Here's a companion piece to my Companion Builds thread where I aim to share some of the insights I've found for the main character in the game. As both a roleplayer and rollplayer, I strive for three standards in each build.

1. It has to be conceptually appropriate. Sure, you could dip Monk or Vivisectionist in just about anything to make it stronger, but 99% of the time it doesn't make a lick of sense. If the RP aspect of this game doesn't interest you and you're just looking for whatever gives you the biggest numbers to go slay the other numbers, this guide isn't for you. My builds need to suit the character's concept most of all.

2. They have to be effective. I only post builds that I've personally used on Challenging or harder difficulties and can verify that they pull their weight. I've noticed a LOT of builds get posted out there where the character is a walking liability that contributes nothing until level 15+ when the uber-awesome combo it was building toward takes affect. My builds aim for showing meaningful gain and ability throughout every level.

3. I hate min/maxing, it's the lazy man's way of squeezing 1 or 2 extra points out of a build at the cost of the RP in the game. You won't see 7's (or even worse, 5's) for attributes in my builds. Also, I like a mixture of races and concepts. It's too easy to fall into the pitfall of playing all Aasimar because they have the best stats. Maybe you want to play a Half-Orc or a Gnome sometime? I'm aiming to have as much variety as possible here.

Build Index
Aasimar
Divine Dragonknight (Divine Guardian / Sorcerer / Dragon Disciple / Eldritch Knight) - Angelkin

Dwarves
Dwarven Defender (Tower Shield Specialist / Stalwart Defender)

Elves
The Grenadier (Grenadier)

Gnomes
Fey Lord (Feyspeaker)

Half-Elves
Erastil's Warden (Herald Caller)

Half-Orcs
Death Knight (Eldritch Scion)
Orc Axemaster (Slayer / Rogue)
Last of the Shattered Tusk (Mad Dog / Sacred Huntsman / Two-Handed Fighter)

Halflings
Adamantine Halfling (Fighter / Invulnerable Rager / Stalwart Defender)
Treasure Hunter (Knife Master / Archaeologist / Arcane Trickster)

Humans
Aldori Duelmaster (Sword Saint / Duelist)

Tieflings
Inferno Priest of Asmodeus (Sorcerer / Ecclesitheurge / Mystic Theurge) - Hellspawn

Dwarven Defender
Role: Tank
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: Any
Final Build: Tower Shield Specialist 10 / Stalwart Defender 10

Build Notes: This is about as straightforward a tank build as can exist. It's all about HP, AC and immunities to make you close to invincible. I have a real soft spot for MC tanks, but more than that, I just love Dwarves.

Starting Stats
Tower Shield Specialist-1
16 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
14 Intelligence
12 Wisdom
08 Charisma
Skills: Mobility 1, Perception 1, Persuasion 1
Feats: Dodge, Shield Focus
Notes: Mobility we're only taking to 3 for the synergy bonus to Fighting Defensively, Persuasion is always useful even with a relatively low Charisma, and Perception will eventually be a class-skill and he has a racial bonus to it. Cultivating it now will pay dividends down the road. Note than an 8 is the lowest I will allow an attribute to sink to, and even then only if it was brought there by a racial mod. Anything lower is scummy min/maxing to me. Also, with this build, your Dwarf will begin the game in Scale Mail with a regular Tower Shield. Your starting AC is 23 without even fighting defensively!

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Tower Shield Specialist 2
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike
Notes: IUS is to set us up for Crane Style next level. This alleviates the need to take pointless and RP-ruining dips into Monk.

Level 3 - Tower Shield Specialist 3
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: This is a HUGE level for your Tank. By now you've got Tartuccio's Ring and hopefully bought a suit of plate mail from Oleg. With your Mobility and Crane Style enhanced Fighting Defensively, you're at a 32 AC. Any spells or buffs you choose to give him past this is just gravy. The Treant Bear, Staglord and rest of the Act bosses should be laughable speed bumps for you and your party now.

Level 4 - Tower Shield Specialist 4
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +3
Feats: Armor Focus (Heavy)
Notes: We no longer need to level Mobility, and with Armor Check Penalties, it's a bit of a waste to do so. Where you dump your remaining points is a matter of opinion, but I favor either Nature or World. Your character will ALWAYS be at camp, and having the ability to cook or hunt for the party is invaluable. I like the idea of the Dwarf being a cook, so I go with World. Also, I also like his three remaining skills to level evenly, so I prefer to go World 3, Perception 3, Persuasion 3 over say, World 1, Perception 4, Persuasion 4.

Level 5 - Tower Shield Specialist 5
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Expertise
Notes: Another big level for the Dwarven Defender, he gets Tower Shield Specialist at this level and loses the painful -2 to attack with Tower Shields. This is perfect timing since you'll now have Combat Expertise toggled on at all times with Crane Style and Fighting Defensively, losing those -2 to hit again, but gaining +2 AC. Assuming you've found no new gear since 3, your AC should be about 35 now. Enough that the Staglord is a cakewalk, and setting you up to easily clear the Trolls of Act 2. SPOILER: The Dwarven Defender has a racial +4 AC against Trolls!

Level 6 - Tower Shield Specialist 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Missile Shield
Notes: Why Missile Shield and not Weapon Focus -> Weapon Specialization? First, you're reaching an AC where the only missiles that're going to hit you are lucky 20's. Mitigating a natural 20 every round will go a long way for you, especially later in the game when the AI likes to drop boatloads of archers on you. Second, this game abounds with great magical one-handed weapons. How often have you had a cool weapon that was some weird type that no one had weapon focus for, like a club or a rapier? By electing not to focus on a specific weapon style, your tank can just use the best items that come along.

Level 7 - Tower Shield Specialist 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Toughness
Notes: Toughness is the last requirement for Stalwart Defender. Also, the second rank of Armor/Tower Shield Training at 7 is the last important level you're going to need from Tower Shield Specialist.

Level 8 - Stalwart Defender 1
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Strength is now an even number, Perception's become a class skill and chances are your AC is mid-40's. Here's where I was when I fought Hargulka: 10 Base + 11 Blessed Path (armor) + 5 Flameguard (shield) + 1 Amulet of Nat Armor + 1 Tartuccio's Ring + 3 Dexterity + 2 Heavy Armor/Shield Focus + 1 Dodge + 1 Stalwart Dodge + 4 Fighting Defensively + 3 Combat Expertise + 2 Defensive Stance + 4 Racial Giant Dodge = 48AC. I can't describe the satisfaction of watching him sit there in a rage wiffing and wiffing.

