Gambit 3.5

[B33rm4n]

I'm looking to create a character for my friend that emulates the x-man Gambit. Including his power to store kinetic energy in objects he has touched, (explosive effects with his playing cards. or charging his melee weapon to level a door.) He also has a static charged mind (making him immune to most mind-based divinations.) And the most basic, his irresistable charm and ability to kick some tail in melee combat.

I'm looking for Class, Feats, applicable spells and ways to utilize his powers to the best of his ability.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

First and foremost, I highly recommend Mutants and Masterminds. It's not 3.x, but it's d20 and built from the ground up for concepts like this.

In 3.x only, maybe something like Human Fighter (Hit and Run) 1/ Warlock 4/ Shou Disciple 3/ Warblade 1/ Bloodstorm Blade 2/ Master Thrower 1/ Shou Disciple 2/ Warlock 2/ Hellfire Warlock 3 or Human Factotum 1/Monk 2/Fighter 1/Drunken Master 4/Kensai 3/Feat rogue 2/Kensai 7.

Those builds are from http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2683.20

[DementedFellow]

Wouldn't Alchemist from Pathfinder be what the doctor ordered?

[That_guy_there]

Mutants & Masterminds does this SO MUCH better than D&D. But given what QuickLyRaiNbow suggested as builds... arm him with shirukens (refluffed as sharpened playing cards) that are enchanted with Flaming burst and collision. they're disposable (enchanted 50 at a time), you can flurry with them if you dip monk and fit flavor wise.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

If you insist on doing this in 3.5...

Honestly, warlock with Hideous Blow. Charging up attacks, check. Ranged charged attack, check. Bluff as class skill, primary abilities have a Charisma based DC, and Charm Person as a SLA available by level 6? Check, check, and check.

[shortround]

My friend was going to do something similar, but our game dissolved before he could get to it. He was playing a Tashlatora Monk who got into Drunken Master. Drunken Master can use his unarmed strike damage with improvised weapons, so he just did the standard damage dice increasing tricks you normally do for your monk. And now you can throw playing card with the strength of a fist. Don't know if that's exactly what you're looking for, but it comes pretty close given some refluffing.

[B33rm4n]

If you insist on doing this in 3.5...

Honestly, warlock with Hideous Blow. Charging up attacks, check. Ranged charged attack, check. Bluff as class skill, primary abilities have a Charisma based DC, and Charm Person as a SLA available by level 6? Check, check, and check.

I like this, any chance we can delve into some combat capabilities, Bab,Hp ect.

[ThiagoMartell]

I like this, any chance we can delve into some combat capabilities, Bab,Hp ect.
Hideous Blow, well, blows hideously. :smallbiggrin:
Then again, Gambit hardly ever charges his staff. He simply remains ranged.
My money is on the build Shneekey suggested. Go for eldritch shapes to fluff it as him throwing cards in different ways. Gambit never runs out of playing cards, so I don't think shuriken would even fit.

That being said, no build in D&D can achieve everything Gambit can do as often as he can do. Dude is pretty close to being omega level, after all.

[candycorn]

I'd actually recommend Glaivelock. Eldritch glaive could be retooled as a staff, and you have most of Gambit's skillset. With a few homebrew invocations, you could likely get damn close.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I like this, any chance we can delve into some combat capabilities, Bab,Hp ect.

Well, the book Complete Arcane has the class and all the statistics you need for that, but some invocations that might work for you:

Baleful Utterance. Shatter at-will. Frequently, he charges up an item and causes it to explode. This is that.

Beguiling Influence. Because Gambit is one charming bastard.

Dark One's Own Luck. Because he's also a lucky gambler.

Eldritch Glaive... to represent his staff.

Eldritch Chain... throwing multiple cards at the same time

Charm. Because he really is a charming bastard.

Brimstone Blast. Because his cards can scorch things.

Repelling Blast. Because his cards often knock opponents back.

Vitriolic Blast. Because mechanically, you need it.

Eldrich Cone. A whole pile of cards thrown in an area effect.

[Zonugal]

ShneekeyTheLost is right on the money with Warlock being a great in-the-box way to construct Gambit.

For a more complex build I might recommend something like:

Human Psychic Rogue 1/Battle Sorcerer 1/Warblade 4
Point Blank Shot [1st], Psionic Shot [Human], Able Learner [Flaw], Psionic Weapon [Flaw], Precocious Apprentice (Scorching Ray) [3rd], Fiery Burst [6th]

Psionic Powers
Attraction

Spells Known
Charm Person, Flare, Light, Prestidigitation & Scorching Ray

Maneuvers
Action Before Thought, Emerald Razor, Mountain Hammer, Punishing Stance, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Stance of Clarity, & Steel Wind.

This is the kind of build I'd ideally construct in an E6 game but I feel it provides a lot of options while staying true to the character.

[eggs]

Abjurant Champion. Spam the hell out of Explosive Runes.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Abjurant Champion. Spam the hell out of Explosive Runes.

It would be more like spamming the hell out of dispel magics on the explosive runes. The runes themselves don't automatically explode unless someone either tries and fails to dispel them, or someone reads them.

Actually... this may be fairly easy with Warlock as well. All you'd need is a way to either cast Explosive Runes or have it as a spell-like ability. Failing that, you can Wand the spell Explosive Runes as a temporary measure.

Looking into how to make Explosive Runes an SLA, unless you want to go Eldritch Theurge and just dump all your spell slots into it.

[B33rm4n]

I love the warlock idea, i may even be able to convince our DM to level with us and let the Abjurant champion reflect invocations instead of spellcasting.
I'm looking into hellfire warlock and have even convinced the DM to also allow uncanny trickster progress hellfire warlock for more good old explosive measure.
My two questions are is it worth the 3 ecl hit? and What kind of feats (given the few i have left) would you recommend to a warlock blasty glaivelock. :)

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I love the warlock idea, i may even be able to convince our DM to level with us and let the Abjurant champion reflect invocations instead of spellcasting.
I'm looking into hellfire warlock and have even convinced the DM to also allow uncanny trickster progress hellfire warlock for more good old explosive measure.
My two questions are is it worth the 3 ecl hit? and What kind of feats (given the few i have left) would you recommend to a warlock blasty glaivelock. :)

Uncanny Trickster progressing HFW is indeed a valuable trick if your GM lets it work. If he allows Legacy Champion, that's even better, but hey... take what you can get, man.

As far as feats... Quicken SLA, Empower SLA, Maximize SLA, Ability Focus... maybe pick up Precise and Improved Precise Shot if you plan on shooting into melee a lot.