Other side of Gestalt for an Unbodied

[Draxar]

So, I'm about to restart playing in a post-apocalyptic eberron game.

Because the game has dropped down to two players, the DM is looking at taking it to Gestalt. With stuff with Level Adjustment takes up both sides of Gestalt, but Racial Hit Dice don't. The DM is currently unsure, but is considering allowing you to take levels on the 'other side' of the LA, but those levels have d0 hit dice, no skills, no save bonus – you just get the class features.

Oh, and as a seperate thing, things with LA can subtract that LA from any skill point requirements (but only skill points, not any other reductions)

I'm considering playing an Unbodied, as with gestalt it might be more viable.

If I take more psionics on the other side of the gestalt, I'll have to keep track of my power points for each side seperately. And only one prestige class at once.

Game is level 11, I'm considering taking a level of Psion (Shaper) which my DM has said would let me switch my Unbodied psion levels to Shaper too, then taking Constructor (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b) (for the whole three levels I've got left on that side). Then I've got seven levels on the other side.

I could (assuming he does go for allowing hit-diceless class levels on the non-LA side), take a psionic class there, qualify for Constructor at level 6, and take 5 levels of it. But then I need to decide what I'm putting in the three levels on the LA + RHD side.

Or I could do something very different, something completely non-psionic on the other side.

The other player is currently playing a Wyrmling brass dragon, and he's going to be taken "Dragon Adept" (like dragonfire adept, but indended to enhance the prexisting abilities of a dragon) on his non RHD+LA side, and then is debating his options on the other side, probably arcane, leaning towards a homebrew class that's like the Erudite or Spirit shaman in that it has a large list of spells, but spontaneously casts a smaller number of them each day. IIRC, likely more like the Erudite than Spirit Shaman.

So, suggestions?

Yes, this game is replete with dirty homebrew. Suggesting I ask for OMFG powerful homebrew = not really helpful. Suggesting a concept around which to build a homebrew is a better option. Also, I'm after stuff that's interesting and broadly efficient, not stuff that is super munchkinly powerful.

[Jack_Simth]

Ah... because the LA actually hurts in your Gestalt, you don't want something with high LA.

You can get a similar effect to the Unbodied by going with the Psion Uncarnate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/psionUncarnate.htm), although it'll take four more levels to complete. Put something Int-based on one side (Factotum, maybe, from Dungeonscape), use the Erudite (Complete Psionic) as your base psionic class, and pick up Practiced Manifester - and THEN you're set. Oh yes, and use Elan as your base race. Really, really useful when you're making a non-Charisma-based Manifester.

[dspeyer]

If at all possible, you want to manifest as an 11th level psion. Never give up casting manifesting levels. Perhaps if you take psion across from your LA your DM will let it stack?

The classic b-side of an int-based character is factotum, but a factotum without skills is kind of sad. Also, level 8 is the magic factotum level.

Wizard's always handy, at least if you can solve the spellbook problem.

[Fouredged Sword]

Warblade - who said the psion can't melee, get a ghost touch sword.
Factotum - skill, so many skills!
Wizard - Arcane Magic
Archivest - Divine Magic

[Draxar]

Ah... because the LA actually hurts in your Gestalt, you don't want something with high LA.

That's the idea behind this form of gestalt. Otherwise taking as huge an LA as possible is the powerful way to do it.


You can get a similar effect to the Unbodied by going with the Psion Uncarnate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/psionUncarnate.htm), although it'll take four more levels to complete.

Which means it'll be not able to do what I want to do when I want to do it. Which Unbodied does.



Put something Int-based on one side (Factotum, maybe, from Dungeonscape), use the Erudite (Complete Psionic) as your base psionic class, and pick up Practiced Manifester - and THEN you're set. Oh yes, and use Elan as your base race. Really, really useful when you're making a non-Charisma-based Manifester.

Not fond of Erudite due to having to spend XP to learn new spells, also, I need to emphasise this more – I don't need to be super-optimised here. The other character is a wyrmling dragon, who's not going to be super powerful.




If at all possible, you want to manifest as an 11th level psion. Never give up casting manifesting levels. Perhaps if you take psion across from your LA your DM will let it stack?

Fairly sure he won't, though I can ask. And for this character, I really don't mind not manifesting as an 11th level psion. Because I'm not going full optimising here. I'm looking for something flavourful and somewhat synergistic to do with an unbodied.


The classic b-side of an int-based character is factotum, but a factotum without skills is kind of sad. Also, level 8 is the magic factotum level.

Don't want to play a factotum, did that fairly recently. And am not after the "Here is the level at which I get the magic ability" approach – last time when I did the Factotum, I took it to level 5, as then I was prestiging into Chameleon.



Wizard's always handy, at least if you can solve the spellbook problem.

Not going wizard, other character is covering the arcane. Not wanting to do wizard when the reason is "It's the powerful option".


Warblade - who said the psion can't melee, get a ghost touch sword.

I'm still unlikely to melee particularly well... It could be interesting, but I can't see it really fitting in with the rest of what I'm doing.


Factotum - skill, so many skills!
Been there, done that.

Wizard - Arcane MagicSee above

Archivest - Divine MagicPossible, but unlikely.

As I said, I'm after an interesting concept first, synergy and power second. There is this floating brain. It has some inherent psionic ability. What other combination of powers can it use?

I'm somewhat tempted by taking Pyrokineticist (or possibly one of its varients) from level 6 onwards, which would let me make flame whips and flame bolts to beat people up with, and later make them go boom. But I've then still got 9-11 to fill on the RHD/LA side, and 1-5 on the other.

Any more suggestions?

[Urpriest]

Warlock could be interesting. Cha synergy (since Cha gives you AC, you want a fair bit of it), party face potential (when you look like anything, Bluff +6 is nice), stuff to do when you run out of powerpoints, battlefield control for your summons.

[Draxar]

Warlock could be interesting. Cha synergy (since Cha gives you AC, you want a fair bit of it), party face potential (when you look like anything, Bluff +6 is nice), stuff to do when you run out of powerpoints, battlefield control for your summons.

That idea looked at on it's on is a really nice one, it gives me more of the unlimited use powers, a damage source, some nice utility things...

... and then I realise that that would mean we're then both playing monsters with inherent unlimited use powers, taking an invocation class that also gives a damage effect, and then putting a spontaneous-esque utility caster on the other side...

[Urpriest]

That idea looked at on it's on is a really nice one, it gives me more of the unlimited use powers, a damage source, some nice utility things...

... and then I realise that that would mean we're then both playing monsters with inherent unlimited use powers, taking an invocation class that also gives a damage effect, and then putting a spontaneous-esque utility caster on the other side...

Eh, you'll be similar mechanically, sure, but you'll play very differently. Breath weapons feel very different from eldritch blasts. You'll both be using "invocations", but warlock invocations and dragonfire adept invocations are much more different than, say, ardent powers and psion powers, or druid spells and cleric spells even. And your combat style will be utterly different anyway (range vs. melee).

Another option is to grab rogue or the like, as stealth is fun (if often unnecessary) when you can walk through walls.