Designing the Lich King. 3.5 Gestalt.

[Lorddenorstrus]

So due to Covid my regular table is on a hiatus at the moment. Those of us still in the house are getting the D&D itch, so we're starting a new campaign while we're all stuck here amongst ourselves.

So far we have a Druid/something and a Barbarian Glaivelock I think? Not really sure how far along the other people are with builds. I am very stuck though. Conceptually I want to design a character modeled after the Lich King from WoW. Arthas vers, not Bolvar. I'm restricted to level 6, we play with gestalt. I don't have to worry about the sword I guess the DM has said he will be handling that.

Ive been debating between Dread Necromancer, Cleric or some other necro class for half and maybe Warblade or something to supplement the melee half of the character? Really I've been kind of stuck here with how to properly and faithfully emulate this concept. I am veery open to suggestions to help me finish design.

So my fellow giants how would you design the Lich King with lvl 6 gestalt?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Frostmourne was a two-handed weapon, so anything that's good with a greatsword should fit.

Arthas was originally a paladin, who lost his soul while defeating Mal'Ganis and became a death knight.

I'd say a Necropolitan would be fitting, and include Paladin of Tyranny (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#paladinVariantsFreedom SlaughterAndTyranny).

I'd actually go Cloistered Cleric 1/ Paladin of Tyranny 5// Dread Necromancer 6, continue taking Paladin of Tyranny forever and maybe prestige after DN 8. Keep in mind that some of this is going to be more for 3.5 optimization than fitting the character you're trying to emulate.

Your Cleric domains are Undeath and Inquisition, and replace the free Knowledge domain with Knowledge Devotion. Put at least one rank in each of the relevant knowledge skills for that. Replace your Cleric turn/rebuke undead with Rebuke Dragons in Dragon Magic, which can still be used to power divine feats. Extra Turning will apply to both that and your DN rebuke undead ability.

Trade your Paladin turn/rebuke undead ability for Divine Counterspell in CM. Take the feat Divine Defiance in FCII and use your rebuke dragons to activate it. This allows you to use divine counterspell as an immediate action, since it uses a dispel check you don't even need to succeed at a spellcraft check. The dispel check adds your Paladin level -3, but you'll get +2 for Kn: Arcana 5+ ranks, and +4 from the Inquisition domain, so it's actually your Paladin level +3 (or character level +2) that's added to that. If you get any effects that increase your effective level for rebuke undead checks (Improved Turning feat, Scepter of the Netherworld, etc.) those should also increase your divine counterspell check by an equal amount. Play this off as an effect of the runeblade disrupting or devouring opponents' magic.

Also consider the Harmonious Knight (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) substitution level at Paladin 1, which gives you Inspire Courage. That never improves other than the daily uses, but you should be able to trade it for Inspire Awe in Dragon Magic. This allows you to inspire fear in opponents, causing them to be shaken, and fear effects stack to inflict an escalated condition, all of which lasts until every effect that contributed to that condition expires per the Rules Compendium. So take the feat Dreadful Wrath in PGtF, pick up Fell Frighten Spell, get armor with the Fearsome property (DotU version, it's more recent than MIC), take the Never Outnumbered skill trick, and also get Imperious Command in DotU. You could even use Dread Witch and/or Nightmare Spinner to advance your DN casting, if you don't mind losing a few caster levels.

[Gruftzwerg]

I would go for something like Crusader // Dread Necromancer maybe Ruby Knight Vindicator as prc.

[Ramza00]

Needs Thrallherd plus Fiend of Possession, and then make the Cohort the tank while you improve his stats and cast psionic powers.

