D&D 5E LMoP - Help us with Party Composition

[Dan Chernozub]

Intro
After me deciding to try a printed module for the first time, three of my friends who have previously played my home-brew campaign decided to give it a try, too. And they brought another guy, who I will be DM-ing for the first time. So we are set to begin the Lost Mine of Phandelver.

However, one of my returning players surprised me by telling that he wants to play a DM-generated character for personal reasons and trusts me on this.

So the players are looking up to me to provide them with yet another form of content - a PC this time.

And they are also looking for something to round up the party nicely.

The party so far:
Earthsoul Genasi Forge Domain Cleric - a prodigy child born into the noble golden dwarf family by the mountains themselves, seeking to perform the prophecy and bring glory to his people.
VHuman Drunken Master Monk - a former villager, set to hone his skill and test himself against the world outside.
VHuman Celestial Warlock - his player wants to test the class and the Eldritch Blast cantrip.
DM-generated Someone - ???

I am definitely going to give the character some hooks to the story and other characters in his background, however, I am completely lost regarding the role/class/race - i.e. mechanical things.

This partially comes from my novelty to 5e in general and to the classes chosen specifically. Cleric should provide enough healing and support, but Monk and Warlock ... I haven't played either one and I've only had one Warlock in a party previously. Nor have I played/run LMoP before. Will they have enough utility? Do they need more stealth and overall roguishness? Are they badly lacking a BDF aka Tank?

My goal is to make the best use of trust put into me by the player(s) and to provide them with a PC that will enhance the party and the game experience overall.

Question:
These forums are a great place for advice, so I am asking you, ENWorld:

What kind of character is the best choice to augment this party for the Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign?

PS In case this matters - the game is going to be run more or less by the book, with one significant exception of more intelligent intelligent enemies - sentries won't fight to the death, but will call reinforcements if given the chance. This might increase the difficulty, but my players know what to expect.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

With your group of players, it doesn't sound like you'll have a problem with whatever class you pick. The only thing you need to watch out for in that adventure is dying in the first fight due to swingy roles, or fighting the dragon too soon (or at all if you play it intelligently like I did).

If you just want suggestions for what might be fun with that party...

-Someone with Thieves' Tools (any class works) and at least one character with good Perception (ditto) for traps is a reasonably useful thing.
-A dedicated warrior class (fighter, paladin, barbarian, or ranger) might be good.
-A bladesinger wizard is a great possible combination, because it adds a wizard for spell utility, but lets them go mostly melee (squishy, so be careful) if they feel like it.
-A druid, just as a random fun suggestion. Try something other than moon.

But really, the best choice is just to pick what you think would be interesting to see in play.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Lightfoot Halfling Great Old One Warlock - unexpected race, nice flavor with the one-way telepathy, and some creepy spells - be careful to select some solid party utility spells (looking at you Invisibility... wait, what?) as Eldritch Blast can be spammed to great effect but can get boring

Mountain Dwarf Samurai Fighter - again with the unexpected race and dipping into XGtE for some variety

Have fun!

 

[Ancalagon]

I wouldn't take a second warlock if there is one in the party.

Dex-built melee eldrich knight with the criminal background. Pseudo rogue, some magic and very solid tanking. Go!

 

[Charlaquin]

I’d go Bard. They’re not tanks by any means, but they can hold their own in melee, and they bring a ton of utility to the table by being both a full caster and a Skill monkey. Plus Bardic Inspiration is a great feature for a DM-controlled PC because you can use it to help the other characters succeed, instead of taking the spotlight yourself.

 

[Coroc]

Who is going to search / disarm traps? You really might want a character designed for that. Hint: a high dex / wis char with criminal Background can do this Job well it does not Need to be a rogue.

The Monk is no big party benefit. He is a survivalist but no big synergy with the rest of the Party. I recommend soem fighter battlemaster tanky type or a bear babarian instead.

 

[Ancalagon]

the "criminal barbarian" could be a conan type tomb raider

 

[aco175]

A fighter or rogue would come in handy. Nothing wrong with a simple fighter human or dwarf. Maybe a soldier from some place now caravan guard making his way. Even without a bunch of feats the fighter is good with the extra attack and second wind.

A thief comes in handy during the adventure to sneak and disable traps. If you play with flanking, they do good damage, but still need a fighter type to assist. It looks like the cleric and monk will be frontline right now.

 

[Eltab]

If the Forge Domain Cleric isn't tank-friendly, then you need a tank.
Unless the Monk willingly takes the job (in which case think: Kung-Fu Panda I), you need a scout.

 

[Dan Chernozub]

Thanks everyone for the input!
Defineteky getting an impression that the player asking for a DMgen doesn't want to play anything too complicated.
[MENTION=6803337]Eltab[/MENTION] what do you mean by "Forge Cleric isn't tank-friendly"?