Looking for Gestalt ideas

[Shenanigans]

Have a 3.5(ish) campaign coming up and our GM is making it Gestalt. Here are the details

Standard Gestalt character rules
Levels 1-16 (adapted from a PF campaign)
We've been warned to be prepared for cold conditions, wilderness, dungeons, traps, and lots of combat
No evil alignments
Standard point buy attribute system, min/max assigned scores of 8 and 18, with LA 0 getting 32 points, LA 1 gets 25, LA 2 gets 18, LA 3 gets 10, LA 4 gets 0 (any humanoid race allowed)
Most class variants, alternate class features, etc. are allowed with DM approval
Setting is Forgotten Realms, allowed regions are Anauroch, Cormyr, Cormynthor, Dalelands, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-elf, Half-orc, Halfling, High Forest, The North, Silverymoon, Vaasa, Western Heartlands.
One flaw and up to two traits are allowed
Frostburn is highly recommended
DM approval needed for:Cityscape, Complete Psionic, Dragon
magazine, Draconomicon, Dragon Magic, Drow of the Underdark,
Dungeonscape, Exemplars of Evil, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Heroes
of Horror, Libris Mortis, Lords of Madness, Psionics Handbook, Races of
Destiny, Races of Stone, Races of the Wild.
Banned: Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, Defenders
of the Faith, Dieties and Demigods, Elder Evils, Epic Level Handbook,
Eberron, Fiend Folio, Fiendish Codex, Ghostwalk, Magic of Incarnum,
Manual of the Planes, Masters of the Wild, Miniatures Handbook,
Monster Manual (any), Oriental Adventures, Sandstorm, Song and
Silence, Sword and Fist, Tome and Blood, Tome of Battle: Book of Nine
Swords, Tome of Magic, Weapons of Legacy.
Weapon Group Feats with multiclass characters getting the difference in additional feats or one feat, whichever is greater
Weapon Group feats may also be used to purchase armor or shield proficiency feats, as well as any weapon-, armor-, or shield related feat (i.e., Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Improved Buckler Defense, etc.). If this is done, all other prerequisites for the selected feat must still be met, as normal.
Defense Bonus (Unearthed Arcana)
Armor as Damage Reduction (Unearthed Arcana)
Vitality and Wound Points (Unearthed Arcana)
HD-based Threshholds (Unearthed (Arcana)
Action Points (except emulate feat) (Unearthed Arcana)
Spell Points (Unearthed Arcana)
Maximum starting wealth for class
One rank in Survival required
Pathfinder Skill system
Fixed Vitality points (max at first level, thereafter d4=3, d6=4, d8=5, d10=6, d12=7)

Those are all straight from the DM.

Personally, I don't want to get too cheesy, but I've had some ideas.

Swashbuckler/Wizard (into Duelist?)

Sorceror/Paladin or Fighter Into Dragon Disciple

Monk/Wizard with Kung Fu Genius (if allowed)

Barbarian/Feat Rogue

Monk/Druid

Monk/(Cloistered) Cleric

Wizard/Duskblade

Scout/Swashbuckler into Dervish

Monk/Ranger

Warlock/Shugenja

What I'm looking for mainly is SAD; cold resistance/immunity; fire abilities; d10 or better; 2 good saves or better;

I'll probably stick to human, but if he allows Aasimar, I might lean towards Paladin/Sorceror, into Gold or Silver Dragon Disciple.

All that said, I'm open to ideas.

Thanks in advance!

[Grod_The_Giant]

Wizard or Archivist//Kung-Fu Genius Monk 1/Factotum 8/whatever you want 11. Int to AC through the monk, Factotum 3 gets you Int to pretty much whatever you want (either permanently or through spending inspiration points), and the 8th level gets you extra standard actions.

[Shenanigans]

I think the Factotum class in general would be a bit too cheesy for the likes of my DM. I'm starting to lean towards Sorceror16/Paladin6 Dragon Disciple 10 because of the (at least partial) SAD and flavor possibilities.

