Looking for the build which will be easiest to play for a new player. Submit ideas here.
My intention would be to use this thread as a basis for helping new players slowly introduce themselves to the game. One of the biggest issues I've seen with recruitment is the learning curve for the seemingly endless rules and mechanics.
Some Requirements: -15 point buy
-Give reasons for any decisions made.
-Average wealth per level
-Any level you choose (If you can make a 20th level character LESS confusing than a level 1, I'd love to see it)
-No level requirement
-Realize that this character will likely be quite ineffective, that's not the point of the exercise.
Some Suggestions: -Fighter (Bonuses are static, feats are individually decided, no spells, doesn't suffer from MAD, but can take advantage of any stat if given the opportunity. )
-Ring of Sustenance (No need to deal with rules associated with eating/drinking)
-Armor with ACP 0 (One less factor to worry about)
-INT 6 (Yes, I'm serious. Less skill ranks means less skills to have to focus on learning.)
-Greater Blind fight (Ignore rules for concealment)
- Improved Unarmed Strike (so many exceptions and weird rules neutralized by one feat)
-Catch off-guard, Throw anything, Improvised weapon mastery (All remove exceptions to rules)
Look forward to some interesting builds.
...-15 point buy...
This looks less like "help them get acquainted" and more like "watch them suffer." Still, if you're intent on doing this, you really should have them play the NPC class Commoner. Few class skills, few skill points, no class abilities. Have them take proficiency in something plot-relevant for all of their feats. Done.
EDIT: Also, you're the GM. If you feel like ignoring rules to streamline the learning experience, just ignore them. That is within the GM's power. Just make sure to tell your players in case they later play in someone else's game or they'll just think you didn't know the rules.
A new player should start with any 1st level class he finds interesting.
Give him a 15 point array and talk about the strengths and weaknesses he wants his character to have (in terms of abilities) then let him choose his best, second best and worst abilities.
I know there is a ton of rules in the PFRPG system, that's the beauty of it, but those rules either come into effect one by one or even do not have to be known by the players as long as the GM explains the outcome (i.e. miss chance). Personally I have taught the game to a few people and all of them got a hold of the basic principle quite quickly.
Just don't explain what the player doesn't need to know at any given moment and the learning curve will be smooth.
I second the suggestion to ignore some rules you feel are too complicated and to not go through them all in advance.
If you don't want to exclude rules (so they don't get confused in later games) and if you worry about some marginal rules being too complicated, shape the context so that they are not needed: for darkness/blindness never use blinding effects and make sure the party have always appropriate lighting, don't do underwater combats, don't put in enemies with reach for a while, don't give your monsters feats that messes with the rules (such as the barbarian rage power for making attacks of opportunity even when they usually shouldn't, giving enemies the disruptive feat chain etc.), avoid effects that change the character sheet (e.g. ray of enfeeblement) and so on. Basically, keep it simple yourself.
As for classes: I'd avoid anything involving pets and preparing spellcasters.
Fighters are good if you assist him during creation and help the player stat the sheet: stay shy of the maneuver feats at the beginning, concentrate on stuff that you (and he) can forget about one once you write them down (e.g. weapon focus, toughness).
Sorcerers are good too if you help him choose the spells so that they are as simple as possible (for example, fireball is perfect, web is too complicated).
Monk are strange due to flurry and combat styles, I'd avoid it.
Rogues could be good, just help him during the sheet creation (having a lot of skills is not complicated at all, at least if you help him choose stuff in which you can simply ask him what he wants to do and calculate the DC yourself).
Paladin could be confusing rules-wise but can be good to get the feeling of the game.
Damage dealing is the easiest path if you ask me, so is healing (but is boring and you don't want to bore him to death at is first game). Just make sure the other players are supportive and that they will outdamage him too much.
Focusing on the rules is a must, of course, but if your game values roleplaying (not every games is the same) please consider this aspect. I've seen many players try to portray that "devious tiefling rogue that's really cool and subtle and never talk but look you in the eyes and you really understand what he means and is uberpowerful but seems weak but isn't and is CE in a LG group but expect the group to get along with him" and they always fail. Try to make him choose something that can go along with the group well and offers easy opportunity for roleplay (the dwarf warrior or paladin is perfect, the fire sorcerer with a gold heart is easy too, you know).
