Rules, Tactics & Role-play

What are some of the best multi-class combinations and class-race combinations and why?

For example, a Paladin requires high Wis and Cha and an Aasimar gets a +2 bonus to Wis and Cha and has Paladin as a favared class. What would be a good multi-class option for this character? What class or prestige class would synergize with the racial ability bonuses of the Aasimar and compliment the Paladin with out duplicating abilities? Clerics require a high wisdom but some of their spells and abilities are already accessible by the Paladin. Monks benefit from a high wisdom but are restricted by wearing armor and Paladins typically benefit from wearing heavy armor. An Anointed Knight (Book of Exalted Deeds), however, compliments the Paladins alignment restriction, use of combat and heavy armor, and has class abilities such as Anoint Self and Anoint Weapon that benefit from a high Charisma.

Personally, I prefer races with no LA. Having said that... lol... Aasimar pali's are da shizzle...lol...

Let's see... Some basic ones I always consider:

Half-Orc Monk. Bonus to Str with penalties in monk dump stats FTW! Because, really, does a monk care about Cha? Darkvision (which will, sadly, be going the way of the half-orc in 4e) is a major boon.

Gnome Beguiler. Small size, increased carrying capacity, and the +1 DC to all illusion spells add up to quite a lot for a beguiler. Grab Spell Focus (Illusion) at 1st level to be well above the curve.

Illumian Truenamer. I only bring this up because this class has a mechanic that is woefully broken... unless you can find ways to pump up your Int and Truespeak check. With the proper sigils - and a feat - Illumians can essentially get a racial +2 in Int checks. It helps. A lot.

Halfling/Gnome Druid. Some consider this an odd choice (mostly because their racial abilites don't fit the class at all), but there's one important thing to recognize. They are small characters - and a druid can get a riding dog as an animal companion. You get a free combat-trained mount that only takes up one square, which you can Handle as a free action, and has better movement than you. You never need to get off the darn thing...lol...

Elf Scout. The penalty to Con hurts... but the Dex boost makes up for it. The "Elf Senses" racial ability, and immediate proficiency with Longbows (which the class doesn't have) give you a leg up, and fit the "scouty" theme rather well, I think.

meh... just a few I've played or played with that worked disgustingly well.

Dwarf - Monk

I've played this combo twice and it's exceedingly excellent each time.

Bonuses:
Darkvision
Stonecunning
Medium (thus medium unarmed strike dmg)
The +2 Con, -2 Cha is great for sturdy monks.
+2 Saves vs. Poison adds to already great monk saves.
+2 Saves Vs. Magic add to already great monk saves.
+4 Stability bonus vs balance and trips are great for tripper monks.
+1 Attack Vs. Orcs and Goblinoids
+4 Dodge AC bonus Vs. Giant type monsters.
+2 Appraisal, Craft checks with stone and metal.
The lawful nature of the dwarf lends itself brilliantly to the gruff monk type.

Negatives:
20ft. Movement

As you can see the trade-off is amazing, and since the monk's speed increases as the character levels you quickly bypass the only negative to this synergy. Do remember however that the dwarf does not lose movement speed while wearing medium/heavy armor or under a medium/heavy load, thus making a dwarven monk the ultimate pack mule for your party.

The dwarf also has a great option in that it has Racial Familiarity with Dwarven waraxes and urgoshes and if you are lucky enough to get a Ki-Focus version of those weapons they can improve your low level damage output and your unique monk deliverables.

Also remember that since the dwarf is a medium creature that once you hit 6th level you qualify for the Improved Natural Attack feat from the Monster Manual I, which increases your damage by one size category to Large (2d6 at 6th, up to 4d8 at 20th!). If you have a caster in the party that can buff you with Enlarge Person then things get just ridiculous with you doing Huge size damage.

If you focus on any stat with a Dwarven monk I'd go for WIS and STA as you can take Intuitive Attack from BoED and use your WIS mod for your attack roll which augments your 3/4 BAB progression nicely while allowing you to avoid some MAD (multiple attribute dependency) issues. Wisdom is the number one stat for a monk, as it increases AC, Saves, Stunning DC's, and can increase your attacks with the right feat.

Remember to max out tumble, as with it you can move through enemey spaces, avoid AOO's, immediately stand up from prone, move up walls, and all around accent what is easily one of your best class features: mobility.

I love this, and If you can't tell it incorporates 2 of my favorite things in D&D!

Paladins are my favorate class, especially when mixed with levels of rogue and prestige classed into the Shadowbane Inquisitor from Complete Adventurer.

I like Human Rogue/Fighter

Extra skill points great for Rogue

Extra feat great for fighter

Go 2 weapon fighting and turn the guy into a silent blender with lots of sneak attack dmg.

