otherwise they get overwhelmed by the mass of choices to build their character. And to have about 3 to 4 books in front of you can be somewhat menacing. But I am glad you had fun and hope you stick to this wonderful hobby. :)
@@Perial51 D&D Beyond my friend, It streamlines a lot of that. So all I'm having to really pay attention to are the new overall mechanics and what spells do what. Everything else is spelled out on the sheet. Side Note: I've been playing since Vampire the Masquerade, and D&D 3.5. So all I was really fuzzy on were the new overall mechanics.
@@garyfagan9609 Oh okay. When I talk about new players I think of absolute P&P beginners. Sorry for that. Yeah okay, I admit with the conviniences you get with D&D Beyond may help a lot. I like it more to play in real life at the table with my players. And so with the physical books it is often a mess if you want to explain every single suplement. ^^'
@@Perial51 I've made a summary listing I update with each new release. It helps a lot. Players can narrow their choices there and then go to the source books to make their final selections.
Will concur. I just started playing D&D 5e with my friends this year, and I absolutely love spellcasting. My first character was a cleric, and it was a blast.
My favorite character I ever played was because of the chemistry with my friend that was also playing. It was just us two as the pcs so we built dwarven brothers. My character was a paladin and his was a cleric. They messed with each other constantly and had an in game coin betting system that when one bother won all 3 coins through boast and competition he could give the other a task they couldn't refuse. It got fun really fast.
I started out as a druid and the ability to choose from different spells (just like the cleric) was insanely helpful in simplifying the spellcasting and the beast shape of the circle of the druid made combat extremely simple to grasp as well.
I'm currently running a group of first time players. We started with a celestial warlock, a hexblade, a shadow monk, a champion fighter, a gloomstalker ranger, and an arcane trickster rogue. The champion fighter and the shadow monk both left the group after level 5, and we had a glamour bard join at that point. So far, both of the warlocks have had a pretty easy time figuring out how the game works, and they've had fun roleplaying and being able to talk to their patron. The arcane trickster is a kenku, and has been great about sticking to his character's personality, and he's had a lot of fun doing the only things that rogues want to do. The ranger also pretty easily got a good understanding of the game. A lot of people say fighter and monk are simple and easy, but those two players just didn't really enjoy the game as much as the others. Also, my first character was a monk. That choice was a lot of fun, but because monk gets to circumvent so many game mechanics that I really didn't learn how a lot of things worked until my second character, a paladin. After using that paladin and learning more about the game, I learned enough to start being a DM in two different campaigns.
Might I add my current character class: the Paladin. It is an amazing class to start with at level 1, as it teaches you all the mechanics of the game at a reasonable pace. First, maybe second session? some fights will teach you the absolute basics of action economy, movement and attacking. You already get some magical abilities if you want tchem, and 5hp healing when you have a 15hp tops is amazingly potent. At second level, you get to be better at fighting and can dip your toes in spellcasting, or just ignore it and splash some more damage if you feel like it. The fact that paladin has usually all the charisma needed to do some NPC talking-to and fills the big-damn-hero archetype perfecty only helps. I can't recomend the paladyn enough.
I introduced an entire party of 5 to DnD. I asked each of them what ideas they had in mind they wanted to play. So I sat down with each of them and introduced them to Bard, Sorcerer, Druid, Ranger, and Barbarian. I explained to them that in the 1st few sessions I would help them understand the mechanics if each of their classes in gameplay. So example is the Ranger was making her survival skill roll I told the bard this would be a great time to use one of her bardic inspiration dies to help her out. I think running like that for MY players at least really worked out.
I’d personally switch out Wizard for Monk. Wizards are only a D6 hit dice, so for a new player you’re quite vulnerable. Monks whilst the damage isn’t that great are tonnes of fun to play, have some badass roleplay options, are able to do so many things in and outside of combat, and it’s super fun to sit there and describe to the DM all the badass martial arts moves you do!
For me, my three* to recommend is: Fighter/barb Rogue Ranger I really like Arcane Trickster because it introduces spellcasting later on after you are more familiar with the game, and it also incorporates positioning and team play. If they want to play a (full) spell caster, I’d suggest warlock since the spells are less committal and you don’t get stuck using low level spells when they use their high level slots. I like to allow them to change their spells for the first two-three levels. Eldritch invocations I usually just choose agonizing blast for them and give them suggestions. My problem with cleric is that a lot of players will automatically gravitate towards healing and healing in 5e is quite different from other rpgs.
My first character was a Goliath monk. Monks are very easy to understand, especially at the early levels. You go in, punch things, and then walk out. You don't need armor, you don't even need weapons, and you get abilities that cover the basics of the action economy.
To Monty's points about Rogues, my fiancee's first character for a campaign was a rogue, and she took it because she specifically wanted to play a Terry Pratchett style hardboiled guard. So she avoided the RP pitfalls by playing an upstanding character who could relate to a lot of different kinds of people, and the mechanics were a total treat for her getting to be so perceptive (she played the Investigator subclass from XGtE)
So basically, the best starter classes are the only ones that were available in 1st edition. Makes sense, actually. I'd extend that to races as well... Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Human. Keep it simple.
Great video! I've been very guilty of shoehorning my new players into Fighter or Barbarian (with best intentions), and "grew up" thinking Sorcerers are easier than Wizard. But you are right. Consider me convinced!
I always recommend Monk, Barbarian, or Paladin for first time players that don't know what to play and want an easy early experience. However, I am a big believer in jumping into the deep end. My first character in 5e was a Druid and my second was a Warlock. Both are fairly complex but it was great running before I knew how to walk.
@@R4ZZLD4ZZL I didn't take it as a complaint. To be honest, over 5 editions I'd expect those 4 to be the easiest simply as a result of years of revising the rules so many times.
@@Karajorma That makes sense. Interestingly enough these classes are also used for some of the most complex builds. I suppose that speaks for its versatility.
it's fun because, my brother and I begin to play with me as a cleric and he as a wizard XD And let me tell you, he loves his divination wizard, as much I love my light domain cleric, and the rest of the party do too. Both characters are bffs, so it's even funnier. We both love spellcasters, but I tried to be more as a healer (thing I like) and, with the wizard, we like the conbine utility we both have, but he likes to be the trickster divination wizard who likes to joke with everyone, making it so much fun.
Jester from Critical Role is a great example of a Cleric that is not played as a "holy healer." While she does occasionally toss out the healing spell, she almost resents having to do so. Her character is so much more than that.
I started with and really love Fighters/ Barbarians, Rangers and Sorcerers. One of each of Martial, Half-class and Spellcasters. Got a buddy who have chosen his first, a Rogue. He likes stabby, stabby and sending some arrows to distant faces. For me the preferred sub classes are Psi Warrior, Gloom Stalker/ Drake Warden and Draconic Bloodline ( with added Gem dragon ancestries/ drake aspects)
DM here looking for advice: I'm about to introduce 4 friends who've never played DnD to the game via a (slightly homebrewed) version of Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Now I'd love to recommend some characters that are newbie friendly AND also a good thematic fit for the Saltmarsh setting. Any tips on what would be great additions, or team compositions?
