What's the easiest class to play?

[bokodasu]

I'm going to try to run a family game over the holidays, so I'll need something for the smallest munchkin to play. She's played other (more storytelling-based) RPGs before, but we're all new to 5e so I'm not even sure what to roll up for her. Race/class/background suggestions all appreciated.

[Jlooney]

Personally I think rogues are the easiest to play. Everyone knows what a thief does and as for race. Why not human.

[Edge of Dreams]

Human Champion Fighter. Dead simple.

Human Thief Rogue would be the back-up plan.

Both of these have few, if any, limited use resources to manage. Their abilities tend to be always-on, so the player doesn't have to stress about whether it's the right time to spend a spell slot or a ki point or whatever.

[MadGrady]

I second (and third) my forum pals up at the top. Stay away from anything with magic. I'm currently involved in a campaign with a younger child (around 10yrs old) who is playing a sorceress. She does alright, but she does require a fair bit of assistance (not saying this is a rule, just my personal experience).

Barbarian would probably be my 3rd choice.

[Yagyujubei]

without a doubt champion fighter is the easiest class, with rogue you have to worry about positioning and sneaking/ hiding etc. so while it's still not too bad there are considerations to be made.

champion fighter is literally run up to bad guy and swing muh slicey stick until he's dead, find next badguy and repeat until all baddies are dead.

As for the rest of the stuff, The only races I would steer clear of are the obviously different than humans ones like dragonborn/tiefling/halforc etc. Elves/dwarves/halflings/gnomes are a bit easier from an RP standpoint and humans/half elves would be the easiest probably.

for backgrounds I think that folk hero would probably appeal to a younger person alot and would be easy for them to RP because alot of childrens media has that type of unlikely hero character.

[Person_Man]

I agree with Edge of Dreams et al. A few other minor points:

Consider having Action Surge work the first round of every combat, Second Wind works once per combat, and all players have their hit points restored to full at the end of each combat. It basically removes all of the tedious book keeping and allows the Fighter to just focus on fighting. Similarly, you can have Sneak Attack work automatically every turn with any Finesse or ranged weapon. There's no benefit to forcing a 10 year old to try and figure out flanking or Advantage every turn.

I think Assassin Rogue is a better choice then Thief Rogue, even if the player is very young. Pretty much anyone old enough to play D&D is old enough to understand how to describe sneaking up on enemies to ambush them, you as the DM can give them a lot of slack by hand waving the mechanics away as needed, and it encourages the Rogue to play like a Rogue. Whereas the Thief subclass abilities are junk until you get to 17th level, can be a bit confusing to explain, and should basically have been default rules for everyone anyway.

I would also say that spellcasters can be made very easy for new players by taking the simple step of writing their cantrips and spells on index cards, reverting to 3.5 memorized spellcasting for non-cantrips (giving them a few extra spells as needed to compensate), and choosing their memorized spells for them. Anyone capable of playing Magic the Gathering can read a hand of cards and choose to play them during combat as needed. Just avoid the more complex and/or fiddly spells.

[themaque]

I again say, Champion Fighter.

However, I would also threaten to mix things up and say a Warlock.

While they are magic they tend to be limited in their selection, so as not to be overwhelming. Their one or two tricks are highly reliable and rewarding to pull off.

[Shining Wrath]

So, yeah, Fighters and Rogues and Barbarians are simple.

But will there be much out-of-combat time? Because the Fighter and the Barbarian might not contribute ooc, or require some hand-holding of the munchkin.

Enter the easiest magic class: Sorcerer. It might spark the munchkin imagination to be descended from dragons, they get to be handsome or pretty, they have lots of cantrips but few spells. They have some social skills so they can do some ooc talking.

[DireSickFish]

I'm in the champion fighter boat but I am going to disagree on the human front. Humans are going to have to chose where to place there abilities and what to take for a feat. Dwarf champion fighter would be much more straightforward, extra hp will also help them stay alive.

If going rogue then hafling or elf would be a good choice.

[Vogonjeltz]

I'm in the champion fighter boat but I am going to disagree on the human front. Humans are going to have to chose where to place there abilities and what to take for a feat. Dwarf champion fighter would be much more straightforward, extra hp will also help them stay alive.

If going rogue then hafling or elf would be a good choice.

Only variant human. Keep it simple with standard and they only need to pick another language.

[Joe the Rat]

Nah, you're keeping it simple. Don't do Variant Human.

Dwarf is a good option as well though. Channel your inner Gimli.

[odigity]

Dwarf is a good option as well though. Channel your inner Gimli.

I can't -- my DM has houseruled no Scottish dwarves. We all whole-heartedly agreed.

[DireSickFish]

I can't -- my DM has houseruled no Scottish dwarves. We all whole-heartedly agreed.

Mix it up and do an Irish dwarf then.

[odigity]

Mix it up and do an Irish dwarf then.

I've been contemplating young urban hipster, actually. (Short, well-groomed beard.)

[Logosloki]

I again say, Champion Fighter.

However, I would also threaten to mix things up and say a Warlock.

While they are magic they tend to be limited in their selection, so as not to be overwhelming. Their one or two tricks are highly reliable and rewarding to pull off.

I agree. Warlock can be overlooked as a real easy class to play.

[WickerNipple]

I'm going to try to run a family game over the holidays, so I'll need something for the smallest munchkin to play. She's played other (more storytelling-based) RPGs before, but we're all new to 5e so I'm not even sure what to roll up for her. Race/class/background suggestions all appreciated.

Every smallest munchkin I have ever introduced to D&D always has the most fun as a Rogue. Kids just innately understand the rogue mindset of screwing over others when they're down.

[Felvion]

The fighter is the easy choise but don't underestimate those youngsters!
I had a similar experience once with two young children. The fighter was an obvious option for the boy but the girl insisted that she wanted to be a wizard and nothing else. I said, why not. I didn't trouble to explain them stats and the like or even make them remember rules.
The fighter knew he could charge recklessly or attack normally or attack "on the defensive". Forgot to say it was 3.5 edition back then but don't thnk it makes any difference.
I thought the wizard would be harder to explain but seriously, i was wrong. I told her the effect of every spell (that took sometime) and she chose her favorites. She knew she could prepare a fixed number of these from a limited spell list per day. Why is that hard? She didn't know that a rogue is harder to hit with reflex-save spells but figured it out after a while.
TBH it was harder to explain to the boy why his attacks had specific limits or why he couldn't move-attack-move but in 5th this is not a problem.
My final advice is this: Don't be lazy! Explain to them the main theme of every class. Let them play whatever they like most cause you don't wan't them to be jealous. Maybe try to avoid classes that their casting may confuse them such as sorcerer points or clerics with all those spells to chose and the divinity features.

[Argo]

Not a Rogue.

Everyone saying that the Rogue is so easy is probably not the sort of person who plays Rogues routinely.

Rogues are scalpels, and to wield one properly you need a delicate touch.

Rogues are squishy, meaning there is not much room for error.

Rogues are skill-based, which means they need to think of lots of interesting and creative ways to use their skills in order to stay relevant. They need to have tools with them, they need to be proficient in those tools, and they need to know the right time and place to use those tools, or they're a detriment to the party.

They need to know when to Hide, when to use Stealth, when to use Sleight of Hand, and when NOT to, or they're a liability.

The EASIEST class to play is Fighter. Always has been, always will be.

"What's a Fighter good at?" "Fighting."
"What does he need?" "Weapons and armor."

"What's a Rogue good at?" "It depends. Could be combat-focused, or more skill-focused. And it really depends on where you put your proficiencies and which skills you pick for your expertise."
"What does he need?" "Rope, thieves' tools, disguise kit, forger's kit, grappling hook, pitons, hammer, nails, crowbar, hooded lantern, flasks of oil, chalk... etc, etc"

I'd say second easiest is Barbarian. Good at fighting, and when things get tough, they Rage to get even better at fighting.

[WickerNipple]

Everyone saying that the Rogue is so easy is probably not the sort of person who plays Rogues routinely.

I didn't say they were easy, I said kids love playing them.

Five minutes on a playground teaches you everything you need to know about playing a rogue. :)

[Human Paragon 3]

Argo is correct. Fighter is the best, Barbarian second best. You'll need to remind her to use her class features occasionally, but I do that anyway when I DM.

"Do you want to rage? Or save it for later?"

"You're pretty hurt! Did you want to use your 2nd wind?"

Etc.

There are so few features on low level barbarians and fighters that it'll be easy for you to help her out with these.

[Knaight]

How old is the kid in question? A concrete number here would be useful - my recommendations at 5, 8, and 11 aren't all going to be the same.

[Argo]

I didn't say they were easy, I said kids love playing them.


I didn't say you said you they were easy. But the first handful of replies did.

Also, the question wasn't "What class do kids love to play?" it was "What is the easiest class to play?"

Kids love to play all the classes, for the same reason adults love to play all the classes. It depends on the individual.

But what is easiest? What will this young first-time player be able to play in order to be a part of the group and not slow everyone down by trying to figure out skills or spells or ki points? What class can you put in front of a child and say "Go" and have them have fun and contribute without slowing things down?

The Fighter.

[JoeJ]

Mix it up and do an Irish dwarf then.

Nah, Scandinavian is the way to go. Better yet, a Swedish-American from Minnesota named Sven Svenson. "Yah, sure. You betcha!"

off topic: am I the only one who wanted to hear Thor talk that way in the movies?

[bokodasu]

I think I'm going to try to talk her into fighter, because a tiny blonde knight of the realm wearing a princess dress amuses me. (All her characters wear princess dresses.) But looking at warlock... that might work. She likes to have magic powers but I've always tried to steer her away from wizards, too complicated.

[Joe the Rat]

She likes to have magic powers Now that's an important piece of information to have in this type of discussion.

Warlock is a good starter for spellcasters. Limited tool set, spell resources that are always there (cantrips, some invocations), or reset with a nap and a cookie, plus the option to be a fairy princess with an on-demand magic sword or tiny purple dragon familiar as a bonus.

[silveralen]

I think I'm going to try to talk her into fighter, because a tiny blonde knight of the realm wearing a princess dress amuses me. (All her characters wear princess dresses.) But looking at warlock... that might work. She likes to have magic powers but I've always tried to steer her away from wizards, too complicated.

In that case, I'm going to second warlock, specifically a fey warlock. It isn't hard (I attack becomes=I shoot magic beams) and her limited spell usage outside of that won't be much more taxing than remembering to action surge/second wind etc.

Help her with spell selection if need be, focus on some safety spells with obvious triggers. Misty step to get away from people who close in or hellish rebuke if someone attacks her for example (a different name might not be a bad idea, there is a reason I said fey warlock for a youngster who I assune isn't your kid). Toss in some obvious utility stuff, like friends, charm person, or suggestion for the pretty princess theme (sorry if I over focus on that, working with information given), maybe some invisibility or darkness, and you have a collection of obvious easy to use abilities.

I mean, for a young girl who likes princess, I imagine having fairy magic, being able to teleport, shoot magic beams, hurt people who attack you, make everyone like you and sneak past people when you want would be enjoyable. It's kinda like rogue in that sense, without the annoying positioning in combat worries, and being farther away from the nasty parts of fights. Having a pet dragon/fairy that turns into a talking "insert cute animal here" probably would be enjoyable as well.

Heck, if it's been around when I started with DnD I might enjoy magic using classes more.

[Knaight]

I think I'm going to try to talk her into fighter, because a tiny blonde knight of the realm wearing a princess dress amuses me. (All her characters wear princess dresses.) But looking at warlock... that might work. She likes to have magic powers but I've always tried to steer her away from wizards, too complicated.

Unless you're thinking of steering her towards EK fighters, this seems like a mistake. If she particularly likes using magic, the warlock is probably the best first option to bring up.

[Jon D]

Now that's an important piece of information to have in this type of discussion.

Warlock is a good starter for spellcasters. Limited tool set, spell resources that are always there (cantrips, some invocations), or reset with a nap and a cookie, plus the option to be a fairy princess with an on-demand magic sword or tiny purple dragon familiar as a bonus.

Well, I don't know about the munchkin, but I know what my next character is going to be...

Looking forward to my own munchkins being old enough to sit at the table with like yours do, Boko.

[bokodasu]

I really can't argue with being a fairy princess with a tiny purple dragon familiar. Warlock it is!

It really is so fun to play with your kids. I highly recommend it.

[ghost_warlock]

Fairy princesses are warlocks.

Speak with animals? Check - beast speech.
Instantly change into an elaborate dress? Check - mask of many faces.
Only ever wear a dress yet still somehow shrug off attacks? Check - armor of shadows.
Innately know what jewelry is worth the most? Check - eldritch sight.
Bat your eyelashes and talk your way out of a traffic ticket? Check - beguiling influence.

:smalltongue:

[Joe the Rat]

Fairy princesses are warlocks.

Speak with animals? Check - beast speech.
Instantly change into an elaborate dress? Check - mask of many faces.
Only ever wear a dress yet still somehow shrug off attacks? Check - armor of shadows.
Innately know what jewelry is worth the most? Check - eldritch sight.
Bat your eyelashes and talk your way out of a traffic ticket? Check - beguiling influence.

:smalltongue:
Plus the high Charisma boosts the Performance proficiency they need for all of the musical numbers.
Evil hidden text: A Princess with Ray of Frost. You're welcome.

And I'll second "gaming with the munchkins" as a wonderful experience. That's where I learned my daughter has a tendency towards bloody mayhem, using burning goblins to start fires, and the sensibility to beat helpless old men (okay, he was a wizard, but he was tied up!) into submission/unconsciousness. Good times.

[Feldarove]

Bit late, but I think warlock is fairly easy to play. Its easy to dumb down too.