Advice on what pre-gen to make for a beginner player.

[Petrocorus]

Hello everyone.

Next session, i should have a new player on my current game. She never played DnD nor any other RPG apparently. She's a friend of one of my current player.
So i believe it would be better to have a couple of pre-gen PC for her.
The issue here is that i'm not sure what kind of character i should make given the current party composition.

The party is level 2 soon to be level 3. Table rules are that everyone get a bonus feat at level 1 and there are no Vuman, we don't use Tasha yet.
Custom setting but everything FR is allowed except Wild Magic. The campaign is mostly a military campaign with a significant proportion of hack'n slash.
We have now:
Dwarf Forge Cleric (WarCaster)
Dwarf Light Cleric (Heavily Armored)
Human Fighter (Shield Master) probably going into BM.
Forest Gnome Rogue (Fade Away) going into AT. Switching between range and melee for now.

Normally i would have simply made a human fighter with SM or HAM, but this is exactly what we already have.
And i obviously would like to avoid anything requiring some decent system mastery.

So i'd like some advice on what kind of PC would both complement the party while being simple enough for a total beginner.

[Sorinth]

It's probably a good idea to talk to the person and get a sense of what they want to play and then build from that, just a simple melee, ranged, spellcaster or mix would go a long ways to making something they'll enjoy.

Without knowing anything I'd probably go Archfey Warlock. It's pretty newbie friendly since they'll just EB most of the time. Probably take Elven Accuracy as the free feat.

[J-H]

Warlock, Barbarian, Beastmaster Ranger (archer).

[RogueJK]

Based on the current party composition plus ease of play, I'd say an Archer Ranger would be a good choice. Not only gives the party some additional ranged options, but also gives the new player a taste of weapon combat plus a bit of skills plus a few spells without it being overwhelming.

Something like a Half Elf or Wood Elf Ranger with the Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, or Wood Elf Magic feat.

I'd normally suggest aiming for Beast Master at Ranger 3, since that adds some additional capabilities and a regular use of their Bonus Action without being too cumbersome (and they might get a kick out of picking an animal sidekick), but since Tasha's isn't in play that's not a good option... PHB Beast Master is terrible without Tasha's fixes. And the last thing you want to do is to put an option in front of a new player that sounds really cool but actually sucks/doesn't work in practice.

So maybe Fey Wanderer instead. Their lower level abilities are pretty straightforward, and the party needs a Face anyway.

[Greywander]

I second talking to the player to get a feel for what kind of character they want. Do they want something simple, or complex? Do they want to blast and/or crush things? Or do they want cool tricks? And so on.

In the absence of that, I'm going to suggest a sorcerer. This party needs an arcane caster, and I wouldn't recommend a wizard to new players. Not sure what subclass; would have suggested Draconic to keep it simple, but the Light cleric should already have blasting covered, and with two clerics you don't need a Divine Soul.

Alternatively, a tomelock could be a good option. You get access to all those rituals, so you get a lot of magic utility right there. Warlocks are also a bit simpler to play, acting more like a magic archer. Any patron should be fine, but you don't really need a Celestial with two clerics, and you don't really need a Fiend with a Light cleric. I'll second Archfey, or maybe GOO, as they're a bit simpler than some of the newer patrons.

[Tawmis]

Like the others, ask what they're in the mood to play.

And you can be open ended/vague - "Are you in the mood to play an armored fighter? All tank, no magic? (Fighter) Or a raging barbarian, who goes around with anger and fury dulling his senses to pain? Or a cleric who can wear some armor, and take some hits, but can also heal and attack with spells?" etc etc.

Because there's nothing more disappointing - especially for a beginner - being shoved a character and say, "This is what you're playing."

That's going to set the wrong tone.

Especially if it's a character type they're not interested in.

[Greywander]

Yeah, I think at the most I'd only give them a temporary character for a single session, then have them create their own character. This does have the advantage of allowing them to learn a bit about the game instead of going into character creation blind. But more likely they'll want to just create their own character.

The other thing you could do is ask who they'd want to play as, i.e. what fictional character do they want to emulate? Batman? Conan? The Terminator? Harry Potter? It would be difficult to build most of these characters as a 2nd or 3rd level character, but you could at least start them on the path. And this has a better chance of actually giving them a character they want to play as. If the answer they give doesn't immediately suggest a class or build, then ask them what they like about that character and see if you can identify which aspects are important to them and can be replicated in 5e.

Or you could just guide them through character creation and let them actually create their own character. I think this is still probably the best option, but it's worth asking them what they want to do: temporary guest character, pre-made character based off of a fictional character, or build their own character.

[Tawmis]

Or you could just guide them through character creation and let them actually create their own character. I think this is still probably the best option

Without a doubt the best option. This will get the player invested since it's their creation.

[PhantomSoul]

Without a doubt the best option. This will get the player invested since it's their creation.

Agreed -- if it's gunna be a regular player not a one-off trial, talking to narrow/guide the options (so that they're not just shuffling through a book) but having them be more of an agent in the creation would be great! (But narrowing the options make sense; don't want to intimidate them too much!)

[Quietus]

Yeah, I think at the most I'd only give them a temporary character for a single session, then have them create their own character. This does have the advantage of allowing them to learn a bit about the game instead of going into character creation blind. But more likely they'll want to just create their own character.

The other thing you could do is ask who they'd want to play as, i.e. what fictional character do they want to emulate? Batman? Conan? The Terminator? Harry Potter? It would be difficult to build most of these characters as a 2nd or 3rd level character, but you could at least start them on the path. And this has a better chance of actually giving them a character they want to play as. If the answer they give doesn't immediately suggest a class or build, then ask them what they like about that character and see if you can identify which aspects are important to them and can be replicated in 5e.

Or you could just guide them through character creation and let them actually create their own character. I think this is still probably the best option, but it's worth asking them what they want to do: temporary guest character, pre-made character based off of a fictional character, or build their own character.


Without a doubt the best option. This will get the player invested since it's their creation.

I've tried bringing people in by making their character before, and it only works for certain types. If you know this person and know them to enjoy the small fiddly bits of game systems, then absolutely, work with them to create a character. If they're not, they could just end up overwhelmed.

I would say, touch base and get a feeling for what they are drawn to initially in terms of archetype, and create a temporary character around that. If you can hand them an NPC that can be shifted a little to meet that, so much the better. I like the idea of making it clear to them that this doesn't have to be their permanent character, if they like the game but want to do something different they can absolutely do that, and can change characters when they're ready. This is just to get their foot in the door.

[Petrocorus]

Thank you all for the answers.



Something like a Half Elf or Wood Elf Ranger with the Elven Accuracy, Sharpshooter, or Wood Elf Magic feat.

I'd normally suggest aiming for Beast Master at Ranger 3, since that adds some additional capabilities and a regular use of their Bonus Action without being too cumbersome (and they might get a kick out of picking an animal sidekick), but since Tasha's isn't in play that's not a good option... PHB Beast Master is terrible without Tasha's fixes. And the last thing you want to do is to put an option in front of a new player that sounds really cool but actually sucks/doesn't work in practice.
I actually use the Tasha's fix for base Ranger, because i started using it with the UA. I even make Rangers prepared casters. I haven't look into the primal companion stuff yet.



So maybe Fey Wanderer instead. Their lower level abilities are pretty straightforward, and the party needs a Face anyway.
I take this suggestion, thank you.


It's probably a good idea to talk to the person and get a sense of what they want to play and then build from that, just a simple melee, ranged, spellcaster or mix would go a long ways to making something they'll enjoy.
This is why i want to have at least a couple, probably three pre-gen PC.
My issue is that i tend to have myself a rather high bar for what i consider "complex". Especially compared to a beginner.



Without knowing anything I'd probably go Archfey Warlock. It's pretty newbie friendly since they'll just EB most of the time. Probably take Elven Accuracy as the free feat.
I take this one, thank you.



Or you could just guide them through character creation and let them actually create their own character. I think this is still probably the best option, but it's worth asking them what they want to do: temporary guest character, pre-made character based off of a fictional character, or build their own character.
This I don't want and i have even advised against it on this board.
My experience with this is that it works with players who already know RPG, even if it's not DD5, or at least have looked a little into the lore and the rules. But when i do this with total beginners, i wound up having to explain every possibility (or making the choice for them) and notably every class, which takes times, and it's a bore for all the other players and the beginners tend to feel overwhelmed, and visibly.
The problem may come from me. I may have difficulties simplifying things clearly without delving too much into details.

So, i'm going for a wood elf archer ranger and a EB feylock, maybe from a less common race like a tabaxi.
I'd like to have a melee one. Would a Paladin be simple enough if i lead her to mostly smite and not delve into the may spells? More than a Ranger?

[CTurbo]

Here are some examples of characters I've created in the past for first time players.

Wood Elf Champion Archery Fighter with Sharpshooter and Longbow for my wife

Half-Orc Bear Totem Barbarian with GWM and Greataxe for my mother-in-law

Half-Elf Lore Bard for my 11yr old daughter. I selected all her spells of course and sometimes have to help her choose what to cast, but she got the mechanics down quickly and loves her character.

Half-Elf Pyromancer Sorcerer for my 12yr old daughter. Same as above, but Metamagic/Sorcy points have been tricky for her.

Wood Elf Open Hand Monk for my then very young brother-in-law. He's 24 now... how old was he when 5e came out? lol. The Monk was a very easy character to learn to play with.



I agree with letting your friend pick what they want to play from options given by you. Typically I'd say skip the full casters for a first character, but if my kids can get it, anybody can. Of course I chose every spell for them until level 6 when I sat my younger daughter down and went over all the cool options she had for Magical Secrets. Your party could benefit from anything, but a backline caster would be a perfect fit.

[Schwann145]

There's no correct answer to a question like this.
Make something simple? Maybe they get bored with the lack of options.
Make something more complex? Maybe they get overwhelmed by the options.
Make something for them without their input? Maybe they feel zero investment in the character.
Make something with them as part of the process? Maybe there's too many fiddly bits in char creation and they tune out.

5e is the easiest D&D has ever been to pick up and play. Trust in that and just go from there.
But, in the interest of actually offering an answer...

Based on what you've shared of the current party, your easiest "holes" to fill are Ranged and/or Battlefield Control support. You're also playing in FR, yes?
Easiest thing, IMO, would be a Wizard. You can hand-build their starting spellbook so that their spell options both give them some creative choice without being overwhelming like a Divine list. The playstyle of a Wizard is a little more forgiving than something like a Bard, Sorcerer, or Warlock (all of whom have to be more careful/considerate of their class choices). There is already 2 casters (3 when the Rogue goes AT?) in the party so learning all about preparing spells handles itself, since 75% of the rest of the group is also doing this. And, as a bonus, doing big flashy things (like dropping your first Fireball at level 5) almost always goes over well for the newbies. ;)

Some people just don't want to be the magician so definitely test the waters of what sort of character this new player might enjoy the most with a few archetypal suggestions, but this is my 2c.

Good luck!

[Petrocorus]

Here are some examples of characters I've created in the past for first time players.

Thanks



I agree with letting your friend pick what they want to play from options given by you. Typically I'd say skip the full casters for a first character, but if my kids can get it, anybody can. Of course I chose every spell for them until level 6 when I sat my younger daughter down and went over all the cool options she had for Magical Secrets. Your party could benefit from anything, but a backline caster would be a perfect fit.
My experience is that kids can get the game quicker than adults. I run a lot of low level one-shots with teenagers in my LFGS, even run LMoP with a group of them and never had any problems with them going full caster or playing tactical. Of course those kids were already a lot into board games and other various game.

[PhantomSoul]

I agree with letting your friend pick what they want to play from options given by you. Typically I'd say skip the full casters for a first character, but if my kids can get it, anybody can. Of course I chose every spell for them until level 6 when I sat my younger daughter down and went over all the cool options she had for Magical Secrets. Your party could benefit from anything, but a backline caster would be a perfect fit.

If they're into the idea of a spellcaster, I'd even think that's great and encourage it! But guiding spell choices is definitely good, and I'd recommend avoiding Bards altogether if Magical Secrets is in view (it really seems to be a spot where lots of people crumble if they aren't system lovers, based on a few groups I've been in). Wizard could even be a great intro: if ever the spells they chose end up not matching their style, it doesn't even feel like a respec to just make extra ones available, and having access to rituals (plus more spell slots) makes you feel that there are choices... and yet don't really require learning much that's new. Plus if they can be a spellcaster staying out of the immediate fray as they learn the ropes, that could be an advantage! Definitely depends on the person, though.

[Sigreid]

Frankly, I'd offload this and ask the friend who is her friend to talk to her about what she's interested in being and help her make a character before the date of the session. Then look at the character, maybe have a quick chat to make sure the new player has at least a basic understanding of how their character works and possibly make a few suggestions for tweaks.

You've got a couple of traps here.
1. you want the person to care about the character.
2. You want the person to fulfill some of their fantasies.
3. You want the person to feel they're doing their bit and know what is going on instead of feeling like a tag along.

[Khrysaes]

Use the young adventurer’s guides to warriors and spellcasters ir something similar that has a decisional flowchart based on choices.

Otherwise id recommend a tiefling fire dragon sorcerer. Elemental adept and flames of phlegethos to leanninto that fire damage. Maybe 2 efreeti warlock for the eldritch blast synergy with agonizing blast and the genies wrath?(i think that is the 1st level ability. )

[kingcheesepants]

I think everyone covered the main points to consider pretty adequately already but I would say to try a hybrid approach.

When I run a one shot/short campaign for a new group using pre-gens I usually end up building several potential characters and then telling them to pick from the list and I'd leave some of the stuff (particularly non mechanical RP stuff) blank and tell them to fill it out themselves (usually using the prompts from the PH backgrounds).

Therefore you have a bit of the best of both worlds. The players aren't overwhelmed with building a character from scratch since you did the heavy lifting there, they still get a choice in what to play and they do enough of the character building that they feel a sense of ownership and connection to the character.

With that let's make a couple of potential pre-gens

_________ the (MPMM) Goblin Wizard
8, 14, 15, 18, 12, 8
Feat: Skill Expert (Arcana)
Evocation Wizard 2
Background: Choose from Investigator, Hermit, Sage, Urchin
Spells: Cantrips: Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, Toll the Dead
1st: Shield, Absorb Elements, Find Familiar, Mage Armor, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Fog Cloud, Comprehend Languages, Identify, Detect Magic

________ the Wood Elf Ranger
8, 18, 14, 10, 16, 8
Feat: Elven Accuracy
Ranger 2
Background: Choose from Folk Hero, Outlander, Noble, Hermit
Spells: 1st: Fog Cloud, Entangle

________ the Emerald Dragonborn Warlock
8, 14, 15, 10, 10, 18
Feat: Fey Touched (Gift of Alacrity)
Archfey Warlock 2
Background: Choose from Charlatan, Guild Artisan, Noble, Urban Bounty Hunter
Invocations: Agonizing Blast, Devils Sight
Spells: Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion
1st: Gift of Alacrity (Fey Touched), Sleep, Hex, Armor of Agathys
2nd: Misty Step (Fey Touched)

Something along these lines should be good.

[KorvinStarmast]

If the party has this
Dwarf Forge Cleric (WarCaster)
Dwarf Light Cleric (Heavily Armored)
Human Fighter (Shield Master) probably going into BM.
Forest Gnome Rogue (Fade Away) going into AT. Switching between range and melee for now.

1. Make a Draconic Origin sorcerer with her, and help her pick the spells.
All you need is an arcane caster, and honestly as long as you or one of the other players can help her a little with spell selection, Sorcerer is a decent balance between complex and simple.

Also, allow for buyer's remorse on cantrips.

2. Help her build a druid. It matters not what circle. She can turn into an animal if she likes, or not. She can cast spells, or not. She can whack stuff with shillelagh or not.

[Lunali]

I've tried bringing people in by making their character before, and it only works for certain types. If you know this person and know them to enjoy the small fiddly bits of game systems, then absolutely, work with them to create a character. If they're not, they could just end up overwhelmed.

I would say, touch base and get a feeling for what they are drawn to initially in terms of archetype, and create a temporary character around that. If you can hand them an NPC that can be shifted a little to meet that, so much the better. I like the idea of making it clear to them that this doesn't have to be their permanent character, if they like the game but want to do something different they can absolutely do that, and can change characters when they're ready. This is just to get their foot in the door.

Even if they don't like the fiddly bits you can sit down and make a character together, the point is having them be involved in the process enough that it's their character rather than one you made them.

As for changing characters if they decide they want to do something different, I'd encourage making that an option even for experienced players. I've had a few times where someone had a character they were interested in creating, only to realize later that they didn't enjoy actually playing the character.

[Sigreid]

Even if they don't like the fiddly bits you can sit down and make a character together, the point is having them be involved in the process enough that it's their character rather than one you made them.

As for changing characters if they decide they want to do something different, I'd encourage making that an option even for experienced players. I've had a few times where someone had a character they were interested in creating, only to realize later that they didn't enjoy actually playing the character.

You've got the first part. They don't have to figure out the character, but working with their friend (who we presume will be patient with them) to build something that excites them is best.

At our table of experienced players, we agreed that up to level 5 you can change anything and everything about your character (except the numbers rolled) up through level 5. This lets people try something they're interested in long enough to get a feel for it and if they don't like it they haven't wasted their time.

[Petrocorus]

Even if they don't like the fiddly bits you can sit down and make a character together, the point is having them be involved in the process enough that it's their character rather than one you made them.

As for changing characters if they decide they want to do something different, I'd encourage making that an option even for experienced players. I've had a few times where someone had a character they were interested in creating, only to realize later that they didn't enjoy actually playing the character.
https://c.tenor.com/U-poF-2UW6AAAAAd/i-am-a-generous-god-xerxes.gif

So i tend to always let my players tweak with their characters for a while. Including changing spell known, cantrips, even feat or re-allocating point-buy if they choose a half-feat at level 4.
Though my player tend to not think a lot about the mechanics. I'm considered as an over-optimizer in my gaming group for simply putting my points where it's logical mechanically.

[animorte]

I would recommend the Sidekick classes, laid out very simple.

This will allow the new player to see every option in its base form. You can then follow up with that by saying, "Hey, you know Warrior you were trying? Here are the other classes that do slightly different things and provide more options when you're ready to build it." Like your Warrior or Expert wants some spells? Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster. Your healer wants to be the tank or scout? Cleric or Druid

Also this:

Even if they don't like the fiddly bits you can sit down and make a character together, the point is having them be involved in the process enough that it's their character rather than one you made them.

You've got the first part. They don't have to figure out the character, but working with their friend (who we presume will be patient with them) to build something that excites them is best.

[Petrocorus]

Here i am (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tnbgf8zbog7s7iz/AADF3FA8EB3Jb3sqNzblQwV5a?dl=0).

So i got:
- A half-orc barbarian (PAM)
- A wood elf archer fighter (EA)
- A wood elf archer ranger (EA)
- A human feylock (Spell Sniper)
- A tabaxi shadow sorcerer (Warcaster)
- A halfling draconic sorcerer (Bountiful Luck).

[Willie the Duck]

Here is my suggestion: Half-elven fighter -- perhaps champion, but Eldritch Knight is another good option, one I always throw in because it is a very simple way to teach always-on effects (most of a fighter), short-rest resources (second wind, actions surge, spending HD), and long rest resources (a small amount of spells, recover hp, recover hd) -- with criminal background and either one of the skill-boost/expertise feats (skilled, skill expert, prodigy) or ritual caster (either wizard or druid). The reason being that they will have multiple ways of interacting with the game (skills, spells, and combat), but the stuff where they will be looking at their character sheet while others are waiting on them will be limited. In-combat, they will be hitting, possibly grappling (depending on skills), or moving. Even if they choose Eldritch Knight, for several levels that will mostly mean 'decide if you want to use shield/absorb elements as a reaction'. Out of combat, they will have a list of abilities which will mostly be resolved either through a skill roll, or a 'do you have ____ on your list of ritual spells? If yes, then you solve this specific problem' type interaction.