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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9486207" data-attributes="member: 7035894">None of that is how a new player sees wizards.They don't know anything about wizards being seen as more versatile. They see a class that casts spells, like Harry Potter or Gandalf, they see some obvious spell options, and they actually don't have that many choices to make on their turns at low levels - basically whether to cast firebolt (which almost all of them take) or use a spell slot on something like ice knife or sleep (which is a confusing spell for new players, BTW).I have a lot of experience with brand new players specifically. Wizards is overwhelmingly the spellcasting class of choice, and the one that requires the least hand holding. Probably because they all know Harry Potter.Sorcerers are really hard for new players because spending sorcery points adds another decision, but also a decision that requires a conceptual understanding of a bunch of different factors. I've had players choose sorcerer and never spend a single sorcery point (though, to be fair, this probably does make them the simplest spellcaster).Warlocks are not an intuitive concept the way wizards are, but more significantly, building one requires understanding eldritch invocations. And understanding eldritch invocations requires a lot more knowledge of how D&D works than a newbie comes in with. When one wants to play a warlock, I basically have to build their character for them.Clerics are a bit more conceptually challenging than wizards and add the channel divinity aspect to deal with, plus are more likely to be using bonus actions in general. So that makes them a touch harder for beginners than wizards. Bonus actions are a pain in the butt with new players.Bards are similar to Clerics in working more off the bonus action and, again, not being as conceptually straightforward as wizards (I note that even the D&D movie treated a bard as just a musical rogue rather than a primary spellcaster).Edit: I should stipulate that, as much as possible, I strive to avoid telling players, even brand new ones, how they should play their character. That is why the student coming in with their own conceptual understanding of a class makes it much easier. Wizards have a spell book and casts spells that they've learned. Almost every kid gets it, right away. If they're making a warlock, we have to have a long conversation about the longer term impact of their Dark Pact, what it means to have a patron, what the potential patron options are, how eldritch invocations interact with other aspects of their game, why eldritch blast is essential, and so on.</blockquote>

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