Starting Character

[freetobeuandme]

what do people recommend for the best starting class and race?

[Stabby]

To do what?

To hit things?

To cast spells?

To go pewpew?

To be sneaky?

Give us some sort of char concept and Im sure we can better facilitate your request.

[DarknessLord]

You need to give us more to work with (like what books what level and such), and you need to define best.
I think a CE Gnome Bard would be one of the coolest things ever, but it may not be very effective on it's own.

[freetobeuandme]

well, the best character for a fight, i guess. i am doing a campain with a wizard and a rogue, and i want to know what would be best attacker in a fight. it's just the normal races unless the dm lets me choose a different thing

[shaggz076]

Well what level are you all? If level 1 I would use this.
Go Human Warblade with Spiked chain Proficiency and Combat reflexes.You become the wall between your enemies and the Wizard and the Rogue can tumble past them and flank with you. You deal 2d4 + 1.5 str and can reach out 10 feet without sacrificing your 5 ft threatened squares. The stances and maneuvers can keep you going easily enough.

[freetobeuandme]

i'm level 1. which guide do i need for that?

[osyluth]

Druids are definitely the most overpowered class.

[VanBuren]

Warblade is in Tome of Battle.

[freetobeuandme]

druid? i thought they were weak fighters with a couple of spells

[Raolin_Fenix]

druid? i thought they were weak fighters with a couple of spells

Oh, dear. Now you've done it.

*braces for impact*

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Druid? I thought they were weak fighters with a couple of spells.

Look at the level 5 ability. Then look at the 5 Monster Manuals that have been released. And look at the spell list while you're at it. The kill most equivalent-level enemies fairly easily.

[freetobeuandme]

so do you think i should start out with a druid?

[Sstoopidtallkid]

I like barbarian for a first character. You literally can't scrw one of them up, and your party needs a meatshield.

[Chronos]

Even before level 5 (when they get Wild Shape), druids are already overpowered. At low levels, the key is their animal companion. Even without getting cheesy, you can get something like a wolf, which is about on a par with a typical level 1 fighter by itself. Plus, you've still got the druid, swinging his club or casting spells.

That said, though, it sounds like you've never played D&D before. In that case, I would recommend barbarian, because a barbarian is the simplest class both to build and to play. Put your best ability score into Strength, grab a two-handed weapon, and hit things with it until they're dead. For important battles, go into a rage. That's really all there is to it.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Even before level 5 (when they get Wild Shape), druids are already overpowered. At low levels, the key is their animal companion. Even without getting cheesy, you can get something like a wolf, which is about on a par with a typical level 1 fighter by itself. Plus, you've still got the druid, swinging his club or casting spells.

That said, though, it sounds like you've never played D&D before. In that case, I would recommend barbarian, because a barbarian is the simplest class both to build and to play. Put your best ability score into Strength, grab a two-handed weapon, and hit things with it until they're dead. For important battles, go into a rage. That's really all there is to it.

Don't forget power attack. Play a stupidly overpowered caster your second time through.

[Mando Knight]

druid? i thought they were weak fighters with a couple of spells

Never heard of Druidzilla, eh? Clerics and Druids, with the right spells, can become far more powerful than anything short of Pun-Pun in melee combat.

[Deepblue706]

Never heard of Druidzilla, eh? Clerics and Druids, with the right spells, can become far more powerful than anything short of Pun-Pun in melee combat.

If they haven't heard of Druidzilla, they probably don't know about Pun-Pun.

I agree with choosing Barbarian. All of the abilities they get are straight-forward, and it's a well-balanced class (so you probably won't have to worry about not-getting-the-spotlight often). They have a neat assortment of skills, they're illiterate, and they break stuff. Generally fun all-around.

As for races - Dwarves are excellent Barbarians. Half-Orcs are good (strength is always nice when you're a warrior), and so are Humans (that bonus feat can really help out). I would recommend against Elves, Halflings, and Gnomes, as they get penalties to physical stats - and that sucks when you wanna break stuff.

[freetobeuandme]

i've played it before, ive been a paladin, ranger, rogue, and a fighter
but the question is could a barabarian alone take a druid if they're the same level?

[Chronos]

but the question is could a barabarian alone take a druid if they're the same level?

Could? Certainly. But the question is how likely it is, and that depends on a lot of factors. At first level, just about anyone can kill anyone else with a lucky hit, and win the fight before the other guy even gets a chance to act. I'd maybe give the barbarian slightly better odds than the druid, at level 1 or 2. And there's also the question of how well the characters are played: Any character can, in principle, do something really stupid that hands the fight to the other guy. But if we're assuming the druid knows what he's doing and plays reasonably well, I'd say that the fight favors the druid for any level 3 or higher.

Which probably isn't directly relevant, anyway, since you're playing with the other players, not against them. Druids are certainly more powerful than barbarians, but whether they're more fun is a question of personal preference.

[freetobeuandme]

my dm told me i could multiclass with a druid.
should i stick with druid for both levels or choose something like a fighter?

[FlyMolo]

Eh, for beginning characters, Fighters and Barbarians are good choices. Another fun one is warlock. Aside from touch AC, that's the only rule you need to know.

[Chronos]

Fighter would add absolutely nothing for a druid. Yeah, you'd get heavy armor proficiency, but as a druid, you're still not allowed to wear it. Barbarian would get you a little bit, but still not as much as another druid level would.

The first rule of character optimization: Thou shalt not give up caster levels. No matter how good a one-level dip might be, it's almost never as good as casting more spells.

[freetobeuandme]

does any1 know the stats for a warforged druid with the ironwood body spell?

[VeisuItaTyhjyys]

The second you can take Natural Spell, you take it. Then you never, ever look back. Only look ahead, to what you can destroy; it is everything.

For a monster reccomendation, when you're able, may I reccomend a monstrous crab? Also, dinosaurs are ideal. If you need to get away, go for Cheetah or Hawk. Roc-shifting at high levels is awesome, too.