Level 9 - Stalwart Defender 2
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Blind Fight, Internal Fortitude(B)
Notes: Your AC is basically going to take care of itself from here on. Your Stalwart Defender levels, Combat Expertise, Defensive Stance, gear, it'll all continue to scale up. What we're working on now is building up immunities. These're going to help a LOT later on. Blind Fight gives you Gaze immunity, and Int Fortitude gives you Sickened and Nauseated immunity. (This is actually pretty fun if you want to throw a Stinking Cloud on him when he's surrounded.)

Level 10 - Stalwart Defender 3
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Uncanny Dodge(B)
Notes: Yet more defenses with Uncanny Dodge always passively active.

Level 11 - Stalwart Defender 4
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Skill Focus (Perception), Fearless Defense(B)
Notes: You're at 10 ranks of Perception now, so Skill Focus is a +6 bonus. This should put you at least at +22, assuming you have nothing else raising it (and you should). The later the game gets, the more fantastic the items are and they're all gated behind Perception checks. Not every party will have Jaethal's crazy Perception checks, and even if they do, she can roll 1's. Having your MC be a Perception machine is always a good idea. Also, you're now immune to Shaken and Frightened. The list of immunities continues to grow!

Level 12 - Stalwart Defender 5
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Damage Reduction 1/-

Level 13 - Stalwart Defender 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Persuasive, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 2/-)
Notes: Persuasive, like Skill Focus, now gets a 10 rank upgrade, further boosting your great Perception check and also helping your Persuasion score too. The Damage Reduction isn't great yet, but the more you foster it, the more it'll grow...

Level 14 - Stalwart Defender 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Uncanny Dodge
Notes: You're now immune to flanking. Also, your Perception should be in the +30's somewhere.

Level 15 - Stalwart Defender 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Steel Soul, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 5/-)
Notes: Steel Soul is Dwarf specific and essentially amounts to taking Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will all at once. Also, your Damage Reduction now deducts 5 points from anyone lucky enough to have rolled a 20 and broken past your godlike AC. Since it'll be more likely that you'll be hit by barrages of small attacks where they're more likely to roll a 20 from sheer volume of attacks, than a big attacker who can hit your enormous AC, those 5 points of DR add up rapidly.

Level 16 - Stalwart Defender 9
Attributes: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 17 - Stalwart Defender 10
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Iron Will, Renewed Defense(B), (DR 7/-)
Notes: You COULD take Roused Defense, but honestly, I usually give the MC the Heart of Ira (plenty of other slots to get Natural Armor from) to make him immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion already. If you don't, then the Fatigue immunity is probably the better bet than the on-demand 5d8+Con Mod heal.

Level 18 - Tower Shield Specialist 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Shield Focus
Notes: Why back to Fighter? I'd really thought hard about turning him into a Paladin. A Divine Guardian of Torag fits his concept great. But really, I don't care for dips usually, and you're not getting much for it. Immunity to Diseases which you'd probably have aced the checks on anyway. A few Charisma abilities that are weak as all get-out at this level. Nah, better to keep to the concept and stick with Fighter.

Level 19 - Tower Shield Specialist 9
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Iron Will

Level 20 - Tower Shield Specialist 10
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Reflexes

There you go. If your gear path was anything like mine, I had an AC in the mid/high 70's, around 300HP, immune to just about every status ailment, DR 7, a Perception check in the 40's and no matter how high I cranked the difficulty, I just couldn't die.

Erastil's Warden
Role: Ranged Damage / Healer / Summoner
Race: Half-Elf
Alignment: Lawful Good / Neutral Good / Lawful Neutral
Final Build: Herald Caller 20

Build Notes: This is one of my favorite builds for just casually running through the game. It's easy, it's effective, and no matter what your party composition, it's almost always going to fit in nicely. This build being used properly will be stacked with buffs and protection spells for the party, freeing the need up for your other casters. At the open of combat, he'll send his animal companion in along with some powerfully buffed summons to mob the enemies down while he sprays arrows out like a ranger and occasionally flashes off channels to full-heal the party.

Starting Stats
Herald Caller-1
Deity: Erastil
Domain: Animal
10 Strength
18 Dexterity
10 Constitution
12 Intelligence
16 Wisdom
13 Charisma
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Perception)
Notes: The Herald Caller can't use Medium Armor or Shields, since you'll be in the back ranks in light armor with a bow, that doesn't hurt you any. The Herald Caller also only gets only one domain and animal is the only one you'll need, sp this is also an immaterial set-back. Also, worshiping Erastil automatically gives you proficiency with the Longbow and Composite Longbow, perfecting the build. Note that the reason there's a 13 Charisma is to pick up Selective Channel down the road.
My reasoning for stacking Perception was explained in the Dwarven Defender, but if you feel you need a hunter for camping, you might want to switch Skill Focus to Nature. But honestly, at a certain point, you'll forage 6 rations with 0 hours no matter what you roll, while some of the endgame Perception checks can be quite brutal.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Herald Caller 2
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Nature, Perception and Persuasion are checks you're likely to make and frequently. Religion, while appropriate doesn't see the use of the others, so we're going to let that be the skill that lags a little bit on even levels.

Level 3 - Herald Caller 3
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Precise Shot

Level 4 - Herald Caller 4
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Animal Companion, Augment Summoning(B)
Notes: This is a huge level, you get Mighty Heralds AND your animal companion! I personally think Elk suits a Cleric of the Stag God best, but follow your own sensibilities here. In my head, the Warden was a country boy who answered Jamadi's call with his pa's longbow. Elk worked but dog would've worked too. Maybe your Warden is a barbarian who grew up around mammoths and smilodons?
Anyhow, remember for your new heralds that you can spontaneously summon, just like curing wounds, so don't waste a slot prepping Summon Monster!

Level 5 - Herald Caller 5
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Selective Channel
Notes: This is a tough feat choice. There are so many good options at this level: Boon Companion, Weapon Focus, Rapid Shot... why then Selective Channel? Because your Warden is going to be in the back ranks and is in the perfect position to use channel between his attacks. And the sooner he has Selective Channel, the sooner he's using it in combat and you don't need the likes of Tristan cluttering your ranks up.

Level 6 - Herald Caller 6
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 7 - Herald Caller 7
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Boon Companion
Notes: Taking Boon Companion at this level should give you the size-increased companion. Between the Owlcat pet and a Periapt, your Perception should be around +18. Your pet will usually be good for another check himself at around +12.

Level 8 - Herald Caller 8
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Superior Summoning
Notes: Most of the time your Summon Nature's Ally spell is going to be better than Summon Monster. So, when you're faced with 1d3+1 Leopards from SNA or 1d3+1 Monitors from SM, I recommend the Leopards.

Level 9 - Herald Caller 9
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Rapid Shot

Level 10 - Herald Caller 10
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Due to the 10 rank buff, your Skill Focus should now have your Perception well into the 20's.

