Please help me with fun party composition ideas

[tcrudisi]

In my most recent game that I'm playing in, all the players got together and decided that we wanted to do a theme. We considered quite a few things:

Same race
Same power source
Same role

Stuff like that. We eventually decided that we'd all play the same race and then settled on Pixies. Ignoring the fact that a party made up entirely of Pixies is far too overpowered for its own good, we are having an absolute blast.

Well, now another guy is going to be running a game on a different day. There's probably going to be 3 of us playing and we've talked about doing another theme for this game. But I'm looking for some good ideas. Obviously we're not going to play Pixies since we're already doing that. But what?

That's why I'm here. I'm looking for some flavorful and fun themes that we can do. I still like the idea of us all being related to the church (all divine) or something of that nature, but the more ideas we have, the more likely we are to hit onto something golden. Do you have any ideas for us? If you could come up with a theme that all the players must follow - what would it be?

[Nightgaun7]

same theme is pretty fun - not the character option theme, but for example, a beast ranger, wildshape druid, summoner wizard, animal shaman.

[Gavran]

Changeling assassin masquerade party! Swap identities like it means nothing! Infiltrate the royal family without telling your groupmates only to find out that everyone else had the same idea! ( I can't decide whether four kings is funnier, or if you assassinate and replace the entire family while trying to convince the other "family members" everything is normal.)

But slightly more seriously, if I were you I'd be pushing the traveling troupe - keeping in mind that theme doesn't have to mean mechanical, you could go for a carnival flair that allows for more character variety (the strong man defender, fortune teller controller, et cetera). Not that mechanical themes are contrary to the idea either. Perhaps a gymnast troupe with high acrobatics scores and an emphasis on mobility. Lets your DM create situations where those skills can really shine. Secretly thieves, assassins, or genuine performers who have a tendency to end up in danger but a knack for getting out of it (sort of a right/wrong place at the right/wrong time balance. Rincewind of Discworld springs to mind.)

And of course there are the easy (as in, easy for everyone to find the character they like within that requirement) themes like race and power source. Divine is probably the easiest and is easy to justify. All-Pixie sounds fun, but don't forget that options like All-Fey, All-Shadow (whether race or class) and such exist as well.

[Epinephrine]

We're an all Fey party atm (well, mostly - we have a svirfneblin, a pixie, an elf and a dwarf who is using a magic item to be a hengeyokai (I know, weird...).

I always wanted an all arcane party to be able to rock the spell commander artificer, but any theme works. All monsters would be interesting, especially if they were poster children for tolerance, trying to show that goblins, bugbears, orcs, minotaurs, and githyanki can be good!

[Daracaex]

All Undead would be cool by making your entire party Revenants. Like, you were all killed, but rise together to finish your quest.

Course you'd likely need to houserule a bit to make things interesting. I'd suggest, "you may replace the Revenant ability score bonuses with those of your past life race," and, "Everyone gets a free '_____ Soul' feat."

And no, I'm not just suggesting this because you've been arguing about the abuses of Revenants. I honestly think it'd be an interesting idea. :smallsmile:

[tcrudisi]

All Undead would be cool by making your entire party Revenants. Like, you were all killed, but rise together to finish your quest.

Course you'd likely need to houserule a bit to make things interesting. I'd suggest, "you may replace the Revenant ability score bonuses with those of your past life race," and, "Everyone gets a free '_____ Soul' feat."

And no, I'm not just suggesting this because you've been arguing about the abuses of Revenants. I honestly think it'd be an interesting idea. :smallsmile:

Hahaha. I've liked a lot of the ideas so far (all monsters, all undead, changelings and animal), so thanks guys! But - please feel free to keep them coming. I'm not sure when our first game will be, but the earliest will be on Friday, so there's still plenty of time.

As for the Revenants, it's easy enough to avoid abusing them. I'll just choose not to abuse them. :p I'm the biggest optimizer in my group and there's a line that I won't cross. Revenant cheese happens to be one of them.

The background of the Revenant party is really cool, too.

I've actually been interested in doing a "phalanx" theme. Everyone takes powers and features that work best when adjacent to allies, and then have everyone move in a 2x2 square so that we're adjacent all the time. Yes, I know that it's a bad move strategically, but there's a lot that can be gained from it, too. I'm not sure what level we'll start at and I don't want to play that at less than level 11. I've spoken with the DM about it and he took my advice: "At least level 3. At levels 1 and 2 there just aren't enough powers to really be interesting." He agreed. Another player mentioned not wanting to start at paragon or higher because we'll have all new characters and he doesn't want to manage all that stuff. So I'm guessing we'll be somewhere in mid-heroic which just doesn't work for a phalanx group.

[NecroRebel]

A commando squad could make the party's tactics quite different than normal. If everyone was required to be trained in Stealth and at least Dex-secondary, sneaking into places would be more viable with the whole party, thus making stealthy excursions practical. Stealthy Defenders are somewhat tricky to build, though.

[Epinephrine]

A commando squad could make the party's tactics quite different than normal. If everyone was required to be trained in Stealth and at least Dex-secondary, sneaking into places would be more viable with the whole party, thus making stealthy excursions practical. Stealthy Defenders are somewhat tricky to build, though.

It's not difficult at all, really - the party I DM atm is like this, and they are very stealthy. A single feat is enough to make most of a party nearly undetectable (Silent Shadows) They haven't opted for it, as they felt they were too feat tight, but an assassin's cloak (roll twice for stealth) was sufficient to make sure that the paladin in heavy plate is as stealthy as the next lowest (at about level+6 stealth when you look at the expected value?).
They have a drow in the party, which makes some helmet(?) useful (gives you darkvision if there is a drow in the party?).

