Good 2 man teams

[Psyhcobable]

A friend and I are lacking on players and somtimes we make adventures for just the two of us to go on but we have trouble coming up with good teams. Does anyone have any 2 man team class combinations
i guess with the 4 man cell you have
Arcane caster-for control
Divine caster-for heals (and tanking in some cases)
Fighter type-for damage
Rogue-for skill monkey

What would be two classes that can cover eachother and get far in an adventure together.

Mayby Ranger for (skill monkey+damage

and a Cleric/sorcerer? i dont know about this one i supose the first level would be cleric in magic domain and grab a wand of healing then go sorcerer till you can get into mystic thurge or however you might go about it... i dont have the book in front of me.

Give me your ideas :

 

[Dragonwriter]

First off, there is the Gestalt option, located in Unearthed Arcana and right here. With that option, characters can fill multiple roles rather easily.

Second, what books do you use? In later supplements, there were several classes that could help out.

Just going off Core, a Druid and a Rogue could probably make an effective/powerful team. The Druid provides healing, another warrior (animal companion), support spells and summons buddies, while the Rogue can Tumble around, flanking with summons and dish out sneak attacks.
If Druid isn't a preference (which I can understand), Cleric can do healing, support and melee combat, again with pretty much anything along for assistance.

Out of Core, we have the Binder (Tome of Magic) for a jack-of-all-trades/semi-skillmonkey. The Dragon Shaman (Player's Handbook 2) is an excellent support class, and its' Vigor aura is a real life-saver (I play one, and have saved every warrior in the campaign at some point over the past year and a half). The Tome of Battle classes make good warriors along with some hard-hitting and support abilities (Crusader can heal, Swordsage can do some skillmonkey stuff, Warblade has some skills and good damage maneuvers). And the Incarnate and Totemist (Magic of Incarnum) can do pretty much anything, with a little preparation.

Of course, with adventures for only 2 character as opposed to 4, the CR system must be tweaked. 2 characters have a much harder time, and should be facing lower-CR enemies than normal.

So, there's my first thoughts. I hope they were helpful.

EDIT: By the way, welcome to ENWorld.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I would also recommend the gestalt option for a smaller than normal party.

When gestalting, I would suggest making one side a full spellcaster (cleric, druid, wizard) and the other side something else (fighter, rogue, ranger, babrarian, etc.)

When planning encounters for the smaller than normal party, remember that the action economy will often be working against them (i.e. they will have only two sets of actions versus somewhat more than that from the bad-guys). So you will often want to make their encounters be slightly easier (Average Party Level -1 or -2).

 

[freebiewitz]

Well you could always convince your DM to have a theme to his campaign like undead in which case you and your friend play cleric and paladin.
If it's an undisclosed game then try out the book of nine swords, there's the sword sage who's good and AOE spells, sneak attacks and tanking in general (Or am I thinking of the warblade?)

Anyhow the class is in the book of nine swords, very versitile combat wise.
Druid is also good, just make him remeber heal spells and when you need to make him spontaneously cast summons. Also eventually he can turn into other animals, just turn into a polar bear and BAM STR UP THE WAZOO!

 

[Nifft]

While I agree that the Druid and Rogue are both very versatile, I fear a group of those two PCs might play too much like Angel Summoner and the BMX Bandit.

I'd suggest a Druid and a Cloistered Cleric (which always has the Knowledge domain, plus Travel and Trickery). That covers most spells you'll need, and many you'll merely want. The Cloistered Cleric gets 6 skill points/level, and each of those Domains expands his Cleric skill list. Both of them can heal, so you're never in the dreaded situation where the healer goes down, and therefore the whole party is dead.

Also, they're both damn powerful, so you have big guns to unload when the going gets rough.

- - -

Other dudes who are almost, but not quite, as tough and versatile as the Cloistered Cleric:
- Psion (see d20srd)
- Swordsage (ToB:Bo9S)
- Battle Sorcerer (variant in d20srd)

Cheers, -- N

 

[Herobizkit]

While I agree that the Druid and Rogue are both very versatile, I fear a group of those two PCs might play too much like Angel Summoner and the BMX Bandit.

I've never heard of AS+BB before.. what a riot!

Turn your TV on and check out the classic smart guy/strong guy dynamic. Xena and Gabrielle. Hercules and Iolaus. John Sheppard and Rodney. Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson.

But, if you don't like that dynamic, yeah, definitely either two non-spellcasters or two spellcasters... in this way, neither outshines the other and both players can contribute equally to any situation.

I second the Cloistered Cleric variant.

Plus, hired goons.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

With just two characters the DM really should give some background or at least base the campaign around what you design. Its just too difficult to survive and a total shot in the dark.

If it is a total shot in the dark then you need great versatility and power. I would go with a Psion (workers great at a blaster and can heal well just with a couple powers) and someone as the muscle. Safe answer is Paladine or Fighter based on campaign. More versatility might be a monk whose maneuverability can be useful in a small party.

But like I said, any two toons should work because the campaign should really be designed around them.

 

[Antariuk]

I agree with Rogue and Druid/Cleric. You will have martial power, skills and spellcasting without being a glass cannon. What immediately comes to my mind is the Complete Adventurer supplement and those two PrCs Shadowbane Inquisitor and Shadowbane Stalker, who are even presented as a working duo. They are rogue-heavy, but I just love them (they may be restricted and not suitable for a lot of campaigns, but thats where a DM's creative power kicks in).

EDIT: 1st posting, so hello to ENworld from a former lurker

 

[Freakohollik]

Gotta go with Druid and Wizard. Pretty much the undisputed two best classes in 3e. Cleric and wizard would also be good because of the cleric's tanking ability, but the druid's animal companion will be really useful in a small party.

Have to strongly disagree with rogue. The rogue can't take enough hits or deal out fighter level damage consistently. You can disarm traps, but it's not worth the loss of combat ability compared to fighter. Also, druid can use summon nature's ally 1 and sacrifice animals. You might be able to do something cool with rogue if you can make it to assassin.

Fully agree with gestalt characters. Great option, lots of fun in small doses. Some good combos are cleric/druid, cleric/wizard, fighter/psion, and paladin/wilder. The option is in Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Herzog]

I have a reasonably good experience with these two combinations:

1. Cleric + Rogue.
Cleric focussed on healing and combat (filling in for the fighter).
The rogue in this case was a new player, and the campaign didn't last long enough, but could have filled in for the arcane caster with UMD.

2. Druid + Wizard/Rogue/Daggerspell Mage
The Druid is reasonable in combat, and can provide the necessary healing, while the wizard/rogue (going for daggerspell mage, not yet there yet, but included for reference) is melee-oriented, focussing on protective spells for himself and the druid. (combinations of Mage Armor + Shield + Barkskin)

I'm not sure in howfar the DM's influence was/is at work keeping these combinations working, so YMMV.