Here’s a short summary of what that party will look like:

Obviously the “who” doesn’t matter too much, as any companion will need a respec to properly implement any of these builds. I just find that these characters are a better fit for these builds (let’s be honest, it’s hard to imagine Lae’zel as a bard). But you can play whoever you like.

This party is great for honour mode because:

• It is very complete. Damage, control (stuns, counterspells, forcing an enemy prone), buffs, debuffs, utility, extra short rest… name it, you have it.
  
• It has a good mix of ranged, melee and spell damage.
  
• It is “easy” to play. This is obviously subjective, but basically, you don’t have to understand complex mechanics or use precise setups for this to work. Your characters have abilities, they will work, enemies will die.
  
• It has excellent itemization. There is no item overlapping with those builds. Great for party composition in general, even better for a “plug and play” template.

As far as Paladin hybrids go, Paladin/Warlock is probably the most popular. Even outside of the extra attack stacking (that doesn’t work in Honour mode), this build is ridiculously strong.

Great damage with Smites and advantage on damage die, benefits from the bard’s extra short rest with the Warlock spell slots, provides Aura of Protection, and so much more.

With high CHA, proficiencies, Paladin and Warlock dialogue options this build is a great choice for your Tav character. It’s also a great party face regardless of who is your Tav.

You will want to feed it Risky Ring, and possibly other contested items such as Hag’s Hair. If you play this as your Tav, getting the deal with the Hag will break your Oath, which is not a problem for the build itself but will be a problem when you need to respec (just have 1000 gold).

Important: make sure to follow the build description provided in “Alternative approaches” in the provided guide. You should end up with 9 Paladin / 3 Warlock, not anything else.

Tav or Wyll are great candidates for this build (as Wyll is already a Warlock).

BG3 doesn’t require you to have a character fully devoted to maximized healing, which is why this support Cleric also brings enemy debuffs to the table. With items such as The Whispering Promise, Hellrider’s Pride, Boots of Aid and Comfort, etc. healing becomes a convenient excuse to distribute great buffs to your team, rather than a goal in itself.

It will also bring Guidance, which you always want to have in any party, can wear Phalar Aluve for you, increase your max HP with Aid and later Heroes’ Feast, etc. You also get Divine Intervention for a free in-combat long rest, which is a great answer if you ever have a big “oh ♥♥♥♥” moment.

I would always want a cleric in any BG3 party.

Shadowheart is a great candidate for this build by virtue of already being a cleric.

One of my favorite builds to play in the game, 10/1/1 is an essay about what makes Bard so great in BG3. Competitive damage with Swords Bard actions, full caster progression, insane utility (extra short rest, spells learning, DEX for lockpicking, utility buffs such as Longstrider, etc.), great party face, insane AC, irresistible control. Super fun to play, fantastic option for a Tav character, fantastic build.

Astarion is a great candidate for this build. Who never thought to themselves “this guy has to be a bard”?

Arguably the absolute best sustained damage build in the entire game. Somebody at Larian loves Monk, because the amount of insane items that class gets is crazy. Not that I’m going to complain.

The very few control options that 10/1/1 doesn’t have are covered by this build. Need to stun an enemy? Monk has Stunning Strike. Need to make them go prone? Flurry of blows: Topple. Need to negate non-spell reactions? Flurry of blows: Stagger.

And then it goes on to deal 150+ damage per turn. Need I say more?

Oh, yes. By virtue of using Tavern Brawler, this build comes online at level 4. It can and will hard carry you through the early game, most notably the goblin camp.

Karlach and Lae’zel are great candidates for this build. Karlach likes a good brawl, and Lae’zel… not going to spoil anything, but if you know, you know.

It’s worth mentioning that you can replace the Monk with a Throwzerker barbarian. It has more or less the same virtues (high sustained damage, control abilities, early carry, great itemization). Throwzerker can’t stun or stagger enemies, but it will force enemies to go prone without any save, which is usually more than enough.

I have written a guide on this build, but it is not refined enough for Honour Mode (yet). The sensible option is to provide a link to PrestigiousJuice’s guide.

Once again, Karlach is great for this build as she’s naturally a Barbarian (you will still have to respec her).

After each long rest, just make sure to:

• Have Aura of Protection (and possibly the other Paladin aura) activated on your Paladin.
  
• Cast Aid (and, in late game, Heroes’ Feast) with your Cleric. You can do that with hirelings, but if you can’t be bothered, having a Cleric in your party provides a more “legit” way.
  
• Cast Longstrider on everyone with your Bard.
  
• Drink a STR elixir with your Monk.
  
• Apply all other relevant buffs if present (e.g. Drakethroat Glaive).

And that is all! You can refer to each individual guide for more tips on how to play each build. Enjoy smashing Honour Mode, and feel free to experiment with the template and switch things up.