Help: 5th Level Fighter Build - New Player - Child

[Zaruthustran]

He's six years old--the numbers and feats don't matter. Even the rules don't really matter, aside from "roll this die and add your attack bonus of +5; you need a 12 in order for the roll to be a success." The important thing is for you and your son to have fun playing an interactive game, and to introduce him to RPGs.

In fact... I'd ditch 3E and use something similar to the Star Wars Saga rules. In a nutshell: allow him to choose a small number of skills from a list of all possible skills. He gets to roll Level + 3 in those skills. Then give him basic proficiency in all the other skills: he gets to add his level to a d20 roll when attempting those.

Don't worry about "class skills" or "exclusive" class abilities. His character can use any weapon, where any armor, attempt any skill. Assume the character has "trapfinding" (a stupid class mechanic, but that's another discussion) and Track.

Just like in the movies, his character is a generic Hero class with unlimited potential. He can grow as your son wishes, not in accordance with a pre-formatted class ability track.

Don't even get into Magic. Leave that for another day.

-z

 

[PaulJohn]

Thanks for all the input.

I had been thinking 5th level mainly because I wanted him to have enough hit points to take some hits, and I know he won't be running away from any encounters.

Based on everyone's comments, I'm thinking that maybe I'll start him at 1st level and use a HP reset after each encounter. Something like: "After your sword pierces the last giant mosquito, you take a few minutes to bandage your wounds before moving down the cave." This will lessen the fudge factor a bit (though not eliminate it).

I'd already been considering ignoring the 'only rogues can spot traps with DCs over 20', though if I start him at first level, any traps would have a lower DC anyway, so any considerations on that topic can wait.

Someone mentioned using a Pre-gen character, and that was my general idea. I wan't really going to involve him in the creation process for this PC, just try and create a basic version of a character sheet (as little extra info as possible), and hand it to him at the beginning of our game. Not sure how much explaining I should do at that point, or if I should just dive into an encouter and let him learn as he goes. Seems to me that when I started (at a much older age), I'd read the books, and everything made so much more sense after the first game session.

After he plays the initial character for a while, might take the time to show him the whole character creation process, let him roll dice for stats, and talk about the feats, but all that will be quite a way off I would think.

As a side note, I am planning on trying to put in a couple of puzzle type locks/traps. Either something like a circle of colored gems, red, yellow, and blue are in place, and he has to put the orange, purple, and green in the proper spot to represent to combinations of primary colors in order for a door to unlock. Or maybe something where there are stones with some letters on them that rearrange to spell something. He reads at a level a few years ahead of his age, and he's done some 'word jumble' type things in the past, so as long as it isn't too difficult a word, I think he'll manage it, especially if I add in a bit of a clue, or even make it more obvious, like having a picture of a dragon, with the tiles there to spell dragon.

Of course, I may also put in a simple locked wooden door for him to have fun bashing his way through.

Again, thanks for the input,

Paul

 

[FireLance]

Based on everyone's comments, I'm thinking that maybe I'll start him at 1st level and use a HP reset after each encounter. Something like: "After your sword pierces the last giant mosquito, you take a few minutes to bandage your wounds before moving down the cave." This will lessen the fudge factor a bit (though not eliminate it).

If you're planning on a hp refresh after every encounter, why not give him a pool of "vitality points" or "luck points" equal to his full normal hp at the start of each encounter? This doubles the character's durability off the bat, and creates the possibility of real, longer-lasting injury (once vitality or luck is gone, damage gets taken off actual hit points, which can only be regained after resting) without reducing his baseline level of effectiveness (he starts each fight at effectively full hit points or more).

 

[pawsplay]

I'm choosing a fighter for him because I don't want him to have too many choices about what to do until he's played at least a little.

Well, you're playing the wrong edition for that. Fighters have a complicated job. And 5th level is fairly complicated.

I would suggest 2nd level. A little more durability than 1st. And, taking a page from Rogue and Angband, he should have a rogue level and a maxed out Use Magic Device ability. I think my ideal solo "adventurer" for a beginner is a Fighter 1/Rogue 1 with 5 ranks in Use Magic Device and the rest in Search. Now he's a proper dungeoneer! Human, feats are Toughness and Skill Focus (Use Magic Device). For his Fighter feat, I'd say Improved Initiative... he'll get to go first more often than not, and when he does, he can make use of his sneak attack ability.

 

[Phlebas]

..............
I would suggest 2nd level. A little more durability than 1st.
..............

i was about to suggest 2nd, it adds enough to cope with a couple of bad rolls.

personally i'd stay away from skills as much as possible for beginning characters wether 6, 16, or 26+ based on experience - fighter means you can learn jump or climb if you want a something to be good at -and then spot etc becomes a simple case of 'roll a dice - you did / didn't see it' - if its solo then who cares if DC's are low / high they just become relative to each other.

so feats

Starting
Improved Initiative
Human bonus (assuming you don't want to start him as a dwarf or halfling....)
Skill Focus (Jump/Climb/intimidate)
F1 - Weapon Focus
F2 - Toughness

HP 10+6+3 + con bonus x2 = 19 + up to 8

if your encounters are a mix of talkies, hit it, or solve the puzzle then skills don't apply - talkies could solve the healing problem as well if you have a druid / cleric who'll heal if you solve a puzzle / say please etc

I would also recommend initiative cards and cyclic initiative as its a lot easier to visualise who's turn it is when you see your card on the top of the pile

(playing the optional disabled at 0 to - con bonus would also add some surviveability to a solo character as he could always limp away rather than fall over)

 

[Warren Okuma]

Yeah, fifth looks good. You can throw CR 1 or less monsters at him without much problem since he is going solo. I dislike fudging. CR 2 if you give him fast healing 1.

Be first level and fudge? Nah, teach him right. Roll out in the open, let him learn the mechanics.

If his character dies, tell him adventuring is tough. And even if you do everything right, sometime bad luck happens and your character dies.

 

[Darklone]

I'm with Nifft. Give him a ranger level 2 with good attributes (str 14, dex 18, con 14) and a curestick, aka Wand of Curelightwounds. You'll have no spells yet, healing after combats, a good deal of hitpoints, good AC and good ranged combat abilities plus sneaking, climbing, jumping and Rapid Shot or TWF. Let him fight some favored enemies.

Check out Wichts storyhour about how he played with his children.