[Firebug]

If you are allowed Pathfinder...This sounds a bit like a Magus (https://aonprd.com/ClassDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Magus) (possibly a Mindblade (https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Magus%20Mindblade) ). A regular Magus gets heavy armor at 13, though doesn't get spell combat with a 2h weapon. Mindblade doesn't get heavy armor(though nothing stopping you from spending feats to do so, since its a psychic caster), but can spell combat with a 2h weapon at 13. Not great for a level 6 game, but Mindblade || Something with Heavy Armor gets you most of the way there already.
As far as (pathfinder) spells go, Frostbite (https://aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Frostbite) themes pretty well, and is the '2nd best' option for Magus in general. Bladed Dash (https://aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Bladed%20Dash) (maybe frost themed) gets you good in-combat mobility too.
Magus is for casting and fighting at the same time.
Maybe the Phantom Blade (https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Spiritualist%20Pha ntom%20Blade) Spiritualist. The writer of the archetype has said that they intended it to be able to use all of its abilities with a 2h weapon, but that got lost in editing.

Otherwise,
Necropolitan Dread Necromancer 6 || Paladin 4/Bone Knight (http://dndtools.org/classes/bone-knight/) 2
Lord of the Uttercold (http://dndtools.org/feats/complete-arcane--55/lord-of-the-uttercold--1791/) at 6 to make all of your cold spells do half negative energy (and heal undead). Though Dread Necromancer may not need these since I haven't looked at the spell list very closely. It will be hard to qualify for, since you don't have Knowledge(planes) as a class skill from anything, and requires 2 other feats (any metamagic plus Enegy Substitution (http://dndtools.org/feats/complete-arcane--55/energy-substitution--880/=):Cold)

Thematic to start as a Paladin, and Bone Knight allows you to get most of the (good) class abilities back after you fall. Not sure how Bone Knight interacts with ACF though, so maybe not the Harmonious or Tyranny. I didn't see anything in Dread Necromancer that was an alignment restriction, but I am working from online sources. Paladin gets you to full BAB for levels 1-4, though going Bone Knight at 5 means you don't end up with +6 at 6. Maybe stick in some other full BAB for 1 level, since you won't get the level 5 stuff anyway other than spell casting. Good Fort to pair with Dread Necromancer's Good Will. And Divine Grace to top them all off. Plus Bone Armor, and a skeletal mount for free. And another bucket of controlling undead with Bone March. Bone Knight eventually gets most of the benefits of being undead, but it takes a while.

Casting the Dread Necromancer Arcane Spells in Heavy Armor is also going to take some doing, but maybe somehow being a dwarf and taking a level in Runesmith (http://dndtools.org/classes/runesmith/) at 6 instead of Dread Necromancer?
Otherwise, you can get to Medium Armor pretty easily by taking Battle Caster (https://dndtools.org/feats/complete-arcane--55/battle-caster--183/). Maybe see if you could take it twice.

Skill prereqs shouldn't be hard, unless you are going for Lord of the Uttercold.

[Crake]

Arthas was originally a paladin, who lost his soul while defeating Mal'Ganis and became a death knight.

Lore nitpick, he lost his soul when he took up frostmourne and the sword took him over and made him a pawn of, the at the time lich king, nerzull.

[SeraphPyriel]

Lore nitpick, he lost his soul when he took up frostmourne and the sword took him over and made him a pawn of, the at the time lich king, nerzull.

Truth.
I'm not sure you can make it work at level 6, given the general power of Arthas.
But if you wanted to tell Arthas' story via the character, and have the character mirror all of the same steps, I'd start with something simple:
Paladin 6 // Cleric 6
Take Battle Blessing as a Pally feat, Strength and Judgment as Cleric Domains.

After the fall, your build would look something like:
Paladin 10, Blackguard 10 (trade in 10 levels of paladin from Paladin 20) // Cleric 20 (switch the domains to Deathbound and Cold after the alignment change).

I'm not much of an optimizer and prefer simple, straightforward builds when it comes to making suggestions :)

There are a couple of different Death Knight templates you could throw on (with LA buyoff), but the only two that come to mind immediately are the one from the Dragonlance setting, and I think the other is in MMII.

If the goal is to have Arthas the Lich King's powers at the onset, and skip over the whole "noble paladin who goes bat&^#$ crazy and kills everyone", maybe start with

Paladin of Slaughter or Paladin of Tyranny // Cleric

[Aegis013]

My personal favorite Death Knight style build is:

NE Azurin Swift and Deadly Hunter (SRD) + Urban Companion (Cityscape) Druid 1 / Stalwart (Complete Mage) Battle (SRD) Sorcerer 1 / Crusader (Tome of Battle) 4 // Incarnate (Magic of Incarnum) 6

Take two flaws if available.

