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View Full Version : Optimization Gestalt Advice - talk me out of (into?) Frenzied Berserker?



Shadroth
2014-07-07, 09:09 AM
We have a crazy number of campaigns and characters littered around the place, and so we get to create new characters to play on a regular basis. As a sort of "filler" for in between "serious" sessions, one of our DM's is putting us as slaves into a gladiatorial arena and letting us play gestalt characters. We also had a slightly over-powered rolling method for stats. End result of which is as follows:

Krunk (Half-Orc. Other half, also Orc!) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0555.html) Half-Orc Paragon 1 // Wizard 1
Str 20, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 11

I'm planning on going into Orc Paragon as well, for a combined +4 to Strength. I specialised in Conjuration because Abrupt Jaunt seems appropriate for an arena environment. The big pickle is always "what to do when the levels start to stack up"... I had mulled over crazy multi-class shenanigans including dips into Rage Mage 2, Spellsword 3, and Eldritch Knight, keeping Wizard levels to always keep the spell progression ticking along. Bonus feats are cool, ignoring ASF is fun, and having more classes than you can fit on a character sheet is never a bad thing, right? Most of my research at this point was for Prcs that advanced casting that granted other bonuses, but then I figured I could easily go the other way. Prcs that advance fighting ability, and just take more Wizard levels on the other side of the gestalt. Pious Templar (worth a dip?) and Frenzied Berserker are interesting choices, and could happily fit into the casual role-playing our group enjoys. Most of the build stubs I've tried to throw together could only really fit one or the other, without compromising on other combat feat choices like Shock Trooper and Leap Attack, and Arcane Strike being a big favourite.

Bearing in mind that our group doesn't use the alternate systems like Incarnum/Psionics/Tome of Magic/Tome of Battle, and that I don't normally play primary casters, what would you recommend as being a good build? I scratched together a build that, simplified, looks like Half-Orc Paragon 3/Orc Paragon 3/Eldritch Knight 1/Spellsword 3/Frenzied Berserker 10//Wizard 16/Rage Mage 2/Barbarian 2. I'm sure there's better ways of doing it though.

I'd love to hear some ideas/suggestions from the more experienced Playgrounders!

Jeff the Green
2014-07-07, 09:27 AM
Don't go Frenzied Berserker. For one, you may kill your allies. For two, all your enemies have to do is throw some marbles at your feet because you can't use Balance.

Try to get Abjurant Champion in there. I'd say it might be worth it to go Uncanny Trickster or Legacy Champion to increase the level of spells you auto-quicken.

Factotum 8 would be really, really nice. Extra actions are about the best things you can get in gestalt.

So, I might go Half-Orc Paragon 3/Factotum 7/Uncanny Trickster 1/Factotum +1 (8)/Barbarian 1/Rage Mage 7//Wizard 6/Abjurant Champion 5/Uncanny Trickster +2 (3)/Spellsword 7

That should get you full casting, full or nearly full BAB depending on how you reckon it, two spell rages per day, 4 channeled spells per day, ASF reduced by 25%, up to 4th-level abjuration spells auto-quickened, and lots of nice things to do with factotum, including extra standard actions.

Vaz
2014-07-07, 09:44 AM
You can't cast spells in a Frenzy, being one. Even with Rage Mage, your spell rage is 1/day, and a Frenzy is not a Rage.