As for level: 1st level is my best bet, but I'd let the group use some rules to keep them alive. For example you could give anyone 10 free hit points, or making them die when they reach -(conmod+10) or something like that. Also, I'd avoid dump stats and go with 20 point buy (just give him counselling during the character creation)
It has less to do with the build and more to do with presentation and teaching ability. The standard character sheet is packed with too much info, if you're teaching someone the game don't use it. Take out all the math (like the extra boxes after saves, just one box with their total bonus in it).
Strip the info down to exactly what they need. Color coding stuff can work too, or my favorite, stickers. Make a sticker with the relevant info, when you decide to add it to the game, put the sticker on their character sheet, instantly updated.
I also like things like poker chips for Hit Points and other tokens for actions. Tactile things can help people remember and reinforce ideas, plus life is more fun when you get to touch stuff and interact.
TL:DR; it's not about the build, it's the presentation.
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Just my take, a "heal-bot" or support cleric is quite easy to keep track and use.
The Basic cleric has very little thing to keep track off. There is only:
1) Channel energy
2) Spells per day (Which you can dumb down to just bless/cures)
3) 2 powers or less at level 1 and 2 more at 4-8 lvs. (With the right domains, etc healing, you only have 1-3 powers to keep track off.)
You don't have to keep track of a ton of feats/powers. As for spells, just make a short list of cleric spells for the player.
And the Pluses:
1) All parties need a healer
2) Clerics are tough for spell-casters
3) You can introduce stuff like other spells easily! (No need to learn spell, you know them all, so if the situation calls for it you can introduce the spell to the player.)
4) Basic Cleric don't need many feats. Getting Improve initiative, toughness... etc is more then good enough.
If properly build, a cleric can even go melee.
Just my suggestion.
(Hedge) Witch (yes, a real spellcaster)
- evil eye
- misfortune
- cackle
- healing
- water lungs (no need to breath air)
- slumber
for all of these hexes, the witch doesn't need to roll anything, the effect is very easy to understand. Exception healing, but once per person per day, is easy and good for Roleplaying.
Skills, well I'm sorry, but a build with nearly no skills isn't very effective. Take your athletics and whatever, the GM says what's needed, you roll, it's easy to grasp.
Feats: Something like toughness, extra hex, or skill focus. It's hard to say. Something to avoid rules, those are the same for everyone
Equipment: Ring of protection, bracers of armor, your usual stick. Nothing really required. Something to avoid rules, again same as everyone.
So why is this easy?
You are in combat, keep 5 feet away always. (or out of reach)
Evil eye, misfortune or slumber any sucker. Cackle
Rinse and repeat.
After Combat:
Heal everyone with everything you've got
Roleplay:
Learn a few other hexes like scar, or a few nice spells that are fun.
Edit: okay, water lungs is really suboptimal, but it avoids the rules of how long you can hold your breath.
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I think no skill points is a terrible idea for a new player - that's why I think Fighters are a poor choice, that and the fact that they have no idea how to synergise feats so end up with a dull ineffective char.
The key to keeping new players interested is to give them something simple but also very involved at higher lvl where they will at that point understand things more.
The worst thing you can do is give a characted that makes a new player bored.
That is why almost all new players I game with I suggest the switch hitting Ranger.
I also don't go with less than 20 point buy (sometimes go with 25!) I want them to feel powerful and effective at what they do, rathe than having mediocre stats and often 'whiffing' at the enemy.
Pros:
Very easy to explain the concept and takes no time to sit and set up the char with the new player, easily describing the abilities and why you pick them
Whatever the combat situation they can be useful and involved - Ranged? Bow it. Melee? Smack it with a 2h
Feats are pretty much set in stone for the first bunch of lvls, so no overwhelming choices. Things are more flexible higher lvl and by then they have a firm grasp of the game
Skill points - the Ranger gets a lot, this means they can be involved in stealthy excursions (alongside a Rogue). They get Track/Survival making them feel essential to the team. They get a knowledge or two, again to feel very useful for the team. Meanwhile, the Ranger is not very focused on social skills usually, so they are not put on the spot in pressure situations with everyone staring and awaiting their response
No spells or pet until lvl 4. Spells are many and confusing and you don't want them dealing with them too early. But by lvl 4 the new player has a lot of hours under their belt and are ready for this new dimension (both pet and spells) to help expand their char and give it a fresh life
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Cons:
Favoured Enemy bonuses, Str to Hit with melee, Dex to Hit with ranged. The numbers can get a bit confusing, but a cheat sheet or a very good Char sheet can mitigate this.
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The switch hitter Ranger (or any Ranger really) has been key to introducing new players for me - even my wife who doesn't game enjoyed it!
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All depends on what they want to play.