I created a Forge Cleric Minotaur with a 4 level dip into Vengeance Paladin, and I've been loving it ever since. Spiritual Weapon to smack things with a bonus action, starting out the game being able to have a +1 weapon through Blessing of the Forge, and being able to gore an enemy after a dash action with my horns just makes it so badassed.
That's pretty much what popped in my mind as well when I thought about this topic. Wizard is at the bottom of the list unless the person is familiar with roleplaying/fantasy games. Keeping track of and understanding spells can be a challenge for newbies. Even veterans like myself struggle to remember all the spells and effects.
I've always seen Fighter/Barbarian (they can easily be rolled into this same archetype spot), Cleric, Wizard, and Rogue as the four pillars of fantasy gaming, the fundamentals so to speak.
I'm not huge on the "new player's need to be shown the ropes with specific classes" mentality. Especially because it tends to remove options like beast master ranger or four elements monk because the worst case scenario of a new player having no fun because they're learning extra rules in order to be less effective is frightening. But the whole reason classes like that are appealing is that they promise the fun role play of being Drizzt or Aang (respectively....unless you count Aapa and Momo...making a note to try that multi-class later.) And the element of being able to embody your favorite characters/archetypes and take them on fun, unique, tailored adventures is such a huge part of what D&D is. Personally I would rather talk to my experienced players and say "hey we're going to try and keep this on light, fun and RP heavy so try not to min-max too much" Than tell a new player "I know you think it will be fun to play Aang but you are wrong." I think it mostly comes down to knowing your players, because obviously the "little cousin" scenario will happen but I think that's more of a corner case.
@@anthonynorman7545 To be clear that came as the second half of the "I would rather" statement. It's not an ideal scenario because if someone wants to play Aang in the right group they will have a ton of fun with four elements monk. There are groups where D&D is treated more mechanically and in those groups I think it's a lot more valuable to try and steer the new player towards a better balanced class so they can keep up with the party. However if your group can lean more into role play, exploration etc. I think a player shouldn't be asked to avoid an archetype they're interested in.
@@firefang92 "...the worst case scenario of a new player having no fun because they're learning extra rules in order to be less effective is frightening." Even if one only follows the guidelines in the book, a 4 elements monk and a beast Master are going to be palpably less effective.
@@anthonynorman7545 That's true, to an extent, but my point was that, that doesn't always have to be less fun. If the group can focus more on RP and exploration then a sub-optimal class won't be a prevalent issue, a DM can also adjust encounters to favor the abilities of those classes. At the end of the day it comes down to group Aang's never going to feel right in a war game, but if someone is genuinely excited to play an archetype and you can adjust the campaign to make it work then I think you do them a disservice by pushing them away from it.
I've found most new players at our table choosing rogue, by a large margin. My second character was a light domain cleric, and she ended up being one of the most memorable and enjoyable characters I've ever played. The spirit guardian spell was amazing, and her guardians were a bunch of shelties running in circles around her, barking and snapping at enemies (because of reasons). Great video as always.
My current Life cleric is a follower of a goddess of peace, so her spirit guardians are a bunch of circling doves, and her spiritual weapon is a dove that poops on the enemy. :D
Maybe this is a sign that Wizards needs a training class that allows a new player to experience all of the basic character dynamics without being too complex or under/overpowered.
I think my favorite rogue build, ironically, was my first. A DEX/CHA build with a moral compass, who doesn’t steal or assassinate. He’s a conman, a gambler, a spy even, using my +7 slight of hand to cheat in card games and generate money for the party.
Related to the challenge of Sneak Attack for a Rogue is the additional issue of the Inquisitive subclass and its Insightful Fighting feature (Insight roll vs. Deception roll), which also can bring about the Sneak Attack
I know this video is a few years old now but I credit starting with the Rogue for getting me as into dnd as I am for every reason you mentioned and also there's no resources to manage. For the most part, everything you can do, you can ALWAYS do, and you don't have to about expending all your cool stuff.
Barbarians are so much fun. I once played a Halfling barbarian who used a shovel as a 2h weapon (same as an axe but bludgeoning dmg) just because he loved the sound a shovel did when striking a skull
Sneak attack is when you have advantage or one of your allies is within 5ft. Any more unclearity by sneak attack is about what is advantage. Advantage is when a creature is prone, when you are stealthed and whenever abilities say you do. Then there is swashbuckler, which simply has sneak attack in melee always when it doesn't have disadvantage, and the rest normal. It's just surprising how everyone mislabels the sneak attack as the culprit, since it is often the problem with advantage.
And then you play a Kobold, who gets Advantage when an ally is within 5ft of the enemy. You get both parts of the activation of Sneak Attack. I also love that if you have an ally within 5ft of the enemy, you can snipe with Sneak Attack (Kobold optional). It's great.
I can agree on the barbarian. I'm playing one in what is my first campaign ever, and it is a lot of fun. Some things were not so fun though, like a fight where I missed almost all my attacks, even though I had advantage on them... I did land a lot of killing blows though. There was also our very first fight against 2 wolves, which we learned aftewards were actually wargs, but we just failed all checks to identify what they were, so we thought we were just fighting some regular wolves. To put it short, learning that they were wargs explained a lot.
My first character was a Rogue, because I wanted to follow my dad's choice from when he played in college. I totally agree with their choices, as mechanics are easier, and more iconic, having played most every class at least once.
I did this thing that is kinda broken , I felt my cleric should be Cadderly the Cleric from the Cleric Quintet . So I said I want to have my full options open for my spell slots . So i put a pebble down in each of my spell slots , and was allowed to cast any spell that a cleric could for the spell slot I had available allowing me to have a huge spell list to choose from but didnt allow the spell slots to be adjusted to keep it simple as the spell options for cleric had me drowning already in the stack of printed paper I had for all my spell options. This had me being extremely useful like a swiss army knife. but i wasnt the damage dealing player still , but i could be a detective , a group teleportation taxi while scrying a piece of evidence of the enemy.
This was kind of hilarious. We started playing a few months ago. 1 DM and 4 players. 3 players, myself included, were completely new to playing D&D. The 3 of us newbies chose an Assassin Rogue, a Champion Fighter, and my character, a Life Cleric.
Bard, obviously. Arcana Cleric is fun. Mine just trundles forward with spiritual weapon and spirit guardians up, and when the enemies gang up on them he casts sword burst. 2D6+5 on a failed dex check is nothing to sniff at.
My first 5Ed character was/is a Halfling Rogue with a 1 lv dip into fighter to get Archery. It allows me to do the sneaky things as well as damage deal. I am also the happy go lucky guy.eg no stealing from the party ect.
My first character was a barbarian, but I quickly discovered I wasn't content with simple tanking and wanted to play spellcasters as well. I still enjoy martial classes, but I think some people might really want to go all the way depending on their personality. I know my friends in another game just simply didn't want to play fighters because "it's easy to make a wizard interesting, but with a fighter you actually have to give them a personality." XD That's one thing I will say--barbarians tend to lend themselves to a little more story flavor than fighters do, with their various subclasses that all have very specific backgrounds.
