So I'm going to join a friend's D&D Campaign...

[not_the_dm]

OT: She only explained what I couldn't do, which made me very sad. That apparently the only melee/magic mix was a Paladin. And that Dwarves aren't the best warriors cause they're short. It's been a whole bass ackwards thing for me.

Well, okay...I hate to say this, but if your friend is scoffing at dwarven fighters, I'd get dubious. They're iconic [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cc/20000626d]. (In fact, in both editions that have had racial favored classes, dwarves have automatically gotten fighter.)

That said, I'd go for rogue. But that's just me.

She's already a Rogue. Plus my preference has usually been, "Give me some armor and something to bludgeon that guy's face into a fine paste." If I could make a hyrbid melee/magic fighter who could dual wield one-handed maces, consider my pants in need of changing. But if I can't do it I could easily come up with my next favorite idea.

Barbarian. You don't wear all that much armour, but you do make mush of just about anything. Main brb rules are in PH2 but there're two extra builds in Primal Power including the Whirling Barbarian. One for you? Though personally I'd go with the Rageblood option in PH2, play as a human (extra at-will power), clad him in hide armour, and take Howling Strike, Devastating Strike, Recuperating Strike, Avalanche Strike and Macetail Rage. Oh, and take a Greataxe...

 

[Farseer Lolotea]

Barbarian. You don't wear all that much armour, but you do make mush of just about anything. Main brb rules are in PH2 but there're two extra builds in Primal Power including the Whirling Barbarian. One for you? Though personally I'd go with the Rageblood option in PH2, play as a human (extra at-will power), clad him in hide armour, and take Howling Strike, Devastating Strike, Recuperating Strike, Avalanche Strike and Macetail Rage. Oh, and take a Greataxe...

He did want to be at least partially a spellcaster. And I don't think he's playing 4e (although I'm suspecting quite a bit of Rule 0 regardless of edition).

 

[not_the_dm]

Barbarian. You don't wear all that much armour, but you do make mush of just about anything. Main brb rules are in PH2 but there're two extra builds in Primal Power including the Whirling Barbarian. One for you? Though personally I'd go with the Rageblood option in PH2, play as a human (extra at-will power), clad him in hide armour, and take Howling Strike, Devastating Strike, Recuperating Strike, Avalanche Strike and Macetail Rage. Oh, and take a Greataxe...

He did want to be at least partially a spellcaster. And I don't think he's playing 4e (although I'm suspecting quite a bit of Rule 0 regardless of edition).

Yeah, I only really played 2nd as a bararian and 3rd/3.5 as a swashbuckler (best class ever). And I do a quick rundown of the magic/melee classes that I can remember.

The 4th version has a lot of different classes that do both melee and magic.
But you can never go wrong with the barb, jack of all trades.

I love how they nerf the barb every edition and they're still overpowered.

 

[Falconsgyre]

Thanks for all the helpful posts! Sadly, my brain is turning to mush at this point from knowledge overload and the fact some posts might as well be in Greek to me. At least my AP History teacher is also on the campaign. I'm going to need as much help as possible.

Your AP History teacher is in this? Interesting.

Oh, and if you're doing 3.5, be aware that the full spellcasters (cleric, druid, sorcerer, wizard) are just plain better than everyone else with the right spell choices. If everyone's new to D&D in your group, it shouldn't matter, but it can be kind of annoying otherwise.

 

[boag]

What do I need to know and how would I go about making my character? I am not completely new to RPGs, but I'm new to the whole table-top RPG. I am also very excited because it seems like a lot of fun. So links to D&D character makers or anything would be extremely valuable to me.

Remember to have fun.

A lot of the DND sessions I played in devolved into pettyness and name calling because some people took it too seriously, always remember its just a game and you are doing it to have fun with friends.

Everything else im sure your DM/GM will explain.

 

[Free Thinker]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

 

[742]

tanky melee fighter with some healing ability: paladin fits, but it depends on your DM. they for some reason included a role playing requirement of "be a total asshat or you lose all your cool stuff" in the class. some DMs will take away all your characters abilities for talking to someone who happens to be very slightly evil, some will let you slaughter an entire village without mentioning it. duskblade from players handbook two works for stabby/blasty. for just hitting stuff swashbuckler can be fun, as can barbarian. clerics make the best healers, have a few blow-stuff-up spells but mostly just against undead, and make pretty good melee fighters. the general consensus is that theyre overpowered. druids also work for kinda the same thing, but very slightly less overpowered, slightly worse at healing and a lot more curse/blow shit up sort of spellcasting. also they can turn into animals for scouting/killing stuff. bears with buffs coherent tactics and class levels will fuck you up. i would recommend a paladin or ranger for a first time player. they start off pretty basic and slowly introduce you to the features of the system, with bookkeeping slowly increasing in complexity at about the rate your likely to get used to the system. my advice would be to not play a primary spellcasting-cleric/druid/wizard unless you played a lot of baldurs gate icewind dale or neverwinter nights, and absolutely loved the more spreadsheety bits, also to check how picky your DM is with spell components first, and even if both those are shiny to not do it until at least your second character.

