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Ifthir
Learned Scribe
USA
111 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 07:09:45
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I was arguing with a friend in an inebriated state and we were loudly debating whose dungeon crawl group would do better.
He was stating a specific Evil based party, whilst I was favoring a party of elves or possibly armored knights with wizard support, but it got me wondering.
If you could pick a 4 PC, ~10th level for each character total, what would be your proverbial 'dream team' if the fate of the world depended on your dungeon crawl succeeding?
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 08:16:41
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My supremely effective team from my original gaming group was (and their rough equivalent at 10ish level, according to my best guess):
1. Male human dual-class fighter 8/wizard 10 (2e), fighter 1/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4 (3.5), aegis of shielding swordmage 10 (4e)--spells mostly used for enhancing fighting abilities, mostly in a defensive way. 18th or 19th level, where we ended up, he'd be rocking a 40, 45 AC when he got going. Technically, he was a dual-wielder (twin longswords) with a defender sword in his off-hand, but in 4e he'd probably be using a single sword.
2. Male half-giant [Dark Sun] fighter 10 (2e), fighter 10 (3.5), tempest fighter 10 (4e)--super big strength, hit things really hard, favored weapons: scimitar of sharpness + maul of the titans. (Occasionally, that player couldn't make it, and he'd be replaced by a dwarf axe-and-shield fighter who favored constitution over strength.)
3. Male elf ranger 10 (2e), barbarian 4/ranger 6 (3.5), two-blade ranger 10 (4e)--dual-wield scimitars (yeah, yeah, start the Drizzt jokes now--not my character), wish-enhanced strength, 2e house rules for "attacking with rage" (which translate pretty well as barbarian rage in 3.5--at least in my opinion; there's some debate among our group about this subject, but I'm listing it that way 'cuz I think it's cool).
4. Female elf thief 10 (2e), rogue 3/fighter 2/assassin 5 (3.5), aerialist/artful dodger rogue 10 (4e)--dual-wield combat focused thief, saber and dagger, couldn't build her accurately in 3.5 without a couple levels of fighter for the bonus feats and good fighting abilities.
I was usually the DM, and this party always seemed to succeed, no matter what I threw at them. (Also, you can tell they were originally a 2e party, where dual-wielding was the thing to do.)
You'd think a little more divine support would have been useful, but it never really seemed essential. I'll allow that this may have resulted from an emphasis on "fun" rather than "game mechanics," and for a well balanced group through a dungeon crawl, I would probably change the single-classed fighter to a multi-class fighter/cleric or at least a paladin.
On that note, it bears observation that our half-giant was a vampire slayer by profession, so he had a number of divine devices for healing or turning undead, etc.
Cheers
EDIT: Chris Rowe inspired me to add in 4e stats. We'd be a terribly balanced 4e party, with two defenders and two strikers, though I suppose you could remake our swordmage into a wizard who goes the spiral tower route. These specs are just guess work, as my group has been broken up about six years now. |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
Edited by - Erik Scott de Bie on 04 Jan 2009 22:04:19 |
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Zanan
Senior Scribe
Germany
942 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 09:48:26
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... but did they use the fighting rules for tight quarters, as given in Underdark or Drow of the Underdark, as we speak of Dungeon Crawl'ing?  |
Cave quid dicis, quando et cui!
Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!
In memory of Alura Durshavin.
Visit my "Homepage" to find A Guide to the Drow NPCs of Faerûn, Drow and non-Drow PrC and much more. |
Edited by - Zanan on 03 Jan 2009 09:49:22 |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 10:59:48
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My Dream team would be:
1. Thri-kreen (Dark Sun) male Ranger 6 (3.5)- Super at tracking, can jump far distances and has nasty natural attacks and innate psionics that are devastating if forced to fight close quarters. Would have all the multi-weapon fighting feats as a variant for being a ranger path.
