3.5e Optimized Character Builds

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SRD Rules Only

These optimized character builds use rules only found within the System Reference Document.

Name Starting Race Final Class Progression Summary
Abe *Core Only* blind-fighting Dragon Disciple
All Stats Are AC
Battle Blesser
Best Grapple Monk in gargantuam form (no Homebrew) Illuskan human monk The class provides allows you to perform a grapple on any creature of any size, then block it and slaughter it with blows. At level 20, he can annihilate and kill her while holding the grab for 3 turns.
Best Mage of magic missile Human High Specialist Wizard High Evoker, Golarion Wizard lvl 5 - Force Missile Mage lvl 5 - Argent Savant lvl 3 - War Mage lvl 5 - HOLY SCOURGE lvl 1 - Sacred exorcist lvl 1 Best wizard of magic missile
Bro
Debuff Bard - Dread Necromancer
Disciple of Yeenoghu
Echo Fighter
Epic Griffon rider
Epic Rogue of Seven Sneak Attacks a Round a Creature
Fencer of the Kanahebi clan Lizardfolk Humanoid 3/Ranger 3/Monk 3/Duelist 10 A Lizardfolk that can slice people in many fancy ways. Pretty impressive AC bonuses.
Frenzied Berserker
Gestalt /Warrior generic class
Gnome Loremaster "Divine Scrolls Reader" Forest Gnome Bard 2, Wizard 10, Loremaster 8 A small illusionist that can use Bardic knowledge like abilities, and can read any kind of scrolls thanks to the Use Magic Device skill.
Hearty Wizard Dwarf Fighter 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 3 A wizard with some meat on their bones.
High Arcana Double Spelldagger Striker Rogue Various Rogue 1/ Wizard 4/ Daggerspell Mage 10/ Unseen Seer 2/ Arcane Trickster 3 A rogue striker skill monkey how have access to high level caster level, spells and is epic ready
High Threat Range
Lich Tank
Little Dagger Wielder Halfling Rogue 16/ Fighter 2/ Ranger 2 A backstabbing halfling whose tools of destruction are small daggers.
Loadsamoney At 1st Level
No-One The Mad
Rogue Ideas
Rounded Defender
Scary and Dangerous
Scroll user - Max UMD like a boss
Southern Dread Necromancer Incantatrix
Spiked Chain Freak
SRD Warlock Human Sorcerer 14, Archmage 4 This Build uses various high arcanas from the archmage prestige class to blast things a lot of times per day (more than you will probably need). who said only warlocks could blow everything up constantly
Swashizard
Swift Disarmer
Technical Fighter
The ultimate narcicist
The Untouchable Monk
Two-Weapon Crit Specialist Half-Orc Ranger 4, Barbarian 11, Fighter 4, Horizon Walker 1 This is an attempt to optimize critical hits while still giving the character plenty of options and defenses.
Ultimate Monk (SRD) Human Monk 15/Psionic Fist 11/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 2 This is a hard-hitting, fast-moving monk/psionic fist whose ki (via his psionic abilities) allows him to shapeshift. A cousin of the original Ultimate Monk using SRD rules only.
Warforged raging frenzied Juggernaut
Wildshaping One Punch Man

WotC Rules Only

These optimized character builds use rules only found within WotC source books.

