gestalt druid/wizard

[Half-orc Bard]

Im playing a gestalt game with some of my friends for the first time and I want to be druid wizard or maybe druid Wu Jen for fluff my DM house ruled that natural spell lets you cast all spells in wildshape form. I want to be a summoner using SNA and SM and later summon elementals with Rashami elemental summoning.

We're starting at level 6 or 6/6 whatever you get what I mean.

what feats would be a good idea(btw I don't want to be a TOTAL munchkin) I'm thinking spell focus condjuration, augment summoning, natural spell, and greenbound summoning.

I want to be a human

and what PrCs would be a good options?

[flabort]

Southern magician, to prevent MAD.
I think that's the feat. :smallconfused:
Doesn't allow you to change your casting stat?
I forget where it's from, though. Dragon magazine or some third party book, I think. :smallannoyed:

Ironically, it's never mentioned to which stat you can change it, so you could have a Con or Dex based caster, if you wanted (Great for Arcane Archers). :smalltongue:
Personally, I think if you're starting at 6th, you shouldn't worry about PrCs yet, but I know the playground will disagree with me. I don't know which PrCs to take, either. Mystic Theurge? :smalltongue: Nah, that's banned in most Gestalt games. Er....

[Half-orc Bard]

yah mystic thurge and planar sheperd are banned for good reason

[Demon of Death]

Southern magician, to prevent MAD.
I think that's the feat. :smallconfused:
Doesn't allow you to change your casting stat?
I forget where it's from, though. Dragon magazine or some third party book, I think. :smallannoyed:

Ironically, it's never mentioned to which stat you can change it, so you could have a Con or Dex based caster, if you wanted (Great for Arcane Archers). :smalltongue:

The book is "Bastards and Bloodlines:A guide to Half-Breeds", and the feat is Lost Tradition.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Go specialist Conjurer with Wizard. Take the Enhanced Summoning and Rapid Summoning ACFs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#conjurerVariants), it saves you two feats since you won't need Spell Focus, and you should ask your DM if Rapid Summoning will work with Summon Nature's Ally as well. At Wizard 5 get the Domain Granted Power ACF in Complete Champion for the Summoner domain power, which increases your caster level for Conjuration (Summoning) spells by +2. Consider taking the feat Ashbound from ECS, which doubles your summon durations and gives your summoned creatures a +3 bonus to hit.

Definitely prestige class out of Wizard, I'd get Incantatrix (PGtF) to use Cooperative Metamagic and Metamagic Effect to Persist buffs like Shield, Wraithstrike, and Bite of the Werecreature. Malconvoker (CS) could be useful for a summoning focus.

Get a Ring of the Beast (CC) for more efficient Druid summoning. I'd actually stick to Summon Nature's Ally and use your Wizard spell slots for crowd controls and buffs. Don't forget to have your Greenbound creatures throw out a Wall of Thorns immediately.

[Half-orc Bard]

OOH nice ACFs and yah I was thinking about Ashbound and maybe beckon the frozen from frostbound thats a nice one or I could get a different race maybe one with an int or wis bonus any ideas on races

[hex0]

Can you take any Arcane Hierophant? No dual caster prcs? It would give some nice synergy.

I would suggest throwing some Monk in there instead of wizard, but the last time I did that it turned into a six page argument. Basically you get your wis to ac all the time and when you wildshape into a huge bear later on you can have seven attacks (three unarmed strikes, 2 claws, and a bite).

[Fouredged Sword]

I wonder if you could get use out of persisting summons... I may have to build a character around that someday.

Following this idea I now have I will make a suggestion.

Bard 20//Druid 20 - The goal here is to use bard as a mass buff platform and useing music uses to power the feat that lets you use music uses in place of metamagic cost.

- Persist swarms of monsters to do your bidding and then turn them on foes with DFI and buff through the roof.

[hex0]

Bard 20//Druid 20 - The goal here is to use bard as a mass buff platform and useing music uses to power the feat that lets you use music uses in place of metamagic cost.

Why not go Fochluran Lyrist then? Haven't heard if ALL +1 to two spellcasting classes are banned yet or not. Or just one at a time?

Wizard/Druid has a lot of power, but is MAD. Part of gestalt should be focused on maximizing your skills, BAB, and saves too. Abjurant Champion helps this out as you level it up, of course. As would Swiftlade (at the cost of a few CL)

If you are dead set on Wizard/Druid, I'd suggest Druid/Conjurer 3 (with rapid, enhanced, and maybe focused specialist ACFs), then Druid 3/Master Specialist 3. Your master specialist abilities also work with your druid summons.

