Paladin/Spirit shaman Gestalt

[ShiningCrusader]

Hello Everyone.

so a "hobby" of mine is to create interesting character builds either for me, to suggest to my players if they are interested (when I'm the DM) or to use as an NPC. the original plan was to build a Paladin/Druid, a holy warrior with full highly effective damaging and buffing divine spells with a dedicated animal companion (in addidion to the holy mount) to accompany him on his quest to destroy evil. but then theres that painful alignment restriction for both classes. after searching around for about an hour i found out about the that the Sprite Shaman had the same spells as a druid (now why have i never notice that!) i know that the SS is not as powerful as druid, but as a gestalt it becomes really strong and oddly flavorful. a paladin with a holy sprite that hunts down "evil" sprites. now, here is where i need help. what feats would greatly help this build or make it more flavorful?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Take Versatile Spellcaster so you can use two Spirit Shaman spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, including any spell on the Paladin class list that you can cast. This allows you to use your Spirit Shaman caster level for choice Paladin spells, such as Greater Magic Weapon. Definitely include DMM: Persistent, since he would get Turn Undead from Paladin. The Druid spell list gives him options like the Bite of the Werecreature line of spells, Mass Lesser Vigor, Sirine's Grace, Lion's Charge, Stormrage, etc. while the Paladin list has non-Druid spells like Magic Circle Against Evil and sanctified spells like Elation. There's also Flame Blade, which as a melee attack benefits from Power Attack (which adds additional fire damage) and can be used with Smite Evil. Be sure to use spells with naturally long durations, such as Longstrider, Endure Elements, Delay Poison, Primal Hunter/Instinct/Senses/Speed, Heart of Air/Water/Earth/Fire, Cloud Wings, Greater/Superior Resistance, Energy Immunity, and even (Greater) Luminous Armor from Paladin.

Use an Elvencraft Composite Longbow, which counts as both a Quarterstaff and a Longbow. You'll need to get Masterwork three times for it, but it can also have three wand chambers from Dungeonscape. Apply Unguent of Timelessness to it so its passage of time is 365 times slower. A (Lesser Rod of) Extended Shillelagh will last over twelve hours per caster level, and (Lesser Rod of) Extended Spikes will last 73 minutes per caster level, effectively lasting all day. You'll need to use (Lesser Rod of Extended) Greater Magic Weapon separately for each weapon portion of it, but if you make each portion +1 Defending and GMW each one, you'll be able to put the enhancement bonus of each one toward your AC, or just the portions you're not attacking with that round. Per the Rules Compendium, a scroll, staff, or wand takes the same action to activate as the casting time of the spell being used, so a Wand of Knight's Move or Rhino's Rush in a wand chamber on that weapon is still a swift action to activate.

I would also include Greenbound Summoning and Ashbound if you plan on using Summon Nature's Ally at all, but skip Augment Summoning since it costs two feats and this build probably won't have enough as it is. Also try to include Extra Turning and Craft Rod, so he can make his own Nightsticks, and of course everyone should try to take Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm). I would actually trade the special mount for Underdark Knight in CC or even Charging Smite in PH2 (which is amazing with Rhino's Rush), unless you can swing a Greenbound creature as his special mount. Otherwise just take Wild Cohort (archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) for a horse and later trade it for a Dire Eagle (RoS, Level -3) if you want a special mount.

Get a few dozen Bone Talisman (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) (turning) spell foci, apply Unguent of Timelessness to each of them, and thread them onto a loop of string like beads. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting removed (9,000 gp per DMG pricing), and use the Bead of Karma when casting your buffs and when casting Bone Talisman. The unguent will make your Bone Talismans last 365 times longer (they can be Lesser Rod of Extended), and once you've used one you can reuse it when you cast it again indefinitely and the unguent never wears off. This will allow you to use Turn Undead as a Cleric of your level +4, though you probably can't use them to fuel Divine Metamagic (Complete Divine p77, "you may activate only one divine feat (or use the ability to turn or rebuke undead once) per round").

[DMVerdandi]

Hello Everyone.

so a "hobby" of mine is to create interesting character builds either for me, to suggest to my players if they are interested (when I'm the DM) or to use as an NPC. the original plan was to build a Paladin/Druid, a holy warrior with full highly effective damaging and buffing divine spells with a dedicated animal companion (in addidion to the holy mount) to accompany him on his quest to destroy evil. but then theres that painful alignment restriction for both classes. after searching around for about an hour i found out about the that the Sprite Shaman had the same spells as a druid (now why have i never notice that!) i know that the SS is not as powerful as druid, but as a gestalt it becomes really strong and oddly flavorful. a paladin with a holy sprite that hunts down "evil" sprites. now, here is where i need help. what feats would greatly help this build or make it more flavorful?

