Optimization potential: Builds you would play if they weren't so suboptimal

[ccs]

D&D Fighter / Wizard combos.

Basic had the Elf class that did both and was so obviously full of multiple other classes' goodies, that you would want an all-Elf party and buy / retain a good-quality Thief to cover the few things that you could not do.

And by Thief you actually meant Cleric.
Because anything a Thief could acomplish via poo %s anyone else could pretty much duplicate with player creativity. Or a round or two extra of combat if your thinking of backstab.
But if you want any magical healing....

 

[Riley37]

We need to figure out a way for a character and all of their summons not to take up more time on their turn then any other character.

What's worked for me: give control of the summoned creatures, to other players. The summoner PC can still give orders, as per each spell, but the player at the table who moves the counters, rolls the dice, and tells the GM what came up on the dice, is any willing player *other* than the summoner.

 

[CTurbo]

If I ever roll silly high stats I'm gonna play a Monk/Paladin

 

[Blue]

What's worked for me: give control of the summoned creatures, to other players. The summoner PC can still give orders, as per each spell, but the player at the table who moves the counters, rolls the dice, and tells the GM what came up on the dice, is any willing player *other* than the summoner.

That just made my house rules list. That's brilliant. It keeps doesn't increase player down time even with more creatures.

(Well, it still can increase it if there are less summons then players for those without, but still.)

 

[Joshua Randall]

4e.

Swordmage / Barbarian, without the shady rules interpretations necessary to pull this off (i.e. the 'Bookish Barbarian' from the old CharOpt forum is a little too rules-bendy for me).

Cavaliers in general. Because riding a silver dragon into combat is *freakin' epic*, but man is this class overshadowed by any competently built Paladin.

Rogue / Sorcerer that doesn't suffer from the usual striker/striker problems. Also I'd like to be able to use a rapier for reasons (and yeah, I can just say my dagger is a rapier but it isn't as satisfying, y'know?).

Any character built around slowing and immobilizing, if those actually mattered. Slowed doesn't matter because lolslowed, and Immobilized doesn't matter because all the melee dudes in the party are just going to run up to the immobilized monster anyway. And/Or the monsters all have ranged attacks anyway. But I've always wanted to play some kind of cold-themed 'chill you (slow) / freeze you (immob)' build and have it not suck.

 

[Maezor]

A roguish character that doesn't know Thieves' Cant.
A monk without the Mobile feat.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

A roguish character that doesn't know Thieves' Cant.
A monk without the Mobile feat.

Both are easily done in 5e. The druken master and the open hand monk don't really rely on mobile as they eithrr deny reactions or disengage for.
Rogue without thief's cant: bard.
Or urchin/criminal with a dex based class like shadow monk or fighter.

 

[MichaelSomething]

A Gunslinger/Monk in Pathfinder

 

[Gavin O.]

I would love to play an Oathbreaker/Necromancer Animate Dead build if it didn't require a 7-level dip into a class who's abilities key off a wizard's dump stats.

 

[Growing Brains]

Aasimar celestial warlock/sorc in AL
Beastmaster
Monk any flavor
Eladrin bladelock/bladesinger in AL