What is a good class for a new player for 1:1 play?

[Wasp]

What would be a good class or character build to start for someone who hasn't played any RPG (neither tabletop nor video game), but is in general familiar with the fantasy genre?

My girlfriend is interested in playing a 1 on 1 game with me as the GM and I would like to create a fun and easy character for her. I am open to any idea, starting level included and I am very willing to bend the rules to improve the experience for her. I really hope to hook her...

And although she would like to play a mechanically simple character she has a strong affinity for magic in the fantasy she consumes, especially elves but more of the urban sort than the wood elf sort.

Any ideas? I was originally thinking (Half-)Elf Rogue as she is definitely more interested in the social aspects than fights and dungeons. And give her a spell and some cantrips, maybe the Telekinetic feat or a familiar, but this is maybe already too much?

Any ideas welcome!

[paladinn]

What would be a good class or character build to start for someone who hasn't played any RPG (neither tabletop nor video game), but is in general familiar with the fantasy genre?

My girlfriend is interested in playing a 1 on 1 game with me as the GM and I would like to create a fun and easy character for her. I am open to any idea, starting level included and I am very willing to bend the rules to improve the experience for her. I really hope to hook her...

And although she would like to play a mechanically simple character she has a strong affinity for magic in the fantasy she consumes, especially elves but more of the urban sort than the wood elf sort.

Any ideas? I was originally thinking (Half-)Elf Rogue as she is definitely more interested in the social aspects than fights and dungeons. And give her a spell and some cantrips, maybe the Telekinetic feat or a familiar, but this is maybe already too much?

Any ideas welcome!

Hmm.. if she's not into fighting, but she's into magic, how about either an arcane trickster rogue (or inquisitive or mastermind)? Or maybe arcana cleric to get a lot of magic and not be as squishy as an actual wizard?

[Beelzebub1111]

Bard is the answer.
Magic, Fighting, Stealth, and social all rolled into one. It's exactly what you are looking for.

[KorvinStarmast]

Bard or rogue, depends on what kind of adventures you will be sending them on.

I played a high elf rogue (Thief) starting cantrip was mage hand, and it was an exploration/discovery heavy campaign) beginning at level 1.
We played a mxi of urban and underground stuff before the DM went off the rails.
It was two players but the other was only able to show up now and again, so I did some solo work.
If you sub in minor illusion for mage hand and I think that's a nice, not too hard for a beginner

And an AT might fit her preferences even better.

[diplomancer]

Bard is the answer.
Magic, Fighting, Stealth, and social all rolled into one. It's exactly what you are looking for.

Bard is a good answer, but unless you're giving her a sidekick, consider letting her inspire herself. It feels bad to have such a class-defining feature be wasted.

[Dualight]

I'll echo the suggestion for bard, social minded, skill oriented, loads of magic. Arcane Trickster rogue works if bard spell casting is too much. If the player prefers a character that knows a few magic tricks but knows them well, warlock might also be a solid option.

Remember that you can refluff as needed, and make sure the player knows that, especially if the mechanics, but not the narrative of a class appeals to the player.

Finally, keep in mind that single-player D&D offers significantly different challenges to both player and DM, especially when there is only one character in play. (you have probably already considered this, but it bears repeating)

[Bobthewizard]

I love arcane trickster rogues for new players. They learn combat and skill checks at level 1, then throw in good bonus actions at level 2 to learn the action economy, then ease into spellcasting at level 3. A high elf or forest gnome with minor illusion would be great for the first few levels. It's a very versatile spell.

If it's a one player game, I'd give her the swashbuckler's sneak attack at level 1 so she can use sneak attack in one-on-one fights.

[kaoskonfety]

In the absence of other players to "upstage" anything resembling play balance can get gently discarded as a not useful idea. Since we are painting in the D&D lines though.