[Fouredged Sword]

The base gestalt rules suggest (but does not explicitly require) you ban all dule progression classes.

[Hazzardevil]

My advice? Stay in Druid to 20, and fit in 10 levels of Geomancer from Complete Divine, For wizard I recommend Focus specialising banning Evocation, Necromancy and Illusion, start geomancer at level 4 and any spare levels on the wizard side take Malconvoker and Master Specialist.

[hex0]

Gestalt doesn't have too many rules. Mostly shoulds

SRD:
A gestalt character can’t combine two prestige classes at any level, although it’s okay to combine a prestige class and a regular class. Prestige classes that are essentially class combinations-such as the arcane trickster, mystic theurge, and eldritch knight-should be prohibited if you’re using gestalt classes, because they unduly complicate the game balance of what’s already a high-powered variant. Because it’s possible for gestalt characters to qualify for prestige classes earlier than normal, the game master is entirely justified in toughening the prerequisites of a prestige class so it’s available only after 5th level, even for gestalt characters.

I would say that having one of these combo prcs at a time would be okay though by this 'rule'. Arcane Hierphant comes to mind right away. (your animal companion and familiar become one)

[flabort]

The book is "Bastards and Bloodlines:A guide to Half-Breeds", and the feat is Lost Tradition.

*Facepalm*
Right. I thought it might be in that one. I knew I favorited that PDF for a reason, too.
So, what's Southern Magician again? :smallconfused:

[candycorn]

*Facepalm*
Right. I thought it might be in that one. I knew I favorited that PDF for a reason, too.
So, what's Southern Magician again? :smallconfused:

http://tinyurl.com/5vabfob

That should help.

[flabort]

http://tinyurl.com/5vabfob

That should help.

switch arcane to divine. Gotcha. Thanks.

For advice, I'd just recommend anything else the rest of the playground does. If you CAN take Lost Tradition, personally I'd apply it to the wizard side, convert to Wis. That way you have two Wis based casting progressions, and since the Druid doesn't have any Int based abilities anyways...

[Acanous]

Definately take Arcane Heirophant. Because you can't take two PrCs simultaniously, start off going Wizard1/Master Specialist5/back to Wizard while you grab Arcane Heirophant on the Druid side, then go into Incantatrix, Malconvoker or Geomancer when you're finished Heirophant.

There's a feat in Dragonlance that lets divine casters use INT for spellcasting. I haven't seen it in a while so don't recall the name, but if you'd rather have more skill points to burn meeting PrC reqs than a high will save... it can be done.

[Half-orc Bard]

I can take arcane Hierophant, but It will only advance one class's spells is it still worth it?

[Fouredged Sword]

Better than wizard, worse than druid. Druid // wizard / arcane herophant is a good option.

[LordBlades]

If you're doing summoner, I'd advise to skip Druid for MAD reasons.

I'd go with something like Archivist/Malconvoker on one side and Wizard(using Rapid Summoning ACF)/Incantatrix on the other.

[Zagaroth]

Also consider Greenbound summoning from Lost Empires of Faerun.

Works on all Summon Nature's Ally spells

[hex0]

I can take arcane Hierophant, but It will only advance one class's spells is it still worth it?

Do you still get to take another class on the other side?

It advances BOTH arcane and divine normally, advances wildshape, and gives your animal companion the familiar abilities. (also lets you channel spells through animals and plants). If you are allowed to take it (even if it the only class), do it. If you can only advance one class casting I would chose Wizard.

If you are allowed to use it and something on the other side, I would surely take a Full BAB base class to balance out the other side. Duskblade, Swashbuckler, Ranger, and/or Barbarian are all nice choices.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Arcane Heirophant gives you full progression in Wild Shape, Animal Companion, spellcasting, and Familiar benefits, plus additional class features. Definitely take it on the Druid side for at least one level to give your Animal Companion the benefits of a Familiar, namely Deliver Touch Spells. Note that you don't actually need a Familiar class feature to take AH, so you can trade your Wizard familiar for Abrupt Jaunt and still gain full use of the Companion Familiar class feature. Consider taking the feat Obtain Familiar by level 12 so your companion gets Spell Resistance.