My first characters in Dungeons and Dragons (yes, the DM which was my friend allowed me to make 4 characters) were for 2e. I made a Human Fighter, a Halfling Thief, a Human Mage, and a Half-Elf Fighter/Mage.
I tried to explain Barbarian to new player once. Basically said "You are Conan." His response was "Conan O'Brien?"
And so we flipped that around, and Brian O'Conan was born.
Was he a bardbarian?
@@evino7491 No but we gave him O'Brien's signature red hair.
Please tell me he did a little dance after combat.
@@Whiskey_Assassin
*hip wiggle hip wiggle*
*snip string snip string*
*RAAAAAAAGEEEEEE!!!!!*
@@WolfHreda i laughed harder than i wanted to
"I would like to rage" is such a polite way of going batshit crazy
The thing is you're asking the DM if you can go into a hyper violent, blood-thirsty mind state where you destroy anything and anyone that's in front of you.
It's apreciated if you at least ask politely if you can do so.
I wish to go absolutely bonkers
Dm: Arent you tired of being nice, dont you want to just lose it?
New player: yes please, if i can
It's how Canadian players go onto Rage.
Rage doesn't mean batshit crazy unless you are a beserker.
"A Barbarian makes terrific mistakes, and has a ton of fun doing it." Best line ever!
My (and his) first ever drop to 0 HP was our party Barbarian feeling like touching the buzzing obelisk I was doing a detect magic ritual on.
@@ViolosD2I LOL! Ours put his head into a black void, that turned out to be a portal to another dimension. He never got his head back.
My first character was a barbarian half-orc named GVRSH (too hardcore for vowels) who blundered into every single thing, and it was delightful. For me at least. Always good to consider the rest of your party and your DM when choosing this kind of character.
"I have seen so many people fall in love with this game with just a few words: 'I would like to rage'."
*toasts with Strongjaw Ale *
I want to like this comment...but it's at 69 likes and I don't want to be the one to ruin that.
Funny now it is 96
My first character was a Rogue, and the most important thing about Rogue for me that helped make it such a great first class to play was that every single ability of theirs is unlimited use (until you become an Arcane Trickster and you have limited use of your leveled spells, but you still have unlimited use of your cantrips). Never having to make a quick decision about "do I use this ability now, or do I save it for later" helped so much.
I always had expertise in Stealth, it was always on. I always had expertise in Thieves' Tools, it was always on. I could use Thieves' Tools an unlimited number of times (although not an unlimited number of times on the same lock). I could use Sneak Attack every round without having to worry about saving it for a time when it is more important. I could use Cunning Action every round without having to worry about saving it for a time when it is more important.
Because of my personality, I'm very hesitant to use abilities that have a limited number of uses because I'm very wary about "but what if I need to use this ability again in the future and I no longer have it." With Rogue, that was not a problem at all, and that made it so easy to adjust.
That's actually a great point, never thought of that. Thanks!
Yes, this is a VERY good point.
Resource management, especially Long Rest resources, can be pretty hard for new players. To me this says that the Champion Fighter is, hands down, the winner for ease of use with resources. They literally have none but Second Wind and Action Surge. Second Wind is pretty easy to learn how to use as is Action Surge.
@@crimfan short rest resources are even harder I think, LR can be explained as "you can use this X times per day" SR is like "yea you can use it X times, but if you sit around for a while you can do it again. Wait you have 4 out of 6 unused? No you don't suddenly get 10, it's just 6. Oh yea you also get them back if you sleep. But at least 8 hours or it doesn't count".
@@MerijnH I was thinking more of things like Action Surge, Channel Divinity, etc., which are "once per" and thus don't have difficult counting.
A character like a Bard is a particularly noob-unfriendly build because they have both long rest abilities via spells, short rest abilities via the incredibly badly named Bardic Inspiration, and most of their abilities are potent by way of other characters.
In general, though, I agree that the rest mechanics really are confusing, so I take your point: It depends a lot on how the DM and group handle it.
@@crimfan ah you definitely have a point there. Things that are once per rest is indeed very easier than "an amount of times equal to your Wis modifier" or smth. Definitely agree on the bard part too
The best class to start with is the one you get stoked about.
I wish this was true. I started curse of Strahd as my first campaign a little over a year ago (were about to take him on within the next month or two probably) and my first character was a tortle bard, that zany idea sounded fun, but I performed REALLY badly. So when he died, I was really sad, but also, it allowed me to play a simpler character
Despite bannaret being severly underpowered im gonna play it because it sounds fun
Would a forest gnome bard be to difficult? I have never played before
@Emmy I don’t think it would be too difficult, but it depends on how hard the dm designs the encounters and what level your character is. Make sure to make every spell slot you use count, whether it be to heal an ally, damage an enemy, or to inconvenience them, and I’m sure you’ll do great.
@@spanishinquisition7623 Thanks!
I want somebody to look at me the way Monty looks at Kelly when he's talking.
Bunk....I'll be in mine for about thirty minutes, excuse me...
"somebody" or Monty? Be honest.
They’re adorable.
I want someone to look at me the way Kelly looks at the fireball spell
@@internetsideshow polymorph*
My first PC was a Life Cleric, and it was a great experience. I still have that character, who is now Level 20.
My first was a life cleric who was a half elf. His name was Ryui and was quite weak, skinny and tall but he was very wise and charismatic.
Life cleric as well. I loosely based mine after a Planeswalker. I joined a group at the endgame dungeon crawl, so I didn't have a lot of time, but I learned so much.
Wasn't my first overall, but my first high level character was a light cleric, similar name, opposite forte.
Mine was a lil life cleric and she made it all the way to lvl 20 first campaign. I love her.
Fighter-straight forward mechanics but very versatile
Cleric-versatile cuz subclasses at lvl 1 but ez spell mechanics
Rogue- cuz ez to play but everyone loves rolling fistfuls of dice
i dont agree with cleric cuz you have all the martial, caster, build issues at level one kkk
Cleric is far from easy imo. You have may abilities like channel divinity, subclass abilities at lvl 1, changing spells on a LR, knowledge of deities, atks (for some subclasses), all pretty complicated for someone who doesn't even know you have to add +2 to that big die thingy if the DM asks for a perception roll.
@@MerijnH I'm just nearing the end of Phandelver with some friends who haven't played before except DM and I. Our cleric is level 4 and they just realized that they can cast more than just their Domain spells x.x
@@velbutvel Ye this is exactly my point haha. Clerics and druids are the hardest to play imo, clerics maybe more because they get everything at lvl1
@@MerijnH yeah I'm playing a druid atm, and I can't imagine playing it completely new to the game, I've been dming for 2 years now and I am still getting analysis paralysis
Also, I think you guys need to wrestle on screen to decide who wins the disagreements.
*uncorks oil of slipperiness
THUMB WAR
Sir, this is a Wendy's
At least roll opposed Athletics checks
Matt Martin that’s actually a really fun idea lol... but then they’d really have to fight to see who has the highest strength modifier.
