Rival (NPC) Adventuring Groups - requesting help with ideas

[Rama]

I'm starting up a new campaign for my (RL) group, but I've come up against a massive brick wall in my preparation - in the creative department, to be specific.

The general idea (in brief) is that the PCs will be completing a survival-style dungeon crawl as one team of about a dozen. Each team will be working to gather as much wealth as they can over ~90 days; and that will likely involve at least some of the teams fighting each other in the process. The problem is, I'm having trouble coming up with teams that are both cohesive and memorable - I feel like everything I'm drawing up atm comes across either too generic or too weird to make sense.

Any suggestions would be welcome; I can build the actual characters, if you want to suggest just a racial/class composition and general theme/company name of the group (although if you have a build set-up from a previous game, that would be most welcome).

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Crunchy stuff

No warforged, but otherwise no race/class restrictions
No restrictions on source material, beyond my willingness to have it used against me
No alignment restrictions
Team sizes between 4 and 6 'primary' members
Effective character levels between 5 and 8 (the PCs are sitting at 6 atm).

[John Longarrow]

One favorite is a 5 member team.
2xFighter/Rogue (front line) with Tower Shields.
Warmage with plenty of reserve feats for the middle
real line Cleric and Bard/Marshal/Other buffing classes.

Trick is the Bard/Marshal is the party leader. Team is entirely composed of whispergnomes. They travel in an X patern so the Warmage can kick out damage to the front as they move along.
The two fighter types do their best to get enemies to move between them so they can sneak before the enemy hits the Warmage.

Their main tactic is having the front line hold the enemy in place while the mage drops reserve feat attacks.
For added punch, have the party leader dip into Warlock to (summon swarm invocation + feat Practiced Spellcaster to keep damage reasonable).

They are very sneaky, use light discipline, and have two sets of eyes to find traps. Should walk through a lot of encounters with limited resource usage.

[Red Fel]

The general idea (in brief) is that the PCs will be completing a survival-style dungeon crawl as one team of about a dozen. Each team will be working to gather as much wealth as they can over ~90 days; and that will likely involve at least some of the teams fighting each other in the process. The problem is, I'm having trouble coming up with teams that are both cohesive and memorable - I feel like everything I'm drawing up atm comes across either too generic or too weird to make sense.

Any suggestions would be welcome; I can build the actual characters, if you want to suggest just a racial/class composition and general theme/company name of the group (although if you have a build set-up from a previous game, that would be most welcome).

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Well, unlike PCs - who are created from the ether by individual players, and thus tend to go together like a seersucker jacket, keyboard tie and ripped jeans - most NPC parties tend to be formed by people with similar backgrounds, similar goals, or some other common theme.

One easy method is an orcish warband. Mostly orcs, mostly melee, perhaps a divine caster in there (Cleric of Gruumsh or Druid would be easiest). They start combat buffed, and their combat style is full-offensive. You could pull off a similar combination with any race, really - Dwarves give you a bunch of front-liners and a Cleric; Elves give you a swordsman or two, some bowmen, and a Wizard; and so forth.

Another option is a necromancer of some stripe. Make it a whole undead team. His buddy the vampire, their pet the wight, a few ordinary undead meatshield minions.

You could create a metaconcert team - a party entirely composed of psionics, making terrifying use of Metaconcert (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metaconcert.htm). Throw on anything you want. Shaper. PsiWar. Bonus points if you use a Tibbit Telepath - nobody suspects the kitty.

Still another theme is Charisma. Grab a Bard, a Sorcerer, throw on a Battledancer. Or Wisdom; start with a Druid or Cleric, add a Swordsage or Monk, maybe a Reaping Mauler.

Or get more esoteric. Pick a word. Any word. Watch this - "Elegance." Okay, there'll be a Bard there. And how about an Elf Warblade? No more elegant swordsman than he. And why not an Artificer? He makes elegant machines.

How about "Knowledge?" Wizard, Factotum, Artificer, Swordsage, Cloistered Cleric. Smart doesn't mean squishy.

Or just make a military team. Crusader, Warblade, Marshal, Bard, maximize your use of battlefield control. Combat Reflexes all around, reach weapons or spiked chains, Stand Still, Improved Trip, and Knock-Down.

[Wolfepuppy]

Group whisper gnome rogues all with silencing strikeWith max ms and hide, they would hide and sneak behind people take everyone out from the back to the front

[Rama]

Various awesome things

I was hoping you'd respond, it's always good stuff. And how could I forget the tibbits? Consider it done.

Thanks everyone, that's a great start. Naturally any more suggestions are welcome as well, but that's an excellent start for me to work with.

And I'm sure my players will want to...thank you appropriately later. :amused:

[Honest Tiefling]

What campaign setting? If you really like it, maybe introduce groups with a geographical theme, to show case interesting cities or help them remember them. (Or a hook for later...) Also, remember that your PCs need to sleep. Some races don't. Why fight when you can skip that and head straight to looting?

[John Longarrow]

Team TPK
Cloistered Cleric to Evening Glory.
Wizard
Beguiler
War Blade

Catch is they are all ghosts. They died trying to get through the dungeon in the past.
They've all gone out and dropped Trolls wisdoms to 0 and posessed the bodies.

Now they are ready for a re-match!

[Angelalex242]

Team Holy:

All Aasimar who bought off their ECL+1 at level 3:
Paladin
Cleric
Sorcerer
Bard
Druid

For added fun, make sure they've got the Book of Exalted Deeds handy and abuse every PrC in there.

For more added fun, the Cleric, Sorc, Bard, and Druid all have 20s (No less!) in their casting stat. Giving the Paladin 20 charisma too so he doesn't feel left out is a nice touch.