Help with a gish?

[Jagernaut]

So I'm trying to build my first gish and I'm having trouble with some of the details. Just for reference I'll be joining a game at level 9 with standard WBL. To start with I'm thinking of Human Paragon 1/Wizard 1/HP 2/Wizard 2/Crusader 1/Jade Phoenix Mage 1/Abjurant Champion 1 and taking my second level of Abjurant Champion at level 10. The wizard part would be a conjuration specialist with abrupt jaunt.

That's all fine and dandy, but I'm not sure what I should do with feats. With one flaw (probably Pathetic to dump Charisma, but not sure) I'll have 6 feats. I'll be taking Combat Casting for sure and most likely power attack. I'll probably want Quicken and extend Metamagic feats as well, but that still leaves me with 2 feats to play with. Any recommendations?

I'm also unsure what equipment (beyond the general stuff - e.g. HHH or Bag of Holding) I should look for. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Gildedragon]

Still spell and practical metamagic still spell

Skill focus concentration is a better option than combat casting

Craft magic arms and armor is a decent choice

If you don't mind being a goody two shoes: nymph's kiss

[Jagernaut]

Still spell and practical metamagic still spell

Skill focus concentration is a better option than combat casting

Craft magic arms and armor is a decent choice

If you don't mind being a goody two shoes: nymph's kiss

I agree with you on the skill focus, but unfortunately I need Combat Casting for Abjurant Champion. The still spell and practical metamagic is awesome though, plus I like silverbrow humans. Thanks!

[Val666]

Wu Jen 5/ Crusader 1/ Jade Phoenix Mage 1/ Spellsword 1/ Jade Phoenix Mage +9/ Archmage 3.

Grab lots of metamagic, Wu Jen give you free metas e.e make Body Outside Body a spell-like ability via Archmage, grab a longspear, use color sprat or something to paint yourself blue, create copies with Bodie Outside Bodie and make your copies do the same. Congrats, now you are Dota 2 Phantom Lancer.

If everything fails, make all your copies use emerald imolation e.e

[Jagernaut]

Wu Jen 5/ Crusader 1/ Jade Phoenix Mage 1/ Spellsword 1/ Jade Phoenix Mage +9/ Archmage 3.

Grab lots of metamagic, Wu Jen give you free metas e.e make Body Outside Body a spell-like ability via Archmage, grab a longspear, use color sprat or something to paint yourself blue, create copies with Bodie Outside Bodie and make your copies do the same. Congrats, now you are Dota 2 Phantom Lancer.

If everything fails, make all your copies use emerald imolation e.e

Haha, yeah I thought about abusing body outside of body that way. Also Transcend Mortality with Emerald Immolation is hilarious. Alas, those kinds of shenanigans wouldn't really go over well in this game. Not very high op. (not a complaint or insult; I prefer to make fun and or flavorful characters, not I win characters.)

I forgot about the Spell Secret stuff, might switch to Wu Jen. They have a pretty fun spell list I think.

[Val666]

Just state the build but dont the secrets e.e play it without breaking anything. That should do well. State that your most cheesy como is Trascend Mortality + Emerald Immolation, it is not as broken as many would thing e.e

Also when you said that you like to play a fun but no a win character, that reminds a friend always telling me that. Then I said: Winning is fun for me e.e

Ignore me (:

[Snowbluff]

Needs a way to persist Transcend Mortality... Incantatar?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I count eight feats: Human, Flaw, 1, 3, 6, 9, Wizard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#wizard) 1, and Human Paragon 2.
Your flaw can be City Slicker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258440-The-quot-Best-quot-Flaws#30) (-4 to Handle Animal, Survival, Wild Empathy checks) if you pick Survival as one of your Human Paragon class skills.

That Wizard 1 feat should be Power Attack.
You must have Combat Casting for Abjurant Champion, of course.
Definitely take Practiced Spellcaster.
Extend Spell is a necessary feat, especially if you plan on getting Persistent Spell.
That leaves you with four more feats.

Obtain Familiar (CA) and Improved Familiar (CW, DMG) could be useful. You can cast Polymorph to turn yourself into a Cave Troll (MM3) and share it with your (outsider) familiar to turn it into a Warden Archon (BoED). Or just make UMD your class-skill-forever via Human Paragon and your (improved) familiar can use wands of spells like Web. Note that you need to be good aligned to cast (Greater) Luminous Armor (BoED), so you cannot get an evil improved familiar.

