Working up a character for a PbP
here.
Notable Rules:The following 3.5 WotC "books" are allowed:
- SRD
- Spell Compendium
- the 8 Completes
- Races of Stone/Wild/Destiny/Dragon
- Dragon Magic
- Dragonomicon
- ToB
- MiC
- Frostburn, Sandstorm, Sotrmwrack
- Heroes of Horror/Battle
- Lords of Madness
- Libris Mortis
- Mini Handbook
- PHB II
Playable PC races are as per PHB and MM.
- Dread Necromancer and Beguiler has a Eccletic Learning variant as per Warmage.
- Good-aligned campaign
Starting level 6, 36 pt buy.There's also casting difficulty, but that won't apply as long as I'm wearing light armor. Overall, the game is around a 3 on optimization level.
Now then, I've never played gestalt, never played a Warblade, and never played a Beguiler--but it looks like a fun combo. I'm trying to figure out how to get the most out of it. The Warblade's high Fort save, Beguiler's Will save, and Warblade's Battle Clarity all combine to give me some solid saves, which is excellent. d10 HD and high BAB mean I'll be right up front in a fight. The Beguiler's skill list (particularly UMD) make me extremely versatile as well.
Then there are the downsides I noticed:
* Surprise Casting, unfortunately, explicitly says it *doesn't* make a target flat-footed, otherwise it would be that much better for the Warblade's Battle Cunning ability.
* Warblades don't get Shadow Hand maneuvers. With Beguiler casting though, that may not be important.
So...what are some good maneuvers to look at, and some useful ways to render my opponents flat-footed? Is a straight 20/20 progression worthwhile? I'm looking over the classes now and trying to piece things together, but any help would be appreciated.
Currently thinking a Wand of Grease will be a must-have.
On another note, I do believe I've inadvertently stumbled on a great representation of my favorite class ever, the Red Mage. Melee ability? Spontaneous INT casting? Light armor? Limited but powerful spells? Hmmm