What class/subclass for a 5 year old who is not a strong reader

[nickl_2000]

Playing a game with my kids, LMoP most likely. The older kids are playing a Sorcerer and Warlock.

My 5 year old is super interested as well, but he isn't a very strong reader yet. What class/subclass would you suggest for him and fitting in the party?

Champion Fighter maybe for the KISS principle?

[J-H]

Champion Fighter
Barbarian... Zealot or Totem. The only question each round is Who do I attack, and do I Reckless attack?

[Kvess]

Yeah, most five year olds aren't terribly strong readers. I tend to recommend starting players who are new to D&D as Fighters or Rogues, since they need to know less about weird rule interactions than spellcasters. I think a Champion Fighter is a good call, to start with.

And fighters are a blast to play at low levels! He might literally wind up carrying his older teammates through encounters.

[Gtdead]

I'm going to say GOO Warlock. He can attack anyone he likes without consideration for range and you can give him a suggestion for 1 or 2 spells to use every day. We aren't trying to milk the class here. A hex and a Tasha's will do, especially if you make them sound fun. He also gets to speak to everyone telepathically. Then every time he gets new spell levels, change his spells into something more interesting. At level 2 for example, he can teleport with misty step and do aoe damage with shatter, or he can keep the old spells if he really likes them.

Spells are good for the imagination and there is an obvious sense of progression to keep things interesting. Champion on the other hand is boring.

[Ryton]

If they're one of the 5 year olds that love animals, you could tweak Moon Druid to maybe have at will wild shape in place of spell slots. Being able to turn into any animal might keep them entertained and interested for extended periods of time, and a 5 year old isn't going to break a game with at will wild shape.

Just keep a couple good stat blocks on hand to apply to any Shape, that way they can contribute in combat even if they insist on being a camel all day long.

[Kvess]

Champion is boring IF you care about what's written on your character sheet. If you aren't old enough to read your character sheet yet, it's the perfect class for knocking down doors, jumping across ledges, swinging from ropes, hitting monsters with a sword, and just being REALLY STRONG in general.

[Bobthewizard]

I often recommend an arcane trickster for new players. They get to work on skills and combat basics at first level. Cunning action introduces them to bonus actions at level 2. Then they get to ease into spellcasting at level 3.

But for a 5 year old, ask him what he wants to play. Big, strong fighter (champion), sneaky thief, woodsman (either hunter ranger or scout rogue).

I think at this age, the most important thing is to help him play the character he wants. If he wants to be a giant teddy bear, make a bugbear fighter. If he wants to be a teenage ninja turtle, then tortle monk. If he wants to be a wizard, help him be a wizard. Show him how the rules can let him be whatever he wants.

[Gtdead]

Champion is boring IF you care about what's written on your character sheet. If you aren't old enough to read your character sheet yet, it's the perfect class for knocking down doors, jumping across ledges, swinging from ropes, hitting monsters with a sword, and just being REALLY STRONG in general.

-My dad is so strong he can jump really high!
-Yea? My dad can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes!

Jokes aside, the "edge" of the champion in the activities you mentioned is a character sheet thing too. Every STR character can do stuff like that. Not as good as a champion perhaps, but that's really a matter of optimization, isn't it? Also the champion can do these things better at level 7, while the warlock can make someone pass out from laughing as early as level 1.

[Psyren]

+1 Champion, but if you want something slightly more exciting consider Barbarian. Yell "GET MAD!" whenever you want him to rage and he'll roleplay it perfectly.

Zealot is a great choice as almost all of their features are passive/defensive.

[Kane0]

Second champion fighter or warlock, especially since you can act as the patron giving hints and tips

[strangebloke]

Honorary shoutout to the swashbuckler rogue.

[Pex]

Champion Fighter
Barbarian... Zealot or Totem. The only question each round is Who do I attack, and do I Reckless attack?

Champion is good for the simplicity. He'll also enjoy critting on 19 while everyone else only crits on a 20. He'll enjoy being a "Champion".

Bear totem barbarian will also be fun. Tell him his character gets to have a temper tantrum and be rewarded for it. He'll also enjoy being told how much damage everyone takes but he only gets half. Of course don't be technical with raging. Let him rage every combat even if he technically has no more rages left, and don't worry about whether he attacks or took damage.

