>The rest (warrior, ranger, bard, assassin, thief,
>shapeshifter, anti-paladin) can all work for a newer player
>very easily. The more important thing is that you're playing
>something you're interested in.
(take specific note of that last sentence. If you don't play something you enjoy, you won't enjoy playing)

Some slightly more specific recommendations: For someone completely new, I'd suggest warrior first. Play it til at least the low/mid 20s to get a good initial feel of the class and the game. It also teaches you how to rank a little on your own and take the blows for a group.

Then, if you want to play a different class, do so. At that stage, you may not be ready for what I think are the two toughest of the above examples (shapeshifter and anti-paladin), but if you're ready either of those are good choices, or a mage type.

While invokers, transmuters, conjurers, and necromancers do get attacked a lot by the magic haters, they're also a good way to learn how to be a support character (read: someone who doesn't take the hits while ranking). Also, having identify can be a big aid to learning about what equipment you want and why.

But, if after playing a warrior, you still don't feel ready for the challenge of a mage-type, the other choices at the top are also excellent for learning more about the game. Playing ranger, bard, assassin, and/or thief can all teach things that are worth knowing.

And again, don't play an empowerment class until you have a good idea of what you're doing. The roleplaying is critical for any empowerment class, so if you don't have a good feel for both the game and your character, you'll just end up disappointed trying.