My wife will be playing a barbarian or a paladin. Which is easier for the casual player to learn and use the mechanics for?
Thanks,
Karl
I think the barbarian is easier to deal with honestly.
1) No RP/alignment restriciton
2) Powers work against everything
The only thing to keep track of with barbarian is rounds of rage and how big the bonus to your strength and dex are.
My wife will be playing a barbarian or a paladin. Which is easier for the casual player to learn and use the mechanics for?
Thanks,
Karl
A non-archetyped, by the books barbarian is one of the easiest classes to play. Other than the fighter.
You have feats, rage powers, rage rounds, uncanny dodge, and a few other little things. Mostly all passive bonuses the DM can keep up with. Lots of health, so survivability is good, and with the feats, saves can be buffed.
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They are both moderately complicated for melee classes. Barbarians need to keep track of rage rounds, rage powers, their stat changes when raging and not, and the fatigued condition when the rage ends.
The Paladin needs to keep track of Smite rounds, when to add charisma bonuses or not, spells, and possible divine weapon bonuses. They also have to worry about falling if they do something the DM determines is not good.
Lol, my wife does play a Barbarian in one game. She mostly enjoys it, but between an oversized weapon, Power Attack, Rage, Rage powers and various magic items she has messed up the math more than once. She is also a longtime player with over a decade of xp. Pathfinder is a complicated game and it takes a while to master the rules to any class.
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I agree with Claxon, though honestly I might make an argument for the paladin being the better choice even if it is harder. At early levels, the paladin doesn't have too much more than the barbarian, and if she is truly new to the game, the paladin will also give her the experience of learning how the magic system works, at a slow enough pace to ease her into it - she'll start being able to cast spells around the time she's gotten the hang of the mundane stuff, and will still have 3 levels worth of play to get used to that before she has to deal with multiple spell levels.
My wife Barbarians as well. Barbarian is pretty easy but can easily be made complicated. I'd include a list of go-to feats and rage powers and keep up on the damage math.
Lol, my wife does play a Barbarian in one game. She mostly enjoys it, but between an oversized weapon, Power Attack, Rage, Rage powers and various magic items she has messed up the math more than once. She is also a longtime player with over a decade of xp. Pathfinder is a complicated game and it takes a while to master the rules to any class.
Yes I have noticed the complexity. I have used a law code for a sovereign nation that is smaller, simpler and easier to learn and understand. Civil and criminal law. Everything from a loose animal to murder was covered. You could send a guy to jail for years, take his home and livelihood or permently bar him from seeing his kids and it was nowhere near as complex as this game.
Lol the rule book is thicker than the last two college text books I used combined. Yes you could say the game is mildly complex. Although I must admit it is very well written and engaging. The supplements are high quality as well.
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I need to make a new thread to see how many people's wives play Barbarian/Sorcerer as their first character. I see it all the time.
I agree with Claxon, though honestly I might make an argument for the paladin being the better choice even if it is harder. At early levels, the paladin doesn't have too much more than the barbarian, and if she is truly new to the game, the paladin will also give her the experience of learning how the magic system works, at a slow enough pace to ease her into it - she'll start being able to cast spells around the time she's gotten the hang of the mundane stuff, and will still have 3 levels worth of play to get used to that before she has to deal with multiple spell levels.
Back when we were in highschool and she could make the ability rolls she loved Paladins. I would roll each new character waiting for a monk. And waiting and waiting..