Gestalt Build Challenge Returns XV: Best Burglars

[dspeyer]

Anything not nailed down is mine. Anything I can pry up is not nailed down.

RETURN OF THE GESTALT BUILD CHALLENGE XV: BEST BURGLARS

The heroic burglar has been a part of the fantasy genre since The Hobbit (or should that be since Prometheus?). The challenge here is to build one who can get the most tightly-guarded treasures in DND: from the hordes of dragons or the towers of wizards.

While many burglars consider killing guards to lack style, it's an acceptable strategy here.

"Gestalt Build Challenge" General Rules

We'll follow Duke of URL's old rules plus with a few minor changes.

For numeric attributes with progressions (such as BAB and saves) first determine at each level which progression the attribute follows, then count how many levels of each progression you have, then index into the progressions, then add them together. This means that a fighter 1 / sorceror 19 // wizard 20 has 1 level of good BAB and 19 of bad, giving +1 and +9 respectively for a total BAB of +10. Similarly, a character with 20 different marshal classes gets a base fort save of +12, not +40. It's not addressed in the gestalt or multiclassing rules, but this tends to make the most reasonable builds.

Disregard the clause about multiclassing penalties. We could never figure out how to apply it anyway.

If you are using multiple templates, you may only do so in a way which makes sense with what the template means. For example, you may only use one template that represents one parent being of a different race unless your base race is one where more-than-two parent reproduction is normal.

Well known cheese (pun-pun, omnificer, etc.) is banned.

Here are Duke of URL's old rules, for those who have forgotten them. Spoilered because they're long

Spoiler

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Unless otherwise specified in the specific challenge, the following rules and guidelines are always in effect:

• Gestalt builds; 28-point buy; use any WOTC 3.5 product (including Dragon magazine) except where noted (only 3.0 products with an official upgrade to 3.5 are allowed)
• Make all builds to ECL 20. However, indicate the minimum ECL the build is playable at (the level at which all LA and/or racial HD, if applicable, are accounted for) and label any level that indicates a "power break" where the build has a significant jump in power level. Provide a detailed description of how the build operates.
• Any race with a listed level adjustment is allowed (no racial progressions from Savage Species, please). LA and HD each apply to one side of the gestalt; you may include LA and HD on the same side as each other, or on other sides. No LA buyoff. LA is applied before racial HD, which must be paid off before class levels on that side. Examples: LA X / RHD Y / class Z / ... // class A / ... -OR- LA X / class Y / ... // RHD A / class B / ...
• Multiclass at will, but see "voting".
• Up to two flaws are allowed, but see "voting".
• Templates are allowed, but see "voting".
• Voting: Upon the close of entries for each challenge, members of the forum may vote in-thread for the build that best represents the goals set out by the challenge. The voting criteria should consist of:
  • Functionality: How well does the build do in its primary role as specified in the challenge?
  • Weaknesses: Does the build have any glaring weaknesses that can be exploited?
  • Playability: How much of the 1-20 level range can the build be played at and be effective?
  • Creativity: Clever use of races, classes, and/or feats that may not be "typical" choices
  • Cheese: Minimizing the number of cheese points
    • Using flaws (1 point each)
    • Ignoring mutliclassing penalties -- some DMs actually do enforce this in gestalt (1 point each)
    • Single-level dips that would require several pages of justification to RP properly (1 point each)
    • Templates that would require several pages of justification to RP properly (1 point per +1 LA)
    • Attempting to use more than one PrC at any given level (1 point each)
    • Attempting to use "dual progression" PrCs (1,000,000 points each)
    • Over-dependence on items (1 point per indispensable item)
    • Over-dependence on Diplomacy or Use Magic Device skills (1,000,000 points each)

[Jack_Simth]

Hmm....

CE Human
Savage Bard-4/Ninja-1/Paladin of Slaughter-5/Ninja+7/Hexblade-3//Ghost (LA+5)/Ur-Priest-5/Contemplative-10

Feats:
1: Improved Unarmed Strike
HB: Iron Will
3: Spell Focus(Evil)
6: Ascetic Mage
9: Skill Focus(Knoweledge(Religion)
12: Summon Elemental
15: Dimensional Reach
18: Magic Sensitive

Minimum playable level: 5th
Notable Power Bossts:
6th: Charisma to AC
7th: Charisma to saves
10th: Special Mount for moving goods from the material to the Ethereal
11th: Pride Domain (reroll saving throw results of 1), Harm
12th: Higher level spellcasting than a pure Cleric, able to heal self with no limit out of combat
14th: 9th level spellcasting (depending on final Wisdom)
15th: Able to grab small objects off of the material plane with no limit to usage
16th: Another domain - any domain is good
17th: Able to strike opponents from the Ethereal plane (a few times per day)
19th: Arcane Resistance
20th: Mettle

Highlights:
Charisma to saves twice (vs. spells; once vs. other effects)
Charisma to AC twice vs. people on the material plane (once, vs. people elsewhere)
Mettle
Rejuvenation
9th level Divine casting, with two domains (Pride and one other)
Able to grab items off the material plane - potentially from the ethereal, but definitely when Manifested (Dimensional Reach technically only requires line of sight... which you get from the ethereal).
Special Mount... which can technically be summoned on either the Material or the Ethereal, and which carries stuff with it, for easy transport from one plane to the other for heavier items.
1-3 Ghost special abilities (with this build, go with Telekinesis, Malevolence, and Draining Touch)

Highly Useful items:
Ring of X-Ray Vision (see through material objects - and with no Con score, no drawback)
Ring of Evasion (to go with Mettle)
Portable Hole(s) (to carry stuff, duh)

[dspeyer]

Race Janni
Build: LA 5 / warlock 6 / divine crusader (celerity) 9 // rhd 6 / ninja 1 / wilderness rogue 13
Stats: Wis > Dex > ...

Plane shift and dimension door at will. 8+int skills (except the ninja level), for plenty of stealth, perception and knowledge. Hide in plain sight as a wilderness rogue special ability and time stop as a divine crusader spell. Even viable in combat, with 11d6 sa/ss/eb and wis to ac.

In an ideal mission: approach on the astral plane, time stop, shift in, grab the stuff, shift to whichever elemental plane seems most hostile to potential pursuers, go home.