A Character to Balance the group

[Zerek229]

I'm playing in a campaign that is likely going to be designed to be very brutal as well as having a high mortality rate. Now, there will be a total of five players. One is a cleric, one is a fighter, one is a hexblade I believe, and the other hasn't made his character. Everyone but the hexblade, while savvy, don't tend to make characters that are up to par. Usually I would say that if the average is tier 3, then those people create tier 4ish characters, and it isn't in an effort to balance the game. The hexblade is very savvy and will probably do very well (it's mostly for flavor), but I need to create something so we won't be horribly demolished. I was hoping for input on the situation.

[Gnome Alone]

"Tier 4ish" is probably closer to the average power level of groups. Tier 3 is just a good balanced place to shoot for if yeh know wha' yer doin'.

Anyway, a group like that?...Batman-style wizard? You could use your ludicrous power as needed.

[jedipilot24]

What roles are each of the other characters playing? While one can generally assume that Hexblade=melee tank, one can't make those same assumptions about fighters and clerics because there are so many different builds.

What roles have already been filled?

Edit: someone still needs to play trapmonkey, so maybe Factotum.

[Zerek229]

Usually I would agree with you, and just make duskblade ( I LOVE EM!), but this campaign will be likely be designed to kill us, so I wanna make sure I have some handy tools. They tend to have low damage too, which is the problem haha. I don't want to be out of hand, but I want to be able to supplement where they fall behind. I should also mention that ALL books are open for this campaign.

[Randomguy]

So you need a class capable of turning 4 mediocre characters into living deathmachines, while not completely overshadowing them? You need an optimized wizard. Well, either that, or a dragonfire inspiration bard. Maybe take one as a cohort.

Playing a wizard focused on buffs, going into warshaper and then maybe incantatrix. You should probably be a transmuter, if not a focused specialist.

As a wizard you can boost the parties abilities in a dozen different ways. As a bard, you're mostly limited to improving damage. Here's a good wizard handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394).

[Zerek229]

Ahh, I'm sorry I should've specified. The cleric is likely going to be attempting to buff/heal (he's new), the fighter is probably going to be the standard BSF and be damage/tank. The hexblade is going more damage-like instead of tank. THe other person hasn't made their character to my knowledge. So we have a tank it appears, a damage, and a heal/buff. No arc caster as of yet.

[jedipilot24]

In that case, you still need a trap monkey and an arcane caster.
Factotum and Bard.

[Ifni]

Beguiler? Depends what the other person makes, but if you need to fill both roles, beguiler works. What's your starting level? I'm reasonably fond of beguiler / wizard / ultimate magus.

Dragonfire inspiration bard works but it sounds like you'll want utility casting and battlefield control, not just buffs.

[nedz]

The party roles which are open are

Arcanist
Skillmonkey


Do you have a preference ?
Do you want to cover both ?
Do you want something else ?

We kind of need more information to narrow down the options a little.

[RolandDeschain]

The party roles which are open are

Arcanist
Skillmonkey


Do you have a preference ?
Do you want to cover both ?
Do you want something else ?

We kind of need more information to narrow down the options a little.

a ranged combatant skillmonkey would fit this party nicely I think, but if were me I would go arcanist

what level are you starting at? a low level arcanist in the setting you describe might be tough to keep alive

[Zerek229]

Sorry, I've been preoccupied with my homework. Starting at level five, and I do like people who are blasters of sorts (like duskblade), and I do love arcane casters a lot as well. Im not particularly fond of skillmonkeys though.

[RolandDeschain]

Sorry, I've been preoccupied with my homework. Starting at level five, and I do like people who are blasters of sorts (like duskblade), and I do love arcane casters a lot as well. Im not particularly fond of skillmonkeys though.

sounds like a sorcerer to me