I'm currently making a villain for a game who is essentially a genetically engineered messiah. SO I thought making him a Gestalt would be fun. The PCs will uncover his secrets (after being bashed around by him for a while) and will all "Gestalt" themselves in order to defeat him.
What are some scary combos? I'm thinking like Ninja/Witch right now. Or gunslinger/witch. Or something. But of course there are plenty of options. :)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Summoner/Anything.
Sound Striker Bard + Antipaladin. 10 attacks per round at level 10 that you can Smite Good with. He has the voice of gods :O
Synthesist/Paladin. An antimagic field might ruin your day, but it will any other character anyways.
Contributor; Developer, Super Genius Games
|
There are some great examples already, so I'm only listing ones I don;t see mentioned.
Cleric/Paladin works very well. The cleric has lots of nice buffs to let it get into melee, and the paladin is already really, really good at that. They benefit from similar ability scores. Their spell lists compliment each other.
Barbarian/Alchemist can be surprisingly effective, though you have to time your mutagen & rage just right.
Gunslinger/Sorcerer, especially if you build the sorcerer to augment your firearms, can do frightening things.
With a high enough ability point build, cavalier/magus can do some cool things (including summon mounts to places they can;t walk).
And if you just want the biggest one-shot in history, make a cavalier/paladin with Spirited Charge, and be sure to both challenge and Smite any evil foe you meet (adding double your level before tripling the damage).
Aasimar Oracle of Life/Paladin with the Fey Foundling feat. I'd like to see them try to kill you or anyone in your party.
Zen Archer Monk/Inquisitor - Takes everything you love about the ZAM and take it up a notch! +Wis to init, knowledge checks, maybe take the conversion domain... Some decent spellcasting... Bane and Judgment make for some sweet bonuses to stack on top of your crazy amount of attacks each round. You get Stalwart at level 11 and could pick up a ring of evasion, so if you make the save, ignore all effects. Then be a dwarf with Hardy, Steel Soul, and Glory of Old... You're a monk, so all good saves, your most important stats are Wisdom, Con, and Dex, so again, your saves are good. Lots of synergy and power to make the ultimate archer in offense and defense.
Gunslinger/Inquisitor is an underrated combo. Lot's of synergy, plenty of utility, and a just plain mean set of abilities.
A Fighter/Magus can make a Nice Minor Villain or Sub-Commander.
If 3rd Party is allowed...
Maenad(A DSP race) allows Barbarian/Paladin.
Vitalist(DSP psionic healer)/Oracle of Life(Or Cleric with the Healing Domain for stat synergy) allows for AMAZING healing.
Otherwise...
Martial Artist/Barbarian
Brawler Fighter/Monk
its hard to give specific advice with so many unanswered questions (like starting level, setting, and what kind of support the villain will have). there have been some good suggestions already, here's a few others to consider:
witch/kensai- you seemed to be interested in a witch, this combo would let you really focus on Int so that your hexes will have a good DC, it will also help with your AC, and the broad study arcana will let you use your witch spells with spell combat and/or spellstrike.
witch/wildblooded sorcerer [sage]- here you're building almost purely for Int... this is the calculating villain who's always 3+ steps ahead of the PCs; the build itself doesn't have much survivability but being a super-genius evil-mastermind he should be able to dictate the circumstances of their encounters well enough to be dangerous (only fighting where he's very difficult to reach, starting combats buffed and with friends/summoned creatures in play, or letting the party engage him when/where some kind of trap is laid).
sorcerer/oracle- i know this was mentioned before but a pure Cha build like this goes perfectly with your messianic concept. this is another build that doesn't have huge survivability on its own but he would be a cult leader with a variety minions and pets to occupy the PCs while he got to stand back and just lob a seemingly endless parade of powerful spells; plus there are a lot of fun/interesting bloodline-mystery combos. there may be some temptation to pair one of these classes with anti-paladin for 'extra survivability' but remember that unlike a normal pally they don't gain the ability to self heal as a swift action so its really not as good as it sounds.
barbarian/scarred witch doctor- if you really want someone who can handle some melee, this combo is all about Con and will have a crazy amount of HP (although your AC will be an issue); with raging vitality you'll be able to achieve crazy DCs for your hexes during combat. casting spells will be an issue (have to choose between raging for bonus Con, or not raging to cast), though (as i read it) you should be able to cast quickened spells while raging (granting them a monster DC), if you're high enough level.
hope that helps :)
I think orc bloodline sorc/ barbarian
Or perhaps better crossblooded imperial/orc sorc and Barbarian.
If I'm not overlooking some stacking issues orc bloodline gives you some nice buffs to the already potent combat capabilities of the barbarian and the imperial bloodline (3rd level) bloodline power increases moral bonuses you get. Even if you read it strictly RAW (only spells spelllike and magic items that give moral bonuses are increased) it works because of the weapon enchant (I think it is furious).