It would be cool to use the dastana from the Arms and Equipment Guide with a chainmail shirt, he'd have good AC and good armor check penalties.

nice point...hadn't thought of that.

Exelent fanmade race for spellcasters

Saevix

Race of aetheral imortals. Usually cannot be found anywhere. They live mostly on prime material and astrall planes though they go thruought other planes often. They look like a ghost of a slim elflike creature enveloped in dim blue light. They adore nature and observe as the life of creatures pass. Their origin is unknown. They are always good or neutral alighment and interested in everything and nothing. They think of themself as a part of of nature and magic which as they belive is one ("Magic is part of the nature and nature is part of the magic, and we are part of it"). Due to aetheralness of their incorporeal bodies using anything material requires them to focuse hard on it and their endless life made them extremly laisy. Because of this they usualy never use or posess any material objects including arms, equipment or wealth. It's not woth trying for them. Seavix can enter material things including hard objects, pass thru them and fly allways without trace, though it cannot enter living boddies or posess creatures. They prefer living in intact nature and hide themselvs inside trees, bushes, springs, lakes etc. They are usualy invisible to other creatures though they can be detected with "detect magic" because of their magicall nature or seen if they willingly apear (whitch ussually is not the case).

Category: Humanoid
Size: Medium
HD: 4
ATTACKS: hands +8/+8
DMG 1d4+2
Saves: +6/ +12/ +14
Move: fly 70ft
Constant true sight

Detectable with detect magic, if saevix is target of dispell or supress magic it suffers 2d6 dmg (will save for half) same is on the first round he enters antimagic field. While in antimagic field saveix suffers -2 to all attack and damage rolls and to all skill checks.

Spells: mage spells up to 3rd lvl and druid spells up to 3rd lvl
Spellike abilities: Plane shift 5 times per day
Astrall shift at will

When slain if his soul is not destroyed or captured saevix reapears in astrall plane after 10+2d20 rounds
In astral plane saevix is under constant improved invisibility and true sight

Saevix characters: Saevix itself isn't playable, when saevix becomes victom of passion for some creature and have sex with it he startes to change becoming corporeal. His body gains shape similiar to creature he had sex with. They look like slim half race. For example if partner was orc they are slim half orc, elf or human - half elf, etc. Their tan is slightly lighter then ussually and they have catlike eyes with slim blue glow which is hard to oversee and gives them -5 penalty to hide and disguise checks. Further sexual intercourse don't have any efect exept maybe happines or venericall diseases. Their bodies are very fragile in compare to real races giving them -8 to constitution, but they still dont age retaining imortality from natural causes excluding disseases and "natural club to head" causses. They are still little more agile retaining part of their original speed. They are still imortall and their understanding of time and thoughts of it are thru the lances of imortality. Laisiness is still ineraseble part of their character whitch gives them severe penalties to skills and skill learning but rest of it is players responsability to roleplay durig adventure. Magic atunement gives them stronger magic use, but body of fallen saevix is retaining some of it, too making them vulerable to dispell, supress magic and antimagic field witch gives them 1d6 dmg, antimagic field gives them 1d6 dmg upon entering and -1 to all attacks, damage and save rolls and skill and checks (no save) as long as they remain in it. Saevix character of ecl 10th or lover is detectable by detect magic, but stronger characters manages to supress it making them undetectable. All spells casted by saevix (even from scrolls or items used) have +1 for overcoming SR and +1 to DC checks for saves. Saevix speaks their own language and language of the object of their desire, they knows any other language they were interested to (whitch is still limited by their int bonus+saevix).

Stats -8 con
+2 dex

+3 initiative

-1 to all skills
-1 skill gain per lvl

proficiences: none

magical nature

ECL -4

i have a elven Rogue/druid that i have played for a few years. Normally one would think that this would not work properly, that the two classes would be a perpetual battle. I say different. It takes a unique player to make this work.

Upsides.

a rogue with magic backup. sneak/teleport behind your enemy and get the drop on him while your fighter buddy is distracting him. rust the armor right off his body and run or poison him sneak attack damage plus magical and poison damage? how much better does it get?

self healing is a definite bonus

being able to walk through stone walls is ALWAYS useful

the elven bonuses to sight and detection are benficial and even enhanced by the classes.

once you have leveled up to twenty... lookout. this character is a powerhouse that can sneak around and devastate a large area in a hurry and disappear again. beyond twenty... if you have a powerful group you can go demon hunting or even lesser god hunting...


downsides

metal is a controversy. with the advent of crystal and alternate materials this is not insurmountable but it adds a layer of difficulty to low leveled characters.

damage resistance is low but if you have a high agility again not insurmountable and self healing is the saving grace here.