[3.5] Early Epic Gestalt: Feat Help

[Fax Celestis]

So I'm going to be playing a... *deep breath (http://www.pifro.com/pro/view.php?id=9981)*

Paladin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181496) 20/Drow Paragon 3/Contemplative (Cold) 1//Spellthief 20/Half-Fey 2/Drow 2

...in an upcoming PbP here on the boards. I'm certainly not interested in breaking the game wide open, but I'm definitely interested in being vastly competent. The revised paladin I linked above is very much a secondary combatant, buffer/healer type (seriously, I have a lay-on-hands pool of 408 HP), and spellthief is...well, spellthief.

All of my feats are wide open. I don't want to change the build at all, as I'm going for simple and thematic.

I was looking at the SLA-centric feats in DotU and they seemed underwhelming at best. I was thinking about picking up Fey Heritage out of CMage, but it seems uninspiring.

I'd like to keep away from metamagic (as I'll sadly likely never actually use it), but party buffer stuff, self-buffer stuff, and interesting combat styles are welcome.

I still have... *quickmath* 1,634,000 (or a little less, actually, since I have a shield and armor on my sheet I haven't actually bought yet, but they're cheap) GP left, and my stat spread after a belt of magnificence +6 is Str 20, Dex 24, Con 16, Int 22, Wis 20, Cha 28. I haven't gotten stat tomes yet (and if I do, it'll probably be Con and Cha).

I was looking at Eilservs School and picking up a staff of some kind to beat people to death with, but I don't know how interesting or effective that would turn out to be.

Augmenting my spell resistance would be a great thing too.

Anyway, open to suggestions.

[ShadowFireLance]

Is this a private or open PvP?

[Fax Celestis]

It's currently recruiting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310013).

[ShadowFireLance]

It's currently recruiting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310013).

Ah, I respect Ceadra, but do not like certain rules of his.


Anyways, feats are something that you quite literally have a lot of in epic levels, and sadly, not too many of them do much.

Things I notice about your character:

1: No immunity to nonlethal damage, this is a must at high levels.
2: Very few immunities. These are something that is NEEDED at high level.
3: You have turn undead, correct? Get Divine Metamagic, and then Persist spell. Then your buffings will last quite a while.

I'm going to leave the feats and items to those more suited than myself.

[Fax Celestis]

Nope, no turning.

I have blanket immunity to enchantment and high saves. I'm going to put mettle on my ring of freedom of movement, I think, which will shore up that a little and couple with my ring of evasion and deflection +5.

The big things I know I need to get immunity for are death effects, polymorph, and stunning, but I don't really think feats are going to come into play there (are they?).

[Person_Man]

That's a very restrained build for an Epic level gestalt game. My (very limited) experience with Epic is that whoever wins Initiative casts a high level spell/power, and basically wins combat. Are you against or barred from using a Tier 1-3 option, even if it's only on one side of the build?

[Kazyan]

The Epic Gestalt in question is restrained in general. Cardea actually rejects overpowered homebrew.

[Fax Celestis]

That's a very restrained build for an Epic level gestalt game. My (very limited) experience with Epic is that whoever wins Initiative casts a high level spell/power, and basically wins combat. Are you against or barred from using a Tier 1-3 option, even if it's only on one side of the build?

Implied ban for tier 1 and 2, actually.

[Person_Man]

Implied ban for tier 1 and 2, actually.

Fair enough. Spellthief 20 I can understand, because it's an awesome concept that I love (even if the crunch needs to be rewritten - shameless homebrew plug (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=16213338)). But Paladin 20? Are you going to take Leadership and ride on some sort of uber Special Mount? If not, is there a reason you're not using Crusader? Or if you just don't like Crusader or if ToB is out, how about the Knight? It's still Tier 4, but you'd be getting Loyal Beyond Death.

[Fax Celestis]

It's a paladin rewrite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181496).

[Fax Celestis]

Okay, definitely looking closer at this now, I'm really leaning towards Eilservs School (DotU) with Channel Charge (LEoF), so I can burn my mostly-useless spellthief spell slots into more-useful spells when I hit someone with a staff. It's too early epic for me to qualify for Master Staff (sadly), otherwise I'd be on that like white on rice.

