Help me make a balanced 3-member melee-only party

[bendking]

Hi, my friends and I are now starting a new campaign in which we are planning to have no ranged casters/fighters, but all melee combatants.
I would like to request for recommendations for classes and builds for this party.
The only real requirements are no overpowered/broken builds, and not a huge amount of multi-classing or prestiging.
Let me stress this - the build should not be very complex and use obscure supplemental classes, the aim is to have somewhat simple builds with no more than 2 classes.
So far, we've thought about a party of a Cleric (for that caster edge), Warblade (melee-focused) and something else which we haven't decided on.
It'd be great to also receive any pre-built builds for the classes/builds as well, since we prefer not building our own builds (I'll end up going over-board, researching way too much and making a broken build by the end of it).
Thanks in advance for any help!

[ExLibrisMortis]

Cleric 4/crusader 1/prestige paladin 3/ordained champion 5. Drops caster levels like nobody's business (well, four), but that only makes it more balanced in a tier 3 environment :smalltongue:.
Warblade 11/psychic warrior 2. Based on the Inevitable Nightmare build. Use psywar levels to power Deep Impact, combine with Diamond Mind & Stormguard Warrior for extremely accurate strikes.

Third character: wild shape ranger or ACF-heavy druid, one or two levels swordsage.

[bendking]

Cleric 4/crusader 1/prestige paladin 3/ordained champion 5. Drops caster levels like nobody's business (well, four), but that only makes it more balanced in a tier 3 environment :smalltongue:.
Warblade 11/psychic warrior 2. Based on the Inevitable Nightmare build. Use psywar levels to power Deep Impact, combine with Diamond Mind & Stormguard Warrior for extremely accurate strikes.

Third character: wild shape ranger or ACF-heavy druid, one or two levels swordsage.

Part of the requirements are not overly complex stuff...
But thanks anyway, haha.

[Vossler]

For third character you could go two weapon fighting rogue

[ExLibrisMortis]

Part of the requirements are not overly complex stuff...
But thanks anyway, haha.
It's not complex at all. There are multiple classes in there, but that doesn't mean the result is difficult.

The cleric build is basically a moderate self-buffer, with some bonus tricks. You need to track maneuvers (but only five, and only two at the time), spells, and Turn Undead uses. Once you figure the one-time class features (OC trades domain powers for fighter feats), it's smooth sailing. Or, at least, about as smooth as a cleric or a crusader gets, anyway, but those were your examples, so there you go.

The second build is slightly easier, because it doesn't involve spellcasting. You're just a specialist at dealing high single-strike damage and bypassing defences.

The third build is complicated because it involves Wild Shape, but if you stick to 1-2 forms (maybe polar bear, polar bears are pretty cool, and then something flying), it's easy. Though, thinking about it, you can make it even easier by just playing a were-bear, if the RHD aren't too crippling.

A shadowpouncer would make for a killer third build, as well. Swordsage and Telflammar Shadowlord, very cool, very lethal.

[bendking]

It's not complex at all. There are multiple classes in there, but that doesn't mean the result is difficult.

The cleric build is basically a moderate self-buffer, with some bonus tricks. You need to track maneuvers (but only five, and only two at the time), spells, and Turn Undead uses. Once you figure the one-time class features (OC trades domain powers for fighter feats), it's smooth sailing. Or, at least, about as smooth as a cleric or a crusader gets, anyway, but those were your examples, so there you go.

The second build is slightly easier, because it doesn't involve spellcasting. You're just a specialist at dealing high single-strike damage and bypassing defences.

The third build is complicated because it involves Wild Shape, but if you stick to 1-2 forms (maybe polar bear, polar bears are pretty cool, and then something flying), it's easy. Though, thinking about it, you can make it even easier by just playing a were-bear, if the RHD aren't too crippling.

A shadowpouncer would make for a killer third build, as well. Swordsage and Telflammar Shadowlord, very cool, very lethal.

It's mostly because of my party, to be honest.
They have a real bad prejudice against multi-classing builds and supplementals.
Believe me, I would gladly employ these builds, but my friends would shiver at the thought.

[Karl Aegis]

Scout 4/ Psychic Warrior 2

Pick up Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack as your bonus feats.
Pick Power Attack, Up the Walls and Leap Attack as your normal feats.

Dart in and out of combat with a 2 handed weapon, using skirmish damage to chip away at the enemy's hit points until they are low enough to leap attack them for a finisher. Use Psionic items for additional mobility or reduced fall damage. You can activate some of them by virtue of some of them being on your class list.

Scout 11 and Scout 12 aren't bad breakpoints to prestige out of the class. Thief Acrobat 4 might be nice for Skill Mastery.

[Particle_Man]

Rogue 3/Swashbuckler X isn't bad if you take the feat in Complete Scoundrel that lets you have Swashbuckler levels count for the purpose of determining sneak attack damage (maybe take Swashbuckler first for the extra hp at level 1). Almost full BAB plus sneak attack is nice.

Mind you, if the unearthed arcana is allowed you could play the alternate fighter that gives up bonus feats to get sneak attack. That also gets you full BAB and sneak attack (and you keep heavy armour proficiency!), but you have fewer skill points.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighter

Crusader is pretty much good to go by itself (since you have Warblade, I assume crusader is allowed). In fact, if both the warblade and the crusader take white raven maneuvers, this could be quite the synergistic meelee only party! ;)

You can also do crusader/eternal blade or warblade/eternal blade if you play an elf.

This one might not fit your requirements because it uses three classes and a prestige class, but on the other hand they are all core (like, in the SRD). The horizon tripper build (based on, you guess it, tripping folks!):

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?80415-The-Horizon-Tripper-(Core-Melee-Build)

For a different kind of meelee only build you could go for the LN incarnate in the Magic of Incarnum handbook. It might seem strange to suggest a poor BAB class for this, but they get abilities that make up the difference for the attack bonus.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Rogue 3/Swashbuckler X isn't bad if you take the feat in Complete Scoundrel that lets you have Swashbuckler levels count for the purpose of determining sneak attack damage (maybe take Swashbuckler first for the extra hp at level 1). Almost full BAB plus sneak attack is nice.

Mind you, if the unearthed arcana is allowed you could play the alternate fighter that gives up bonus feats to get sneak attack. That also gets you full BAB and sneak attack (and you keep heavy armour proficiency!), but you have fewer skill points.
Nah, you want Rogue first for skill points, and you want Daring Outlaw over Sneak Attack Fighter for-- again-- skill points, and for having some class features, bad as they are.

Cleric is a good divine gish, and Warblade a good pure-melee type. For a third member, perhaps...

A melee Bard, using Snowflake Wardance, Dragonfire Inspiration, or some combination thereof. Would make a good party face/arcanist
A Stalwart Battle Sorcerer is a surprisingly good gish-in-a-can.
A Psychic Warrior or Ardent, to throw some psionics in there
A Totemist, especially if you take a dip in Incarnate, makes a good skillmonkey/scout type who can still wreck face in all sorts of ways, though that might be too much the "obscure book" bit.

[Eldariel]

You need two single-classed Core melee builds? Okay, Cleric and Druid. Give 'em to those two guys. Play whatever yourself and do your best to keep up with some tier 3 silliness; say, Eternal Blade or Master of the Nine.