Someone who has never played a tabletop RPG is interested in trying Pathfinder with my normal group. Any recommendations for an easy class to start with? I'm hoping for something mechanically simple, but still fun. Fighter can be incredibly simple, but a total drag out of combat..
I was thinking Ranger might be good so they can have some versatility and decent skill points without too much mechanical complexity, but am not sure I want to throw spells and tracking an animal companion at them.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Next most importantly after being fairly simple you want them to have some social skills. Talking at someone and then failing the roll horribly is discouraging.
A paladin does make a decent Big Damn Hero if you make it clear they have to do something terrible to fall. A pure spellcaster is something I wouldn't recommend because their limited resources (spells, mostly) are too limited at low levels for a new player IMO given how much they drop in effectiveness once those are gone. A bard is possible providing they like some such concept - I might draw on an archetype if suggesting a bard.
Paladins are good characters. they can hit, they can get hit, they can heal, have some minor spells and have decent stats. RP aside they are probably the 'best' class.
Depends on the campaign, of course!
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Honestly, I'd ask the player what basic fantasy archetype they'd like to play - presuming they've seem things like Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, they should have a basic character concept. Then I'd build off that concept.
If they want a warrior type, ranger or paladin are where I'd go.
If they want a spellcaster, I'd go with sorcerer with a fairly easy bloodline.
If they want a sneaky type, either ranger or Urogue is my recommendation.
Build most of the 1st level PC for them, but listen to what they envision so there isn't a disconnect between what they want and whet they get.
Ranger would be my go to for brand new people without a preference. Good skills, can do either ranged or melee of any style decentl, gets a few spells later and potentially an animal companion.
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Take a step back. Here's my advice after introducing dozens of people to tabletop RPG's:
* Ask them if they have any ideas about what they're interested in playing. Character creation is a very personal experience, and while you want to guide the process, you also want to create buy-in. I've never had a player with a premade first character stick around.
* Ask follow-up questions about their concept or if they're a bit hesitant about what you mean by the above question, suggest that they consider favorite book or movie characters as inspiration.
So an example might look like, "I think I'd like to play someone who's strong and has a sword. Can I do that?" So you can follow up with something like, "Absolutely; were you thinking someone more like Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings or more like Conan the Barbarian?"
Or
"I'm not really sure what I'd be interested in. Can I just look at the books or something?" (You don't want to say no, but you want to continue pushing this as a collaboration to help the process.) You might say, "Well, think about some of your favorite movies, books, or games; is there a character concept that you might like to draw on as inspiration for your character?"
You might get an answer to either question like, "The Dread Pirate Wesley from Princess Bride."
Now the field narrows. This is your chance as the GM to leverage your expertise and help guide them to a choice. To me, Swashbuckler instantly jumps to mind. So I do a couple quick mental double-checks: is that a class that's too hard to play as a new player? No, not really, but it does have a little bit of resource management including opportunity actions. Are those concerns easy to work around? Actually, a lot of the abilities are passive and come as part of a pre-made suite of powers, and as far as the resource management goes, those are good lessons for a new player to learn anyway. In this case, I'd roll with my recommendation.
If the player expressed interest in a spellcaster, I'd guide them towards Sorcerer. And so on. Essentially, have an idea of the easiest versions of each kind of character the player might want to play. You might get thrown for a loop and get an answer like Aerith from Final Fantasy (some people love playing supports), so be ready with stuff like Life Oracle rather than cleric, and so on.
Creating buy-in is what's important at this stage.
* Once the concept is nailed down, move on to mechanics. Keep this simple. Don't present point buy to your new player, just ask what sorts of things they'd like to be good at. Bring up the six ability scores, but keep things general - people have an idea what these terms mean, so you won't need to go into great detail. You'll be the one to actually assign the scores, based on the feedback from your player. Again, you're the expert; the player will be relieved to see you turn their concept into results.
Skills should be handled similarly. Don't show the player the list of skills upfront and say, "Pick 4." Explain what skills are and what skill points are, but use what they've told you to guide recommendations that fit that theme. "Alright, you've told me that your character is quick and nimble, so I'm going to recommend that we put one of your skill points into Acrobatics and another into Stealth. You've also said that you want your character to be charming, so we'll put another into Diplomacy. You also said that he's clever and a good liar, so we'll put the last one in Bluff."
For feats, you should present a vetted list if necessary. Always-on options are fantastic, here. Do not go into the vast landscape of feats, just explain what they are and offer a few appropriate options, like Toughness, Power Attack, or Weapon Focus. You continue to create buy-in without being overwhelming. (For your Sorcerer player, recommend an appropriate spell focus, for your life oracle, recommend selective channel, etc. You get the idea.)
* Lastly let them flesh out some of the other features, like name, gender, or race (this might happen earlier.) Don't worry about alignment. Like the other features, explain what it is and that there are different options, but use what the player has told you to make a suggestion, and explain that there's no problem if you both realize later that you wrote the wrong thing down, that it's easy to change, but it does have some interaction with certain game mechanics and events.
Good luck with your new player, and remember: be the expert, and create buy-in, and you'll do fine.
Fighter is definitely the simplest. Everyone needs to learn the combat system, and the fighter excels there. (I've used similar reasoning for my first character when learning other RPGs, too, from Earthdawn to GURPS.) They don't have to be useless outside of combat, if you remember to role-play them and can spare an occasional skill point for an interaction or knowledge skill.
The rogue is an excellent choice for someone who wants to be able to contribute to almost any encounter--they shine in both combat and skill use. The class's broad access to skills makes it easy to fill the role of scout, burglar, "face man," or scholar, or remain a jack of all trades, whatever the party needs most.
I find the Sorcerer at low levels is the simplest class. You have few known spell and bloodline. As you play and grow you learn. It doesn't get any more simple than that. You'll end up with bit more out of combat stuff with that Chr but lacking skill points will limit it. I think the fighter is equally easy if people tell you the feats to pick no different that what to pick for you known spells. Both combat and magic need to be learned anyways.
Thanks for all the advice! There are a few options in here I'd never considered. And Gulthor/Ryric, I'll definitely work through that process with the player.
Much appreciated.