Gestalt Battle Dancer // Spellthief

[LoyalPaladin]

Howdy ya'll!
This here Paladin's going to be playing a gestalt campaign with a couple of playgrounders. I'll be the party sneak and am playing a Human Battle Dancer // Spellthief combination. I'm looking for a little input on magical items and feats, but if you can think of a neat prestige class, I'd be happy to look that over as well.

I'm going to try and plan this out 1-20, but I need my level 8 starting package too haha. Thank you for your future input!

Character Creation:

36 Point Buy
Gestalt
3.5 w/ Pathfinder Backporting
ECL 8
WBL starting gold


Ability Scores:

STR:10
DEX:16
CON:14
INT:14
WIS:10
CHA:16 (+5 Natural Gain)


Equipment:

Weapon: Unarmed Strike
Head:
Face:
Neck: Amulet of Natural Armor +1
Torso:
Body: Unarmored
Waist: Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2
Shoulders: Cloak of Charisma +2
Arms: Bracers of Armor +1
Hands: Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows
Ring: Protection
Ring: Feather Falling
Feet:


Feats:

Racial: Skill Study (Sense Motive)
1st: Darkstalker
3rd: Weapon Finesse
6th: Master Spellthief
9th: Snap Kick
12th:
15th:
18th:

[Extra Anchovies]

Well hello there, fellow party member. I see you had the same idea as IZ (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?429310-3-5-Help-me-throw-Sharp-things-at-Baddies) and I (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?429398-More-Efficient-Summoning). Now we just need to wait for Snowbluff and Xhosant to make their threads...

[AvatarVecna]

Look up the Slippers of Battledancing; Cha to attack and damage with slashing damage after moving. It's not perfect, since you're going unarmed currently, but there's ways around that, even if you stick with UAS.

[Troacctid]

What's the deal with Master Spellthief? You aren't multiclassing on that side that you mentioned, and it doesn't do anything for a straight Spellthief.

Some good feats for Spellthieves are Craven for extra damage, Staggering Strike for a pretty good debuff, and Obtain Familiar for a familiar that shares your copious skill ranks.

I'm AFB, but if I recall correctly, Dex boosts don't normally go on belts? Maybe move that to the gloves instead.

You'll want wands of Grave Strike and Golem Strike and possibly Vine Strike, to beat sneak attack immunities. Also, just some miscellaneous utility wands would be a good idea too.

[LoyalPaladin]

Well hello there, fellow party member. I see you had the same idea as IZ (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?429310-3-5-Help-me-throw-Sharp-things-at-Baddies) and I (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?429398-More-Efficient-Summoning). Now we just need to wait for Snowbluff and Xhosant to make their threads...
Oh, would you look at that!


Look up the Slippers of Battledancing; Cha to attack and damage with slashing damage after moving. It's not perfect, since you're going unarmed currently, but there's ways around that, even if you stick with UAS.
I thought there was a way to change unarmed strike to any type of weapon damage? (Blunt, Slashing, Piercing, Etc.)


What's the deal with Master Spellthief? You aren't multiclassing on that side that you mentioned, and it doesn't do anything for a straight Spellthief.
Doesn't it up my caster level? This handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?44299-Jack-Of-All-Trades-Fax-Celestis-Guide-to-Spellthieves) recommends it, multi-classed or not.


Some good feats for Spellthieves are Craven for extra damage, Staggering Strike for a pretty good debuff, and Obtain Familiar for a familiar that shares your copious skill ranks.
Craven and Staggering Strike are definitely feats I'll look into.


I'm AFB, but if I recall correctly, Dex boosts don't normally go on belts? Maybe move that to the gloves instead.
We've got pathfinder support. Voila (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/a-b/belt-of-incredible-dexterity).


You'll want wands of Grave Strike and Golem Strike and possibly Vine Strike, to beat sneak attack immunities. Also, just some miscellaneous utility wands would be a good idea too.
Definitely, I'm maxing UMD.

[Troacctid]

It makes your Spellthief levels stack with other arcane spellcasting classes to determine your caster level for all arcane spells. But since you don't have any other arcane spellcasting classes, that doesn't do anything. I can see the interpretation that makes it set a single-class Spellthief's CL equal to her class level instead of half her class level, but in that case it's mostly just a slightly better Practiced Spellcaster that you can't take until level 8, and IMO being able to take the feat at a lower level is far more valuable—you need those high-level feats for stuff with BAB prerequisites, like Snap Kick and Staggering Strike.

[Extra Anchovies]

I can see the interpretation that makes it set a single-class Spellthief's CL equal to her class level instead of half her class level, but in that case it's mostly just a slightly better Practiced Spellcaster that you can't take until level 8

Level 4, actually. Any spellthief with Steal Spell (2nd) can cast 2nd-level arcane spells.

Don't know how LP is trying to get it at 3rd level, unless he's reasoning that he can cast 2nd-level spells by stealing a Sanctum Magic Missile (or other first-level spell) and then casting the stolen spell within the caster's sanctum. I don't know him as the sort to use Sanctum shenanigans, though, so it would surprise me if that was what he was doing here.

[LoyalPaladin]

Level 4, actually. Any spellthief with Steal Spell (2nd) can cast 2nd-level arcane spells.

Don't know how LP is trying to get it at 3rd level, unless he's reasoning that he can cast 2nd-level spells by stealing a Sanctum Magic Missile (or other first-level spell) and then casting the stolen spell within the caster's sanctum. I don't know him as the sort to use Sanctum shenanigans, though, so it would surprise me if that was what he was doing here.
No shenanigans here! EA knows me well. I'm just a little preoccupied today at work, I'll rearrange the feat accordingly in the OP.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You need cover or concealment to hide, and concealment is most often provided by darkness. However, as a human you won't be able to see in darkness, lacking both darkvision and low-light vision, and opponents who do have one or both of those will automatically see you if their vision means you do not have concealment from them. This means that when you try to sneak around, you'll be putting yourself at a disadvantage and basically giving your opponents a free surprise round on you.

Consider taking one level of the Half-Fiend Template Class (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20031010a), each level of that counts as level adjustment and you don't have to keep taking more (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a). Say you already bought off the level adjustment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm), so you'll begin play with all the benefits of that and only be down a few thousand xp. Take Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) and that xp cost won't even be an issue. Take the feat At Home In The Deep from Drow of the Underdark and you'll be able to see through the magical darkness created by a Darkness spell, and you can take Blend Into Shadows in that same book to hide as a swift action even when being observed by spending a use of your Darkness spell-like ability. You can even take a level of Warlock for the Darkness invocation, which is counted as a spell-like ability, to use Blend Into Shadows at will.

Otherwise I would recommend switching you race to Strongheart Halfling or (Magic-Blooded) Whisper Gnome (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=3).

[Troacctid]

Oh, also, Pathfinder added a ton of great Improved Familiars to choose from, so Improved Familiar is an excellent feat. A good strategy on a sneak attacker is to get a familiar with blindsight, blindsense, or something like that, and give them a wand so they can use your UMD ranks to cast Faerie Fire. That way, your sneak attacks can't be negated by concealment. Or, alternately, your familiar could cast Obscuring Mist while you see through it with Fogcutter Lenses (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/lenses-fogcutting)--that's a nice trick too.

[Eno Remnant]

I thought there was a way to change unarmed strike to any type of weapon damage? (Blunt, Slashing, Piercing, Etc.)

Versatile Unarmed Strike lets you change your unarmed damage type. There may be other ways, but I don't know them.

[LoyalPaladin]

Luckily, we are apparently using the Pathfinder race point buy system. So I've got a human with +2 Int, +2 Cha, Darkvision, and Low-Light vision for 15 RP.


Or, alternately, your familiar could cast Obscuring Mist while you see through it with Fogcutter Lenses (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/lenses-fogcutting)--that's a nice trick too.
Ooooo. That's gold.


Versatile Unarmed Strike lets you change your unarmed damage type.
Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for.