I have no idea what to play

[Chells]

I have been a 3.5 diehard but a gaming convention is coming up and the only real choices I have are 4e. I haven't really given 4 a fair chance and there is a Living Dark Sun campaign that will take up half the con. I loved DS back when I was play 2e so it seems like fate is calling me. The problem is I don’t even know where to start with picking a character class. I have been through the books a number of times and Shaman seems to jump out at me but looking on the boards has made me wonder about that choice. Many threads mentions shaman are difficult to play and since I can’t understand half of what folks are talking about with 4th edition in the first place, maybe starting with a tough to play character might not be the best idea. Still I’m a very bright guy. I should be able to pick it up quickly. I just wouldn’t mind some help starting off. I was hoping to get some suggestions from folks here as to what class you would play if you were me or some shaman tips if that seems like the best fit.

So here’s what I like to play in 3.5:
Spellcasters!! Tried fighters and barbarians and was very bored.
Had a druid I absolutely loved (He was a plant with an odd wild-shape).
My combat-medic/cleric of Fharlanghn was an absolute blast (played for over a year every week and he swung a weapon just one time).
Playing a monk/bard hybrid in one game and a straight up sorcerer in another right now.
I like weird and culturally I prefer primitives to nobility.
I am almost always the guy who doesn’t die. I build characters usually with passable to crappy offense but awesome defenses.
More often than not I’m either the healer or the back up healer.

So if this were you, what would you play?
Feel free to ask any other questions

[hamishspence]

So here’s what I like to play in 3.5:
Spellcasters!! Tried fighters and barbarians and was very bored.
Had a druid I absolutely loved (He was a plant with an odd wild-shape).
I like weird and culturally I prefer primitives to nobility.
I am almost always the guy who doesn’t die. I build characters usually with passable to crappy offense but awesome defenses.


These three sound rather like Warden (many plant-based transformations, good defences)



More often than not I’m either the healer or the back up healer.


This one might be appropriate to some other class though.

[Daftendirekt]

If you're a healer that doesn't mind almost never attacking, be a Cleric, and take the Pacifist Healer feat. You're healing for a lot more that way, but you get stunned for attacking bloodied enemies.

So, basically, you can attack normally the first half of the fight -- when your party probably won't need healing yet -- and then later on, when both sides get bloodied, you can heal your allies and the penalty for attacking bloodied foes matters not a bit.

[LikeAD6]

If you like primitives and being the healer, shaman is probably the way to go.

[KingFlameHawk]

If you want a primal character with strong defenses I would go with Warden.
It you want a healer that can stay behind A shielding (Divine Power) Cleric with the Pacifist Healer feat.
If you what a primal healer play the Shaman, they arn't that hard and if you are experienced with RPGs you should be able to pick it up quickly.
If you want magic be a Bard if you want to heal as well, Wizard to strike a lot of enemies at once, Warlock or Sorcerer if you want to do some more damage.

[Kurald Galain]

there is a Living Dark Sun campaign that will take up half the con.
Related to some of the above suggestions, do note that all divine classes are banned for Living Dark Sun. Also, any item-dependent build may hard to get to work since (unlike LFR) the setting doesn't have a Magic Mart.


Many threads mentions shaman are difficult to play
You should take that with a grain of salt. It is definitely one of the harder classes in 4E to play effectively, but it's nothing an experienced gamer should have problems with. D&D is not rocket science, after all.


Spellcasters!!
If you love screwing up the DM's strategy, then wizard is an excellent choice.


Had a druid I absolutely loved
Although there is a plant race in 4E, wild shape is very different from its earlier-edition counterpart (particularly the part where you can't use this to gain flying or waterbreathing powers any more).



I like weird and culturally I prefer primitives to nobility.
More often than not I’m either the healer or the back up healer.
Based on this, shaman does sound fitting, yes. Also, warlords are very good.

[Bagelz]

it sounds like you very much would like to play something from the phb 2 (shaman, druid, warden, possibly even look at seeker)

What did you like about your 3.5 druid, the spells, wildshape, animal companion, something else? All 4e get the same number of powers, which feel a lot like spells (except some of the essentials line whose powers just modify bassic attacks).

To simplify the shaman, you get an spirit companion, which feels like an animal companion. It can move when you move, you share standard actions. So mechanically it is a spot your powers can originate from, and if it dies, you just resummon next turn as a minor. You have healing,a lot of your attack powers are range 5 from you, or melee from your campanion. Theres a lot of battlefield controll feel from a shaman.

