Helping out a new player

[Lothalis]

Hello,

I am returning to DMing a 3.5 game after about 4 years of retirement because a friend asked me too. He wanted a large scale adventure with a large party, and we got that. It is a city adventure spanning (hopefully) over 5 sessions.

Character level 4 no LA races.

- A Human Swashbuckler/Rouge going lasher
- A Dread Necro/Fighter
- A Cleric going Rune priest
- A Warblade

Now there is a 5th player who is new to the game. He played an adventure where he played a Human Fighter (cue nostalgic music, look back to my first character in 1992, he died the way he was created, Randomly) however this time he wants to try a different class and wants my suggestion from his list he picked out.

- Rogue (or spell thief, he liked the flavor but didn't like the slow progression of sneak attack)
- Ranger: Urban Variant
- Hexblade
- Warmage
- Warlock
- Wizard

I told him to read them carefully and just play one he thinks is fun, but he is quite insistant on getting my opinion. He is a bit younger than me and (apparently, I wasn't there) played his fighter well, but impulsive. My gut; looking at what the party needs, tells me to tell him Warlock to add some much needed arcane support. While not needing the careful thought as a wizard requires, as well as not needing access to multiple books to bolster the warmage. My brain knowing he is a new player tells me he should stick to something simple like the Ranger or Hexblade, simular to what he was already using, with a different spin; Rogue could fill this, but Spellthief i'm still unsure.

So as a call out to DM's out there, based on the info I have here should I go with my gut and tell him to go Warlock or Warmage and fill out the party, or should I tell him something else and let him try to come into their own? (Honestly the others are not new to playing, and they kinda quickly picked their classes)

Any and all suggestions are welcome, but please try and keep the suggestions a bit simple as he is new and a Cleric 3/ Fighter 2/ Wizard 5/ Sorcerer 1/ Archmage 2/ Towelboy 5/ Assassin 2 might be a bit offsetting to him.

[Kol Korran]

i'd actually go with the warmage. warlock is awefuly limited at 4th level, and might bore him quickly. the group needs fire support, so that leaves the warmage and wizard.

wizard hwoever induces the need to choose specific spells for the spell book and the adventure. some are good at it, some aren't, ill take a chance with this being a newbie and say he isn't.

warmage is simple, often quite fun, and gives a sort of "introduction to spell casting" the player chose fighter and was concerned about SA progression. this is very little to go by, but i'd say he wants to deal damage.

there might be all kind of fixes on the web and forums to the lacking warmage, i just did the following:

Warmage:
- Add the following spells to his spell list:
mage armor, shield, (1st)
protection from arrows, resist energy, (2nd)
protection from energy (3rd) (including mass versions)
globe of invulnerability spells (4th and 6th),
spell turning (7th)
protection from spells (8th) .
- They also have the "expanded knowledge" class feature changed- the warmage can learn from the abjuration and conjuration in addition to Evocation)

this should give him a few (hopefully enough) more interesting options, mainly defensive capabilities.

[Yora]

Since there already is a rogue played by an experienced player, I would stay away from that.

A wizard is what the group could use, but I think it's a really bad idea for a completely new player.

I think I would recommend warlock or warmage. Not very powerful, but easy to play, if he gets help in getting explained which spells and abilities will be the most useful.