Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 viletta Jan 20, 2009 13:55:51	I'm making a gunslinging Warblade, using some appropriate homebrew maneuvers. I'm going to run a rather generic homebrew fey race (mechanically, Dusklings with +2 Cha and -2 Con, but Magic of Incarnum is out, so the essentia's only good for +5' speed), and the DM has allowed Charming the Arrow to apply to guns. I'm making charisma my primary stat. Now, this being gestalt, I find myself wondering what to do with the other half. I don't want anything with divine baggage, including Favored Soul, but I do want good charisma synergy. If all else fails, Sorcerer works, though I'd prefer something a bit more interesting. I'm shooting down Bard in advance. Sources For sources, core (including psionics, but I'm not familiar with them), the Complete series (sans Champion in my case, since I don't have access), Races of X, all campaign-specific stuff, Exalted Deeds, Heroes of Battle, Tome of Battle, Manual of the Planes, Planar Handbook, Spell Compendium, Unearthed Arcana, and d20 Modern. Stuff from modern is going to be adapted in... somehow. I'm not sure on details when there are conflicts with 3.5. However, I assume feats come in more or less as-is and classes will just be stripped of class defense and reputation. These are just pre-approved sources. The DM seems quite lax on homebrew, so he'll likely be lax on sources so long as it's not too complicated. "Too complicated" means Tome of Magic is out.
#2 true_shinken Jan 20, 2009 15:17:49	A gunslinging Warblade...? Oh well. Homebrew stuff gets pretty weird at times. For the Cha synergy, you could try Paladin, Sorcerer, Hexblade, Warlock, Dragon Shaman or Marshall, I guess. Plenty of options. Warlock usually goes pretty well with Warblade, but you already have your weapon of choice so dunno. I however would go for Int synergy. Factotum//Warblade is pretty solid.
#3 emansdrawkcab Jan 20, 2009 15:43:52	I'm shooting down Bard in advance. How freaking cool would a Gunslinging cowboy, who sings like Johnny Cash as he blows away his opponents be (Song of the White Raven)? Just saying... Also, as true_shinken pointed out: why are you going for CHA synergy? Warblades are INT focused characters... Because of Charming the Arrow? If tht's the case consider that you use your DEX for it otherwise, which also improves your AC, and useful skills for a mobile character, CHA boosts social skills, but you can get away with having an average CHA in gestalt and still have great social skills. You have Levels to spare. Dead Eye from dragon Magazine Compendium, you can get DEX to damage. What are the mechanics you are using for gunslinging? Do they work basically the same as crossbows/hand crossbows?
#4 viletta Jan 20, 2009 16:54:07	Paladin's divine and comes with gads of extremely non-fey baggage, Dragon Shaman tastes awful, Marshal is gimp, Warlock... I wish Warlock were any good here, but I'm already using a gun. It'd be kinda redundant. I'll bench that as a potential proposed "Gunlock," as a replacement for Warblade. Feylock Gunlock no less. Then, there's Hexblade. With Warblade, the skeleton offers me... nothing, really, and it's not a lot of use for charisma. It'd work better with Swordsage, but it just doesn't look like a decent class at all to me. Which still leaves me down to Sorcerer. How freaking cool would a Gunslinging cowboy, who sings like Johnny Cash as he blows away his opponents be (Song of the White Raven)? Just saying... A fey cowgirl, actually. And the day I see a cowgirl singing like Johnny Cash is the day I just kinda give the scene a weird stare while I watch and listen. Also, as true_shinken pointed out: why are you going for CHA synergy? Warblades are INT focused characters... Because of Charming the Arrow? If tht's the case consider that you use your DEX for it otherwise, which also improves your AC, and useful skills for a mobile character, CHA boosts social skills, but you can get away with having an average CHA in gestalt and still have great social skills. You have Levels to spare. Dead Eye from dragon Magazine Compendium, you can get DEX to damage. I want to be charisma-based, and I want a martial adept. Those are core premises. Charming the Arrow just makes it possible. Sadly, there's not a lot of synergy between adepts and charisma. Crusaders are the only ones who really get anything, and I do NOT want a Crusader. It's a matter of style, though it does boost the save DC of the homebrew maneuvers (which rely on my highest mental stat). I asked the DM if he would let me shift Swordsage abilities to Charisma, but he shot that one down. So, that leaves me with my Warblade, chosen for the full BAB and higher hit die, because whatever other class I choose probably won't have full BAB. Or good HD. I don't have access to Dragon stuff. What are the mechanics you are using for gunslinging? Do they work basically the same as crossbows/hand crossbows? The DM is being a bit stingy with the details, but it's sounding like they're essentially similar, with the exception that a gun can hold more bullets and will probably take longer to reload, and generally work in a lot of ways like the three sizes of crossbow. Plus there's a shotgun, but I'm not touching that.
