Gish Githyanki - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Gish Githyanki

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
bladedancer
Oct 22, 2008 8:14:04 Heya folks I am looking for some help on a githyanki (race has to stay) gish for killing mindflayers/githerzai in a war based campaign. The starting level is 8th (not including ecl) I would like to be able to do good damage with spells and blades. I was thinking of a warmage/fighter build going into Eldritch Knight.

Books allowed are Psionics Handbook (3.0) all completes (except champion/mage) and core. So unfortunetly no Book of nine swords,Dragon Magic, races of the dragon cheese

Any help would appreciated
#2
ikildkenny
Oct 22, 2008 8:47:30
...I would like to be able to do good damage with spells and blades.

I was thinking of a warmage/fighter build going into Eldritch Knight.

imho you should focus on doing either damage with spells OR with your melee - both only gives you a "semi-gestalt" character ...

since Complete Mage is not an option (witch is bad...because you won't be an Abjurant Champion or Stallwart sorc) and Complete Champion isn't allowed either (since taking the divine companien ACF for sorc is also not possible) you have to try something else ...

mmmhhhhh....

Warmage is indeed a goob Blaster, but blasting will not help your melee-damage ...

what you need are mainly Buffs (cleric?!?!?) and one truly broken Spell: Wraithstrike

The first Build in this manner I would suggest looks like this (you SHOULD try to get your DM to allow you CM and CC):

Fighter 1: Power Att.
Stallwart (CM) Battlesorcerer (UA) 1: ACF Divine Companion, Bonus Feat: Weapon Focus (one Martial Weapon of your choice)
SBC 2: Combat Casting
SBC 3
SBC 4
Spellsword(CW) 1: take a Feat you like ... allthough versityle Spellcaster would be best ... maybe practiced spellcaster?!?!
Abjurant Champion 1
AC 2

Lvl 8, CL 7, BaB 7

Important Spells:

Shield
Enlarge Person
Wraithstrike
Haste
probably Mage Armor (i'd rather take a Mithril Breastplate ... but thats just me ...)

BUT ... in you Case ... mmmhhhh ...

Maybe something like this:

Fighter 2
Transmuter or Conjurer 4
Spellsword 1
Eldrich knight OR Swiftblade the rest...
#3
pithica
Oct 22, 2008 9:30:06 Are you going to be playing primarily in the Astral plane? If so, Blaster/Fighter is a decent option since all spells are automagically quickened, and battlefield control is difficult (what with there being little or no 'field' to control).

If you aren't going to be in the Astral primarily, it's generally better as a gish to focus on Utility/Buffs/Battlefield Control and use Arcane Strike or something similar with a big weapon as your primary source of damage. At least, that's in my experience. I can do several hundred points of damage/rd, reliably, as a Gish with arcane strike, and it's a whole lot easier than trying to go back and forth with casting/blasting (which usually amounts to you not being that good at either).

I would strongly recommend asking about Abjurant Champion from CM, along with at least the Minor Shapeshift feat. Both are significant boosts to your effectiveness as a tank/glass cannon.

My usual default gish build looks something like:

Human Paragon 3/Fighter 1/Focused Specialist Diviner 2/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 8 (or EK4/Incantatrix 4 if I can get away with Persist Spell and Arcane Disciple-Pride)

That's BAB +18, Caster Level 17(18), and 4 bonus fighter feats (assuming the Fighter Feat variant for Diviner). I drop enchant and Evo, as both are unnecessary. Obviously, you can't use the HP levels (unless you can convince your DM that it's 'close enough' to what a Githyanki Paragon class would look like), but if you went Fighter 2/Focused Specialist Diviner 4/Spellsword 1... It'd be about the same, minus the extra skills and attribute boost from HP.
#4
pfooti
Oct 22, 2008 10:59:36
Books allowed are Psionics Handbook (3.0) all completes (except champion/mage) and core. So unfortunetly no Book of nine swords,Dragon Magic, races of the dragon cheese

Wait, are you serious about using the 3.0 psionics rules, or was that a typo? The 3.0 psionics rules really stink, and if I remember right, you're VERY vulnerable to them if you play a Githyanki without any psionic classes (you need defense modes and all that crap). If you're playing the 3.5 psionic rules (in the SRD and Expanded Psionics Handbook), you're okay.

Even still, a Psion / Ranger / Slayer or just Psion / Slayer is a VERY good gish. No arcane spell failure on psionic powers, and slayers are much better than eldritch knights.

