Help giving classes to players

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Surgo
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Help giving classes to players

Post by Surgo »

I got pulled today, quite willingly, into running a D&D game. I figure we'll start at about level 6 or so and advance somewhere between every session and every other session. I have two players who are totally new to D&D, so I'm not really sure what to give them.

I basically asked how they wanted to accomplish stabbing people in the face and taking their stuff, in exactly those words. One of them said they wanted to use magic to do it, and didn't really like the Fire Mage theme for his character, so I pointed them to Cielingcat's Warlock. I'm worried that might be a little bit too complicated still, and he probably has more direct damage in mind. Should I roll my own Black Mage class for this guy? (I started trying that a bit ago but stopped, because I was having a difficult time coming up with class features and unique spells for each level -- there's only so many faces you can put on "damage").

The other newbie expressed interest in playing a Cleric. The Cleric is way too complex for a newbie. I might throw Quantumboost's White Mage at her, but I'm not sure if she wants the healing vibe as much as the holy crusader vibe. Do we have a good holy crusader class laying around that I can give her? I guess I could give her the Knight and some super-healing-other-people powers through a feat.

Aside from that: one of the people (not a newbie) always plays monks, so I gave her the Tome Monk. Not sure what the last person wants yet.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Re: Help giving classes to players

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Surgo wrote:One of them said they wanted to use magic to do it, and didn't really like the Fire Mage theme for his character, so I pointed them to Cielingcat's Warlock.
What about the secret unlockable Puppeteer class?
The other newbie expressed interest in playing a Cleric. The Cleric is way too complex for a newbie. I might throw Quantumboost's White Mage at her, but I'm not sure if she wants the healing vibe as much as the holy crusader vibe. Do we have a good holy crusader class laying around that I can give her?
If she wants the healing vibe, go Marshall. If she wants the holy crusader vibe, well, there's a lot of possible ways that could work; Kantian Paladin, Samurai with a deity for a lord, Soulborn glowstick. Find out specifically what it is about the Cleric that tickled her interest and what she wants to do and look like in play.
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CatharzGodfoot
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Even the Marshall has some 'holy crusader' vibe; I think it's a great suggestion.

You could have the magic user look at Elementalist, Warmage, and maybe even Soulborn, Shadow Warrior, Totemist, or Incarnate.
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Maxus
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Post by Maxus »

Magic Dude:

Could do a Conduit maybe, with a couple of non-evil Spheres.

There's other Energy Mages you could suggest.

The healer is a problem...A Kantian Paladin and some wands of CLW or something? Or Frank's Marshall...
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Utterfail
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Post by Utterfail »

A curator with the Healing Sphere would work pretty nice.
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God_of_Awesome
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Post by God_of_Awesome »

We have a Black Mage class?
Frank on the Fighter (Abridged)
FrankTrollman wrote:
God_of_Awesome wrote: Could I inquire on the motive behind the design decisions on the Fighter class?
...

The Fighter is intended to be, like the Wizard, a character who can and does adapt their tactics to the opposition and draws upon player experience to deliver tactical victories. And to do it without "feeling" like it was using Magic.

...

So honestly, when someone tells me "I know the game backwards and forwards, and when I pull out all the stops with the Fighter I totally win!" And my response is "OK, good." Because that's exactly what people report with the Wizard too.

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Surgo
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Post by Surgo »

No, but we're supposed to have reading comprehension.
PhaedrusXY
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Post by PhaedrusXY »

What about Kaelik's Stormlord for the blaster mage?

http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=50797
Rejakor
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Post by Rejakor »

I find people grok spell lists pretty fast. Class complexity is something I worry about a lot for new players, but once people have hit points, saves, and base attack bonus down, lists of spells that tell you what they do is a lot easier for them to stomach.

I always thought that would be the hard part but apparently not. The 1d20+modifier vs target number mechanic is always the sticking point.
Last edited by Rejakor on Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Surgo
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Post by Surgo »

Just an update, the final sheets are Warlock, Monk, Soulborn, and Knight.
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Post by Red_Rob »

I'm pretty intererested in how the Warlock class plays out, I know there was some talk about the higher level Sphere abilities being possibly broken when used at-will. I really like the concept of the Spherelock and think it could be broadened out from just a "Demon touched" class to include anyone who draws power from another plane by tweaking the Spheres and some of the abilities. Elemental Spherelocks would be easy, and I'm pretty sure Holy Spherelocks wouldn't be hard. Let us know how things turn out!
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For Valor
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Post by For Valor »

At-Will Wail of the Banshee... well, yeah, I guess. But that's at level 19, and people are all over the place by then.
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Kaelik
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Post by Kaelik »

For Valor wrote:At-Will Wail of the Banshee... well, yeah, I guess. But that's at level 19, and people are all over the place by then.
It's more things like "At will Gate" or "At will Timestop" but those are also level 19, so who gives a fuck.

(Actually, I can point to someone who if you bring up the Tome of Fiends will bitch about At will Time Stop instantaneously without even pausing to think or make sense, but meh.)

Also, K must have seriously but raped him in the past, because he has a hardon of hatred for you guys personally, and when I first dealt with them he didn't even know Frank existed.
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