most out of a Gestalt. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

most out of a Gestalt.

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
firedrakek
Jun 22, 2008 0:08:21 ladies and gentleman, the unthinkable has happened.

i am playing in a Gestalt campaign.

now it doesn't take much work to tweak out a gestalt character, and i' not new are Character optimization. so here is what we are working with and what i've got, and thinking about.

i'm looking to build a human who fights with a huge, or even gargantuan greataxe. i'm building a mobile combatant, dodge mobility spring-attack, agile fighter that kind of stuffs. oh, and while i'm at it, i'm planning on grabbing a full 20 levels of a wizard's spell casting progression, and full fighter Bab.

even with that, however there are a MASSIVE amount of options.

level is 4, and we are planning on hitting all 20, so for starters.

2 levels fighter for the 2 feats, and two levels barbarian for the Uncanny dodge, and fast movement. meanwhile on the other track, 3 levels wizard, and then one level of master specialist, i'm thinking transmuter.

at 5thlevel i'm taking spellsword, and every other level i'll probobally advance it with either more master specilist, or Abjurant champion, or some other spellcasting class to make sure i get pull spellcasting.

i'm also thinking of working dervish in there, but here is the problem, nomatter waht i have one half of a level, level 5, open. i can toss another level of barbarian or fighter in there, but those do me no good. what should i stick in as my 5th level non spell caster Gestalt?

feats so far at 4th level are:
dodge, monkey grip, mobility, imp touhness, mobility and spring attack.

stats are 16,14,14,15,10,10, and all my money has gone, with special permission from teh GM, towards a huge greataxe, and a pair of strong arm bracers, which i will be paying off.

any thoughts on that 5th level? maybe something that will help me qualify for dervish?
#2
anomalousman
Jun 22, 2008 2:50:30
l two levels barbarian for the Uncanny dodge, and fast movement.

You mean uncanny dodge and pounce (Lion totem option from Complete Champion).

And I'd actually take Barb 1, and 2 levels of warblade to get the uncanny dodge. (and stance and weapon aptitude, and maneuvers, and better class skills)

Then I'd probably take lots more levels of warblade. And some swordage cleverly placed to leave you with full BAB.

The spring attack line of feats is pretty suboptimal, but you can go there for the fun. Monkey grip is also outright worse than power attack and similar. Unless you're going Wu Jen instead, and plan on ending up gargantuan or bigger on occasion.
#3
davethemagicweasel
Jun 22, 2008 6:36:02 Fighter 6 for Dungeoncrasher, dip Barbarian 1 for Lion Totem (take Extra Rage), then top it off with Warblade, with Wizard -> PrCs on the other side.

And if your DM lets you use Spellsword in Gestalt, ask if Swiftblade is ok. If it is, do that.
#4
firedrakek
Jun 22, 2008 11:00:30 depending on the version of swiftblade, it can sometimes make me feel dirty. i mean yes i'm playing in gestalt campaign, but every player also get's to gestalt, and i'd be the only one with 3.0 haste... dirty.... DIRTY!

hmm for some reason i never really think about 9 swords... i think it's always intimidated me, so i just sat down and read though it and... dear god...

monkey grip, and Strong arm bracers gives me a huge greataxe with 3d8 pulse strength and a half basic damage. granted there are better ways to max out than that, but i can pick up power attack in addition to this.

so barbarian hits the pile. i can't cast spells while raging anyhow, and warblade gives me all that and more.

the reason spellblade is allowed, is because it only gives me half the wizards spell progression and a low d8, so although it's a mesh of 2 classes it still really only gives me one class worth of stuffs, and i need to use another class to balance it out and keep my full progression. that's my argument that's waht the GM is accepting, don't question it!

Stats:
14,14,14,14,8 (32 point buy)
1 Warblade wizard
2 fighter wizard
3 warblade wizard
4 fighter master specialist (transmutation)
5 swordsage, spellsword
6 abjurant champion, spellsword
7 swordsage, spellsword
8 abjurant champion, spellsword
9 swordsage, spellsword
10 abjurant champion, spellsword
11 swordsage, spellsword
12 abjurant champion, spellsword
13 swordsage, spellsword
14 abjurant champion, spellsword
15 warblade, blood magus
16 warblade, blood magus
17 warblade, blood magus
18 warblade, blood magus
19 warblade, master specialist
20 warblade, master specialist

grand total: warblade 8, swordsage 5, spellsword 10, argent champion 5, fighter 2, wizard 3, master specialist 3 (for filler), blood magus 4 (yeah not the most optimal but ti's better than basic wizard levels and the bonus to concentration spells can always come in handy, seeing as i'm gonna be playing him as melee anyhow. plus its just freaking cool!)

feats.

