Summary
Dungeons and Dragonshas spanned decades and many editions now, withOne D&Dlikely being implemented into most people’s games. With this new edition, players might be looking to begin their foray into the world of tabletop gaming, but might not even know where to begin as a player.
With classes and their subclasses needing to be taken into consideration, it can be a little overwhelming when choosing which one to choose, as most newcomers don’t want to be struggling with complicated rules and features for their first game. Thankfully, there are those that are a bit simpler to learn than others.
Introduced New Mechanics
Subclasses:
Though players won’t find this class in the Player’s Handbook, they can find it in otherofficial books, such asTasha’s Cauldron of EverythingorEberron: Rising from the Last War.Artificers infuse a touch of steampunk into the world ofDungeons and Dragons, as these crafty magical engineers are all about tinkering around to see what they can make next. One of the main components of this class is about infusions, which introduced a brand-new mechanic.
It can be a little tricky to get to grips with or even know how to use this mechanic effectively, even for those who have pastD&Dexperience. As such, newcomers might be better off avoiding this class until they know more about the basics of play, and then they can dedicate themselves to learning more complex classes.
Fun, But Tough to Role-Play
Bards are, as the name suggests, the performers of theD&Dworld. Artists, musicians, and writers, these casters weave their imaginations and skills into their magic. This usually revolves around supporting the other members of the party, rather than devoting themselves to tanking, healing, or damaging. Though they could do the latter two, this is not normally their focus.
As they are magical creators, it can be a little difficult to role-play Bards, at least more so than the other classes. It can also be all too easy to default to the rambunctious bard, which can get a little tiring to play for long-haul campaigns. Combining that with the fact that the Bard’s spells and features are more designed for utility, this class might be best revisited once players gain a little more experience playingD&D.
One of the Weaker Vanilla Classes
Those that love animals and nature have two class options that meet these interests: druid and ranger. The ranger is more about roaming the land to either hunt or befriend animals. The Beast Master subclass even gives them a furry companion to share the road with, such as a wolf or a bear. Unfortunately, this class does fall a little behind the others in terms of usefulness.
Though the 2024 revamp did buff the Ranger a little, it was already behind other classes that were also reworked. As such, newcomers might struggle to make their ranger an invaluable part of the team. As such, they might be better off playing a stronger class until they are a bit more experienced, and can work with the rangers' flaws effectively.
Their Versatility Can Be Overwhelming
One of the classes devoted to all things divine, most paladins are holy characters who undertake a solemn oath they must fulfill no matter what. This can already paint a bit of a picture of what the average paladin is like. It doesn’t appeal to some players, but it can be powerful when played correctly, and can deal some incredible damage to enemies of an undead persuasion.
But playing a Paladin effectively isn’t always easy. There are quite a few features and spells balance, which can make the Paladin one of the tougher classes to get to grips with. Not to mention, there’s the added difficulty of role-playing accurately without irritating your fellow party members.
More Resources to Manage than Wizards
Some might wonder about the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard, as the words can be used interchangeably in most media. But inDungeons and Dragons, there are some distinctive differences. For one, they draw on different tables of spells, and the way theirmagic works is rather different. From a lore perspective, the main difference is that a Wizard’s magic is learned, while a Sorcerer’s is innate.
In terms of gameplay, rather than just monitoring how many spells they have left, Sorcerers also need to manage Sorcery Points, a resource they can use to regain a spell slot back or employ metamagic. While this does offer them a bit more versatility, it can be a little confusing for new players, as casters have a steeper learning curve already. For new players set on playing a caster, their best bet would be to go with the more straightforward Wizard.
Shines Outside of Combat
As players can probably surmise from the class name and a few of the subclasses, rogues areall about being sneakyand dexterous. They usually prefer to stay in the shadows and strike out at their enemies' weak points, and maybe pilfer whatever they have in their pockets. While the sneak attack ability does offer some nice bonuses in combat, rogues only ever stray into the spotlight when it comes to non-combat situations.
Scouting the area ahead, stealing a needed item, disabling traps, and picking locks are the Rogue’s specialty inD&D.As such, they might not be suited to newcomers to the series, as they might struggle to play their rogue effectively.
Relies Heavily on Ability Scores
Monks are the martial artists in theD&Dworld, having perfected the art of hand-to-hand combat. They can even endow their fighting skills with additional powers, such as the ability to knock an opponent prone, or even lock them in place through a stunning strike. At early levels, they have the chance of being the most powerful character in the party. This might make them an attractive choice to new players, but the Monk class might not the easiest choice for them.
While Monks don’t need to worry themselves with lengthy spell lists since they can punch their way through enemies, this class does place a heavy reliance on ability scores. If they don’t acquire the numbers they need to be effective, new players won’t know how to counteract that. On the other hand, veteran players might know techniques they can use, and how to better build their character with lackluster ability scores.
Designed to be Designated Healers
At first glance, the Cleric class can seem a little overwhelming from the sheer number of domains available across all the official books. But, players shouldn’t be scared away from this class, as it is rather simple to learn once they get to grips with it.
Clerics are usually thedesignated healers in the partyeven if other player characters have some healing abilities, as clerics have the best healing spells. Certain domains, specifically Life, are designed around keeping allies alive. With that in mind, newcomers can easily take on the role of a cleric and focus on being a healer, a relatively simple and straightforward role for a new player to fulfill.
Can Always Fall Back On Wild Shape
Another one for the animal lovers is the Druid class. Unlike Rangers, they can not onlybefriend animals, but actually transform into them, or even summon a herd of them with a certain spell. The Wild Shape ability is the main draw of this class, and will likely be the resource the players are most likely to use, as Druid spells can be rather hit-and-miss in terms of how useful they are.
While it may seem rather complicated at first, the Druid is only as hard as most other caster classes, which all take a little longer to master than non-caster classes. What makes the Druid so simple is that they can just turn into a bear for their turn in combat, so they don’t even need to learn spells straight away. However, this is a limited resource. Players need to bear that in mind, as running out of it with a grisly fight approaching would be unbearable.
The Epitome Of The Glass Cannon
The quintessential caster class of D&D, Wizards are for players who want to spend the campaign far away from enemies, slinging spells that dohefty amounts of damage. With so many subclasses to choose from, this class does offer great versatility, but rarely does a Wizard ever want to be facing their foes directly.
That’s because wizards are likely to be the most feeble characters in their party. With their spellcasting power, the class had to be balanced in some way. This was done by giving them a small hit die to contend with, so they are likely to have the lowest number of hit points out of the party. With these in mind, it might seem a little tricky for newcomers, but wizards are one of the the most accessible casting classes, as all they need to worry about is spells.