Name Starting Race Final Class Progression Summary
(Epic) Ultimate Dervish
9−20 Crit Specialist Human Fighter 3/Psychic Warrior 2/Weapon Master (Kensai) 7/Disciple of Dispater 8 Tired of two weapon fighting builds that still don't do as much damage per round as two handed?
Abe *Core Only* blind-fighting Dragon Disciple
Ability Tank
Almost 20 levels Mystic Theurge
Angry Bear Monk
Another Dancing Build Human Fighter 6, Dervish 10, Tempest 4 A dervish dancing build to obliterate those that stand in your way.
Anti-Critter Scout Cannon
Arcane Archer Wild Elf Fighter9/Sorceror1/Arcane Archer10 A Leathal Arcane Archer.
Arcane Tank Any Wizard 4/Fighter 2/Spellsword 1 An arcane tank build.
Arcane Tank, Variant Human Mage 4/Fighter 1/Spellsword 1 A tanky mage.
Armoured Dwarven Gish - Full arcane casting, Heavy Armour Draconic Gold Dwarf or some other Dwarven options, see Variants Sha'ir 4 / Geomancer 4 / Dragonslayer 1 / Runesmith 2 / Abjurant champion 5 / Spell Sword 4 In the first half of the build, a quasi-prepared pure caster, from the second half you are a rushing metal bulwark of arcane death without losing a single caster level before level 9 spells.
Atheist Bard Mystic Theurge
Awesome Sneak Attack/Skirmish Greater Manyshot Archer Any Rogue 5/Scout 4/Ranger 4 Move and stack Sneak Attack and Skirmish damage to every arrow fired from Greater Manyshot volleys each round! Can get 8 shots per round with the right equipment!
Bard Swiftblade of Sublime Chord Human Bard 7/ Swiftblade 10 / Sublime Chord 5/ SRD:Paladin 2 Handsome Fight Bard, good saves and attacks. Using swiftblade class.
Basic Combat Rogue Guide Halfling Rogue 4 / Swashbuckler 16 Your basic combat rogue build with many variants to show off the possibilities.
Battle Blesser
Battle Knight Bard of Sublime Chord Elf Bard 4/ Paladin 2/ Eldritch Knight 9/ Sublime Chord 1/ Abjurant Champion 4 Handsome Fight Bard, to show the bard can be useful, and he not only needs to give bonus to your party friends. A good fighter, with nice stats and maximized CHA, and 9th level spell slots, to be epic read. A non-break game build.
Berserker
Best Arcane Tank Any Wizard 4/Fighter 2/Spellsword 1 A tanky mage.
Best Grapple Monk in gargantuam form (no Homebrew) Illuskan human monk The class provides allows you to perform a grapple on any creature of any size, then block it and slaughter it with blows. At level 20, he can annihilate and kill her while holding the grab for 3 turns.
Best Mage of magic missile Human High Specialist Wizard High Evoker, Golarion Wizard lvl 5 - Force Missile Mage lvl 5 - Argent Savant lvl 3 - War Mage lvl 5 - HOLY SCOURGE lvl 1 - Sacred exorcist lvl 1 Best wizard of magic missile
Bladesinger Draconic Human Bard 3 / Warblade 17 Boost your whole party's damage to impressive heights using your bardsong while being a formidable foe yourself.
Bladestorm Weapon Thrower
Boomerang Factotum with full spellthief and wizard casting
Bro
Champion of the Forest
Clericzilla Human Cleric 7/Radiant Servant of Pelor 10 a massively powerful character capable of fighting on the front lines at least as well as a typical martial character, and extremely deadly to undead foes.
Complete Scoundrel
Critical Master
Daggerspell Master
Damage Reduction Master
Dancing Samurai
Daring Outlaw
Debuff Bard - Dread Necromancer
Dervish AOO/TWF
Diplomat Half-Elf Marshal 1/Cleric 1/Human Paragon 3/Half-Elf Paragon 3/Dragonfire Adept 2/Exemplar 1 This build allows for a ridiculously high Diplomacy score early on.
Disciple of Yeenoghu
Dragonfire Ninja
Druid Touch AC Tank Elf (Snow) Druid 16/Divine Oracle 4 Live forever or die trying! Huge Touch AC, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, and good Saves... with ALL the healing and defensive spells of a Druid! This variant from Unearthed Arcana effectively combines Monks, Rangers, and Druids, which allows you to add your Wisdom to AC. You'll become virtually invincible with the full arsenal of the Druid spell list behind you.
Echo Fighter
Eldritch Cleaver Human Cleric 1/Storm Giant Bloodline 3/Hellfire Warlock 3/Fighter 4/Warlock 9 A strong striker capable of doing damage to everyone around him while providing some battlefield control.
Epic Griffon rider
Feral Shifter Swiftwing Shifter Swordsage 10 / Bloodclaw Master 5 / Weretouched Master 5 The ultimate in shifter savagery, your twin daggers become a part of your body as you tear through foes.
Fiend-Slayer Build
Fighter/Mage
Fireball Filled Death
Frenzied Berserker
Gestalt /Warrior generic class
Gestalt Knifefighter
Gestalt Warlock Artificer Hellfire Warlock
Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance Hellbred from Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Fighter (exoticist) 1, Warlock 4, Fell Warrior 7, Hellfire Warlock 3, Master of Chains 5 A build that aims to imitate a Ghost Rider.
Glaive of the Dungeon Crasher Goliath or Human Ardent 1/Cleric 1/Warlock 1/Crusader 1/Hellfire Warlock 3/Fighter 6/Warmind 7 Using the Dungeon Crasher variant from Dungeonscape along with the Eldritch Glaive invocation from Dragon Magic and Large and In Charge from Races of the Dragon you can have a great hybrid defender/striker who combines damage with zone control.
Glaive of the Hellfire Warlock Human Bloodline 3 / Warlock 12 / Hellfire Warlock 3 / Chameleon 2 Use the eldritch glaive to deal massive damage to foes while locking them in place in addition to great mobility and battlefield control.
Goliath Dwarven Defender
Halfling Hurler
Healing Personified
Hearty Wizard Dwarf Fighter 2/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 3 A wizard with some meat on their bones.
Heckin spoopy half orc
High Arcana Double Spelldagger Striker Rogue Various Rogue 1/ Wizard 4/ Daggerspell Mage 10/ Unseen Seer 2/ Arcane Trickster 3 A rogue striker skill monkey how have access to high level caster level, spells and is epic ready
High Threat Range
High-Defense Wizard Elf (Snow) Monk 2/Ranger 1/Wizard 2/Divine Oracle 10/Abjurant Champion 5 This build is intended to maintain maximum caster level while making a Wizard untouchable by anything short of a critical hit. It is the supreme defensive caster build with virtually no dependance on defensive spells.
Holy Bearbearian
Holy Warrior
Huge Touch AC Cleric Dwarf (Mountain) Monk 2/Cleric 3/Divine Oracle 4/Contemplative 1/Soulguard 10 This optimization is intended to develop a Cleric using Touch AC provided by multi-classing with the Monk class.
Hulking Warlord
Infinite Rage
Inhuman AoO-er
Invincible Monk
Kalashtar Fireknife
Lich Tank
Lots and lots of minions
Lucky Daggersage
Lycan tank
Machine Gun Assassin Halfling Ninja 15 / Master Thrower 5 Throw up to 16 shurikens every 6 seconds as touch attacks while adding Sudden Strike to each one.
Mage Tank
Mage-Thief (Without losing any caster levels!)
Magic Missile Stormer
Mary Sue (Character Concept)
Master of Illusion
Master of the Force
Max Healing
Melee Arcanist
Melee theurge
Mjolnir Bloodstorm - Thor Dragonborn Water Orc Warblade 7 / Crusader 1 / Barbarian 1 / Bloodstorm Blade 4/ Master Thrower 5 Thor throws his mighty greathammer dealing godly (300 hp) damage.
Negative Levels
Nude Nonlethal Bard/Heartwarder Hippy
Octoman
Odd super companion/familiar
Optimized Saves for Evil Human Monk 2 / Paladin of Tyranny 2 / Hexblade 3 / Blackguard 2 Maximized save bonuses using charisma oriented evil and non-good classes. Strong combat.
Orc Smash!
Orc with Level Drain
Paladin of Sorrow
Paladinesque
Paladinzilla
Pious Crusader Lesser Aasimar Monk 2 / Paladin 5 / Kensai 5 / Pious Templar 8 This build focuses on trying to build out a melee paladin with better saves and a lot of combat focus.
Power Attack/Combat Expertise Combo Tactics Fighter
Priest of Lyrics and Chords
Pun-Pun
Radiant Geo-Paladin
Random Choice: Cavalier
Random Choice: Factotum
Random Choice: Initiate of the Draconic Mysteries
Ranged Rider (WotC) Any Fighter 8 / Beast Heart Adept 10 / Uncanny Trickster 2 Wanting to make the ultimate ranger character riding a mount with WotC rules
Sacrilegious Fist
Savage Arm
Saves Man
Scary and Dangerous
Scimitar Crit-Hitter
Scroll user - Max UMD like a boss
Slashing Fury (TWF Scimitar Build)
SoulGrappler Shifter (razorclaws) Totemist 2/Bear Totem Barbarian 3/WarBlade 5/Totem Rager 10 Fun tank built with soulmelds. Try to reach grapple as high as possible
Soulknife Undead Hunter
Soultank Azurin from Magic of Incarnum or Human Soulborn 20 Fun tank built with soulmelds. Useful in campaigns when money is an issue.
Southern Dread Necromancer Incantatrix
Spellsword - The Warrior Mage
Sublime Ur Lyrist
Sun elf invoker
Survivor Monk
Swashbuckler with better-than-rogue Sneak Attack Human 5 Swashbuckler/5 Invisible Blade This is a Swashbuckler build with better than Rogue Sneak Attack and full BAB, and the ability to feint every attack. Until level 9 you operate as a Swashbuckler who two weapon fights. At level 9, you turn into a sneak attack monster.
Swashizard
Teh Frenzy Powa!!!
Thasar's Shapechanging Invincible Druid Human Druid 20 Show them all the true power of Nature's Wrath ith this incredibly detailed build!
The Agilomancer
The Arcane Tank that actually works
The Closest thing to Jesus a player character can get
The Griffon Knight Fighter 1/Cleric 4/Prestige Paladin 4/Cavalier 10 The Griffon Knight is a mounted warrior with a good amount of damage, a health pool and to support himself and allies. The key in the build is that you gain a combined health pool with your mount and both get maximum advantage of charging.
The Lancer
The Psionic Monk
The Thing That Goes Bump In The Night
The ultimate narcicist
The Untouchable Monk
The Wish and the Word
Thri-Kreen Sneak Attacker
Tinkering Artificer
Tripper
Ultimate Area Attacker
Ultimate Damage Dervish
Ultimate Huge Divine Battle Sorcerer
Ultimate Mindhunter
Ultimate Monk
Ultimate Monk /Emulating Legendary Martial Arts Techniques
Ultimate Monk /Metamorphosis Forms
Ultimate Monk /Monster Classes
Ultimate Ranged Touch Wizard Elf (Snow) Monk 2/Ranger 1/Wizard 2/Divine Oracle 4/Abjurant Champion 5/Rogue 1/Spellwarp Sniper 5 This build is intended to maintain maximum caster level while making a Wizard untouchable by anything short of a critical hit. It is the supreme defensive caster build with virtually no dependance on defensive spells. Offensively, it focuses on one of the most reliable, consistent forms of damage: Ranged Touch Attacks.
Ultimate Undead Hunter
Untouchable fighter
Ursa Major
Vow of Poverty Forsaker
Wand User Monk
War Hulking Hurler
Warblade Dualwield
Warforged raging frenzied Juggernaut
Wilderness Encarnate
Wildshaping One Punch Man
Wondermount Celestial human Druid 14/ranger 2/ranger knight of Furyondy 1/beastmaster 1 with special mount 20/animal companion 21 There are a number of ways to have a compatriot with your character. The most common are the druid's animal companion, the paladin's special mount, the wizard/sorcerer's familiar, and the Leadership feat's cohort. This build aims to maximize the effectiveness of such a compatriot.
Xbow Sniper
Yet Another Monk Build Changeling ranger 4/monk 4/warshaper 1/fist of the forest 3/initiate of the draconic mysteries 8 Optimize that unarmed damage.

