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View Full Version : [3.5] Fun/Interesting classes/combinations that people have enjoyed



gibbo88
2009-05-20, 09:54 PM
So I have a campaign I am preparing for, starting about level 10, and I'm looking for something fun to play. Doesn't have to be able to solo an area or anything. Far as I know, any of the books are allowed, including psionics.

Suggests from the Playground?

Draz74
2009-05-20, 10:01 PM
Dragonfire Adept and Factotum are both a lot of fun to play.

spamoo
2009-05-20, 10:09 PM
tibbit dragonfire adepts are always quite fun to play. I also enjoy were-creatures immensely. Though it would help to know what kiind of play style you're looking for.

gibbo88
2009-05-20, 10:13 PM
Well, I tend to like the ranger-types, but I would kinda like a character that moved away from this. Really not a fan of paladins or wizards just in general.

Rhiannon87
2009-05-20, 10:33 PM
Might be fun to try out a druid, if you usually play rangers. Similar fluff, some similar skills, lots of interesting and cool abilities.

If you really want to get away from rangers... well, there's lots of options. Are you looking for something different mechanically, a different type of character/personality, some combination thereof?

gibbo88
2009-05-20, 10:40 PM
More of the combination options while moving away form the nature lover path. I originally had characters with no real flavor but got bored of them pretty quick since they were pretty 1D. The most fun character I have is my current two: A gnome warlock-wizard and a halfling ranger/outrider. Mainly because if the back story and how they have actual goals.

Faulty
2009-05-20, 10:46 PM
Use Incarnum? You could be a Dwarf Incarnate/Ironsoul Forgemaster and build your own swag.

Gnorman
2009-05-21, 05:24 AM
I know that this is my baseline recommendation, but I gotta give it anyway:

Freakin' Beguiler. It's a combination class, like you seem to want. It's basically the OPPOSITE of a Ranger, which is a martial/divine cross. I know you said you don't like playing wizards, but Beguiler takes all the tedious spellbook work out of it. You get a d6, casting in light armor, 6+INT skill points a level, and you KNOW ALL YOUR SPELLS IMMEDIATELY. It's like a sorcerer, but you have TONS of useful spells a level instead of just four or five. Plus, with Advanced Learning, you get to customize. It's one of the few classes that works straight 20, and if you really need to add a PrC, you have loads of powerful options: Rainbow Servant arguably adds ALL cleric spells to your list (heavily debatable, though, so check with your DM), Mindbender (non-good, though) lets you pick up telepathy for a one level dip (and delays your Advanced Learning, so you can pick up higher level spells!), and if you really really really want to make your DM cry, go Shadowcraft Mage.

Plus, you don't have to play a bookish know-it-all - Beguilers lend themselves equally well to builds as party faces (What with Glibness and all) or skillmonkeys. You have trapfinding. Bluff. Diplomacy. Tumble. Spellcraft. You're a bard and a rogue and an illusion/enchantment sorcerer all rolled into one. Plenty of options in combat, too, though you'll have to realize you're never going to kill anything yourself. But you'll be your party's best friend, and even against undead and constructs you have Haste, so you're never USELESS, just... less useful. You won't blow things up, but with a spot of creativity, you'll mess with your enemies so badly they'll pray for the sweet release of a Fireball to the face.

Humans, elves, halflings, and gnomes all make fantastic beguilers, so you've got a range of character options to work with.

Beguilers concepts range from stealthy infiltrators to charming rakes to curious inventors to sinister enchanters to prankster illusionists. They have the range as characters to cover a host of archetypes and back stories.

In my opinion, they're the best-designed base class Wizards has ever come up with. It's useful even if planned poorly, mindbogglingly powerful when optimized, and it's a blast to play. It fires on all cylinders.

Beguilers: While wizards tell the laws of physics to sit down and shut up, you charm reality into doing your bidding with a wink and a sly grin.

Beguilers: What bards SHOULD have been.

Beguilers: You may not be Batman, but you're going to have a hell of a lot of more fun than he ever will.