Zealot is a fail safe if character death is a thing. Kids do need to learn how to lose without getting upset over it, but it can help when the class has a built in "try again" feature.

[Kvess]

-My dad is so strong he can jump really high!
-Yea? My dad can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes!

Jokes aside, the "edge" of the champion in the activities you mentioned is a character sheet thing too. Every STR character can do stuff like that. Not as good as a champion perhaps, but that's really a matter of optimization, isn't it? Also the champion can do these things better at level 7, while the warlock can make someone pass out from laughing as early as level 1.

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. It's not that the Champion Fighter doesn't have to have a character sheet, but the player doesn't have to look at it. Being a strong person with a sword can be incredibly simple and immersive, in the sense of "What do you want to do?", and you can spend more time engaged with the story than your spell list. I've had great experiences with the subclass and I'm an adult who also DMs and plays casters. A typical campaign world is full of objects just waiting to be climbed on and toppled over, and there's fun in that.

A kid could just say: "I want to smash open the door!" And the DM can say: "Alright, that's an Athletics check, roll a d20."

With a Warlock casting Hideous Laughter, the kid needs to know what a spellslot is and how to manage them, how line of sight and range works, which creatures have an intelligence score of 5 or more, which creatures are more likely to fail Wisdom Saving Throws, and what the Prone and Incapacitated Conditions mean. It requires more rules knowledge and book keeping than, "I want to wrestle that dragon!"

And I don't think smashing open doors or wrestling dragons has to be boring. Whether or not your character is boring is up to the choices you make at the table.

[Brookshw]

My 4yro likes her rogue and can't read in the slightest. I'd keep it very simple, ask them if they want to be a big tough fighter, or sneaky character, keep casters out of it. If you did offer a caster, eh, sorcerer and spell cards with counters they hand over maybe?

[Gtdead]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. It's not that the Champion Fighter doesn't have to have a character sheet, but the player doesn't have to look at it. Being a strong person with a sword can be incredibly simple and immersive, in the sense of "What do you want to do?", and you can spend more time engaged with the story than your spell list. I've had great experiences with the subclass and I'm an adult who also DMs and plays casters. A typical campaign world is full of objects just waiting to be climbed on and toppled over, and there's fun in that.

A kid could just say: "I want to smash open the door!" And the DM can say: "Alright, that's an Athletics check, roll a d20."

With a Warlock casting Hideous Laughter, the kid needs to know what a spellslot is and how to manage them, how line of sight and range works, which creatures have an intelligence score of 5 or more, which creatures are more likely to fail Wisdom Saving Throws, and what the Prone and Incapacitated Conditions mean. It requires more rules knowledge and book keeping than, "I want to wrestle that dragon!"

And I don't think smashing open doors or wrestling dragons has to be boring.

I'm not sure why you think that spells can't just work narratively the same way as interacting with objects. If the kid needs to metagame THL in order to cast it, then he needs to metagame trapped objects and jumping distances. Also no, there is no need for book keeping. The only thing the kid needs to know is that he can use his spells 2 times and everytime he and his friends takes a break, he can use them 2 times more.

Once he knows what the spell does narratively, the only thing he needs to do is to describe it: "I want to make that person laugh!". He may even find social situations where he will cast this and create funny scenarios. Similarly, he can say that he is going supersayan or whatever kids watch these days, and make his attacks stronger, through casting hex. He doesn't need to understand what hex does mechanically or how to debuff STR skill checks to assist the grappler.

[Kvess]

YMMV. You're free to run Dungeons & Dragons for five-year-olds however you want.

[Oramac]

I'm surprised the Sidekick options from Tasha's hasn't been mentioned. It's pretty much perfect for this situation. A Warrior or Expert would fit really well, and wouldn't be overly complicated.

[SLOTHRPG95]

Given that your other kids are both full casters, you can go ham on a melee class without fear of overshadowing them. That plus KISS screams Berserker1 Barbarian to me. All the advantages others have described of barbarians generally ("you get to be angry and yell, and it means you hit harder!"), with no fiddly (for a five year old) once per turn damage boost like the Zealot. If not, I'd second either Champion Fighter, or maybe Assassin Rogue if you're generous about granting surprise.

(1) Just drop the exhaustion. Simpler, more fun, and not going to break anything in a game for kids.

[da newt]

What ever they want.

[Keravath]

I'd say it depends on your 5 year old and you know them best. Reading skill isn't needed to have a strong imagination and enjoy fantasy hero stories.

My suggestions would be to keep it mechanically simple. Spells provide too many options and require reading each spell to know what they do. I'm sure a 5 year old might be able to decide to use something they have seen before - like someone casts Tasha's and they decide to repeat it - but they will have much more trouble looking through all the spells and trying to decide what to pick. At this point, either the DM or one of the other players is helping them so much that it isn't going to feel like THEIR character anymore - which is something you want to avoid. Help them pick up the rules but let them make the character decisions, good or bad, though you will want to gently make them aware that their choices have consequences. For this reason, I'd avoid suggesting all the spellcasting classes including warlock.

Except: As da newt put it "What ever they want.". If they really really want to play a caster then offer them the help and support to make it work.

However, if they aren't stuck on one class or idea then the best options would tend to be a fighter or a rogue. (I'd avoid barbarian ... it is a simple enough class but it is based on the character getting REALLY angry ... a la the Hulk. I wouldn't want my 5 year old empathizing and roleplaying that character since it might not turn out well :) ... but again it depends on YOUR 5 year old).

In terms of which archetype - again, you know your 5 year old better than anyone. How analytical are they, do they like choices or is rolling a d20 to hit and a damage die what will keep them most interested? I'd go with Champion fighter for the die rolling or a Battlemaster if they are the kind of kid who likes choices. The character only gets a few maneuvers and you don't get new ones every level. There is also the choice to go with dex or str fighter depending on whether they like the idea of bow+rapier or short sword vs melee with shield and longsword or a greatsword.

Rogue is the other good choice, they have more skills, can be sneaky, especially with expertise - swashbuckler can be fun. The swashbuckler can also get in their sneak attack without having another creature in melee with their target. A thief rogue with their fast hands and the Healer feat can also help keep everyone alive using bonus actions to heal during combat. However, the rogue does require more work to learn what all their skills do - on the other hand, it gives them an area of ability that the other players don't have since they are both charisma classes. (picking locks, keep an eye out for traps, scouting etc).

However, with a rogue in the group you would probably want a sidekick guard/warrior/fighter since melee and ranged characters don't mix that well.

[follacchioso]

Paladins are also an easy class to play. Champion fighters are easy mechanistically but paladins are easier to role play. Just explain them the role of conduct for their oath - be a good guy, don't lie, be brave - and that will give them an idea of what to do and how to interact with the others.

In combat, a paladin can just swing the sword and use the smites against the strongest enemies. This is something easy to learn, which has a dramatic effect when used. Paladins can prepare other spells but there is no need to learn them in details at the beginning.

[nickl_2000]

When talking with him, he is very happy with a Goliath champion fighter using a greataxe.

I think mostly he is happy that he gets to play with his older brothers

[Kane0]

And hey, if he gets bored and walks off the brothers have an extra henchman

[paladinn]

I'd say Warrior is well, especially the UA version. Fighter is one of the most mechanically-simple classes to begin with, and the Warrior just pre-selects some options/choices. I would love to play one myself sometime!

[Damon_Tor]

Playing a game with my kids, LMoP most likely. The older kids are playing a Sorcerer and Warlock.

My 5 year old is super interested as well, but he isn't a very strong reader yet. What class/subclass would you suggest for him and fitting in the party?

Champion Fighter maybe for the KISS principle?

IMO, don't give them a class. Show them your minifigs and have him pick one he likes. Assign him a "warrior" sidekick class and ask him very broadly what he wants to do then tell him which dice to roll. Handle the paperwork for him or ignore it entirely.

My 4 year old daughter plays a fox in our Dragonheist campaign. She has a blast, and is frequently hilarious.

[dafrca]

IMO, don't give them a class. Show them your minifigs and have him pick one he likes. Assign him a "warrior" sidekick class and ask him very broadly what he wants to do then tell him which dice to roll. Handle the paperwork for him or ignore it entirely.

This is what I did with my little one and then later when he wanted to use one of his Lego minis I let him. The key for me was he was engaged in the story and playing the game better than some of the adults I know. The fact I had to wing some stuff was just part of the fun. :smallbiggrin: