What is your party composition?

[Kalshane]

Party in current game:

Human Cleric 4 /Paladin2 /Fist of Raziel 2
Hobgoblin Rogue 3 /Cleric 3 /"Divine Trickster" 2
Elf Bard 8
Human Rogue 8
Elf Wizard/Fighter/Swashbuckler/Bladesinger (not sure of levels)
Human Ranger 1/Wizard 6/Horizon Walker 1
Spellscale Rogue 2/Sorcerer 6

For me the ideal party (or at least the one I place the most in the ToEE game) is:

Half-Elven Bard x/Fighter 1 focusing in Archery (Party faceman, booster, backup healer)

Human Paladin w/ great sword and Cleave chain (frontline fighter, backup healer/debuff remover)

Human Fighter w/ Glaive or Dwarf Fighter with Waraxe (frontline fighter, damage sponge)

Human Rogue w/TWF and Weapon Finesse (does roguey stuff. I prefer the bonus feat, and skill points and higher movement a human rogue gets over the Halfling racial bonuses)

Human Cleric (War and Good Domains. War lets him help backup the frontliners and Good gives him Holy Smite at 7th level.)

Elven Wizard or Sorcerer (makes things go kaboom and can use a longbow as a good fallback weapon)

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Three Groups:

(1) Warforged Artificer 4, Half-Orc Ranger 4, River Spirit Folk Shugenja 4, Human Fighter/Rogue 2/2.

(2) Half-Ogre Fighter 1, Human Paladin 1, Human Cleric 1, Gnome Spellthief 1, Halfling Warmage 1.

(3) Dwarf Cleric 8, Avariel Sorcerer/Favored Soul 4/3, Fey'ri Bard 7, Elven Skirmisher/Sorcerer 4/4, Human Druid/? 8, Human Ranger/Rogue 4/4.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I don't have any conception of an 'ideal' party, I just like everyone to play something they are having fun with!

Our current party in the worlds largest dungeon is a group of gestalts:

paladin-bard
fighter-sorcerer
cleric-monk
ranger-rogue
wizard-psion

Our current party in 'the evil campaign'

druid 10
ranger 11/ftr1
fighter 10
psion 10
barb6/rog3
Monk 9
psychic warrior 8

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Again the questions are:
What is your current party composition?
What do you think an ideal party composition (for 4 players, and 6 players)

I'm currently in an on-again, off-again low-magic DnD world as a player. (The DM made the necessary adjustments for low magic instead of just assuming ignoring the problem makes it go away.) As a result, there are no full casters and is pointless for this thread.

I could go into my D20 Modern group, but again probably pointless for this thread.

Ideal is the core four for four players. Adding a partial healer (eg bard. paladin or druid) as a fifth PC is great (keep from stressing out the cleric by farming out in-combat healing chores); bard is good for the buffing, but many players won't want to play a bard. Sixth can be basically anything, even "copying" another PC's role.

 

[Zaruthustran]

My living greyhawk party:

Wood elf fighter2/rogue1/scout1/ranger3/wild runner1/shadowdancer3
Gnome Sorcerer (mostly illusion spells) 9
Human druid 10
Human Paladin 9

Paladin's cohort: Human Cleric 6
Shadowdancer's shadow companion: Shadow (2 HD)
Druid's companion: varies, usually some big bear that likes to grapple

I play the elf with commitment issues. He has spring attack, power attack, a two-handed weapon with reach, Hide in Plain Sight, and a Hide skill in the 30's, so given enough time he can solo most creatures that lack blindsense. Heck, against critters that lack magic weapons and spells (low levels, animals, magical beasts, even some outsiders) we just send the shadow companion right through the wall or door and let it kill the monster alone. Incorporeality and touch attack Str damage for the win.

As a group we tend to be pretty effective. We have all the classic bases covered (stealth, tank, divine, arcane) and all the pets (cohort, animal companion, paladin horse, shadow companion) add plenty of firepower. Survivability is helped by the sorcerer's habit of summoning illusionary allies and sending them in first to soak up high level attack spells, and that everyone but the gnome can use a wand of cure light wounds.

However, we do sometimes miss having a "real" arcanist (utility spells like Teleport, etc.).

-z

 

[Tian Zi]

I DM for this group of 5 in a home world Red Hand of Doom campaign:

Duhan Davey: Dwarf Thief 7: Huge Con, he actually fills the Tank role pretty good because...

Derganhilder: Dwarf Barbarian 2/Druid 5: Not sure if he's ever summoned anything. Likes to Shapechange for scouting/movement. Tends to cast Shillelegah and Rage into combat, leaving party behind and ignoring the plan set by...

Lt. Titus: Human Fighter 6/"Commander" 1*: High Cha and Int, is the official combat leader by rank. Has Leadership and a +2 Defending Greatsword. Misses tragically often. Cohort will be a Bard I wager, or Ranger.

Sryah the Seductive Favored Soul of Sune: Human Favored Soul 7: Huge Cha & slightly lower Wis. Has she ever healed anybody? Without a tithe? Has Augment Summoning and does so often. Also casts Searing Light w/ abandon.

Ben-Ben: Aasimar Radiant Servant of (Pelor) 7: The healer and Lt. Titus' bodyguard.

