You're probably better off taking the ranger to 4 (and then 5) over picking up a level of thief. That level of thief means you're pushing back access to 2nd level spells, your first feat, and the extra attack. Likewise, a pure focus on Warlock will probably be better, so you get to your Eldritch Incantations and Agonizing Blast sooner, which is what you'll be using over melee attacking anyway.
Druid. Shillelagh as your starting cantrip, and be sure to take Longstrider. Doesn't really matter which subclass. Get Spike Growth at 3. Keep druid out of sight of enemies if necessary to keep concentration. This will let you win pretty much every single fight against groups of enemies very easily. Gnolls, the windmill gobbies, the looter party, goblin camp, Duergar... they all can be easily handled.
For clerics, War Cleric is definitely good, for both the to hit buff reaction (overall, use a charge for this when it pops up, over saving it for an extra attack, because this is a guaranteed hit, while an extra attack is only a chance at one) and the use a bonus attack one. Light cleric is even stronger in the low levels, with Radiance of the Dawn at level 2. Wide area AoE, and with how much damage it does versus the hp of those low level enemies, it is a win button. If you use Bless with any cleric, do be sure one of your bless targets is the cleric, as that'll provide a D4 bonus to saving throws, making it easier to keep concentration.
Overall, though, as someone far too prone to starting new characters and playing through chapter 1, while some class choices make life easier, other things matter more. A lot of that comes from knowing the content of course, as that makes it easier to hop around from place to place, cherrypicking the easy xp and items, and then coming back for the harder parts when you have another level or 2.
Last edited by Talismina; 16/10/23 03:47 AM.