If they want to play a caster arcane or divine. Spontaneous caster is the best way to go. Far fewer spells to learn. Plus you can just print out spell cards for the spells they do have. So there is far less looking up what they do.
If they want to play a combat character. They will need help on picking feet's. After that make sure they under stand what the feet's do. Kind of like the spell cards make a list of what the feet's do for them.
The hardest classes to play when you first start.
Wizard, Cleric, Rogue, Druid, Bard, All AP, UM, and UC classes. all of them have special rules that are out side the normal. The only exception I will make is the Oracle if they want to play a divine caster. And only because it's the only spontaneous divine caster.
A sorcerer should be pretty simple. Few spells, no need to memorize them, just cast them on the fly. Also, even tough it is suboptimal, make it a blaster. Like an half-orc fire sorcerer, and put all his favored class bonuses in +dmg.
Take a few utility spells, stay away from complicated ones, and he's set.
For the tactics it's gonna work out pretty much like the Witch, tough at some point he might have to poke with a longspear or use a crossbow.
There isn't going to be any one class that's better than another. Some people will just gravitate to what they want to play and do well with that.
I find it is better to talk to the players about what they want from their characters and then help them understand which class(es) help them fill that role.
I think ranger if the campaign last a while would teach the player a lot but gets lots of skills but are skills really that complicated compared to how many spells a wizard gets. Also with ranger they should be ready to play any class in the next campaign.
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When I joined a Pathfinder Society group a couple of months ago, I was completely new to Pathfinder. I owned the Core Rulebook, but had only read a small part of it. I figured a front line melee type would be the easiest to throw together quickly and play, so I made a barbarian. It turns out, I was right.
Just put your points into str, con, dex, wis, int, and cha - in that order. Dumping the mental stats for better physical stats is a good idea, but I wouldn't dump all the way down to 7, since wisdom is needed for will saves and perception, while int affects skill ranks. You can safely dump cha down to 7, if you don't want to be a major talker for the group.
Go human for the extra feat and skill rank. For a newbie, I'd say Power Attack and Furious Focus as starting feats. That way, they can use PA every attack without worrying about the penalty. Hand them a good two handed weapon, stick to light armor until they can afford mithral breastplate, and the only thing they need to keep track of is rounds of rage per day (and the fatigue afterward, but the battles usually over by then, so it doesn't matter).
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I think the ranger class is one of the best intro classes. Rangers are good at lots of things, but not the best at things, so the new player will feel valuable and still value working as a member of a team.
It starts out as a basic melee or ranged character with a lot of useful skills that get used a lot: Perception, Stealth, Climb, Survival, etc. Also, new players tend to be very inventive. They try to do all sorts of things, many of which are skill related. Having a decent chance of succeeding because you're a skill monkey is going to encourage this behavior. Being a PC with 1 skill rank in anything means that he's probably bad at everything else, and that isn't fun. Having stats with negative modifiers may also make the player think the character they're playing is bad at stuff. 10 should probably be the lowest stat of a newbie PC. Having a -1 on Charisma checks might prevent a newbie from talking in character since characters with -1 on Charisma checks are "bad at talking." This can really put the damper on role playing.
Then it introduces a variety of class features at a slow rate: favored enemy, bonus feats, favored terrain, etc. The favored stuff gives the player something to think about, but isn't overwhelming.
Then the ranger class introduces spellcasting.
And either teamwork tacticts (share favored enemy class feature) OR how to handle a pet, cohort, mount, etc. (animal companion).
Talk to the noob:
1) If completely new to rpg's, then a very vanilla fighter. The OP list is a pretty good start but I would also set them up with battle axe and comp str long bow and the same number for both dex and str. that way they will have the same dice for either attack.
2) If some experience with similar things, probably a fairly plain ranger.
3) If they have a lot of time playing something similar (ex. star wars d6). Then you can probably throw anything in the core book and they would do ok.
Another thing to consider. I would not plan a noob's character for long term interest. It is a learning tool. Alow them to retire/change their character at least once or twice fairly quickly as their experience and understanding increases.
I like the Ranger, as it has a bit of everything (range, combat, skills, some spells, and melee capable).
Bards are good that way too, especially if the person feels like they want to dabble more into magic. Some of the archetypes make the bardic performance really easy to do (e.g Archeologist that turns it to + to hit and damage).
1) Ask what kind of character they want to play/see themselves as.
2) Simplest build with fewest options.
3) Once they've played a bit, they'll have a better idea of what they want so let them rebuild.
