Gestalt with TOB

[calebcom]

So i'm running a gestalted game of Red Hand of Doom. the one with the big army of hobgoblins.

My party consists of

A goliath warblade/psychic warrior

a human Paladin/dragon shaman (onewinged4ngels paladin fix, working great)

a whisper gnome rogue/swordsage

and a half elf cleric/crusader


I'm wondering if anyone else has played through this adventure, and if I should mix in some gestaltness for some of the big bad guys, or let them go as is. The players aren't exactly munchkin gamers, I've had to correct them from making massive mistakes. (the rogue incessantly mixes up Aop and SA.)

If so, which badguys should I mix what other classes into?

[Xefas]

I haven't played the Red Hand of Doom, but I will say this: Gestaltness doesn't so much add to deadliness, as much as survivability and versatility.

Thus, yes, it makes for a good addition to Boss Monsters. They'll last longer and be able to pull cooler stuff, without necessarily butchering everyone.

[Reel On, Love]

Your party lacks a wizard, which was pretty critical to getting through RHoD when I played it--but then we weren't gestalt.

Leave the dragons alone. Consider gestalting the Wyrmlords for survivability, and the Lich King for just plain effectiveness (Blighter lich? *Crappy* spells, no HP, only threat is the lich abilities.)

You might also want to do the leader in each area (i.e. the sorcerer in the first keep).

Lean towards defense rather than offense--i.e. giving the lich-king 9 Sorcerer levels and Confusion would be a bad move; Monk or something (forget his alignment) wouldn't.
Dragon Shaman is an obvious choice for a lot of these guys, especially the ones that come surrounded by mooks.

In the big battle during the siege, the cleric comes in with a pair of hill giants--those do damage that can add up real fast. In my game, I hit them (and the ogres) with a Confusion, taking them out of the fight, but your players don't have that luxury. Still, the general of the horde can use beefing up: he's got a pretty crappy PrC. Making him a Crusader could make things interesting.

[RTGoodman]

I agree that an arcane caster would be great (my party, before the game fell apart, had a couple of hard times without one).

If you're using gestalt PCs, the dragons don't necessarily need class levels, but it might be a good idea to give them a couple extra HD (or, in the case of the Green Dragon at Skull Gorge Bridge, just up to one size category). For the Wyrmlords and major NPCs, you might want to do something like this:

-Wyrmlord Koth - Sorcerer//Rogue (or maybe Dragon Shaman)
-Wyrmlord Saarvith - Ranger//Scout or Ranger//Rogue
-Wyrmlord Ulwai Stormcaller - Bard/Stormsinger//Dragonfire Adept (electricity-based)
-Ghostlord - Druid/Blighter//Cleric (The PCs really shouldn't fight him anyway)
-Skather (the assassin) - Ninja//Warlock
-Wyrmlord Hravek Kharn - Favored Soul/Talon of Tiamat//Fighter
-High Wyrmlord Azarr Kul - Cleric//Paladin of Tyranny (see here)

[calebcom]

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestions. :D

[Reel On, Love]

-Wyrmlord Koth - Sorcerer//Rogue (or maybe Dragon Shaman)

Dragon Shaman is probably better, giving him HD, passive auras to buff him/his allies, etc.

-Wyrmlord Saarvith - Ranger//Scout or Ranger//Rogue

Doesn't he ride a dragon? Scount won't be much help. Rogue will be too deadly if he, say, wins initiative. Monk? I'm not sure what I'd go with, but Dragon Shaman seems to make a good default for these guys.

-Wyrmlord Ulwai Stormcaller - Bard/Stormsinger//Dragonfire Adept (electricity-based)

Dragonfire Adept might be a bad choice--she uses her Stormsinger lightning ability for offence, and the breath weapon would make that redundant. She'll become more of a Dragonfire Adept than a Stormsinger. Still, if that's OK, this isn't bad.

-Ghostlord - Druid/Blighter//Cleric (The PCs really shouldn't fight him anyway)

Cleric levels will get him actually useful spells. The PCs should totally fight him, though, he's a pansy. (Of course, Cleric changes that.)

-Skather (the assassin) - Ninja//Warlock

Not bad--flight and invisibility invocations are certainly handy for him, as is the short-range teleport one if he qualifies.

If he can take the Creeping Hand and Crawling Eye invocations from Complete Mage, he'll be able to have his hand carry his eye and go creeping about, sniping from places his body isn't.

-Wyrmlord Hravek Kharn - Favored Soul/Talon of Tiamat//Fighter

I'd rebuild this guy. Cleric//Fighter should do--Favored Soul doesn't do him any favors, nor does that terrible Talon PrC.

-High Wyrmlord Azarr Kul - Cleric//Paladin of Tyranny (see here)

Paladin of Tyranny would better synergize with the high-CHA Favored Soul, but it's not bad here.