Epinephrine
2009-05-21, 06:40 AM
Spellthieves are a little weak, but they have some pretty fun abilities.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050107a&page=1

Absorb Spell is only 7th, which makes it fun to taunt enemy casters. Being able to borrow spell slots/spells from your party is cool, and playing with a warlock is just fun.

weenie
2009-05-21, 06:55 AM
The last class I really enjoyed playing was Duskblade. Casting spells and hitting stuff with sharp objects at the same time, have to love it! :)

But if your group tends to optimize a lot, you might want to make a Wizard/Fighter/Abjurant champion gish instead.

Pramxnim
2009-05-21, 07:05 AM
I just recently built a Sorcerer/Dragonheart Mage (PrC from Races of the Dragon p 88) and I had a blast just taking lots of Draconic Feats for synergy. Draconic Breath can be pretty cool to optimize with the spell Magic of the Dragonheart from Dragon Magic.

If you like a Draconic character, that's my suggestion.

john_pullinger
2009-05-21, 07:37 AM
I have three characters and I enjoy each of them for different reasons, I enjoy trying new things and testing different approaches.

My first guy's a rogue/scout. I adore rogues, and I wanted to try combining one with the scout class. I deliberately didn't want to get caught up in magic, not yet at least, and the attraction of sneak attacks being combined with skirmishing was too good to resist, let alone picking up blindsense and, eventually, permanent freedom of movement. I like to be acrobatic and mobile on the battlefield, so this was perfect for me. Being able to move fast and make an extreme leap to flying tackle someone with skirmishing damage snapping their spine in one encounter was particularly satisfying.

Second character is a natural lycanthrope, because werewolves and shapeshifting are magnificent. I made him a rogue, naturally, and have started to multiclass him as a wizard. I wanted the spellbook. I wanted the tedium of memorizing stuff first thing in the morning for an hour, and having to work hard to be able to cast spells. So wizard, rather than sorcerer or a divine caster. Being able to copy down spells into your spellbook from scrolls appealed to me, too. Main reason for the casting class: Sneak attack damage with spells. Take a ray of frost with its piddley damage, and add however many d6's onto it if you manage a sneak attack. It's a touch attack, so it's perfect for heavily armoured or tough-skinned opponents, and you can turn even the most pathetic spell into a headburster if you catch the enemy flat-footed. Sneak attack damage with acid, fire, cold etc. is perfect for getting around damage reduction or taking advantage of monster vulnerabilities.

My last character is a completely different style for me. Knight! A big feral gnoll knight with spikey armour and a longspear. He has INT 4, which is a challenge to try and play, and I really miss the skill points on a level up (I've given him ranks in Perform (burp), it was the most useful thing I could think of). I hadn't tried a purely melee class before and I wanted to give this a go, using a race I hadn't tried before and again avoiding magic. He's only level 2 so he's not that impressive at the moment, but I'm hoping when he's big and strong that he'll be able to go toe-to-toe with ogres, trolls and umpteen other martial monsters.

If I made another character, I'd probably try out the Ninja class, and play as an animal. A wolf (or warg if the animal INT is a problem), or a fox perhaps, something along those lines.

-John

Curmudgeon
2009-05-21, 08:14 AM
Here's a nifty combo: Rogue/Cleric. Use the Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) variant and you've got two classes that have similar mechanical properties (d6 hit dice; light armor; no shields; limited weapons; 6/8 + INT mod skill points). Add the Sacred Outlaw feat (Dragon # 357) and you can combine the levels of the two classes for both sneak attack progression and undead turning power. You'll need 3 levels of Rogue to qualify for Sacred Outlaw, but thereafter you'll have all the sneak attack capabilities of a straight Rogue just taking Cleric levels. The third level of Rogue is also where you have the option to trade out trap sense for the Penetrating Strike (Dungeonscape) alternative class feature. Penetrating Strike lets you deal 1/2 normal sneak attack damage against those normally immune -- but only when you flank them. 100% Fortification for your opponents just means 50% sneak damage to you!

The Cloistered Cleric gets Knowledge as a third domain, making all Knowledges class skills. Add a couple more feats: Knowledge Devotion feat (Complete Champion) for bonuses on attack and damage rolls against all creatures you have Knowledge of; and Craven (Champions of Ruin) for +1 per character level on sneak attack damage. Then note that all non-dice bonuses to damage get multiplied on critical hits, and get a keen rapier (15-20 threat range). Both the Knowledge Devotion and Craven bonuses get multiplied on critical sneaks.

