2 player advice

[lexoanvil]

im starting a group with 2 of my friends(maybe 3) who are very much into video games and are for the most part first timers for 4th edition so im sure they will pick up on rules and the mathmatics of the game very quickly. that being said for a group of 2 what are some combos of classes that will work well together and not miss out on major aspects of the missing 2 roles. thx in advance.

 

[renau1g]

Well... with the small group you'll probably need some healing, so I'd suggest either cleric (my preference) or warlord for that role, and you'll need some damage dealing ability, perhaps a high-strength fighter or one of the strikers?

 

[Kinneus]

A Leader + Anything should be able to survive. If neither is interested in playing a Leader, considering giving them an NPC one to run around with.

 

[Milambus]

Battlerager Fighter (Dwarf w/ 2-Hander) + Tactical Warlord

Truthfully a Battlerager and pretty much anything should work pretty well.

 

[Mengu]

Battlerager x2? j/k

There are numerous options really. But a defender and a leader is the most straight forward solution. A guardian fighter and a battle cleric would be an excellent duo, and fairly straight forward to get used to and play.

However the players shouldn't feel restricted to these roles. Two strikers, say a Ranger and a Rogue, can work in a slightly non-traditional way as a pair of assassins. You would just have to line up the adventures to suit them a bit.

A Paladin and a Barbarian could be another interesting option, both with some self rejuvenating powers, good healing surges, and with the Barbarian filling in the Striker role.

A dwarf in the party would be a good thing, because they can use second wind as a minor action, and that's exceptionally useful in small parties.

 

[Fundin Strongarm]

I think while healing is useful, I'm not sure you need all that much of it. Picking any two non-leader roles and having them multiclass leaders would be fine. Even give it to them for free or let them multiclass a second time if you want.

A Paladin and a Dwarf of any class probably can get by reasonably well too.

Maybe let any race Second Wind as a Move or Minor action, while letting Dwarves do it twice.

 

[tbk409]

I've run a paladin warlock duo and it went quite well.

 

[Kinneus]

I've run a paladin warlock duo and it went quite well.

He's a holy warrior that slays devils!
She's an arcanist that sold her soul to devils!
They fight crime!

 

[Nytmare]

Another option, if they're not big on the idea of playing what they "need" to play, is to adjust the encounter makeup to match their strengths/weaknesses. Check out page 10 in the DMG "Covering the Character Roles."

 

[Nightson]

I've run a paladin warlock duo and it went quite well.

Same here.