Hi all,
I'm working on a gestalt character for a friend's campaign. This character will replace my current Totemist in the event that he dies, which appears more and more likely as the game progresses and we march towards a bloody and failed coup of an established elf kingdom, but that's a story for another time.
Essential parameters to consider: The character will start at level 1 regardless of the levels of the other party members. Simply, if your character dies, you come back at level 1, but as a gestalt character. The party is currently ECL 5, so I would like to create a character that can meaningfully contribute without charging headlong into combat and dying from a single swing from an ogre or an errant fireball, at least at lower levels. For that purpose, I'm looking at skillful characters and spellcasters that may branch into melee combat after getting a few levels under their belt. The nice thing about gestalt is that this is an easy achievement.
We have the choice of 25 point buy or rolling 4d6 and dropping the lowest die for each ability score. It's a homebrew setting with nothing too out of the ordinary, save that humans are uncommon but not unheard of. However, the DM allows us to make characters from outside of the setting that are magically pulled into it by an unknown actor. All books are acceptable, including variant classes from Unearthed Arcana and other books, but Dragon magazine is not allowed. Wizards' website enhancements are also fair game, which I use for swiftblade and font of inspiration. Characters are allowed up to two flaws and up to two traits. Gestalt characters can only take one prestige class at any given level (e.g. I could take swiftblade and factotum during one level, then exotic weapon master and wizard the next, but I could not take swiftblade and exotic weapon master on the same level)
The party right now has a half-giant psychic warrior, a human warlock, a human cleric, a mongrelfolk warblade, my current character as a warforged totemist, and a gestalt rogue//ninja. We can handle melee combat decently and have divine spellcasting, but arcane spellcasting is lacking.
The gestalt character I'm looking to build focuses on the Int synergy between factotum and wizard. I have two builds I've stuck together: a warforged factotum 16/spellcarved soldier 4//fighter feat variant wizard 10/swiftblade 10 and a gray elf factotum X/swashbuckler 3/fighter 2/champion of Corellon Larethian 2/exotic weapon master 1//fighter feat variant wizard X/swiftblade 10, not really in that order.
I really like swiftblade and want to fit it into the build. Combining it with at least three levels of factotum should give me Int to initiative twice. The first build focuses more heavily on factotum levels, eventually reaching factotum 16 for passive Int to AC, while the second takes a heavier focus on dexterity, picking up weapon finesse and Int to damage from swashbuckler, Dex to damage from Champion of Corellon Larethian, and Int to trip attacks from factotum, with exotic weapon master's trip attack allowing me to use an elven courtblade to make trip attacks and factotum's brains over brawn ability to let me add strength to trip checks. Plus Champion of Corellon Larethian gives a bonus feat that requires Dodge, Combat Expertise, or Mounted Combat and I already pick up mobility for and spring attack from swiftblade, so why not go for tripping anyways if I can get it. Then the idea is to use true strike in early levels or wraith strike at higher levels to drop huge two-handed power attacks with the elven courtblade, while getting dexterity and sometimes intelligence to attack rolls and both to damage.
Either build I want to fit in at least factotum 8 for cunning surge's bonus standard actions as well as three or more instances of Font of Inspiration. Factotum 16 is nice for Int to AC, but far from essential.
The problems I'm having are mainly fitting in all the feats I need or want. Swiftblade requires dodge and mobility, while Champion of Corellon Larethian requires dodge, combat expertise, mounted combat, and one of weapon focus: longsword or exotic weapon proficiency: elven courtblade or elven thinblade. Exotic weapon master needs both weapon proficiency and focus for an exotic weapon. For the first build, spellcarved soldier needs silver tracery. On top of this I want to stack a few fonts of inspiration, grab knowledge devotion (since I'm Int based, get all knowledges as class skills, have approximately seven billion skill points per level, and we already have a trapper), and pick up power attack (and possibly leap attack).
Honestly, I'm overwhelmed. I'm having trouble fitting classes together without wasting too many levels. I don't know which side to stick which classes on at which levels to maximize BAB and HD. I can't quite fit in all the feats I want or need, especially at early levels. I can't decide between the simple and sweet warforged build or the convoluted mess of an elf that gets to add half his stats to attack and damage rolls. I'm leaning towards the elf build, assuming I can get in all the feats I need for prerequisites.
A few things I want to accomplish with this build:
I want swiftblade 10. It doesn't need to be taken all at once, but if I do switch from it to fit in another PrC before switching back, I'd like to do it at after a strong level of the class. I love the concept of time stop cast from a 6th level slot, I crave the extra standard actions, and I really like the 50% miss chance for both mundane and targeted magical spells. I could be convinced to skip it, but I really like the whole class and am willing to give up a few caster levels if need be.
Factotum 8 is a must, for the extra standard action, while 16 is desirable but unnecessary.
Full wizard spellcasting is not necessary, but I'd like to avoid losing caster levels early on, since I will be squishy and underleveled for a few sessions before I catch up to the group's level. I need at least 6th level spells for the swiftblade capstone and am willing to leave it at that if it would help the build.
I want to be able to hold my own in melee combat. I don't need to be a front-line combatant and stand toe-to-toe with the tarrasque, but I'd like to be capable of stepping in and out of battle to pick off squishy targets.
I want a lot of knowledge skills, concentration, and maybe tumble, plus craft if I opt for the warforged build, but other than that I don't need to be much of a skillmonkey.
That's what I have so far and I appreciate any advice you can give me! Let me know if I can give any more information or ideas. I can post tentative builds if you like, but they're in Excel and would take some time and effort to format in a way I could post here. (Any advice for posting those would also be helpful!)