You want Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) if it's allowed. Every character wants that if it's allowed. Buy a Ring of Protection +1, make it your item familiar, wear a glove or gauntlet over it so opponents will never have line of sight/effect to it and cannot target it directly or hit it with area effects or slight of hand it. An item familiar with sentience is considered a construct, so it cannot be disabled or destroyed by dispelling or disjoining and will continue to function in antimagic or dead magic areas. Invest tons of skill ranks and put the bonus toward Spellcraft if you take Incantatrix, probably toward UMD otherwise. You can upgrade it yourself to be any other ring with a +1 Deflection bonus added per MIC p234 for the normal crafting cost of whatever other ring you make it. If it's a Ring of Invisibility it can spend its own actions to activate its own invisibility effect on you after you've finished attacking every round, so you're always invisible when it's not your turn.

I would replace the JPM level with Spellsword, so you'll have Wizard 7 spellcasting starting out. This enables you to take the Minor Shapeshift reserve feat in CM at 9th level, to gain temporary HP every round as long as you have Polymorph prepared. Note that flaws must be taken when creating a character, so if you create a character at 9th level your flaw can show up at 9th level. This enables you to also get the Summon Elemental reserve feat in CM, which you can use to scout, help flank, Nodwick traps, etc. as long as you have a Summon Monster IV prepared.

The Ancestral Relic Runestaff (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?267805-Sorcerer-Handbook#4) trick works for Wizards, it gives you spontaneous access to certain spells and an Ancestral Relic can have other benefits...

Arcane Strike (CW) is a useful feat if you have the spell slots to spend on it.

Fell Drain and/or Fell Frighten (LM) are superb for spells like Kelgore's Grave Mist, Power Word: Pain, (Persistent) Cloud of Knives, Death Armor, Fire Shield (twice), Thunderlance, etc.

Spell Focus: Transmutation for Ability Enhancer from Dragon Compendium adds an extra +2 to any transmutation spell effect that enhances an ability score, so Bull's Strength adds +6 or Animalistic Power adds +4's. It also works with the Bite of the Werecreature line of spells, and since it doesn't specifically call out enhancement bonuses it could even benefit any transmutation that increases an ability score, such as Enlarge Person (+4!), Polymorph, or especially Draconic Polymorph from the Draconomicon.

You can take four levels of a 4/4 casting, 2/4 BAB class (Incantatrix, Divine Oracle) and still get a +16 BAB by 20th level. Say you visited the Otyugh Hole detailed in CS to get Iron Will for 3,000 gp instead of spending a feat on it, if you plan to take Incantatrix for Persistent Spell shenanigans. Say you visited the Frog God's Fane detailed in CS to get Skill Focus: Knowledge: Religion for 2,000 gp instead of spending a feat on it, if you plan to take Divine Oracle for Evasion and Uncanny Dodge.

For items, definitely get a Rod of Bodily Restoration (MIC) to fix the Str damage sacrifice that occurs when (Greater) Luminous Armor ends. Get at least one Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend, you can use it with Wraithstrike to cast it half as often as well as other buffs like Animalistic Power. The above Item Familiar can have a Ring of Sustenance's effect added for 3,750 gp per DMG p282. Everyone should have an Anklet of Translocation and a Healing Belt (MIC).

Be sure to get a weapon with a Wand Chamber from Dungeonscape, you can actually get an Elvencraft Composite Longbow (RotW) and it will count as a quarterstaff and as a longbow, you'll need to pay for masterwork three times but it can have three Wand Chambers. Whenever you're holding it you'll count as holding all three wands at the ready. Put wands like Nerveskitter and (UMD) Wings of Cover in that so you'll always have them available to use. Since that counts as a staff, you can make it your Ancestral Relic and make it a Runestaff. It can also be enchanted as a magic weapon, and since a held item doesn't occupy an item slot it won't cost any extra for multiple different magical effects per DMG p282. You can even make it a magic staff with charges of spells in addition to all of that, its current value will decrease per charge used but you can use shenanigans like Stone to Flesh then Flesh to Salt and sacrifice your salt boulder to the relic at a rate of 5 gp per pound (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/wealthAndMoney.htm#wealthOtherThanCoins).

[Val666]

Item Familiar = GG

[Jagernaut]

Wow, thanks for the responses guys. Lots to think about here, especially from Biffoniacus_Furiou. Don't think item familiars will fly though. Thanks again, I think I got what I need.