As a DM, my strategy with players interested in getting into d&d for the first time is to just ask questions:
What character do you envision playing? What's his/her personality like? Where did they come from, and what do they want in life? Will they be aggressive in the front lines or calm and tactical?
From there, I use my personal experiences with game mechanics to match up the answers with a class that can meet that player's expectations for his/her character. The class, in that sense, is an instrument to aid the roleplay experience.
"Just don't be a jerk"... gosh finding ways to get that message across feels monumental at times.
My first character was a Warlock, and to this day she is one of my favorite characters I've ever played, to the point that I have a bit of a warlock obsession. Granted, I also have an obsession with fine tuning builds, and have played a ton of RPGs that encourage a ton of choice with builds, so like, I was willing to do my homework, but it is definitely not one to just yeet at a new player without helping them through their set up pretty carefully.
I just started on my first campaign as a warlock, with a group of players who are mostly just as inexperienced as me. At a certain point in character preparation you just figure out that you really have to do your homework. I think I spent about 20 hours that first week, reading the rules, researching and picking spells, consulting with the dm and helping my fellow players build their character. I'm still far from an expert on all of this, but I'm happy I got this experience, and it has really added to my gaming enjoyment.
I can't say I've ever thought of recommending a certain class for new players in general. I like to start with new players by asking about their favourite parts of popular culture, like books and movies. You probably can't play your favourite hero, but its a good starting point.
I'd probably steer a new player away from a more complicated character type like the Monk or Sorcerer, though, where it's really easy to feel frustrated due to the complexity of the play. One way to do it might be to say something like, "Let's plan on you playing one of those down the line a bit. If you want to we can always swap out a character."
Man, I REALLY like this new "debating" format you're using, for some reason I seem to agree with Kelly almost all the time XD
My first character in 3.5 was a Human Sorcerer. Everyone helped me get my stats going but I picked my own spells and the party loved me! People were very happy with all the CC I picked and so was I. We reached level 20 in that campaign.
Now that I'm experienced, ironically, my most recent character is a Human Fighter (Battlemaster). She's fun, has things to do that others appreciate, has a high amount of versatility bc she's good at both range and melee, and because I'm rarely counting on my character to get me through things, I need to think a lot more outside of combat and prepare in very salt of the earth ways, which comes in handy more than people expect. Sometimes just doing simple things like bringing a healer's kit ends up saving the day.
Perfect timing dudes! I am in the process of figuring it all out and starting. Daughter is dragging me into D&D. I have been making miniatures for her for a long time, just now getting into actually playing.
You can't go wrong with rogue! In previous editions, they sometimes were very fragile or underwhelming. 5e rogue is great. Oh... it's 5 months later... what did t you pick, how did it go?
@@Observer31 I ended up starting as a War Domain Cleric. I am 4 sessions in now, and enjoying the game. I can now see myself playing many campaigns to learn all I can about all the classes.
So what do you think of d&d so far ?
@@killsomethin , other than the fact I was turned into glass by an undead Medusa last session...and all the things that people had such as scrolls which could have un-glassed me were cast into some magic melting cauldron, so I am stuck until they figure out a solution...it is great. I still feel like an idiot from time to time, but at least I did not melt all my magic items that could help the party....
My first character, back in the 80's, was a Elven wizard (my second was a Dwarven fighter) and I had so much fun playing both of them (I still have their character sheets and figures). I haven't played in many, many years, and listening to you Dudes and some others, I know there have been a lot of changes since then. I bought the Players Handbook and am reading thru it. Hopefully following your TH-cam game I'll understand more of some the nuisances of what is going on.
Hey, always great to see a seasoned player! I'm a bit of a noob DM but this game is such a joy, I hope you get back into playing soon, and that you have many more adventures with awesome characters
It's awesome that you're getting back into the hobby! 5th edition should be pretty easy to pick up compared to most of the other editions so I'm sure you can get back into it with relative ease.
I hope you do what you can to get back into gaming. There's a little politics these days coming from wizards of the coast (sjw left wing agenda) but I have to admit the 5e system they've made is well balanced and it feels like the versatile party is more necessary than ever. In a party of 4 through 6 players if you pick up tank, damager, crowd control, healer, or support you will feel essential and important. That means the one thing you'll need to seek out for a veteran lime yourself are skilled role players. Unless you have the heart and habits of a teacher, then a newbie party is right up your alley!
5e is awesome! I can see why it's called the most inclusive system around. It really makes an effort to break down the artificial walls some try to put up around the game. :)
Wishing you great games!
My first character was a human fighter. But then again when I started Elf, Dwarf, & Halfling were classes. I still have a soft spot for Demi-Humans. (Gnomes are pretenders that should be forsaken at all times!!!!!)
I think paladin is one of the best classes since a it introduces spells and has role play built in
Nicholas Semrow and if you don’t remember what your spells do you, you can just smite to use your slots lol
They get pretty good defenses as well. Wearing heavy armor and adding your cha mod to your and all your party’s saves is awesome
Paladin is the best class.
My first character was a paladin because I wanted to learn how spellcasting worked but wanted to get used to combat first.
@@marcdavis4509 what experience? You really can play a decent paladin with little to no experience, and unless you level up like once per session or start at a higher level, you will no longer be a new player when you hit those higher, more complicated levels.
My first character was a monk and while I understand at later levels they can be harder to play and their damage falls off, but getting 2 attacks every turn with the martial Arts bonus and getting to add your modifer to both rolls or 3 attacks with flurry of blows you easily out damage even the fighters and barbarians early on. Your unarmored defense and unarmored movement give you the ac and speed to get wherever you need on the battlefield and not worry about getting hit. If needed you can spend a ki point and get to attack and dodge/disengage in the same turn making you very flexible. Great class early on that gives you time to learn the new abilities you gain as your level progresses. Maybe harder for some to utilize the ki points effectively but for me it was really simple and a ton of fun
i made a monk once....
but on that saga i had the worst luck imaginable.....my hit rolls were almost exclusively 3,7, and 5....and often 1.....i critically failed a trip, and ended up falling prone....and getting almost killed...and my character finally died in a duel with another monk....who was of a higher level, had perma-haste, and nunchaku......it was a horrible death by bludgeoning....
but i'll make a new monk, in pathfinder....and hopefully my rolls will be better
Monks are awesome, you get to punching and kicking monsters in the face is the best feeling also attacking thrice in a turn at level two is crazy.
Monks are a fantastic class. I love my shadow monk.
Definitely pick what speaks to you! My first character was a human bard, and I loved him to death! He was witty and helpful, and kind to everyone, and accidentally ended up marrying Sildar from Lost Mines because he was a lovable idiot with a big heart. Because of him, I loved finding ways to be supportive with all the different classes! My favorite character so far was my 4th! My half-elf divination wizard with lucky saved the party so many times with his visions of the future. :)
As a DM with a lot of new Players, this is immensely helpful.
