What is the best team of 5 7th level characters, using only CRB and Bestiary 1 rules, for a fight in a colosseum-style arena?
The arena is a 120-ft radius circle.
Each character gets 2,500 gold pieces to start. You aren't allowed to pool your money and you can't use any Craft feats.
Each person has 2 16s, 2 14s, a 12 and a 10 for ability stats before the racial modifiers.
Any race the Core lists as extra-powerful (gnoll, svirfneblin, drow) is not allowed. The team with the last man conscious wins.
My thoughts on this go into the range of:
Archery Bard
Attributes: STR 14 DEX 16 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 16
Race: Human (for extra feat) or halfling (for extra dex/cha)
Archery or two handed Druid with animal companion
Attributes: Assume archery STR 14 DEX 16 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA 12
Race: Human, Dwarf, or Half elf/orc
Wizard with improved familiar
Attributes: STR 12 DEX 14 CON 16 INT 16 WIS 14 CHA 10
Race: Elf, or really anything that doesn't hurt dex/int really.
Reach or archery Cleric with animal companion
Attributes: Assume archery STR 12 DEX 16 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA 14
Race: Anything that will bump WIS will work fine
Two-handed or archery Paladin with mount
Attributes: Assume archery STR 14 DEX 16 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 12 CHA 16
Race: Halfling would do well
Gear for these should probably go to a +1 weapon, and some mundane gear. With the exception of the wizard who should likely stock up on scrolls, any material components s/he requires, and possibly a specific magic item that's relatively cheap.
That's mostly so that there is some amount of variety though.
I'm sure a party of nothing but wizards would do fine, and would likely be the best option assuming 1 fight/day.
Mortigneous, I think the druid would be significantly better off wild shaping into a dire tiger than fighting with manufactured weapons.
That actually may very well be true. I'm less familiar with Druids, especially wild shape. I just assumed archery would be better as there are already 3 front line animal companions (let's be honest, that paladin won't actually be mounting his mount)
Storm Druids who can see through 10 feet of fog/mist concealment.
Fog Clouds everywhere that last for more than an hour. The Storm Druids can see 15 feet in front of them, and Wildshape into things with Scent. From there, it's pretty much over. It'd be even more over if they were level 8 instead of level 7, because they'd change into Huge creatures with 15 foot reach, but it's still a cake walk.
RIP me.
I guess Morti got it right then, just focus on Wildshape with the Druid more. Throw down entangles and summons, fill the enemy with arrows, advance, finish them off.