Need melee help for filling out group..

[Deadreach]

First off, I have been reading these messageboards for a while and have learned a lot about pathfinder, so thanks to the many knowledgeable folks. Some friends and I are starting a new campaign at level 1 with 3 PCs. So far we have a wizard (range dpr/controller) and an inquisitor (he wants to focus on melee). I need to fill the third slot ;)

With a full arcane caster and a melee based half caster, magic seems to be covered. I guess the main question becomes "is the inquisitor going to be effective enough as a tank"? Help me decide on the best class to go with this composition.

I prefer melee characters, so here are the options for me.

1) Two Handed Fighter: Going to have the highest consistent damage, and the highest AC of the group. The downside is that we are a small team so his lack of out-of-combat contributions will hurt us more.
2) Ranger (Two Handed/switch hitter): Gives much more skills and an animal companion. I think with lead blades (and instant enemy, eventually) he will be just as strong as the fighter in dpr while still providing out-of-combat utility.
3) Invuln Rager Barbarian (spell sunder line): Great mobility and damage, plus cool rage mechanics with the superstition line. Also, my DM has house-ruled that he will allow us to be immune to fatigue 3/day should we choose a Barbarian.
4) Magus: I don't know much about these except that they are excellent at burst dmg but ultimately fall behind the other three with sustained dmg. I have read that they are one of the best designed classes though, so I added them just for this reason.

Honorable mentions: Sorcerer, Ninja. Not really interested in any other classes

Thematically, I prefer the fighter or the ranger. I would probably go Elf and wield an Elven curved blade, but will the 3xday immunity to fatigue make the Barb skyrocket ahead of the others? I just want us to have a balanced group, and these are the classes I prefer, but any suggestions as to archetypes or such would be greatly welcome. Thanks in advance.

[ub3r_n3rd]

I'm a huge fan of the barbarian class, so I'd probably say go with the 3rd option and you'll be just fine. Make sure to find some good mithril armor that is lightweight, get a big sword and go to town on your enemies. That house-rule for fatigue is awesome for the barbarian. The other thing to look into is a barbarian who rage cycles by dipping 1 level of metal mystery lame oracle at level 9, this will give you immunity to fatigue and allow you to do 1x/rage powers every round w/o penalties.

A couple more options you might want to look into are fighter/barbarian mix where you dip your first two levels into barbarian to gain rage and a rage power and then fighter to gain the extra feats. I also have looked into the Viking archetype which gains the barbarian rage and rage powers without needing a dip at all, it might be worth looking into for you as well.

[Deadreach]

Yeah I've looked into ways of legitimately getting rage cycling where it doesn't seem too cheesy. I may end up with the barbarian after all, even though the ranger or fighter appeals to me more.

I really need to look a some of the DPR Olympics to see how a 2 handed ranger fairs when able to cast instant enemy, it may not be that powerful when compared to an optimized fighter of the same level.

[SunsetPsychosis]

I vote for the switch hitter ranger. Even if it's behind a straight fighter in straight DPR, the power of the versatility can't be overstated. Being able to work with the wizard to annihilate enemies at range, then step into melee with the inquisitor to decimate things with a big two-handed weapon, while also providing an extra combat body with your animal companion, in addition to one of the better skill lists in the game, is extremely useful, and perfect for a small party.

[Mudfoot]

Ranger, for the usual reasons, but also being someone else who can wield the wand of CLW. Failing that, barbarian.

[Mapleswitch]

Barbarian if you want a damage monster. You may need a melee healer type such as paladin or cleric.

[Tholomyes]

Switch-hitting ranger is what I'd argue. The versatility is nice, the Animal companion helps to make up for a smaller party, and the skill points will be quite useful in a smaller party. Plus the spells, which, though nothing too exciting, can be incidentally useful (and the underused rule that you can prep spells past the first time in the day, if you leave the slots open).

[I Hate Nickelback]

Be a paladin. Your party could use more healing, and you would be a melee fighter. Just don't be a lawful stupid one...