I'm pretty sure with the gestalt rules, that you are not meant to use hybrid PrCs like the Eldritch Knight.
You would be correct.
Zen Archer Monk/Divine Hunter Paladin with Wisdom/Charisma build
Full BAB
Massive saves
Good AC
Flurry of Smites
Most of your archery feats are given for free or as bonus feats
Self Healing
I am partial to ninja snythesist summoner my self, or maybe just normal summoner/ninja.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Monk(any)/Empyreal Sorcerer - All the power of being a full arcane caster with the defense and mobility of a monk.
I am partial to ninja snythesist summoner my self, or maybe just normal summoner/ninja.
Make this guy a halfling synthesist/ninja who mega-boosts dex (on a small quadruped eidelon frame), then gets ahold of a Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists, the Dimension Dervish chain, power attack, risky striker, and an ass-ton of skills and ninja-tricks?
Yah, that's freaking awesome.
I am partial to ninja snythesist summoner my self, or maybe just normal summoner/ninja.Make this guy a halfling synthesist/ninja who mega-boosts dex (on a small quadruped eidelon frame), then gets ahold of a Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists, the Dimension Dervish chain, power attack, risky striker, and an ass-ton of skills and ninja-tricks?
Yah, that's freaking awesome.
Or give that halfling a 36 strength and a huge quadraped eidolon form, and have him sneak attack teleport pounce on you with half a dozen natural attacks from improved invisibility...
Zen Archer Monk/Divine Hunter Paladin with Wisdom/Charisma build
Full BAB
Massive saves
Good AC
Flurry of Smites
Most of your archery feats are given for free or as bonus feats
Self Healing
I saw another build like this using Mysterious Stranger and Divine Hunter. It wasn't a gestalt build, but using the Zen Archer is a much better combination for that.
Under Gestalt rules no.
Essentially any prestige class that combines two classes count as both classes when used. So no it's not possible
An idea of what level you would be making this character at could be rather helpful. And I've done the Sound Striker (Bard) / Dawnflower Dervish/Divine Hunter (Paladin). It's fun, but at the same time you really have to watch out for DR and high saves.
Barbarian/Scarred Witchdoctor.
Put as much as you can into constitution, enhance hexes by raging, use your witch spells to make you a better warrior and do all those important things barbarians normally can't. It's also really thematic.
Wizard/Alchemist
Wizard, with all his normal stuff, who can also throw bombs.
The Mindchemist Archetype is particularly good for this combo.
Or give that halfling a 36 strength and a huge quadraped eidolon form, and have him sneak attack teleport pounce on you with half a dozen natural attacks from improved invisibility...I am partial to ninja snythesist summoner my self, or maybe just normal summoner/ninja.Make this guy a halfling synthesist/ninja who mega-boosts dex (on a small quadruped eidelon frame), then gets ahold of a Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists, the Dimension Dervish chain, power attack, risky striker, and an ass-ton of skills and ninja-tricks?
Yah, that's freaking awesome.
Oh, sure, if you wanna go the traditional route.
Depending on level, you could be making 4 attacks at level 2, 10 at level 7, 12 at level 11, 22 at 12, and so forth and so on.
You could also work on performing 3 attacks a round, if any of them hit, they are a crit at level 20.
So an idea of level would really help.
its incredible how many people are suggesting paladins for the main villain.... are there tons of groups out there that just default to evil PCs?!?
if you missed it, my first post is worth reading. adding to that, here are a few more ideas that are more MAD (or in some other way less optimized) but are interesting enough to make for a memorable villain:
Invulnerable Rager/Dual Cursed Oracle- take lame for your primary curse and haunted for the other; take the bones mystery and the spirit totem rage powers. he'll be able to hold his own in combat, can freely start/stop rage to cast, and has some cool thematic synergy with Cha and negative energy.
Winter Witch/Oracle [Winter]- this is a bit more situational, but if your near a tundra region or (even better) want to add a supernatural winter to the setting it could be solid. with the right hexes/revelations he could be slowing people left and right and have decent damage output.
Sohei/Wildblooded Sorcerer [Empyreal]- this actually has really nice Wis synergy; this isn't the best monk/empyreal combo, but what would make it so memorable is its ability to hide in plain sight... sohei are proficient with martial weapons and light armor so he could be a public figure like a watch captain the PCs work with (friendly guy, chainshirt and longsword, helpful but not extraordinary...) and he'd gain useful knowledge about the party and their strengths/weaknesses through that; when he's actively being the villain he's cloaked (with face hidden), unarmored and relies on spellcasting as much as possible. its a reasonably powerful build with a built in WTF moment (when they discover their archnemesis is also their 'trusted associate') to make it extra awesome.
