Authorizing Bearbomb Protocol 3.5e

[Aetolus]

I'd appreciate some help building a shapeshifting arcane or psionic Gish capable of transforming into a bear or similar improved-grabbing predator, short-range-teleporting to a point above a foe and then Battle Jumping them - and this tactic would be executed basically all at once, ideally.

The action economy of it all will be the challenge, I imagine.

All official 3.5 material allowed, extra points for avoiding dragon magazine, campaign setting material and cheap optimization tricks e.g. abrupt jaunt.

Ideas anyone?

Seems like mystic or wildshape ranger hold some promise? I have no idea.

[MilesTiden]

Hmm... Maybe Ardent 5/Totemist 2/Ardent 3/Totemist 4/Ardent (or whatever) 6? Grab Practiced Manifester, Linked Power, Expanded Knowledge (Expansion), and whatever Battle Jump-y shenanigans you need. Use the Natural Power, Freedom, and Physical Power mantles, grab Metamorphosis from Natural Power. With Totemist, bind Sphinx Claws to your Hands, and Blink Shirt to your Totem, and shape probably Girallon Arms and whatever other thing you want. Race is not particularly important, though I suggest either Azurin, Kalashtar, or Synad. First turn, manifest Metamorphosis (into the form of a Dire Bear, of course, or other bear-like animal if you wish), linked to Expansion (Augmented up to two sizes). Then, use Blink Shirt to teleport above them as a move action, get your pounced Battle Jump charge, and initiate a grapple (hopefully). Next turn, you suddenly increase to Gargantuan Size, now that you've initiated the grapple. Shift your essentia to Girallon Arms and proceed to grapple bomb. You can also re-initiate the sequence with Dimension Hop as a swift action, or Hustle to get another Blink Shirt teleport.

The build comes online at level 8, with Dimension Hop, Blink Shirt, Metamorphosis, and Battle Jump all (hopefully) online. I'll make an actual write-up of the build later, if you want?

EDIT: Oh yeah, and you have 9th level powers, by the way. You can also use the Mind's Eye web enhancement to add Expansion to another mantle, saving you a feat, but that's between you and the DM.

[Heliomance]

Easiest way to turn into a bear without using an action is Bear Warrior. Not terribly conducive to gishing though. Barbarian/Swordsage/Bear Warrior/Teflammar Shadowlord would do a similar thing, using Shadow Pounce instead of Battle Jump.

[Aetolus]

I'm blown away you found a way to execute this so quickly. Can you tell me what level Bearbomb Protocol comes online in your build? Even if it takes two turns to execute.

[MilesTiden]

Well, straight Ardent (or egoist) could get it at level 7 with just Metamorphosis and Dimension Hop, at the earliest. My build gets it at level 8, due to Totemist, but I feel that it's worth it. I'm sure other builds could get it earlier, but I'm fond of psionic bear shenanigans. Also, shadow-pouncing is superior in sheer power, but it is setting specific, which is why I avoided it.

[Extra Anchovies]

Hmm... Maybe Ardent 5/Totemist 2/Ardent 3/Totemist 4/Ardent (or whatever) 6? Grab Practiced Manifester, Linked Power, Expanded Knowledge (Expansion), and whatever Battle Jump-y shenanigans you need.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and you have 9th level powers, by the way. You can also use the Mind's Eye web enhancement to add Expansion to another mantle, saving you a feat, but that's between you and the DM.

How do you get 9th-level powers with 14 levels in a manifesting class? I'm not at all familiar with the Ardent, is that some quirk of theirs that Practiced Manifester unlocks higher-level powers?

[MilesTiden]

Yep, your powers are not limited by level like most other psionic classes, they're limited by mantle and by manifester level. It's kinda silly, but I really like it because it encourage multiclassing, and is rather neat.

[gorfnab]

Easiest way to turn into a bear without using an action is Bear Warrior. Not terribly conducive to gishing though. Barbarian/Swordsage/Bear Warrior/Teflammar Shadowlord would do a similar thing, using Shadow Pounce instead of Battle Jump.

Feat heavy but potentially doable with flaws:
Wildshape Mystic Ranger 8/ Swordsage 2/ Daggerspell Shaper 4/ Telflammer Shadowlord 6
or
Wildshape Mystic Ranger 6/ Swordsage 2/ Daggerspell Shaper 6/ Teflammer Shadowlord 6
The main difference between the two builds is that the first build gets 16 BAB while the second build gets one extra Wildshape per day and an extra d6 of sneak attack.

[Aetolus]

Gorfnab,

What are you using to teleport?

[Heliomance]

Gorfnab,

What are you using to teleport?

The Shadow Jaunt line of maneuvers from the Shadow Hand school, granted by Swordsage.

[gorfnab]

Gorfnab,

What are you using to teleport?

Sword of the Arcane Order feat nets rangers access to wizard spells, so Dimension Door. Also as Heliomance stated, Shadow Jaunt maneuver.

[sonofzeal]

Why the flipping flapjacks has nobody mentioned Sentinel of Bharrai (BoED), the single most overpowered bear-themed full-spell-advancing PrC in the game?

[Flickerdart]

Yep, your powers are not limited by level like most other psionic classes, they're limited by mantle and by manifester level. It's kinda silly, but I really like it because it encourage multiclassing, and is rather neat.
They're actually limited only by "powers that the ardent can manifest" so PP reducers work just as well as ML boosters.

[Feint's End]

I'm not sure anybody has mentioned it before but battle jump doesn't actually require any action aside from dropping on an enemy (which isn't an action in and of itself).

-Use shape change of choice to get into bear Form as standard action
-Use dimension hop to swift action teleport above foe
-free action charge opponent
-use move action to dance on opponents remains

You could even get another full attack in if you found a way of move action teleport action (or maybe just jump high enough?).

There is actually a TOB build (forgot the name) which used this concept ... doing a few charges each round.