Making a Sandwich: Roles to Fill

[tedcahill2]

Starting a new game in a couple weeks, with upwards of 7 players.

To ensure that everyone gets a chance to shine, and no one is stepping on another toes too much, what are all of the roles that we could fill to make a group?

Offensive Caster
Support Caster
Healer/Buffer
Tactical Fighter (i.e. flanker/sneak attacker)
Primary Fighter (i.e. main damage dealer)
Vanguard (i.e. tank)

Can the main damage dealer be ranged or melee? Should we have one of each?

[ComaVision]

You're overthinking it. I've played in some larger groups, overlap is fine. You just don't want two people doing exactly the same thing except one is way better made.

[Karl Aegis]

Beatstick - Dishes out as much as they take
Mezzer - Keep those crabs off us!
Anti-Mezzer - Everyone still fighting? Good.
Patcher - I get us topped off after the fight is over
Face - I talk to people
Corpse - I'm in dangerous situations! Worth it?
Glass Cannon - Tons of Damage!

[Gildedragon]

Have everyone pick a main and secondary role (possibly two); they can't pick the same on both:
Main roles:
>Ranged attack
>Melee attack
>Crowd control
>Buffing
>Debuffing

Secondary Role:
>Ranged attack
>Melee attack
>Crowd Control
>Buffing
>Debuffing
>Healing
>Negotiation
>Trap Handling
>Gear Craft/Maintenance*
>Skills usage* (each individually ought be a tertiary role)
>>Camp (survival/spot/listen)
>>Knowledge
>>Critter ID
>>Exploration

Crowd control is area effects, mass intimidation, great cleave, whirlwind attack...

This has people focusing less on caster/noncaster divide but on fulfilling their party roles

So a pure wizard can take on the melee attack role as their primary by focusing on summoning. And they opt for miscelanous skills as their secondary by investing in knowledges

*edited

[tedcahill2]

You're overthinking it. I've played in some larger groups, overlap is fine. You just don't want two people doing exactly the same thing except one is way better made.

I just want to make sure we're filling all the roles we need to, and that everyone will have a chance to be in the spot light.

[DrMartin]

I was expecting a discussion on who gets to be the cheese, I am mildly disappointed

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I dare you to make SEVEN BARDS (Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) optional).

Nearly everyone should get Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) for a Magebred Warbeast Riding Dog with Trip.

Five will be Dragonblood races such as Silverbrow Humans. Those five will take Dragonfire Inspiration, four will dip a Sorcerer level at 2nd for the Dragonblood Sorcerer substitution level to get Draconic Heritage and switch their Dragonfire Inspiration damage to acid, cold, electricity, and sonic respectively.

Everyone should take Melodic Casting. Everyone should plan to take Sublime Chord. Everyone should plan to take eight Bard levels and two non-Bard levels (dips in Sorcerer 1, Mindbender 1, Dragon Devotee 1, etc.). Everyone should plan to use one or more prestige classes to advance their Sublime Chord spellcasting (Paragnostic Apostle, Incantatrix, Bard 8/ Virtuoso 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Virtuoso 8, etc.).

The five with Dragonfire Inspiration and one more will want the spell Inspirational Boost, they'll want to get a Badge of Valor, they'll want to get Song of the Heart, they'll probably even want Words of Creation.

The seventh one will swap Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe, will take Haunting Melody, and as many of them as possible should take the feat Dreadful Wrath. Fell Frighten Spell is also a good choice. Get Intimidate ranks (and class skill via Martial Study), the Never Outnumbered skill trick, Imperious Command, Skill Focus or Menacing Demeanor via the Otyugh Hole, and armor with the Fearsome property (Drow of the Underdark version, which is more recent than MIC).

Everyone can use a shortbow, which benefits from Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration, and the wild cohorts can stand in front and also benefit from Inspire Courage. The fear effects will make opponents Shaken > Frightened > Panicked, the dogs will trip them, and the absurd damage from all the stacking Inspire Courage effects will make short work of pretty much everything that crosses them.

[Sian]

Have everyone pick a main and secondary role (possibly two); they can't pick the same on both:
Main roles:
>Ranged attack
>Melee attack
>Crowd control
>Buffing
>Debuffing

Secondary Role:
>Ranged attack
>Melee attack
>Crowd Control
>Buffing
>Debuffing
>Healing
>Negotiation
>Trap Handling
>Misc Skills usage


To elaborate on Trap Handling/Misc/Face skill usage

One is specificity experienced in detecting enemies (via Listen and Spot for obvious reasons, and Survival to follow tracks and the like, optionally also Hide/Move Silently as to be able to stay ahead of the team without being ambushed)
One is an expert in getting through things (Disable Device, Open Lock, Search)
One is an expert in getting over/around things (Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, optionally Sleight of Hand)
One is an expert in talking (Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Gather Information)
One is an expert in spying (Bluff, Disguise, Forgery)
One is an expert in obscure knowledge (Decipher Script, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device / Psicraft, Use Psionic Device)

Everyone have one/a few Knowledge Checks, optionally with everyone also having another's at low/medium level as to be a backup, as to cover all bases

Depending on how many players / Skillful characters there are, you'd might even want a smattering of Craft Skills spread out over the group so you can ask them to run maintenance on their gear