DFA gestalt options/items. (Question Closed, thanks for your help)

[Steamsaint]

Previous question:
Ok, I'm in a gestalt game and I've decided on a gnome DFA//something - the question is, what should that something be?

Since I kind of want to be breathing fire most rounds, it shouldn't be something action intensive (no spellcasters, pretty much).

I'll get ability scores in a moment.

EDIT: It's a 32 point buy, so...

EDIT: Also, my definite allies are a crusader//favoured soul, a rogue//warlock and a half ogre LA/fighter//barbarian

EDIT:

Ok, thanks to your input guys, I've decided on a DFA 3//Unarmed Swordsage 3. I've even got both my invocations and my maneuvers.

All I need are item suggestions...

I think i'll probably get a masterwork short sword, it does more damage than my current unarmed attack (as a small character, it's 1d4 still).

However, I honestly don't know what else to get...

I'm trying to fit the theme of taking the idea of a trickster gnome to the extreme and being a surprisingly effective martial combatant as well as breathing fire 'n' stuff, so if you can find items for that... Wands don't really work because we don't need healing and any other particularly useful wands aren't fitting the theme or need to be used in combat (and with a DC of 20 and a +8 skill check, I don't want to be relying on them)

All official sources are available, and homebrew is available if I run it past my GM, and it's WBL (2700gp)

Thanks again!

[Amnestic]

Dragon Shaman is an obvious flavour choice; offers you some passive bonuses and a D10 HD.

Bard could work, since it further emphasises your support role, and you're likely making Charisma your secondary stat anyway.

Obligatory Factotum mention, since it seems to Gestalt well with everything.

[Godskook]

To expand on the dragon shaman option, if you go dragonborn dragon shaman, you get two d4 breath weapons that can be metabreathed. Including quicken metabreath. Other metabreaths could be stacked on to give you massive breaths in the first two rounds, plus an additional breath weapon you breath *EVERY* round.

Factotum would give you better skillpoints, and give you fun things like extra actions.

Spellcasters are not always action intensive, and a buff-bot caster would be incredibly useful. An incantrix or DMM cleric are probably most relevant.

[Cog]

I like Stalwart Sorcerer. The bonus hitpoints get added atop what you already have, the metabreath spells let you spend low-level slots at your breath weapon's DC, and a number of the draconic heritages get you hide as a class skill to be combined your at-will Darkness and the Blend Into Shadows feat.

Edit: there isn't an action problem here because the metabreaths combine with your breathing instead of replacing it. Toss in a few swifts and a few medium-duration buffs to cast out of combat and you aren't missing a thing.

[Lateral]

Well, it looks like trapmonkey, primary melee, support & utility, and meatshield are all filled- looks like you're going for BC and heavy damage, with DFA. (You are using Entangling Exhalation, right?)

Factotum is pretty much the ultimate secondary gestalt, but you'll want to make sure not to step on the Rogue//Warlock's toes. Focus on the skills that the Rogue didn't take, and use its combat abilities to the fullest. Unarmed Swordsage might be helpful too- better BAB, good Reflex save, an AC boost, a good weapon progression, and some nice abilities if you focus on boosts and counters. Maybe both- Factotum 8, then Swordsage the rest of the way.

[Steamsaint]

I like Stalwart Sorcerer.

Where is this found?

And Lateral, why unarmed swordsage in particular?

EDIT: And where is unarmed swordsage found, I forget.

[Devmaar]

If you have MoI Incarnate gives you a load of passive bonuses to more or less anything and leave you almost completely CON SAD

[Cog]

Where is this found?

And Lateral, why unarmed swordsage in particular?

EDIT: And where is unarmed swordsage found, I forget.

Complete Mage and Tome of Battle, respectively. The first is an ACF, the second a suggested adaptation.

[Steamsaint]

Ok guys, thanks for your help.

Looks like I'm going to go fairly straight DFA//Swordsage, since I'm loving some of the Shadow Hand maneuvers at most levels, and it'll be an interesting way to go for the gnome trickster concept - of course, the dragon he'll identify with most is the copper :smallbiggrin:

Feel free to suggest anything else I should definitely take.

Oh, and I forgot to mention we're level 3.

And yes, I'm taking entangling exhalation.

[Lateral]

Where is this found?

And Lateral, why unarmed swordsage in particular?

EDIT: And where is unarmed swordsage found, I forget.

You're a Dragonfire Adept, so the loss of armor proficiency doesn't matter much since you have ASF. The unarmed strike, on the other hand, is a melee weapon that you will always have and that will do more damage than most others you could be using by high levels. But, if you're starting at level 3, it doesn't matter much anyway, so either one works.

As a DFA//SS, you're going to want a lot of CON, and at least a little CHA and WIS. It's a good idea to focus on counters and boosts, so you don't need a combat ability, and/or non-save-based invocations, so you don't need very much CHA.

[Prime32]

You're a Dragonfire Adept, so the loss of armor proficiency doesn't matter much since you have ASF.How often will you be casting those spells in combat though? They last 24 hours so you can use them at the start of the day. Heck, since they're at-will then even if you can't remove your armor you can just keep trying to cast one until you succeed.

Also, consider dragon samurai (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030906c) levels for +10d8 damage with one form of your breath weapon. (and Elemental Weapon lets you activate that breath-boosting magic belt mentioned in the DFA handbook)

[Lateral]

How often will you be casting those spells in combat though? They last 24 hours so you can use them at the start of the day. Heck, since they're at-will then even if you can't remove your armor you can just keep trying to cast one until you succeed.