*Commander PrC is a homebrew taking CFX from D&D Mini's and adding them to D&D. Works ok. WOuld work better if the Dru-darian would stay w/in 30'.

The other campaign I play in has just 3 PC's, but we are experienced. Forgotten Realms

Karolar Starlight: Human Paladin 9:
Saestor Sunseri: Wild Elf Druid 7/nentyar Hunter 2: Me.
Ashlar Stingstar: Humans Cleric of... the god that supports Paladins:

This group has massive Wis (lowest 16) and abyssmal Int (highest 8, the Paladin). That said we kick some a** in combat... big HP's, big damage, big AC's, Paladin's Horse, Druid's Animal Companion/Meat Shield... and we can all heal when the trap goes off of a Fireball catches us. Druid has area of effect spells and Track to handle most outdoor situations. Clearly not much for skills, but the 2 Humans have big Cha and social skills. For the record, the Paladin is the trap... "disarmer."

 

[Corsair]

Game 1

• Lyrien Delanial - female middle aged Grey Elf Wiz 7 / Loremaster 6 (soon to be archmage 1, me!)
• cohort: Areni Delanial, female Grey Elf Cleric 11 (Travel / War. Will be leaving soon, I'm retraining leadership into Skill Focus: Spellcraft)
• Amber Glitterdust - female Pixie Rogue 4 / Wiz 5 / Arcane Trickster 1 (decided to take wizard levels AFTER getting rogue 4)
• cohort: Raptor, male human druid 12 (no personality, never talks, pretty much exists for the sole purpose of giving Amber's player more power. Part of the reason I'll be ditching my cohort)
• Blair Vesparden - female gnome Summoner # / Wizard # / Homebrew PrC # (Total character level 14. Can cast 5th level wizard spells. Summoner is a homebrew class that allows summoning of individual unique creatures, a la FF aeons. PrC advances wiz casting and summoner summons)
• cohort: Unknown, male human wu-jen 12 (ANOTHER cohort being added to the game for no reason other than to boost the original players power. Now I feel dirty for bringing the first cohort into the game. Hence why I am re-training the feat.)
• Jord - Male middle aged human Barbarian 1 / Fighter 11 (A grizzled veteran of many wars, a mercenary yes, but one who only fights for righteous causes)

Game 2, same DM

• Theodore Greypeak, male human druid 12 (Me again! My first high-ish level druid ever. Primarily a summoner)
• Tam, male human cleric # / rogue # / Shadowbane stalker (CL 12, don't know exact splits. Persistant divine metamagic and nightsticks.)
• Wan Fe Hung, male illumian bard 1 / Warmage 12 (UMD + Blasting. Carries way too many scrolls and wands, so his turns take forever)
• Raef (forget his last name), male human Fighter # / Cleric # / Fist of Raziel # (CL 11, again not sure of exact splits. Has a belt of permanent enlarging. Likes to hit stuff)

 

[Wrathamon]

Game I play in

Dwarf - Ranger 3 / Cleric 3 / Deepwarden 2 / Battlesmith 1 / Hammer of Moradin 9
Human - Warmage 4 / Cleric 3 / Mystic Theurge 10
Halfling - Psion 17
Hobgoblin - Dragon Shaman 16 (was recently a Drow Rogue 8 / Scout 1 / Divine Seeker 5).

Game I play in

Human - Rogue 1 / Bard 1 / Marshal 1 / Master Inquisitive 3
Shifter - Barbarian 3 / Ranger 3
Human - Scout 6
Elf - Arcanist 6
Warforged - Fighter 6
Half Giant - Psionic Warrior 6
(We had another player Gnome Artificer 3 but he had to quit. I believe this game was up to 8 players at one point).

Game I run
Warforged - Crusader 5 / Warforged Juggernaut 3
Changeling - Warlock 5 / Binder 3
Human - Artificer 5 / Dragon Prophet 3
Gnome - Rogue 8
Shifter - Druid 8 (but was recently a Warforged Scout - Lurk 8)
(we had another player - Human - Paladin 3 / Bard 3 but he had to quit)

Forgot one
Gnoll - Druid 1
Human - Cleric 2
Warforged - Barbarian 1 / Fighter 1
Human - Rogue 2
Human - Warmage 2

 

[Aeric]

Human cleric 5
Human warlock 5
Human rogue 4/monk 1
Half-elf fighter 5
drow swashbuckler 2/fighter 2/scout 1 (yes, I am the oddball)

We had a human bard 3 (level-drained from 4 by a vampire) up until last session, when the player had to drop out due to schedule conflicts. No word yet on whether or not we will be adding another player...most of us like the smaller group, but the DM insists that the adventure (Shackled City) calls for 6 PCs.

 

[NiTessine]

In my current Planescape game...

1. Rock gnome psion (telepath) 3.
2. Lightfoot halfling druid 3.
3. Human wizard 1/cleric 1 of Azuth.
4. Human monk 3.
5. Half-elf bard 3.

I think the ideal party composition for a 4-member group is fighter, cleric, wizard (not a sorcerer - the wizard's high Int and Knowledge class skills are invaluable), and rogue. These may be varied a bit as long as there's someone to perform the same basic roles. These are pretty established, anyway.

For six guys... same as above, plus ranged support (ranger, a second fighter, or scout) and a secondary caster (bard, hexblade, spellthief, maybe even binder).