Making a simple character in 4E

[Joe Sala]

I've been mastering for nearly 20 years now, and in all my groups I've had one kind of player: the one who doesn't want complex rules and just kill the monsters by hiting them with a big weapon. Of course I had other players, including those who loved long spell lists and the ones trying to find weird feat combinations...

In 3E the first player had a clear character choice: a dwarf fighter with a great axe. He used cleave (he never bothered about power attack, it was too complex ) and then chose other easy to understand feats. And he was really happy.

Now all character classes require the same amount of management, and maybe the fighters are even more complicated. It's possible to create a wizard with only damage spells, but warriors have a lot of complex maneuvers.

So my question is: which level 1 character should create my lazy player? Which race/class/powers combination?

 

[Scribble]

Once he makes a character I suspect he won't have a big problem with any of them.

I have a player in my group whom has always absolutely HATED making characters. Getting him to make a character was like pulling teeth. For ANY game system...

I'm running KoTS, and they were gicven a choice... take a pregen and when the books come out transfer the experience/treasure to a new character you make, or keep the pregen...

I figured (and he figured) he'd keep the pregen and in no way would make a character...

After the books come out he sends an email:

Yo, I went to the midnight release of the books and got a players. I'm making a wizard.

sign of the apocalypse.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I've been mastering for nearly 20 years now, and in all my groups I've had one kind of player: the one who doesn't want complex rules and just kill the monsters by hiting them with a big weapon. Of course I had other players, including those who loved long spell lists and the ones trying to find weird feat combinations...

In 3E the first player had a clear character choice: a dwarf fighter with a great axe. He used cleave (he never bothered about power attack, it was too complex ) and then chose other easy to understand feats. And he was really happy.

Now all character classes require the same amount of management, and maybe the fighters are even more complicated. It's possible to create a wizard with only damage spells, but warriors have a lot of complex maneuvers.

So my question is: which level 1 character should create my lazy player? Which race/class/powers combination?

A fighter is still probably the best choice. They don't have much 'flash' powers/exploits. He would probably like Reaping Strike and Tide of Iron as at will powers - they're easy to use and pack a good punch.

 

[Skywalker]

In 3E the first player had a clear character choice: a dwarf fighter with a great axe. He used cleave (he never bothered about power attack, it was too complex ) and then chose other easy to understand feats. And he was really happy.

So my question is: which level 1 character should create my lazy player? Which race/class/powers combination?

To be honest, it is very similar to 3e. In 4e, choose a dwarf fighter with a great axe. Take Cleave and Tide of Iron as you At Wills, Steel Serpent Strike as your Encounter and Brute Strike as your Daily. Take Power Attack as your feat.

 

[Destil]

I'm fairly certain you can just go right up the path with powers for pure !!!

These are the most simple choices up through heroic tier.

Dwarf Fighter
1 - Cleave, Reaping Strike, Spinning Sweep (prone on a hit), Brute Strike (just damage).
2 - Unstoppable (temp HP 1/day)
3 - Crushing Blow (pure damage)
5 - Dizzying Blow (immobilized on a hit)
6 - Unbreakable (1/encounter reduce damage by 5+Con for one hit)
7 - Reckless Strike (-2 to hit, 3W damage)
9 - Thicket of Blades (damage and slowed on a hit)
10- Into the frey (move 3 as a minor, must end adjacent to an enemy)

I don't think there's anything too bad on that list. I avoided slides and such, all the 'riders' effects are something the DM only needs to track.

 

[arscott]

Simple to make, or simple to play?

It seems counterintuitive, but I feel like the wizard is the easiest to play, at least at 1st level. The wizards (the pre-gen ones at least) are simple exercises in "point and go boom", while the defenders, strikers, and controllers need to pay a lot more attention to the and to their fellow party members in order to do their jobs.

 

[delericho]

I've been mastering for nearly 20 years now, and in all my groups I've had one kind of player: the one who doesn't want complex rules and just kill the monsters by hiting them with a big weapon. Of course I had other players, including those who loved long spell lists and the ones trying to find weird feat combinations...

In 3E the first player had a clear character choice: a dwarf fighter with a great axe. He used cleave (he never bothered about power attack, it was too complex ) and then chose other easy to understand feats. And he was really happy.

So my question is: which level 1 character should create my lazy player?

Go for the Dwarf Fighter with the Great Axe (I don't know about powers; I don't have the book in front of me). At least he's already familiar with the concept.

I suspect he'll find that the game is still nice and easy to play. There's a bit of head-space required for the new load of powers, but I suspect it's also not all that bad, especially once he's got a couple of sessions under his belt.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I'd say wizard.

Unlike the strikers you don't have to worry about leveraging conditional bonuses like curses or combat advantage.

Unlike the defenders the only positioning you need to worry about is staying behind the defenders.

Unlike the Leaders you don't have to worry about targetting bonuses and managing actions to distribute healing.

With a wizard you could worry about rituals or utility spells or picking the right daily for the situation, or...

you can just make things go boom. You've got some tools to fiddle with but if all you're interested in is ease of operation over character optimization it's going to be hard to fail with the wizard.

 

[TimeOut]

I would also suggest a wizard. You don't need much tactical consideration, only "I need to stay in the back" and "I don't want to kill my own people".

Other then that choose some powers that make *boom*, and you are good to go. Personally I would stay away from powers like Cloud of Daggers or Sleep in that case.

Just select some powers like Magic Missile, Ray of Frost (or Scorching Burst), Burning Hands and Acid Arrow and he is good to go and can blow a lot of stuff up.

 

[Forty2Fame]

I dunno about wizards being so easy, especially at later levels. Your powers have alot of abilities to inflict status effects on foes in addition to nuking them.

For example, using your spells with pushback to give your rogue combat advantage or an AoO, or using a spell to immobilize a target when your defender needs to back up and catch a heal, or immobilizing a target so your party of reach weapon wielders can step back and take pot shots at it without being attacked in return