Party Builds

Premade Groups!

I was feeling creative and a little silly today, so I decided to go one step farther than playing with chargen. I decided to go full-on party building, just to see what kinds of things I could make! Here is an overview of what I found to be the most interesting setups. Just a heads-up: I do not follow the Core+1 rule. I follow the "DM picks the ONLY books that are valid for this game and writes houserules on the pages so you don't make mistakes" rule. For these builds, I used everything at my disposal without regard for setting. It was just for fun.

The Standard

Variant Human, Fighter (Champion), Soldier
Lightfoot Halfling, Rogue (Thief), Criminal
High Elf, Wizard (School of Evocation), Sage
Mountain Dwarf, Cleric (Life Domain), Acolyte

Criticize them all you want, you can't argue with the results! This party gets shit done, and gets it done well. The cleric is a source of HP and tanky in his own right. The fighter, with his excess of feats, can stand in for two or three men on the battlefield. The rogue handles skillmonkeying and intrigue. The wizard has mob control and other special effects. There is no weakness in this team, and they can be proud of that.

The Greens

Goliath, Barbarian (Totem Warrior), Outlander
Forest Gnome, Cleric (Nature Domain), Acolyte
Firbolg, Druid (Circle of the Moon), Hermit
Wood Elf, Ranger (Beast Master), Folk Hero

Think of them as a squad of environmental activists... who also happen to be mercenaries for hire... Screw it, let's be honest: in the hands of the players, this is an ecoterrorist cell. Structurally, they are very similar to The Standard. They have a combat-oriented bruiser in their barbarian, the nature cleric is still a perfectly serviceable healer, druids are very diverse spellcasters with the ability to become combat units, and the ranger not only brings extra HP and field presence, but also works very well as a stealth unit and scout. What they lack in specialization however, they more than make up for in one key ingredient: cohesion. No matter what the issue, all four of these characters have at least one thing they can all agree on: nature is something that should be protected and cultivated.

Team Chaos

Tiefling, Cleric (Trickster Domain), Charlatan
Kenku, Sorcerer (Wild Magic), Criminal
Eladrin, Bard (College of Glamour), Noble (Knight Variant)
Ghostwise Halfling, Monk (Way of the Drunken Master), Entertainer

There exist in D&D certain character options (and option combinations) which present themselves as being ripe for abuse. Players get up to all sorts of wacky shenanigans in settlements and roadside taverns, and there are some options that are just too good to be true if all you want is to cause a little mayhem. Enter Team Chaos, a group of the most troublesome people the worlds of D&D have ever known. From a drunken, stage-peforming, telepathic midget to a plane-hopping beguiler of orange and blue morality, to a crook with perfect mimicry and only tenuous control over his magic, to a part-fiend who is commanded by the gods to stir the pot... There is no word to describe the sheer zaniness of their potential hijinks.

Hybrid Kings

Dragonborn, Warlock (The Hexblade), Outlander
Half-Elf, Ranger (Horizon Walker), Sailor
Half-Orc, Bard (College of Swords), Hermit
Tiefling, Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Artisan

Here we have a group of dedicated multitaskers. Each of these characters is built to cover as many roles as possible all at once. Each of them is a mixed breed; a dragon-man, a devil-man, an orc-man, and an elf-man. The hexblade pact warlock is the most blatant red-mage class option available, truly bringing magical force to bear in physical combat, and is made only more effective with the upgrade of dragon breath. The ranger is a classic mixed class, combining roguery with druidic spellcasting, but the horizon walker subclass takes it in a totally different, interplanar direction. The bard is another classic magic rogue type, but this one focused primarily on social dynamics; being a half-orc boosts his combat effectiveness without having any negative impact on his spellcasting too. Finally, our paladin is the perfect blend of powerhouse and healer, with a side dish of arcane toys from being part fiendish. While none of them are very good at any single thing, their true power shines when they put their heads together. Through teamwork, any given pair from this team can outdo any one of the characters from The Standard.

Aetherius Maximus

Rock Gnome, Wizard (School of Conjuration), Artisan
Dragonborn, Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline), Hermit
Tiefling, Warlock (The Fiend), Sage
Eladrin, Druid (Circle of Dreams), Acolyte

Here's a team nobody has the balls to run with, I'll bet! All full casters with the lowest possible hit die. All of them are paired with a race that has magic-like or convoluted mechanics. We have a conjuror and maker of tiny constructs, a dragonborn who's a little closer than most to the root of his family tree, a tiefling who is in direct contact with grampa, and a teleporting shapeshifter! There's a lot of power here, but they are fragile beyond belief. Even with the toughest of them (the dragonborn) out front, they can't go toe-to-toe with many enemies in a direct fight. Luckily, they're a pretty smart group of people! One can only hope their players are, too...

Team Eeeviiilll

Drow, Cleric (Death Domain), Noble
Orc, Paladin (Oathbreaker), Criminal
Hobgoblin, Wizard (School of Necromancy), Sage
Vampire, Rogue (Assassin), Charlatain

A party composed of only the edgiest of angsty tweenagers! This one's a little wonky, it takes from sources that most DMs would never even allow in their games, even though they're official material. Well I have no fear of evil PCs! Bring it, goth kids! It opens with one of the most metal characters ever: a death worshiping dark elf! I'd welcome this anti-Driz'zt to my table any day! His right-hand-man is a full-blooded orc who went and managed to become a paladin- but gave in to his orcish compulsions and has broken his oath! This character just screams "Antihero fighting a war against himself" while simultaneously kicking ass, healing his allies, AND holding sway over legions of zombies! Next is our hobgoblin necromancer, who would likely be thought of as evil even by his own kind. While hobgoblins welcome magic, they use it for war, and they revere their honored dead. This monster betrays everything his kind stands for, and everything most people believe matters most: the sanctity of life and death. Finally, we have a Plane Shifted Ixalan vampire who also happens to be a professional assassin and social manipulator! I can just imagine the behind-the-scenes power struggle between the avatar of death and the mastermind of murder!

The Hammer

Minotaur, Fighter (Battle Master), Noble (Knight Variant)
Orc, Barbarian (Path of the Berserker), Sailor (Pirate Variant)
Goliath, Monk (Way of the Kensei), Soldier
Lizardfolk, Ranger (Hunter), Criminal

Time to bring out the big guns! This is what happens when you get 4 teenage boys with very little imagination and too much aggression built up. I'll open with the Plane Shifted Amonkhet minotaur battle master. Not only is his race alone enough to give enemies pause, he has one of the most combat-effective class options, spending change, and some NPCs to bully to boot! His buddy, the full orc barbarian pirate, is equally a force to fear, having quite comparable damage output and better mobility. That goliath monk puts power to the expanded weapon options of the kensei monk and can pull the rank card to boss soldiers around if he happens to be in his home land. Finally, we have a lizardfolk in its most natural state: a cold-blooded killing machine, constantly hungry, always watching, always ready, the perfect predator.

Hit Squad

Duergar, Cleric (Death Domain), Acolyte
Kor, Monk (Way of the Shadow), Guild Artisan (Alchemists Guild)
Aarakocra, Rogue (Assassin), Criminal
Drow, Bard (College of Whispers), Charlatain

Finally, we have a team of professional killers. Lead by a dour duergard cleric of death, it is clear what this team's purpose is right from the start. We follow that with a Plane Shifted Kor who follows the ninja-like way of shadow. He's a member of the alchemist's guild, to mix all kinds of dangerous and deadly materials. Next we have an aarakocra assassin, raining death from above in the silence of the night. Finally, we have the heart of the team, a seducer drow from the bard college of whispers, ready to insinuate himself into whatever place his mark takes him. Together, this team could take down just about any individual person with ease.

