I think there are 3 specific things to do which will make a significant percentage of hybrids work regardless of actual player or build skill: Make your stats work. 18s in all primary stats should be the general goal. With some specific exceptions(classes that get big bonuses from a secondary stat every round), you can often dump secondary stats.
Figure out where your AC is coming from - many hybrids destroy AC. Non-defenders should ask themselves how they're getting at least Chainmail quality AC, Defenders should be 2 higher.
Decide your role in the party - the best hybrids do one of three things: Be 90% of one role and a good 40% of the other. An Archer Ranger|Bard does many of the things that a typical Archer Ranger does with additional great interrupt choices as an example.
Be 80% of both - the ultimate 5th member of a party. A Warden|Avenger is an off-defender who does okay striker damage and has an easy route to AC(Hybrid Talent for Hide+Heavy Shield+Wis to AC) as an example.
Combine two of the same role for 100% of a role. Does not usually work with Strikers due to each side being a half-striker and Leaders eventually lose a heal. Fighter|Paladin.
Cool, looking forward to seeing this fleshed out. I guess I'll point out that there's something weird with a few font tags in the second post, in case you weren't aware.
Cool, looking forward to seeing this fleshed out. I guess I'll point out that there's something weird with a few font tags in the second post, in case you weren't aware.
Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on there - I don't see it in the preview, it just shows up when I post it. And the more I try to fix it, the worse it gets. I may just have to retype everything.
I'm looking forward to the guide, but mostly I wanted to give you props for the 1e/2e potion miscibility references. I hope you keep those section titles in the finished guide
Cool, looking forward to seeing this fleshed out. I guess I'll point out that there's something weird with a few font tags in the second post, in case you weren't aware.
Yeah, I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on there - I don't see it in the preview, it just shows up when I post it. And the more I try to fix it, the worse it gets. I may just have to retype everything.
You can try copying the text, pasting into notepad, and then copying from notepad bad into your post; that should remove formatting. Then you just need to add formatting back in.
Alternately, if you know HTML you can hit the HTML button in the editor and alter the HTML directly; the editor sometimes adds in things that it shouldn't that you can't edit out any other way.
Under Sample Ability Spreads you might consider adding the 'iconic' 17 15 13 10 10 8 stat distribution. For 14 out of 30 levels it's top knotch, and especially relevant if you allow ability score retraining (such as with LFR).
As PHB3 is going to have rules for all the various PHB3 classes in terms of hybrids, I'm going to hold off until it is released.
Normally, I wouldn't have done that, but Monk appears to have possibilities of rewriting the entire handbook. i.e. ki focus or weapon proficient with as implement. Wow. And there are the psionic rules to consider as well for doing hybrids.
Okay -- Are you still studying PHB3? There is a lot to digest there. Add in the Dragon article about Assassins, and I count 300 possible hybrid class combinations -- most of which can be made viable. So far the worst combination I have come up with is Seeker|Warlock. Has anyone else come up with anything that is even worse?
Seeker|Warlock doesn't seem like *that* huge of a stretch to me. Warlocks are better as hybrids than they are primary classes, and your combination makes for a striker|controller that can function at range and still maintain decent proficiencies and hit/damage rolls by simply picking a race that uses Wis and Cha or Con (Dwarf? Wilden?)
Anyhow, my opinion is that Psion|Druid would be the worst. Terrible proficiencies, horrible ability score alignment, zero interesting uses of Hybrid Talent, and no real class features to speak of. You'd be a controller, sure, but... probably about as poor in that role as a class is possible of being.
Another possibility is Druid|Sorcerer. You'd need to have Wis and Cha, but be forced into cloth proficiencies. A Dex mutual secondary would add *something* to the defenses and general functionality of this build, but as a 3rd stat, it's probably about as bad as you could do. And if you pick con/str? Heaven help you.
