Gestault Combos?

[DudestMonk]

I'm doing a small Gestault game (only 3 people, rotating DMing)...

Anyway one of the players has Utility covered (Cleric/Bard)

The other is playing (Shaman/Druid)

I played a spell caster last endeavor so this time I want to be someone tough as nails...

I was thinking knight/Pally (evil variant)

Any other suggestions?

Also just to add to the fun, we are all evil and we are fighting in a post apocalyptic zombie world.

[Kylarra]

Warblade//Psion

I would strongly recommend against pairing a melee class with another melee class, you would be sacrificing a lot of gestalt's power doing that.

[Wings of Peace]

How optimized are you looking for and what style of tough as nails? I ask because if you wanted to just be pure damage I'd say go optimized Lion Totem Barb on one side and whatever you like on the other. If you want to be tough as nails utility however I'd say something like Fighter/Psychic Warrior mixed with some Sword Sage dip and some Telflammar levels combined with the Knock-Down feat would let you be a tripping beast with still reasonable hitpoints.

Edit: What books available btw?

[DudestMonk]

Assume all books...I am trying to keep it simple though...The God Wizard I just made took most of my desire to optimize right out from under me...We start tonight and I have to make a character still.

The party position left is tank, I figure this will be simple in comparison to a caster, and give me a new perspective on the game...

I thought about wizard/duskblade or something...but I'd basically be my character from last game with AC and quickens...Very nasty, but very much like what I just did...My normal play style in RPGs is either control casting or healing...So I'm trying to do something new here and just be a meat shield..preferably a meatshield who deals substantial dmg. I'd play something like Barb/Knight but the alignments conflict...Barb/Fighter is what I'm really looking for, but I'm reluctant to do it just because of its rep for being insano.

[Kylarra]

"Tank" is a really ... suboptimal way of playing, but ...

Druid// something would work. just grapple the hell out of whatever you want.

[DudestMonk]

Can't take druid, it's already in use...that's another stipulation of our game...I'm last to choose and I can't take anything they have.

Taking a look at warblade right now..I wish they put hitdie and stuff online...all my books are at home.

[Gnaeus]

Kylarra is exactly right. Gestalting double melee loses a lot of the power of gestalt.

Every good gestalt build should really diverge on the 2 sides. Knight doesn't give you much of anything that Pally can't already do. If you don't want to be a full caster (like Pally/Sorcerer, which works very well), maybe Pally/Warlock or Pally/Dragonfire Adept for some caster utility without having to keep up with a spell list. Pally/Rogue or Pally/Factotum would let you skillmonkey. Pally/Swordsage or warblade are also better than pally/Knight.

Depending on how your DM works level adjustments, things with LA or monster classes can also work well on one side of the equation. Draconic Pally is straight up better than Pally/Knight, for example, and Half Dragon Pally 3 is way better than pally3/Knight 3.

[Riffington]

How "zombie" are the zombies? If it's not all undead, fighter/Barbarian//rogue does insane melee damage (you can tank with full sneak attack dice). You also get to be useful outside of combat with that combo since you have the rogue's skills...

[Kylarra]

Sigh. I'll go back to recommending Warblade//Psion. Gestalting two martial classes is honestly just a waste.

[Sinfire Titan]

Can't take druid, it's already in use...that's another stipulation of our game...I'm last to choose and I can't take anything they have.

Taking a look at warblade right now..I wish they put hitdie and stuff online...all my books are at home.

They did. It was a previewed class.

[DudestMonk]

How "zombie" are the zombies? If it's not all undead, fighter/Barbarian//rogue does insane melee damage (you can tank with full sneak attack dice). You also get to be useful outside of combat with that combo since you have the rogue's skills...

I assume they are going to be full blown zombies...there should also be other things to kill, but zombies will be a persistent theme.

[DudestMonk]

They did. It was a previewed class.

Ohh I see they hid it down there at the bottom... D12, that's nice...and scions can cast in armor, that's also very nice.

Only thing I'm worried about is that the DM of my last game gave this whole rant about how he won't DM Psionic characters..ext. None of us are very experienced players...So I'm not sure if the other guys will see it as me trying to be over powered

[Kylarra]

Warblade//Archivist then

[Riffington]

I assume they are going to be full blown zombies...there should also be other things to kill, but zombies will be a persistent theme.

Only thing I'm worried about is that the DM of my last game gave this whole rant about how he won't DM Psionic characters..ext. None of us are very experienced players...So I'm not sure if the other guys will see it as me trying to be over powered

Hmm, then consider Fighter/Barbarian (or Warblade*)//Beguiler.
With Arcane wrath, you can funnel many of those beguiler spells into extra damage. But when social stuff comes up, you can do all kinds of fun things with the leftover spell slots. Since you're totally spontaneous, you never have to worry about picking spells or anything. And up against zombies... well, they never get to disbelieve illusions, so you can make them do all kinds of fun things.

*If people are inexperienced and are worried about overpowered, avoid warblade. It looks overpowered. Fighter/Barbarian is in reality just as strong, probably even stronger than warblade once you add in the gestalt thing. But the advantage of warblade is that it's just so much fun.