some random advice: make sure INT isnt your dump stat if its not a completely combat focused campaign. skill points are important! class skills arent negligable either: the fighter class is considered mechanically weak if you take more than two levels of it, and even those are debatable unless your going for something specific. your going to be the healer/melee fighter so the advice to not "dump"(a dump stat is one you neglect to some degree so you make the others really really good.) CON is probably good in this instance, though its not universal advice.

a simple way to make a character is this: think up a favorite character or archetype from the genre or fiction in general then toss in some aspect of your own personality so you can role play it well and relate a little better. its not the only method, but its simple and easy for first time players, tends to make the role playing easier to get into, and tends to create memorable characters with at least a little bit of depth to them.

also important: always pick a character that fits with your group and that particular campaign. the cynical world weary genre savvy rogue with a penchant for geurilla warfare and smartassery will not be a good fit for a completely serious straight heroic fantasy setting, whereas the upright fame seeking defender of truth and justice who doesnt know much beyond whats right, whats shiny, and how to stick a sword in things that are neither will die quickly and horribly amongst a group of anti-heroes in a crapsack world of black-and-grey morality unless your DM is being really nice, which when running that sort of setting shouldnt happen, and wont be such a good fit for the plucky heroes of the resistance fighting against overwhelming odds they know they stand no chance against in open confrontation with stealth and guile sort of campaign either. some groups regard the entire campaign as an opportunity to stab each other in the back openly PvP and defect to evil-overlordistan, others will crucify you for a little friendly fire with an AoE spell to catch twice as many enemies. its a good idea to ask your group where the limits are on this even if you dont expect your character to do this, just so you arent suprised when the wizard steals your soul and uses it to power his spells. stretch/develop/have foresight in the production of the character to stay within your groups limits, whatever they may be. that being said it doesnt have to fit completely with the other characters. conflict is fun, personality conflict is maybe the most fun. think if your favorite story with a group of protagonists. fit your character to the setting the scenario and the players, but not necessarily to the other characters is what im saying.
an anecdote of how not-so-meshing characters can be horrible for your characters goal but fun to play, and how effective does not always equal fun:
"[pragmatic/morally abiguous PC sorceress] to [necromancer whos been digging up corpses-to research how the hell the bad guys are making undead the way that they are so he can fight it, and whos house we just broke into and mostly destroyed in the ensuing fight]: 'im sure we could come to some arrangement, just hand over your research, tell us everything you know about [the bad guys] and tell us where you keep your spellbook.'
[LS(lawful stupid) PC paladin]: 'hes evil! he needs to die! just standing in the same room as him makes my skin crawl. get the information you need so we can cut off his head and be done with this'
'first off: define evil. does breaking into someones house in the dead of night stealing all their stuff and beheading them count? second: no he doesnt. enemy of my enemy and however the rest of that goes. third: did you just tell the hostage im interrogating that your going to kill him no matter what? you know he can hear you right?'
[hostage necromancer]: 'yes. i can.'
[PC sorceress in devil-language. hey, how often to you have to justify your continued existence or make bribes to the good guys?]: 'im not going to let him kill you if he talks, i still have spells left if it comes to that'
'im not sure i believe you, but get him out of here and we can talk.'
'stop speaking in that foul tounge! i dont trust what your saying!'
[PC sorceress in dwarven, hoping like crazy that the evil wizard doesnt speak it and thinks she trusts him more than the paladin]:'im telling him i wont let you kill him, he told me he wont talk with you in the room. im honestly not sure its a good idea, but im not going to stop you; i really cant at the moment. all i ask is that you wait until after he tells us where he hid his spellbook and research notes to cut his head off. he cant talk without it, and i fear he wont be forthcoming with information if he thinks were going to kill him. i cant imagine why.'
[hostage necromancer]: 'what did you just tell him that you didnt want me to hear'
'that im going to let him kill you once you talk. its a lie, i have two invisibilities plus a switch-places spell left today and my pet rat sitting outside in the bushes as a target if you dont think you can survive the jump. hes in full plate and left his horse back at the inn so we should be able to outrun him easily.'
[LS PC paladin]: 'traitor!' *beheads hostage*
[PC sorceress] 'did you really just do that?'
'of course. he was evil, and he attacked us! i couldnt let him live! YOU were going to let him go!'
'in his house. at two AM. after we broke the front door down. remind me; what are the penalties for breaking and entering theft and murder?'
'seizure of property, a hand, and death.'
'you told the town guard about this before we left.'
'i thought we might need backup.'
'we should go.'"