Level 11 - Herald Caller 11
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Weapon Focus (Longbow)

Level 12 - Herald Caller 12
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 13 - Herald Caller 13
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Clustered Shots
Notes: This is around the level when you're going to start seeing a significant uptick in monsters with damage reduction. Clustered Shots is a necessity.

Level 14 - Herald Caller 14
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 15 - Herald Caller 15
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Improved Critical (Longbow)
Notes: Why not Deadly Aim? The Cleric just doesn't have a lot of attack bonus to spare. I'm sure by now you're rocking a +6 Dex item, buffing quiver, great magical longbow and some miscellaneous ranged attack buffs, but you're still probably hurting to hit some of the tougher baddies. The last thing you should be wanting to do is buffing your own attacks with things like Divine Power. You're too invaluable as a summoner, healer and group buffer for selfish thoughts like that.

Level 16 - Herald Caller 16
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 17 - Herald Caller 17
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Manyshot

Level 18 - Herald Caller 18
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 19 - Herald Caller 19
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feat: Deadly Aim

Level 20 - Herald Caller 20
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: At level 20 the stat buff does no good in either Wisdom or Dexterity, so you might as well put it in Charisma and get the even-number bonus.

By the end of the game I found that most encounters my Warden was just like a much better Tristan. He was auto-attacking in the back, every now and then I'd also toss out a channel. The damage buff of his companion was a huge boon, especially when running in tandem with Okundayo. But his real value shines in harder encounters. His buffs, from Negative Energy Protection to the Mass Energy Resistances, or Restorations and status cleansing turned difficult fights manageable. And just about every difficult fight in this game is easily cheesed by stacking a million summons on them.

Death Knight
Role: Melee Damage / Necrosummoner
Race: Half-Orc
Alignment: Any (strongly recommend evil)
Final Build: Undead Eldritch Scion 20

Build Notes: This is a build who's playstyle will evolve as he levels and more and more abilities become available to him. Off the bat, he synergizes well with Jaethal. His unique bloodline will let him buff her with spells that she normally isn't able to be targeted with, like Enlarge Person. Early on, he'll be a back rank poker. Later on he'll transition to an undead summoner. By the end of the game he'll be a full on plated Death Knight, draining the HP from enemies he hits or who hit him, breaking their morale left and right, and shrugging off blows with pure undead resilience.

Starting Stats
Eldritch Scion-1
Bloodline: Undead
18 Strength
13 Dexterity
12 Constitution
10 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
16 Charisma
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Power Attack
Spells: (1) Ray of Enfeeblement, Enlarge Person
Notes: Religion deals with the Undead and is central to the theme. Half-Orcs get racial bonuses to Perception and Persuasion. Also, our goal will to be acquire all the Necromancy spells. For right now, since you only have light armor and a 13 Dexterity, find a reach weapon and park yourself safely behind your tank.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Eldritch Scion 2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Corrosive Touch
Notes: Shocking Grasp is technically superior to Corrosive Touch, but CT is more thematically appropriate.

Level 3 - Eldritch Scion 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Intimidating Prowess, Extend Magic, Death's Gift(B)
Spells: (1) Grease, Cause Fear(Free)
Notes: Why Extend Magic? Buffing yourself with an Extended Enlarge Person will let you start using one-handed weapons from the back-ranks, greatly increasing your efficacy. Note that Death's Gift just gave you Damage Reduction 5/Magic, very powerful early on. It's a shame you don't have the AC to take full advantage of it as a tank. Not yet, anyhow.

Level 4 - Eldritch Scion 4
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (2) Frigid Touch, Mirror Image
Notes: Frigid Touch is my personal go-to for Spellstrike. The cold damage is appropriate for the undead.

Level 5 - Eldritch Scion 5
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Persuasive, Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Spells: (2) Blur, False Life(Free)
Notes: I like to toggle Arcane Weapon (Frost) on personally at this point.

Level 6 - Eldritch Scion 6
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Empowered Magic
Spells: (2) Web

Level 7 - Eldritch Scion 7
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Cornugon Smash, Medium Armor Proficiency
Spells: (1) True Strike, (3) Haste, Displacement, Vampiric Touch(Free)
Notes: This is a big level for the Death Knight. You're in the backranks with your Extended Enlarge Person firing off Empowered Vampiric Touch Cornugon Smashes.

Level 8 - Eldritch Scion 8
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (3) Stinking Cloud

Level 9 - Eldritch Scion 9
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Dodge, Ghost Blade
Spells: (3) Dispel Magic

Level 10 - Eldritch Scion 10
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Vampiric Touch), Ghost Blade
Spells: (2) Glitterdust, (4)- Dimension Door, Stoneskin, Animate Dead(Free)
Notes: Around this time you're going to notice a shift in how the Death Knight plays. The Animate Dead is a big game changer especially used in conjunction with Grasp of the Dead. Remember that with the undead bloodline, you can affect undead as if they were people. That means buffing them in a way that no other necromancer class can!

Level 11 - Eldritch Scion 11
Skills: Mobility +3
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Crane Style
Spells: (1) Shield, (4) Shield of Dawn
Notes: Despite what it might look like, I'd still advise you to avoid hanging out in melee without a reach weapon or Enlarge Person. Crane Style is for later.

Level 12 - Eldritch Scion 12
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Maximized Magic
Spells: (4) Controlled Fireball

Level 13 - Eldritch Scion 13
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Armor Focus (Heavy)
Spells: (3) Slow, (5) Vampiric Shadow Shield, Cloudkill, Waves of Fatigue(Free)
Notes: By now with Crane Style, Full Plate, Dodge and any magic items you've picked up, you've got an AC in the 30's. Between Vampire Touch and Vampiric Shadow Shield it should be difficult for anyone to break through your immense self-healing.
That said, your AC isn't high enough to main tank, but high enough to join in on the frontlines without being instantly melted. You should also be feeling like a true Death Knight by now. Sending hordes of the undead in to battle your foes while you swing whatever your favored weapon is, imbued with the frost of death and fell vampiric magics draining their life to feed your own. Your every swing of your weapon demoralizes and terrifies the enemies before you, and those that do manage to pierce your defenses finds your body tough and difficult to damage (DR is at 10 now).

Level 14 - Eldritch Scion 14
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (2) Invisibility, (5) Cone of Cold

Level 15 - Eldritch Scion 15
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Vampiric Touch), Quickened Magic
Spells: (5) Baleful Polymorph
Notes: You pick up Incorporeal Form at this level. I found it to be unbelievably useful in end-game encounters where things suddenly refocused off the tank. It's just the thing to give you time to quaff a bunch of potions or stack some Quickened Maximized Vampiric Touches and get your HP back where it needs to be.

