A friend of mine in my gaming group came to me recently with a character idea he wanted to try for a campaign set to start in a few months; for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to effectively do it, as the concept hits a couple different areas that I don't think gel well together.
The character is supposed to be a front-line tank that uses a heavy shield and the heaviest armor possible, while also casting ice magic (presumably paired with the Rime Spell metamagic for some lockdown as well).
Right off the bat, I know this character is going to be really MAD, needing STR for at least some offense, CON for Hit Points, whatever casting stat is needed, plus maybe a bit of DEX and WIS for AC and saves. It's also going to be feat-starved, since it needs feats that improve shield bashing, the save DCs of the ice spells, and concentration checks (because front-line casting) at the very least.
The campaign will probably run till about 15th level, 3PP is not allowed but the ACG is (as it'll be out by the time the campaign starts).
that is a tall order...
you might be able to build something he'd be satisfied with as a bloodrager, but his spells will be very limited.
the magus has an archetype focused on shield use (the skirnir) that might fit the bill... they get less spells than a normal magus but they have no ASF% from shields and the magus abilities that boost your concentration. you even get a couple bonus feats to help with being so feat starved. (this honestly may be the best option).
the last decent choice i can think of right now would be to build a winter oracle... they get a fair number of decent cold spells from their mystery and a revelation that's similar to rime spell but with no level adjustment (freezing spells); they also have 0% spell failure no matter what armor they wear (though they'd need to spend a feat for heavy armor proficiency). they have less combat tricks than the magus (and the same BAB/HD), but would bring more casting to the table...
edit: partially ninja'd... so i guess my second option is '+1 for skirnir'.
there's probably a workable silver or white dragon disciple build too, but i've gotten too much sun today to think of it...