- Rogue fits nicely
- Ranger likely also fits the bill for sneaky urban roll play types, but benefits from some light spell casting, a bit more tough and possible puppy
- Bard has a few more leavers to pull with spell casting, skills and the like, but should also do the job

In all cases be willing to toss a few more skills and/or and expertise and/or a feat or 2 till it fits what they are seeking to play. Ensure they have a few gaps somewhere, maybe as far as outright curses: weakness is almost always more interesting then strength in these narrative driven games. A 'Geas' to never harm an elf (or whatever race/social group jives or causes probems). A Mark of Justice forbidding you from exploiting animals in any way, harming living trees. Or lifting from Planescape: Torment which felt like a good base model for what you're doing "You cannot die, and yes that's a problem". Have a chat, see what appeals.

Maybe some elvenkind stealth gear or an expendable item or 3, potions, one use marvels and such. I'm always delighted to have someone break out some trinket I forgot I gave them 2 months ago to solve a bind they put themselves in.

I'd be leaning "gather NPC's and equipment for a heist/liberation" thing to get the ball rolling, but then whatever they are after turns out to be super important in some 'unexpected' way. As they get comfortable hand them direct tactical control of an NPC or 2 to try out other class abilities, or scare up other players. If this does have the option fold out into a larger game ensure there's an agreement in advance regarding the early game buffs you've provided.

[Quietus]

I would suggest any of the half-casters with companion features. Ranger (beastmaster or drakewarden), or artificer (battle smith). Between the group I'd probably go beastmaster, that has everything in the world to do with me really having enjoyed playing one previously! That said, if she reads fantasy, and she's read Mercedes Lackey, I hear that battle smith may touch on some similar notes, and that may be interesting to her.

[Sigreid]

I'd recommend ranger over bard for lots of versatility, solid survivability and the ability to have good magic options without it being overwhelming. And, ranger is the archetype for the individualistic survivor.

[Amnestic]

Rogue's sneak attack limitations would either need a houserule adjustment or would feel bad. Ditto for bardic inspiration. Doing so is fine, just something to be aware of.

I'd echo the suggestion of a half-caster. Paladin lets you play a 'face', Ranger lets you play the 'urban tracker', and Artificer an investigator big brain type with a bag of tricks. Half-caster spells all come from a fairly limited list, and they've got other things to play with.

There's also the option of just giving her a brief blurb for each class and letting her pick based off what she finds cool.

[Sigreid]

Worth mentioning is that managing full caster resources has a learning curve. The half casters and warlock both have solid options to still be functional if they don't manage their resources optimally.

[diplomancer]

Warlocks can be very good, too. Just give her plenty of Short Rests, as there is no pressure from the rest of the party to not short rest.

[LibraryOgre]

I'd lean towards a half or 2/3 caster, as well; an arcane trickster or ranger. Ranger opens the possibility for them to pick up pets and the like (Beastmaster and Drakewarden), which can really help, and, as others have said, it introduces casting after a while.

However, I think it is also important to stress background; while a Bard is a good face, picking a background that includes face skills, if your class does not, can really help.

If the class doesn't have healing, try some healing potions being available.

I'd also suggest a slightly-higher-than-normal attribute spread.

[Sigreid]

Even if there is a dungeon or bandits or a Disney villain, fighting doesn't have to be the only option for resolving the situation.

[Damon_Tor]

I've found that a warlock is great for players who want magic but don't find spell slots fun or intuitive. For new players the different "sizes" of spell slots can seem like a huge source of added complexity. The warlock removes that, with its one-size spell slots that can be recharged over a lunch break.

And warlocks can be great at social stuff, with great options like at-will silent image plus the minor illusion cantrip to provide the sound, at-will Disguise Self, etc. Their advanced familiars are also great for shenanigans.

[Mastikator]

Swashbuckler rogue. Rogues don't really get many things that nobody else can do, they just do them way more efficiently and better. And rogues get their sneak attack when 1v1ing a creature.
Plus it's a charisma based subclass which feeds into the social aspect.

