A bit of gestalt help

[Gorilla2038]

Hi Playground,

I, as stated, need a bit of help for my group. We decided, as a group, that we needed to limit our campaign to Tier 3 and lower(our last campaign was real lame do to 'smart' tactics, such as scry and die), but to make up for the lack of options, we decided to gestalt.

Now, the plot of the campaign is thus: We are outsiders(little o, aka aliens), transported to this world by a wierd lilo and stich shaped god, and basically were told we have to overthrow a tyranny. Of course, characters got a choice, but who turns that down?

Anyway, we have no starting resources except WBL, and have found that magic is restricted to a side ruling class similar to a nobility.* Cleric magic is restricted to two church's-Hextor and Nerull. To top it off, it seems most serfs live in dark ages level, but it seems that some nobles MAY have access to gunpowder, at least in the shape of huge defensive bombards**

So, we are at third level, in a low-magic, low-wealth(de facto, cant eat gold)
game.

Point being, the load weighs on the characters, and since Im supposed to be the groups option for character build help, I turn to you.

The players are as follows

Crusader//Warmage

Pretty simple, but if there any cute tricks to work with, do tell. Might focus on fire magic, more for fun than much else. Uses a breastplate, shield and warhammer right now. Was a cleric, had to scramble to change. Is there a way to cover healing with him?


Fighter//Rogue

Again, pretty simple. Mainline fighter with a great scimitar. So far pretty good at sneak attack, just has some problems flanking. Might have taken dungeoncrasher, not sure. If he has, i wasnt there when he used it. Feats or skill tricks needed please!

Duskblade//Warlock

Secondline fighter, really in need of build help. Just...anything really. Feats, useful beatsticks, ways to make two-weapon effective, anything.

Factotum//Dread Necromancer

No real idea how to help him, neither of us have ever run either of the classes. It was a joke idea, based around a injoke that adds "OF DEATH" to the end of his sentences. He stated "I want to know all ...OF DEATH". Therefore-boom.

Shadowcaster//Beguiler

So, i think this is a really cool idea for a character, but while the player is real good at paperwork, she isnt really good at learning new subsystems. Shes played a bunch of druids, wizards, sorcs, etc, but she know nothing about shadowcasters past fluff. Once again, mucho build help needed.

Without UMD, its there anyway for this group to have a healer?

Thanks in advance!

*They seem to be above the Church of Hextor's priests, but below the standard nobility and possibly/?/ below Nerull's.

**Walls of a major and seemingly rich city were brick and earth, a rather than stone, which was plentiful around the area.

[1of3]

There is a feat call Tomb-Tainted Soul in Libris Mortis. It inverses the effect of healing and negative energy effects for the characters. So you can be healed by inflict wound etc. Now, the Dread Necro an throw around negative energy at will. That could cover healing, but everyone would have to take that feat.

[gorfnab]

Shadowcaster//Beguiler

So, i think this is a really cool idea for a character, but while the player is real good at paperwork, she isnt really good at learning new subsystems. Shes played a bunch of druids, wizards, sorcs, etc, but she know nothing about shadowcasters past fluff. Once again, mucho build help needed.

Some Shadowcaster stuff for you.
Beguiler Handbook

Recommendations
Build: Beguiler 6/ Shadow Adept 1/ Beguiler 1/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadowcrafter 7 // Shadowcaster 20
Race: Whisper Gnome
Feats: 1. Darkstalker (or Magic in the Blood or Versatile Spellcaster), 3. Shadow Weave Magic, 6. Spell Focus: Illusion, 9. Greater Spell Focus: Illusion, 12. Heighten Spell, 15. Earth Sense, 18. Earth Spell
Bonus Feats from Shadowcaster: Still Mystery and either one of the following multiple times or one of each of the following Reach Mystery, Quicken Mystery, Extend Mystery, or Favored Mystery
Skill Tricks: Conceal Spellcasting, False Theurgy, Swift Concentration
What you get: Lots of versatility, full spellcasting, and extreme sneakiness (Hide = +4 racial, +4 size, + Dex mod, + ranks, + sight obscured, + potentially Darkstalker).

