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Most people focus on making builds as individuals, but there are a select few out there who really focus on good party combinations. I'm not looking for what member comprise a good party (e.g. one fighter, one bard, one wizard). Instead, I'm looking for specific groups of individuals whose abilities vastly help the group due to specific party composition.
Here is an example from ohako:
"For instance, there's the oracle of nature power 'friend to the animals', which offers the outrageous +Cha to saves on all animals within 30 ft. So, the more animal companions you can pack close together, the better the power. Thus, I made an 'Elfquest team' composed of a halfling oracle of nature, a halfling cavalier (order of the paw), a halfling urban ranger (for the trapfinding), and a halfling sylvan sorcerer, all of whom get to ride on wolves by 4th level."
What else we got? I'm thinking about writing something up mayhaps.
Bard.
Summoner.
Inquisitor.
Oracle of Life.
The Summoner places monsters around the map for defense and offense, often helping the Inquisitor use his/her Teamwork Feats. The Bard uses inspire courage, among other buffs, to help the critters and the Inquisitor hit harder and more often. The Oracle of Life keeps everyone, including the summons if he/she wants, alive and can remove status ailments like disease.
Between those four characters there are plenty of buffs, healing, and combat potential(ranged and melee).
Blade of Mercy + Enforcer - two-handed Fighter
Witch.
Early game you get that slumber hex, and he can deal non-lethal damage knocking that thing unconscious. Throw in a wand of enlarge person and he's coup de gracing for like 6d6 + two handed bonus with a great sword in the early levels. Not to mention Witch winds up getting tons of debuffs, if she picks up leadership and finds a bard who can buff. You have like the ultimate buff/debuff combo.
Monks who crank stunning fist dcs and rogues tend to work well together.
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This might not be what you are looking for. But i post it anyway.
I played through Shackled City and Age of Worms with the following group. We used the pathfinder system.
Our goal was simple. Healing and defensive spells are a last resort. To investigate and scout for our problems, prepare for them and defeat it as fast a possible was our primary way of solving things.
- Elf druid/wizard, prestiged into Mystic theurge. Focusing on conjuration. To summon allices and spells to make the battle ground fit into our mind. He was always shape shifted into a small flying animal together with his small flying familiar
- Elf Wizard/rogue, prestiged into arcane trickster. His school was divination. Our scout. We always had him spying around in the front and searching for our next problems and foes. He always waited for the combat to start, then he took a great position through invisibility, then began to hide and made devastating sneak attacks with ranged attacks.
- Elf Paladin/rogue, focusing on ranged sneak attacks. His plan was the same as the arcane tricksters, to find a great spot, hide and then sneak attack from it. It was always easy to get good hiding places, as our many spells made the battle ground fit into our mind and summoned allies to be the meat shield.
- Elf wizard illusionist/cleric, to buff the summoned allies and other players in the first few rounds.
- Elf ranger. Always mounted on his horse - in the middle of combat. From its back he fired arrows like a maniac and the horse stomped on everything. The horse and him both covered in metal armor they where like a modern tank.
This group. Our planing together with spells and abilities. We dominated - everything.
Aasimar Cavalier (Order of the Staff)
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Sorcerer(Fey Bloodline, Enchantment focused)
Challenge: Whenever an order of the staff cavalier issues a challenge, his target takes a –1 penalty on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities for 1 round after the cavalier successfully damages the target. This penalty increases by 1 for every four levels the cavalier possesses.
I had an encounter in a high level campaign that was built ard trio cavaliers using coordinated charge, calvary formation and escape route to triple lance charge the pcs every round.. They were 15th level and almost wiped a pc party of CR 18.. Each one of them was hitting for over 150 per attack..
Antipaladin with variant channeling for huge (up to -14) penalties on illsion spells DCs, combined with a sorcerer that specializes on illusions - incredible strong combination (look at my respective thread here on the advice boards)
Barbarian (+ to STR & CON morale bonus when raging) & Cleric or Bard that can cast "Moment of Greatness" (doubles morale bonuses for one round, but can be cast over and over)
In the party I'd seen this used the Barbarian could rage for +4 STR and +4 con every round, but when they need to REALLY lay the smack down, they invoke MoG to get +8/+8... you can double barbarian rage bonuses from level 1. Great synergy.
One of the more beautiful synergies is a Paladin and Inquisitor team. Go go divine smackdown!
I spent a good chunk of one of my character's early PFS career doing the following:
My fighter runs into the middle of a mob of NPCs on a double move action, fighting defensively if only a single move is needed on round 1.
Oracle casts Bless.
Turn 2: Do Dazzling Display. Everyone around me is Shaken.
Oracle comes up and casts Bane with a DC of 17....and everyone is at an additional -3 to hit.
My PFS Sorcerer is all over two tricks:
1) Using Floating Disk to move the largely immobile Full Attack dependent ally into melee range of the enemy.
2) Using Toppling Magic Missile with Spontaneous Metafocus to make sure that the opponent in front of the fighter is prone.
Fighters like being on higher ground, getting moved 30' and still getting to full attack prone opponents. It's like giftwrapping them.