Third Party Rules

These optimized character builds use any rules; some found within the System Reference Document, WotC source books, third party source books, the internet, and, of course, here on D&D Wiki.

Name Starting Race Final Class Progression Summary
"Impoverished" but Mighty
Abe *Core Only* blind-fighting Dragon Disciple
Arcane Light Tank Any Bard 6/Battle Howler of Gruumsh 3/Sublime Chord 2/Spellsword 1/Eldritch knight 8 Everything started trying to bring an Elf Wizard/Fighter from the AD&D to the D&D 3.5.
Avengers Iron Man
Bard Swiftblade of Sublime Chord Human Bard 7/ Swiftblade 10 / Sublime Chord 5/ SRD:Paladin 2 Handsome Fight Bard, good saves and attacks. Using swiftblade class.
Battle Blesser
Battle Knight Bard of Sublime Chord Elf Bard 4/ Paladin 2/ Eldritch Knight 9/ Sublime Chord 1/ Abjurant Champion 4 Handsome Fight Bard, to show the bard can be useful, and he not only needs to give bonus to your party friends. A good fighter, with nice stats and maximized CHA, and 9th level spell slots, to be epic read. A non-break game build.
Best Grapple Monk in gargantuam form (no Homebrew) Illuskan human monk The class provides allows you to perform a grapple on any creature of any size, then block it and slaughter it with blows. At level 20, he can annihilate and kill her while holding the grab for 3 turns.
Boomerang Factotum with full spellthief and wizard casting
Bro
Critical Master
Daggerspell Master
Damage Reduction Master
Dark Summoner, Variant
Debuff Bard - Dread Necromancer
Diplomacy and Blackmail Gestalt
Disciple of Yeenoghu
Dragonfire Ninja
Echo Fighter
Elementalist
Epic Griffon rider
Fighter AoO'er
Firearm Focus
Frenzied Berserker
Functotom Any Factotum 8/ Swiftblade 7 Fun build that combines Factotum with SwiftBlade
Gestalt /Warrior generic class
Gestalt Warlock Artificer Hellfire Warlock
Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance Hellbred from Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Fighter (exoticist) 1, Warlock 4, Fell Warrior 7, Hellfire Warlock 3, Master of Chains 5 A build that aims to imitate a Ghost Rider.
Goliath Dwarven Defender
High Arcana Double Spelldagger Striker Rogue Various Rogue 1/ Wizard 4/ Daggerspell Mage 10/ Unseen Seer 2/ Arcane Trickster 3 A rogue striker skill monkey how have access to high level caster level, spells and is epic ready
High Threat Range
Insightful Strikers The Races of War Aasimar Paladin 6/Celestial Beacon 10 Focused on the Insightful Strike feat maximization.
Level 10 Gargantuan Swordsman
Lich Tank
Lycan tank
Mage-Thief (Without losing any caster levels!)
Massive Damage Striker
Master of Illusion
Mega-Cleric
Niten Master
Nude Nonlethal Bard/Heartwarder Hippy
Orc with Level Drain
Ranged Rider Any Ranger 4 / Prestige Ranger 6 / Easy Rider 10 Wanting to make the ultimate ranger character riding a mount.
Scary and Dangerous
Scroll user - Max UMD like a boss
Southern Dread Necromancer Incantatrix
Staff Tripper Human Monk 2 / Warblade 4 As good as a chain tripper!
Swashizard
Teef, the toothy half ogre
Teh Frenzy Powa!!!
Thasar's Psionic Nuker
The Forever Mage
The Ultimate Munchkin
The ultimate narcicist
The Untouchable Monk
The Wisdomancer
Thri-kreen Dervish
Ultimate Undead Hunter
Ursa Major
Warforged raging frenzied Juggernaut
WD-54-10-4 "Murphy" Warforged Warblade Juggernaut
Werebear Monk
Wildshaping One Punch Man

Half-Optimizations

These optimized builds are too short to be considered full optimizations, however they encompass useful and interesting tricks can be added to certain characters in a matter of levels. These use any rules; some found within the System Reference Document, WotC source books, third party source books, the internet, and, of course, here on D&D Wiki.

Name Starting Race Final Class Progression Summary
Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale, Feral
Arcane Gish Chassis Any Sha'ir 4 / Geomancer 4 / Dragon Slayer 1 Arcane Cleric: Same BAB at level 9, full arcane casting, proficiency with all the fighter weapons and armour.
Assassin of Shar
Battle Priest
Best Grapple Monk in gargantuam form (no Homebrew) Illuskan human monk The class provides allows you to perform a grapple on any creature of any size, then block it and slaughter it with blows. At level 20, he can annihilate and kill her while holding the grab for 3 turns.
Foundling Monk
Grapplemancer Human Wizard 3 A wizard that's so much better at grappling than any "traditional" grappler it blows them out of the water.
Low Level Nova Human Duskblade 3 An example of a low-level nova-er, dealing 11d6+12 damage at level 3.
Lycanthrope Melee Optimization
Monk Ease Use
Nonhero-necromancer
Persist Time Stop
Politico
Quick and Dirty Soul Eater Warforged Fighter 5/Soul Eater 1 Bestowing negative levels before 4th-level spells? Sure, why not?
Summon Zombies at Level One
Swashbuckler-Artificer
The Ultimate Duelist
Transmuter Gish
True Battle Sorcerer
Undead Controller

Flavorful Optimizations

These builds aren't really optimized too much as far as mechanics goes, instead attempting to come as close as possible to certain concepts, flavors, or gimmicks.

Name Starting Race Final Class Progression Summary
Armoured Dwarven Gish - Full arcane casting, Heavy Armour Draconic Gold Dwarf or some other Dwarven options, see Variants Sha'ir 4 / Geomancer 4 / Dragonslayer 1 / Runesmith 2 / Abjurant champion 5 / Spell Sword 4 In the first half of the build, a quasi-prepared pure caster, from the second half you are a rushing metal bulwark of arcane death without losing a single caster level before level 9 spells.
Best Grapple Monk in gargantuam form (no Homebrew) Illuskan human monk The class provides allows you to perform a grapple on any creature of any size, then block it and slaughter it with blows. At level 20, he can annihilate and kill her while holding the grab for 3 turns.
Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance Hellbred from Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Fighter (exoticist) 1, Warlock 4, Fell Warrior 7, Hellfire Warlock 3, Master of Chains 5 A build that aims to imitate a Ghost Rider.

Class Guides

Class Guides deal with the ins and outs of a certain class, showing what their strengths and weaknesses are. The rules they use depend on the class they outline.


Incomplete Optimized Character Builds

Optimized Character Builds with one or many improving, reviewing, or removing templates present. Please help work on the problem presented on the template.

View recent changes for all optimized character builds

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