Newbie guide/Classes and races

The first thing I always tell new players is that every class plays differently. If you have only one character, then you would probably benefit from trying a few others. Roll up a character that is different race and class from your initial character and see how you like something completely different.

Once you've found a type of character you like, then you research more information about the things you can do with that class. Don't worry about specifics until after you've decided what type of function you'd like to perform in the party. Once you know that you want to fight, and fight well, but you also want to do a little healing, of yourself and occasionally of other party members, then you'll know that Paladin is the place for you. If you discover that fighting is simply not your style, but you like to see the missions and experience the game, then you might want to give Rogue a try.

Barbarian
The Barbarian is the bruiser. Big, mean, and angry, and always willing to charge the enemy and silence him for good.

Barbarians are characterized by very good ability to hit, very good damage done on each individual hit, very high Constitutions, lots and lots of hit points, and very low armor classes. They can deal out a lot of damage quickly, but they sometimes need a lot of healing, due to a lower defense.

Bard
The Bard is the jack of all trades. They can cast spells, use some weapons and armor in combat, have a good many skills for use in combat and out, and they have bard songs which can help the whole party to perform better in combat.

Bards are characterized by their versatility. You can build a successful Bard in a great many ways. The only constant is that they need Charisma for casting. If you plan to take many levels of Bard, you need to have as high a Charisma as your race allows.

Cleric
The Cleric is the healer. Calm, collected, and wise, good clerics are always ready to bring you back from the brink of death, and high-level clerics can bring you back even after you've gone over that brink.

Clerics are characterized by their healing spells, and their ability to wear heavy armor and carry some good weapons. In order to cast some of the highest level spells, a Cleric needs a high Wisdom score.

I should note here that some clerics opt to focus more on the physical side of combat, and will enter the fray with a melee weapon. These Battle Clerics will frequently focus so heavily on fighting that they will do no healing unless asked to do so. It can be a good idea to ask a Cleric when they join the group which type of Cleric they are, so that you know what to expect.

Fighter
Fighters run the gamut. From the wily veteran of many campaigns to the fresh-faced young archer, fighters are people who've trained with weapons and armor and don't really know much else.

Fighters are frequently melee combatants, and are sought out for their melee prowess. Strength is very important, as it improves your chances to hit and the damage done per swing.

Some fighters (partiularly the archer mentioned above) will focus more heavily on Dexterity than on Strength. There are many good fighter Dex Builds, but these take a little more knowledge of the game's inner workings to do well. Read up before you attempt it.

Paladin
The Paladin is the law man. Knowing what is right and what is wrong, what should be done and what should not be done, what the gods would like and what they would not, a Paladin always does the right thing. People who obey the law and walk in the light have nothing to fear from a true Paladin.

Paladins are known for melee prowess as well as a small amount of healing ability. Many of their abilities are dependant on their Charisma score, but their combat ability is determined by Strength and Constitution more than anything else and their healing spells depend on their Wisdom.

Ranger
The Ranger is the woods guide. Knowing what signs to look for when tracking an escaped felon or a deer you plan to eat for dinner, and being able to put an arrow through a bulls-eye at 300 paces are common feats for a good Ranger.

Rangers need good Wisdom for their spell casting, which includes healing; good Dexterity for their ranged combat abilities; and good Strength for their melee combat abilities and damage in any type of combat. Rangers are the only class in DDO that can add their strength bonus to their longbows and shortbows damage.

Ranger is also a class that works best if you have a goal in mind when you create the character. Research common abilities and choices before building your first Ranger, and plan out your feats and ability score increases, and you will enjoy it much more.

Rogue
The Rogue is the sneaky-sneaky. Knowing what a weapon is worth is more important to him than knowing how to use it. Knowing how to disable a trap in order to get to whatever it was protecting is more important to him than knowing how to kill a hobgoblin bare-handed.

Rogues are characterized by their Disable Device skill, which is powered by high Intelligence; and by their sneak attack damage, which is improved every other level. High Dexterity is important for a Rogue, as they tend to stay out of melee combat and Dexterity helps several of their other skills. Also, to a lesser degree, Wisdom is important for a Rogue, as it improves the Spot skill, allowing the Rogue to react to traps before they are sprung.

Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is the impulsive caster. Summoning energy from deep within himself, he causes the world to change when he needs it to, based solely on his own need and willpower.

Sorcerers are characterized in DDO by their ability to cast spells quickly, and their high number of spell points. A Sorcerer's casting ability is based on his Charisma, and while his number of spells grows very slowly, his eventual number of spell points can be matched by no one in the game.

Wizard
The Wizard is the deliberate caster. Researching lost arcane arts in dusty libraries and learning everything there is to know about everything they find to learn about are frequent hobbies for Wizards.

Wizards are characterized in DDO by their ability to bring the right spell for the mission, and cast it with the right Metamagic modifiers to perfectly solve the problem at hand. A Wizard's spell casting is based on his Intelligence, and he can have a relatively large number of spells prepared, but since his casting is based on learned skills, and not natural talent, it takes him a little longer to cast any given spell than it would take a Sorcerer.

Drow
Drow Elves are cunning, agile, and quick. In Eberron, they are quick to kill when they decide killing is the proper course of action, but they are not all evil like they are in some other campaign worlds.

Drow get bonuses to Intelligence, Charisma, and Dexterity, and take a penalty to Constitution.

Drow are only available to players who have a character with 400 point of Favor or more.

Dwarf
A typical Dwarf is stout, hearty, and amiable. Masters of smithing, good Dwarven blacksmiths can craft any item quicker and with higher quality than nearly anyone else.

Dwarves get a bonus to Constitution and take a penalty to Charisma.

Elf
A typical Elf is agile, arrogant, and protective of all things natural.

Elves get a bonus to Dexterity and take a penalty to Constitution.

Halfling
Halflings are half the height of a typical human, but they have twice the spirit, as if to make up for it.

Halflings get a bonus to Dexterity and take a penalty to Strength.

Human
Humans are as varied and unpredictable as they have always been. Humans can do anything, and if you can think of something, a human has probably tried it.

Humans get no ability score bonuses, but they do get one extra Feat at character creation and one extra Skill point per level.

Warforged
In the last war, House Cannith created Warforged to act as soldiers in most all of the armies of Khorvaire. In the treaty that ended the war, Warforged were awarded their freedom, and released from duty as soldiers, if they so desired. Many warforged still serve in one army or another, though some have decided to try thier hands at other tasks.

Warforged get a bonus to Constitution, and they take a penalty to Charisma.