Man i wish i knew people around my area who played so i could join, Im new but watched so many vids on d&d i kinda want to be a druid tho which im sure is not good for new playrs
@@Count_Jacula if you want to play a Druid than the class will be perfect for you. No class is bad for a beginner if they want to play it.
My first character I ever played was a Great Old One Warlock, and I absolutely loved it. She had a buttload of cantrips and because of the charisma casting I even got to be the party face. Honestly any class is a good class if the DM can help you understand it.
I agree on the barbarian for one single reason. While on Rage "You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage" That's so satisfying and yet so simple to new players, and really takes a huge weight off from the player.
So members of my Historical fencing group decided to start a dnd group which me and my wife joined. Having played since 5e's launch we had plenty of experience under our belts. The other in our party had not played before and I was curious to see what they would choose. My wife went as a bard and I as a Paladin, the three others went for Fighter, wizard and Ranger.
The fighter was the easiest to for my mate to pick up. Having played one myself he started to use the battle master subclass in ways I hadn't even thought of. Plus the DM suggested he take GWM as a variant human. So he was dealing the damage with great satisfaction. In fact there is a friendly rivalry between characters and ourselves on the damage we're pumping out.
However the wizard class does have some more learning curves imo. The wizard can do massive damage but you have to understand how and when. My friend wanted to be in the front lines with his 10 AC, no HP wizard because he didn't know he should pick mage armour and stay at the back. He wanted to be the cool damage dealer wizard but wasn't seeing the results, was often getting 0 HP'd, and my Paladin was wasting turns keeping him alive with healing hands. After a few sessions I spoke to him after fencing and explained the class a bit more broadly. That it was more supportive in some aspects, buffing and debuffing, shaping the battles and terrain. That its damage dealing comes from AOE spells that need to used at the right time. I don't think just being a cool spellcaster is essentially a bigger priority than knowing your roll. The fighter fights, the cleric heals, the rogue assassinates, people inherently know the roles. The wizard has such a broad scope it's easy to get lost in what the party role should be, making it that much harder for a new player to find their footing.
I use Penny Arcade's football metaphor all the time. I'm not going to get the exact quote right, but, Football is an RPG where damage is measured in yards. Field goals are incaps and touchdowns are kills. Receivers are ranged DPS, backs are melee. The quarterback is a spellcaster. That idea of a spellcaster as the "quarterback" of the team works really well. They shouldn't be getting hit very much, but they should be highly flexible. If the enemy focuses too much on them, that should get punished by the rest of the team. They should look for the weaknesses in the enemy's line/formation, and call their shots when they see an opportunity. It's a position that has potentially the biggest impact, but that success relies on taking the highest-percentage shots you can.
@@TrojanManSCP I'm going to remember that analogy.
Just wait until he gets more experience and makes a successful melee wizard lol.
@@TrojanManSCP that's gorgeous!
@@TrojanManSCP Yeah I'm British, I have a fair understanding of american Football still your metaphor only half understood unfortunately. Probably more confusing for most folks outside the US. Still sure it works well within.
I feel like Circle of the Moon Druid is one of my favorite choices. Such cool uses for the wild shape, access to the full spell list with prepared spells, a pretty comprehensive spell list, and pretty easy roleplaying modes to take on.
I’m going through my very first ever play through, and I’ve picked Moon Druid. I know there are a lot of spells, but it seems like there are so many different ways to play a moon Druid, and I love the creativity surrounding it. Having never even looked at this game (or any other RPG before), I haven’t been this stoked to play a game in a very long time. The amount of effort put into this game and it’s history is just astounding, and it’s very easy to see why so many people love playing it
for a new player to come prepared and manage a full spell list which they will select about 6 from at level 1 and then at level 2 wild shape stat blocks it would probly be the last id recommend to a new player. Now as a DM that maybe is pretty aware of all the spells and stat blocks id say they could just ask what beast would you like to turn into and they could generally guide you but a new player expecting a DM to know stat blocks and what spells do and managing their spell uses is too much.
Paladin is literally everything a new player wants to do and should probably learn rolled into one class.
When starting out, they're like a fighter. Run up and smash. They get some other cool stuff but for the most part they're just a big tank the player can easily get behind.
Then they get spellcasting later, but not an overwhelmingly large amount of spells that they're not sure what to pick. They'll get more cool abilities as they go along, as well.
They get big meaty hits with *SMITE* for those satisfying fistfuls of dice moments.
They also have interesting role-playing hooks built right into the class, that helps edge them onto actually thinking about how their character should act, without needing to browbeat them into submission.
Paladin is basically the top pic. No scary and specific abilities, not enough spells to be too overwhelming, just a nice combination of everything you should learn about the game rolled into one convenient package.
YES! Exactly! And practically all of your pernament choices (aside from race/class/background, of course) are a little down the line, so you get to choose them after you played for a bit already.
Paladin was in my top three choices
Put the class is so MAD. That's a huge deduction. Character creation and low bonuses can chase off new or potential players.
@@anthonynorman7545 literally just follow the suggested build and you will be ok. And if you're running a game in which having a 14 instead of 16 in the main stat would make or brake the build, you're already not running a beginner-friendly game.
Fairly new to D&D. Paladin sounds good for a game starting at level one. That way you get that progression you mentioned. But I had a game starting level 10 (it had already been running a bit). For someone who enjoys building characters, it was actually pretty fun, but it’s hard to see that thing as new player friendly. Didn’t help that I was making a hobgoblin paladin of conquest and my DM wanted to change my paladin skills for a more evil flair.
I feel that Paladin is a great class for a beginner. You get good fighting capabilities, good AC, along with a with a splash of spell casting. Furthermore, if they don't want to bother with spell-casting they can just convert the spells to smites
When I play skyrim and try to play a stealth assasin, I end up being the shouting two handed swor barbarian
I was thinking fighter, paladin, and rogue
Fighter is simple but it's also flexible and effective and can really be molded to whatever the player wants.
Paladin: an easy intro to spellcasting like the cleric but maybe not as overwhelming of a spell list.
Rogue: in combat it's pretty simple with sneak attack plus having lots of options outside of combat allowing for great versatility and satisfying but simple role playing as expertise is an awesome ability
4:32 "What's that make us?"
"Big damn heroes, sir"
"Well ain't we just"
Monty talked about this on his stream slightly!
we have a halfling barbarian :D
he takes out brown bear alone and we are level 4 :D
and ofc i'm a wizard Necromancer, just chilling in the back setting things on fire til i can get my undead :D
Your not level 4 until you fight a god in their own dimension XD
Dudes you cant imagine how much u helped me Playing D&D, not only helping me to choose and build my Character. The most important for me was the tips and help u give in all your videos that helps to Rollplay , teamplay and personification of the Diferent aspects of the Characters and the Game in general. Ty ty ty ty so much ♥
I like the Paladin as the best introductory class for new player.
Charisma means they get experience talking to NPCs to help them get out of their shells.
Oaths give them a clear way to roleplay and interact with the world.
Paladins get a lot of group buff abilities as they level up, giving the table strong motivation to help them.