And remember, imaginative newbies can come up with some crazy awesome ideas.
"Can I jump down the stairs and stab the goblin with my wand?"
"Can I hide behind that tree and just shoot him with my arrows?"
"Can I push the ogre into the fireplace and set him on fire?"
"Can I run up to the orc and shove my crossbow in his face and then shoot him in the face point blank?"
"Can I throw my longsword at knee level and trip the skeleton?"
"Can I throw my warhammer at the knight and knock him off the battlements?
"My halforc has darkvision. Can I blow out the torch and sneak attack the guard?"
"My dwarf is tough and used to the fires of the forge. Can I soak myself in oil, set myself on fire, and wrestle with ice mephit?"
And remember, imaginative newbies can come up with some crazy awesome ideas.
"Can I jump down the stairs and stab the goblin with my wand?"
"Can I hide behind that tree and just shoot him with my arrows?"
"Can I push the ogre into the fireplace and set him on fire?"
"Can I run up to the orc and shove my crossbow in his face and then shoot him in the face point blank?"
"Can I throw my longsword at knee level and trip the skeleton?"
"Can I throw my warhammer at the knight and knock him off the battlements?
"My halforc has darkvision. Can I blow out the torch and sneak attack the guard?"
"My dwarf is tough and used to the fires of the forge. Can I soak myself in oil, set myself on fire, and wrestle with ice mephit?"
"Can I stab him with my stiletto heels?"
"I get an attack and a move? Can I pull down his pants and run away?"
"Can I hide at the top of the archway like a Ninja Turtle?"
"I can turn myself into anything? I turn myself into a net and throw myself on him."
Side Note: There are rules for zero level 'apprentice' characters.
As a noob, I'd want to learn the game a piece at a time. Races and Classes add complexity, I feel. I think the 'basics' have all to do with equipment and skill checks. Sundering, disarming, subdual damage, heal checks, all that stuff are at the core of the game. Without understanding those basics, none of the rest of the game can really be that fun. It'd be like playing a game you didn't know the rules to.
I was a complete noob a year ago, and I was started off as a sorceror. That was a bad idea, because I had to keep track of spells in addition to good old armor and weapon stuff. And since I had no frame of reference, I had to imagine what being magical and all powerful was like, and then be surprised as the game imposed reasonable limitations on me. That was a tough intro into the DnD style world.
Fighters are simple and effective, and introduce players to the core mechanics they'll need to enjoy the game long into the future--That's the biggest benefit. Fighters actually introduce players to the game so you don't have to shield it from them. Give them melee weapons instead of ranged weapons so they can get over their fear of taking damage. Also, don't work too hard on who the character is, becuase you don't want preconcieved character concepts to clash with who players discover their character is as they roleplay. You want players to enjoy who their characters are, rather than spend their efforts protecting their character-concept from the outside world (and the GM).
But if your player likes magic, I recommend the old Battle Mage over the sorceror. Their spell progression is largely set in stone, and they focus on blasty evoker spells that are very video gamey. You can occasionally add a spell to the list, and I'd choose one that has a different attack shape from what you already have, ie. Jet Steam (or whatever) that's a long line rather than a cone.
There are some other details, like being proficient with weapons and armors without affecting spell failure, and adding your int modifier to damage rolls, but I think those complexities help ease players into the game.
Totally barbarian over a fighter. They have impressive power level and much simpler for their feat selection: power attack, furious focus, pushing assault, iron will, imp init, etc. And rage powers are simple and fun!
Intimidating prowess is great in terms of flavor and gives them a social skill that they totally dominate with. Add dazzling display, it's a fun and easy feat-chain to deal with.
I think a half-orc fighter with a warhammer or battle axe and shield might be the easiest to play (not develop). Just use static feats, like Weapon Focus, Shield Focus, Dodge, Ironskin, Toughness, Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Specialization, Deepsight, Skill Focus, Bludgeoner, Blind-Fight, etc. etc. There are a TON of static feats out there. And since the fighter gets so many bonus feats, giving some non-combat static feats can add a lot of flavor to the character, like Fleet, Deepsight, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus, .
Dodge, Shield Focus, and Ironskin add +3 to AC, so the character will be very hard to hit. Toughness will come in handy for those rare times the character IS hit.
Crits only happen on a natural 20, but they do triple damage, and that's pretty easy to remember.
