Best character to play in a group of new players?

[Rfkannen]

If you are in a group of people new to dnd, and you want to help the players have the best game possible and not take too much of the spotlight, what type of character would you play?

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Depends of the new players characters.

I think that a lore bard will work most of the time. Focus on buffing and battlefield control and let you party members destroyed everyone.

[CTurbo]

Bard is the most optimal choice IMO followed by Divine Soul Sorcerer. Either Druid or Cleric would work well too.

[HiveStriker]

Bard is the most optimal choice IMO followed by Divine Soul Sorcerer. Either Druid or Cleric would work well too.

I would possibly (probably) put Shepherd Druid (can do it all), Tome Fiend|Celestial Warlock (take care of all rituals, create opportunities for others with upcast Command and Repelling Blast, or get some healing) and Tempest Cleric (less versatile but useful bags of tricks including nova) at least on par with Bard, and probably even above (because Bard means CHA + Expertise + baked in "I take the scene" fluff strings, so tempting to take on the role of party face unless one of the new players wants to grab that responsibility).

But otherwise agree with the class selection, althugh i would definitely lump up Ranger in there (less magic so less spell versatility, but ambidextry and traveling skills are great) and Paladin (you can more or less limit the Charisma in roleplay thing, and mechanically it provides many supportive features, although in a different way than Rangers).

- Barbarian and Monks are too restrictive in how you can support others imo.
- Fighter could be actually a decent chance if made Battlemaster and racking up utility feats.
- Rogue could be great, but the risk is hoarding light outside combat once you get Reliable talent, and possibly be the winning guy in combat if none of the new players chooses class with high nova or consistently good damage ability.
- Any Warlock could work, but requiring precise spells and Invocations selection for that.
- Same with other Sorcerers and most Wizards.

[Neoh]

I feel like Grave Cleric fits well around new players, if there's already a Cleric in the group of new guys, go for a Charisma-based class, the new players could be shy so having someone doing the talk is nice.

I'd actually avoid Sorcerers as they can easily take the spotlight, especially Divine Sorcerers.

Bards are fun if you actually like to play an instrument or sing, new players would love that.

Paladins are really great, makes a nice meat shield, provides better saves for people around him, can burst the enemy from time to time, can heal, overall very good balance.

Edit : Forgot the Warlock, which is really great for roleplaying, plus could add tension to the game if your DM actually uses your Patron as a possible antagonist.

[DrKerosene]

I think the optimal choice would depend on things.
-How many members in the Party?
-What classes (or roles) are the other Players?
-What is the campaign focus (dungeon grinding, urban espionage, exploration, is it undead or dragon heavy, etc)?
-Are you starting at level 1 or 5, etc?
-Any content not allowed (like Eberron, Wildmount, Acq Inc, only core+1, etc)?

If you’re able to play a Druid, that’s probably my top pick (without any other considerations).
-You shouldn’t need much of anything loot wise (compared to Fighters or Rogues).
-I found Guidance>Bardic Inspiration for out of combat stuff (if you can only have one), since Bardic Inspiration is a limited resource (even with Font Of Inspiration) and I’ve rarely seen DMs actually be strict about aiding another requiring proficiency (or Jack Of All Trades) on the part of the aider.
-Being a Moon Druid would allow you tank until the Fighter/Paladin gets some Fullplate armor, and act as a mount for someone else too.
-Regular Wildshape has enough utility uses, it’s hard not to use it, and it can help serve as an emergency off-tanking method.
-You can spend all your spare spell slots on Goodberry right before a Long Rest to stockpile healing for the next day.
-The berries can be split up so people can heal themselves even when separated, and it also removes the need to track rations.
-Casting Polymorph on an ally is a great way to go from “Help I’m making Death Saves!” to “I’m a what-osaurus with full HP?”
-You have access to Lesser Restoration, Protection From Poison, Cure Wounds, etc, which solve a lot of common debuffs or issues.
-You have decent potential for minion-mancy if needed, Animal Friendship early, conjuring a Dryad later, etc.

If you don’t want to have any moments in the spotlight like the Druid might result in, and you want to really be defined by how well the group does, I figure a Cleric is the better pick.
-The spell Bless is supposed to be a good bread and butter spell (I did recently play a Cleric from 1 to 8, and it was useless almost every single time I used it).
-You can still know the Guidance cantrip, and I think the cleric’s combat cantrips options have a better variety.
-Clerics can cast Protection From G&E, Remove Curse, and more Divinations too, compared to the Druid.
-You can be a Knowledge Domain Cleric if your DM is strict about needing Proficiencies to do certain things like Aiding one of the other PCs.
-Most other cleric Domains should provide you with tricks that can be used to buff your allies in their specialties.
-Being able to cast Revivify and/or Gentle Repose is a great safety-net for the team.
-Animating Dead is more limited in a few ways than Conjuring Animals or Woodland Beings, and summoning a Couatl is a very late game ability compared to the Druid.


I would like to point out that a Divination Wizard could use their Portent Dice to make an ally seem badass, or force an enemy to fail against that PC. And you could still focus on classic God-Wizard stuff of buffing and BFC so everyone else still shines.

