Ride the Lightning (build help)

[Azoth]

I am trying to build a good gestalt character whose whole schtick so speak is lightning. Doing lightning based damage, being quick as, ect ect. Not looking for terribly optimized, but a fun, flavorful, and atleast mid op build based around lightning.

All official books on the table, 36pb, ecl 10 but advice all the way to 20 is appreciated.

[Verditude]

You could try a mailman sorcerer (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868534/The_Mailman:_A_Direct_Damage_Sorcerer) with orb of electricity/chain lightning/etc. You could also go for energy substitution/admixture for when the DM throws stuff that's immune to electricity (shambling mounds, etc) at you.

Lots of ways to gain extra movement, but dipping sacred exorcist for turn attempts (which you would have a lot of from high Sorcerer CHA without any investment) to power Travel Devotion (or cloistered cleric if you don't mind losing the caster level; gives you the feat for free as well as Knowledge Devotion and another devotion feat if you want it).

EDIT: Oh, gestalt. Then totally take a level of cleric (cloistered or no) on one side for travel devotion, and maybe a few more to be able to cast Footsteps of the Divine. If you take the Storm domain as well, you can get Call Lightning.

[kreenlover]

stormwrack has a great prc that lets you walk on lightning. I believe it was divine casting.

Swiftblade gives you the 'speed of lightning' thing going. you should be able to have quite a few levels of it too

[Lateral]

If you're going gestalt, then it couldn't hurt to be a Mechanatrix (FF 137). They're LA +1 planetouched, and not only are they immune to electricity, but they heal 1/3 the damage that it would ordinarily deal to them. They have an INT boost and a CHA hit, though, so they're certainly much better for a wizard of some kind rather than a sorcerer. You could do a Mechanatrix Swiftblade build of some kind, using the second side of the gestalt for LA and for taking extra Wizard levels at the levels of Swiftblade that don't advance casting so you can keep 9th level spells. (Also, since they're planetouched, you might be able to convince your DM to allow the rules for lesser planetouched. LA +0 instead of +1, and all you lose is the Outsider type.)

Thinking like this:

Wizard 5/Swiftblade 10/Abjurant Champion 5//LA 1/X Full BAB class 4/Wizard +1/X Class +2/Wizard +1/X Class +2/Wizard +1/X Class +2/Wizard +1/X Class +5

[W3bDragon]

I don't have any specific build advice, but I'd definitely recommend the spell Lightning Leap from complete mage I believe. Its a 5th level spell that transforms you into a bolt of lightning that shoots across the battlefield, doing damage like a lightning bolt and reappearing at the other side.

Its definitely one of the most flavorful spells for this kind of setup. If you find a way to reliably quicken it, it would serve as an awesome way to move about the battlefield.

Another trick would be to use a thin Wall of Stone for battlefield control, then when you're ready to take it down, blast through it with a Lightning Bolt, since the bolt will continue and do damage to creatures behind the wall if it can do enough damage to punch through.

Also, communal resist energy: lightning for your party members will allow you to use your lighting spell with impunity.

[thethird]

Lesser (PGtF) Mechanatrix (FiendFolio)

Storm Domain (UA) Wizard 5 (With Spontaneous divination) / Incantatrix 1 / Stormcaster 10 / Incantatrix +4
//
Warblade 20

With the classical metamagic goodness, sprinkled with born of three thunders and quick recovery to deal with daze. Mechanatrix will make you immune to electricity and actually be healed by it, stormcaster and born of three thunders combined will make most of your spells target several saves at the same time making them more powerful.

Warblade is a really great chasis, improving your saves, alternatively Factotum 11 / Warblade 9 is also a great combination to deal with SR and have extra standard actions.

[HalfQuart]

I don't have any specific build advice, but I'd definitely recommend the spell Lightning Leap from complete mage I believe. Its a 5th level spell that transforms you into a bolt of lightning that shoots across the battlefield, doing damage like a lightning bolt and reappearing at the other side.
Based on the Lightning Leap spell, there's also the Stormstrider Boots (CM 134), although they require Spring Attack.

[Bromidrosis]

For the gestalt divine/arcane caster, there's the Stormlord PRC from CD. It offers full divine caster levels and a cornucopia of nice, electricity themed abilities, ranging from the ability to fly during storms to turning every weapon you touch into a shocking burst/thundering weapon.