My recent experience with a fighter - and how that flies in the face of the typical line

[Empirate]

Being my group's regular DM and only sometime player, keeping track of countless modifiers is in my job description. Consequently, I can normally calculate on the fly the changes wrought by a Shapeshift Druid's Bite of the Wererat spell tacked onto her flying form, along with being shaken from a PC's Frightful Blast. What I'm more prone to struggle with is spell selection, or even the very basic "Should I cast Sleet Storm now or Call Lightning, or maybe Spike Growth?".

So I'd say both character types have their own complications, and impose their own kinds of mental stress to play effectively. To me, crunching numbers and getting a more-or-less optimized result isn't that hard. The big qualitative difference that a single spell can make for a whole battle, on the other hand, I sometimes find hard to grasp quickly.

 

[pemerton]

Just a random post to say that, as a non-3E player I found this thread a very interesting read. Thanks to the OP and other posters!

 

[Quartz]

The standard spout is that warrior types are the easy ones to play.

ITYM single-classed warrior-types, particularly Fighters.

I wound up a rogue 3/barbarian 1/fighter 2/dervish 2... Extremely effective character. However, playing a warrior type is not for the faint of heart. Cleric constantly healing you, getting buffs and recalculating all your statistics, constantly asking for healing, when debuffed recalculating all your statistics, begging for healing, leaping in to combat only to find out they are tougher than you thought and have to run, pleading for healing, managing durations for each buff round by round, rolling crappy.

If you're having to beg for healing maybe your group hasn't gelled? Your job as a fighter-type is to stand there and take and do the damage.

It seems to me that you need your character to be more resilient, so how about prioritising Cha and recasting as Knight 5 / Paladin 3 / Some Prestige Class (e.g. Divine Crusader with the Glory domain)?

 

[Sadrik]

Just a random post to say that, as a non-3E player I found this thread a very interesting read. Thanks to the OP and other posters!

I thought it was pretty interesting for myself too! I would have thought no problem and have gotten tired of the character because my options were limited. My options were limited in out of game strategy like spell selection and things like that but in game and especially in combat the options were many. Again highly effective character in combat, just really fiddly.

If you're having to beg for healing maybe your group hasn't gelled? Your job as a fighter-type is to stand there and take and do the damage.

We did gel, and I was afforded every opportunity to be healed, ala wand. The issue was more that I was in constant need of healing or I would die. Perhaps our wizard player could have laid more buffs out or perhaps summons... But the cleric player was healer first and foremost.

My new character, the wizard, will turn our remaining fighter type character into a savage. with DR and concealment and everything else I can squeeze out onto him.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

The Iconic "Fighter" is the Fighter class and takes Fighter feats. He/she carries a large weapon and becomes very, very good at hitting things a lot. This is the character that requires very little book keeping. Classic raging Barbarians are only slightly more complicated. Smiting Paladins that make use of their small spell selection are even slightly more so. Rangers who shoot and figure an Animal Companion along with spells have even more details to track.

CoDzilla is a paperwork nightmare. Multiclass characters have much to keep track of. Don't even think about a summoner build unless you like carrying sheets of paper or an Artificer unless you have a really good calculator.

Your character is as complicated as you make it. Years ago, I had a player who was a Dwarf with an axe. His solution to problems was to chop things very hard. Drove my "Elan Psion Telepath/Thrallherd with a werewolf cohort" player crazy, but the guy playing the Dwarf was having fun, and things that needed chopping got chopped.

 

[Jacob Marley]

We did gel, and I was afforded every opportunity to be healed, ala wand. The issue was more that I was in constant need of healing or I would die. Perhaps our wizard player could have laid more buffs out or perhaps summons...

Or battlefield control, or debuffs, or tactical teleportation? As a wizard there are a lot of ways to shear the proverbial sheep.

Or, perhaps, you might have been a bit too reckless? Perhaps you positioned yourself poorly on the battlefield? Took too many Attacks of Opportunity, Full Attacks, or allowed yourself to be in Charge lanes?

This was something I noticed a few years ago in a campaign I was playing in. Our barbarian was constantly charging in to the middle of the battle, taking unnecessary attacks and waiting for either our cleric or my wizard to get him out of trouble. This is one of those areas in 3.x where the image of what a barbarian is supposed to do -- Rage and Charge -- isn't always the best tactically.

But the cleric player was healer first and foremost.

This, however, might have been your biggest problem. The Cleric, with its heavy armor, should have been on the front lines with you, taking attacks. If he was holding back and playing reactive, then it is no surprise that you were in constant need of healing.