Need another side to my gestalt

[Buufreak]

Like it says on the tin. Building an OA samurai, and not sure what to do on the other side. Sticking to mostly melee, not super interested in casting, mostly a tanky guy with a sharpened weeb stick. All else fails, I'll do fighter and become the king of feats!

[Kuulvheysoon]

Incarnum (especially Incarnate) or a martial adept (like Crusader) would both fit the flavour pretty well, tbh.

I'd lean more towards the Incarnate, personally, but I've got a mad weakness for the blue stuff. Law Incarnates are good at hitting stuff, so you can toss your BAB into Power attack and still be able to hit the broad side of a barn.

[DMVerdandi]

Like it says on the tin. Building an OA samurai, and not sure what to do on the other side. Sticking to mostly melee, not super interested in casting, mostly a tanky guy with a sharpened weeb stick. All else fails, I'll do fighter and become the king of feats!

Just throw factotum on the other side.
Go Iaijutsu master for the samurai side, and ride factotum out 20 levels.
Now you have great skills, inspiration to have zen moments where you overcome adversity with focused mind and intentions, a bit of healing, and a bit of magic that can be re-fluffed as really high level martial arts.


Play up the samurai [one who serves] as someone who also has consumate skills as a court member, and factotum gives you all the skills needed as a sort of scholar-warrior-battle butler retainer.
Maybe you don't even have a lord, but you still are just the paragon of a gentleman.
You could theoretically just dip samurai and take the rest as knight, as knight has better class abilities for actually challenging someone to a duel.



1 samurai/19 knight//20 factotom FRFR.
Usually knight is seen somewhat as cheeks, but factotum even makes that better as challenge can be used for Iaijutsu focus.





But if you are set on samurai, just factotom is the core anyway.

[Teth]

Incarnate: two good saves, take lawful aspect and add mystical bits

Swordsage: three good saves, add more rounded swording options to your swording

Ranger: two good saves, favored enemy and wilderness stuff are potentially flavor-consistent

Bard: three good saves, singing Samurai that inspires others


Just throw factotum on the other side.
Go Iaijutsu master for the samurai side, and ride factotum out 20 levels.

I would really not. Samurai doesn't need to MAD on Int, and the flavor conflicts between Samurai and Factotum or Rogue are a bit bad due to things like opportunistic piety and sneak attack.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Bard: three good saves, singing Samurai that inspires others attack.♫ Bravely bold Sir Robin
Rode forth from Camelot.
He was not afraid to die,
Oh brave Sir Robin.
He was not at all afraid
To be killed in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin. ♫

[Maat Mons]

If you're looking to get Fighter feats with the other side of the gestalt, Rogue would be better than Fighter. Unearthed Arcana has a variant of Rogue that loses Sneak Attack, but gains bonus feats as a Fighter. You'd much better skills this way, and the things you lose by going Rogue instead of Fighter almost all overlap with Samurai in gestalt.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking Rogues have to be Dishonorable. With that pesky Sneak Attack removed, the class is really just a souped-up Expert with Trapfinding and some combat ability. If being skilled at avoiding traps doesn't fit your character concept, there are alternative class features that exchange Trapfinding for skill at Appraising divine items and Trap Sense for skill at dodging some types of spell effects.

Personally though, I think that having keen awareness and not blundering into traps fits very well with the Samurai theme. In fact, I might even go so far as to suggest taking the Trap Sensitivity feat at 6th level, so you get an automatic check to notice a non-magical trap as soon as you pass within 10 feet of it.



Another option to consider is Paladin. I'm not sure what there is to say about that other than "Divine Grace baby!" If Dragon Compendium is an allowed source, the Serenity feat seems fitting.

Speaking of Wisdom synergy, the Swordsage class would let you add Wisdom to AC when wearing light armor. If Dragon magazine is an allowed source, the Moon-Warded substitution levels for Ranger do the same thing.

[Particle_Man]

Knight might be thematic. And uses charisma.

[ThanatosZero]

Despite being a spellcasting class, having Cloistered Cleric wouldn't be a bad choice due the Holy Warrior feat and Knowledge Devotion.


The 1st gives you a fixed bonus on a weapon damage rolls, depending on the highest war domain spell you haven't cast yet.
For example: If you have a 9th level war domain spell prepared, but isn't cast, you get +9 to damage.


The 2nd gives you a insight bonus on attack and damage rolls dependent on your knowledge check, which corresponds on the creature's typing. The MM has it listed which knowledge type aligns to the typing in question.

A check of 15 or below grants a +1 insight bonus,
a check of 16 to 25 a +2 insight bonus,
a check of 26 to 30 a +3 insight bonus,
a check of 31 to 35 a +4 insight bonus,
and a check of 36 or higher a +5 insight bonus


Also since it is a samurai you play, you may worship as a cleric the Celestial Emperor and the nine immortals also known as the Way of Enlightenment in Kara-Tur.
From these, this three would be approciate for a samurai.

Chan Cheng: God of war, the martial arts, combat, bravery
Chih Shih: God of history, lore, tradition
Fa Kuan: God of justice


Also, if you wish to use charisma for spellcasting, the Dynamic Priest feat, makes your spellcasting work off Charisma (including Bonus spells), except for your spells DCs. Those are still determined by Wisdom.

[Soranar]

So you want to be a melee guy (no spellcasting)

Your samurai side gives you bonus feats
a free ancestral relic
Full BAB, good Will and Fort saves
d10 hipoints
x2 skillpoints

So ideally you want

skillpoints
high REF saves
class features of some kind

I'd go for a swordsage, you'd get

x6 skillpoints
high REF
bonus WIS to AC in light armor
maneuvers and stances

In your case, the Swordsage's tiger claw discipline should fit your playstyle. Swordsage is already pretty good, samurai would make its chassis a lot better.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

You could do shapeshifting on the other side. Divine minion changeling wild shape monk/master of many forms/warshaper? It'd give you a lot of offense, defense, mobility, and utility, all in one. And feel free to turn into giants (which you refer to as your oni forms) to help you with damage.

There are quite a few shapeshifting yokai in Japanese folklore. Feel free to take advantage of that. Being a samurai yokai would make for an interesting backstory.