For race I'd honestly recommend variant human and pick up the feat Skilled. It's normally a crummy feat but if it's only 1 player then versatility is better than focused power.

[LibraryOgre]

Swashbuckler rogue. Rogues don't really get many things that nobody else can do, they just do them way more efficiently and better. And rogues get their sneak attack when 1v1ing a creature.
Plus it's a charisma based subclass which feeds into the social aspect.

For race I'd honestly recommend variant human and pick up the feat Skilled. It's normally a crummy feat but if it's only 1 player then versatility is better than focused power.

A core part of Dragonlance is that you get Skilled, Toughness, or a feat related to your background (Knight of Solamnia or Wizard of High Sorcery) at 1st level.

[Sorinth]

I guess the easiest would be to create 3-4 characters and let her pick. But I'd be very partial to doing Warlock because you can make the whole adventure revolve around the patron dynamic and if on good terms can explain sudden help showing up. That said a Swords Bard where they can self inspire on a failed ability check or a Paladin with a free feat would also be good.

I'd also recommend Heroic Resting variant so that the features are basically always available.

[Corran]

And although she would like to play a mechanically simple character she has a strong affinity for magic in the fantasy she consumes
I'd suggest going with a fullcaster. Specifically, bard, sorcerer or warlock. Most likely sorcerer. You get to play with magic but you get spells slowly as you level so you have a chance to learn these spells as a player if you start at a low level.

[paladinn]

It's interesting how many suggestions have involved combat options, when the OP said that his GF isn't really interested in fighting.

Swords bard? Hexblade? Swashbuckler? Paladin? Why not a barbarian?

SMH

[arnin77]

I would personally get her to do one of those online “what 5e class am I?” Quizzes and go from there.

They even have subclass ones too

And you can fill out the party with NPCs that could help her playstyle.

[Sorinth]

It's interesting how many suggestions have involved combat options, when the OP said that his GF isn't really interested in fighting.

Swords bard? Hexblade? Swashbuckler? Paladin? Why not a barbarian?

SMH

My assumption was low combat not no combat. So suggestions like Paladin or Swords Bard are because they can do both. They can do the social aspect since they will have a high CHA and everyone gets some proficiencies, they have some spell casting where even Paladin has out of combat spells like Zone of Truth, Locate Object, Detect Magic, Guidance if taking the right FS, and even Divine Sense in the right situation is super useful. And when the rare combat does eventually happen they can hold their own.

[Mastikator]

It's interesting how many suggestions have involved combat options, when the OP said that his GF isn't really interested in fighting.

Swords bard? Hexblade? Swashbuckler? Paladin? Why not a barbarian?

SMH

Every class is a fighting class. People are suggesting classes that want to have high charisma for the social aspect.

[Kane0]

Fey Wanderer Ranger is my recommendation, but failing that then Paladin and Warlock are good too.

But really, with a cooperative DM anything is good.

[Aaron Underhand]

Hexblade Warlock... good from level 1....

[CTurbo]

Solo play in 5e is tricky and can be really difficult. I highly recommend a 2nd character of some sort. That second character could be controlled by her or you, it could be a sidekick, hired muscle, pet, companion, or familiar.

Her character should be Cha focused so Bard, Warlock, or Swashbuckler Rogue come to mind first. Half-Elf would probably be the race choice. I would probably let her roll for stats 4d6 drop lowest.

I would probably go with a Warrior sidekick of come kind. If she's a dog lover, a Mastiff with Warrior levels would probably be fine. Hates dogs and loves cats? Give her a Panther sidekick. At minimum I'd let her have the Find Familiar feat for scouting, and for something to watch her back while she sleeps. If yall aren't interested in having a second full time character, I'd probably go Chain Pact Warlock or consider a Beastmaster Ranger with the Skilled feat for social skills.

