Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Harsk 07-27-04, 01:21 AM	Anyone who dislikes epic games can stop reading now. :) I'm looking at creating a 20-odd level gestalt character. One side is all arcane casting (wizard, archmage, etc.), the other is up in the air. One option is the artificer from Eberron, but I'm not sure if that's really out of whack once you drop it into a gestalt. They get a ridiculous number of feats, a completely different magical progression, and with the right epic feats (efficient item creation for wondrous items comes to mind) can get ridiculous pretty fast. I'm looking for opinions. I realize I'm asking whether something is unbalanced in a scenario that is already unbalanced on multiple levels (epic, gestalt, etc.), but even so - I'd really like input. thanks, Harsk
JoshRodriguez 07-28-04, 08:35 AM	No. Not really. The entire gestalt thing is unbalancing and a wizard/artificer isn't really any more ridiculous than a psion/monk or battle socreror/ranger. Their gimmick is item creation. They're not particularly powerful combatants or spellcasters, but if you want a character that can drop mad golems, then there isn't really any better route.
Harsk 07-29-04, 03:32 PM	Thanks, Josh. I've got some work to do convincing my DM the class as a whole isn't unbalanced. He doesn't like them being able to cannibalize magic items starting at 5th level, when the only place that ability had popped up before in the game (that we'd seen) was as the 10th level ability of an epic prestige class. My thing is, the class is only as unbalanced as he lets it be. If we don't have time off to do item creation, or if we don't have huge stores of material wealth to fund it, me having all those feats really isn't a big deal. And it's not like I'm planning to go out and abuse it all, regardless... Given that the other build he'd have to deal with is the wizard/ranger/dweomerkeeper/archmage/etc., I think the wiz/art/acm/minor prc route is pretty darned balanced by comparison! thanks again, Harsk
Salla 07-29-04, 05:49 PM	... EVERYTHING is unbalanced in gestalts.
BalancedOne 08-02-04, 04:26 PM	EVERYTHING is unbalanced in gestalts. Not if everything is re-balanced according to the rules
Ph0eNiX 08-03-04, 06:32 PM	Artificer weak in combat? Huh? Only if they haven't had the time and money to make their scrolls and what-not. Last session, my 7th level artificer, under the effects of Divine Power, Righteous Might, Shield, and Shield of Faith and Haste charged into combat with a 31 AC. Having imbued undead bane, holy, and flaming into his weapon, he dealt 7d6+21 damage to the evil undead BBEG. BUT I DO STRESS - This can only happen with the time and resources needed to craft the items, and then use them.
Harsk 08-04-04, 11:19 PM	Originally posted by Ph0eNiX BUT I DO STRESS - This can only happen with the time and resources needed to craft the items, and then use them. Agreed. There is all sorts of abuse potential with the "Metamagic item" infusion, though, even without having to make your own. Minimum CL wands of shield, for example, can be persisted pretty easily. I don't think there's an inherent balance problem with the class - I think it's fine in combat, if that's what it's built for. Thanks for your input! ~Harsk