Go Go Good Guys!

Protector Aasimar, Cleric (Life Domain), Acolyte
Fallen Aasimar, Paladin (Oath of Redemption), Acolyte
Scourge Aasimar, Sorcerer (Divine Soul), Noble
DMG Aasimar, Fighter (Cavalier), Noble (Knight Variant)

Here we have a team of shining goodness! They are all designed to be as obviously "knight in shining armor" as possible. All of them are aasimar, so each is basically part-celestial. They can't help but be heroes. Again, we lead with the cleric, and this one is a blatant hero. A protector from the heavens imbued with the divine power to save and restore life. The next one is a little more interesting: a fallen aasimar who, in a moment of weakness, broke his former oath and became an oathbreaker, but then vowed an oath of redemption to become a redeemer. I almost imagine him and the cleric being from the same order, with the cleric being assigned to him to oversee his progress. Then we have a scourge aasimar whose blood runs stronger with the divine, granting him inate divine spellcasting, born to a noble house- he is a hero-prince. Finally, we have the weakest-blooded of the group, a slightly divine holy knight.

Beast Mode

Aarakocra, Druid (Circle of the Moon)
Lizardfolk, Ranger (Beast Master)
Tabaxi, Barbarian (Totem Warrior)
Triton, Druid (Circle of the Shepherd)

Here's a different riff on The Greens. All four characters are beastman hybrid types. All four characters use class options that relate directly to wildlife. Two of them, the bird and the fish, can turn into other animals, and the fish calls on animal spirits the same way the beast barbarian does. Our serpentine ranger additionally calls animals to his aide in battle.

Transformers

Warforged, Druid (Circle of Dreams), Soldier
Warforged, Druid (Circle of the Land), Soldier
Warforged, Druid (Circle of the Moon), Soldier
Warforged, Druid (Circle of the Shepherd), Noble

Animorphs

Human (Gavony), Druid (Circle of Dreams), Noble
Human (Kessig), Druid (Circle of the Land), Soldier
Human (Nephalia), Druid (Circle of the Moon), Soldier
Human (Stensia), Druid (Circle of the Shepherd), Soldier

These two ideas are just variants of the same joke: A team of all shapeshifters who act like superheroes. I like the idea of warforged druids especially, because it makes me think of the Beastwars series of Transformers from the early 2000s; Robots that turn into animals. The last one with the Noble background would be my pick for Optimus Prime.

The Elite 4

Khenra, Wizard (School of Conjuration), Urban Bounty Hunter
Forest Gnome, Paladin (Oath of the Crown), Criminal
Rock Gnome, Cleric (Trickster), Urchin
Vampire, Ranger (Beastmaster), Noble (Knight Variant)

This party is designed to attach as many different types of NPCs to the party as possible. The first character is a Khenra, a race that is born in twins, strongly encouraging the DM to include an NPC sibling at least. The wizard class has access to Find Familiar, and also gains access to many spells which can permanently animate the dead and temporarily bring atnities to aide in a situation. The Urban Bounty Hunter background gives plenty of reason for this character to have many known NPC contacts at their disposal for professional business. Forest Gnomes have a feature which is intended to allow them to acquire small pets. The paladin class features the Find Steed spell. The criminal explicitly gives the character an NPC contact that they must be able to contact during play somehow. Rock gnomes can make little toys which can partially act autonomously in minor ways. Clerics have access to a number of spells which can be used to bring extraplanar entities to bear, and trickster clerics can create illusory copies of themselves. The urchin background gives you a pet mouse. The Innistrad vampire race turns its victims into vampire-like servantile creatures. Beastmasters have access to some spells that make it easier to acquire pets, and they also get a dedicated companion animal. The noble background's knight variant grants two automatic non-combat NPCs. I can imagine this party hiring teams of NPCs, purchasing dragon/wyvern/griffon eggs, building fortresses filled with personal armies, etc.