You'll have weak hit points and BAB with this combo, but there are solutions to both problems. As soon as you can cast Divine Power you'll have the same BAB as your character level, putting you on par with a Fighter. And you've still got two Clerical domains to choose. One can be Magic to let you use any wands with Wizard spells (without Use Magic Device). Vampiric Touch is a nifty spell that will let you bump up your hit points by the total damage you deal -- including sneak attack, Knowledge Devotion bonus, and Craven bonus. For your third domain you could choose Travel and swap it for the Travel Devotion feat (Complete Champion) for several swift action moves daily.

Berserk Monk
2009-05-21, 08:50 AM
Multiclass barbarian/ranger. Start with one level barbarian and take the alternative rage option called whirling frenzy. Then go ranger and take two weapon fighting. It's a great way to make several attacks per turn at a low level.

EarFall
2009-05-21, 10:20 AM
I like Knights, myself. All of the honor of a paladin, but much, much less restrictive, and if you break your honor, you just lose a challenge for the day, which I love. It shows that the only one who judges you for breaking your honor is yourself, which is perfectly accurate.

Kaiyanwang
2009-05-21, 10:27 AM
(I've given him ranks in Perform (burp), it was the most useful thing I could think of).

Wow. I was thinking that only the meleers of my old campaign put ranks in that skill. And it has been useful few times, no joking!

Interesting how people in different places of the world have similar, interesting ideas.

shadzar
2009-05-21, 10:29 AM
Gestalt allowed?

Moak
2009-05-21, 12:00 PM
Whooo...

Well,one of my favourites of all times is psywarrior/elocator.
A build of my brother,but I loved that PC.
Psionic is just FUN,to me.

Another one I was looking forward to play but I couldn't (we changed to 4e) was wiz/shadowcaster/nocturmancer.

Also, take a look to swordmage for an amusing and flexible PC...or for a more simply and linear,warblade.

CthulhuM
2009-05-21, 01:23 PM
I recently had a lot of fun with an arcane hierophant (druid/wizard combo class from Races of the Wild). You said you aren't a huge fan of wizards, but arcane hierophants play very differently from your typical wizard - you do some of the usual buffing/debuffing/crowd control stuff, but a significant amount of your combat ability revolves around your animal companion, which you can buff to high heavens by sharing personal-only spells with it (or letting it hold the charge on touch spells, since it also counts as your familiar).

That said, a lot of the fun of the build revolves around being sortof the ultimate toolbox (think "batman with his own pet fighter"), so if versatility isn't a big objective for you and you prefer more focused characters it may not be your best option.

EDIT: Oh, and interesting roleplaying opportunities abound for the class. I played mine as a sort of crazy hedge mage who believed his arcane magic was also a sort of divine magic (except rather than coming from a connection to nature it came from... something else).

Devils_Advocate
2009-05-21, 04:56 PM
A dwarven Fighter/Artificer really has the potential to use all of his race's crunch and fluff. From searching dangerous passages in the deepest darkness to crafting valuable items to cutting down foes with your hand-and-a-half axe, you can be the dwarfiest dwarf ever! (Over 2 Fighter levels not recommended.)

You could play a helpful telepath who tries to help people work through their psychological problems without manipulating them.

Sorcerer is about as close as you can get to the exact opposite of Ranger, I think (primary spellcaster, weak warrior, poor skills, Cha over Wis and Str), although I don't know if that helps. Or maybe socially focused bard.

Deepblue706
2009-05-21, 05:17 PM
I once played a Knight/Hexblade who later took levels in Fighter. I found this had a "Dark Knight" feel, sort of a bad-guy who isn't inherently (and he wasn't) evil. The high Will Save, Arcane Resistance and Mettle all made him tough against spells, and the Knight's ability to make his threatened area difficult terrain made him hard to engage in melee. I can't recommend trying it with poor rolls or a low point buy, as none of these three classes are particularly great; but I think it's quite fun, nonetheless, as he still gets a variety of combat abilities and can make great contributions to a group.