What would folks recommend for a focus in that type of build? Melee is a possibility, supported by sorceror casting, but might ranged support with a melee backup work better?

[Seharvepernfan]

A sorcerer/paladin will do what you want, but I wouldn't pass up the chance to play a skill-heavy character if you're using PF's skill system.

[ganresorc]

I've been working on a Wizard/Archivist/War Weaver/Spellguard of silverymoon/Legacy Champion build. Boast's 9th level arcane spells(castable into the weave via legacy champ, and personal spells into the weave via spellguard). It might take some adapting to fit in the path finder system though.

How does your DM feel about early entry via Illumian improved sigil(Krau) to increase effective spell level by one?(this would get you your first level of War Weaver at level 4, 2 levels early)

[Telonius]

How about Druid//Warlock? You'd be limited to CN alignment (fluff suggestion: powers gained from cold-weather Fey), but it combines a very powerful wilderness class (Druid) with another class with a terrific skill list and a bunch of passive bonuses (Warlock). Warlock is not ability-dependent, so you could focus on Wisdom for Druid. Energy resistance turns on kind of late for Warlock, but it is there; Resist Energy is only a 2nd-level spell for a Druid anyway. "Lots of combat" suggests the possibility of running out of spells; Eldritch Blast can fill in if it happens. Hit die is only d8, but that's only one off your target. Two good saves are Fort and Will.

[Rebel7284]

Wizard+PrCs down one side/Factotum 8 or 11 down the other is a great build for a SAD character. A powerful, flexible classic.

You can also do amusing things with sorcerer and charisma optimization.

Lawful Good Dragonwraught Kobold
Sorcerer 14/Battle Dancer 1/X5 //
Paladin 2/Monk 2/Marshal 1/Eldrich Master 4/Spelldancer 1/Swiftblade 10

Space the sorcerer levels in a way to make up for the holes in swiftblade spellcasting.


With Eldrich Master you gain access to a second spell list an are casting spells a full level earlier than a wizard.

[Tragak]

Cleric//(Druid or Paladin): Cleric provides full casting (divine, so unlike a Paladin//Sorcerer, it works even in full armor), Paladin or Druid provide even better melee fighting and either a little more casting (Paladin) or doubled casting (Druid).

Cleric OR Druid zilla are considered broken? Imagine a Cleric AND Druid zilla :smallbiggrin:

Rogue//Ranger: Ranger can focus on Favored Enemies that are otherwise immune to Sneak Attack, a large enough Animal companion can make flanking easier by giving the party 1 more member.

Barbarian//(any primary spellcaster): speed, damage reduction, d12 health, and uncanny dodge to a primary caster. Raging will not be missed :smalltongue:

And for fluff-focus over crunch-focus, perhaps combining a class famous for self-discipline with a class famous for having absolutely no discipline? Imagine a character who has an extremely nasty violent streak, who devotes her life to keeping herself under absolute control so that nobody around her suffers for her own anger problems, yet who is capable of unleashing Hades if you do push her further than she can control.

As a great man once said: "That man won't quit as long as he can still draw a breath. None of my teammates will. Me? I've got a different problem. I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could die.

But you can take it, can't you, big man? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose and show you just how powerful I really am."

Let's look at it from her enemies' perspective:

If she's fighting you with uncontrollable fury, you're blocking her well enough that her friends are still in danger, and she forces herself to calm down? Run: she is about to very delicately remove your spinal cord.

If she's fighting you with absolute precision, you're blocking her well enough that her friends are still in danger, and she starts to lose her cool? Run: she's about to turn you into a bone smoothie.

Wizard//Barbarian, perhaps? Sorcerer//Monk? I've already covered a Wizard with speed, damage reduction, d12 health, and uncanny dodge, and a Sorcerer could certainly enjoy a boost to speed, healing, an AC that comes with no arcane failure chance, and better unarmed attacks for use against a counterspell-spammer.

[Metahuman1]

Druid//Cleric
Archivist//Wizard
Factotum//Archivist.
Factotum//Wizard.