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Is there a site, page or other online resource with a comprehensive list of optimised characters for each main role (e.g. Tank, Healer) or class (e.g. Bard, Fighter) in D&D 3e? I'm not looking for characters with Pun-Pun or Chuck E. Cheese levels of optimisation and general game-breakingness, just a strong character for each role along with (if possible) some justification or explanation why this build is the best. Ideally, it'd cover a range of levels, but I'd be quite happy even if this isn't included.

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Are you interested in specific builds, or good choices when building? – Brian Ballsun-Stanton♦ Dec 24 '12 at 8:45
Either would be good, I guess. – Dakeyras Dec 24 '12 at 12:16
Doesn't seem like a real question; there are probably many lists of what some people consider optimized, but hitting the power level you personally want seems... unlikely, particularly without more information. And regardless, list questions are not on-topic. – KRyan Dec 24 '12 at 20:13
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Also, your tags seem inaccurate. You seem to be describing 3.5, or maybe 3.x (i.e. 3.5 and Pathfinder). You should clarify. Not much optimization takes place in strict 3.0, as few continued to play it after 3.5 came out. – KRyan Dec 24 '12 at 20:22
@KRyan Asking if databases exist elsewhere is usually okay. It's when a question is aiming to gather a list of answers right here that it's a problem. – SevenSidedDie Dec 25 '12 at 3:08

closed as not a real question by KRyan, MadMAxJr, edgerunner, wraith808, Oblivious Sage Dec 28 '12 at 0:21

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

4 Answers

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I have not played D&D in a while because of a switch to pathfinder. That said, the games run in very similar fashion and share many of the same classes and feats.

I mention this because I have begun a site that shows optimized builds for Pathfinder. I am sure you could convert the builds to D&D 3.0. Its called http://Optibuilds.com.

Of course, there is a popular guy called Treantmonk that has made general guides for different classed for D&D and Pathfinder. Type Treantmonk Bard Guide, for instance, into google and a guide should pop up.

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Treantmonk had excellent guides for 3.5 long before Pathfinder existed. – KRyan Dec 24 '12 at 20:14
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To answer your initial question, No.

No one has complied a list of optimization for 3rd edition like they did for 4e on Wizards of the Coast forums.

But many great optimizers of 3.0/3.5 float around Giants in the Playground forums, and if you had a specific questions, I would highly recommend posting there.

If you have a class in mind, usually googling '_ 3.5 optimization' or '_ 3.5 handbook' will yield the general results, replacing the blank spot with the class you are interested in.

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GitP is pretty weak on the optimization scene (though it is the most active 3.x forum to my knowledge, and many optimizers from elsewhere can be found there). Minmaxboards, or the old 339/BrilliantGameologists and Wizards char-op archives, are really where you want to go for 3.x optimization. Also, your flat "No" is clearly not accurate. – KRyan Dec 24 '12 at 20:21
up vote 1 down vote

There are probably many lists of what one particular person or group considers to be optimized builds. DandDwiki’s got an entire category full of them. The problem is that people can have wildly different ideas of what “optimization” means, and plenty of people writing these lists know nothing about optimization (like most of the people on DandDwiki).

For myself, this list is pretty good. Much of it is Theoretical Optimization (TO), which is not what you want, but perhaps some of the Practical Optimization (PO) is useful to you.

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up vote 6 down vote

Yes. Look at the Minmax Boards handbook index. This is where all the wizards threads migraded (after a stop over at brilliantgameologists.)

Now, this index holds all of the handbooks developed for 3.5. I've found that a handbook is an excellent resource that reduces the number of choices I have to make during character creation, as the traps are neatly identified for me.

Make sure to scroll down for the "handy links" replies and especially the Build Compilation, which, as requested, is a huge resource of builds (and links to builds, suffering only from slight bitrot).

If you follow these links you should be able to find some resources that are 3.0 specific.

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