Also thinking about taking Undo Resistance (FCII) and putting the shattermantle (MIC) property on both ends of the staff so I can basically destroy a defender's spell resistance.

Are longstaves worth an EWP? I'm leaning towards "no". I'm also thinking it wouldn't really be worthwhile to take Stunning Fist for Sudden Willow Strike (ECS) or Forceful Staff Style (Ghostwalk).

[bekeleven]

I keep reworking my build for this game. It's hard to build an effective non-spellcaster when the GM disallows dips.

Also, I don't think you can say that high tiers are "strongly discouraged" or "implied ban" when the submitted builds include a Sorc with 10 levels of Wyrm Wizard, a Sorc/epic Halruaan Elder, a level 16 Swiftblade, a level 24 Druid, and an elven generalist wizard that goes through 3 prestige classes for a CL of 20.

Edit: Also a Kobold shadowcraft mage/Abjurant Champion/Swiftblade with heighten spell and Master Spellthief giving him a CL in the 40s without (extensive) cheese.

[Person_Man]

It's a paladin rewrite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181496).

Ah, well you did a great job writing it, so you'll be fine then.

Back on topic, you might want to look at Shape Soulmeld and Open Chakra. At Epic levels, you can gain access to any chakra bind, including Heart and Soul. So you might want the Swarm Template (Brood Keeper's Heart), True Seeing (Keeneye Lenses), Gate (Planar Chasuble), poorly worded at-will Greater Invisibility (Shadow Mantle), Ethereal movement (Phase Cloak), Incorporeal Subtype (which includes Cha to AC) meldshaper levels per day (Apparition Ribon), Telepathy (Shedu Crown), and maybe a few other ones, depending on what your build is going for.

[Chambers]

Two Weapon Pounce will help you trigger Eilservs School when you can't take a full attack. Double Hit would help also except Eilservs School requires a swift action to activate the staff, meaning you can't use it off turn.

Double Hit is still a good idea though because of the Shattermantle enchantment. Combine it with Combat Reflexes and Robilars Gambit to get extra hits for Shattermantle.

Edit: The Epic Insights Compilation has some feats that you might consider. Staff Expertise requires 30 ranks in Spellcraft but it lets you activate a Staff with iterative BAB. Epic Devotion is an Epic feat that requires Iron Will but grants a +4 divine bonus on saves versus spells with a chosen alignment, either Chaotic or Good in your case. Armed Deflection lets you use a weapon to deflect a ranged weapon attack and qualifies you for the crazy Exceptional Deflection, Infinite Deflection, and Reflect Arrow feats using that weapon. Requires Combat Expertise, WF, and Epic Weapon Focus.

[Fax Celestis]

Okay, so right now I have:

Two-Weapon Fighting (1st)
Weapon Focus (Quarterstaff) (3rd)
Eilservs School (6th)
Channel Charge Combat Reflexes (9th) Just realized Channel Charge is redundant with Master Staff
Craft Staff (12th)
Two-Weapon Pounce (15th)
Robilar's Gambit (18th)
Master Staff (21st)
Improved Combat Reflexes (24th)


Pondering dropping Improved Combat Reflexes for Spell Stowaway on my 24th, but I'm torn between haste, heal, or something else. Plus Robilar's combined with Combat Reflexes and Eilservs School will eat my attacks of opportunity for breakfast.

I'm getting ITWF from gloves of the balanced hand. Wish I had one more feat to pick up Double Hit or Undo Resistance. As it stands, though, I can basically destroy someone's SR on hit: staff has shattermantle (-2 per hit for 1 round, stacking) on both ends, is charged with lower spell resistance (-15 for rounds/level, and which has a pretty hilarious save DC clause), which I can cast via spell slot (Master Staff) or charge on hit (Eilservs School), and if I sneak attack I can also do Steal Spell Resistance (for another -5).

Now I just have to spend 481k more GP.

[Fax Celestis]

Actually! I can take Channel Charge instead of Master Staff (it's effectively the same thing with my ludicrous UMD score) and drop Craft Staff to pick up Double Hit.