[Eldariel]

Any kind of support caster works but I'd probably play a controller Wizard. Diviner focusing on using Portents to help allies succeed instead of making enemies fail saves is pretty fun. Make sure to pick up stuff that enhances allies and weakens enemies: Hold X, Web, Hypnotic Pattern, Sleet Storm, etc. It's important to ensure you have the ability to scale your power to help more or less as needed, and of course so that your teammates get to do their thing. Helper Familiar/Homunculus/Unseen Servant pouring potions down ally throats, all manners of illusions and such, control spells, all the Wizard buffs and generic utility. Max out the Knowledge skills and tell your allies of the creatures you're fighting, the quests you're doing, etc. Be the info dump guy, who facilitates party actions by providing necessary information but never really makes decisions. That way, the party has grounds for their actions and you aren't getting in everyone else's way.

[NorthernPhoenix]

Wizard is probably the best choice assuming you don't go overboard. Bard is good too but i strongly agree with letting someone else be the "face". Don't do minion based BS though, it's likely to completely hog any given scene.

[Man_Over_Game]

I'd say a Wisdom-based melee character that casts spells.

Wisdom because it's often a neglected stat for newer players, and because it's usually a "defensive" stat in terms of skills rather than a "playmaker" attribute (like Charisma or Dexterity)

Melee because melee characters encourage more interactivity than ranged ones (ranged characters can't easily support other ranged characters, but a melee character can protect anyone). Also, it means absorbing sage on someone else's behalf.

Spells because they're more versatile and supportive than damage or attacking. They add more to the story for your party to play off of.

So...something like a Nature or Order Cleric, or maybe an Open Hand Monk.

[jaappleton]

Grave Cleric, by a damn MILE.

[Throne12]

Go with divine soul sorcerer. You can feel the party out for the first few session and see wht you need to specialized or more jack of all trades. Divine sorcerer you can cover healing, control, buff/debuff, blast. You can also pick up feats like Inspiring leader and healer.

[1Pirate]

Gotta second(or is third?) Grave Cleric.

A lot of their abilities help mitigate the effects of unlucky dice rolls, which is one of the more notorious banes of new players. The Rogue gets dropped because they haven't quite learned when to get out of melee and the monster rolls max damage? Pop them back up to full health. Ranged Spare the Dying lets you keep two characters from dying on your turn if they drop in different parts of the battlefield. Canceling crits: self-explanatory.

Additionally their CD is a hefty buff but since it's another player that deals the damage, the spotlight goes on them.

And you still have all the generic support Cleric shenanigans.

[HiveStriker]

Gotta second(or is third?) Grave Cleric.

A lot of their abilities help mitigate the effects of unlucky dice rolls, which is one of the more notorious banes of new players. The Rogue gets dropped because they haven't quite learned when to get out of melee and the monster rolls max damage? Pop them back up to full health. Ranged Spare the Dying lets you keep two characters from dying on your turn if they drop in different parts of the battlefield. Canceling crits: self-explanatory.

Additionally their CD is a hefty buff but since it's another player that deals the damage, the spotlight goes on them.

And you still have all the generic support Cleric shenanigans.

You're right, I forgot about this Domain, but it's indeed a great pick to support without taking light.
Although it's much more focused in abilities than a Druid or Bard, definitely in the top choices!

[jaappleton]

For the ‘assisting new players’ mentality, I always advise against going with anything blasts. They’re new players, they all want to be heroes, and typically for a new player that often means damage numbers. Kill the bad guys, right?

It’s a common mindset, I’m never going to try to lecture a new player for that being their line of thought. A more experienced players knows that something like a control mage doing Hypnotic Pattern can often be superior to a blaster doing Fireball.

So let the newbies cast Fireball. Let them blast. Let them Sneak Attack and Smite. Let them learn as we all did, it took us all a bit to realize other play styles.

You keep ‘em upright, and offer a bit of guidance. That’s your job, experienced player.

And that’s why Grave is so darn great. It’s perfect for this. And not only to guide new players but for any group, Grave offers so darn much.

[Petrocorus]

I'll second Druid or Cleric over Bard.
Cleric mostly.
Dr. Kerosene has already laid out the good points of Druid.
But i think Cleric is potentially better. This is the best class to support a party without stealing the spotlight.

The best Domain depends a little on the level you play. Arcane is not that good below level 6 for instance.

Thunder fill some of the usual Cleric's lackings. Forge gives good support features and is tanky. Nature is versatile. Others have already talked about Order and Grave.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

My personal favorite.

Human Variant: Pick whatever is most useful to the party I like magic initiate, or mobile.
Mastermind Strength Rogue
Expertise in Athletics.

Action to grapple and move that person closer to an ally. Bonus Action to help another ally. On top of that you're still a rogue

[GlenSmash!]

With new players I avoid being a damage powerhouse and I avoid being the party face. It sucks to feel like someone is dominating the game and/or spotlight.

A cleric that can take a beating is what I would do.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

It depends on the group and the other characters. New players in general have a bit of a habit to go for melee based martial characters, and if that's the case here a ranged support class with healing such as cleric or bard is often the ideal option for the "extra" experienced player.

But if your specific players are all going for warlocks and blasting wizards, by all means, be the tank.