Edit: Fighter//Swordsage is just strong by the way.

[Gnaeus]

What about Paladin//Dread Necromancer (Heroes of Horror). Evil paladin + DR. Take a reach weapon to hit people with but if they get close finish them with touch attacks. Make those zombies your slaves :-).

[DudestMonk]

Warblade/Psion should be sick...Ran it by the guys, Don't think they care.

Any suggestions for a specialty?

Seer sounds good as does Shapper and Telepath

[paddyfool]

It's a bit late as you've worked it out, but Warblade//Factotum or Warblade//Rogue would also work very well with the Int synergy and, in the latter case, sneak attack dice on top of all the nasty stuff Warblade dishes out.

[Faleldir]

For extreme toughness and similar fluff, I suggest a Dread Necro// Crusader with Tomb-Tainted Soul and Battle Caster.

[Zovc]

Duskblade//Beguiler could be cool.

[Wings of Peace]

By any means necessary get a reach weapon, get the power Expansion, and take Improved Trip and Knock-Down. Do just that and you will be able to pin/tank/rock the world with reasonable competence. And that is just during AoOs. And that's assuming you don't pay a mage to cast Permanent Enlarge on you as well. :]

Edit: To this end I would like to toot the Psychic Warrior horn again as a secondary to Warblade. If you are aiming to be oriented towards tanking those bonus feats are going to open alot of nice options for you. Nothing wrong with Psion mind you but given what you are doing as a personal style choice I like the extra goodies I can get with Psychic Warrior. Especially since I'm not a big fan of the War-Blades bonus feat list :\

[daken201]

i am playing a gestalt melee guy right now. he is Barb/warblade great sinergy with iron heart surge and frenzy berserker. or take goliath and the feat that lets you grow a size catagory when in rage and go barbarian/warblade and drop levels of warblade for warhulk paint yourself green and go around uttering the words "dont make me angry, you wouldent like me when i am angry"

the great thing about the goliath warhulk is that when you are not raging you dont have to deal with the no time to thing ability of the warhulk, cause you dont apply for the class anymore.

[Charlie Kemek]

psychic warrior//cloistered cleric sounds fun. tons of wis synergy, bonus feats galore, 6+int skills, spells, psionics, expansion, divine power, etc. this thing would be beastly!

[Wings of Peace]

psychic warrior//cloistered cleric sounds fun. tons of wis synergy, bonus feats galore, 6+int skills, spells, psionics, expansion, divine power, etc. this thing would be beastly!

Lets not forget a Monk's Belt or dip of Monk + a dip of Shiba Protector for Wis to AB, AC, and Damage

[Fluffles]

What template are allowed? Insectile is a great one if you are going for pure damage (6 arms lets you wield a 6 handed weapon to deal 2d6+(3.5*Str mod) with a Medium greatsword, no enhancements).

If you are allowed to be a genetic experiment made by an insane wizard, Be a Insectile Half-Ogre, Half-Dragon. This is a character I'm using for an arena, and I typically open up with an Emerald Razor (Makes the attack a touch attack) with a full power attack to deal 4d6+90 damage, with an attack bonus of +25.

My main maneuver's depend on the fight, but Moment of Perfect Mind, Action Before Thought, Emerald Razor, Bounding Assault/Pouncing Charge, and Wall of Blades/Iron Heart Surge.

So if you hit that's a guaranteed DC 15 fort save vs. Massive damage. Per hit. (At level 12 anyways, at 11 I was dealing quite a bit less than that due to a rules misreading, so I was dealing in the 70s and 80s instead of the 90s).

Also if you wield a Great Axe instead of a Great Sword, you can deal 3x damage on a crit instead of x2. I currently hold the record in the arena for 2nd highest damage with a single hit(First goes to an uber charger who critted for about 500 ish damage), and 1st for most damage in a round.

[DementedFellow]

Why not Artificer/Truenamer?

[The Rose Dragon]

Warblade//Archivist then

So your answer to someone trying to avoid being overpowered... is suggest something even more powerful?

[Kylarra]

So your answer to someone trying to avoid being overpowered... is suggest something even more powerful?

Well, archivist is a lot easier to limit the powers of than psionics are, plus it's "still" vancian casting so it's not an "unknown" power system.

It's a bit moot now, but if the DM feels psionics are overpowered, then just switch tactics. He's already got a druid and a cleric in the party anyway.

[Foryn Gilnith]

Warblade//Psion is good, but not overpowered. The problem is being perceived as overpowered. If a more powerful combination is perceived as not-overpowered, and is played in a manner so as to be not-overpowered, the problem is averted.

[Fiendish_Dire_Moose]

My best combo was a Wizard/Cleric Necromancer.
I can't remember the built, but from feats and variant rules I gained Create Undead at 3rd, 4th, and 5th level spell slots.

[Kulture]

I've been meaning to try out ubercharger Frenzied berserker combined with cleric.
If it's evil, you can lead a whole knight wedge into the charge.
If you're good you can buff yourself up before you frenzy and butcher everything in short order.

I also plan to use a Half-farspawn souleater in conjunction with ubercharger.
Not optimised, I know, but souleater gets quite nice bonuses when it has eaten in the last 24 hours.