Being divine half-casters that prepare their spells, it's very easy to get introduced to magic mechanics while still being able to do the easiest thing in the world: I roll to attack, I roll roll damage.
People want to be the sword wielding hero? Here's the Holy Knight, ready willing, and able to serve.
In addition, you can't help but fall in love with the game that allows you to smite.
Ah, Divine Smite, or as I like to call it: Heretic-Be-Gone
The paladin: one of my 3 most favourite classes, and the only one I've never seen anyone struggle with.
My first time playing a cleric was a storm cleric. In a two year campaign that ran to lv 13 i never used a healing spell. I brought the storm not the health
Horus Bonrea drakkenheim is a great example for not needing a healer at all. Sky is the limit for this system :D
I have a FIghter/Death Cleric (for heavy armor and Con saves).
They're sort of the party tank, and literally the only healing spell they have is Healing Word, to get people off their lazy butt when they go lay down to take a nap in the middle of a fight.
His Healing Word is "On your feet, soldier!" But, he's a former military officer. And there's a bit of dual persona going on. Out of combat: One of the nicest people you're likely to meet, even if he's a big boi 7ft4 Dragonborn beefcake.
In combat: Probably will be your worst fricken nightmare. And he doubles down on that if he casts Vampiric Touch. A switch goes off in his brain, and he just goes MENTAL. He no longer looks out for his party, he just wants to *KILL*.
The timing of this video could not be more perfect i was just asked to run a 1 shot for all new players
Dude. same. First time GM too
Before seeing the video, I'll give mine and compare at the end: rogue, fighter, barbarian. As far as subclasses go (for new players, of course): scout rogue, champion fighter, totem barbarian. The reason: very few things to keep track of
My first character was a High Elf, Eldritch Knight Fighter with high dexterity. I had a blast playing him and was still able to roleplay him as the bumbling new kid in this party.
Th3OfficeBeefalo An •eldritch blast•, you might say... 😏
I'm currently in my 1st ever DnD campaign, and I'm so happy I picked wizard for the reasons you listed. My fellow players pointed me to warlock as a beginner wanting to play a spellcaster, and I'm glad I went with my gut. Wizard is a very rewarding class to play with progression that comes in-game from scrolls and books.
Sorcerer is also great for new players. Limited spells known with clear thematics. And metamagic is pretty easy to understand.
I had a good time introducing my friend to Monk. He was a fan of the idea of like, "Disarmed, but i still have TWO ARMS!" And just beating down people with his fists.
It was in pf2, and he found stance dancing to be a fun mechanic to punch people in the flavor he needed for the moment. It was magical watching him fall in love with this character in his first rp. :D
As long as you, the DM, help the new player out with spells if they level up, spellcasting isn't hard as far as gameplay goes, only the decisions that come with choosing spells.
the beautiful thing about D&D Beyond is it does most of the calculations for you, proficiency, ability scores, even walks you through character creation. It's a big help.
Your comments on Prepared Casters reminds me of one of my favorite house-rules, which I took from an Unearthed Arcana that didn't make it into Tasha's.
Prepared spellcasters can swap out ONE spell per Long Rest.
So if the Bard wants to try Silence for a few days before realizing it isn't what they thought it was... they can, and then swap it out for something else the next day.
Still not the versatility of a Cleric, but they're not locked into spells they don't like (or out-grew).
Just played my first 5E session last night. I am playing a Scourge Aasimar Celestial Warlock. The session ended in a TPC (Total Party Capture). The giant porcelain golem was doing non-lethal damage. Woke up in a cellar leveling to level 2 and ending the night...
Also, when you were talking about Warlock Invocations, They can be swapped out whenever the character gains a level in the Warlock class if the ones they've previously chosen don't actually fit what they had in mind.
I am somewhat amazed that the only thing you have from the Player's Handbook is the Warlock pick itself. Everything else is included in other supplements. I often limit new players to the choices of the Player's Handbook because I made the experience that otherwise they get overwhelmed by the mass of choices to build their character. And to have about 3 to 4 books in front of you can be somewhat menacing. But I am glad you had fun and hope you stick to this wonderful hobby. :)
@@Perial51 D&D Beyond my friend, It streamlines a lot of that. So all I'm having to really pay attention to are the new overall mechanics and what spells do what. Everything else is spelled out on the sheet.
Side Note: I've been playing since Vampire the Masquerade, and D&D 3.5. So all I was really fuzzy on were the new overall mechanics.
Warlocks are not a bad first class in my book since their specialty is using cantrips often and their few spells wisely.
@@garyfagan9609 Oh okay. When I talk about new players I think of absolute P&P beginners. Sorry for that. Yeah okay, I admit with the conviniences you get with D&D Beyond may help a lot. I like it more to play in real life at the table with my players. And so with the physical books it is often a mess if you want to explain every single suplement. ^^'
@@Perial51 I've made a summary listing I update with each new release. It helps a lot. Players can narrow their choices there and then go to the source books to make their final selections.
Will concur. I just started playing D&D 5e with my friends this year, and I absolutely love spellcasting. My first character was a cleric, and it was a blast.
I love how you can feel the passive aggressiveness between these two
My favorite character I ever played was because of the chemistry with my friend that was also playing. It was just us two as the pcs so we built dwarven brothers. My character was a paladin and his was a cleric. They messed with each other constantly and had an in game coin betting system that when one bother won all 3 coins through boast and competition he could give the other a task they couldn't refuse. It got fun really fast.
This is awesome...you present 5 great ideas for starting players in Dungeons and Dragons! Thank you, I much prefer this than you agreeing on three.
My 1st character was a fiend pact warlock and I loved it. My DM and a fellow player were super helpful about guiding me on what I was doing
I’ve really liked when you both have two different lists. It’s like double the list 😂
I really like the last couple videos where you guys are debating. I hope this continues!
My first character was a cleric. Still one of my favorite classes.
Being able to change your spells after a long rest is the best
I started out as a druid and the ability to choose from different spells (just like the cleric) was insanely helpful in simplifying the spellcasting and the beast shape of the circle of the druid made combat extremely simple to grasp as well.
What a cool, kind video.
I'm currently running a group of first time players. We started with a celestial warlock, a hexblade, a shadow monk, a champion fighter, a gloomstalker ranger, and an arcane trickster rogue. The champion fighter and the shadow monk both left the group after level 5, and we had a glamour bard join at that point. So far, both of the warlocks have had a pretty easy time figuring out how the game works, and they've had fun roleplaying and being able to talk to their patron. The arcane trickster is a kenku, and has been great about sticking to his character's personality, and he's had a lot of fun doing the only things that rogues want to do. The ranger also pretty easily got a good understanding of the game. A lot of people say fighter and monk are simple and easy, but those two players just didn't really enjoy the game as much as the others.
Also, my first character was a monk. That choice was a lot of fun, but because monk gets to circumvent so many game mechanics that I really didn't learn how a lot of things worked until my second character, a paladin. After using that paladin and learning more about the game, I learned enough to start being a DM in two different campaigns.
