Help Me Un-Gestalt This Build

[SurlySeraph]

A while back, I made a Halfling Warblade// Archivist for a gestalt game. The concept was a character obsessed with knowledge and dabbling in every skill he could learn a bit of. I took a good mix of maneuvers, decent stealth abilities, and took a few normally-arcane domain spells and used Martial Study to pick up a couple Su Desert Wind and Shadow Hand maneuvers, which I fluffed as arcane spells.

I'm now trying to make a non-gestalt version with similar capabilities, and having trouble. Ruby Knight Vindicator is the obvious route, but its prereqs aren't exactly Warblade/ Archivist oriented.

I considered Archivist 6/ Sacred Exorcist 1/ RKV X, but that's more of a caster and less of a gish than I want to play. Here's the build I've got at the moment:

NG Strongheart Halfling
1 Archivist (Draconic Archivist, Archivist of Nature)
2 Archivist
3 Cloistered Cleric (Knowledge Devotion, Spell Domain, Magic Domain, Martial Study (Burning Blade))
4 Crusader
5 Warblade
6 Ruby Knight Vindicator (progressing Archivist, Martial Study (Flashing Sun))

What can I do to make this build more elegant, more effective, and more interesting?

[PId6]

Have you considered wizard instead of archivist? It seems like you're trying to be a pseudo-arcane caster anyway, and Jade Phoenix Mage is easier to work with.

[fryplink]

are you going for similar fluff, similar crunch, or similar fluff-n-crunch?

[SurlySeraph]

I hadn't considered Wizard, but I'm certainly willing to try it.

Mostly similar fluff, though I'm pretty attached to being Int-based.

[Boci]

Factotum is always a candidate for a dabbler.

[mabriss lethe]

seconding factotum. They get a lot of mileage out of martial study/stance and then kit them out with the maneuver granting equipment to fill in the blanks.

[PId6]

Wizard 4/Crusader 2 or Wizard 5/Crusader 1 (with Master Specialist if you want) into Jade Phoenix Mage works. Alternatively, if you're willing to consider early entry through Favored -> Primary Contact, Wizard 4/Crusader 1 is a good lead in.

Or, yeah, Factotum with a few Warblade levels also work fine.

[Eldariel]

Actually, I suggest trying Cleric. Cleric/Crusader/Ruby Knight Vindicator is amazing and if you pick Domains and Spontaneous Domain Casting accordingly, you can do a very decent Archivist impression. I suggest:

Cloistered Cleric 4/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator X (where X is how much you get, though of course, postponing the last level can be a decent call).


With Whispered Secrets [RoD] & Able Learner [RoD] (you'll need to ask DM to handwave the Human-only requirement tho), you'll get all the Knowledge you could ever want, and your BAB is only 2 below max. You also have a decent number of skillpoints and almost full Cleric-casting.

You may not need a Prayerbook but get one anyways if that suits your fancy; it's a bit fairer that way anyways. Write down arcane and divine spells, pick Spell-domain and use it as your Spontaneous Domain and thus you can replicate low-level Arcane spells in your Domain slots through Anyspell and Greater Anyspell.


You'll miss out on Int synergy but that's about it.

[SurlySeraph]

I could do a Factotum, but I want to focus more on combat and casting than on skill use. Doing Factotum and dumping my skills into Knowledge (for Knowledge Devotion) and Iaijutsu Focus is certainly an option, though.

Wizard/Crusader/JPM would work. If I go with that, I'll take Martial Study a bunch of times for some Iron Heart and Diamond Mind maneuvers that I'll want.

I wasn't aware of Spontaneous Domain, and Spontaneous Domain + Anyspell would allow an awful lot of versatility. I might take Educated rather than Able Learner for knowledge.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[IdleMuse]

If you want to Cleric it up yet still remain attached to Int, the feat Academic Priest is on p12 of the Dragonlance book Legends of the Twins. You can only take it at first level, but it does change the primary spellcasting stat of one of your divine classes to Int (for everything but DCs).

[SurlySeraph]

I'd heard of Dynamic Priest, but never of that. That should make things easier, obviating the need for Archivist levels. Thanks!