Feats:
1. Share Soulmeld
1(racial bonus). Hidden Talent (Minor Psionic Creation or other power of your choice)
1(flaw). Psicrystal Affinity
1(flaw). Power Attack or Stone Power as preferred
3. Extra Granted Maneuver
6. User's choice, or if Dragon Magazine is on the table, Extra Familiar is always a very strong choice for this build


The primary idea here is to Share Soulmeld the Necrocarnum Circlet Chakra Bind with your psicrystal, urban companion, and Sorcerer familiar to allow you to raise a squad of Necrocarnum Zombies, then command them with your Crusader abilities while you fight.

You get the added benefit of the tankiness available to a Crusader and the HP increases from Incarnate's vitality belt. You can heal your minions with your Crusader strikes and stances, or utilize them more tactically.

Dissolving Spittle shared across four character gives you a strong short range option if you can't close into melee. You can equip your Necrocarnum zombies with slings or other ranged weapons as well for longer ranged combat.


The big downside is having to track effectively 8 (character, psicrystal, urban companion, familiar, +4 zombies) characters and often remake your zombie stat blocks as they die or are traded up.

[The_Jette]

Frostmourne was a two-handed weapon, so anything that's good with a greatsword should fit.

Arthas was originally a paladin, who lost his soul while defeating Mal'Ganis and became a death knight.

I'd say a Necropolitan would be fitting, and include Paladin of Tyranny (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#paladinVariantsFreedom SlaughterAndTyranny).

I'd actually go Cloistered Cleric 1/ Paladin of Tyranny 5// Dread Necromancer 6, continue taking Paladin of Tyranny forever and maybe prestige after DN 8. Keep in mind that some of this is going to be more for 3.5 optimization than fitting the character you're trying to emulate.

Your Cleric domains are Undeath and Inquisition, and replace the free Knowledge domain with Knowledge Devotion. Put at least one rank in each of the relevant knowledge skills for that. Replace your Cleric turn/rebuke undead with Rebuke Dragons in Dragon Magic, which can still be used to power divine feats. Extra Turning will apply to both that and your DN rebuke undead ability.

Trade your Paladin turn/rebuke undead ability for Divine Counterspell in CM. Take the feat Divine Defiance in FCII and use your rebuke dragons to activate it. This allows you to use divine counterspell as an immediate action, since it uses a dispel check you don't even need to succeed at a spellcraft check. The dispel check adds your Paladin level -3, but you'll get +2 for Kn: Arcana 5+ ranks, and +4 from the Inquisition domain, so it's actually your Paladin level +3 (or character level +2) that's added to that. If you get any effects that increase your effective level for rebuke undead checks (Improved Turning feat, Scepter of the Netherworld, etc.) those should also increase your divine counterspell check by an equal amount. Play this off as an effect of the runeblade disrupting or devouring opponents' magic.

Also consider the Harmonious Knight (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) substitution level at Paladin 1, which gives you Inspire Courage. That never improves other than the daily uses, but you should be able to trade it for Inspire Awe in Dragon Magic. This allows you to inspire fear in opponents, causing them to be shaken, and fear effects stack to inflict an escalated condition, all of which lasts until every effect that contributed to that condition expires per the Rules Compendium. So take the feat Dreadful Wrath in PGtF, pick up Fell Frighten Spell, get armor with the Fearsome property (DotU version, it's more recent than MIC), take the Never Outnumbered skill trick, and also get Imperious Command in DotU. You could even use Dread Witch and/or Nightmare Spinner to advance your DN casting, if you don't mind losing a few caster levels.

I just want you to know: I really love this build. It is a thing of beauty, imo.

[Psyren]

I would wager pretty good odds we're going to learn some new lore about him (or more precisely, mourneblades/runeblades in general) this expansion that could affect your build, so I'd say to stay tuned.