Co op characters

[Adalid]

So my best friend and I want to player a combo pair in a 3.5/pathfinder game but im a little stumped on what we could play that works well together. I know if we were both wizards we could share spells but I was wondering if anyone has more fun or comical ideas. Hulking hurler throwing a frenzied beserker gnome came to mind. Everything is allowed besides psionics. Help please :smallsmile:

[Malimar]

My favorite low-lactose cooperative build for wizards (though it doesn't have to be wizard):


Both be wizards. Or anything else that gets a familiar (potentially any arcane caster with the Obtain Familiar feat from Complete Arcane).
Both have mechanatrix as your race (planetouched from Fiend Folio) and be healed by electricity damage (1 healing per 3 electricity damage you would take)
Both take Improved Familiar. Both select shocker lizard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/shockerLizard.htm) familiars.
Both take Extra Familiar from Dragon #280, for a total of four shocker lizard familiars


Cooperating shocker lizards can do 2d8 electricity damage per lizard (so, 8d8 for four shocker lizards) in a 20' AOE, reflex halves, at will. Damage your enemies while healing yourselves.

(You can also do it with levels of ranger/druid and Monstrous Animal Companion (Dragon #326). Damage is capped at 12d8 (6 lizards), so you could do three wizards with Extra Familiar or 2 Extra Familiar wizards and 2 Monstrous Animal Companion druids or whatever combination your heart desires.)

[Troacctid]

One player is a Bard with min-maxed Dragonfire Inspiration, the other player is a Totemist/Wizard/Soulcaster who uses Share Soulmeld to share his Expanded Capacity Manticore Belt with his animal companion and familiar so he can fire off ten zillion spikes per turn, which all get a ton of extra damage from the Bard.

[Flickerdart]

There are simple co-op ideas that involve different specializations - a magical creature mount and its rider, a trip-based area controller and the archer hiding behind him, things like that. But the ideas where you have two similar guys are usually better.

Two spellcasters focused on fear effects can quickly drive a creature to Panicked by stacking multiple Shaken effects.

Two rogues can flank one enemy and quickly kill him, and are able to sneak everywhere because it's a skill they share.

An illusionist is a great partner for a summoner, because enemies never know which creatures are illusory and which are real. A transmuter is also a good match because he can buff up the summons.

A cleric with the elemental domains can rebuke appropriately-subtyped elementals and outsiders that a wizard calls with planar binding, giving you guys to boss around without needing to bargain with them at all.

[Adalid]

yea two similar guys is somewhat what we're shooting for but I prefer playing casters and he prefers melee. He enjoys the RP dynamic the most so he could also be a caster or vice versa. Im really enjoying these ideas. We would come in around 10-15ish. Im going to run them by him later today or before we play tomorrow. Keep them coming!

[Red Fel]

yea two similar guys is somewhat what we're shooting for but I prefer playing casters and he prefers melee. He enjoys the RP dynamic the most so he could also be a caster or vice versa. Im really enjoying these ideas. We would come in around 10-15ish. Im going to run them by him later today or before we play tomorrow. Keep them coming!

Melee and caster, eh? I think I know a good combination. Piggybacking off of Flickerdart's idea of two fear casters.

One character is a fear-barian. Instantaneous Rage, Intimidating Rage, Imperious Command, and the Never Outnumbered skill trick. He can now fly into a rage at any time, even not on his turn, instantly reducing everyone around him to cowering for one round; after that, they remain shaken until his rage ends. While they tremble, he can comfortably bust face. Easy. Alternatively, the Champion of Gwynharwyf class gets something similar to Intimidating Rage; it also requires the Righteous Wrath feat, which lets you demoralize Evil people by hitting them, which makes sense.

The other is the terror-bard. Bard/ Sublime Chord/ Dread Witch/ Nightmare Spinner. DW and NS advance SC casting, giving him excellent spell selection. Take the Inspire Awe ACF to sow terror. DW and NS also have their own variety of features that augment your illusions (works well with the Bard/SC spell list) and give you additional fear-based powers. What your fear-barian makes bad, you make worse. Your illusions protect your beefy buddy while simultaneously stacking multiple fear effects on your enemies. As a bonus, a Dread Witch can actually gain a power-up by being exposed to the fear-barian's intimidating rage (see the Absorb Fear class feature), and can use fear abilities even against enemies normally immune to them (suck on that, Paladins).

Bard and Barbarian. A buddy comedy about nightmares. Have fun with that.

[Adalid]

Melee and caster, eh? I think I know a good combination. Piggybacking off of Flickerdart's idea of two fear casters.