Hell, I've been playing and having a lot of fun with a very basic fighter. My feats were Shield Focus, Toughness, and Skill Focus Intimidate*. For my skills I use my favored class and human extra skill points to up Profession, Intimidate, Climb and Swim. Plus, you could probably be more basic by dropping profession and putting your favored class bonus into HP (I just wanted profession for RP reasons, you know how it is). I took the Armor Expertise (or whatever) trait to decrease armor checks by 1, and this other one that upped my Intimidate (it's a Pathfinder Society trait that increases it by 2, but I think there's a normal one that increases it by 1). Then I just wear the best armor I can get my paws on. As soon as I can I'll take Dazzling Display, but other then that it's all increased saves, increased to hit, increased AC, and increased damage (At level twelve, you'd have Dodge, both Weapon focuses, both weapon specs, both shield focuses, and all three save increases).
Basic and simple but still good. With the fighter progression, you'll have good hit rolls, good damage rolls, and eventually you'll be climbing and swimming like you're wearing nothing at all in full plate. And you've got one somewhat RP based skill (Intimidate) to get you more used to that sort of thing.
It's been great for me, since I'm sort of a beginner myself. (Not that new, but a lot newer then everybody else I play with).
*Intimidating Prowess is good too. I just got the same numbers when I dropped my strength to up my con, and I had the extra points to up my CHA to 12.
I'm not going to do ALL that work for you. But I've said before and I'll say again: save or suck sorcerer.
15-point buy: Str-8 Dex-12 Con-14 Int-10 Wis-10 Cha-16
Play a Human, Halfling or if allowed Aasimar for bonuses to Cha.
Bloodline doesn't really matter a whole lot.
Pick spells like grease, color spray, sleep. 2nd level glitterdust, web.
Why this build? Your abilities are all save or suck spells. You MIGHT have to occasionally roll spell pen, but the rest of the work is really the DM's. Unlike a wizard you just choose new spells and just keep track of slots.
Everyone always says fighter but fighter is very fiddly. Power attack, different attack and damage rolls with different weapon types, have to understand tactical movement, AC changes. Pretty much any combat buff changes all these numbers.
With a save or suck sorcerer you just pick your targets/area and say "I do X" and the DM and/or rest of the players take it from there.
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And remember, imaginative newbies can come up with some crazy awesome ideas.
I love this kind of thing, and I wish more players would try wacky stuff like that.
"Can I jump down the stairs and stab the goblin with my wand?"
Sure! Acrobatics check, followed by a combat maneuver.
"Can I hide behind that tree and just shoot him with my arrows?"
Absolutely. Stealth check, then roll to hit.
"Can I push the ogre into the fireplace and set him on fire?"
Bull rush!
"Can I run up to the orc and shove my crossbow in his face and then shoot him in the face point blank?"
Sure, call it a grapple check.
"Can I throw my longsword at knee level and trip the skeleton?"
Ranged touch attack followed by a trip attempt with a penalty for the improvised weapon.
"Can I throw my warhammer at the knight and knock him off the battlements?
Ranged touch attack plus combat maneuver with penalty for range.
"My halforc has darkvision. Can I blow out the torch and sneak attack the guard?"
Stealth check at a penalty to douse the torch, followed by another stealth check to sneak up on the guard.
"My dwarf is tough and used to the fires of the forge. Can I soak myself in oil, set myself on fire, and wrestle with ice mephit?"
Grapple check to wreastle the mephit, 2d6 fire damage to the mephit from the flaming oil, you take 2d6 fire per round, fort save for half.
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"Can I stab him with my stiletto heels?"
Treat as a spiked gauntlet attack, but make a ref save vs. falling over.
"I get an attack and a move? Can I pull down his pants and run away?"
Dirty Trick combat maneuver!
"Can I hide at the top of the archway like a Ninja Turtle?"
Stealth check plus acrobatics check.
"I can turn myself into anything? I turn myself into a net and throw myself on him."
Transmutation spell? Why not!
Personally I would go for big dumb barbarian. Half ogre/orc this keeps his decisions to attack or not attack and occaisionally rage. It gives him a ton of hp, tacks up any social problems up to heritage. They have a great time because they can cause all sorts of social rp and they feel like the shizzle in the first few fights. If the rogue is generally good tell him that he and the rogue grew up together and he would tear the arms off anyone who hurt the rogue (if the rogue is evil have him protective one of the rest of the party). This gives him something to rp with the group and in the world.
If they have an idea of what they already want to play don't stop them. Either help them make the character or hand them a fairly standard representation of the simplest stereo type of the class and race he or she wants and explain it well to them and find someone else in the group, not the GM and not everyone, to give him somepointers. The rules will come up as he moves a long.