 

[Happy Sock Puppet]

What do I need to know and how would I go about making my character? I am not completely new to RPGs, but I'm new to the whole table-top RPG.

Congratulations, my young padawan. You're taking your first steps into a larger world. Here's what you need to know:

1. The only character class worth a damn is fighters, because you're going to be as violent as you can possibly be in any situation your party comes across.

2. Your alignment will be "Chaotic Neutral." This way, you can justify almost any behavior at all by reference to either anarchism or indifference. (It's no accident that Anonymous describe themselves as "Chaotic Neutral.")

3. When rolling your stats, do your level best to cheat in any way you can ("Whoa! That one grazed the edge of your coffee cup! Re-roll!") in order to maximize your numbers. Remember, it's the numbers that matter.

4. Now it's time to give your character a setting-appropriate name. Fortunately, names like "James Bond" or "The Executioner" or "Max Power" are appropriate to any setting, because they are awesome.

5. If the DM is a dweeb or something, he'll ask you to supply your character with a backstory or some shit like that. Just use this: "[Max Power] is a mysterious man of mystery whose credo is 'Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of their women.' "

6. Only worry about weapons and armor when buying equipment. You'll use these to take the rest of the equipment you'll be needing from other people.

7. Now it's time to play! If you're outside a dungeon, remember there are only two kinds of event that really matter in this game: fights and anything that involves whores. For the rest, you can safely tune out the DM and twiddle around with something unrelated. In ancient times this meant chewing really loudly on a snack item while staring into space, or inappropriately flicking on the TV. In the age of the iPhone, being distracted is even easier. Text your girlfriend, even if you don't have one; play Infinity Blade or Angry Birds; screw arond with GoogleMaps or look up some porn on the Internet. The sky's the limit.

8. Keep an ear open, however, for the words "monster" or "stranger" or "dark shape" (to which you will immediately respond "I attack it!"), "woman" or "girl" (tradition demands you immediately ask about her bust size), or "prostitute" (in which case you will immediately turn to the nearest player and demand they loan you some money).

9. Dungeons will require more attention, as they are trap-filled environments full of constant danger. Remember to look out for yourself and get the most powerful magic sword and armor you can find, so you can pry other useful items out of others with minimum effort; your fellow players are probably disposable, so if you need to betray them, do it. This is just "chaotic" behavior, remember, not evil behavior; hell, you're neutral, you're not sure you even believe in such a thing as evil.

10. If you see signs of a larger plot emerging, walk immediately off in the other direction. If the DM tries to refuse, declare that this campaign is lame and get up to leave. If he plays along with you, he'll probably have to improvise a few fight scenes while trying to maneuver you back to the plot.

11. If the DM shows signs of trying to kill your character, start to act slightly unbalanced in real life. Get a twitchy look on your face. Stare really intently while saying things like "Are you sure you said twenty points of damage? You may want look at those dice again, just saying." That sort of thing.

That ought to do it. Happy gaming!

Now THAT was a damn fine post. Win.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Duskblade (from the Players Handbook 2) is a great option for a front line Fighter Mage.

Alternatively, go with 1st level Fighter, using the Alt Class Feature where you trade Heavy Armor for the Bard's ability to cast in light armor. Then take Sorcerer or Wizard until you reach 3rd level spells. Then take Eldridge Knight. You get nearly full casting, you can wear Light armor, and you end up with a fairly good BAB. This is my personal favorite Fighter/Mage build, but it's kind of complex.

Option 3: Play a Paladin. You get healing, a few spells, and kick ass in a fight. Not the kind of fighter mage you wanted, but....

 

[banthesun]

She only explained what I couldn't do, which made me very sad. That apparently the only melee/magic mix was a Paladin. And that Dwarves aren't the best warriors cause they're short. It's been a whole bass ackwards thing for me.

Seeing your avatar reminds me of something I've been wanting to try for ages: Make a paladin based on Kamina (or more likely Simon, because Kamina might be a bit too chaotic). As long as your GM allows paladin's to follow codes based on their own beliefs rather than societal laws you should be able to adapt the concept to fit. Instead of being the uptight "you can't do that it is wrong" paladin many players have come to expect, your character can be a friendly guide, inspiring them to new feats of good and bravery. Also, you fill the gap they need, get some nice class features, and get to see their faces when they hear the new guy is gonna play a paladin!

 

[thePyro_13]

OT: She only explained what I couldn't do, which made me very sad. That apparently the only melee/magic mix was a Paladin. And that Dwarves aren't the best warriors cause they're short. It's been a whole bass ackwards thing for me.

Don't let that get to you, make a dwarf and go nuts as a warrior, my mate does. It's about having fun, you can't really lose at DnD. So don't worry about not being the most efficient warrior and have fun.