A lifeblood warden, while technically a defender, can heal well enough. Everything you do will be in melee range, but most of your daily powers are polymorph forms. For example you use the form of the oak sentinal, your reach increases by 1 as your arms grow out like branches, and anything that makes a melee attack on you takes damage (from your thorns) until the end of the encounter. Or the form of the ram, you grow horns that let you do a ramming charge attack, and your speed increases till end of the encounter. The forms are a little more rediculous than wildshape.

A druid is a controller, but if you focus on wildshape you feel defendery. I've never played one, but I think Druids have lost their healing, and focus on fire/poision/swarmy damage power, and have some creature summons. Your wild shape is at-will and you choose any form you want, which doesn't really any mechanical differences. Either you are in beastform and can use beastform powers but "spell like" powers, or you aren't.

Either way I think any of them would be good choices.

Also remember you can always talk to your dm about reflavoring. Just because it's called tensors floating disk, doesn't mean it cant be a swarm of insects that carry you/your stuff, or that beastform, cant be a plantform.

[kyoryu]

First thing to ask is what role, and what power source. There are four roles in 4e:

Defender: Gets hit. Concentrates the attention of the bad guys, and protects his friends
Leader: Heals/buffs
Striker: Lays on the ouchie
Controller: Debuffs enemies, and controls the battlefield.

Classes have a primary role, and typically have at least one option for a secondary role - usually related to their power source. For instance, Divine classes tend to be secondary Leaders, and so Paladins are Defenders with a secondary Leader aspect.

Primal classes tend to be secondary Defenders. Shamans are the Leader class for the Primal source, and Druids are the Controller class (though there's an Essentials variant that acts as a Leader).

As far as being interesting to play - really, unless you pick some of the Essentials variants of the non-magic classes (fighter, rogue), pretty much all classes get interesting choices to make in terms of ability usage. There's no "I hit the orc" classes in 4e (though Twin Strike Rangers can come close...)

[Mando Knight]

For instance, Divine classes tend to be secondary Leaders, and so Paladins are Defenders with a secondary Leader aspect.
Though this example isn't useful in Dark Sun, since Divine classes essentially don't exist there.

[Surrealistik]

Enchanter Wizard has easily given me the most fun of any character or build I've yet played; you can't help but revel when you have both zones and unlimited and powerful forced movement.

[Mando Knight]

but I think Druids have lost their healing, and focus on fire/poision/swarmy damage power, and have some creature summons.True. Except that the Sentinel Druid, in Heroes of Forgotten Kingdoms, is a Leader (and thus Healer) with an Animal Companion instead of Wildshape. The Ranger also gets to choose an Animal Companion, but loses out on dual-wielding Bastard Swords if he does so.
Also remember you can always talk to your dm about reflavoring. Just because it's called tensors floating disk, doesn't mean it cant be a swarm of insects that carry you/your stuff, or that beastform, cant be a plantform.
This is heavily encouraged by WotC, even. If you say that your Wildshape is some kind of crazy plant-beast-thing, the DM is supposed to say "OK, cool" so long as you don't start god-moding and declaring that you, Mr. Level 1 Druid, are transformed into a several-klicks-long beast the likes of which even Lunar Exalts wished they could become.

[Lord Ascapelion]

I know you said you don't want to play a Barbarian, but I still suggest you give it a shot (or at least take a look at the class.) Every class in 4e essentially has the same amount of options in combat, so you'll be doing more than just Rage-Charge-Full Attack. It's a melee-based striker (dealing out huge amounts of damage to one enemy) and depending on what class feature and powers you choose, you can either be a sub-defender or secondary leader. Your Rage comes in the form of daily powers which will do some manner of impressive attack, then give you a bonus for the rest of the encounter.

Plus, I think being a melee beater is something that's different from what you've played before and I'm all for widening horizons. :smallsmile:

[Cartigan]

If you like primitives and being the healer, shaman is probably the way to go.

The Shaman is not the way to go for an introductory course to 4e, even at first level.

I'd say Monk. Monks are bad mothas in 4e (and Strikers) and they are psionic so they fit in Dark Sun great.

[Renchard]

I'm not going to suggest much, since all this info is coming 16 days after you inititally asked for help. :)

[Mando Knight]

I'm not going to suggest much, since all this info is coming 16 days after you inititally asked for help. :)

...That's true. I guess this sub-forum split dug up quite a few older threads...