If the sorcerer takes the Sylvan bloodline, he'd have an animal companion. Take the Boon Companion feat and he'd have a companion at full equivalent druid level. The ranger will also eventually get an animal companion.
If the party has time to set up before combat, bear traps are godly. They're dirt cheap, reusable, and most creatures have a hard time beating the strength check, so you're looking at at least 1 round of an immobilized enemy.
Also, consider talking to the ranger about going for a Switch Hitter build. He'd have all the benefits of archery at range, but be able to dish out some serious hurt in melee.
A 'switch hitter' ranger build basically revolves around using the rangers bonus Combat Style feats (that you don't need to meet the prereqs for) to pick up archery feats, while using your normal feats for melee things. Combat strategy basically involves shooting them full of arrows from range, then dropping the bow and busting out a 2-handed weapon when they get in melee range.
It's an extremely solid build, and in my opinion is the best way to build a ranger, as the ability to excel at both melee and ranged combat combined with the skills and other features of the ranger class combine to make sure that you are always contributing meaningfully in any situation.
An example build to 3rd level would look something like
1st: Power Attack, Quick Draw (human bonus)
2nd: Rapid Shot (Combat Style)
3rd: Cleave
With an 18 Strength and 14 Dex, at 3rd level he'd either be hitting at a +7 for 2d6+6 (or +6 for 2d6+9, with the option to Cleave) in melee, and +5 for 1d8+4 (or +3 for two arrows with Rapid Shot), assuming a composite longbow and a greatsword. Solid, reliable damage at any range.
The wizard could look at going eldritch knight for a bit more survivability and the sorcerer could take the primal draconic bloodline (or simply the regular dragon bloodline) and grab levels in dragon disciple for the same reason.
Neither are likely to turn into close up monsters but they will be able to survive longer/better than before.
Also the sorcerer might look at the crossblooded archetype and going with the pit blooded (whatever it is called) bloodline -- or possibly just the eldritch heritage feats -- the 9th level ability to get a bonus on Con could really go good with those dragon disciple levels.
Even as an elf, he can still take Power Attack. He'd just have a lower Strength and a higher Dexterity. Instead of 18/14 he could have 16/16, which is still pretty solid.
Also have him consider the Trapper archetype. It would fit well with usage of bear traps, and would give him Trapfinding, allowing him to essentially fill the role of the party rogue when it comes to traps.
Generally, outside of specific builds (like Mystic Theurge) I don't find PrCs to be necessary, or even worthwhile. Pathfinder did a great job of overhauling the core classes so that a pure class can be effective without being required to dip into a half a dozen prestige classes. They also haven't printed near as many PrCs as WotC did, for just that reason.
Have the wizard be more of a battlefield controller. Grease, for example is a great way of slowing down melees. Monster summoning can also be your friend, as you can get the monster to do all your up close work. Second level spells you can get things like web and create pit. Obviously in this case, the wizard will want to be a conjurer.
The other option is to go for the illusionist route. Simple image can do a lot of fun stuff, if the GM allows it. Is that pit in front of you a real pit, or the illusion of one? Who wants to find out?
The extremely limited divine magic of a ranger is not going to make or break a game, though the ability to use wands is useful. But the sorcerer should invest in Use Magic Device and be just as good at it.
I'm personally a fan of either the trapper or skirmisher archetype, but that's because I don't generally view my rangers as having any kind of divine tie to nature.
Quick Draw doesn't let you get any more ranged attacks than normal, it's mostly for the ease of dropping one weapon and drawing another. But remember, you can drop a weapon as a free action and draw another as a move action. So if the enemy gets too close, he can drop his bow, draw his sword, and smack them in the face in the same round.
Could the wizard be a witch instead? That would provide more means of healing without losing summoning or battlefield control.
You might consider working the presence of NPCs into the plot. For instance, a wealthy merchant trying to recover some artifact might send his hired goons Gunter and Frans along with the PCs without charging them. Gunter and Frans could be low-level warrior types with red shirts painted with bright targets on them: just present enough to handle a little melee before dying. That provides what they need without removing the challenge.
As an alternative, you can work some of the encounters to feature the presence of the town guard, soldiers, whatever. Orcs attacking conveniently at the gates to the city can present a challenge with built-in melee assistance by the guards.
I've always had the problem of either too much melee or too much magic in my groups. I do encourage a well-rounded party, but I believe my players' enjoyment starts with coming up with their dream characters, even in a large party. NPCs working for the Duke, king, merchant, whatever, be they healers or soldiers, have always worked well for filling in gaps without costing the party too much (or even at all). Sometimes the challenge has even been to keep those guys alive (the Duke probably would not have been very happy if his soldier nephew died on an adventure - made for some good tension). Do it right, give them character, and the players might start liking some of them and even going so far as to rescue them voluntarily.
And no, I am not talking about DMPCs. You can do all this without overwhelming anybody. It just takes some imagination and some humor.