2. Human male Monk 10 with Vow of Poverty feat [Book of Exhalted Deeds] (3.5) - If you seen how cheap the abilities you get for doing this combined with the monks already super abilities you have an unstoppable killing machine. Take feats that deal with close quarters fighting and grappling as well as dodging.
3. Human male Paladin 8 Saint [Book of Exhalted Deeds] of Helm (3.5) - Bastard sword and heavy steel shield with combat expertise and feats that utilize sword and shield combo and defense. Three feats will be dedicated to gaining of the template that need to be exhalted feats but being a human takes some of the edge off of that hurting the feat selection. If built correctly, no one will pass this paladin in full-plate with the assistance of the other two.
4. Gnome male Rogue 1/Wizard: Speciality Illusionist 9 (3.5) - Take a feat called Learned [Mongoose supplement book line] to pick up three skills (feat gives three cross-class skills as class skills) as class skills always. Pick disable device, search, and open lock and always keep them at max. Then devote feats to maximize your illusionist spells DCs and spell penetration with feats as high as you can get them. Take the wondrous item creation feat and magic arms and armor to craft guns from lantan and have lots of smoke powder in a bag of holding and/or Heward's Handy Haversack. Feel free to craft grenades with craft alchemy as well as other alchemical goodies. Also be equiped with a dispel magic wand and scrolls and Exotic Proficiency (firearms). Probably the most important character in the group for the pure fact illusions are very good at hiding you from most creatures considering they must first interact with the illusion to get a save to disbelieve. Also with three minor healers in the group it more than makes up for the lack of a cleric. Plus coupled with greater invisibility spell the gnome can fire his pistol without fear and can move to reload behind cover unseen, and toss around grenade weapons and use his alchemical supplies for controlling the battlefield.
And that would be my team I would assemble to save the day. Cheap? Sure is, but hey you'd save the world in the end.
~Ghost King~
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Edited by - Ghost King on 03 Jan 2009 11:11:55 |
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dwarvenranger
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 17:20:47
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1. Dwarven Barbarian 1/Fighter 4/Battlerager 5 carrying a dwarven buckler axe and wielding a large goliath greathammer
2. Dwarven Cleric 5/Ordained Champion 5 (Clangeddin) carrying a light shield and wielding a dwarven waraxe
3. Dwarven Fighter 1/Wizard 4/Runesmith 5 with a dwarven warpike
4. Dwarven Rogue 2/Ranger 4/Dark Hunter 4 with a great crossbow |
If I waited till I knew what I was doing, I'd never get anything done.
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 20:55:53
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This is a lot tougher than it sounds! So many ways to approach it. I'm going at it from an epic stories perspective, and I'm gonna cheat by edging up to 11th level so I can use paragon paths. All these folks would be trained in Dungeoneering.
- Wizard of the Spiral Tower--Eladrin wizard, heavy on rituals in the Divination, Exploration, and Scrying categories, Evereska
- Doomguide--Human priest/ess of Kelemvor, Sword Coast
- Arena Champion--Earthsouled Genasi barbarian with some arena fighting stuff from Dragon 368, Calimshan
- Ghost of Eventide--Half-elf rogue from the Gray Vale
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Edited by - Christopher_Rowe on 03 Jan 2009 20:57:01 |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2009 : 21:24:47
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don't like heavy combat oriented adventures, our group probably wouldn't last, the rules and abilities of characters more depend on their stories
right now the group is (started two months ago, at the 3rd lvl. messing with some minor Zhents in Skull George and Iriaebor)
noviere-ghaele-coure eladrin rogue 4 (of the Free League) from Arvandor (plane of Playlife)
human arcanist 4 (Dustmen, cleric, warlock, skillful with negative energy) from the Western Heartlands (Talfirian)
uldra arcanist 4 (cryomancer, and ''frozen word'' runes) from Hartsvale
gold dwarf arcanist 4 (binder, cleric of Abbathor, has contacts in the Aurum) of Helmstar
half-elf rogue 4 (plus tracking skills, bard, great singer, connected with the Moonstars) from Iriaebor
tiefling (Chamada ancestry) arcanist 4 (dabbling in alchemy, psionic talent) of Spandeliyon
the warrior of the group, in fact monk from Malatra, died
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2009 : 22:41:50
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* Halfling rogue 4/paladin 6 in light armor with sling and short sword
* Elf ranger 3/wizard 7 with bow and longsword and no armor (relying on defensive spells for AC)
* Dwarf barbarian 10 in medium armor with twin hand axes and a great axe
* Gnome rogue 6/cleric 4 in light armor with light mace and hand crossbow
There's good melee & ranged combat potential all around with some light divine spellcasting, moderate arcane spellcasting, two rogues of levels 4 and 6. Skillwise, I'd rely on the halfling for listening, spotting, and sneaking up on monsters and the gnome to locate and disable traps and open locks. Any doors that can't be opened by skill or magic, the dwarf will be called on to knock down or hack through. In combat, the dwarf takes the role of tank while the halfling angles for optimal position and the elf & gnome attack at range with arrows & bolts, buffing with spells as needed. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
Edited by - Nerfed2Hell on 04 Jan 2009 22:42:56 |
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sneakypetev
Acolyte
USA
24 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2009 : 18:31:12
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| I lean more to combat & healing; Aasimar Paladin (10th)/Gold Dwarf Cleric (10)/ Elven Ranger (5)/Rogue (5),( Ranged)/Human Wizard (10), all purpose. |
"Go for the eyes boo,go for the eyes!"- Minsc |
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Ionik Knight
Learned Scribe
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2009 : 17:16:20
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Human RangerGiant-Killer armed with Flametongue and Frostbrand
Human ClericMorninglord
Halfling FighterThief
Elf FighterWizardBladesinger |
Fools to right of them,
Jesters to left of them,
Clowns in front of them
Pun'd and parody'd. |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2009 : 18:12:53
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This was the group we took through the City of the Spider Queen module, following a near-TPK at the outpost:
Human Cleric (combat oriented: Strength and Destruction domains; mace of disruption)
Human Paladin
Halfling Rogue
Gnome Sorceror (Spell focus: Evocation)
Very basic configuration. Not good for sneaking, but we could throw down some hurt.
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3286 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2009 : 22:46:35
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-Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Rogue. 
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Neil Bishop
Learned Scribe
Singapore
100 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2009 : 06:01:12
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For 3.5E, four druids or three druids and one cleric (for the find traps spell).
No, I am not joking. Druids can out-blast a wizard, out-fight a fighter, out-sneak a rogue and come close to healing like a cleric. Unlike a monk, jack-of-all-trades and master of none, the druid just rocks in every role. |
Regards
NXB |
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Ifthir
Learned Scribe
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 02:22:55
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An evil (3.5E) group that would do well, imho. (This presumes they don't kill one another in the process)
1. Male Orog Fighter6/FrenziedBerserker2 - Min/Maxed STR and CON For crushing things that need to go splat and having the HP to get to them. Dumb as a brick so he can be controlled easily by #3
2. Female Shade Rogue6 - For sneaking into anywhere and getting back to the group alive to tell us what is ahead. Female because they are way sneakier than men 
3. Mature Adult Phaerimm Sorcerer4 - One of the last things anyone wants to see in a dungeon.
4. Male Mind Flayer Psion3 - Psionics is just plain nasty, and underdefended against. |
Edited by - Ifthir on 09 Jan 2009 02:26:14 |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3286 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2009 : 08:13:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Neil Bishop
For 3.5E, four druids or three druids and one cleric (for the find traps spell).
No, I am not joking. Druids can out-blast a wizard, out-fight a fighter, out-sneak a rogue and come close to healing like a cleric. Unlike a monk, jack-of-all-trades and master of none, the druid just rocks in every role.
-Yes a party with CODZILLA(Cleric or Druidzilla) in it will rock the house.
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Best 4 PC dungeon-crawl group?
