ABSOLUTELY strongest party composition

[Balor01]

- at level 6
- at level 8
- four PC slots

What is strongest combo, playground? Surely tier 1 casters, but is it - 2x Wiz, 1x Druid, 1xCleric?

Or some other combo? What do you guys think?

[Crake]

i think it would probably be more like 1 CC wizard, 1 skillmonkey/support/wildshape druid, 1 buff/control cleric and 1 clericzilla

[Yuki Akuma]

Artificer, Wizard, Cleric, Erudite.

Artificer boosts everyone's WBL by about 25%, which powers up everyone, and is also the skillmonkey. Wizard and Cleric are pretty classic. Erudite fills in for the niche cases where psionics has better options than magic does.

[Vaz]

Spell to Power Erudite x1, Archivist x1, Druid x1, Cleric x1

Cleric Turns Undead. Archivist casts spells including normally Arcane only utility ones due to scroll crafting shenanigans. StP Erudite manifests powers/Arcane Spells all day long (and crafts Manifester Arrows in her spare time), Cleric and Druid Beatstick.

[TroubleBrewing]

Artificer, Druid, Wizard, StP Erudite at 8, and substitute Cleric for Druid at level 6.

Also, everyone has Leadership. With extra caster cohorts.

[ramrod]

In an ideal world you could just say x, y and z. However, I would have to disagree for a real play environment.

The strongest party is one where everyone is playing to their strength and is truly engaged in their class and play style.

I know that I, for example would make a druid appear relatively weak, I just do not know the class well and its play style is not one that suits my own. However, in my group there is a druid who clearly understands the class perfectly and needs to be restrained by the DM in a number of areas to prevent him dominating the whole campaign.

Outside of that, I think it is synergistic classes that you are looking for. If it is an intellectual exercise then look for synergistic characters e.g. rogue swordsage works quite nicely for being able to keep mobs permanently flatfooted. If you are looking for real play, then try to fill out the usual spots within the group, but allow people to play the class that they know and feel most ingenious with.

Additionally, I think smaller groups actually work much better than larger groups.

[Mystral]

Well, you need someone for each kind of problem. So I guess, Wizard, Cleric, Druid and a Bard to fill in the gaps, act as a face, skillmonkey a bit and support the others.

[LordBlades]

4 PunPuns?

In all seriousness, you probably want something like 2xwizard (strongest spell list in the game imo) psionic artificer(for access to smy must-have psionic goodies) and cleric(access to divine goodies like miracle and stuff). Druid, although strong don't contain anything must-have imo.

[Spuddles]

Without resorting to Domain Elf Generalist 9ths or n+1 loops, at levels 6 & 8, the most powerful party composition, by far, will be 3 druids & a kobold cloistered cleric for traps.

[Fouredged Sword]

I am going to say

Wizard X1 - Abusing spellguard and such to turn everyone into solars.
Cleric X1 - Codzilla.
Archivist X1 - Support caster with access to all the niceist stuff.
Psion X1 - Infinite PP acting as a mailman.

[Rastapopolos]

at level 8?
artificer- wbl cheese
druid-CoDzilla
cleric-CoDzilla
wizard/incancantrix to persistomancy everyones spells


EDIT- ahhh cant persist others spells till lvl 9 :(

[relytdan]

in my opinion short of mass optimizations and "cheese"
"Offensive Caster" x1
"Defensive Caster" x1
"Melee/Ranged Tank" x1
"Craft/Poison/Skill/Trap/UMD Monkey" x1
regardless of level

[Lanson]

Clearly WOTC answers this question best with: Cleric healbot, Big dumb fighter, skillmonkey rogue, and blaster wizard

In all honesty though, mixing and matching 4 tier 1 casters is the most solid answer to this, with four of them, they'll have an answer to nearly everything, especially if they diversify. They'll have spells to cover nearly any situation imaginable if played correctly. Only difficulty would be in low level, but even then they'd be tough to stop without throwing endless foes to burn through their spells per day. (Or whatever resources they are limited by, if any)

[intothenight]

There's strength in numbers. A party of 10,000 monks. And one bard, just to play it safe.

Seriously though, a party where every player enjoys their character is the strongest. Because otherwise the party dies of boredom.

[cerin616]

The wish and the word?

[Larkas]

Hmmmm...

StP Erudite
Archivist
Batman Wizard
ClericZilla

Just because.

