best class for a Solo campaign?

[seekeraftercrit]

So basically I have been asked to play a solo campaign just me and the DM I am wondering what class/ build would be best ideally it would be something that would be to powerful/cheesy to play in a normal game since there are no other players to outshine or bore. I am leaning toward a master summoner just for the number of potential action in a round but I am open to any ideas really.

[SaintNick]

An instructor wizard would be rather strong solo. It's like a summoner except your cohort is a full caster and you have better spell progression. Works well with the Void Elemental School since you both have access to Reveal Weakness.

Just make sure you grab Pragmatic Activator so you can UMD cure wands. As for meat shields/actions per round, you can just use multiple instances of the combo Mount + Alter Summoned Monster.

[the_david]

An instructor wizard would be rather strong solo. It's like a summoner except your cohort is a full caster and you have better spell progression. Works well with the Void Elemental School since you both have access to Reveal Weakness.

Just make sure you grab Pragmatic Activator so you can UMD cure wands. As for meat shields/actions per round, you can just use multiple instances of the combo Mount + Alter Summoned Monster.

Make that Communal Mount.

[Ssalarn]

Master Summoner definitely isn't a bad idea, if for no other reason than to help with action economy. Any kind of pet or companion class will be smart for the same reason. Druids can be a nice solid option since they can wade into combat alongside their pet and have solid healing capabilities, and Hunters are basically just slightly more combat focused druids with better pets and worse spellcasting. Paladins can be solid choices since they have great saves, lots of self-healing, and can get a companion, though they do tend to dictate some of the choices you have available to you.

[Psyren]

It's hard to go wrong with Druid. But if you're alone, I would suggest to your GM that you be allowed to be a gestalt character. Monk//Druid and Ninja//Summoner are good combinations.

[Florian]

Spiritualists make quite good solo characters. Tanking pet, good buffs and healing abilities.
I agree with Psyren: Solo gaming only really works when using the Gestalt rules, with a combination of a "Pet Class" for the "passive side" and a rather "active class", i.e. Spititualist/Unchained Monk.

[Psyren]

Yes.

Monk is a bit of a hybrid - it's active in that it gives you a good use of your actions when spellcasting is not needed (flurry, combat maneuvers, ki powers, style strikes etc.) but it's passive in that it can give you significant AC and saving throw boosts (and HD depending on the combination) to get you through those low levels alive. Later on, it gives you even more passive defenses like immunity to poison and spell resistance. Naturally this makes it a good fit for nearly any gestalt that isn't trying to dump Wis and doesn't plan on wearing armor.

For the Ninja//Summoner - I would love to play an assassin with a pet Oni bound to him. You could do some pretty devilish things.

[noob]

Cleric all the way to victory?
Alternatively do that with druid?
Or maybe psionic wizard and then mind seed your familiar and make it use duplicate familiar on itself to make an army of yourselves.
Or be an ioun wyrd wizard and take yourself as a familiar then use duplicate familiar on yourself(and always spend all your money on using the 5000 gp gives 2 to int craft construct option)

[Buufreak]

Mystic Wildshape Ranger? Covers tons of fronts, and is generally fun to do if you aren't a fan of the full caster dealio.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

It's hard to go wrong with Druid.

My thoughts as well. You get healing magic, a good amount of options for other magic, your very own frontline fighter as a companion and if needed you can always cover the front yourself and let your companion retreat.

As far as martials and half casters go I think ranger or maybe rogue or barbarian (trap sense, dodge, no need to compromise her most important stats, good skill selection if only an average amount of skill points) has the best mix of survivability and utility. As long as you stay below level 8 or so those options should work.

[Rockphed]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned an out of the box bard. They can cast, are proficient with several weapons, and ignore asf on several armors. Also, they don't have to be spoony morons a la Elan.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned an out of the box bard. They can cast, are proficient with several weapons, and ignore asf on several armors. Also, they don't have to be spoony morons a la Elan.

They're very versatile, but a bunch of their options are for buffing your party, so you lose that part.

