An Interesting Dilemma Question (3.5)

[Overlord Rion]

Okay, here's my issue. I'm trying to make a semi-gish (if I end up somewhere around 6 or 7th level casting by the time I hit 20, that's fine. We have actualy dedicated casters for that). That in itself isn't too complicated.

Here's the issue. I'm playtesting a race a friend of mine made based on Mongrelfolk. The race itself picks two races (humanoids only, like the Mongrelfolk's general ancestry) and then emulates those two races for the rest of his career.

Perfectly. To the point of qualifying for racial prestige classes (Like emulating a dwarf and having access to Deepwarden and Runesmith). I know I wanted one of the races to emulate be dwarves.

If you guys had access to this race, what would your other race to emulate be?

[Chilingsworth]

What exactly does this race gain from its parent races?

[Overlord Rion]

Just the ability to count as one for purposes of spells, feats, and PrCs.

It's stat adjustments are +2 STR, +4 CON, and +2 INT

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dwarf + Half-Orc, use the Half-Humans variant from Races of Destiny p150 to count as a Human instead of an Orc. You still get counted as a Half-Orc for purposes of feats etc., so say you visited the Otyugh Hole detailed in CS to get Menacing Demeanor without having to spend a feat on it. Definitely include one level of Half-Orc Paragon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/racialParagonClasses.htm#halfOrcParagon), but I wouldn't get more than that. Wear armor with the Fearsome property from Drow of the Underdark, along with the feat Imperious Command from that same book, and get the Never Outnumbered skill trick in CS. Get the feat Dreadful Wrath (PGtF) as well.

Maybe go something like this build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252815#4) (minus being undead), or just check out the Fear Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=3809.0) for some ideas.

For a general Gish build, Half-Orc Paragon 1/ Fighter 1/ Wizard 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Incantatrix or Divine Oracle 4/ Eldritch Knight 4 would be pretty standard. You can get the Iron Will prerequisite for Incanatarix from another visit to the Otyugh Hole, or the Skill Focus prerequisite for Divine Oracle from the Frog God's Fane also in CS. You could finish that build with Eldritch Knight 8 instead, but four levels of class features is better than two points of BAB.