[gorfnab]

Hi Playground,
Crusader//Warmage

Pretty simple, but if there any cute tricks to work with, do tell. Might focus on fire magic, more for fun than much else. Uses a breastplate, shield and warhammer right now. Was a cleric, had to scramble to change. Is there a way to cover healing with him?

You were saying that your rogue needed help flanking. If this character takes the Clarion Commander feat at 6th level the rogue//fighter will be extremely happy. Healing can be fixed in a few ways. At low levels you can use the Crusaders healing abilities and scrolls of Cure X. At high levels Combat Medic will let you spontaneously "Heal". Otherwise have you considered switching out Warmage with Dragon Shaman? Dragon Shamans make awesome low tier healers and work very nicely with Crusader.
Build:
Human
Human Paragon 1/ Warmage 1/ Human Paragon 2/ Warmage 4/ Combat Medic 5/ Warmage 7 // Crusader 20
Feats: 1. White Raven Defense, 1. Dodge, 3. Arcane Disciple: Healing Domain, 3. Combat Casting, 6. Clarion Commander, 9-18 metamagic feats such as Selective, Entangling, Quicken, Empower, Maximize, etc., or potentially Versatile Spellcaster.

As for the Rogue//Fighter - Craven and Staggering Strike for feats. I'll have more ideas after I get some sleep.

[Gorilla2038]

Thanks for the help so far! The crusader kinda flipped out when i said that warmage might not be the best. To be fair, the last 2 or 3 games hes had to run a support character, now he just wants to hit stuff. Any useful maneuverers for SOB crusaders?

I m pretty sure the shadow caster is just going to take your advice.

Please keep it rolling, thanks all!

Edit: Crusader is pretty set on taking Armored Mage so he can cast in fullplate at 8th at well.

[gorfnab]

Factotum//Dread Necromancer

No real idea how to help him, neither of us have ever run either of the classes. It was a joke idea, based around a injoke that adds "OF DEATH" to the end of his sentences. He stated "I want to know all ...OF DEATH". Therefore-boom.

Okay then.
Human
Feats: 1. Tome Tainted Soul, 1. Dreadful Wrath, 3. Knowledge Devotion, 6. Imperious Command, 9.-18. Font of Inspiration x4 (maybe Versatile Spellcaster, and 3 Fonts)
Skill Tricks: Never Outnumbered and Collector of Stories

[gorfnab]

Fighter//Rogue

Again, pretty simple. Mainline fighter with a great scimitar. So far pretty good at sneak attack, just has some problems flanking. Might have taken dungeoncrasher, not sure. If he has, i wasnt there when he used it. Feats or skill tricks needed please!

Build: Not really sure but here are some ideas.
Zhentarim Fighter and Dungeoncrasher for the Fighter levels, a dip into Warblade may prove fruitful. A level of Barbarian (maybe Whirling Frenzy Variant) for Pouncing (Lion Totem, Complete Champion) might be nice. Not really finding any useful prestige classes out there for a Str based Fighter // Rogue. Battle Trickster may help if you want to go Skill Trick heavy.

Feats: Just some ideas since you'll get a lot of them - Craven, Staggering Strike, Imperious Command (with Never Outnumbered Skill Trick), Ironheart Aura, Stormguard Warrior, Improved Bull Rush, Mage Slayer, Pierce Magical Concealment (combine with Ring of Blinking to Sneak Attack everything not immune), Shock Trooper, Elusive Target, Extra Rage (if dipped into Barbarian), Dreadful Wrath, Education with Knowledge Devotion.

Skill Tricks: Never Outnumbered, Nimble Charge, Twisted Charge

[gorfnab]

Duskblade//Warlock

Secondline fighter, really in need of build help. Just...anything really. Feats, useful beatsticks, ways to make two-weapon effective, anything.

Ouch, not seeing any synergy. Sadly, Channeling is a standard action and so is EB. However, the Eldritch Glaive invocation (Full Round action) can maybe be combined with the feat Arcane Strike (Free Action). Throw in the Knowledge Devotion feat and Collector of Stories skill trick for even more damage. The other option is to use the warlock invocations for all day buffs like Fell Flight, Spiderwalk, Voidsense, etc. and use the duskblade spells for blasting maybe. Other than that here is the Warlock Information Compilation and the Duskblade Handbook.

A different option would be to go Warlock // Binder or Warlock // Hexblade. These combos do have some nice synergy.