Level 16 - Eldritch Scion 16
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (4) Dragon's Breath, (6) Umbral Strike, Transformation, Undeath to Death(Free)

Level 17 - Eldritch Scion 17
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy), Combat Casting
Spells: (3) Lightning Bolt, (6) True Seeing

Level 18 - Eldritch Scion 18
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Reach Magic
Spells: (6) Disintegrate
Notes: Might as well take Reach Magic to have an easy backdoor in for the Metamagister achievement.

Level 19 - Eldritch Scion 19
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Toughness
Spells: (4) Boneshatter, Enervation, Greater False Life, (5) Acidic Spray, (6) Banshee Blast, Circle of Death, Eyebite

Level 20 - Eldritch Scion 20
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (4) Phantasmal Killer, (6) Greater Dispel Magic
Notes: This is it, you're undead now. Damage reductions, immunities, the whole shebang.

I know the Undead Bloodline says you're supposed to get high level spells like Finger of Death, Horrid Wilting and Energy Drain, but you never do. Presumably they get assigned to your level 9 spell slot that doesn't exist. As with the Dwarven Defender, I avoided Weapon Focuses / Specializations. Unless a build's concept demands a specific weapon, it's better to be able to use the best weapon you happen to have at the moment.

Fey Lord
Role: Caster
Race: Gnome
Alignment: True Neutral / Neutral Good / Neutral Evil / Lawful Neutral / Chaotic Neutral
Final Build: Feyspeaker 20

Build Notes: This build was originally for me to have someone to romance Nyrissa with. The Feyspeaker is a class sympathetic to fey, and Gnomes are a sort of fey themselves which fits. Moreover, Gnomes get a bonus to Charisma and to Illusion spells, the Feyspeaker converts the Druid into a Charisma-caster that gets access to Illusion spells! Clearly a match made in heaven. Maya's Charm, when you get it, increases the DC of your Enchantment and Illusion spells by 2. The Enchanter's Cape and Mesmerizing Necklace can also assist your spells.

Starting Stats
Feyspeaker-1
Domain/Animal Companion: Animal Companion
10 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
10 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
19 Charisma
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Focus (Illusion)
Notes: The Plant domain is probably the most appropriate, but the idea of a Druid with no Animal Companion? Malarkey! So why take Animal Companion instead of the Animal Domain where you'd get the Companion plus the extra Domain slots? Because it's not worth burning the feat on Boon Companion with Animal Domain.
All skills except Persuasion the Gnome has a racial or class buff to, and Persuasion... well, he has a 19 Charisma off the bat. Note that Spell Focus stacks with the Gnome's racial bonus.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Feyspeaker 2
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Notice that despite the concept and abilities of the Feyspeaker subclass there are ZERO Enchantment and ZERO Illusion spells on the first level spell list.

Level 3 - Feyspeaker 3
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)

Level 4 - Feyspeaker 4
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Color Spray)
Notes: With your Charisma, racial and feats, that Color Spray has a DC of 20.

Level 5 - Feyspeaker 5
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment)

Level 6 - Feyspeaker 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Hideous Laughter)
Notes: Hideous Laughter (Enchantment) is a spell that maintains its usefulness right through to the end of the game. There's no level cap on it and because it's added as a 3rd level spell it has a higher DC than a standard caster using it.

Level 7 - Feyspeaker 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment)

Level 8 - Feyspeaker 8
Attributes: Charisma +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Hold Person)

Level 9 - Feyspeaker 9
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Penetration

Level 10 - Feyspeaker 10
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Phantasmal Killer)
Notes: Phantasmal Killer is a great spell here. A level 5 save or die spell is great, especially one your class shouldn't normally have, that plays off Will instead of Fortitude and that you racially have buffed. Assuming you've found no better than a +2 Charisma buff item this should be around a DC 24ish.

Level 11 - Feyspeaker 11
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Penetration

Level 12 - Feyspeaker 12
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Shadow Evocation)
Notes: Shadow Evocation is actually a pretty awful spell. They get a Will Save off the bat, and if they can't pass that then you'd have almost certainly been better casting Phantasmal Killer instead. Then they get a standard Reflex to avoid some or all of the damage which you could've easily outpaced with Fire Snake. Why take Shadow Evocation then? Because I've got nostalgia bias and can't help myself. It's too late for me, but not for you, take a better spell. Please.

Level 13 - Feyspeaker 13
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Persuasive
Notes: By about this time we've got all the spell DC and SR feats taken. Now it's just QoL. Some might argue that you should take some archer feats or even summon feats since that's what you're doing to fill the gaps. I disagree. Better to pass skill checks and saving throws than try and fix mundane damage output this far in. That PBS is only giving you +1 damage a hit anyhow, and chances are you're not hitting.

Level 14 - Feyspeaker 14
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Phantasmal Putrefaction)

Level 15 - Feyspeaker 15
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Iron Will

Level 16 - Feyspeaker 16
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Insanity)

Level 17 - Feyspeaker 17
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Iron Will

Level 18 - Feyspeaker 18
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Fey Magic (Power Word - Stun)

Level 19 - Feyspeaker 19
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Toughness

Level 20 - Feyspeaker 20
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Lore (Nature) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

The Fey Lord isn't going to differ greatly from how you might normally play a caster druid. His animal companion will be responsible for a lot of the damage output, he'll be in the back most rounds auto-attacking with a ranged weapon or spamming some summons. The main thing with the Enchantment / Illusion spells are when they work, they work GREAT and usually instantly turn any fight. But I found the later into the game I went, even with my DCs cheesed up well into the 30's, a lot of end-game opponents had no problem making those saves. Wild Hunt Monarchs, for example, have a base Will of 24 before game difficulty or buffs go in. A lot of playing this character effectively is discovering which monsters have lower Will Saves. By the end of my playthrough, I'd become an expert on knowing where and on what to cast my spells (example: Wild Hunt Archers have the lowest Will Saves of the bunch).

Aldori Duelmaster
Role: Armorless Tank / Melee Damage
Race: Human
Alignment: Any
Final Build: Sword Saint 10 / Duelist 10

Build Notes: This game demands that sooner or later you're going to want to make a Swordlord. There's just too much lore, too many unique feats and equipment for you to stay away forever. A lot of people like to use the Aldori Defender and Aldori Swordlord prestige class... I'm not a fan. Both conceptually and mechanically, I feel the Sword Saint / Duelist does everything better. With this build you have Dex to damage at level 1, with the Swordlord PrC you have to wait until level 6 at the earliest. That's a long time doing 1d8+0.

