What class actually benifits from an aristocrat gestalt?

[deuxhero]

I was thinking about that tier 3/4 classes get gestalted with an NPC class suggestion, and I couldn't think of a single class that would want to take Aristocrat (or Commoner without the joke flaws, but they are supposed to be bottom of the barrel). Anyone who wanted skill points would either have the proficiencies or couldn't use them, while anyone who wanted the profiencies would be better off with the HD bump/high fortitude/full BAB of warrior and anyone with positive wisdom modifer would love Adept. Is there a tier 3/4 class that gestalts well with Aristocrat?

[Gildedragon]

A class with bad Will saves, 2 skillpoints per level, bad or good BAB...

Paladin, Fighter...

[Zaq]

Well, the question is whether you need to simply benefit from gestalting with Aristocrat, or whether Aristocrat has to be the best gestalt for you (or even the best NPC gestalt), right? Because if it's simply benefiting from it, anything that needs the skills could technically benefit from it. Hell, a Truenamer could finally have something to spend all those skill points on besides more Knowledges (which is fun, but honestly, it gets old after a while), and armor proficiency is gravy. But is it the BEST gestalt for them? Eh, Expert is probably better. But an Expert is not a bad gestalt in general.

An Incarnate would like to have some more skills, would benefit from the BAB bump, and I guess they can benefit from martial weapons and maybe heavy armor. Again, though, I'd take Expert before Aristocrat, because Expert is just plain better than Aristocrat in every way except proficiencies (and starting gold, but that's negligible with PC WBL). So if the question is "who would take Aristocrat gestalt over Expert gestalt," you're going to have a tough time ahead of you.

I guess an Archivist going for an archery build would want the proficiencies more than the skills, but then they'd rather be Warrior gestalt than Aristocrat gestalt. And they're T1, anyway, not the T3/T4 you asked for.

[Thurbane]

Possibly not quite on topic, but anything that could benefit from gestalting with Aristocrat, would be better off gestalting with Marshal.

[heavyfuel]

Possibly not quite on topic, but anything that could benefit from gestalting with Aristocrat, would be better off gestalting with Marshal.

And every class gestalting Marshal would be better off gestalting a Planar Shepherd Druid :smallbiggrin:... Unfortunately, he was talking about NPC classes.

[facelessminion]

I can't think of any class that wouldn't get a greater benefit from a different NPC class, no.

I suppose you could just gestalt it with CW Samurai, to make the optimal gestalted turd sandwich.

[Jeff the Green]

Anything at level 1. You start with 6d8x10 (mean 270), nearly twice anyone else.

[Yogibear41]

Any game where roleplaying actually happens, being an aristocrat is about 1000 times better than being some nobody commoner in a world with any form of government/power structure.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Anything at level 1. You start with 6d8x10 (mean 270), nearly twice anyone else.

Mercantile Background feat in PGtF gets you an extra 300 gp at character creation, you get to sell loot for 75% of its value, and once per in-game month you can purchase an item for only 75% of its price (i.e. every item you start with was bought far enough apart to benefit from this).

A 1st level Aristocrat with Mercantile Background can begin play with 760 gp worth of items.

[Coidzor]

Adepts get a better HD, BAB, skill points per level, and skill list, all of which increase the usefulness of their familiars. They also get armor, shield, and weapon proficiencies and have no reason not to wear armor.

Barbarians that want to go into Frenzied Berserker or just not get dominated as often might appreciate the Will Save bump, and some may enjoy the increased social skill access.

Bards get... a better HD size and better weapon proficiencies and that's it, so Warrior has every advantage, IIRC, even in terms of the few skills such as Intimidate that Bards don't have which Aristocrats do.

Beguilers get a better HD size, increased BAB, & proficiencies. Their skill list is a bit rounded out and they can do the sage job a bit better due to their expanded knowledges.

Binders get better skill points per level & proficiencies. They also have their skill list expanded, especially in the knowledges department and by gaining spot+listen.

Crusaders get a better Will save, the rest of the Face skills, and some general underhanded, knowledge, and sensory skills.

Dragonfire Adepts get better BAB and a couple of skills added to the skill list, so I believe this is another class that should just always pick Warrior instead.

Dread Necromancers get a better HD, BAB, and skill points per level along with proficiencies, and can not only fulfill a face role due to the expanded social skills but also gains some ability to be a sage as well due to the expanded knowledges and generally improved skill list.

Dungeoncrasher Fighter would appreciate getting parity with the Barbarian in terms of skill points per level as well as having an expanded skill list as well as giving them a better Will Save. Gives 'em 4+in & Spot+Listen, at the very least.

Duskblades get social skills and a couple of other skills they may be interested in putting their skillpoints from their Int in other than Knowledges as well as more skill points.

Factotums(Factota) get a bolstered will save, heavier armor proficiencies, and that's it, I think.

Hexblade gets more skill points, social skills & a better skill list in general, and heavier armor proficiency to potentially give it the excuse to eat the feat to cast in medium armor if the DM allows the rules to link up.

Incarnates get a bump to BAB, skill points per level, HD, martial weapon & heavy armor proficiencies... I think skill list is improved as well by the addition of Aristocrat.

Psychic Warriors get a better Will Save, more skill points per level, and a greatly expanded skill list.

Rangers might appreciate having social skills for things other than animals and shoring up their weak save. Aside from having to take the Urban Tracking feat and not having Hide In Plain Sight work anywhere, it'd make all Rangers into Urban Rangers+, so I suppose it'd be good for modeling a certain subset of roguish type.

Wildshape Rangers that go into Master of Many Forms may appreciate the increased social skills to potentially take more advantage of their shapeshifting talents?

Rogues get proficiencies and a better will save and HD. I think Wilderness Rogues would have their skill list and special ability list expanded in exchange for only losing Decipher Script since Aristocrat would give them back what they trade away to be a Wilderness Rogue? Though Aristocrat would grant most of what Wilderness Rogue would on its own...

Scouts get a more urban/urbane skill list, better weapon proficiencies, and their will save is bolstered. Oh, and shield proficiencies which don't interfere with skirmish.

Spellthieves get a better HD, more social skills & a bit of expansion of knowledges and survival...

Totemists would get more social skills, I suppose, though they generally don't necessarily want 'em. I imagine there's some greater exploitation of certain soulmelds that could be done when those skills are class skills due to Aristocrat, but nothing jumps out offhand.

Warblades get ranged melee weapon and heavy armor proficiencies, allowing them to be dipped into for gishing purposes, I suppose. Their Will save is also bolstered, and they do get a greatly expanded skill list, I believe.

Warlocks get better HD & skill points per level as well as a better skill list base to build on.

Warmages would like having the 2 more skill points, a better skill list, better BAB, and a better HD.