You can take Versatile Spellcaster (RotD) and be able to spontaneously cast the next higher level of Summon Nature's Ally spells early. You would also be able to leave spell slots open when you prepare spells to spontaneously cast any spell you know of the next higher level. Since a Wizard can learn spells of any level, if you get Versatile Spellcaster at 1st level you would be able to use it to cast 2nd level Wizard spells early, thus allowing you to go Wizard 2/ Master Specialist.

I'd start out Druid 6// Wizard 2/ Master Specialist 4. With your next three levels get Wizard 3// Arcane Heirophant 3. After that take more Druid levels and more prestige class levels on the Wizard side. Get Abrupt Jaunt (PH2), Enhanced Summoning and Rapid Summoning (UA/SRD), and at Wizard 5 get the Domain Granted Power ACF in CC for the Summoner domain. Definitely take two flaws, you can get a flaw higher than 1st level as long as it's still taken during character creation. You'll need Spell Focus and Versatile Spellcaster at 1st and Natural Spell at 6th. You'll want to get one of your flaws at 5th or 6th for the Summon Elemental reserve feat (CM), due to your ability to spontaneously cast Summon Nature's Ally spells of one level higher via Versatile Spellcaster. That leaves one more flaw feat and your 3rd level feat, which can be Greenbound Summoning and Ashbound. You may want to pick up Natural Bond at some point to get a 'level -3' companion (Fleshraker dinosaur) and still count your full Druid level toward its benefits. Rashemi Elemental Summoning could also be useful, especially if you can use it with the Summon Elemental reserve feat.

Definitely start out with a Ring of the Beast (CC), with Versatile Spellcaster it still improves the summons cast from your highest level spell slots. Also get a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend for (Greater) Mage Armor, Longstrider, and maybe Greater Magic Fang on your companion or save one charge for Creeping Cold.

Edit: I almost forgot to mention, once your Companion Familiar can deliver touch spells you should use Produce Flame to add fire damage to all of its natural attacks.

[Godskook]

I can take arcane Hierophant, but It will only advance one class's spells is it still worth it?

Dip it on your Druid side, cause a familiar companion is the *BOMB*. Also, sub out your familiar if you play a wizard and grab the obtain familiar feat. You now can prestige on your wizard's side without ruining your familiar progression(

And for a larger suggestion, I'd either go wizard->malconvoker or bard->Sublime Chord->Virtuoso.

Both suggestions get 9th level spellcasting, but the primary difference is that a malconvoker will be superior at summoning(cause he can cast quickened SM spells eventually, and standard action ones immediately), while the Chord is stronger at buffing the animals he's got.

[hex0]

And for a larger suggestion, I'd either go wizard->malconvoker or bard->Sublime Chord->Virtuoso.

Bard/SC too? It is MAD enough with Druid/Wizard. Also you can only take one PRC at a time in Gestalt. Still haven't heard from OP if Arcane Hierophant takes up both gestalt spots or not...

Malconvoker and Master Specialist are the best I can think of.

But starting at level six you could have

Druid/Conjurer 3
Druid/Master Specialist 2
Arcane Hierophant 1 (if allowed to take something on the other side, take Duskblade , Swashbuckler or Barbarian)

[Godskook]

Bard/SC too? It is MAD enough with Druid/Wizard. Also you can only take one PRC at a time in Gestalt. Still haven't heard from OP if Arcane Hierophant takes up both gestalt spots or not...

It was either/or, rather than both. So its either Int+Wis or Wis+Cha, not Int+Wis+Cha.

Also, OP has already said that AH is nerfed by now only progressing one casting class(which is an awesomely light&fair nerf to the class in the gestalt context).

[hex0]

It was either/or, rather than both. So its either Int+Wis or Wis+Cha, not Int+Wis+Cha.

Also, OP has already said that AH is nerfed by now only progressing one casting class(which is an awesomely light&fair nerf to the class in the gestalt context).

Then I would say just advance Wizard with AH and have AH advance wizard casting. Still worth it IMHO. You trade a few Druid abilities (venom immunity, woo hoo? for some decent channeling abilities)

[Telonius]

Arcane Heirophant gives you full progression in Wild Shape, Animal Companion, spellcasting, and Familiar benefits, plus additional class features. Definitely take it on the Druid side for at least one level to give your Animal Companion the benefits of a Familiar, namely Deliver Touch Spells.

A bear with a bear who can make people as strong as a bear (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/bearsEndurance.htm)? Or banish them into the Plane of Bears (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/planeShift.htm)?! Dear gods, what madness have you unleashed? :smalleek: