"Triple" Gestalt

[Zaydos]

Wizard/Arcane Hierophant//Druid/Master of Many Forms//Warblade/Blackguard/Beastmaster 1

Why? It would be fun and I'd have two pets. I like my pets.

[BayardSPSR]

I'm surprised no one has yet said Cleric//Druid//Wizard... I guess it must be less effective for reasons that don't immediately come to mind for me (not being much of a D&D player myself), but I can't help but imagine that a triple-Tier 1 character would be rather strong.

[DragonOfUndeath]

You wouldn't have enough actions to use it. at low levels you would never run out of slots but at higher levels you get that anyway. Without something to break the action economy massively it won't be much more powerful

[gorfnab]

I can think of a great triple gestalt right now...

Mystic Wildshape Trapfinding SotAO Ranger / ??? / ???

Oh wait.

Mystic Wildshape Trapfinding SotAO Ranger 10/ Master of Many Forms 10// Swordsage 20// Cloistered Cleric 4/ Prestige Paladin 4/ Cloistered Cleric 12

The Cheerleader
Crusader 20 // Dragon Shaman 20 // Bard 6/ Lyric Thaumaturge (or Paladin of Freedom) 2/ Virtuoso 2/ Sublime Chord 2/ Virtuoso 8

Iron Man
Warforged Artificer // Factotum // Warblade

Mr. Creepy
Binder 20// Hexblade 20// Warlock 5/ Ur-Priest 2/ Eldritch Disciple 2/ Hellfire Warlock 3/ Eldritch Disciple 8

[Southern Cross]

Here's my ultimate Marty Stu build : Magister 15 / Abjurant Champion 5 // Warblade 10 / Eternal Blade 10 // Factotum 20.

[Cicciograna]

I was thinking about starting a game involving this:

Starting with blatantly overpowered 20th level triple gestalt characters.

Optimize said characters to make them even more ridiculous

Give them 10x WBL in starting equipment.

Destroy the world and then proceed to get even more beyond the impossible from there.



Would anyone be interested in playing or DM'ing such a game?

I'd DM it. I would allow anything the players could pull out from such a game and would make them the rulers of the Multiverse.
For the next campaign I'd pit the PCs against their previous characters, telling them that they've sworn to rid the Multiverse from their menace.
Standard point buy, regular WBL.
Dear players, now hate yourselves.

[JaronK]

Gestalt in itself is not overpowered. It is high powered but only "overly" in the sense of one's personal tolerance level for power.

To Gestalt three classes is overkill but not due to power. You can only do so much in a round.

The Factotum scoffs at your "only so much in a round" nonsense!

I think Archivist//Factotum//Warblade would be absolutely silly. For more action spamming, consider Archivist//Factotum//Binder, with Zceryll so you're spamming creatures that have their own actions too. Yehaw!

As to why Wizard//Druid//Cleric is bad, the stat issues. You want to focus on one stat, so you wouldn't want the Int caster in there. However, Druid//Cleric//Unarmed Swordsage would be solid.

JaronK

[Aricandor]

I'd probably throw my dice in for the Warblade // Wizard // Factotum, possibly PrCed on the former two depending on mood. Probably just a plain ol' IotSFV and Archmage on the Wizard. It feels simple and elegant somehow.

[Volthawk]

Here's my ultimate Marty Stu build : Magister 15 / Abjurant Champion 5 // Warblade 10 / Eternal Blade 10 // Factotum 20.

Magister? Don't recognise that base class.

[No brains]

Another wall street broker of the action economy is the choker with their quickness!

As for DMing this monstrosity:
"Your mission: Catgirls. Reverse Nazi exterminate the bastard race. Failure is not an option (seriously, HOW can you mess up?)."

[dextercorvia]

Needs more Chameleon+Master Spellthief. Triple Gestalting 3 arcane classes will get me a Chameleon CL of 120 without working hard. If one of the others is Sublime Chord, then it makes my head hurt.

[Ranger Mattos]

3-man Party

Wizard // Factotum // Warblade
Archivist // Factotum // Warblade
Spell-to-Power Erudite // Factotum // Warblade

Arcane powers? Check. Divine powers? Check. Psionics? Check. Skills? In spades. Combat ability? Incredible. Breaks the action economy? Check. Single-ability dependent? Almost entirely.

Game over.

And then the DM gives the party a Headband of Epic Intellect +24 or something. Cue the battle that destroys the world.

[Quietus]

QFT few people would dm this headache.

If I was being ridiculous... I might. Unfortunately, my brand of ridiculous doesn't usually go to this length. However, i'd generally stop checking character's sheets with something like that, and if they said they could do something, I'd probably nod and go "Okay"

Then I'd have a mountain wake up. That's also a wizard. And a dwarf. Oh, and it can trap people in the ground, and is immune to most spells 'cause, construct-ish-immunity-stuff. And it has a chainsaw, which is on fire.

[ScionoftheVoid]

Ultimate squishy caster with more actions per round than most gods: Wizard//Psion//Factotum. PrC to taste.

[dextercorvia]

If I was being ridiculous... I might. Unfortunately, my brand of ridiculous doesn't usually go to this length. However, i'd generally stop checking character's sheets with something like that, and if they said they could do something, I'd probably nod and go "Okay"

Then I'd have a mountain wake up. That's also a wizard. And a dwarf. Oh, and it can trap people in the ground, and is immune to most spells 'cause, construct-ish-immunity-stuff. And it has a chainsaw, which is on fire.

This. This is what you should worry about when the DM says, "I want you guys to have more power than usual. Lets try this variant...."

[HalfDragonCube]

As to why Wizard//Druid//Cleric is bad, the stat issues. You want to focus on one stat, so you wouldn't want the Int caster in there.

Try using the ageing rules.

Although your unadjusted physical scores will all be 2; you mental ability scores will be good. Just hire a few meatshields and buy mules.

I once had an Int 25 Str 1 wizard grey elf wizard (+2 Int to elves houserule).

The embodiment of the 'squishy spellcaster'.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

I was going to respond to this by saying Wizard 5/Incantatrix 10/Archmage 5//Factotum 20//Warblade 20, but it seems that's mostly been covered. The minor difference here is that you use the wizard side for all-day buffs, and for offense you spam however many maneuvers it takes to kill everything in the first round, using spells only when necessary.

Question: How are LA and RHD handled?

[megabyter5]

Fey Druid 3/Bard 2/Arcane Hierophant 10/Mystic Theurge 5//Sorcerer 4/Bard 16//Wilder 20

Be the master of Charisma.

[OneCalledBlue]

I ran a normal Gestalt PVP game once where when a player slays another player they may "steal" one "side" of the Gestalt and stich it onto themselves. So in the final round the two remaining players had a penta-gestalt. Stolen Gestalt tracks did not advance when they gained levels. So that level 3 Gestal track looked kinda sad by level 15.

I had a lot of class restrictions and it was a low magic game. So the extra gestalts often made a BIG difference until it got to high levels.

[dextercorvia]

As to why Wizard//Druid//Cleric is bad, the stat issues. You want to focus on one stat, so you wouldn't want the Int caster in there.
JaronK

One level of Tainted Scholar.

[Hazzardevil]

wizard\archivist\cleric wouuld actually be pretty wea by itself. Now one broken thing would be rkv with archivist\factorum\erudite. you have plenty of actions for swift actions and .manifesting. what else do you need?
anyway. I would enjoy taking part in thi with something similer to my build.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Here's my contribution.

Warblade 20//druid 20//factotum 20.

Totally overpowered.

[Lateral]

This is a were-bear who can get so angry he turns into a bear while he's a bear.

This may be the greatest sentence ever written.

Sup dawg, I heard you like bears so we put a bear in your bear so you can maul while you maul.