Imp toughness, Monkey grip (combined with strong arm bracers) dodge mobility, power attack. and then i donno i'm working that part out
#5
davethemagicweasel
Jun 22, 2008 11:35:05 Greater Mighty Wallop >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Monkey Grip.

Seriously, don't take it at all.

Is your DM allowing 2 PrCs on a Gestalt then? Probably best to mention that.
#6
firedrakek
Jun 22, 2008 11:38:54 we are Co Gming this, running 2 parallel adventures at the same time writing the story together, i'm running one and he's running the other, so anything he allows in my game i have to allow in his and vice versa.

keeps us RELATIVELY honest...

also it's gonna be very FF like us both running 2 simultaneous games with different characters , telling different sides of the same plot.
#7
carnivore
Jun 22, 2008 14:35:35 id suggest this:

Human
Ranger 2/ Swashbuckler 3/ Warblade 15 and Wizard 5/ Incantatrix 10/ Archmage 5

make the most of High Int.....

feats:
Jotunbrud(Unapproachable East)
Exotic Weapon(Elven Courtblade)

thus when you have the Strong Arm bracers.... you can use Huge Eleven Courtblade with Weapon Finnesse and Add Int to Damage (sometimesx2, x3)

if you are allowed 2 flaws.... take the feats: Able learner and Collegiate Wizard....thus you will have access to a lot of skills and can easily be a great skillmonkey on top of Primary Caster and Frontline Combatant

focus only on Int and Dex

:D
#8
amadithegreat
Jun 22, 2008 15:59:10 Side 1: Wizard 5 / Incantatrix 10 / Abjurant Champion 5
Side 2: Swashbuckler 3 / Factotum 16 / Monk 1

Just grab Font of Inspiration enough times, apply Int to AC 2 times with Monk/Factotum stuff, apply int to damage 2 times with Swashbuckler and Factotum stuff. 1 time to hit. Also, take too many actions in row to be funny anymore. Also: All skills are class skills for factotum and you can spend action point to get your factotum level into any skill check, so you should be able to fulfill skill-monkey role well.
#9
keyes2k4
Jul 08, 2008 15:19:01 Depending on your dm, you may try fighter/psychic warrior for double the feats.

A Human gestalt fighter/psychic warrior with 2 flaws has 6 feats at 1st level 4 of which can be racially motivated.

If I had my books with me I'd offer you more feats, but it looks like the above posters had some good ideas to go with your plan.
#10
panserbjorn_x
Jul 09, 2008 0:10:12
monkey grip, and Strong arm bracers
feats.

Monkey grip (combined with strong arm bracers)

These explicitly do not stack.

~P_X~

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 firedrakek Jun 22, 2008 0:08:21	ladies and gentleman, the unthinkable has happened. i am playing in a Gestalt campaign. now it doesn't take much work to tweak out a gestalt character, and i' not new are Character optimization. so here is what we are working with and what i've got, and thinking about. i'm looking to build a human who fights with a huge, or even gargantuan greataxe. i'm building a mobile combatant, dodge mobility spring-attack, agile fighter that kind of stuffs. oh, and while i'm at it, i'm planning on grabbing a full 20 levels of a wizard's spell casting progression, and full fighter Bab. even with that, however there are a MASSIVE amount of options. level is 4, and we are planning on hitting all 20, so for starters. 2 levels fighter for the 2 feats, and two levels barbarian for the Uncanny dodge, and fast movement. meanwhile on the other track, 3 levels wizard, and then one level of master specialist, i'm thinking transmuter. at 5thlevel i'm taking spellsword, and every other level i'll probobally advance it with either more master specilist, or Abjurant champion, or some other spellcasting class to make sure i get pull spellcasting. i'm also thinking of working dervish in there, but here is the problem, nomatter waht i have one half of a level, level 5, open. i can toss another level of barbarian or fighter in there, but those do me no good. what should i stick in as my 5th level non spell caster Gestalt? feats so far at 4th level are: dodge, monkey grip, mobility, imp touhness, mobility and spring attack. stats are 16,14,14,15,10,10, and all my money has gone, with special permission from teh GM, towards a huge greataxe, and a pair of strong arm bracers, which i will be paying off. any thoughts on that 5th level? maybe something that will help me qualify for dervish?
#2 anomalousman Jun 22, 2008 2:50:30	l two levels barbarian for the Uncanny dodge, and fast movement. You mean uncanny dodge and pounce (Lion totem option from Complete Champion). And I'd actually take Barb 1, and 2 levels of warblade to get the uncanny dodge. (and stance and weapon aptitude, and maneuvers, and better class skills) Then I'd probably take lots more levels of warblade. And some swordage cleverly placed to leave you with full BAB. The spring attack line of feats is pretty suboptimal, but you can go there for the fun. Monkey grip is also outright worse than power attack and similar. Unless you're going Wu Jen instead, and plan on ending up gargantuan or bigger on occasion.
#3 davethemagicweasel Jun 22, 2008 6:36:02	Fighter 6 for Dungeoncrasher, dip Barbarian 1 for Lion Totem (take Extra Rage), then top it off with Warblade, with Wizard -> PrCs on the other side. And if your DM lets you use Spellsword in Gestalt, ask if Swiftblade is ok. If it is, do that.
#4 firedrakek Jun 22, 2008 11:00:30	depending on the version of swiftblade, it can sometimes make me feel dirty. i mean yes i'm playing in gestalt campaign, but every player also get's to gestalt, and i'd be the only one with 3.0 haste... dirty.... DIRTY! hmm for some reason i never really think about 9 swords... i think it's always intimidated me, so i just sat down and read though it and... dear god... monkey grip, and Strong arm bracers gives me a huge greataxe with 3d8 pulse strength and a half basic damage. granted there are better ways to max out than that, but i can pick up power attack in addition to this. so barbarian hits the pile. i can't cast spells while raging anyhow, and warblade gives me all that and more. the reason spellblade is allowed, is because it only gives me half the wizards spell progression and a low d8, so although it's a mesh of 2 classes it still really only gives me one class worth of stuffs, and i need to use another class to balance it out and keep my full progression. that's my argument that's waht the GM is accepting, don't question it! Stats: 14,14,14,14,8 (32 point buy) 1 Warblade wizard 2 fighter wizard 3 warblade wizard 4 fighter master specialist (transmutation) 5 swordsage, spellsword 6 abjurant champion, spellsword 7 swordsage, spellsword 8 abjurant champion, spellsword 9 swordsage, spellsword 10 abjurant champion, spellsword 11 swordsage, spellsword 12 abjurant champion, spellsword 13 swordsage, spellsword 14 abjurant champion, spellsword 15 warblade, blood magus 16 warblade, blood magus 17 warblade, blood magus 18 warblade, blood magus 19 warblade, master specialist 20 warblade, master specialist grand total: warblade 8, swordsage 5, spellsword 10, argent champion 5, fighter 2, wizard 3, master specialist 3 (for filler), blood magus 4 (yeah not the most optimal but ti's better than basic wizard levels and the bonus to concentration spells can always come in handy, seeing as i'm gonna be playing him as melee anyhow. plus its just freaking cool!) feats. Imp toughness, Monkey grip (combined with strong arm bracers) dodge mobility, power attack. and then i donno i'm working that part out
#5 davethemagicweasel Jun 22, 2008 11:35:05	Greater Mighty Wallop >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Monkey Grip. Seriously, don't take it at all. Is your DM allowing 2 PrCs on a Gestalt then? Probably best to mention that.
#6 firedrakek Jun 22, 2008 11:38:54	we are Co Gming this, running 2 parallel adventures at the same time writing the story together, i'm running one and he's running the other, so anything he allows in my game i have to allow in his and vice versa. keeps us RELATIVELY honest... also it's gonna be very FF like us both running 2 simultaneous games with different characters , telling different sides of the same plot.
#7 carnivore Jun 22, 2008 14:35:35	id suggest this: Human Ranger 2/ Swashbuckler 3/ Warblade 15 and Wizard 5/ Incantatrix 10/ Archmage 5 make the most of High Int..... feats: Jotunbrud(Unapproachable East) Exotic Weapon(Elven Courtblade) thus when you have the Strong Arm bracers.... you can use Huge Eleven Courtblade with Weapon Finnesse and Add Int to Damage (sometimesx2, x3) if you are allowed 2 flaws.... take the feats: Able learner and Collegiate Wizard....thus you will have access to a lot of skills and can easily be a great skillmonkey on top of Primary Caster and Frontline Combatant focus only on Int and Dex :D
#8 amadithegreat Jun 22, 2008 15:59:10	Side 1: Wizard 5 / Incantatrix 10 / Abjurant Champion 5 Side 2: Swashbuckler 3 / Factotum 16 / Monk 1 Just grab Font of Inspiration enough times, apply Int to AC 2 times with Monk/Factotum stuff, apply int to damage 2 times with Swashbuckler and Factotum stuff. 1 time to hit. Also, take too many actions in row to be funny anymore. Also: All skills are class skills for factotum and you can spend action point to get your factotum level into any skill check, so you should be able to fulfill skill-monkey role well.
#9 keyes2k4 Jul 08, 2008 15:19:01	Depending on your dm, you may try fighter/psychic warrior for double the feats. A Human gestalt fighter/psychic warrior with 2 flaws has 6 feats at 1st level 4 of which can be racially motivated. If I had my books with me I'd offer you more feats, but it looks like the above posters had some good ideas to go with your plan.
#10 panserbjorn_x Jul 09, 2008 0:10:12	monkey grip, and Strong arm bracers feats. Monkey grip (combined with strong arm bracers) These explicitly do not stack. ~P_X~