Their heaps of add on books, I'm sure theirs some kind of non-paladin magic knight class in one of them. If not, try and find rules for one on the net, DnD's supposed to be about making your own adventure after all. As long as your friends don't mind you should be able to make anything within reason.

TBH I've only played a little of the game, but the freedom you can achieve with a good GM makes it such fun. You really can try anything.

 

[Turing]

OT: She only explained what I couldn't do, which made me very sad. That apparently the only melee/magic mix was a Paladin. And that Dwarves aren't the best warriors cause they're short. It's been a whole bass ackwards thing for me.

Well, okay...I hate to say this, but if your friend is scoffing at dwarven fighters, I'd get dubious. They're iconic [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cc/20000626d]. (In fact, in both editions that have had racial favored classes, dwarves have automatically gotten fighter.)

That said, I'd go for rogue. But that's just me.

She's already a Rogue. Plus my preference has usually been, "Give me some armor and something to bludgeon that guy's face into a fine paste." If I could make a hybrid melee/magic fighter who could dual wield one-handed maces, consider my pants in need of changing. But if I can't do it I could easily come up with my next favorite idea.

Seeing as this is your first game, go with something simple.

Fighters: High melee presence, high hitpoints and not much else.

Paladin: Medium to high melee presence, high hitpoints, minor healing and spells.

Cleric: Major healing and spell, medium hitpoints and melee presence.

Ranger: Minor healing and spells, medium hitpoints and medium to high melee presence with dualwielding. Alternately archer.

These sounds like what you'd want to try out. I'm sure your DM will run you through the technicalities.
Remember to think about some background and motivations for your character. Even if its just a kick-in-the-door, get loot type of game its always nice to have some idea of who you're playing.

 

[subtlefuge]

I would recommend not playing a controller (4E) for your first role, unless you really enjoy jumping in headfirst. It's an interesting and rewarding role, but you won't be making any progress if your controller does not have some grasp of the game.

 

[Fappy]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Paladins or Clerics are your best choice. Don't let anyone fool you, Clerics are great bruisers in 3.5 if you build them right.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Paladins or Clerics are your best choice. Don't let anyone fool you, Clerics are great bruisers in 3.5 if you build them right.

Clerics are only good bruisers if they can get buffs cast before/early in combat. They're a yon of fun though.

 

[Erana]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Personally? I like bards. They're very flexible, both with builds and as a character. They have some minor healing capabilities, but they do best as a buffing class. If you have more than four people involved, a bard can be that extra hand that makes healing less necessary.
Also, for combat, Snowflake war dance. [http://dnd.savannahsoft.eu/feat-2671-snowflake-wardance.html]
I so want to get a chance to get a character to that point...

The learning curve for them isn't too bad; any class with magic capabilities will take a bit more effort to start with than vanilla walking blender classes.

What kind of character do you want to play? Their personality, I mean.

 

[Fappy]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Paladins or Clerics are your best choice. Don't let anyone fool you, Clerics are great bruisers in 3.5 if you build them right.

Clerics are only good bruisers if they can get buffs cast before/early in combat. They're a yon of fun though.

Yeah, they are more reliant than Paladin's are in that regard.

 

[Axzarious]

Well, im not sure which edition you are using, but if your dead set on a Melee/Magic hybrid, why not try playing a Hexblade?

As for a race, if you wanna be a cleric or fighter, I would reccomend a dwarf- They are like angry beer soaked beards on legs. I can say humans are overpowered due to thier ability giving them a bonus feat (If this is 3rd edition), but I would say to play more to have fun?

In 3.5 clerics can be BEASTLY in melee combat, provided you know the right spells and feats. Cast them spells and become a whirling dervish of destruction!

 

[Kevonovitch]

well, if your in luck, and the party is large enough, paruse the choices, and play w/e u like, but if it's small, work it out as a group no campaign lasts long if one guys unhappy w/ there choice, screws up the dynamics.

edit-and if they play 4.0, turn them down and tell them to play a real version on D&D, tyvm.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Sorry about bring this up again everyone on off-topic.

OT: I finally got some more information. The version is 3.5. The campaign is according to the DM is All Good or Neutral Humans. According to who's already in it, they need a melee non-rogue or a spellcaster who can heal. So what are my options given these rules?

Paladins or Clerics are your best choice. Don't let anyone fool you, Clerics are great bruisers in 3.5 if you build them right.

Clerics are only good bruisers if they can get buffs cast before/early in combat. They're a yon of fun though.

Yeah, they are more reliant than Paladin's are in that regard.

Paladins get a good Base Attack bonus, if we're talking 3.x edition, plus better weapon proficiencies when compared to a cleric. I think it makes them a better warrior type without relying on magic though. A good DM can negate CoDzilla with a quick Dispel Magic or two.