[3.5] Need a bit of help with builds for a game!

[Jergmo]

Alright, so a friend of mine is running a campaign with only three players, made up of a bard, a druid and I. The problem is, I'm trying to figure out an effective build that would work with the party dynamic. Currently I'm debating on three different options. The limitations are 10th level, human, Core books and the Complete Series books only. 36 pt. buy.

What I had in mind to choose between:

Full Arcane spellcaster, (not sure about PRCs) a Psion or Wilder (sadly, there are like NO good psionic PRCs that I've seen...), or a Paladin 3/Sorcerer 4/Abjurant Champion 3.

The druid would be our main divine spellcaster, and an animal companion can't meat shield alone, so a gish might be good, I thought. But would it be effective enough? :smallconfused:

[EvilJoe15]

Depends, how far are you willing to go?

For an arcane caster, I like dipping Mindbender 1, and Warblade 1, then heading into Incanatrix, and Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. Remember to take the right metamagic feats, and you'll get infinite 5th level and lower spells, persisted Time Stops, and other really great things.

For Psionics go Erudite then Mindbender 1, then Thrallherd, with the right spells, and powers you'll break the action economy better then a Planar Shepherd.

[Il_Vec]

With that much points, my favorite Gish build would be Wizard 6/ Warblade 2/ Abjurant Champion 2.
If you didn't have to be human, Neraph would let you go Wiz6/Knight Phantom (or Edritch Knight) 2/AbjurantChamp2 for 1 more CL. It also works if you can take the Militia feat for all weapon proeficiencies. Militia is a forgotten realms regional feat, and Knight Phantom is in Eberron Five Kingdoms...

[Jergmo]

Erm...Erudite, Warblade...half the things that have been suggested wouldn't be allowed.

However, I'm not looking into things like IotSV cheese. I already came up with some cheesy builds after some reasonable things were shot down simply to mess with the DM, but I wasn't serious.

IE: Telepath 5/Thrallherd 5, with a Telepath 5/Thrallherd 4 Thrall, and so on and so forth, then having them take Leadership...

[EvilJoe15]

Everything I've said is Core, and Complete. Except for Warblade, but that's just to get Iron Heart Surge, and White Raven Tactics.

Edit: Forgot that Incantatrix is Forgotten Realms. Sorry.

Still Erudite is the best you can do in that situation.

[Il_Vec]

Sorry about that, it seems I missed the "completes only" part. Well, in that case I would go Human Wizard 6/ Lion Spirit Totem Barbarian 1/Fighter 1/Abjurant Champion 2... But that is just me, somebody surely will come with something better.

[EvilJoe15]

I just remembered Warblade is Open. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060802a&page=2)

[Jergmo]

Sorry about that, it seems I missed the "completes only" part. Well, in that case I would go Human Wizard 6/ Lion Spirit Totem Barbarian 1/Fighter 1/Abjurant Champion 2... But that is just me, somebody surely will come with something better.

I'm guessing that'd be a Leap Attack/Shock Trooper gish, then? :smallconfused:

[Il_Vec]

I'm guessing that'd be a Leap Attack/Shock Trooper gish, then? :smallconfused:

Sure, if you want him to. I just like having pounce up the sleeve if needed.

[Keld Denar]

The standard Sorcadin build (better than what you menioned) is:

Paladin2/Sorcerer4/Spellsword1/AbjurantChamp5/SacEx8

Spellsword1 is better than Pal3 as it progresses your casting while still giving full BAB.

For you, I'd actually go Pal2/Sorcerer4/Spellsword1/AbjChamp3, with Sacred Exorcist as your next level. You can take Law Devotion to give yourself a sizeable combat boost 1/day, and when you nab that SacEx level, you increase that to multiple times per day. Sadly, you can't squeeze that level in before 10, as you need 8 effective Sorcerer levels to get the 4th level spell you need for SacEx.

[Jergmo]

The standard Sorcadin build (better than what you menioned) is:

Paladin2/Sorcerer4/Spellsword1/AbjurantChamp5/SacEx8

Spellsword1 is better than Pal3 as it progresses your casting while still giving full BAB.

For you, I'd actually go Pal2/Sorcerer4/Spellsword1/AbjChamp3, with Sacred Exorcist as your next level. You can take Law Devotion to give yourself a sizeable combat boost 1/day, and when you nab that SacEx level, you increase that to multiple times per day. Sadly, you can't squeeze that level in before 10, as you need 8 effective Sorcerer levels to get the 4th level spell you need for SacEx.

Wait...*checks Complete Warrior* Oh! I had thought Spellsword required 3rd-level spellcasting. :smallredface:

[Jergmo]

Sorry about that, it seems I missed the "completes only" part. Well, in that case I would go Human Wizard 6/ Lion Spirit Totem Barbarian 1/Fighter 1/Abjurant Champion 2... But that is just me, somebody surely will come with something better.

One more thing, though...what about the 20% experience penalty? :smallconfused:

[Keld Denar]

Humans have a Favored Class of Any. That means that their highest level class is considered their Favored Class.

What Favored Class does is it removes that class completely for the purposes of determining XP penalities.

So the Human Wizard6/Barb1/Fighter1 would effectively be a Barb1/Fighter1, since Wizard would be ignored. Barb1 and Fighter1 are even, and thus no xp penalties.

PrCs are NEVER counted when determining XP penalties. EVER. Nope, not even then.

[EvilJoe15]

Really, who uses that?

[Jergmo]

Humans have a Favored Class of Any. That means that their highest level class is considered their Favored Class.

What Favored Class does is it removes that class completely for the purposes of determining XP penalities.

So the Human Wizard6/Barb1/Fighter1 would effectively be a Barb1/Fighter1, since Wizard would be ignored. Barb1 and Fighter1 are even, and thus no xp penalties.

PrCs are NEVER counted when determining XP penalties. EVER. Nope, not even then.

Alright, thanks. It seems my friend just failed to explain it to me properly. >_>