Gestalt Build Help: Kineticist/Summoner

[RedWarlock]

I'm working up a character as replacement for an existing campaign where we had a near-TPK.

I'm looking at making an 8th level Gnome (Lava gnome?) Kineticist|Summoner. I'm planning on making my eidolon into a magma-dragon look, medium, flying, rideable (though not dependent on me as a rider). For the Kineticist, I'm looking at Earth/Fire, tying both class concepts together as drawing from a common thematic source. Not looking at any major archetype-based changes, though I'm not opposed if it fits.

Currently looking at starting stats (before race, level-ups, and item buffs) as Str 12, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18, (from a preset array). Gnome gets -2 Str, +2 Con, + 2 Cha, and I'm looking at mainly buffing Dex and Cha with gear.

Looking for suggestions for feats, gear, and good spells/wild talents that synergize. I've seen a few build guides for each, but of course the combined goals make half the info they offer superfluous. (Kinny advice prioritizing flight being useless when I already have the eidolon as mount, for instance.) Mainly looking at being able to be a mounted blaster at range, but also being able to have the eidolon pounce into melee and be able to kinetic blade in melee to support this. Since burn makes me more vulnerable, being able to use the eidolon as a bag of spare hit points wouldn't be bad either, in a pinch.

[Andor13]

Kineticist is a terrible, terrible class. If you are allowed 3rd party material may I suggest the Mystic (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/classes/mystic/) instead?

[Kurald Galain]

Kineticist is a terrible, terrible class. If you are allowed 3rd party material may I suggest the Mystic (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/classes/mystic/) instead?

Seconded.

If you are not allowed 3rd party material, a straightforward draconic sorcerer is a much better blaster.

[RedWarlock]

Thank you for the suggestions, but no. I’m sticking with it. If it’s bad, let me experience that for myself. I don’t think it’s as terrible as people say, however.

[GrayDeath]

The other Half is a SUMMONER.

No matter what crap the Kineticist may be (and depending on how you build it it can do a lot of that^^) the character will be powerful.

So this is one of the few cases where I`d say go for the K. ;)

Stats seem workable, but the aim is, as long as you pick the right spells, almost automatically fulfilled by ahving blasty things on both sides and an Eidolon.....
Feat/Build suggestions must wait for someone more familiar with both classes, as in our groups they are nonexistant (one being banned the other beingl...meh),

[N. Jolly]

I agree with you that the kineticist isn't as bad as people try to make it out to be, but for plenty of people, it's a very polar issue.

If you're able to go third party, consider using both the legendary kineticist (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/legendary-kineticist) for a bit of a power/convenience boost, and for archetype, the fusion kineticist (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/fusion-kineticist), as it's a mixing of two different elements, and I feel like that would be thematic here. If you'd rather go more fun here though, I'd definitely suggest the onslaught blaster (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/onslaught-blaster), which would just let you straight up rain lava down on others.

[RedWarlock]

Nope, no 3rd party, I'm afraid. The DM almost mistook the Kineticist for the psion subclass from DSP psionics (He knows most PF but is less familiar with occult material), and while he was okay with it, it was already a bit of a stretch to his normal 1st-party-only limits (They've run DSP psi before, but it can get out of hand pretty easily, so they've kept it to 1st-only lately). Trying to get additional 3rd party material would be too much, I'd hazard.

[exelsisxax]

Nope, no 3rd party, I'm afraid. The DM almost mistook the Kineticist for the psion subclass from DSP psionics (He knows most PF but is less familiar with occult material), and while he was okay with it, it was already a bit of a stretch to his normal 1st-party-only limits (They've run DSP psi before, but it can get out of hand pretty easily, so they've kept it to 1st-only lately). Trying to get additional 3rd party material would be too much, I'd hazard.

I can assure you that the summoner is far more obscene than anything DSP has published.

[Andor13]

Well, it sounds like you're planning on riding a flying dragon and raining flaming rocks down on your foes, in which case, you're pretty much set.

If you want to mix it up a little more you might go for the Synthesist archetype as a Summoner, and then the Kinetic Knight or Elemental Ascetic archetype as a Kineticist. This turns your Eidolon into a giant pool of extra HP for you to burn at will while you mix it up in melee combat. Might actually be pretty terrifying. Especially since the Eidolons con score replaces yours, and you have a lot of ability to pump that up, increasing your toughness and save DCs at the same time.

[RedWarlock]

So, here's something that would've been nice to know about. The Kineticist's Diadem (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Kineticist%27s %20DiademNormal). Basically a head-slot counterpart to the Chausible of Fell Power or the Warlock's Sceptre.

Not found on d20pfsrd, for unknown reasons, tho a secondary supplement's counterpart for the expanded elements (wood/void) IS there.

[Eldonauran]

So, here's something that would've been nice to know about. The Kineticist's Diadem (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Kineticist%27s %20DiademNormal). Basically a head-slot counterpart to the Chausible of Fell Power or the Warlock's Sceptre.

Not found on d20pfsrd, for unknown reasons, tho a secondary supplement's counterpart for the expanded elements (wood/void) IS there.

My experience with the kineticist (as a player and as a DM) is that they really have no need to magic damage boosting items. I'd say save your gold for something that will help you get out of grapples or boost your will saves.

[RedWarlock]

My experience with the kineticist (as a player and as a DM) is that they really have no need to magic damage boosting items. I'd say save your gold for something that will help you get out of grapples or boost your will saves.

Gestalt Summoner, good will save and riding a medium Eidolon.

That's the thing, those are decisions (diadem being comparatively worthless) I'D like to make, because my situation is unique. I need ALL the info, worth is for me to decide. Part of why most build guides become worthless, because they get hyper-focused on their common three builds and not general worth in neutral circumstances.

[Hrugner]

It's hard to give advice for optimizing a kineticist due to how poorly defined the class abilities are, and how little material was written with at-will-spell-like-ability-weapon-attacks in mind. People saying it sucks aren't just saying it's not very powerful, it also isn't well supported. It also can't be supported by other classes all that well. The nice thing about that is you have all your resources to spend on summoner stuff since there isn't much you can do for the kineticist. You can get a bit more from the kineticist if you focus on melee, but you want ranged which limits things. You've also negated one of the few nice things kineticist has to offer by using a flying mount.

You should probably take fire as the first element so you can grab the mandatory fire wild talents, burning (infusion) and searing flame (utility). Kinetic blade and extended range fill out your infusions. For your remaining three wild talents I'd say fire's fury, smoke storm and shift earth. I think that's all you get at level 8.

The kinetic invocation feat would give you access to the slowing mud spell as a wild talent. This could possibly be worth it, but I think you're better off saving your feats for all the things you need for the summoner. If you could somehow get the earth subtype, or the earth elemental affinity trait, then you wouldn't need the kinetic invocation feat and I'd recommend slowing mud over shift earth.