Need some sage-like advice

[GutterFace]

So i have a player in a game, who recently died. he is not an optimizer by any means and is new to 3.5
his last character was a ranged fighter that went into dread pirate (with boat requirement waived)

so for his new character i know he's been thinking of being a Gnome and wants to do a lot of tinkering. obviously this leads me to think of Artificer.

before i go down that road and help him build a character i was wondering if anyone else had any ideas for a new gnome character that like to build things that doesn't require a lot of OP or that needs a lot of heavy D&D reading and skill to maneuver.

he is going to start at level 5 or 6. keep the dipping to a null i dont think he can handle all the mico management....

and if we do decide on Artificer besides the handbook since thats going to be way over his head...suggestions on a build overview i can help him understand?

[ArcturusV]

Well, at level 5, you could just throw a Ranger at him. A) As an Archery Ranger a lot of the "combat" will be familiar to him and be easy. B) You can go with something that requires a bit less system mastery than Artificer, and have him be the guy making traps, poisons, and alchemy via Crafting, as Crafting rules aren't really all that hard to figure out, and as a Ranger he has the skill points to burn on it.

I dunno, part of it depends on your read of how "new" he is and how much he'll be willing to do the book work for something like an artificer. It's a lot of dedication to do the hours of book work needed between sessions, at least for a new player who doesn't just already know it all.

[Fouredged Sword]

I would suggest you do the following instead.

Scout 1 / Ranger 3 / Scout 2 / Trapsmith 5 / Ranger 9

Ok, you have an archery focused mobile fighter who tinkers with traps and has some nice self support from his spells. Take ranks in craft alchemy and poison and go to town by making all the fun stuff. Note, you get fabricate, so you can make poison and academical stuff as a standard action.

He can dip his toes into being a skill monkey and also a spellcaster, while keeping his options more open for out of combat and pre combat fun with traps and more skills.

The Swift hunter and Improved Skirmish feats are suggested feats.

[Spore]

The Eberron artificer really isn't overly complicated once you know your core "spells".

[Pilo]

Why not Psion then Constructor for Astral construct centered build?

[Diovid]

Rogue 4 / Marshal (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030906b) 1 / Trapsmith 5 / Exemplar 1 / Combat Trapsmith 5 with the Rogue's Quick Fingers ACF could work.

The Quick Fingers ACF and Trapsmith are from Dungeonscape, Combat Trapsmith is from Complete Scoundrel, Exemplar is from Complete Adventurer.

Of course it would work better with an Earth Kobold (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#earthKobolds) given the two Kobold web articles (here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060127a) and here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a)), the Kobold Rogue substitution levels (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060106a&page=3) and most importantly the Extraordinary Trapsmith feat (Races of the Dragon).

[GutterFace]

i think i will have to consider the Eberron core Artificer to start.
i think infusions might be hard for him at first but its going to be much easier than having him manage all the dips and multis you guys are suggesting.

[Telonius]

Yeah, Artificer isn't that "hard" if you stick to just the Infusions. But once you bring the crafting into it, you've got yourself one of the most complicated classes in the game. (Not sure if it beats out Druids, for needing to bring the paperwork with you).

If you're simplifying it for a newbie, and if you're completely sure that he's not going to break the game ... I'd just ditch all of the UMD checks and "counts as +2 levels casting" and so on. Just have him be able to craft the item at his level if anybody in the game could craft it at that level. No worries about items being two caster levels behind and so on.