(3.5) Building a pair of characters to synergize?

[Coidzor]

So we're doing a 3.5 game here soon for old times sake, and one of my friends proposed that we try building a pair of characters that actually go together rather than working out how to work them together after we throw all the characters together and see what sticks.

So far, as far as ideas go, we've brainstormed up a wildshaper, a sorcadin, and a skillgish so far.

It's a level 10 oneshot, tight quarters and no companions aside from regular familiars, if that. All sources but dragon mag, IIRC, though some of that might be approved.

Our first idea was for a build where I was the mount, but no dice.

Any suggestions, both as to particulars and as to how to approach it?

He's interested in finally trying out a sorcadin after barding it up for so long before we left 3.5 for an extended hiatus to try other systems, but I'm not sure what would go with that, other than building a flanker to go with that or finding a way to dualgish and have sets of multiperson buffs that complement one another.

[Godskook]

1.How many total party members, and how many total PCs need to be built? It ~sounds~ like X and 2, so far, but being explicit helps.

2.Exactly how "synergistic" are you looking? DFI-Bard+Charger is a great combo, and plugs into larger parties reasonably well.

3.What's the focus of your party? The above Bard+Charger combo makes you NOISY, while another set of builds would not.

[MesiDoomstalker]

One pairing I've always wanted to try is some variety of DC Fighter and a Wizard focusing in Wall of X spells for the Fighter to push enemies into/through. Even if its none too terribly more effective (it either stacks more damage or simply allows Dungeoncrasher to activate) its a pairing of abilities that synergize well. Just make sure if your throwing out Walls of Fire, you give the Fighter the highest Fire Resistance you can.

[Dread_Head]

One person plays a warforged lockdown build of their choice. Picking up some way to become large and getting knockback is pretty useful. The other player plays a BFC wizard throwing down spells that the warforged is immune to like Stinking Cloud or Fell Drain Kelgore's Grave Mist. Then the warforged lockdown build stands in the middle / at the edge of the BFC and stops the enemies from leaving and beating on them while they struggle to respond.

Basically combo a BFC caster with a lockdown melee build which is immune to the debilitating effects of the spells. Selective Spell can be handy for this sort of build too.

[IcarusWulfe]

A friend and I are doing something similar in an upcoming game. He is playing a Warforged Warblade and I'm playing an Artificer. I think that making characters that synergize with eachother is awesome and hope you both have fun with whatever combination you go with.

[Coidzor]

1.How many total party members, and how many total PCs need to be built? It ~sounds~ like X and 2, so far, but being explicit helps.

2.Exactly how "synergistic" are you looking? DFI-Bard+Charger is a great combo, and plugs into larger parties reasonably well.

3.What's the focus of your party? The above Bard+Charger combo makes you NOISY, while another set of builds would not.

3-4 party members total, 2 trying to be built together.

Not sure, not quite to wish and the word levels, obviously. That is a good point. Monster races are out so maximizing number of attacks would probably be Totemist territory.

Currently we're being built to infiltrate somewhere and do a dungeoncrawl, possibly starting from naked or near naked, but we don't want to be unable to talk to people either. I think we can be a little bnoisy at times, but probably not in out best interests to be causing a lot of earthquakes or what have you.

[Eloel]

Warforged Dungeoncrasher/Juggernaut and Gnome Artificer.

A very natural pairing that is also quite strong.

[Gildedragon]

There are also the teamwork feats

[Coidzor]

There are also the teamwork feats

Are any of them worth looking at in particular?

[Gildedragon]

Are any of them worth looking at in particular?

My bad, teamwork benefits. The Superior Flanking and Search Team ones make for good additions to rogue-ish duo. Get the adjacent flanking stance on one.
Search Team is great if the leader is a factotum, their search result gets added to their collaborators' search check (which can make mundane Sense Magic perfectly viable)

[ExLibrisMortis]

A twin pair of lockdown crusaders can be pretty tough to beat. You can build them to grant eachother attacks, defence, and healing. Slots fairly well into a sorcadin build, with sorcerer 4/crusader 2 instead of your usual paladin 2/sorcerer 4, but it cost you your fort/ref saves. You can also try to work in Silver Pyromancer or Prestige Paladin, for more paladin power, but that requires Turn Undead (and divine casting, for the latter), and costs another caster level. At that point, you're better off playing an Ordained Champion/prestige paladin 1, or even crusader 1/cleric 3/ordained champion 5/prestige paladin 1, for 7/10 casting, 9/10 base attack, all paladin spells, swift action War domain spells and so on.

[Aegis013]

A pair/group of Dragonfire Adepts can do this pretty well too. Move around alternating covering huge swathes of the battlefield in Lingering and Clinging breath attacks, which they have immunized each other to using that one invocation the name of which eludes me at the moment. Each one using entangling exhalation as needed to keep their query stuck in the death cloud.

Spellthief and Factotum can be interesting too, since the Spellthief can borrow and replicate the Factotum SLAs without the Factotum losing them. Maybe see about tagging on Exemplar or something to Spellthief to provide mutual benefit.