Some of them, yeah, but there are some nice combat ones. If you're taking all 24-hour ones, though, then yeah, don't bother.

[Zaq]

If you have MoI Incarnate gives you a load of passive bonuses to more or less anything and leave you almost completely CON SAD

Beat me to it. If you can't think of what to gestalt with, Incarnate is pretty much never a bad option.

A counter-focused Warblade would be interesting. Every so often you'd have to spend an action flourishing (or attacking) instead of breathing, but Warblades have all kinds of cool boosts and counters and utility moves without ever getting into actual melee combat, and a lot of the good defensive ones are in the level 1-3 range (Moment of Perfect Mind, Mind Over Body, Action Before Thought, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge, White Raven Tactics . . . and then we get into stances. Oh, and toss in Mountain Hammer for out-of-combat utility), so they'd actually get to see play. A Warblade's other perks (armor proficiency, full BAB in case you want to take AoOs or something, d12 HD, Uncanny Dodge, etc.) don't suck either.

[Darth Stabber]

Totemist is a spiffy option, and with access to the draconic soulmelds there is a lot of fun to be had that remains on theme, but incarnate is probably better given you are likely to focus more on being a flamethrower than a lawnmower. The only real point is lots of CON synergy. Totemist has access to his own breath weapons, so he may be more redundant than synergistic.

Dragon shaman's metabreathable breath weapon is also a good option, especially if you get quicken breath (probably don't have to tell you the benefits of two blasts per turn) and the two classes both share a fair amount of CHA and CON synergy.

[Big Fau]

Crusader is a really good choice for a DFA. Swordsage as well. Or Dragonfire Bard (and be the party's best friend twice over).

[Lateral]

Crusader is a really good choice for a DFA. Swordsage as well. Or Dragonfire Bard (and be the party's best friend twice over).

Hey, what about a Bardsader secondary? Gives 'im something to do with swift actions, plus lots of buffing and utility. Takes a few feats, but DFAs don't really need that many anyway.

[Thurbane]

DFA//Binder could add a lot of versatility to your build. They also share pretty common stat reqs (mainly CON & CHA). Binder can certainly do with the skill point boost that DFA offers. Some of the vestiges also have breath weapon attacks, so if you spend feats on boosting/augmenting your breath, all the better...

[Meleemancer]

I don't know if your half ogre friend is dead set on fighter or not, but feat Rogue would work much better in his favor. You give up sneak attack for Fighter bonus feats while getting all the rogue abilities that will mesh nicely with Barbarian.

More on topic, Warblade and Binder would be my top choices. Warblade would greatly add to your survivability with its juicy d12 and wonderful counters.

[Steamsaint]

Ok, thanks to your input guys, I've decided on a DFA 3//Unarmed Swordsage 3. I've even got both my invocations and my maneuvers.

All I need are item suggestions...

I think i'll probably get a masterwork short sword, it does more damage than my current unarmed attack (as a small character, it's 1d4 still).

However, I honestly don't know what else to get...

I'm trying to fit the theme of taking the idea of a trickster gnome to the extreme and being a surprisingly effective martial combatant as well as breathing fire 'n' stuff, so if you can find items for that... Wands don't really work because we don't need healing and any other particularly useful wands aren't fitting the theme or need to be used in combat (and with a DC of 20 and a +8 skill check, I don't want to be relying on them)

All official sources are available, and homebrew is available if I run it past my GM, and it's WBL (2700gp)

Thanks again!

EDIT: And the sheet is here (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=301976), if you're curious.

[Amnestic]

A Dragon Spirit Cincture (MIC, 2000gp) takes up the majority of your WBL, but gives an extra 1d6 to your breath weapon. Grabbing a Least Crystal of Energy Assault [Energy Type] (MIC, 600gp per crystal) will increase your breath weapon's DC by 1 when utilising that energy. The most common one is, of course, Fire, but if you have Frost or Acid breath you may want crystals for those.

[gallagher]

Ok, thanks to your input guys, I've decided on a DFA 3//Unarmed Swordsage 3. I've even got both my invocations and my maneuvers.

All I need are item suggestions...

I think i'll probably get a masterwork short sword, it does more damage than my current unarmed attack (as a small character, it's 1d4 still).

However, I honestly don't know what else to get...

I'm trying to fit the theme of taking the idea of a trickster gnome to the extreme and being a surprisingly effective martial combatant as well as breathing fire 'n' stuff, so if you can find items for that... Wands don't really work because we don't need healing and any other particularly useful wands aren't fitting the theme or need to be used in combat (and with a DC of 20 and a +8 skill check, I don't want to be relying on them)

All official sources are available, and homebrew is available if I run it past my GM, and it's WBL (2700gp)

Thanks again!

EDIT: And the sheet is here (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=301976), if you're curious.

if i were you, i would save up my money and not buy anything until i had 4000 gp. then i would buy some marvelous pigment.

i had nothing. now i have everything nonmagical. your build isnt really gear dependent anyway

[Big Fau]

if i were you, i would save up my money and not buy anything until i had 4000 gp. then i would buy some marvelous pigment.

i had nothing. now i have everything nonmagical. your build isnt really gear dependent anyway

Shapesand>Marvelous Pigments.


Same idea, but reusable and cheaper. You lose out on the lava part though.