Pair of Characters working well together

[Ostler]

I'm looking for ideas for a pair of characters.

I'm trying to find combinations of classes that would compliment each other well. Such as siblings that have always worked together to overcome problems in their lives.

Sort of like a fighter/devoted defender working with a wizard. The wizard buffs the fighter, the fighter protects the wizard.

Any other ideas for partners that work well (best?) together?

Thanks

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Sort of like a fighter/devoted defender working with a wizard. The wizard buffs the fighter, the fighter protects the wizard.

Any other ideas for partners that work well (best?) together?

well, depends on what they want to do together, obviously...

a ranger/bard team that acted as bounty hunter types might be cool - the bard is the face and the city investigation, the ranger is the muscle and the tracker...

kahuna burger

 

[Vaen]

Or the Druid / Druid combo. You have so much versatility in the Druid that one can compliment the other very easily. Same as Cleric / Cleric.

If you let us in on some background of why you'd like to see these two be complimentary... and in what area, then we can get some things out.

Do you want combat efficiency? If so, is that melee, ranged, casting or a combo of all? Do you care about stealthy combat or other circumstantial scenarios?

Are you looking for a great duo for city-adventures? The noble swashbuckling ROG + worldly mid-class CLR would bring you a good compliment of skills, spells and combat versatility.

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

Okay - what two classes would NOT pair up extremely nicely? Are you looking for class duos that work well or are you looking for RP backgrounds that lead into a pair of character concepts that work well together?

Like wizard and apprentice for wiz/wiz duo
Or Thief and Thug for rog/fig duo?

 

[Ostler]

My wife an I are creating characters for a campaign. Primarily wilderness, starting with a quest to rescue a duke's kidnapped daughter. We thought it would be interesting to play a pair of character that have a long history together, possibly sibling, such that they have adapted themselves to complment each others skill. I'm also looking at creating a team of NPC for a game I run. That team would likely be combat focused.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Keep them coming.

 

[Nifft]

So many good combos...

Bard + Paladin (good lookin' diplomats)
Bard + Wizard (arcane might)
Bard + Druid (diplomats to the Fey)

Rogue + Ranger (masters of ambush)
Rogue + Monk (flank & spank)
Rogue + Wizard (dirty tricks abound)

Barbarian + Monk (we can run REALLY FAST!)
Barbarian + Druid (outdoorsmen)

Sorcerer + Specialist Wizard (limited spell selection MASTERS!)

Ranger + Wizard (hunter & howitzer)
Paladin + Wizard (you want to summon a WHAT?)
Druid + Wizard (no, you can't ride me)

Mystic Theurge + Eldrich Knight (lots of low-CR encounters?)
Arcane Trickster + Fighter/Cleric (full house!)
Shadowdancer + Arcane Archer (they never saw us coming)

Telepath + Bard (your mind is MINE!)

-- N

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

My wife an I are creating characters for a campaign. Primarily wilderness, starting with a quest to rescue a duke's kidnapped daughter. We thought it would be interesting to play a pair of character that have a long history together, possibly sibling, such that they have adapted themselves to complment each others skill. I'm also looking at creating a team of NPC for a game I run. That team would likely be combat focused.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Keep them coming.

I GM'd for two married couples once - and they pulled some good tricks on me

One married couple were a couple of rogues (male/female) that had married in the game as well... They had some very detailed backgrounds (2-4 page range) detailing how they had grown up as childhood sweethearts, ran in the same street gang, joined the guild together (over time) and eventually got married.

Most devastating combat I had ever seen, as well as the best diplomats/gather info pair.

Their combat ability got overshadowed when the other married couple got into the idea. Ever see a Cleric of Kor teaming up with a barbarian? Supposedly, when he was a young cleric doing low-level missionary work in a barbarian village, he adopted a small barbarian female as his daughter when she was orphaned by her parents death on a big hunt. He raised her, and she raised him, and they stuck together through thick and thin.

She had a 20 str at first level. He had buff spells by 5th level. Frightening thing to see a raging barb with a great sword her cleric FATHER standing right behind her

But almost any combo of classes would work and be very effective. Rough Fighter + Scholarly Mage Artificer would be nice - the mage to create magic items for the fighter, etc. Make it a sorc and be creative

Try two mounted fighters - there's a lot you can do mounted that's highly effective. Make it two fig/rog's mounted, and you've got tremendous combat potential...

Make it two wizards and choose complimentary spells and share them

There's a lot you can do with that .

 

[MarauderX]

Not sure what level you are starting at, but a sorcerer/monk partnership works well too. Sorcerer adds mage armor to the monk before he enters melee to increase his AC, and the sorcerer can stand back and launch ranged spells at opponents. Or you could swap out the sorcerer for a cleric who casts silence and bulls strength on the monk before he jumps into action within 15' of any casters. Add in the curing abilities and the monk becomes a better front line fighter that could trip opponents to make it easier for the cleric to whack. Rogue/rogue would be ok for flanking and scouting together, but you would probably have to multiclass each one to add either spells(wizard, bard, etc) or durability (fighter).

Overall I think you are gonna end up with a caster/non-caster relationship where you can act like a good team to scout or fight.

 

[takyris]

Man, I was gonna say "Bard and Ranger", but everyone in the whole world beat me to it.

Okay, how about an Odd Couple relationship that still works from a power standpoint?

Cleric/Fighter (or Paladin) and Rogue (or Bard)


They could be knowing antagonists, attacking the way that they each do business but banding together immediately as soon as any external threat manifests itself. Or it could be a Don Quixote & Sancho Panza kind of relationship, the dumb paladin constantly getting into scrapes that the wily rogue has to use his wits to help fix.

In a two-character game, it's important, I think, that:

- Everybody have better than wizard BAB progression.
- Everybody have SOME ability to at least use magical devices, if not actual spellcasting ability (paladins and rangers can use wands, and rogues and bards can Use Magic Device).
- If you don't want to go with the above rule, go with the somewhat more flexbile "Everyone should fulfill more than one role" -- a 2-person campaign is no place for a one-purpose focused character like a single-classed fighter. Monks and barbarians can get by on their skills if they have to, though, and even a rogue without Use Magic Device can be flexible enough to be useful in almost all situations.

Those are just my random thoughts. I'm open to being told I'm full of it.

 

[roguerouge]

Hmm... I'm assuming that you want some cooperation characteristics but each character has their chance to shine. I'd recommend avoiding the "one character buffs the other" concept. If it's not your thing it gets old real quick. I'm going to include prestige classes here, as it can be fun to know what you're building to...

Bard and Barbarian (beauty and the beast)
Forsaker and Sorcerer/Mage (constant clash of perspectives)
Tamer of Beasts and Summoner or Enchanter (The Mob: you'll never be bored. Frazzled, maybe.)
Dwarf and Elf (LotR)
Halfling and Half-Orc (humorous love interest?)
Drow and Elf (racial squabbling can be risky but rewarding)
Half-Ogre and halfling
Cleric and Cleric (Anything you can do, I can do better)

You could do it by ability scores (one player puts his three best stats in STR/DEX/CON and the other does the opposite)
By alignment (LN vs. CN; LG vs. LG; CG vs. LG)
Have each of you roleplay the other's gender

Character background: estranged siblings who have to travel together for a period of time to inherit something; Odd Couple (orc mud-bather and fastidious elf); Grandparent and grandchild; Druid and awakened animal companion (who's in charge here?); Not if you were the last one on earth (outsiders have taken over your homeland; you really are the last two of your race/nationality).

And, the classic: Princess and commoner.

roguerouge