Your Favorite 3.5 Core Book Build

[Craemos]

Using only the 3.5e core books, post and discuss your favorite concept builds of all time. Character builds do not need to be the most optimized. Just list the intended use or role for the character.

I have provided my link below to my ideal melee build. He is intended to be utilized as a support character. The trip and disarm attempts are meant as the primary means of attack while damage output and AC are secondary concerns.

THE ULTIMATE CHAIN FIGHTER
http://www.dndsheets.net/view.php?id=54246

[Karnith]

I don't have full stats for any of these, but:

Wizard 5/Red Wizard 10/Loremaster 1/Archmage 4 (with some wiggle room on the last five levels) is basically the strongest core-only Wizard build (also probably the strongest core-only build in general). Circle Magic is insanely powerful; it can give you spells heightened to level 20 with CL 40, plus some other free metamagic.

Fighter(Barbarian/Ranger/Paladin, or some mix of them) 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 10/Wizard +1/Archmage 2 is a core gish build that hits the standard benchmark for such characters (i.e. +16 BAB and 9th-level spells by 20th level). Gishing isn't the best in core, but it's perfectly serviceable.

Rogue 1/Wizard 5/Assassin 1/Arcane Trickster 10/(some combination of Wizard, Loremaster, and/or Archmage) 3 is a competent skill-focused build with full casting in core, though the alignment prereqs you get from Assassin are not cool (you could lose the alignment problems by entering AT through Rogue 3/Wizard 5, but that costs you another level of casting).

Saph's Horizon Tripper (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80415) is a classic core-only melee build.

Another basis for core melee builds is Dragon Disciple; something like Barbarian 7/Sorcerer 2/Fighter 2/Dragon Disciple 9 or Barbarian 14/Sorc 2/DD 4 (the build itself is pretty fluid). DD doesn't really stand up outside of a core environment, but in core it's a fairly good addition to melee builds, offering natural attacks, ability boosts, and (if you invest enough levels in it) blindsense and flight.

And then there's the core monk-without-Monk build, which was something like Rogue 4/Fighter 2/Assassin 10/Blackguard 2/Dragon Disciple 2. It basically gets the important bits of being a Monk, only with better numbers and abilities. Still pretty MAD, though.

[Psyren]

My favorite PrC in core is probably Thaumaturgist. So mine would be Cleric/Loremaster/Thaum/Loremaster+.

[prufock]

Druid 20, for sure. EDIT: Though Druid 19/Heirophant 1 for power of nature, gifting Wild Shape to your Animal Companion could be fun too.

[Eldan]

Hmm. Either a Wizard with a prestige class (Wiz 5/Loremaster 10/Archmage 5, perhaps) or a straight Bard 20.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Druid 20 is simple and fun.

I guess for more complexity... Dwarf (or better, Forest Gnome) Fighter 1 / Transmuter Wizard 7 / Eldritch Knight 10 (and then...Archmage?) focused on tripping and grappling, using polymorph. CL 7 alone (when you first get polymorph, for 3 uses per day assuming 18 int) lets you use Treant, Annis Hag, and Troll forms, all great trippers and all (treant's arguable) able to wield a guisarme or spiked chain for more reach-tripping. Prior to CL 7, you just play as a transmuter with an abnormally high Con that wasted his feats on melee. So...still awesome.

[Psyren]

If we expand it to SRD-only I'd love to play a blind Ranger/Seer/Slayer.

[Telonius]

Rogue1/Ranger2/Barbarian1/Rogue2-17 is a nice one. Ranger for the BAB, proficiencies, spell list, and free TWF; Barbarian for fast movement, HP, and the fact that pretty much anything is better than another +1 to Trap Sense.

If the character is Lawful, switch out Barbarian for Monk, for the saves.

[Urpriest]

I tend to like Druid 8/Barbarian 12, though it's probably weaker than Druid 20 in an absolute sense.

[StreamOfTheSky]

If we expand it to SRD-only I'd love to play a blind Ranger/Seer/Slayer.

If we expand it to SRD, I'd probably go with a PsyWar, War Mind, or some other psionic gish (Slayer?).


I guess in summary, for a core game: I still want to play a dude who bops things over the head, but I also still want to be competent, so gish builds are the only real option (or CoDzilla, which is like a pre-packaged gish).
Non-core, I can actually achieve both w/o casting a single spell/power, in core...not so much.

[gorfnab]

Here are two threads focused on Core builds.
Core Compositions (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=8146.0)
Pure SRD Builds (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1021.0)

[Piggy Knowles]

I'm rather fond of the gnome paladin in core-only. Get a riding dog, charge around in dungeons with Spirited Charge and a lance.

[Techwarrior]

I like Rogue 16/Ranger 2/Fighter 2 for a solid Thug style rogue.

I've also gotten to be a pretty good fan of Aasimar Rogue 1/Sorcerer 1/Rogue +2/Arcane Trickster 10/Assassin 5. You end up with 11th level Sorcerer casting based off of a stat with a racial bonus, 5th level Assassin casting, and 11d6 Sneak Attack dice.

[Calimehter]

I had some fun with a grapple-focused Barbarian/Cleric of Kord build, using Strength Domain and Enlarge Person for fun boosts when needed.