Simplest Class

[Melkiador]

I've been thinking there should be a very simple class. Something that would be good for a beginner without being too weak or too strong.

My ideas so far:

HD: d6
BAB: Poor
Saves: All Poor
Skill Points: base 0, but minimum possible per level is still 1.
Class Skills: None
Proficiencies: Simple weapons & all weapons from one selected fighter weapon group; light and medium armor, non-tower shields

Class ability: Excel Bonus (aka "EB")
~ Your Excel Bonus is equal to 1+(1/2 your Simple class level, round down). It is a bonus added to many of your abilities.
~ You apply your EB to all saving throws.
~ You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your EB. These hit points regenerate at a rate of 1 per minute.
~ Add your EB to any skill checks using skills you are trained in.
~ If using a shield, apply your EB to your AC as a stacking shield bonus.

~ You apply your EB to all attack and damage rolls with weapons from your chosen fighter weapon group.
~~ If using a weapon with two hands, you may instead apply 1.5 times your EB on damage rolls with that weapon.
~~ If using a weapon as offhand, instead apply half your EB on damage rolls with that weapon.

~ For the purposes of qualifying for and using feats, you can treat your EB as levels of any other class. This bonus doesn't stack with itself.

[Zhayne]

That doesn't look any simpler or better than a bog-standard fighter with simple, numerical-bonus feats taken.

[kestral287]

It honestly looks more complicated than a Fighter.

[Larkspire]

I'd just have them play a fighter or pre-gen sorcerer...This game doesn't really seem to do "simple"...
It's like teaching someone the "simplest" chess opening...every choice just splinters into complications.
They are better off getting familiar with an core class.

[Melkiador]

Well, it was supposed to be simpler in that it was hard to make any bad choices. I also wanted to have a combat style focus without being over specialized so I went with fighter weapon group.

I think some other design interests got mixed in though. I may take the mechanic and use it to make a more JRPG hero.

[kestral287]

The immediate problems with it that I'm seeing are things like you pushing them into using a Shield (newbie sees that, sees AC is good, takes a shield) when they don't necessarily know how to use a shield, because that's something that takes a little system knowledge to figure out. Same for the bit about qualifying for any class' feats. People are going to want to use that.

The other problem I see is that you'd have to teach everybody what Temporary HP is first thing. The setup loses simplicity when you have to start bringing in niche rules off the bat.

Finally, it has practicality concerns. D6 hit dice + 1+1/2 class level as HP? It will die fast. Do we want new players to die fast?

[TempusAvatar]

I thougbt barbarian was the go-to class for beginners. Simple concept, easy - to - understand powers, lots of hit points, get to feel like a badass, hard for novices to make bad choices, but veteran players can still make amazing choices.