This is not a game for high optimization. The goal is characters who have lots of flexibility and options, not raw power. You want a character which can fill more than 1 role in a pinch, and which can hold its own in combat, but doesn't overshadow.
Take this to note!
Anyways, I'm (obviously) making a character for Operation Shoestring's gestalt campaign,
with some interesting rules. I've asked, and been allowed to utilize the savage progression classes for a were-tiger.
So! I've gotten the idea to use one side as the lycan/natural attack boosting side, and the other to give me some maneuvers. Currently, I'm going with swordsage 20 for the maneuvers list, since 15 bab on an initiator who will most often Tiger-Claw strike (so, yeah, one mean attack a round) isn't so crippling as it could potentially be. Since we start at level 6, that makes the build look like:
Lycan Template Class 3 / Weretiger Class 3 // Swordsage 6And eventually...
Lycan Template Class 3 / Weretiger Class 6 / Warshaper 5 / X6 // Swordsage 20My main question is about the build being tweaked so that it isn't too weak. I'll be avoiding TWFing, unless someone can tell me a good reason not to. I'm thinking that in combat, it will mainly be power-attack-boosted-maneuvers, primarily from the Tiger Claw Discipline (so Power Attack and Leap Attack seem to be staples, but due to book list Battle Jump doesn't look to be in. I asked anyways), with a bit of shadow hand perhaps so that he has some out of combat utility with cloaking and such. He's got to have some variety, so I know that while he's a great BSF, he could be a decent scouter/tracker, especially with his scent ability and boosted lycan stats.
Feats list looks like so:
(1) Power Attack
(h) Adaptive Style *Human bonus feat*
(f) Battle Jump
(f) Leap of the Heavens
(S) Weapon Focus (Tiger Claw Weapons) *Swordsage Discipline Focus*
(W) Alertness *Were-Tiger Feat*
(W) Improved Natural Attack [bite], Improved Natural Attack [claw] *Were-Tiger Feats*
(3)
(6) Leap Attack
Also, I've never played a wildshaper or polymorpher or a lycan, so what items could compliment my jumpity natural attacks thing? I was thinking of a ring of jumping, a wisdom booster, and padded armor to get the SS bonus armor whilst not screwing my Dex-bonus over (thank you Lycans for boosting my dex and Str!). I'll assume my stats should be prioritized as Dex - Con - Wis - Str - Int - Cha, only because my strength boost is so damn high anyways once I finish the warshaper/were-tiger classes that it can be a 12 or 14 or something and not be nuked.
I've read somewhere over on 339 a long time ago about the savage progressions meaning that I could buy off the levels with LA buy-off... is this misquoted? Whilst I can't buyoff the levels in this game, I can erase 2 LA by reducing my stats point-buy from 40 to 36. A decent trade?
As always, any and all advice is appreciated!
~Flay