One character is a fear-barian. Instantaneous Rage, Intimidating Rage, Imperious Command, and the Never Outnumbered skill trick. He can now fly into a rage at any time, even not on his turn, instantly reducing everyone around him to cowering for one round; after that, they remain shaken until his rage ends. While they tremble, he can comfortably bust face. Easy. Alternatively, the Champion of Gwynharwyf class gets something similar to Intimidating Rage; it also requires the Righteous Wrath feat, which lets you demoralize Evil people by hitting them, which makes sense.

The other is the terror-bard. Bard/ Sublime Chord/ Dread Witch/ Nightmare Spinner. DW and NS advance SC casting, giving him excellent spell selection. Take the Inspire Awe ACF to sow terror. DW and NS also have their own variety of features that augment your illusions (works well with the Bard/SC spell list) and give you additional fear-based powers. What your fear-barian makes bad, you make worse. Your illusions protect your beefy buddy while simultaneously stacking multiple fear effects on your enemies. As a bonus, a Dread Witch can actually gain a power-up by being exposed to the fear-barian's intimidating rage (see the Absorb Fear class feature), and can use fear abilities even against enemies normally immune to them (suck on that, Paladins).

Bard and Barbarian. A buddy comedy about nightmares. Have fun with that.

This sounds insanely fun to play

[daremetoidareyo]

stunning fist - paralyzing fist + contagious paralysis + fling ally?

TwoThree man ballista team? One is an urban druid who optimizes his cohort: an animated ballista. The other focuses on buffing the ballista with psionics.

[WeaselGuy]

I mean, just drawing from my store of actual RPG books, why not go the Caramon/Raistlin route? One be a fighter, other be a mage? In the 3.5 books, you can actually have some RP connection if you, the wizard, go into Red Wizard of Thay, and your friend, the fighter, go into the Thayan Knight prestige class. They two have some synergy with each other, and the Thayan Knight, since it requires Intimidate as a class skill, you can go with the Fear-Fighter type build as well. I direct you to this Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809), as a resource.

[Adalid]

When i brought up the fear idea he seemed to love it, he wanted to know if there was a way for him to turn into a beast when he enrages, similar to gnar from league of legends. Would a raging fear druid be viable?

[Adalid]

I mean, just drawing from my store of actual RPG books, why not go the Caramon/Raistlin route? One be a fighter, other be a mage? In the 3.5 books, you can actually have some RP connection if you, the wizard, go into Red Wizard of Thay, and your friend, the fighter, go into the Thayan Knight prestige class. They two have some synergy with each other, and the Thayan Knight, since it requires Intimidate as a class skill, you can go with the Fear-Fighter type build as well. I direct you to this Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809), as a resource.

Im reading the wiki on these characters thanks for pointing me in the direction.

[LTwerewolf]

If you go Thayan knight and red wizard, there is absolutely no reason why he couldn't get a level or two of frenzied berserker. You can calm emotions on him and he doesn't get a save. All the benefits of frenzy, no downside.

[Dormammu]

What about a small transmuter focused on buffs, and a big melee type.

You could be master blaster!

[Troacctid]

When i brought up the fear idea he seemed to love it, he wanted to know if there was a way for him to turn into a beast when he enrages, similar to gnar from league of legends. Would a raging fear druid be viable?

Using Druidic Avenger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druidVariantDruidicAve nger)? Sure. You can get a size bonus on Intimidate if you're in a ginormous form, too.

[LTwerewolf]

Also with thayan knight he can be a half orc (counts as human). He now qualifies for menacing demeanor, dread tyranny if he wants a few cleric levels, and intimidating prowess on top of the feats mentioned before. You can enter frenzied berserker without ever even having levels in barbarian. Dragonborn half orc or frostblood half orc and you can qualify for awaken frightful presence as well.


When i brought up the fear idea he seemed to love it, he wanted to know if there was a way for him to turn into a beast when he enrages, similar to gnar from league of legends. Would a raging fear druid be viable?

Bear warrior. You rage, you're a bear. Since you can't cast spells while raging anyhow, not much difference except your strength can be ridiculous amounts higher than a standard druid for more str to intimidaty goodness.

[Extra Anchovies]

Red Fel's post is (as usual) some good stuff. I second his suggestion.


Bear warrior. You rage, you're a bear.

This, all the way. Maybe a Fist of the Forest dip and Beast Strike for iterative claw-punches. Also, bears are quadrupeds - so the Bard can ride the bear.

[Adalid]

Go out for a couple of hours and come back to some great replies, much appreciated everyone. Going to start building both characters