Starting Stats
Sword Saint-1
10 Strength
18 Dexterity
10 Constitution
16 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
14 Charisma
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Slashing Grace (Dueling Sword), Chosen Weapon (Dueling Sword)
Spells: (1) Enlarge Person, Grease, Magic Missile, Shield, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
Notes: You'll need to select your Chosen Weapon first before the game will let you pick Slashing Grace as your second feat.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Sword Saint 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Ray of Enfeeblement, Vanish

Level 3 - Sword Saint 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Aldori Dueling Mastery, Extend Spell
Spells: (1) Expeditious Retreat, Reduce Person
Notes: Pretty much from Oleg's you can have acquired Bracers of Armor +1, Tartuccio's Ring, Gloves of Dexterity +2, Headband of Intellect +2 and a +1 Dueling Sword from the nearby locations. There's no reason to put off getting these things. You should have a respectable unarmored/unbuffed defensive fighting 26 AC by this point. Probably not quite enough to main tank, but enough to hold his own in melee.

Level 4 - Sword Saint 4
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (2) Frigid Touch, Mirror Image

Level 5 - Sword Saint 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike
Spells: (2) Blur, Web
Notes: Pretty obvious where those feats are building to.

Level 6 - Sword Saint 6
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Empowered Spell
Spells: (2) Acid Arrow, Glitterdust

Level 7 - Sword Saint 7
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Combat Mobility
Spells: (3) Displacement, Vampiric Touch
Note: You get Lightning Draw this level, an ability which stacks your Intelligence bonus to your Dexterity for Initiative. This stacks with Aldori Dueling Mastery.

Level 8 - Sword Saint 8
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Empowered Spell
Spells: (3) Haste, Stinking Cloud

Level 9 - Duelist 1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +2
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: The Intelligence to AC that Duelist grants STACKS with the same ability from Sword Saint, effectively double-dipping your stat. Assuming by now that you've found just some minimum equipment, your AC should be around: 10 + 6 Dex + 4 Int + 1 Int + 1 Ring + 1 Amulet + 1 Bracers + 2 Dueling Mastery + 1 Dodge + 4 Fighting Defensively = 31 AC unbuffed.
Remember also that your Dueling Sword qualifies for Precise Strike. You should be seeing a substantial uptick in damage.

Level 10 - Duelist 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Notes: Improved Reaction stacks with Lightning Draw which stacks with Aldori Dueling Mastery. You should have an initiative check of around +14 or +15 by now.

Level 11 - Duelist 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +2
Feats: Crane Wing

Level 12 - Duelist 4
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Combat Reflexes(Free)

Level 13 - Duelist 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +2
Feats: Combat Expertise

Level 14 - Duelist 6
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1

Level 15 - Duelist 7
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +2
Feats: Weapon Specialization (Dueling Sword)

Level 16 - Duelist 8
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1

Level 17 - Duelist 9
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1, Any +1
Feats: Improved Critical (Dueling Sword), Deflect Arrows(Free)

Level 18 - Duelist 10
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Notes: Personally, I prefer Crippling Critical - Bleed Damage, but use whatever suits your situation best.

Level 19 - Sword Saint 9
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Critical Focus
Spells: (3) Dispel Magic, Lightning Bolt

Level 20 - Sword Saint 10
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Knowledge (World) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (4) Shield of Dawn, Stoneskin

By now your bars are probably glowing with a dozen active abilities. What should you have up as a default, you ask? I'd recommend: Crane Style, Fighting Defensively, Combat Expertise, Spell Combat, Spellstrike, Perfect Critical, Parry - Self, Crippling Critical - Bleed. Anything else should be a use as necessary.
Now, where will your AC be by the end? I had high 60's but I know I didn't take the best AC gear across the board, sometimes damage and abilities need concessions.

Where and when can I find Dueling Swords?
Here are the ones I know for certain of:
*A MW Dueling Sword can be purchase from Oleg in the Outskirts for 400g.
*A +1 Dueling Sword can be found near Viscount Smoulderburn at the Old Sycamore in the Shrike Hills.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Lord Protector" (+2, effects that make the wielder attack teammates impose a -5 penalty on the attacks) is available for returning to Jamandi Aldori after defeating the Stag Lord with 60+ days remaining
*A +1 Frost Dueling Sword is available for sale in your Capital City from Hassuf for 8300g.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Swordsman's Passion" (+2 Agile) can be found in Swamp Witch's Hut in South Narlmarches.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Menace" (+3 Brilliant Energy, +2 bonus to CMD and CMB) is a gift granted by the artisan crafter Shaynih'a.
*A +2 Shock Dueling Sword is available for sale from Dug in the Kellid Barbarian Camp in Dunsward for 18,500g.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Royal Gift" (+3 Keen) is available in Vordakai's Tomb in Tors of Levenies.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Arcane Enforcer" (+3, deals additional 1d6 on hit) is available after defeating Vordakai in his throne room in Vordakai's Tomb in Tors of Levenies.
*After Varnhold Vanishing the Skeletal Salesman will sell a +2 Radiant Dueling Sword for 18,500g.
*A +4 Dueling Sword is available for sale from a Trader in the Rushlight Tournament in Pitax for 32,000g.
*The unique Dueling Sword "Bloodhound" (+5 Speed, Agile, Keen, all successful attacks on the same target add an additional +2 stacking damage) is a reward for defeating Farnirras at the end of the Magical Prison quest.

Inferno Priest of Asmodeus
Role: Ranged Nuke
Race: Tiefling (Hellspawn Heritage)
Alignment: Lawful Evil / Lawful Neutral / Neutral Evil
Final Build: Sorcerer 4 / Ecclesitheurge 6 / Mystic Theurge 10

Build Notes: Tieflings are a race that have vexed me for some time. I prefer Devils and the Lawful Evil fiends over the Demons and the Chaotic Evil ones. But the Hellspawn (LE) heritage is a +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha unless you take Sorcerer / Eldritch Scion levels with the Infernal bloodline. I can't NOT take one of those classes and know I'm forever lugging around a -2 attribute penalty I didn't have to take, but at the same time, who wants a Sorcerer with +2 Con and +2 Wis? Are there any two stats worse?
I fiddled around with Clerics of Asmodeus who just took the -2 hit to Charisma, but couldn't get past it. I tried Eldritch Scions but found the attributes didn't make sense and were wildly ineffective. Then this build clicked. It does everything I'd ever wanted a Priest of Asmodeus to do. Burn everything. Burn the heretics, burn the lawbreakers, burn the rival countries, burn it all.

