Use Intelligence for Melee?

[Amoren]

Just a question for a wizard/swiftblade I'm making for a game. I've got a pretty decent strength (16 via 20 Intelligence with a +2 head band), but I'm probably still going to be maxing out intelligence before strength. So I was wondering if there were any talents or spells that are available to a spell casting gish that would use intelligence for hit or damage instead of strength, and if so where would I find it?

[Morithias]

Just a question for a wizard/swiftblade I'm making for a game. I've got a pretty decent strength (16 via 20 Intelligence with a +2 head band), but I'm probably still going to be maxing out intelligence before strength. So I was wondering if there were any talents or spells that are available to a spell casting gish that would use intelligence for hit or damage instead of strength, and if so where would I find it?

Well I don't know much about the swiftblade, but see if you can talk your DM into altering the "Kung Fu Genius" feat. Which was meant for wizard/monk (Yes I know, dont' start people) builds.

[Greenish]

Well I don't know much about the swiftblade, but see if you can talk your DM into altering the "Kung Fu Genius" feat. Which was meant for wizard/monk (Yes I know, dont' start people) builds.

That's int to AC while unarmoured.

Anyhow, Person_Man has a list.

[Amoren]

Thanks for the list, I've perused it before but I had lost track of it. Still, my options seem rather... limited. The few Int to Damage swaps there are under certain circumstances or require a class that probably wouldn't mesh well (and Factotum/Swiftblade is already ruled out).

I wonder if my DM would be willing to house rule a feat similar to Weapon Finesse though, except instead of Dex to hit you get Int.

[Eldariel]

Whirling Blade and Thunder Lance are your best bets. Though frankly? Wizard casting boosts your Strength quite efficiently; starting from level 1 and its Enlarge Person, you start getting various non-Enhancement Str bonuses that allow you to keep up just fine. And later on Bite of the WereX series overtake Enhancement allowing you exceed the +6 limit quite handily.

[Khatoblepas]

Get a continous/lots of times per day item of Control Body.

Target yourself.

Enjoy +Int to attack, damage and AC. Make sure to take Familiar Concentration or Sonorous Hum, too.

[Greenish]

Get a continous/lots of times per day item of Control Body.

Target yourself.

Enjoy +Int to attack, damage and AC. Make sure to take Familiar Concentration or Sonorous Hum, too.

No Attacks of Opportunity is a bit of a bummer, though.

On other news, I've never noticed "humanoid" used to refer to physiology instead of type.

[Prime32]

Get a continous/lots of times per day item of Control Body.

Target yourself.

Enjoy +Int to attack, damage and AC. Make sure to take Familiar Concentration or Sonorous Hum, too.

Easier to pull off as a psion.

Don't forget to perform the dragonborn Ritual of Rebirth ten times so that you end up as a dragonborn with 0 Dex and +10 Con. (so that you are tough as nails but need control body to move, period)

EDIT:
Venerable Dragonborn x11 kobold Psion (kineticist) 7
Feats: Dragonwrought, Psicrystal Affinity
Powers: Control Body, Solicit Psicrystal

[mangosta71]

Only thing that comes readily to my mind is a three-level dip in swashbuckler, which would allow you to apply both your Int and Str modifiers to damage. Maybe your DM would allow a homebrew feat that replicates Insightful Strike?

[Amoren]

I doubt a three level dip into Swashbuckler is going to be worth it, losing me three caster levels in addition to the three (or four) I'm going to lose from Swiftblade just doesn't seem worth it. The DM has also ruled no psionics in his campaign.

I looked at Whirling Blades, and its likely going to be one of the spells I'm gonna memorize a lot (or at least memorize once and pimp myself out in Pearls of Power), the image of tossing a great sword boomerang out is just to awesome. However, I was thinking more of something that would just be in effect all the time like weapon finesse, something that shows he uses his brain more than his strength or agility to make sure his hits connect (and yes, I know the Factotum does this, its also a class the DM disallowed).

I'll ask if I can use a homebrew feat that's an Int for Weapon Finesse, but if not it's probably not needed Like Eldariel said, Wizards get a lot of +strength spells, and this isn't counting stuff like Wraithstrike that makes hitting a non-issue anyway (and of course the +1/2/3 to hit that Swiftblades eventually get from being under the effects of Haste...).

[Khatoblepas]

Easier to pull off as a psion.

Don't forget to perform the dragonborn Ritual of Rebirth ten times so that you end up as a dragonborn with 0 Dex and +10 Con. (so that you are tough as nails but need control body to move, period)

EDIT:
Venerable Dragonborn x11 kobold Psion (kineticist) 7
Feats: Dragonwrought, Psicrystal Affinity
Powers: Control Body, Solicit Psicrystal

This would be great to use for the Psionic Sandwich trick, too, Except it requires a humanoid physiology. Two arms, two legs and a head... hmmmm. With Chucky being a Telepath with True Mind Switch (with limitations), Control Body and psionic vigor... could explain his immortal fortitude.

[ericgrau]

The Illumian race (LA 0) can give you str to bonus spells letting you all but dump int, but then your save DCs suffer.

[Prime32]

This would be great to use for the Psionic Sandwich trick, too, Except it requires a humanoid physiology. Two arms, two legs and a head... hmmmm. With Chucky being a Telepath with True Mind Switch (with limitations), Control Body and psionic vigor... could explain his immortal fortitude.

If only there were some way to use your psicrystal's BAB and your Int...

Ardent and wilder have average BAB but aren't Int-based.

[Dusk Eclipse]

The Illumian race (LA 0) can give you str to bonus spells letting you all but dump int, but then your save DCs suffer.

Well if you are a gish, odds are that you aren't using spells that offer saves.

Also in 4e there is this feat Intelligent Blademaster that let's you use int instead of strenght for basic attacks. I think it is not entirely unreasonable to ask yo DM if you can convert this feat.

[BenInHB]

It's a slightly round about way to get there but Knowledge Devotion works quite well for high INT characters trying to mix it up in Melee.

Knowledge Devotion lets you roll a knowledge check based on the creatures type to get a bonus on attack and damage rolls. You always get at least +1/+1 and if you can beat a 35 you get +5/+5

Wizard has all knowledge skills as class skills so make sure you get at least one point in each. I like to get to 5 ranks in each knowledge for the synergy bonuses to other skills and then invest heavily in Knowledge Arcana, Religion, Nature, Dungeoneering, the Planes and sometimes Local because those are very common for enemy types.

[AslanCross]

Knowledge Devotion is probably the best.

Warblade has a lot of Int synergy, but a dip won't do it. It takes several levels to get the most out of it. (And it's not Int-to-hit or Int-do-damage; it gives various situational bonuses using your Int modifier)