At 1st level, even guard dogs or regular riding dogs make decent tanks. 25 gp for a Small guard dog, 150 for a Medium riding dog. Just drop some skill points in Handle Animal. DM fiat might allow the guard dog to gain Toughness or Armor Proficiency (light) in place of Skill Focus Perception.
EDIT:
Maybe they can rescue some dogs from some kobolds or goblins, and treat them as treasure!
Also, have the sorcerer grab a longspear. Reach might help avoid getting hit during emergency forays into melee.
EDIT part deux:
Or, maybe have most combat deal with ranged combat, kind of like d20 Modern. NPCs can attack using crossbows, slings, shortbows, alchemical fire, or flasks of acid, and the battlefields can be made interesting with lots of areas that provide cover and/or concealment, like arrow slits, overturned tables, crates, corners, doorways, windows, etc. NPCs can also be sorcerers and wizards, and maybe that can be a key aspect to the campaign: lots of magic and ranged weaponry without so much reliance on melee. Maybe the city is like Venice, with lots of canals, bridges, piers, narrow walkways, dark alleys, and the like, so there isn't a lot of room for a lot of melee, but there is lots of interesting levels and 3-D fighting opportunities.
Guard dogs are low level are awesome...great investment.
Perhaps they can higher some NPCs as Bruunwald suggested? Maybe making them Cohorts for free (-2 levels)?
I played a campaign where I only had 2 players so I let each have a second character to play - they seemed to enjoy it.
Our main campaign has 3 PCs, but they're relatively well-rounded: a catfolk archery ranger (uses rapier and weapon finesse when she switch-hits), a feral kobold red draconic battle sorcerer (using Unearthed Arcana rules for battle sorcerer), and my chaos gnome brass dragon shaman (slightly pathfinderized). Most of us can cover 2 or 3 roles, so we're versatile. For a while, two of us doubled up on our PCs (a dark whisper gnome ninja and a mineral warrior half-orc druid with TWO animal companions due to some feat), but that took too long in battles, so we went back to running 1 PC a piece. It's OK now that I have a lot of healing potential with my touch of vitality, but we relied on wands or DMPC healers for a while...
For a switch hitter ranger you can delay picking up quick draw for a few levels. You only really need it when you get multiple attacks. Any character with at least a +1 BAB can draw a weapon as part of a move action. Your first feat should be power attack for the extra damage. Dropping a weapon is a free action so if the enemy is not within melee range just fire. If he moves up then use a move action to draw your weapon and attack.
I would keep the spell casting for the ranger as he will be the only divine caster you have. Wands of cure light wounds are going to be needed a lot in this party. Even if the sorcerer takes UMD he may be down. Plus with the ranger has a lot of useful spells especially with the APG.
Having a few guard dogs will help for the low levels which is where you will need the help the most.
Having a few guard dogs will help for the low levels which is where you will need the help the most.
I was going to mention this; a riding dog is almost as tough as a level 1 fighter.
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dr_koopon, I've got a different take on this than other posters.
I like smiloDan's suggestion about emphasizing ranged combat a great deal, but I'd go further.
When the players choose their characters, they're making an investment in the kind of campaign they want to play. Sometimes this is obvious: somebody building a pirate with ranks in profession (sailor) is voting for a nautical campaign. If you never let the party go to sea, she'll be disappointed.
Likewise, your players have picked a sorcerer and a wizard. That's the kind of campaign they want to play. If you keep throwing combats against them, and toe-to-toe combats at that, you're going to frustrate them. Build adventures based around magic -- finding tomes for the wizard or lore to intrigue the sorcerer. Throw in traps and rivals and cursed items, and a doppelganger monk/sorcerer with plans to implant mirors of opposition in the great magical academies throughout the world.
In short, play to their strengths. Give them adventures that they can do better than an average, well-balanced party. Give them the assignments that only they can accomplish.
Since I've been playing a low level Sorcerer recently, I can say with certainty that they can be badasses with a longspear. (Pulling off a crit with one is the worst!) It's a nice option if forced into melee since it will keep baddies at bay, and provokes AoOs every time they need to move into melee range to hit the Sorcerer. Also, 5ft. step/Color Spray has often been my best way out of a tight situation. Just make sure she can aim it to avoid allies. And have her get a mithral chain shirt as soon as she can afford it. Even with out proficiency, the worst thing it will do is give her 10% arcane spell failure, which only affected me twice out of two levels of having it. Take Arcane Armor Training soon after to make it go away.
I'm going to try to have a higher number of ranged enemies, but I don't want them to feel like no one actually uses swords anymore either. Certain encounters can avoid melee, but not all. Although I'm not against some kind of cohort relationship developing, I'd rather avoid permanent NPCs in the party. That said, they could still stick around for most of an adventure before they feel too much like DMPCs.
Hadn't thought about guard dog, since I've never seen a group actually use them before. Looks like their utility drops off quickly as the PCs gain levels, but that's when summoning spells will pick up the slack. Now to plot a couple into their path...
You may also want to directly encourage summoning for both casters. I dont know if you use 3rd party material, but if you do you can include treature like a wyrd wand of beckoning (from the super genius guide to runestaves and wyrd wands) to encourage your players to use summoning spells to give them something to get between the casters/archer and the melee bad guys.
1) NPC a fighter type
2) Encourage lots of summoning
3) animal companions/Edilions
4) Really smart players that work well/synergies powers can pull off a low or no melee party, but it sounds like you have new players so I don't recommend it.
Just a note, quickdraw won't help out archers, only throwers.
Just a note, quickdraw won't help out archers, only throwers.
Quickdraw is to allow you to fire at the enemy when they are at a distance and then to draw a melee weapon when they close. Without it you are not going to get your full attack when switching weapons. The whole idea is that you are always doing a full attack.
Just a note, quickdraw won't help out archers, only throwers.Quickdraw is to allow you to fire at the enemy when they are at a distance and then to draw a melee weapon when they close. Without it you are not going to get your full attack when switching weapons. The whole idea is that you are always doing a full attack.
I was responding to this sentence:
"I meant he wouldn't have power attack since he would just take quick draw to get as many ranged shots as possible."
Which I think means there's some misunderstanding going on.
Possible solutions:
Go old school and recommend that they buy combat-trained dogs.
Hirelings.
They rescue a Warrior 1 in their first adventure.
The ranger mans up and does the switch hitter build.
The Sorcerer's claws ability gets used.
You design encounters that are fire fights, not brawls.
This would be a good time for you to brush up on Perception checks and the various distances you first encounter creatures in each terrain. Perceiving the enemy first at a distance is going to be something that keeps them alive.
I also think this is a great time for the party to consider things like wands of monster summoning. Things they may not normally use.
I'd hand the players the character sheet of an NPC barbarian. Make up some reason why he's tagging along, and let them play him collectively. Barbarians are pretty easy to play, so it shouldn't be too taxing.
If you keep the barbarian 2 levels lower than the PCs later on, one of them can eventually snag him as a cohort by taking Leadership.
I agree with Chris. Build the adventures around what the players want. Don't try squeezing their characters into the typical adventure box, make a new box.
I don't know your players, so this may not appeal to them, but have you considered a combat light, RP heavy campaign? Divvy out experience points for solving puzzles and advancing the plot rather than for killing monsters. I've run entire campaigns that have had only a handful of combats that were quite enjoyable. An added benefit is that when you cut the combat out you'll be amazed at home much extra time you have to actually play when you don't have to look up feats and combat maneuvers all the time.
If you insist on a more combat heavy game, I'd definitely start them at 3rd level so they're a little beefier. I'd also keep the number of opponents relatively low so one party member can distract the opponent while the other two blast it from a distance.
DEFINITELY tailor the campaign to the players. You don't see Sherlock Holmes swinging on vines and battling jungle beasts, you don't see Zorro deducting solutions to mysteries, you don't see Dr. Jekyll dueling with a rapier, you don't see Tarzan using alchemy to create bizarre potions.
DEFINITELY tailor the campaign to the players. You don't see Sherlock Holmes swinging on vines and battling jungle beasts, you don't see Zorro deducting solutions to mysteries, you don't see Dr. Jekyll dueling with a rapier, you don't see Tarzan using alchemy to create bizarre potions.
Actually Tarzan did have some alchemical advantages. He and his family did not age due to a alchemical formula he discovered in one of the books. Kind of cheesy but considering the books had him born in the late 1800 and fighting in both of the world wars.
Also Zorro did actually use deduction to solve some problems. Although he was a incredible swordsman he also used his wits just as much as his blade.
Gaming is a group effort and everyone should have input on what the game is going to be. Just as some players prefer to play certain types of adventures some GM's prefer to run certain types of campaigns. My whole point is that the best way to go about creating a campaign is to get together and discuss what everyone wants out of it. No one player or GM should have absolute say. If the GM does not want to or is not able to run the type of game the players want then someone else should run the game.
Hadn't thought about guard dog, since I've never seen a group actually use them before. Looks like their utility drops off quickly as the PCs gain levels, but that's when summoning spells will pick up the slack. Now to plot a couple into their path...
Party: Make a Perception check
You hear wimpering come from around the trail ahead of you. When you investigate you see a large dog (Knowledge Nature: DC 10 to identify as a Bull Mastiff), caught in a bear trap. The dog is gravely injured.
Nearby you find the remains of a trapper...his body torn to bits. A DC 5 Perception check notices large claw marks in the side of the dog. DC 15 notices tuffs of brown hair in the wiskers of the dog.
After the party disarms the trap the dog, if healed, becomes a loyal companion to the party.
You could even have the dog "take" to one of the characters more so than another.
Gestalt characters? Just give them all fighter as the 'other' class.
They can also pool their resources and hire a merc. for the first few levels.