Starting Stats
Sorcerer-1
Bloodline: Infernal
10 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
10 Intelligence
16 Wisdom
16 Charisma
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Specialization (Magic Missile)
Spells: (1) Grease, Magic Missile
Notes: While the Hellspawn gets a +2 on Perception checks, it never becomes a class skill and there really aren't the points to burn on it.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Ecclesitheurge 1
Deity: Asmodeus
Domains: Fire, Law
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: With Spell Specialization - Magic Missile, you can step away and level Cleric for now. In the earlier levels, a Sorcerer 1 / Cleric 3 is worth more than a Sorcerer 4.

Level 3 - Ecclesitheurge 2
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Point Blank Shot
Notes: There are going to be a lot of Ray spells down the road, Precise Shot should be taken ASAP.

Level 4 - Ecclesitheurge 3
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: You might be tempted to switch Spell Specialization over to Arrow of Law. After all, that'd make it do 3d8 damage and there are a LOT of Chaotic creatures in this game, but resist the temptation. You don't have Precise Shot yet and Magic Missile hits everything, Chaotic or not.

Level 5 - Sorcerer 2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Precise Shot
Notes: Remember as an Eccleistheurge you can prep ALL your Cleric spells with Domain spells. So if you want to use all Scorching Rays, you can and now is a good time to do it since you no longer have the -4 penalty for firing into melee.

Level 6 - Sorcerer 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Shield, Protection from Good(Free)
Notes: Your SS-Magic Missile now fires 3 missiles.

Level 7 - Sorcerer 4
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Elemental Focus - Fire, Spell Specialization (Burning Arc)
Spells: (2) Burning Arc
Notes: It's a judgement call on switching Spell Spec. 7 uses of 3d4+3 Magic Missile vs 4 uses of 6d6 Burning Arc that will bounce around between targets. I personally find Burning Arc more useful, but play it by ear.

Level 8 - Mystic Theurge 1
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Magic Missile)
Spells: (1) Ray of Enfeeblement, (2) Molten Orb
Notes: I know what I said for 7, but for 8, SS-MM is worth more. The reason is that it now does 4 missiles, and in addition to your 7 Sorcerer slots, thanks to Mystic Theurge, you can now prep your 4 Cleric-2lvl slots with it as well. By about this time you're just machine gunning down every Troll you come across.
Also note that your Cleric bonded Holy Symbol? This works on Arcane spells that you prepped with your Cleric slots. So, really, you've got 12 casts/day.

Level 9 - Mystic Theurge 2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spells: (3) Fireball

Level 10 - Mystic Theurge 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Burning Hands, (2) Scorching Ray, (3) Haste
[i]Notes: Magic Missile now fires all 5 missiles.

Level 11 - Mystic Theurge 4
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Elemental Focus (Fire)
Spells: (4) Controlled Fireball

Level 12 - Mystic Theurge 5
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Scorching Ray)
Spells: (2) Mirror Image, (3) Displacement, (4) Dragon's Breath
Notes: Why the switch? Magic Missile now natively is maxed out at 5, Spell Spec doesn't help it anymore. But it will give you a third Scorching Ray ray for a total of 12d6 damage. And between your Cleric and Sorcerer slots, that's a lot of rays.

Level 13 - Mystic Theurge 6
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Penetration
Spells: (5) Fire Snake
Notes: Roahin, what should my spell lists be looking like? Assuming you have no stat buffs to increase limits and you're just looking for pure blast damage: Sorcerer: 7 Magic Missiles, 7 Scorching Rays, 7 Fireballs, 5 Controlled Fireballs, 3 Fire Snakes; Cleric: 6 Burning Hands, 6 Scorching Rays, 5 Fireballs, 4 Controlled Fireballs, 2 Flame Strikes. As you can see, the name of the game with this build is TONS of high damaging spells. I generally recommend having your team pre-buffed with both Fire Resistance spells so you don't have to sit there trying to work them out of the area of effect (that'll let you drop Controlled Fireball for Dragon's Breath which does more damage). You will never run out of spells, and you're going to find that even if a tough mob out there is making his reflex saves, you're going to be burning them down like nothing anyhow. And when you're dropping 40+ damage to like eight targets simultaneously, you're really doing hundreds of overall damage per cast.

Level 14 - Mystic Theurge 7
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Fire Snake)
Spells: (2) Blur, (3) Stinking Cloud, (4) Obsidian Flow, (5) Cloudkill
Notes: Your Scorching Ray now natively fires all three rays. Fire Snake is one of the few spells that can still benefit from increased caster level at this point.

Level 15 - Mystic Theurge 8
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Penetration, Spell Specialization (Hellfire Ray)
Spells: (6)Hellfire Ray

Level 16 - Mystic Theurge 9
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (4) Volcanic Storm, (5) Vampiric Shadow Shield, (6) Sirocco

Level 17 - Mystic Theurge 10
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Ray)
Spells: (7) Firebrand
Notes: God, Firebrand is such a great spell. For those unfamiliar, you make your whole team immune to your fire spells and all their weapons count as flaming.

Level 18 - Ecclesitheurge 4
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1

Level 19 - Ecclesitheurge 5
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Critical (Ray)

Level 20 - Ecclesitheurge 6
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1

Some might recognize this as a variant of my Firelord build for Tristan in the Companions page. Given both Saranae and Asmodeus are fire Gods, there's some obvious overlap. But whereas Tristan's build also focused on healing and buffing, the Inferno Priest is just a tactical nuke, clean-sweeping encounters away. It should be noted that even on Unfair difficulty, I found this build was making things too easy. Maybe that's a boon to you, maybe it's a drawback.

Hey Roahin love your builds but heres a quick question how did you get those Starting stats on your Dwarven Defender because I tried but its not possible during Character Creation.Are you using a mod?

probably a typo. most likely Wis was supposed to be 12

Yeah, typo on my part, it should be a Wisdom 12. Thanks for catching that, I'll adjust it accordingly.

Orc Axemaster
Role: Melee Damage / Teamfighter
Race: Half-Orc
Alignment: Any
Final Build: Slayer 10 / Rogue 10

Build Notes: Occasionally, I'll want to build a character around a racial ability or weapon, like the above Dueling Sword build. Orcs get automatic proficiency with the Orc Double Axe, a thoroughly awful weapon. It's a double weapon which means it needs a high dexterity for the two-weapon fighting feats, but it's not finessable so you need a good strength. This normally means going Ranger to backdoor into the feats with lower dexterity, but two-weapon fighting builds need additional dice to really shine - energy enchants, sneak attack, etc.
That's where the Slayer comes in. Ranger weapon style feats and innate rogue sneak attack. This build is also going to favor Teamwork and critical strike feats heavily, as will be explained below. Since the build is going to need a decent Dexterity and Orcs get a racial bonus to Perception, we're going to take advantage of that and have him take a secondary role as a lockpicker.