Barbarian (any)/Bard [Dervish Dancer]- as far as i can tell you should be able to stack battle dance with rage which is fairly potent (and note that there are no weapon restriction on the dance- so 2-hand away); it also has d12 HD, full BAB, all good saves, and 6+ skill points/level with very nearly every skill as a class skill. with the pounce-like ability of Dervish Dancer you can take a totem other than beast and not feel bad about it- i'd take Fiendish for the extra attack and eventual AoE damage. you'll also have enough Cha to pick up Eldritch Heritage feats (i'd go with abyssal- allows claw/claw/gore at low levels and great Str bonus at higher levels, plus its thematic with the totem).
Fighter [Lore Warden]/Alchemist [Vivesectionist]- this would be a very clever fighter for a more victorian flavored campaign... think Dr. Frankenstein if he was a champion fencer: a creepy/unsettling genius who is more familiar with anatomy and physiology than a sane person should be and applies that knowledge to his swordmanship (not to mention being able to buff himself and/or others with all manner of strange potions and tinctures).
oracle/paladin is mean, as is sorc/paladin (especially crossblooded for draconic/abyssal (or orc)), monk/inquisitor and ranger/inquisitor are pretty neato, and youve got your caster ones like oracle/sorcerer and sorcerer (empyreal)/cleric, sorcerer (sage)/wizard, or just straight wizard/cleric, mismatched casting stats be damned. always wanted to play a gunslinger/inquisitor so that i could BE THE LAW. cavalier (or samurai)/paladin would be absolutely terrifying on the damage front, as would a 2H fighter/barbarian (less spike, more constant)
also, fighter is like the color black--it goes with everything.
(TL;DR - anything that doesnt clash on action economy or make you too MAD)
@ nate lange
Damn, you the man! Thank you! So many great ideas you've posted! :) Top work!
my pleasure :)
i'd love to hear what you settle on if you feel like posting an update (or PMing me)
Summoner/Wizard (Conjuration) - So many pets!
Sorceror/fighter is awesome, especially if you do the arcane sage sorcerer who uses Int as the casting stat to maximize skill ranks.
Add in arcane armor training/mastery feats and damn....At level 7 with those two feats you can reduce mithril chainmail arcane spell failure chance to 0.
You'd be a freaking tank on the battlefield, blasting fireballs and hacking people apart with your sword.
A good item to get to complement you would be the Ring of Force Shield in order to get a free shield bonus with no arcane spell failure.
The ring of force shield would allow you to have your hand free to cast spells, unlike a normal heavy shield.
only issue with those is that arcane armor training eats your swift action, meaning no quickened spells and such, leaving you with the problem of choosing between attacking OR spells (or running around in a haramaki/SSA + mithral buckler, or in something like mithral parade armor + mithral buckler and deal with a 5% spell failure).
RoFS cant be upgraded AFAIK, so you'd be better off casting shield as you close on the enemy.
personally i think the combo competes with itself too much over how to spend your turns, though i could see something like fighter/dervish bard or fighter/arcane duelist bard or fighter/magus working a bit more smoothly, since they remove ASF in certain armors (freeing up feats and swift actions spent on arcane armor training), and the lattermost actually combines the two rather well into the same actions (spell combat/strike)
if you want a casty-fighter, fighter/magus is the way to go- it allows casting in Mithril Breastplate with no ASF (for 0 feats) right away, then casting in Mithril Fullplate with no ASF and no speed reduction at 7th! At 13th you could even switch to Adamantine Fullplate if you wanted, lol. I think the arcane duelist bard can match that but magi have (in my opinion) a better spell list and the spell blending arcana. both classes have abilities that synergize well with fighter- spellstrike/spell combat is awesome with a fighter (weapon damage and a 17-20 or 15-20 crit range on the disintegrate i cast as part of my full attack action... don't mind if i do, lol, just let me get this quickened spell out first); and the ability to maintain performance as a free action means it doesnt interfere with full attacks or quickened spells (although, initiating it always will).
if you were creating a higher level guy (and were willing to deal with the headaches of a multi-class gestalt build) you could even do something like arcane duelist 10+//magus 7+/fighter 3- wear Mithril Fullplate (with 0 ASF for both classes and no movement penalty), get broad study so you can use SC/SS with any spell, and stack performance with your other magus bonuses... complicated, but potentially very potent. (doesn't keep up with full BAB, and falls a bit behind a full melee in HP, but mostly all good saves, and good skill points- plenty of special abilities and a handful of bonus feats).
(Anti)Paladin//Rogue: Really great saves, full BAB, sneak attack + smite damage. Half-orc with Sacred Tattoos for even better saves, orc double axe for 7 or 8 smites per round at high level. Maybe undead for Cha to Fort x2 and hit points. Maybe homebrew a feat to heal self as swift action.
Mounted Small Zen Archer Monk/Ranger. Full attack and move around.