I think Rituals have a higher value in solo games making the Tome Warlock very desirable. If I had to play in a game as the only character, and couldn't use a sidekick, I'd probably play as a Tomelock. Hexblade probably, but I do like Fiend.

If she DOES play with another character somehow, Bard would be my choice. Bards really so work best with another ally to inspire. You could be a Valor or Swords Bard and use all your Inspiration dice up on subclass features instead or Lore could just spam Cutting Words so Bard could still work solo.

Swashbuckler is interesting because you could hit hard and get out of there while still basically being good at everything. You also have several damage mitigation options.

Save or Suck spells in a solo game are the worst so having said that, I wouldn't rule out a solo class Dex Paladin either.

Anyway to recap things I think are important in a solo game.

1. Find a way to have a 2nd character in the party somehow.
2. Social skills.
3. Rituals.(esp Find Familiar and Alarm)
4. Alert feat would be stronger than normal. Mobile too probably.
5. Stealth is a must.
6. Good saves. Wis and Con saves are almost a must.

[Mastikator]

An option for a second character could be a pet. Like a wolf or something, and have it grow as the player increases level.

[animorte]

I like this. My wife and I have done many a 1:1 game, swapping DM. The primary concern being whoever is DM just being aware of what the PC is capable of. It's easy to test the boundaries and still keep them relevant.

With that in mind, the classes that are able to accomplish more have pretty much already been covered.
Anything Rogue. They have plenty of skills and a variety of ways to approach combat (see: avoid). Special mention to Arcane Trickster.
Anything Bard. Same as Rogue, plenty of skills and even more buttons to press (spells), also a bit more social.
Ranger. It requires more focus, but extremely capable. Handles a wide variety of combat scenarios with the help of control spells. (Specialization dependent on subclass; i.e. Fey Wanderer for social).
All Druids. While the social pillar isn't their forte, Wild Shape and spells provide a lot of versatility.
Monk. While they don't have a great deal of skill-focus, they're one of the hardest classes to take down in a fight.
Warlocks can be built for just about anything. I love this class and it's very easy to build a game around what they want to do.

There are plenty of race options that fill in some gaps. I really think any class is fine as long as the DM stays aware of the PC's limits, and isn't afraid to swap in a helpful NPC every once in a while.

Also! Giving them a sidekick (with the sidekick classes) can help a great deal and is quite fun.

[Sigreid]

It's interesting how many suggestions have involved combat options, when the OP said that his GF isn't really interested in fighting.

Swords bard? Hexblade? Swashbuckler? Paladin? Why not a barbarian?

SMH

Funny, I've mostly been seeing suggestions for classes that have lots of options to engage with multiple aspects of the game across all 3 pillars and allow a taste of how mundane skills and magic are both handled.

[Kane0]

Seconding the sidekick, thats basically what theyre for.

[Derges]

What would be a good class or character build to start for someone who hasn't played any RPG (neither tabletop nor video game), but is in general familiar with the fantasy genre?

My girlfriend is interested in playing a 1 on 1 game with me as the GM and I would like to create a fun and easy character for her. I am open to any idea, starting level included and I am very willing to bend the rules to improve the experience for her. I really hope to hook her...

And although she would like to play a mechanically simple character she has a strong affinity for magic in the fantasy she consumes, especially elves but more of the urban sort than the wood elf sort.

Any ideas? I was originally thinking (Half-)Elf Rogue as she is definitely more interested in the social aspects than fights and dungeons. And give her a spell and some cantrips, maybe the Telekinetic feat or a familiar, but this is maybe already too much?

Any ideas welcome!

This is a repost of a thread (possibly a repost of a repost of a repost...) that once existed on the official WoTC 3.5 board where a seasoned DM goes into great detail about constructing a 1:1 session for his girlfriend and the results of each session. Well worth a read - Lessons-from-dming-with-my-gf-oakspar77777/ (https://www.enworld.org/threads/lessons-from-dming-with-my-gf-oakspar77777.471393/)

[Leon]

Rogue, Bard or Ranger are good all round classes even before you get into the assortment of subclasses each has.


classes that want to have high charisma for the social aspect.