Starting Stats
Slayer-1
16 Strength
16 Dexterity
14 Constitution
10 Intelligence
14 Wisdom
10 Charisma
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Orc Double Axe)
Notes: Slayer levels will only give us enough free feats for the base two-weapon fighting tree, but not enough for Double Slice, which we're going to want. So Dexterity needs to be at least 15. Rather than leave it at an odd number forever, it's set to 16 and Strength loses a tiny bit on the back-end for now.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Slayer 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Combat Style Feat (Two-Weapon Fighting)

Level 3 - Rogue 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feat: Double Slice, Sneak Attack +1d6
Notes: Why Rogue? Slayer only really offers 10 levels of use, anything past that is generally substandard to Rogue. The sooner we take Rogue levels, the sooner Trickery is a class skill and can be used. So, why Rogue over Thug? The build doesn't use any Persuasion, but it DOES have a lot invested into Perception.

Level 4 - Slayer 3
Attributes: Strength +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feats: Sneak Attack +2d6

Level 5 - Slayer 4
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Accomplished Sneak Attacker, Combat Trick (Precise Strike), Sneak Attack +3d6
Notes: Ideally, Jaethal or someone else has Precise Strike too and every flanking attack (and all your attacks should be flanking) will now have another +1d6 damage on top of your sneak attack. I strongly recommend if you're going to use Nok-Nok to give him Teamwork feats too. These two synergize unbelievably well with one another and you'll find them mowing down rows of enemies together like a warm knife through butter.

Level 6 - Slayer 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Notes: The Slayers sneak attacks confer Studied Target on the enemy now, increasing his attack/damage bonus by +1 making subsequent sneak attacks easier to land. This is why we shy from power attack, the higher your attack the more you're going to land.

Level 7 - Slayer 6
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Outflank, Combat Style (Improved Two-Weapon Fighting), Sneak Attack +4d6
Notes: With Precise Strike, you have a potential to add 20d6 dice of additional damage every round now. Trolls generally have pretty low AC, so you should just be seeing them melt as you approach.

Level 8 - Slayer 7
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1

Level 9 - Slayer 8
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Improved Critical (Orc Double Axe), Combat Reflexes

Level 10 - Slayer 9
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Sneak Attack +5d6

Level 11 - Slayer 10
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Perception +1
Feat: Critical Focus, Combat Style (Greater Two-Weapon Fighting)
Notes: This is the last necessary Slayer level. Luckily, Slayer and Rogue levels stack for unlocking high level Rogue abilities.

Level 12 - Rogue 2
Attributes: Strength +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Opportunist
Notes: Between Opportunist, Outflank and incidental AoOs, Combat Reflexes is a long time coming.

Level 13 - Rogue 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Seize the Moment, Sneak Attack +6d6
Notes: You get Finesse Training at this level which really doesn't offer any advantages. I find Handaxe is an appropriate selection, but chances are you're never going to use it.

Level 14 - Rogue 4
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Combat Trick (Blind Fight)
Notes: You get debilitating injury at this level, I'd strongly recommend taking Bewildered. It drops the targets AC by 4 which is functionally adding +4 to all your attacks and ensuring more Sneak Attacks.
You're heading into the endgame now where constant gaze attacks pummel the party. Blind Fight becomes a necessity for melee characters at this point.

Level 15 - Rogue 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Tiring Critical, Sneak Attack +7d6

Level 16 - Rogue 6
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Crippling Strike

Level 17 - Rogue 7
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Exhausting Critical, Sneak Attack +8d6

Level 18 - Rogue 8
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Improved Evasion

Level 19 - Rogue 9
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Toughness, Sneak Attack +9d6

Level 20 - Rogue 10
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1, Lore (Nature) +2, Perception +1
Feats: Dispelling Attack

Your final build has a BAB of 17, so very little attack bonus was lost in the exchange, and you ended up with a lot more skills, a lot more rogue feats, and quite a bit higher Sneak Attack. And just like that, the formerly awful Orc Double Axe becomes an absolute enemy abattoir.

Where and when can I find Orc Double Axes?
Here are the ones I know for certain of:
*A MW Orc Double Axe is available for sale from Oleg in the Outskirts for 400g.
*A +1 Orc Double Axe can be found in Fangberry Cave in the Outskirts.
*A +1 Shock Orc Double Axe is available for sale from the Kobold Merchant in the Troll Lair in South Narlmarches for 8300g.
*After Varnhold Vanishing the Skeletal Salesman will sell a Flaming Orc Double Axe +2 for 18,500g.
*The unique Double Axe "Atrocities" (+3 Extends Barbarian Rage 4 Rounds) is available at the southeastern corner of the Flintrock Grasslands in northern Glenebon
*A +4 Orc Double Axe is available for sale from a Trade in the Rushlight Tournament in Pitax for 32,000g.
*The unique Double Axe "Faterender" (+5, hitting with both heads will deal an additional 1d10+STR) is available in the Ornate Ruins in eastern Pitax

The better Double Axes are the Shock and Flaming ones for the extra damage per hit. Even Faterender's damage is every other hit, so they end up falling behind the wayside. Interestingly, Varrask the Wildfist, the Orc Artisan that specifically offers to build you Orcish items does not make any kind of Orc Double Axe.

Divine Dragonknight
Role: Tank / Spellcaster
Race: Aasimar (Angelkin)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Final Build: Divine Guardian 3 / Sorcerer 3 / Dragon Disciple 4 / Eldritch Knight 10

Build Notes: Eldritch Knight is a Prestige Class that almost no one uses or bothers building for anymore. And why would you? Magus does functionally the same thing only better. The few builds that do exist out there tend to be ranged ones since Eldritch Knights aren't bound to melee weapons the same way that the Magus class is, after all you need to blow two feats just to be able to cast in Medium armor. But the Magus can't cast with shields, even when he gets heavy armor use, he also is limited to 6th level spells maximum, and his attack bonus never rises beyond so-so. So if the Eldritch Knight can wield shields and attain a better attack bonus, that says 'tank' to me. This build should be able to spellcast in armor just as the best spellcasting armor becomes available.
I normally detest using the Aasimar race. They're overpowered on racials and leaning on them is a crutch. But the concept here really worked for me, and I didn't have an Aasimar build posted yet, so...

Starting Stats
Divine Guardian-1
16 Strength
14 Dexterity
14 Constitution
10 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
18 Charisma
Skills: Mobility +1, Knowledge (Arcana) +1
Feats: Dodge
Notes: Dodge and Mobility ranks are going to feed into Crane Style down the road.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Divine Guardian 2
Skills: Mobility +1, Knowledge (Arcana) +1

Level 3 - Divine Guardian 3
Skills: Mobility +1, Knowledge (Arcana) +1
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Mercy (Fatigued)
Notes: Sickened and Shakened don't occur the tiniest fraction as often as Fatigue does. Also, even though we don't have Crane Style yet, it's okay to begin Fighting Defensively since we have the Mobility synergy. Remember to Divine Troth any other frontliner with you to redirect damage toward your Divine Dragonknight.