A shaman with the right paragon path (Ghost Panther) offers a party-wide bonus (+5, and gets to use his Wisdom for Stealth)and can make for a stealthy party as well, as could a gnome scout or hunter (either of which can have a party-wide +2 from a nature trick and another +2 from the Group Stealth feat).

If you can get everyone trained, and pick up the Silent Shadows [Guild] feat you've got a very decent start at a stealthy party; add a Gnome scout to the mix and you're laughing.

[windgate]

Having just read the goblins webcomic....

Party of a race of characters that constantly get stomped by heroic adventurers (thinking kobolds and goblins)

Either play them as the exception of the racial stereotypes (not in the drizz't way, more in a clueless unintentionally good) way.

[windgate]

Hahaha. I've liked a lot of the ideas so far (all monsters, all undead, changelings and animal), so thanks guys! But - please feel free to keep them coming. I'm not sure when our first game will be, but the earliest will be on Friday, so there's still plenty of time.

As for the Revenants, it's easy enough to avoid abusing them. I'll just choose not to abuse them. :p I'm the biggest optimizer in my group and there's a line that I won't cross. Revenant cheese happens to be one of them.

The background of the Revenant party is really cool, too.

I've actually been interested in doing a "phalanx" theme. Everyone takes powers and features that work best when adjacent to allies, and then have everyone move in a 2x2 square so that we're adjacent all the time. Yes, I know that it's a bad move strategically, but there's a lot that can be gained from it, too. I'm not sure what level we'll start at and I don't want to play that at less than level 11. I've spoken with the DM about it and he took my advice: "At least level 3. At levels 1 and 2 there just aren't enough powers to really be interesting." He agreed. Another player mentioned not wanting to start at paragon or higher because we'll have all new characters and he doesn't want to manage all that stuff. So I'm guessing we'll be somewhere in mid-heroic which just doesn't work for a phalanx group.

The wizard boards have an entire thread to making a "phalanx" type group. It looked interesting.

[tcrudisi]

The wizard boards have an entire thread to making a "phalanx" type group. It looked interesting.

In my other game, we've got a Sigil Carver. Plus we're a bunch of Pixies, so we make use of Teeny Target. Those two combined is already pretty potent. It caused me to do some research where I found that thread. It's a couple of years old, though, but it is awesome. It's the exact type of thing that I think would be hilarious.

Or, something like a group of all Ardents who focus on charging and then spam the power which lets themselves and other allies charge.

I love those ideas where tactics come together. Individually it's a bad (or okay) idea, but together it's much stronger.

[Philemonite]

I'm going to play all Bard game, and I think it's gonna be a blast. With so much MC and skills it has no other option but to be fun. Plus, if you are all going with one class Bard is the best option.
Also, I will be playing a Pixie, for the first time.:smallwink:

[Talyn]

I always like the "traveling circus" party - you share a backstory (you are all members of a traveling circus!), rather than a power source or theme. Also, it means that if PCs get killed or a player wants to make a new character, you just roll up a new class and explain what their role in the circus was! It turns out they were there the whole time, they just didn't join in on the adventures for whatever reason makes sense at time.

The fighter? Oh, he was the circus strongman, or maybe a roustabout to make sure the dancing girls don't get harassed.

That rogue? Acrobat! Or maybe she had a knife-throwing act.

That warlock? The Mysterious Malagro's Fortune Telling Tent! He always seemed to foretell doom...

[Tegu8788]

I feel obligated to suggest an all hybrid party...

But, I would also suggest that it could be interesting to see an all martial party. There are plenty of ways to make pseudo-controllers, and it could make for a more "realistic" game if attempted.

[Nightgaun7]

a group of all Kenku!

[Dimers]

a group of all Kenku!

Murder(hobos) of crows?

For those not in the know, in the 3.X GitP forum adventurers have generally come to be known as murder-hobos, for their tendency to forgo the less mobile pleasures of life such as housing and regular meals in favor of upgrading that +3 sword to a +4. And, well, killing everything in sight and taking its loot, because D&D.

[tcrudisi]

It looks like we will be starting the game this Friday. I've e-mailed the other players and given them the following list:

1. Animal related (Druid, Beast Ranger, Summoner Wizard (with everything being animal-flavored), Animal Shaman, etc)
2. The Changeling Assassin party! (All Changelings. Assassin class not required, but we'd all be "assassins")
3. Carnival! We are all members of a traveling carnival. (Strong man, Fortune Teller, Acrobat, etc)
4. All undead party. Revenants, Dhampyrs, Vampires, etc.
5. Phalanx. Sadly, this works better at 11+, but the idea is to form a party that wants to move in a 2x2 square at all times. You give out bonuses to adjacent allies.
6. Commando party. Everyone is trained in Stealth and is at least Dex-secondary. The benefit? Sneak around everywhere!
7. All-hybrid party. Because we're masochistic.
8. Murder of (Crows) Kenku. Everyone plays a Kenku (the bird race). They are horribly underrepresented and don't get any racial support. But they are cool.
9. Everyone is the same race.
10. Everyone is the same power source (all divine, all arcane). Easy enough to come up with a backstory. Hired by our church, trained in the same magical school, etc.
11. Everyone is the same role (everyone is a defender, for example). This one is trickier to pull off and I'd rather it happen at level 7+, but there's some merit to it.

The DM has promised to run everything on "hard" and that we'll level up after 4 encounters. This is the same DM that last ran us in a level 30 "fight 2 deities and a ton of monsters at the same time" battle a few years back. We decimated that fight (enabling Sorc + optimized Ranger = all normal monsters dead on the battlefield and two bloodied deities), so I'm thinking he's got a higher opinion of our optimization skills than is really warranted. After all, we're starting off at only level 3; there's only so much we can do! haha.