Help with my Slayer / / Investigator

[He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named]

Now I wanted to make a Investigator Slayer Gestalt character who is basically the jack of all trades style of character. Slayer brings the cunning and killing power, while Investigator brings the skill and a bit of magic like effects.

Now since this is gestalt I am allowed some fun with the CR adjustments.
I am picking up a character who is a Doppelganger CR3/Slayer 2//Investigator 5 for a ECL of 5
I choose Slayer for the short side due to the slightly later run on Talents.

Also we are going to buy off the CR later, much like the old LA buy off, but I was told this is more semi-official but what are the levels of CR buy off?

Also the Stat Adjust is +2 to all stats (Took the Stat block and used a 15 point buy to figure it out.)

So how to best make the jack of all trades, which is why I picked up the Doppelganger due to his Mimicry abilities.

[Oly]

Your choices didn't really make for a Jack of All Trades, but more for a master infiltrator and trickster.

If your campaign will have enough intrigue/out of combat in it, and that's a character type you want to play, then you have a really great combo for it.

If you're looking for a really rounded jack of all trades, you might trade Investigator for a full casting class and have a great martial class with trickery in the Slayer, form shifting for eventual assassination in your race, and then great spellcasting on top of it.

Again, if you're looking for a specialized infiltrator and trickster type instead, you're in great shape with what you have.

[avr]

If you want to use both studied combat (investigator) and studied target (slayer) without waiting too long you'll need quick study as an investigator talent.

You'll probably want a few feats for non-combat things as a JoT (extra investigator talents if nothing else) so your combat style should be one that isn't feat hungry - i.e. use a two handed melee weapon primarily. If you're using the odd wand or scroll being able to take your hand off a weapon without sheathing or dropping it will sometimes be useful.

If you're going to be buying a lot of wands/scrolls the dealmaker trait may be handy.

[kestral287]

avr wrote:

You'll probably want a few feats for non-combat things as a JoT (extra investigator talents if nothing else) so your combat style should be one that isn't feat hungry - i.e. use a two handed melee weapon primarily. If you're using the odd wand or scroll being able to take your hand off a weapon without sheathing or dropping it will sometimes be useful.

Keep in mind that Slayer grants access to ~4-6 feats via the Talents, and by stealing the Ranger style they can ignore a lot of pre-reqs. If one really wanted, for example, they could pick up Fencing Grace via Weapon Training + Finesse Rogue + Combat Trick. Then burn three talents on Ranger Combat Style for Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, and Two Weapon Rend. Pick up an Effortless Lace and a pair of rapiers, and you have entirely Dex-based TWF.

Not that this example in particular is natively a good idea, but there actually is room for feat-hungry styles here.

[avr]

@Kestral - he's starting as a level 2 slayer, following your plan he wouldn't have dex based TWF going for another 6 levels yet. So, he probably wouldn't follow that plan and would likely spend 3 of his normal level based feats - which is all the ones he has so far.

I think my point stands.

[kestral287]

As I said-- that specific example is not a good idea. It was pretty much the most expensive combat style I could think of off the top of my head, and is entirely doable solely off talents.

That said, he wouldn't have it for another 10 levels. That full chain would be six talents, one every other level, so he'd finish at Slayer 12.

Personally, I'm strongly questioning the value of the Doppelganger. It... really does not seem worth the Slayer levels.

[He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named]

Quote:

Mimicry (Ex)

A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice.

Detect Thoughts as an at-will is also pretty nice.

The ability to buy and use any wand as if I was a wizard with a completed Spellbook is also a pretty nice ability and allows for me to be quite flexible.

Again with the buy off CR I keep seeing its something like every three levels you reduce the CR by 1 till it reaches Half the original CR so at Level 3 and 6 I would drop two CR for a eventual CR 1/Slayer 19//Investigator 20

If we used LA Buy off levels those appear at 9, 15, 18 and would be both classes at level 20 by level 20.

I do agree and want the Assassination Talent when Slayer reaches level 10.

Also the rest of the Party is taking at least a CR 1 Template so I think if we do the every three levels, after level 6 it should even out the Party CR to 1 above our class levels in general.

Also I think a CR is dropped if I begin with NPC Wealth By level.