Looking to make a "Linear Guild" - 3.5

[TroubleBrewing]

The mostly Good-aligned players in my 4th level 3.5 game just accidentally released the BBEG for the campaign (Lix Lorn's Swarmlord, for those interested). I plan on having the players encounter a mostly good-aligned party of NPC's, effectively introducing them as a "Linear Guild".

The group I'm looking to make is tasked by the king of a neighboring nation with hunting down and destroying any Swarmlords, as that nation was once nearly wiped out by one several hundred years ago. Since then, an elite task force has existed, solely to neutralize any other potential Swarmlords, using any means necessary. They are also ordered to destroy any person or persons who release one of these things, which gives them cause to want to kill the party.

As I said, my party is 4th level. I want to give them a serious challenge, as they just completed their first dungeon crawl relatively unscathed. They're feeling invincible, so a good, difficult fight will bring them back down to earth. They're relatively optimized, with a Human Warblade 4, Strongheart Halfling Swordsage 4, Kobold Binder 4, Dwarven Cloistered Cleric 4, and Hellbred Sorcerer 4. The NPCs I'm looking to make should mirror this optimization level. I definitely want to throw some casters at them; their last adventure consisted almost solely of Hobgoblin soldiers, backed up with Goblins and Ogres for support.

Right now, I'm leaning towards a Half-Giant Psychic Warrior 3, Human Shaper Psion 4, Gnome Illusionist 4, Warforged Totemist 4, and maybe a Human Duskblade 4. Anybody have any more thematically-tied together group? Or just a more unique one?

[Razanir]

The mostly Good-aligned players in my 4th level 3.5 game just accidentally released the BBEG for the campaign (Lix Lorn's Swarmlord, for those interested). I plan on having the players encounter a mostly good-aligned party of NPC's, effectively introducing them as a "Linear Guild".

The group I'm looking to make is tasked by the king of a neighboring nation with hunting down and destroying any Swarmlords, as that nation was once nearly wiped out by one several hundred years ago. Since then, an elite task force has existed, solely to neutralize any other potential Swarmlords, using any means necessary. They are also ordered to destroy any person or persons who release one of these things, which gives them cause to want to kill the party.

As I said, my party is 4th level. I want to give them a serious challenge, as they just completed their first dungeon crawl relatively unscathed. They're feeling invincible, so a good, difficult fight will bring them back down to earth. They're relatively optimized, with a Human Warblade 4, Strongheart Halfling Swordsage 4, Kobold Binder 4, Dwarven Cloistered Cleric 4, and Hellbred Sorcerer 4. The NPCs I'm looking to make should mirror this optimization level. I definitely want to throw some casters at them; their last adventure consisted almost solely of Hobgoblin soldiers, backed up with Goblins and Ogres for support.

Right now, I'm leaning towards a Half-Giant Psychic Warrior 3, Human Shaper Psion 4, Gnome Illusionist 4, Warforged Totemist 4, and maybe a Human Duskblade 4. Anybody have any more thematically-tied together group? Or just a more unique one?

(Pardon the fact I'm only using the SRD. The only splatbook I have is Complete Adventurer)

Human Psychic Warrior, Halfling Bard(?), Halfling Sorcerer(?), Dwarf Cleric, Aasimar Wilder

My theme was trying to make opposite versions of your group. But remember, the only splatbook I have is Complete Adventurer, so I don't really know what to do for the Swordsage or Binder

[ryu]

Swordsages are essentially fighters with spellcasting. Can a gish be made to be a threat to him at low levels? Or perhaps a druid focusing on his wildshaping?

[TroubleBrewing]

Or perhaps a druid focusing on his wildshaping?

Considering the game is at level 4, this doesn't seem likely.

Bard is a solid idea, though. I'll swap out the illusionist for it. I've been wanting to do a party supporter for a while now.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Opposites, eh?

Human Warblade 4 - Goliath Fighter 4 (LA bought off (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm)), with Dungeoncrasher and the feat Knock-Back. Warblades fight mostly with skill and smarts, this guy is all brute force and no finesse.

Strongheart Halfling Swordsage 4 - Desert Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertHalfOrcs) Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) 4, Inspire Awe, Healing Hymn, Spellbreaker Song, replace Inspire Competence with Haunting Melody, get Dreadful Wrath (per Half-Humans, RoD p150) and Melodic Casting, and say he visited the Otyugh Hole to get Menacing Demeanor. Swordsages are sneaky and subtle, and this one is small; this guy's big, loud, and very straightforward.

Kobold Binder 4 - Spellscale Warlock 4, Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot, Spiderwalk, Eldritch Spear, and Baleful Utterance.

Dwarven Cloistered Cleric 4 - Killoren Spirit Shaman 4, use Aspect of the Ancient, get Earth Devotion and Magic of the Land. Have a Lesser Rod of Extend and eight Bone Talisman (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) (turning) foci with Unguent of Timelessness applied to them so they'll last about twenty days at his current level. He can have those set up ahead of time to power Earth Devotion, and the unguent never wears off so they can be reused indefinitely. Spells retrieved should include Wall of Smoke (can be cast across occupied squares as Stinking Cloud Lite), Produce Flame, and Kelpstrand (though Creeping Cold with a Lesser Rod of Extend is extremely tempting for 21d6 damage). Spirit Shaman is a good contrast to a Cloistered Cleric, without the power of a Druid.

Hellbred Sorcerer 4 - Lesser Aasimar Wilder 4, get Crystal Shard, Force Screen, and Energy Stun, with Up the Walls and Quick Recovery (LoM) to counteract Psychic Enervation. Possibly even say he visited the Otyugh Hole with the Half-Orc to get Iron Will to help with Quick Recovery. Lesser Aasimar is a good contrast to Hellbred, and Wilder is same-but-different compared to Sorcerer.

[Erik Vale]

Whilst aa linear guild might be fun to play around with (And I think the above might go well), one must ask, why not have a group that is almost exclusively anti-Swarmlord.
Swarmlords could easily be broken into a few main groups:
Big bads with their own support that they build within/after battle (Like a CC necromancer...)
Infiltrators/Minionomancers
Big bars that lead from the back and use distant manifestation to make small groups much more powerful then they appear.

In all these cases, assassin like characters would be the most use against them, excluding anti-horde groups with one or two characters based around locking down individuals. So why not have the party be attacked by a group of assassin like characters? People trained to be very, very, very quite, use illusions to avoid detection (Infested aren't known for their will saves), and to strike very hard at one person.
Because in the case of an evil swarm lord, most will be mindless, making mop up easy once the driving force is killed, just a group of powerful and dumb wolves.

[Feralventas]

Human Paladin
Dromite Psychic Rogue
Gnomish Warlock
Illumian wizard
Half-giant favored soul.

Paladin Leader, guards and protects skilled team so they can do their job.
Psych-Rogue anti-espionage and security.
Warlock takes Eldritch Spear and spider climb invocations, snipe targets at distance, avoid direct confrontation and draw targets into ambush.
Wizard is divination focused, acts as spotter, tracker and crafter.
Favored soul is team medic some times, brawler if needed, or blaster via spell compendium options.

Each of them has a job to do, each is capable in their field. A second warlock to add to sniping, or occasionally the wizard or FS could help if not.