Or just play either a Duskblade or an Ardent (complete psionic). Both are decent single class martial + mystical classes.
#5
eldariel
Oct 22, 2008 17:46:20 Illithid Slayer seems to fit the flavour fairly perfectly, and happens to be a superb Psionic Gish-class to boot (oh yeah, and awesome at killing Illithids). As suggested, Psion>Slayer or Ardent>Slayer would be very potent with or without a short Ranger-dip. Ardent gets higher level powers faster and with better BAB (since they define what they can take through their Manifester Level - get Practiced Manifester and you'll be picking powers as if you never took non-Ardent levels), while Psion has a better selection.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bladedancer Oct 22, 2008 8:14:04	Heya folks I am looking for some help on a githyanki (race has to stay) gish for killing mindflayers/githerzai in a war based campaign. The starting level is 8th (not including ecl) I would like to be able to do good damage with spells and blades. I was thinking of a warmage/fighter build going into Eldritch Knight. Books allowed are Psionics Handbook (3.0) all completes (except champion/mage) and core. So unfortunetly no Book of nine swords,Dragon Magic, races of the dragon cheese Any help would appreciated
#2 ikildkenny Oct 22, 2008 8:47:30	...I would like to be able to do good damage with spells and blades. I was thinking of a warmage/fighter build going into Eldritch Knight. imho you should focus on doing either damage with spells OR with your melee - both only gives you a "semi-gestalt" character ... since Complete Mage is not an option (witch is bad...because you won't be an Abjurant Champion or Stallwart sorc) and Complete Champion isn't allowed either (since taking the divine companien ACF for sorc is also not possible) you have to try something else ... mmmhhhhh.... Warmage is indeed a goob Blaster, but blasting will not help your melee-damage ... what you need are mainly Buffs (cleric?!?!?) and one truly broken Spell: Wraithstrike The first Build in this manner I would suggest looks like this (you SHOULD try to get your DM to allow you CM and CC): Fighter 1: Power Att. Stallwart (CM) Battlesorcerer (UA) 1: ACF Divine Companion, Bonus Feat: Weapon Focus (one Martial Weapon of your choice) SBC 2: Combat Casting SBC 3 SBC 4 Spellsword(CW) 1: take a Feat you like ... allthough versityle Spellcaster would be best ... maybe practiced spellcaster?!?! Abjurant Champion 1 AC 2 Lvl 8, CL 7, BaB 7 Important Spells: Shield Enlarge Person Wraithstrike Haste probably Mage Armor (i'd rather take a Mithril Breastplate ... but thats just me ...) BUT ... in you Case ... mmmhhhh ... Maybe something like this: Fighter 2 Transmuter or Conjurer 4 Spellsword 1 Eldrich knight OR Swiftblade the rest...
#3 pithica Oct 22, 2008 9:30:06	Are you going to be playing primarily in the Astral plane? If so, Blaster/Fighter is a decent option since all spells are automagically quickened, and battlefield control is difficult (what with there being little or no 'field' to control). If you aren't going to be in the Astral primarily, it's generally better as a gish to focus on Utility/Buffs/Battlefield Control and use Arcane Strike or something similar with a big weapon as your primary source of damage. At least, that's in my experience. I can do several hundred points of damage/rd, reliably, as a Gish with arcane strike, and it's a whole lot easier than trying to go back and forth with casting/blasting (which usually amounts to you not being that good at either). I would strongly recommend asking about Abjurant Champion from CM, along with at least the Minor Shapeshift feat. Both are significant boosts to your effectiveness as a tank/glass cannon. My usual default gish build looks something like: Human Paragon 3/Fighter 1/Focused Specialist Diviner 2/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 8 (or EK4/Incantatrix 4 if I can get away with Persist Spell and Arcane Disciple-Pride) That's BAB +18, Caster Level 17(18), and 4 bonus fighter feats (assuming the Fighter Feat variant for Diviner). I drop enchant and Evo, as both are unnecessary. Obviously, you can't use the HP levels (unless you can convince your DM that it's 'close enough' to what a Githyanki Paragon class would look like), but if you went Fighter 2/Focused Specialist Diviner 4/Spellsword 1... It'd be about the same, minus the extra skills and attribute boost from HP.
#4 pfooti Oct 22, 2008 10:59:36	Books allowed are Psionics Handbook (3.0) all completes (except champion/mage) and core. So unfortunetly no Book of nine swords,Dragon Magic, races of the dragon cheese Wait, are you serious about using the 3.0 psionics rules, or was that a typo? The 3.0 psionics rules really stink, and if I remember right, you're VERY vulnerable to them if you play a Githyanki without any psionic classes (you need defense modes and all that crap). If you're playing the 3.5 psionic rules (in the SRD and Expanded Psionics Handbook), you're okay. Even still, a Psion / Ranger / Slayer or just Psion / Slayer is a VERY good gish. No arcane spell failure on psionic powers, and slayers are much better than eldritch knights. Or just play either a Duskblade or an Ardent (complete psionic). Both are decent single class martial + mystical classes.
#5 eldariel Oct 22, 2008 17:46:20	Illithid Slayer seems to fit the flavour fairly perfectly, and happens to be a superb Psionic Gish-class to boot (oh yeah, and awesome at killing Illithids). As suggested, Psion>Slayer or Ardent>Slayer would be very potent with or without a short Ranger-dip. Ardent gets higher level powers faster and with better BAB (since they define what they can take through their Manifester Level - get Practiced Manifester and you'll be picking powers as if you never took non-Ardent levels), while Psion has a better selection.