Level 4 - Sorcerer 1
Attribute: Charisma +1
Bloodline: Gold Dragon
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Casting
Spells: (1) Magic Missile, Grease
Notes: You're probably in heavy armor with a shield right now, and that's fine. Don't bother with your spellcasting just yet.

Level 5 - Sorcerer 2
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: You're probably still playing the Dragonknight as a Paladin without any spellcasting. That's fine for now, keep on tanking. These Sorcerer levels will be paying dividends soon.

Level 6 - Dragon Disciple 1
Skills: Persuasion +2
Feats: Natural Armor +1
Spells: (1) Mage Armor(Free)

Level 7 - Dragon Disciple 2
Attribute: Strength +2
Skills: Persuasion +2
Feats: Arcane Armor Training, Blind Fight
Spells: (1) Shield
Notes: The Staglord's Armor which is not half-bad this early on is only at a 5% Spell Failure now. I'd recommend sticking with Full Plate until you get Arcane Armor Mastery, but if you're just DYING to have access to the three or four first level spells you've accumulated, you can switch your armor out.

Level 8 - Dragon Disciple 3
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Persuasion +2
Feats: Natural Armor +2
Spells: (2) Mirror Image

Level 9 - Dragon Disciple 4
Attributes: Strength +2
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Arcane Armor Mastery, Natural Armor +3
Spells: (1) Enlarge Person, (2) Sense Vitals
Notes: If you have Heart of Valor already (I'm usually at the Troll Lair at or around now myself), go ahead and make the switch. Enjoy being a tank with Mirror Image who's every attack is also a Sneak Attack.

Level 10 - Sorcerer 3
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (3) Fireball, Dispel Magic(Free)

Level 11 - Eldritch Knight 1
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Armor Focus (Medium), Wings
Notes: If against all odds you don't have Heart of Valor yet and are using Light or Heavy Armor, take Shield Focus instead and Armor Focus at 13. Your AC should be around the mid-40's by now and steadily climbing.

Level 12 - Eldritch Knight 2
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (1) True Strike, (2) Blur, (3) Displacement

Level 13 - Eldritch Knight 3
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Shield Focus
Spells: (4) Dragon's Breath

Level 14 - Eldritch Knight 4
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (2) Burning Arc, (3) Haste, (4) Controlled Fireball

Level 15 - Eldritch Knight 5
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Longsword), Weapon Specialization (Longsword)
Spells: (5) Vampiric Shadow Shield
Notes: I don't normally endorse these kinds of feats unless the build specifically requires you to pick one. But this game hemorrhages Holy Longswords at you late-game to where I have a hard time envisioning a non-Divine Hunter Paladin using anything else. If your preferences run a different way, Scimitars for Saranae worshipers, for example, feel free to make the necessary substitutions.

Level 16 - Eldritch Knight 6
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (2) False Life, (3) Heroism, (4) Dimension Door, (5) Angelic Aspect

Level 17 - Eldritch Knight 7
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Improved Critical (Longsword)
Spells: (6) Transformation

Level 18 - Eldritch Knight 8
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (4) Obsidian Flow, (5) Fire Snake, (6) Sirocco

Level 19 - Eldritch Knight 9
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Greater Weapon Focus (Longsword), Greater Shield Focus
Spells: (7) Legendary Proportions

Level 20 - Eldritch Knight 10
Skills: Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Spells: (5) Cloudkill, (6)Cloak of Dreams, (7) Cloudkill

The final result is a tank with a Base Attack of 17, all four attacks per round, 7th level spellcasting, all saves in the +30's, AC in the 60's, and the ability to redirect damage to himself (especially useful late game when those damn Wild Hunt Archers target your friends over the tank).

A word on armor...
There aren't a lot of good options that are at 20% spell failure and below. The one you're going to be using the most is the Heart of Valor in Act 2. It remains the strongest available right up until you get Irovetti's Singing Steel Breastplate which will be the last upgrade through the rest of the game. There are a number of light armor alternatives, but almost none of them are as strong as Heart of Valor or the Singing Steel.
Exception 1: The Heavenly Vest, but that's literally at the end of the game after you defeat Nyrissa.
Exception 2: The Royal Guardian, armor crafted by Tirval, it's +5 Studded Leather with a +15 Max Dex. Pound for pound it's the strongest armor in the game IF you can pull a 40 Dexterity to make use of it to it's fullest extent. Even with a +6 Dex belt, you're only going to have a +5 bonus which makes this armor only AS strong as Heart of Valor and found substantially later on.
Frustratingly there are a LOT of Mithral heavy armors out there, most very powerful (Battlemaster's Plate +4, Crusader's Full Plate +3, Onslaught +5, etc.) but it should be noted that the Spell Failure on these are at 5%. Now that might be acceptable for you in your playthrough, but for me it's not. Onslaught ultimately only has 2 more points of potential AC than Singing Steel.

As I understand it, Paladin is one of the classes companions don't have. Is there any good synergy builds with Paladin or is straight Paladin the really only way to go? I ask because, ES & Monk (UF) is cha based & not sure about the other, maybe eldritch rogue. Not necessarily looking to min/max, but needs to be functional, armoured or unarmoured & fun.Looking at a fun gish build. Any suggestions? Not into the alchemist witcher thing.

Sorry, forgot to add Sorceror & Bard.

All the classes in the game have some good synergy with other classes, depending on what you're looking to achieve. Even casters, usually attributed as only ever weakening themselves when multiclassing can be improved upon with taking other levels from time to time. So that holds true with Paladins.

If you're looking for a non-min/maxed Gish build, then literally the last one I posted is an example of that. The Divine Dragonknight. But if it doesn't float your boat, you can really combine just about everything in this game and still have a functional build at the end. Paladin / Eldritch Rogue? Very outside the box, but not impossible (ER's cast from Intelligence). Paladin / Bard is a fun combo that wouldn't normally have worked had PF not lifted the alignment restrictions on Bards.

Did you have something specific in mind?

So, how will a Magus with a Paladin 2/3 dip work?

I was thinking of an Aasamar (Angelkin), Iomede, Possible BS, switches to Magus (ES) uses BS to smite or use Magus blade enhancements. Possible Gold dragon bloodline. I was thinking of going no more than medium armour.

In DDO, it used to annoy me that I had to carry all these different BSs in different elements/specialty uses. I like that Magus lets you do that. But I also like Paladin, hence, my conflict.