[Spuddles]

I am going to say

Wizard X1 - Abusing spellguard and such to turn everyone into solars.
Cleric X1 - Codzilla.
Archivist X1 - Support caster with access to all the niceist stuff.
Psion X1 - Infinite PP acting as a mailman.

How are you getting both the caster level and hitdice to turn level 8 characters into Solars, again?


at level 8?
artificer- wbl cheese
druid-CoDzilla
cleric-CoDzilla
wizard/incancantrix to persistomancy everyones spells


EDIT- ahhh cant persist others spells till lvl 9 :(

CoDzilla is weak at level 8. You basically end up trading spell slots for pretending to be a warrior. Not the archetype. The NPC class.

[Asteron]

at level 8?
artificer- wbl cheese
druid-CoDzilla
cleric-CoDzilla
wizard/incancantrix to persistomancy everyones spells


EDIT- ahhh cant persist others spells till lvl 9 :(

If you enter Incantatrix at level 6, you can persist others spells at level 7 (Wiz 5/ Inc 2) and your own at level 8 (Wiz 5/ Inc 3).

[sleepyphoenixx]

At level 8

- Cloistered Cleric 4/Crusader1/RKV 3 with persisted Divine Power & Mass lesser Vigor.
- Druid 8 with Ashbound, Rapid Spell, Greenbound Summoning and a Ring of the Beast. Greenbound summons can spam Wall of Thorns & Entangle for BFC.
- Wizard 5/Incantatrix 3 - more persisted stuff for everyone. Also, wizard spells. Spontaneus Divination to always be prepared.
- Bard 7/Heartfire Fanner 1 - take Green Ear to affect the druids summons. Also gives everyone a bonus feat with his music.

Get everyone Woodland Stride or the equivalent so they can move through Wall of Thorns without hindrance.

[Tokuhara]

Now, I'm not going to disagree with anyone here with the "4 Tier 1" party composition, but here I go with what I experienced in a game I GM'd in Pathfinder:

I was running a homebrew 1-8 game set in a vaguely Scottish campaign (lots of Giants, Ogres, Fae, and some rather nasty casters I had for a "final fight") when my party came to me, character sheets at the ready. I wasn't expecting this in the slightest (now note: there were 5 players, but the team was so synergistic I cannot remove 1 without the house of cards coming down. It was quite brilliant actually):

1. Akira, a Human Bard. Akira was very much the party's face and focused a lot of his energy on buffing the crap out of everyone near him. Had the game continued, he'd've grabbed Order of the Dragon Cavalier 2 and gone Battle Herald (a character after my own heart)

2. Donald, a Tengu Bladebound Magus. Donald was a scary SOB who darted around the battlefield with his Black Blade Scimitar + Dervish Dance + Hideous Evocation touch spells to wreck anything that stood within his speed.

3. Ashi, an Aasimar Infiltrator Inquisitor. Ashi... She ruined the campaign single-handedly. She ran in with all 14's across the board and still managed to destroy every social encounter, every skill check, and solo'd at least one creature every combat. She was part healer/buffer part skillmonkey and I was amazed that an Inquisitor could even pull that off.

4. Mahko, a Gnome Mindchemist. I hated every turn Mahko had. He was a grenade-focused BFC mindchemist who usually gave Donald a potion of [insert disgustingly cheesy buff combo] before a fight, then spent his turns Stinking Clouding everyone before Donald got up to them and sliced them into cold cuts. He often used the Cognatogen to get the party out of really bad situations with a well-placed "Kill Everything" barrage of TWF+Rapid Shot bombs.

5. Nico, the Half-Elf (Drow ARF) Paladin/Ranger. What can I say: Nico was Masterwork Scale + TWF + Smite + Quarry + Favored Enemy (when applicable) with his horrifically evil Wolf companion that'd run alongside him into the fray, trip, and let Nico destroy the poor sod. Nico's player was looking at 10/10 Ranger/Paladin. 2 parts tank, 1 part trolling melee combatant. Usually got Mahko's other buffs.

As you can tell, this was a party of all Hybrids. For a party in a campaign I designed to be difficult for an "all Tier 1 Party", they did exceedingly well, gearing a lot like a SWAT team, using each others strengths to survive. I'm really proud of that party.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Flaws must be taken 'when creating a character' which means if you start at 6th level, your flaw feat can be taken at 6th level. Of course every character will have two.

Bloodline levels don't increase your ECL, and they only cost 1,000 xp each if taken before your 2nd character level. Of course every character will have a major bloodline, since you can qualify for most prestige classes three levels sooner with these.

