3.5 Gestalt Fighter/Cleric

[Lost Schizo]

So my group recently underwent some changes and said they wanted more of a "meat shield" style character since our group shrank (from a party of 8 to 4). So I am trying to "optimize" this to the best of my ability. I know fighters are not really superb but that is what they want and I am more than willing to accommodate them, mostly.

I am open to anything really however my group has a problem with a supplement books. They believe allowing all the books leads to broken characters. So allowed is:

PH, PH2, DMG, MIC, All the races books, dungeonscape, and 1 supplement of your choice.

This applies to magic items as well. So if it isn't in your supplement then you can't have it unless awarded by the DM.

Current LVL 7

Dwarf
LN - moradin

(35 point buy)
Str - 18
Dex - 12
Con - 16
Int - 10
Wis - 14
Cha - 8

Fighter 6/Pious Templar 1 l Cleric 5/Divine Oracle 2

Domains: Protection / Creation /(does Divine Oracle just give the ability to choose oracle domain or does it go ahead and give me a third domain?)

Flaws: murky eyed / Shaky

Feats: True Believer, Skill focus (knowledge religion), Iron Will, Lightning Reflex, Power Attack, weapon focus (warhammer), Weapon Spec. (warhammer). and 2 more feats I haven't picked yet.

I really like Pious templar it is a class I have not had the opportunity to play yet. And Divine Oracle just seemed worth it since I had already chosen complete divine.

I went with fighter / cleric combo more for the cleric buffs and the fighter proficiencies/feats. Plus I like shield other as it allows me to be a little bit better at "meat shielding" for squishy characters.

I have not equipped him yet. I was going to go with full plate and a +1 Warhammer with a crystal of returning (Second tier since I cant get somatic weaponry). From there it will be based on what I can afford based on the MIC. However I have to equip as a 6th lvl as there is no place to buy'sell'trade for the lvl 7 bump.

I have looked at him to the point that I dont know where to go or what I have may have missed so when that happens the playground is the best place to turn.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Randomguy]

Are you allowed SRD as well as core? Because if so, you should probably use the cloistered cleric ACF.

Your feats so far aren't particularly optimal. Weapon focus is a prereq, but you could ditch weapon specialisation for something more useful. Extend spell, maybe? That way greater magic weapon and magic vestment can last all day for you.

[Man on Fire]

Fighter 6? How about using Dungeoncrasher Fighter then? you give up level 2 and 6 bonus feats for neat abilities.

[Lost Schizo]

SRD is not allowed :smallfrown:

I have never played with the dungeon crasher fighter before. It leaves me even on feats too. It looks interesting though. And of the feats I have Taken i can drop

Iron Will
lightning Reflex
power Attack
Weapon Specialization

Which I can understand them not being the greatest. Extend spell was a thought for one of the two I had if I dont take the crasher. So I'll probably drop iron will or weapon specialization for that .

*Edit*
looking at it I really like the dungeon crasher. So I have done the following
-Weapon specialization
- Iron Will

+ Improved Bull Rush
+ Extend Spell

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

"A gestalt character can’t combine two prestige classes at any level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm)," so you cannot use Pious Templar + Divine Oracle.

Flaws are in UA. If your group is allowed to use flaws, you should be able to use other things from UA, namely Cloistered Cleric. Gestalt is also from UA. So is LA Buyoff (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) and Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm).


The following build is quite complex, so do not dismiss any portion of it or your spell buffs and thus your entire shtick won't even work at all. You'll find your buffs near the end.

Switch Str and Wis, and switch Dex and Int, so your stats should now be Str 14, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 8.

Go Cloistered Cleric 7// Fighter 5/ Deepwarden 2 starting out. Your build at 20th should look like Cloistered Cleric 10/ Contemplative 10// Fighter 5/ Deepwarden 2/ Fighter 13. Don't worship any particular deity. You need the Travel domain to meet the required Survival ranks for Deepwarden, and it's an extremely strong choice anyway. Use the spontaneous domain casting ACF in PH2 for it even, so you can spontaneously convert prepared spells into Fly, Dimension Door, Teleport, Find the Path, etc. Your other domain should probably be Strength, although Cold in Complete Divine is another extremely strong choice and another contender for spontaneous casting even. Future domains via Contemplative should definitely include the Destiny domain from Races of Destiny.

Skills: Definitely meet all of the prerequisites for Deepwarden by 5th level, which shouldn't be difficult with everything as a class skill. Put max cross-class ranks into Use Magic Device, which will be 5 ranks starting out. You should max out Concentration and Kn: Religion, and any leftover points during those Deepwarden levels should go toward Listen and Spot while they're class skills.

Use the Dungeoncrasher ACF for Fighter, your Fighter bonus feats starting out should be Power Attack and Improved Bull Rush. At Fighter 8 you should use the Dwarf Fighter substitution level for Heavy Armor Expertise.

You'll have two flaw feats, and three general feats. They should be Endurance, Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, DMM: Persistent, and Extra Turning.

Future feats will be: Knock-Back (9th), Extra Turning (12), and Extra Turning (15). Fighter bonus feats will be: Weapon Focus (10), Weapon Specialization (12), Melee Weapon Mastery (14), Greater Weapon Focus (16), Greater Weapon Specialization as your general feat at 18th level, and Weapon Supremacy at Fighter 18 or your 20th character level. Alternatively, you can go for (Greater) Heavy Armor Optimization (RoS) with Shield Specialization and Shield Ward (PH2) for a more defensive focus, in which case you'll have room for Defensive Sweep (PH2) as well.

Items! You're starting with 19,000 gp worth of gear at 7th level, so a Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC, 1,000 gp), Eternal Wand of Alter Self (MIC, 4,420 gp), a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting already removed (DMG, 9,000 gp, the price in the DMG is different from the SRD), a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell (DMG, 3,000 gp), Full Plate armor (PHB, 1,500 gp), a Club (PHB, free), a Dwarven Waraxe (PHB, 30 gp), a Heavy Wooden Shield (PHB, 7 gp), a Silver Holy Symbol (PHB, 25 gp), a Dagger (PHB, 2 gp), six Wooden Holy Symbols (PHB, 6 gp), and 10 gp worth of other mundane gear. Your first 50 gp earned should go toward a Masterwork Tool (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#toolMasterwork) (PHB, 50 gp) for UMD. A +1 Dwarven Waraxe should probably be your next purchase.

That Eternal Wand will have to be activated via Use Magic Device. Note that it's not activated as a wand typically is, it's command-activated and requires the user be capable of casting arcane spells. You'll have to Emulate Class Feature at DC 20, just reroll until you succeed but if you roll a 1 you can't use it that day.

Buffs, every day you'll do the following:
1. UMD the Eternal Wand of Alter Self to take the form of a Human, which grants you a bonus feat for its duration: Extra Turning.
2. Activate the Bead of Karma on your Strand of Prayer Beads.
3. Cast Eagle's Splendor, your Cha score is now 12. At this point you have 14 Turn Undead uses: 3 base, +1 Cha, +2 Reliquary Holy Symbol, +8 Extra Turning twice. If you rolled a 1 on UMD you can skip Eagle's Splendor.
4. Cast DMM: Persistent Divine Power to gain +6 Str and +11 temporary HP all day long.
5. Cast DMM: Persistent Divine Favor to gain +3 to attack and damage rolls all day long. Skip this if you rolled a 1 on UMD.
6. Cast Lesser Rod of Extended Magic Vestment on your armor and shield, granting both a +2 Enhancement bonus for 22 hours.
7. Cast Lesser Rod of Extended Longstrider on yourself, increasing your land speed to 30 feet for 22 hours.
8. Dismiss both Eagle's Splendor and Alter Self. You now have a negative number of Turn Undead uses remaining for the day, and you're extremely buff.

Note that you can use the Eternal Wand of Alter Self twice per day. The second can be used to take the form of a different Human, gaining max (cross-class) ranks in any one skill of your choosing plus Skill Focus in that skill. It lasts for 30 minutes, and keep in mind you'll probably lose access to your Deepwarden class features during that time, but it can be dismissed as soon as you've made the necessary skill check. This can be used to make any Knowledge check at +14 at your current level, or Decipher Script at +14, or any other check at Ability Modifier +13 class skill or +8 cross-class. You can also use it to gain ranks in Kn: History to get a +2 to your Cloistered Cleric Lore checks for its duration.

When you hit 9th level and get 5th level spells you should switch DMM: Persistent Divine Favor for DMM: Persistent Righteous Might. This should allow you to qualify for Knock-Back, but if not then get a Permanency: Enlarge Person prior to 9th level.

Once you can cast 9th level spells you'll be able to DMM: Persist Choose Destiny via the Destiny domain, it's hands-down the absolute best buff in the entire game.

[Pilo]

Pick Tome of battle as the supplement of your choice.

Go for Cloistered Cleric//Crusader.

[Xaragos]

Dungeon Crasher, Knockback, Power Attack, Imp Bull Rush, , Imp Trip, Shock Trooper, Leap Attack, Powerful Charge combined with your buffing/size increasing prayers FTW! You can wreak havok on the playing field, knocking stuff around so as to control who is where, knock people on their butts to set up other party members, or body check them into walls and object. Hey if you cast Wall of Stone or something similar you have an instant area to body check an enemy into. Its great.