Grossly over rated in terms of what a social aspect should be. its useful if you only rollplay a social encounter and then what's the point of it being a social encounter if its just the dice talking.

[animorte]

Grossly over rated in terms of what a social aspect should be. its useful if you only rollplay a social encounter and then what's the point of it being a social encounter if its just the dice talking.
Well, when my wife and I roleplay instead of rollplay for 1:1, a great deal of our characters end up flirting (for some reason). Needless to say, there is some value in giving that power to the dice. :smallwink:

[LibraryOgre]

So, I've been playing solo with my Eldest (who is 8), and one of the things he's gotten is a magic item that gives him a semi-sidekick... it's actually pieces of the soul of her dead father, improving as she kills the people who ritually sacrificed him. She started with a familiar; it can now summon a swarm once per day.

[Leon]

Well, when my wife and I roleplay instead of rollplay for 1:1, a great deal of our characters end up flirting (for some reason). Needless to say, there is some value in giving that power to the dice. :smallwink:

There is a big difference between using the dice and Needing a CHA based class to do social interaction

[LibraryOgre]

That's ... really dark story for an 8 year old player. I run games for kids periodically and there's no way I'd put ritual sacrifice in the story, especially not of their family members.

No judgement. If your Eldest can handle that and enjoys it good for them. I'm just surprised based on my experiences of seriously needing to dial it down for pre-teens.

He wrote the basics of the story. Little kid had to stop Return of the Jedi because the rancor trainer was sad, then came up with "My dad was murdered, and I'm out for revenge." While playing with his dad.

[animorte]

He wrote the basics of the story. Little kid had to stop Return of the Jedi because the rancor trainer was sad, then came up with "My dad was murdered, and I'm out for revenge." While playing with his dad.
One of those brief moments of realizing that you now need additional locks on your bedroom door and learn to sleep with one eye open anyway...

[Wasp]

Thank you for all the suggestions. Lots of very helpful feedback!

I have discussed it a bit more with her and while she loves magic she feels not prepared to manage a bigger amount of spells so I think the suggested Bard and other full casters are out (even though Bard would have fit very nicely with the things she likes).

Based on the the suggestions I was thinking of maybe pitching her (Thanks for the suggestion!) an Arcane Trickster or a Warlock (and maybe Ranger, Paladin and Artificer as well, but I don't have a good idea for those yet). As for a race I am definitely thinking Half-Elf for the extra skill proficiencies and give her definitely some sort of sidekick (from Tasha's or a familar). Also start at first level to keep everything simple but bump up the HP and give her some healing potions right from the start (what would be a good higher point buy value? 32?)

For the adventure I have a few ideas but nothing quite ready yet. I like the idea of having some kind of initiation into a thieves guild where she has to steal a magic item. And there's also the idea floating in my head of a travelling circus troupe and some kind of beast escaping from its cage.

As for the character ideas, the following are my current ideas based on the suggestions:

1. Arcane Trickster Rogue
Half Elf Rogue with the Magic Initiate Feat (so she has 2 cantrips and a 1st lvl spell from the start) who will become an Arcane Trickster.

For Magic Initiate spells I was thinking
- Mage Hand and bumping it up to a Mage Hand Legerdemain combined with Telekinetic,
- Prestidigitation, as a flavorful cantrip that could see some creative use and
- Sleep - very powerful at first level and could help wonders in many situations and could fit the vive of an "unlearned" magic user

Alternatives: Disguise Self, Minor Illusion or Silent Image, maybe even Shield as intuitive defense mechanism?!

Modifications: Swashbuckler's Rakish Audacity Sneak Attack (thank you for the idea!) and making her Spellcasting Attribute CHA instead of INT.

2. Warlock with a Custom Kitsune Patron
I really liked the suggestion of Warlock but I don't think any of the Patron's really give a vibe she would enjoy. Maybe the Archfey without the Fearsome Presense. But as we both love Kitsune I was thinking of creating a Kitsune Patron for her.

My idea for the Kistune Patron at first level (I can figure out the stuff for higher levels later)

Extended Spell List from Archfey: Faerie Fire (Fox Fire), Sleep (which I would then pick as her spells)
1st level Feature: Shapechanger's Guile
You gain proficiency in the Deception or Stealth skill.

Additionally, you can cast the Disguise Self spell at will, without expending a spell slot.

(So with the latter the Mask of Many Faces Eldritch Invocation one level early, although with that we are now at 5 spells/cantrips, so almost at full caster level... Mhmmm... maybe I should just stick with a reflavored Archfey!)

Cantrips: Eldritch Blast(???) and Minor Illusion(?)

-----

What do you all think? What would you do for Ranger, Paladin or Artificer as pitch characters?

[CTurbo]

I see you didn't comment on the many suggestions for her to have a sidekick?

I like the Cha based Arcane Trickster Rogue idea, but keep in mind that it already gets Mage Hand + 2 other Wizard cantrips so those would be a poor options to take with Magic Initiate unless you'll let her trade them out once she hit level 3. I'd probably just start at level 3 tbh. For Magic Initiate, I'd probably consider Cleric for Guidance and either Bless or Cure Wounds for a bit of extra healing. If you want to stick with Wizard, I'd definitely take either Find Familiar or Alarm as the 1 spell. Alarm would be extra important for a solo character.


If she's truly going to be the only character with no sidekicks or anything, I think Warlock is the way to go. Chain Pact is probably the best choice, but Tome would be really strong as well. She could get by mainly with Eldritch Blast(Agonizing and Repelling) and Mask of Many Faces would be GREAT for a solo character too.

[Wasp]

and give her definitely some sort of sidekick (from Tasha's or a familar).


I see you didn't comment on the many suggestions for her to have a sidekick?

I did, but only in passing! So if you have a suggestion for a good side kick, I am very open for any idea? Some kind of pixie healer maybe? Or would you go with an animal?


I like the Cha based Arcane Trickster Rogue idea, but keep in mind that it already gets Mage Hand + 2 other Wizard cantrips so those would be a poor options to take with Magic Initiate unless you'll let her trade them out once she hit level 3. I'd probably just start at level 3 tbh.
Hmmm, yes, maybe, with AT and Warlock there shouldn't be too much complexity added. And having Mask of Many Faces and Misty Visions sounds like fun. Also Devil's Sight on a solo character? ;-)

[Kane0]

Or bring your own sidekick with beastmaster ranger or battlesmith artificer. Chain pact warlock also kinda applies

[CTurbo]

I'd recommend a Warrior sidekick to your girlfriend and then ask her what she'd prefer. The sidekick really only needs to be some extra muscle. It could be a character maybe tied to her background. Older brother? Family friend? Hired help? Maybe her father assigned somebody to accompany/protect her on her quest? The sidekick could be controlled by you or her. You don't want it to overshadow her character so it would need to follow her direction explicitly. If she doesn't prefer another person sidekick, it could easily be a pet. It COULD be any beast, but it can't be too exotic or dangerous or she wouldn't be able to take it into towns and cities. A simple Mastiff would be fine and would be generally accepted in towns. A Mastiff or similar beast would be squishy so I'd modify it's stat block a bit. It'd be easier to give her a humanoid sidekick since it's be proficient in all armor and shield.

You could create a generic Champion Fighter as her sidekick. Let her choose the race, or you could choose something out of the MM. Thug? Spy? Scout?

[Slipjig]

For a new player? Assuming this is only going to be a couple of sessions to introduce the new player to the hobby, I'd say Rogue, Fighter, or Sorceror. But at level 1, no class is really complicated enough that it should confuse a new player too much, especially if their being the only player means the DM can stop as often as they need to to explain rules.

And unless you are planning on turning this into a full campaign, there's really no need to layer on the features. You can build scenarios that play to her character's strengths (both mechanically and thematically), and avoid throwing situations at her that her character can't handle.

If you decide to go with a sidekick, you don't want to turn HER into a sidekick, so I'd avoid a mentor character (unless you are going to kill him/her after a few sessions).

If she went with a sneaky characrer that could use a tank, how about a Dex-fighter with Unarmed and Protection fighting styles, and a background that gives Stealth? If she's got Sneak Attack, have him focus on Grapple/Shove (maybe with Tavern Brawler), which gives you an opportunity to teach the Sneak Attack mechanics (and teamwork).

If she's a non-sneaky character, either go with a) an older family manservant who is responsible for her protection and is mechanically a paladin, or b) a flighty best friend who is a lot of fun to be around, but constantly gets them both in trouble, and is mechically either a Bard or Rogue.

Or you could mix up the sidekicks from session to session, depending on which one best fits the story, and give her an opportunity to see how different classes play and interact with her class.

[kaoskonfety]

Presented for consideration on "magic lite" option alternatively to or along side Magic initiate - Ritual Caster, maybe so far as the tome warlock version for *all* rituals
- adds a little collect-athon sub game
- doesn't call for urgent choices in a fight
- these spells tend to have *very* clear bounds for what they can do, and have limited to no complications for combat
- Find Familiar is rad

I tend to do go so far as to suggest "builds" so my apologies if that is way discreetly being sought, but as a magic lite on of my favorite characters was a totem barbarian who self identified as a wizard/shaman with ritual caster, and not much else caster wise for the first 7 levels. Any class gets a nifty magic-user feel off this simple feat.

Again as its a single player game, balance is drastically less a concern so if you would like to make more/most/all spells rituals not much is going to break. And when stuff does that honestly sounds like fun?

[Throne12]

All of them. There isn't anything special in one class that's not in another. You have spells and abilities the force a target to make a ability check or saving throw. There weapons and spells you make a attack roll. Ect ect. So describe the flavor of each class to the new player and go from there. There isn't really a new player friendly class.



Edit roll her up a half elf bard

[Bundin]

Maybe a bit left-field, but I'd go for a dex based leather+shield wearing paladin with the Urban Bounty Hunter background. Smiting with a rapier is perfectly normal!

It can be (role)played like a spy/rogue to a large degree with thieves' tools and stealth proficiency from the background (Medium Armor Master as variant human's level 1 feat solves disadvantage and keeps AC more than decent). A ton of social skills can shine in a low combat story, but a bunch of protection and some healing is already built in when more aggressive negotiation is in order. Add the Blessed Warrior fighting style for some cantrips like Thaumaturgy for roleplay or light/resistance/guidance for utility. Or Sacred Flame if evil really needs to be undone from a distance. Switching out is allowed, so try 'em all!

The choice of oath can be matched to the desired character traits and backstory, and it, the choice of deity, and the UBH background provide a nice structure that may help an inexperienced roleplayer to develop the personality.

I'd not add any hirelings, keep the PC in the spotlight. Some more "flashy" magic could be added with a bonus feat, if so desired.

A character like this has been idling in my "characters I want to play" list for ages :)

I'd not up the ability point budget, but add small bonuses to loot if desired. Small bonuses to skills on certain items or potion of X may help shore up weaknesses that are usually covered by other party members. Use throwable items like alchemy flasks for a bit of AoE on those 5 rats that nibble away hp one at the time. This keeps the basics intact, which helps if she ever ends up playing in a group where normal rules apply.

[Psyren]

+1 to "add a sidekick" - preferably a Warrior that can tank for her if she wants to be a caster. She can still broadly control what she wants it to do, and you can do all the math and detailed positioning and such.