Strongheart Water Halfling, Major Celestial Bloodline, Druid 3/ Beastmaster 1/ Druid 4: Greenbound Summoning, Skill Focus: Handle Animal, Alertness, Item Familiar, Versatile Spellcaster retrained to Ashbound, Summon Elemental, Natural Spell. Fleshraker companion, Ring of the Beast, Lesser Rods of Extend. Three bloodline levels give him +3 caster level, +3 max skill ranks, +3 to his Druid level for Wild Shape duration and max HD, +3 to his Druid level for animal companion benefits, and +3 to his Beastmaster level for animal companion benefits (yes it adds to each class individually, even if those class levels then get added together). Counts as a Druid 14 for his Fleshraker companion's benefits.

Human, Major Celestial Bloodline, Cloistered Cleric 3/ Radiant Servant 5: Knowledge Devotion, Sun domain, Healing domain with spontaneous domain casting ACF, Glory domain from Radiant Servant. Extra Turning, Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, DMM: Persistent, Item Familiar, Craft Rod. Night Sticks, Rod of Bodily Restoration, Ephod of Authority, Reliquary Holy Symbol, Lesser Rods of Extend. Three bloodline levels give him +3 caster level, +3 max skill ranks, +3 to his Cleric level for Turn Undead, and +3 to his Radiant Servant level for Turn Undead. Turns undead as a Cleric 16.

Venerable Spellhoarding Desert Kobold Loredrake, Major Djinni Bloodline, Greater Draconic Rite of Passage, Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 1/ Wizard 1/ Incantatrix 6: Specialized in Conjuration, Abrupt Jaunt, Enchantment, Evocation, and Necromancy prohibited. Improved Initiative, Eschew Materials, Scribe Scroll, Dragonwrought, Augment Summoning, Extend Spell, Item Familiar, Persistent Spell, Sanctum Spell retrained to Draconic Reserve, Fell Drain Spell, Invisible Spell, Dodge. Iron Will via the Otyugh Hole. Three bloodline levels give him +3 caster level and +3 max skill ranks. Casts spells as a Wizard 11, capable of counterspelling as though he has Improved Counterspell, and any spell he counters is learned and added to his spellhoard, becoming available to prepare and cast regardless of its spell list or school.

A second Druid as above.

[Killer Angel]

Wizard X1 - Abusing spellguard and such to turn everyone into solars.


At what level Team Solar is available?

[rockdeworld]

- at level 6
- at level 8
- four PC slots

What is strongest combo, playground? Surely tier 1 casters, but is it - 2x Wiz, 1x Druid, 1xCleric?

Or some other combo? What do you guys think?
Excepting Pun-Pun and the Omniscifier, I'd probably go with something like this:

At level 6:
-Tauric Ubercharger (http://web.archive.org/web/20061112212337/http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=563009) (once updated to 3.5)
-Festering Anger Lad (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8280326&postcount=63) Fighter 2/Barbarian 1/Warblade 2/Hulking Hurler 1
-Zamek Awd from Team Solars (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188138) at level 6
-A Symbiotic creature with any 5 class levels

The ubercharger charges and festering anger lad throws planets to make things dead, Zamek does the things that don't involve making things dead, and a well-made symbiotic creature can break the game into smaller pieces than almost any other build with indomitable defenses, 9th level spells, NI Cha to a lot, and plenty of persistent spells.

At level 8:
-Festering Anger Lad (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8280326&postcount=63) Fighter 2/Barbarian 1/Warblade 2/Hulking Hurler 2/Frenzied Berserker 1
-Zamek Awd from Team Solars (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188138) at level 8
-The Killer Gnome (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19864158/Shadowcraft_Illusionist_=_Killer_Gnome!) at level 8
-A Symbiotic creature with 7 class levels

Ubercharging at this level is less useful than deadly illusions, and FAL throws 3 Earths a turn before his allies buff him, so the Killer Gnome takes the ubercharger's place.

Just showing a DM the character sheets for this party should start the tears, if that's your goal.

[Lightlawbliss]

4 experts. between then they have all skills as class skills and can use a spell components pouch to fight.
If I really cared about skills I would send factoums

[rockdeworld]

4 experts. between then they have all skills as class skills and can use a spell components pouch to fight.
There are more than 40 skills :smalltongue:

[Larkas]

There are more than 40 skills :smalltongue:

Get 4 factotums and try again. :smallbiggrin: