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Ramza00
2007-08-01, 08:22 PM
Lvl 6 Gestalt game I am DMing on a side of a main campaign. Very undead heavy in a post apolytpic world, undead is part of it culture something to be feared yet they aren't "the enemy" per say, just dangerous. One player retired his character, giving him now to me as an npc (who has journeyed away from the party for a different mission and may return or may not). Thus he needs a new character.

Right now he is proposing two options, they seem fair to me, but I want other peoples input, especially in matters of balance.

The expected character. Duskblade 17/Swashbuckler 3//
Monk 1/Psion 14/Abjurant Champion Psionic Adaption 5

in this order
Duskblade 5/Swashbuckler 1/Duskblade +8 (13)/Swashbuckler +2 (3)/Duskblade +4(17)//Monk 1/Psion 5/Abjurant Champion 5/Psion 9 (14)

Race: kalashtar

1: Two Weapon Fighting
1: Flaw: Narrow Mind
1: Flaw: Ascetic Psion
3: Tashalatora
6: Superior Unarmed Strike
Monk 1: Monastic Tranining Psion
Swashbuckler 1: Weapon Finesse
Duskblade 3: Combat Casting
Psion 1: Psicrystal Affinity
Psion 5: His custom psion/duskblade feat
Expected 9th lvl feat: Arcane Strike

He hasn't told me his power selection nor his spell selection for he hasn't made it and is waiting for me. Remember he is going into a the psionic version of Abjurant Champion next level, I am replacing abjurration with any power that is "abjuration like"


Request 1:Duskblade and Psion give up his armor profiency to learn the ability to learn wizard/sorcerer spells instead of duskblade spells. Thus at every level where the duskblade can learn a duskblade spell he can choose a wizard spell instead. He also won't get the armored mage ability
Request 2: A custom feat allowing the duskblade to use psionic powers for character abilities and pre reqs, and arcane spells for psionics character abilities and pre reqs. Aka complete psion/magic transparency as in he can use arcane channeling and quick cast with psionic powers.


They seem balanced, option 2 may not seem balanced at first till you consider the fact if he did a wizard or a archivist he could do the same thing without the feat.

What do you guys think? Note I can select either, both, or none.

Starsinger
2007-08-01, 10:54 PM
Option two seems more balanced to me, and actually doesn't seem that imbalanced at all, since a wizard/archivist, like you said, could do it as well.

Ramza00
2007-08-01, 11:11 PM
Well the options are not necessary mutually exclusive. He is asking for both, I can say yes to 1, 2, no to both, or yes to both.

Edit: to make this more clear.

Kel_Arath
2007-08-02, 04:01 AM
I would say yes to two, but one seems a bit too much (not terribly blance tipping, just suggesting straying from that).

lord_khaine
2007-08-02, 04:38 AM
i would say No to both, though of course i dont know the power lv in your campaign.

the loss of armor proficiency isnt a big loss for a psion, since inertial armor is scaling in efficiency with power points, giving 13 points of armor for 17 pp as i recall.
and one of the balancing points of duskblade is that it has its own weaker spell list.

as for option 2, im not quite sure how that will turn out in the end, but i suspect it will be more trouble than its worth.

for that matter, i dont think your abjurant champion adaption is so good an idea, psionic allready allows you to overchannel powers, giving a much greater output from the psionic versions of shield and mage armor.
if you allow him to put the abjurant champion bonus on top of these, then he will get an obscene armor bonus from then.

Ramza00
2007-08-03, 12:20 AM
just doing one bump so I hope I get more input.

brian c
2007-08-03, 11:08 AM
just doing one bump so I hope I get more input.

The first request is definitely a bit much, and I wouldn't allow it. As Lord Khaine said, Duskblades have their own spell list as a balancing factor. If he wants Sorc/Wiz spells, then he can just play a Sorc instead.

The second... eh. I'm not really into psionics, so I can't say. It seems like it might be overpowering to me, but I'm definitely not knowledgeable in that area.

Jack Mann
2007-08-03, 06:09 PM
i would say No to both, though of course i dont know the power lv in your campaign.

the loss of armor proficiency isnt a big loss for a psion, since inertial armor is scaling in efficiency with power points, giving 13 points of armor for 17 pp as i recall.
and one of the balancing points of duskblade is that it has its own weaker spell list.

It's gestalt that allows flaws. It's pretty high-powered.

And it's already been mentioned that he could do this trick just as well by playing an archivist or a wizard on the side. Indeed, allowing this is quite a bit weaker than those already legal strategies, since psionics doesn't have nearly as many offensive touch range abilities.

Myself, I'd go with the second. It seems fairly reasonable. For the first, if he wants sorcerer/wizard spells, let him take actual levels in sorcerer or wizard.

ZeroNumerous
2007-08-03, 06:20 PM
If he wants a Gish Sorcerer/Wizard, I'd just take the Wizard daily spells and give him Sorcerer spells known. Leaving everyone else as is for Duskblade. He'll have his spells, and with the second option he'll be able to use psionic powers instead of spells.