[Godskook]

Alternatively:

Artificer // Factotum // Warblade
Cleric // Totemist // Swordsage
Druid // Totemist // Swordsage

Some Swordsage levels may also be swapped for Ardent levels.

Its kinda sad that it took 28 posts before anyone bothered mentioning meldshapers. Have a cookie for being the first to awesome.

[JKTrickster]

In case anyone's wondering, there's actually a Triple Gestalt game going on right now (and I'm apart of it! )

So if anyone wants to see the crazy stuff we have planned it's starting.

[Acanous]

Propably go Focused Specialist Abjurer 3 Master Specialist 10 Initiate of the 7FV 7 / Factotum 20 / Bard 9 Legendary Leader 3 Heir of Syberis 5 Marshal 3.

My broken action economy comes with an invincible army. Also my Cohort is totally a Lion Totem Barbarian/Frenzied Berzerker/Blackguard.
Just to tank enemy saves for me. And deal surprising ammounts of damage.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Dammit, if only there was some way to toss arcane, psionics, divine and factotum onto there.

Wiz/Psi/Cerebremancer//Factotum//Archivist?

[flabort]

Here's a couple tables I made, because I was bored:

Spoiler

Show

{table]|1 PrC at a time / LA+HD as classes|any # of PrCs at once/ LA+HD as classes|1 PrC at a time / LA+HD on all sides as once| any # of PrCs/ LA+HD on all sides at once
Non-gestalt|x1|x1|x1|x1
"double"/standard Gestalt|x1.5|x2|x1.25|x1.75
"triple" gestalt|x2|x3|x1.5|x2.5[/table]
{table]|Dual Progression PrCs|No DPPrCs, Progress + Base|No DPPrCs, No progression w/ base
Non-gestalt|x1|x1|x1
Standard Gestalt|x1.5|x1.25|x1
"Triple" Gestalt|x2|x1.5|x1[/table]

Multiply the character's level by the value in the first table to determine their "effective" level for calculating Xp, or divide the enemy's CR by the same value instead. not both.
If you want to deal with the second table, add the two multipliers from each table, following normal rules for adding multipliers ((x2)+(x2)=(x3)).

By 1 PrC at a time, I mean you can't advance more than one PrC at any given level. And by any # of PrCs, I of course mean you can take a level of three different PrCs, so long as you qualify, on the same level.

By LA+HD as classes, I mean you can put LA and HD in your progression the same way as classes. So, LA 2/class 18//HD 4/class 16. By LA+HD on all sides, I mean that LA affects all sides of the gestalt, and same with racial HD. So, LA 2/HD 4/class 14//LA/HD 4/class 14.

By Dual Progression PrCs, I mean, sure, you can take mystic theurge. Take it at the same time as continuing levels of wizard, if you want. By No DPPrCs, Progress + Base, you can't take mystic theurge, or other dual progression PrCs, but you can take a wizard PrC at the same time as wizard. And by No DPPrCs, no Progression w/ Base, you need to take a different base class with your wizard PrC. By extension, if you can take more than 1 PrC per level, no taking more than one PrC that advances the same class at once.


It's probably best you DON'T use my tables, and that you DON'T use the second table if you use the first anyways.

Also:
Archivist 3/Mystic Theurge10/Archivist 4-10//Wizard 12/Archmage 5/wizard 13-15//psion 3/Cerebremancer 10/psion 4-10

Hey, look at that. Effectively wizard level 40. SAD. Minimum level Archmage entry. And how is it wizard 40? 15 wizard levels (15), 5 archmage (20), 10 Mystic theurge (30), 10 cerebremancer (40). AND it's effectively archivist 20 and psion 20. No Capstones, but meh.
All it's missing is factotum.

[Lateral]

The sad part is, it needs factotum, or else its insane amounts of spells mean very little.

[flabort]

I could replace the last 6 levels of psion with factotum?
Or even a 1 level dip at the very start to cut the psion to effectively 19?

I don't see psion as the strong point in the build, and am OK with sacrificing a level or two.