Need a Simple but Fun Level 5 Build for 3-4 Sessions

[Applied_People]

A player in my group wants to DM a short "interlude" adventure for our group's current cast of characters. He has DM'ed before but it has been awhile. I am the current DM for the group, but I like to play and would love for him to GM more. As such, I don't want to scare him off with a character that is too strong or has lots of moving parts that are hard for him to keep track of/understand the interactions and implications of.

So I'm looking for a relatively straightforward build that will still be fun for me to play for 3-5 sessions.

One build I'm considering comes from this thread from a few years back.

Dwarf fighter with dwarven dorn-dergar
L1 power attack, combat reflexes
L2 cleave
L3 goblin cleaver
L4 orc hewer
L5 great cleave

But I'm looking for other ideas that the community may have.

Edit: the other characters in the group are a wizard, an unsworn shaman, and a barbarian. None of which are heavily optimized but are all perfectly functional.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Here's a Ninja/Sniper
ss
Half Elf with Ancestral Arms, Orc Hornbow and Arcane Training

Orc Hornbows are nice. They do 2d6. Arcane Training let you use magic wands like those onee that make Ranged Touch Attacks like Finger of Cold and Scorching ray.

1Fighter1: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Wolf Cub, Indomidable Will, BAB+1
2F1Ninja1: Sneak Attack 1d6, Poison
3F1N2: Ninja Vanishing Trick, Extra Trick, Rogue Talent, False Attacker Ki Pool BAB+2

So, now you can Vanish, then use Stealth to find a hidy-hole. Then you can make Ranged Touch Attacks vs. Flatfooted AC that lock in Sneak Attack Damage, or shoot with your Orc Hornbow, also doing Sneak Attack Damage. False Attacker lets you make a Stealth Check (to lie). If successful, you automatically don't break Stealth and don't need to reroll your Stealth Check because your target thinks your attacks came from somewhere else.

4F1N2Brawler1: SnakeBite Striker, Unarmed 1d6, Sneak Attack +1d6, Martial Cunning, BAB+3
5F1N3B1: Sneak Attack +1d6, No Trace+1, Improved Grapple, BAB+4

[The Ledford]

just check out the Iconic PCs currently published. The Rogue would be a great one, as it looks like your existing group has a wizard, a shaman, and a barbarian already, and seem to be short Thief skills. So there is already Arcane, Divine and a Meat-shield.

Grab her 4th level write-up and advance her one level to "Customize" the build for yourself. This has the added advantage of having most of her equipment already lined up too. The differences between 4th and 5th level Rogue are... One more Sneak Dice? and 8 skill points. Everything else should stay pretty much the same... OH! and +4500 GP in gear.

[Dave Justus]

I'd go for a high DEX arcane duelist bard. You should be able to do OK damage on your own, help support the Barbarian both with inspire courage and helping him by also being in melee. You wouldn't take much focus away from the other PCs and it has a lot of RP potential as well.

Skald would also be a possible option.

[amethal]

That party looks like a great chance to try out a LN Dwarven "barrister" (Asmodean Advocate Cleric) - will have excellent bluff and diplomacy, so can act as the face of the party (in a coldly logical and uncharismatic fashion) and the shortcomings as a healer won't be a problem since you already have a shaman.

(I'd love to try it as a duergar rather than a dwarf, but that might be a bit too complicated for your situation.)

The archetype is actually less complicated than a standard cleric, since you only get one domain (Trickery) and the GM doesn't need to concern themselves with the nuts and bolts of your skill checks (i.e. that you are using Profession (Barrister) to make bluff and diplomacy checks).

[Secret Wizard]

Because of the short duration of the campaign, I feel that a build with an animal companion would be very effective. They usually lose their power at higher levels when magic items for two characters start to eat through your wealth.

What about a Wild Child Brawler?

It has:
1. Martial Flexibility for moving parts.
2. Full level animal companion.
3. Can be tailored around your favorite combat maneuvers.
4. Works well with most races.
5. You can use whatever unarmed Combat Style feats you find fun.

[ErichAD]

It could be fun to play a mount for one of the other characters. Either go druid and pick something large and rideable, or go with a weretouched shifter: elephant, and be a rideable bipedal medium sized elephant man.

[Scott Wilhelm]

You could just be like a Fighter with Shield and Split Blade Sword. Be a Half Elf and you can get an Exotic Weapon Proficiency as an Alternate Racial Trait. Also, take that Arcane Training, and you'll be all gishy.

Take Weapon Specialization.
Take Armored Juggernaut at level 3 for DR 1/- in your Full Plate.
Take Armed Bravery at level 5 for a +2 Will Save, or take a level in Ranger so you can use a Wand of Lead Blades on your sword so it will do 2d6.

You could be an Eldritch Guardian Fighter. You lose 2 Feats, but you get (pretty much) Armed Bravery as a Class Ability, and you can get a Familiar that has all the Combat Feats you do. I really like Broken Wing Gambit, Paired Opportunist, and Combat Reflexes