#5 phaedrusxy Jan 20, 2009 17:32:23	You might check out the Suel Arcanamach PrC in CArc. Duskblade (or something else) into SA on the 2nd side might be fun. Hexblade 3 (or 4 with the Dark Companion) is a good dip, but I certainly wouldn't go further than that into it. It is a decent lead into SA itself, also. Marshall is also good for a 1 or 2 level dip. Don't think of taking more of it, though. It is a gimp past that, I agree.
#6 true_shinken Jan 20, 2009 18:29:28	There is also Dread Necromancer. Can't believe I forgot it.
#7 erhnamdj Jan 20, 2009 19:14:17	Dread Necro or... Wilder? Sorcerer maybe? Or you could just *gasp* have a high Charisma without any Charisma related abilities (all your archery-- I mean gun related feats will have Dex as a requirement) and take a swift hunter on the other side of your Warblade. Pew pew. What is the stat generation method? Is there some reason you're not using the guns from d20 modern? If you don't really like the homebrewed race, you could go with the fey-touched from here (don't take any levels in it).
#8 viletta Jan 20, 2009 20:24:08	Dread Necro or... Wilder? Sorcerer maybe? Or you could just *gasp* have a high Charisma without any Charisma related abilities (all your archery-- I mean gun related feats will have Dex as a requirement) and take a swift hunter on the other side of your Warblade. Pew pew. I prefer to have a little more use for that charisma. I'm not entirely familiar with how Swift Hunter goes, but if it's what I think it is, it's in consideration. Ranger with some Scout, taking a feat to have Ranger levels stack for the purposes of determining Skirmish damage, thus granting a large stack of bonus damage while giving free archery feats, correct? Getting my archery feats through Ranger is certainly a consideration... Hrm. I'm not familiar enough with psionics to run them, I don't think. So I'd sooner run sorc there. And Dread Necro is totally away from the flavor I'm looking for. What is the stat generation method? 36-point buy. Is there some reason you're not using the guns from d20 modern? The DM didn't present any specific reasons, but d20 Modern guns are rather powerful compared to standard D&D balance. And he did say that the guns he made available are the only guns we're starting with, so they may just be the scrubs before we find some real firepower. If you don't really like the homebrewed race, you could go with the fey-touched from here (don't take any levels in it). Well, since I'm the one homebrewing the race, I'd better like it. ^^U The more I think about it, the more a gunlock appeals to me, though it would require some homebrew of its own. Channel the eldritch blast through the gun, work up some invocations and maneuvers compatible with it, et cetera et all... Lot of work, but it could be worth it.
#9 erhnamdj Jan 20, 2009 20:40:38	The d20 modern guns aren't more powerful than D&D bows. Actually, they're quite a bit less powerful. A .44 magnum is only doing 2d8 damage, but say that's more firepower than you're going for. A .45 six-shooter (what I think of when I think of gunslinging) does 2d6 damage. That's an average of seven. For a feat. Plus you have to reload it. A greatbow does 1d10 damage-- that's an average of 5.5, but if you even get +2 extra from being composite, it's doing more damage. And you can reload a bow as a free action. Hell, maybe his custom-made gun rules will be more balanced with bows (meaning they do more damage). Yeah, swift hunter stacks your ranger and scout together for skirmish/favored enemy. But ranger is divine, so you don't like it.