[noob]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned an out of the box bard. They can cast, are proficient with several weapons, and ignore asf on several armors. Also, they don't have to be spoony morons a la Elan.
Bards were super awesome in 3.5.(vast splatbook support and can have ninth level spells before level 17)
Bards are awesome in pathfinder.(so sad they no longer have an option for ninth level spells)
Bards are triple super awesome in 5e.(bardic music and ninths level spells without taking prcs)
So basically if you want to be super awesome I do not advise you to play pathfinder bard.

[Barstro]

and Hunters are basically just slightly more combat focused druids with better pets and worse spellcasting.

Add Inquisitor with Animal Domain.

[Psyren]

Add Inquisitor with Animal Domain.

With Feather subdomain and Boon Companion :smallsmile:

[Dagroth]

Mystic Wildshape Ranger? Covers tons of fronts, and is generally fun to do if you aren't a fan of the full caster dealio.

Add the Traphunter ACF to replace Tracking with Trapfinding & Search + Disable Device as class skills.

Edit: Add Sword of the Arcane Order & Moon Aspected (or Moon-something) to get Wizard spells & Wis-to-AC in light armor in place of your first combat style.

So yeah... Rangers, with the right ACFs/Builds/Alternates can fill virtually any niche.

[Barstro]

With Feather subdomain and Boon Companion :smallsmile:

I thought that was a given.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I second asking for gestalt; the rules are sort of made for very small campaigns.

If not (or even if!), I might suggest Alchemist. Or maybe Inquisitor, but Alchemist is probably stronger overall-- great self-buffing, fantastic skill utility, good options for melee (Beastmorph, Vivisectionist) and ranged ((Fast) Bombs or Vivisectionist), minionmancy (Alchemical Zombie, Preservationist), and Int can be used for, just, so many things.


Add the Traphunter ACF to replace Tracking with Trapfinding & Search + Disable Device as class skills.

Edit: Add Sword of the Arcane Order & Moon Aspected (or Moon-something) to get Wizard spells & Wis-to-AC in light armor in place of your first combat style.

So yeah... Rangers, with the right ACFs/Builds/Alternates can fill virtually any niche.
Shame that's not Pathfinder material.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

There ARE self-buffing bards, the nature of which makes them fairly unpopular for a party, but could work independently.

[Azoth]

Could always go with a MT build grab a super mount that abuses aid another, and an improved familiar to be a wand/scroll jockey. Snag dual 9ths, have a loyal beat stick, and a pocket caster.

I have a build lying around somewhere for this.I remember it starts off a little slow, but starts amping up pretty nicely in the mid levels.

[stanprollyright]

Anything with an animal companion can be good, since you have a free tank.

Personally, I'd go with a skillmonkey partial caster. Bard, Hunter, Inquisitor, Investigator, or something else that gets 6+ skill points per level. When you're by yourself you have a lot of utility to cover and you can't be using your limited spell slots on Charm Person when a simple Diplomacy check will do. Your spells are mostly for combat when it's a matter of life and death, but you can't be too reliant on them either. Anything with less than d8 HD and 3/4 BAB will be dead when their spells run out. Anything without spells at all will have a hard time doing something they aren't specifically prepared for.

[Kurald Galain]

There ARE self-buffing bards, the nature of which makes them fairly unpopular for a party, but could work independently.

Such as the Archaeologist, fittingly enough.

[Coretron03]

Such as the Archaeologist, fittingly enough.

Or a Dervish of Dawn, they gain double their inspire courage as a bonus to themselves. If your a Azata Blooded Aasimar (+Dex,+Cha) you have good stats and can use your favoured class bonus to increase your inspire courage and try to trade your spell-like for +2 dex (Option 20 on the table in the SRD in the Aasimar descreption) and take the feats master performer and grand master performer (Both increase inspire courage by 1, do a quick search for them) and maybe that item that increases inspire courage (Banner or something? you've got a free hand from using a scimitar anyway) and your set. At level 12 your looking at +14 to hit and damage as a swift action while getting free dex to hit and damage. Plus 4 levels of spellcasting.

Links
Dervish Of Dawn
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo-bard-archetypes/dawnflower-dervish/
Aasimar
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-aasimar/