Might I add my current character class: the Paladin. It is an amazing class to start with at level 1, as it teaches you all the mechanics of the game at a reasonable pace. First, maybe second session? some fights will teach you the absolute basics of action economy, movement and attacking. You already get some magical abilities if you want tchem, and 5hp healing when you have a 15hp tops is amazingly potent. At second level, you get to be better at fighting and can dip your toes in spellcasting, or just ignore it and splash some more damage if you feel like it. The fact that paladin has usually all the charisma needed to do some NPC talking-to and fills the big-damn-hero archetype perfecty only helps. I can't recomend the paladyn enough.
I love your choices! I am playing a Druid as my first pc. But I love nerding out on the details of playing!
Druids are so much fun, I'm really enjoying my spores druid. I burn out my wildshapes pretty fast tho haha
I introduced an entire party of 5 to DnD. I asked each of them what ideas they had in mind they wanted to play. So I sat down with each of them and introduced them to Bard, Sorcerer, Druid, Ranger, and Barbarian. I explained to them that in the 1st few sessions I would help them understand the mechanics if each of their classes in gameplay. So example is the Ranger was making her survival skill roll I told the bard this would be a great time to use one of her bardic inspiration dies to help her out. I think running like that for MY players at least really worked out.
We are starting a new campaign this weekend, and this evaluation of the classes is very helpful and insightful, thank you!
you forgot one of the rogues that would fit right in to dnd, bilbo baggins is also a rogue
I’d personally switch out Wizard for Monk. Wizards are only a D6 hit dice, so for a new player you’re quite vulnerable. Monks whilst the damage isn’t that great are tonnes of fun to play, have some badass roleplay options, are able to do so many things in and outside of combat, and it’s super fun to sit there and describe to the DM all the badass martial arts moves you do!
For me, my three* to recommend is:
Fighter/barb
Rogue
Ranger
I really like Arcane Trickster because it introduces spellcasting later on after you are more familiar with the game, and it also incorporates positioning and team play.
If they want to play a (full) spell caster, I’d suggest warlock since the spells are less committal and you don’t get stuck using low level spells when they use their high level slots. I like to allow them to change their spells for the first two-three levels. Eldritch invocations I usually just choose agonizing blast for them and give them suggestions.
My problem with cleric is that a lot of players will automatically gravitate towards healing and healing in 5e is quite different from other rpgs.
My first character was a Goliath monk. Monks are very easy to understand, especially at the early levels. You go in, punch things, and then walk out. You don't need armor, you don't even need weapons, and you get abilities that cover the basics of the action economy.
"The best classes for new players are: fighter, cleric, wizard, and rogue."
So basically the original D&D classes.
To Monty's points about Rogues, my fiancee's first character for a campaign was a rogue, and she took it because she specifically wanted to play a Terry Pratchett style hardboiled guard. So she avoided the RP pitfalls by playing an upstanding character who could relate to a lot of different kinds of people, and the mechanics were a total treat for her getting to be so perceptive (she played the Investigator subclass from XGtE)
Best rogue from pop culture: tulio from el dorado. "You gave me loaded dice!?"
This was amazing, thank you so much! I was waiting for you guys to turn away spell casting, but you guys have solutions and I deeply appreciate that!
So basically, the best starter classes are the only ones that were available in 1st edition. Makes sense, actually. I'd extend that to races as well... Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Human. Keep it simple.
Great video! I've been very guilty of shoehorning my new players into Fighter or Barbarian (with best intentions), and "grew up" thinking Sorcerers are easier than Wizard. But you are right. Consider me convinced!
When I think classic rogue, my mind immediately goes to Robin Hood.
I always recommend Monk, Barbarian, or Paladin for first time players that don't know what to play and want an easy early experience. However, I am a big believer in jumping into the deep end. My first character in 5e was a Druid and my second was a Warlock. Both are fairly complex but it was great running before I knew how to walk.
Interesting that 4 of the 5 recommended classes are the four classic ones.
They're archetypes for a reason.
@@Karajorma I wasn't complaining, lol, I genuinely found it interesting.
@@R4ZZLD4ZZL I didn't take it as a complaint. To be honest, over 5 editions I'd expect those 4 to be the easiest simply as a result of years of revising the rules so many times.
@@Karajorma That makes sense. Interestingly enough these classes are also used for some of the most complex builds. I suppose that speaks for its versatility.
it's fun because, my brother and I begin to play with me as a cleric and he as a wizard XD
And let me tell you, he loves his divination wizard, as much I love my light domain cleric, and the rest of the party do too.
Both characters are bffs, so it's even funnier.
We both love spellcasters, but I tried to be more as a healer (thing I like) and, with the wizard, we like the conbine utility we both have, but he likes to be the trickster divination wizard who likes to joke with everyone, making it so much fun.
Jester from Critical Role is a great example of a Cleric that is not played as a "holy healer." While she does occasionally toss out the healing spell, she almost resents having to do so. Her character is so much more than that.
I started with and really love Fighters/ Barbarians, Rangers and Sorcerers. One of each of Martial, Half-class and Spellcasters. Got a buddy who have chosen his first, a Rogue. He likes stabby, stabby and sending some arrows to distant faces. For me the preferred sub classes are Psi Warrior, Gloom Stalker/ Drake Warden and Draconic Bloodline ( with added Gem dragon ancestries/ drake aspects)
DM here looking for advice: I'm about to introduce 4 friends who've never played DnD to the game via a (slightly homebrewed) version of Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Now I'd love to recommend some characters that are newbie friendly AND also a good thematic fit for the Saltmarsh setting. Any tips on what would be great additions, or team compositions?
Muckrackerz how’s that going?
@@junsonofjack3740 Well, our session zero is still pending. No real progress made since I posted.
I created a Forge Cleric Minotaur with a 4 level dip into Vengeance Paladin, and I've been loving it ever since. Spiritual Weapon to smack things with a bonus action, starting out the game being able to have a +1 weapon through Blessing of the Forge, and being able to gore an enemy after a dash action with my horns just makes it so badassed.
Let me guess: Fighter, Barbarian, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue. Trust me I'm Psychic
😒
In order to be psychic, you’d have to be a UA mystic. I would not recommend that for a new player.
That's pretty much what popped in my mind as well when I thought about this topic. Wizard is at the bottom of the list unless the person is familiar with roleplaying/fantasy games. Keeping track of and understanding spells can be a challenge for newbies. Even veterans like myself struggle to remember all the spells and effects.
@@starkiller99 Trust me I know, playing a 3.5 game with a newbie and I'm helping her out. I'm basically feeling like a old wizard with a apprientice.
I've always seen Fighter/Barbarian (they can easily be rolled into this same archetype spot), Cleric, Wizard, and Rogue as the four pillars of fantasy gaming, the fundamentals so to speak.
I’m a very new player and joined my friends campaign, I’m a Dragonborn moon Druid and DnD is quickly becoming my new obsession.
Johomo’s Witness welcome abroad!! 👍🏻
I'm not huge on the "new player's need to be shown the ropes with specific classes" mentality. Especially because it tends to remove options like beast master ranger or four elements monk because the worst case scenario of a new player having no fun because they're learning extra rules in order to be less effective is frightening. But the whole reason classes like that are appealing is that they promise the fun role play of being Drizzt or Aang (respectively....unless you count Aapa and Momo...making a note to try that multi-class later.) And the element of being able to embody your favorite characters/archetypes and take them on fun, unique, tailored adventures is such a huge part of what D&D is.
Personally I would rather talk to my experienced players and say "hey we're going to try and keep this on light, fun and RP heavy so try not to min-max too much" Than tell a new player "I know you think it will be fun to play Aang but you are wrong."
I think it mostly comes down to knowing your players, because obviously the "little cousin" scenario will happen but I think that's more of a corner case.
firefang92
You’re spot on. If a new player is inspired by a certain archetype, that’s probably what they’ll have the most fun playing.
@@elijahculper5522 I think you missed the bit where they say they'll tell a new player that they think they'll have fun playing Aang but they won't.
@@anthonynorman7545 To be clear that came as the second half of the "I would rather" statement. It's not an ideal scenario because if someone wants to play Aang in the right group they will have a ton of fun with four elements monk. There are groups where D&D is treated more mechanically and in those groups I think it's a lot more valuable to try and steer the new player towards a better balanced class so they can keep up with the party. However if your group can lean more into role play, exploration etc. I think a player shouldn't be asked to avoid an archetype they're interested in.
@@firefang92 "...the worst case scenario of a new player having no fun because they're learning extra rules in order to be less effective is frightening." Even if one only follows the guidelines in the book, a 4 elements monk and a beast Master are going to be palpably less effective.
@@anthonynorman7545 That's true, to an extent, but my point was that, that doesn't always have to be less fun. If the group can focus more on RP and exploration then a sub-optimal class won't be a prevalent issue, a DM can also adjust encounters to favor the abilities of those classes. At the end of the day it comes down to group Aang's never going to feel right in a war game, but if someone is genuinely excited to play an archetype and you can adjust the campaign to make it work then I think you do them a disservice by pushing them away from it.
I've found most new players at our table choosing rogue, by a large margin.
My second character was a light domain cleric, and she ended up being one of the most memorable and enjoyable characters I've ever played. The spirit guardian spell was amazing, and her guardians were a bunch of shelties running in circles around her, barking and snapping at enemies (because of reasons).
Great video as always.
My current Life cleric is a follower of a goddess of peace, so her spirit guardians are a bunch of circling doves, and her spiritual weapon is a dove that poops on the enemy. :D
@@y2a1979 haha, nice!
Maybe this is a sign that Wizards needs a training class that allows a new player to experience all of the basic character dynamics without being too complex or under/overpowered.
My first class was bard in 5e. It was an experience I won’t ever forget, and I played it up to 11.
Druid, obviously
I think my favorite rogue build, ironically, was my first. A DEX/CHA build with a moral compass, who doesn’t steal or assassinate. He’s a conman, a gambler, a spy even, using my +7 slight of hand to cheat in card games and generate money for the party.
Stop reading this and go wash your hands
Related to the challenge of Sneak Attack for a Rogue is the additional issue of the Inquisitive subclass and its Insightful Fighting feature (Insight roll vs. Deception roll), which also can bring about the Sneak Attack
I know this video is a few years old now but I credit starting with the Rogue for getting me as into dnd as I am for every reason you mentioned and also there's no resources to manage. For the most part, everything you can do, you can ALWAYS do, and you don't have to about expending all your cool stuff.
Barbarians are so much fun. I once played a Halfling barbarian who used a shovel as a 2h weapon (same as an axe but bludgeoning dmg) just because he loved the sound a shovel did when striking a skull
Sneak attack is when you have advantage or one of your allies is within 5ft. Any more unclearity by sneak attack is about what is advantage.
Advantage is when a creature is prone, when you are stealthed and whenever abilities say you do. Then there is swashbuckler, which simply has sneak attack in melee always when it doesn't have disadvantage, and the rest normal. It's just surprising how everyone mislabels the sneak attack as the culprit, since it is often the problem with advantage.
And then you play a Kobold, who gets Advantage when an ally is within 5ft of the enemy. You get both parts of the activation of Sneak Attack.
I also love that if you have an ally within 5ft of the enemy, you can snipe with Sneak Attack (Kobold optional). It's great.
I can agree on the barbarian. I'm playing one in what is my first campaign ever, and it is a lot of fun. Some things were not so fun though, like a fight where I missed almost all my attacks, even though I had advantage on them... I did land a lot of killing blows though.
There was also our very first fight against 2 wolves, which we learned aftewards were actually wargs, but we just failed all checks to identify what they were, so we thought we were just fighting some regular wolves. To put it short, learning that they were wargs explained a lot.
My first character was a Rogue, because I wanted to follow my dad's choice from when he played in college. I totally agree with their choices, as mechanics are easier, and more iconic, having played most every class at least once.
I did this thing that is kinda broken , I felt my cleric should be Cadderly the Cleric from the Cleric Quintet . So I said I want to have my full options open for my spell slots . So i put a pebble down in each of my spell slots , and was allowed to cast any spell that a cleric could for the spell slot I had available allowing me to have a huge spell list to choose from but didnt allow the spell slots to be adjusted to keep it simple as the spell options for cleric had me drowning already in the stack of printed paper I had for all my spell options. This had me being extremely useful like a swiss army knife. but i wasnt the damage dealing player still , but i could be a detective , a group teleportation taxi while scrying a piece of evidence of the enemy.
This was kind of hilarious. We started playing a few months ago. 1 DM and 4 players. 3 players, myself included, were completely new to playing D&D. The 3 of us newbies chose an Assassin Rogue, a Champion Fighter, and my character, a Life Cleric.
Bard, obviously.
Arcana Cleric is fun. Mine just trundles forward with spiritual weapon and spirit guardians up, and when the enemies gang up on them he casts sword burst. 2D6+5 on a failed dex check is nothing to sniff at.
My first 5Ed character was/is a Halfling Rogue with a 1 lv dip into fighter to get Archery. It allows me to do the sneaky things as well as damage deal. I am also the happy go lucky guy.eg no stealing from the party ect.
My first class was a brute barbarian in second edition. The best class to start with is the one the player picks. Let them choose what interests them.
My first character was a barbarian, but I quickly discovered I wasn't content with simple tanking and wanted to play spellcasters as well. I still enjoy martial classes, but I think some people might really want to go all the way depending on their personality. I know my friends in another game just simply didn't want to play fighters because "it's easy to make a wizard interesting, but with a fighter you actually have to give them a personality." XD
That's one thing I will say--barbarians tend to lend themselves to a little more story flavor than fighters do, with their various subclasses that all have very specific backgrounds.
My first characters in Dungeons and Dragons (yes, the DM which was my friend allowed me to make 4 characters) were for 2e. I made a Human Fighter, a Halfling Thief, a Human Mage, and a Half-Elf Fighter/Mage.