Not going for CADzilla? "Come on man... C'mon do it. all that power...It's awesome. Don't you wanna be cool.":small cool:

For Spirit Shaman/Paladin, I would look at:

-Lost Tradition x2 Or Lost tradition/serenity
It really depends on if you want to focus on charisma as your main stat, or wisdom.
Personally I suggest wisdom, as it has far more support for other things (attack, ac, etc.)

-Insightful attack
Wis to attack for even more SADness

-Celestial Mount
Just in case you want your mount to be closer to the spirit realm.

After that maybe scribe scroll, extend spell, and quicken spell.

[Troacctid]

Take Versatile Spellcaster so you can use two Spirit Shaman spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, including any spell on the Paladin class list that you can cast.

That's not a legal play--you can't use spell slots from one class to spontaneously cast spells from a different class.

Divine Metamagic is pretty good but fairly feat-intensive. I like going Illumian instead for race and using naenhoon sigils instead. Not only does it save a feat, it also uses fewer turning attempts (which potentially saves more feats on Extra Turning, depending on your Cha), and if you have more than 6 turning attempts but fewer than 12, you can use some of the extras to apply a different metamagic feat. Either way works, though. (Okay, I guess you're not really saving a feat compared to a human, since you lose the bonus feat...but still.)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That's not a legal play--you can't use spell slots from one class to spontaneously cast spells from a different class.

Normally you would be correct, but that feat specifically states you can spend two spontaneous spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, it does not specify that it must be a spell from the same class list as the spell slots spent. You're not using the Spirit Shaman's method of spellcasting, you're simply using the Spirit Shaman's spell slots to activate a feat, a feat which says you can cast any spell you know when you activate it.

[Troacctid]

Normally you would be correct, but that feat specifically states you can spend two spontaneous spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, it does not specify that it must be a spell from the same class list as the spell slots spent. You're not using the Spirit Shaman's method of spellcasting, you're simply using the Spirit Shaman's spell slots to activate a feat, a feat which says you can cast any spell you know when you activate it.

That's literally the same wording used by basically every spontaneous caster. A sorcerer can cast any spell he knows at any time. A bard can cast any spell he knows at any time. A Warmage can cast any spell he knows at any time. Or, generally: "Some characters can cast spells, but they don’t need spellbooks, nor do they prepare their spells. They can cast any spell they know using a daily allotment of spell slots."

The general rule still applies to those and it still applies to this.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That's literally the same wording used by basically every spontaneous caster. A sorcerer can cast any spell he knows at any time. A bard can cast any spell he knows at any time. A Warmage can cast any spell he knows at any time. Or, generally: "Some characters can cast spells, but they don’t need spellbooks, nor do they prepare their spells. They can cast any spell they know using a daily allotment of spell slots."

The general rule still applies to those and it still applies to this.

If we were talking about spellcasting as a class feature, then you would be correct, because it would be spells known within the context of a particular class's capabilities. However, this is a class-neutral feat, and feats tend to grant capabilities beyond what a particular class is normally capable of.

What happens if a Sorcerer 1/ Beguiler 1 used a 1st level Sorcerer spell slot and a 1st level Beguiler spell slot to activate this feat? He's fulfilled its activation cost to the letter of the rules, so he should be able to cast any 2nd level spell he knows. If he also has Cleric levels and knows 2nd level Cleric spells, then it's within the RAW of this feat to be able to cast one of those using this activation of Versatile Spellcaster. Normally you cannot mix spell slots of multiple classes, but this feat grants capabilities beyond what a particular class is normally capable of.

This so-called general rule that you're referring to is contained within the Spellcasting class features of particular classes, but Versatile Spellcaster works outside any class's own spellcasting capability, it's a different method of spending spell slots to achieve a similar, but less restricted end.

[Troacctid]

This so-called general rule that you're referring to is contained within the Spellcasting class features of particular classes, but Versatile Spellcaster works outside any class's own spellcasting capability, it's a different method of spending spell slots to achieve a similar, but less restricted end.

The general rule, per Rules Compendium, is, and I quote: "A multiclass spellcaster can’t cast a spontaneous spell from one class in place of one from another class."

It's certainly not from the individual classes, since they say the exact opposite thing. :P