D&D 3.5 help with a fighter character for complete novice

[Illuminotreally]

We ( group of novices) are starting a game and the DM has limited us to only the 3.5 PHB. My wife has decided to play and wants to be a dwarf fighter. She has NO rpg experience, she just wants to kill stuff. Could anyone layout the creation of a dwarf fighter as far as what skills, feats etc to choose in what order? Will be starting at level 1 ( not sure how high we will level up, so maybe through level 10?) and her actions need to be as simple as possible. Any help would be appreciated

[Pluto!]

Knowing nothing else, I'd prioritize stats:
Str>Con>Dex>Wis>Cha, trying to get exactly 13 Int if at all possible.

Big 2-handed weapons are good because the faster you drop enemies, the fewer attacks they get against you and because 2-handing gives a variety of combat bonuses.

I'd get her a Halberd, Longbow and reasonably heavy armor and start out with this feat progression:
1: Power Attack, Cleave
2: Combat Expertise
3: Improved Trip
4: Combat Reflexes
6: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot

...And from there, dink around with Weapon specializations/improved combat maneuver feats or whatever filler you're into.

That should give her a reasonable entry to the game and ease into the complexity of Strength checks and tactical positioning. And should set things up so that every feat does something as soon as she gets it.

[BowStreetRunner]

Being a dwarf there is really one key ability to keep in mind as a fighter - dwarves don't suffer movement penalties from wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load. So get the best armor the character can afford.

For killing stuff in combat the usual routes are either two weapon fighting or fighting with a two-handed weapon. In this case I would recommend going with the two-handed weapon, as it is the most straightforward approach and likely the easiest to make work successfully.

Get a two-handed weapon and remember that when you deal damage with a weapon that you are wielding two-handed, you add 1½ times your Strength bonus. So get a high Strength score as well. Now get the feat Power Attack. Usually you subtract a number from your attack rolls and add that number to your damage rolls (i.e. -2 attack / +2 damage). However, when wielding a weapon with two hands the damage bonus is doubled (i.e. -2 attack / +4 damage).

This is the foundation upon which the build is constructed. It focuses on doing high amounts of damage with each attack. Anything you can pick up to increase your attack bonus helps offset the attack penalty you take for power attacking. Anything you can pick up to increase your damage bonus just piles on more damage.

[nedz]

I'd go with a Greatsword or WarAxe for just hitting stuff — or a Guisarme for reach and trip — rather than a Halberd.

[Windrammer]

Knowing nothing else, I'd prioritize stats:
Str>Con>Dex>Wis>Cha, trying to get exactly 13 Int if at all possible.

Big 2-handed weapons are good because the faster you drop enemies, the fewer attacks they get against you and because 2-handing gives a variety of combat bonuses.

I'd get her a Halberd, Longbow and reasonably heavy armor and start out with this feat progression:
1: Power Attack, Cleave
2: Combat Expertise
3: Improved Trip
4: Combat Reflexes
6: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot

...And from there, dink around with Weapon specializations/improved combat maneuver feats or whatever filler you're into.

That should give her a reasonable entry to the game and ease into the complexity of Strength checks and tactical positioning. And should set things up so that every feat does something as soon as she gets it.

I'd personally drop the archery feats, he's probably not going to have the dex to make rapid shot worth it. I'd go with improved unarmed strike and improved grapple. Both suit the character and that grappling ability can really save your ass.