Elf Spellsword

[GawainBS]

Personally, I've found that some of the best Gish polymorphs are Giants.

J0lt: have you given your spell selection any thought?

[Ubernoob]

Personally, I've found that some of the best Gish polymorphs are Giants.

J0lt: have you given your spell selection any thought?

Assuming you don't have the feats for otherworldly or the spells available for fiendform, those are pretty good runners up.  Abberations also tend to have high stats for their HD iirc.

[GawainBS]

Personally, I've found that some of the best Gish polymorphs are Giants.

J0lt: have you given your spell selection any thought?

Assuming you don't have the feats for otherworldly or the spells available for fiendform, those are pretty good runners up.  Abberations also tend to have high stats for their HD iirc.

I have no idea what fiendform or otherwordly are.
Problem with some aberrations is that they lack the hands necessary to keep casting spells and using weapons.
Giants grant you: more STR, more CON, more Armour, better weapon base damage (w00t at this one...  ), reach (!!!) and the ability to keep on casting. There are probably better forms, but my DM generally objects against them. A Giant is pretty much "safe" in the fact that it is Core.

[Ubernoob]

Personally, I've found that some of the best Gish polymorphs are Giants.

J0lt: have you given your spell selection any thought?

Assuming you don't have the feats for otherworldly or the spells available for fiendform, those are pretty good runners up.  Abberations also tend to have high stats for their HD iirc.

I have no idea what fiendform or otherwordly are.
Problem with some aberrations is that they lack the hands necessary to keep casting spells and using weapons.
Giants grant you: more STR, more CON, more Armour, better weapon base damage (w00t at this one...  ), reach (!!!) and the ability to keep on casting. There are probably better forms, but my DM generally objects against them. A Giant is pretty much "safe" in the fact that it is Core.

Giants are high str typically (like, top tier for str forms), but lack NA, dex, and their sizes aren't that amazing for their HD.  But, they come in humanoid shape, so are good for that.  Abberations that are humanoid in shape are rare, but they typically have higher str, dex, con, and NA than similar HD creatures of any type except outsiders because abberation HD blow so designers give them higher stats.  Fiendform is a spell in SC and otherworldly is a regional feat in PGtF.  Both let you use polymorph to grab outsiders (which end up being your top tier form for the HD 99% of the time for gishes).

The core comment is of course completely valid, but if you're sticking to core you have to keep things like annis hags as your benchmarks because you get them as soon as you get polymorph.

That all make sense?

[Runestar]

My gish is very happy with Education and Knowledge Devotion feats. Education is from Eberron and at least one other source. It makes all Knowledge skills always class skills, which is useful for Knowledge Devotion. That's from Complete Champion. I know, it's not in your booklist, but maybe your DM lets you take it? It grants bonuses to hit and damage based on various Knowledge checks. As a (part) wizard, that's easy to pull off.

IIRC, the PGTF version of education grants slightly better bonuses (+2 on the 2 skill checks, rather than +1), but may be more restrictive depending on how strictly your DM enforces the starting region requirements.

[j0lt]

I noticed you have EWP (Courtblade) at 3rd level and Improved Critical (Thinblade) at 11th.  I'm assuming this is a copy-paste error.  Are you using the Courtblade?

Yeah, that's an error, I'm using the Courtblade.  I'm just gonna go with your (and kurashu's) suggestion and drop Imp.Crit, I'm sure I'll be able to get the Keen enchantment by then.
Which do you recommend going for first: Keen or Spell Storing?

I forgot what your Str score is?  If it's at least 13, Power Attack seems like a prime candidate for a gish.  Pick up Wraith Strike and you can do some serious damage with that (although I'm not sure if you have the books necessary for that).

15 14 12 16 10 10
Strength will go to 16 at level 4, then all the other Ability Score increases will go to Int.

J0lt: have you given your spell selection any thought?

I've gone through core and picked out a few basic spells really quickly:
1
Burning Hands
Magic Missile
Mage Armour
Identify
Feather Fall
2
Scorching Ray
Invisibility

Revised Feats List:
1 - Improved Toughness
3 - Exotic Weapon Proficiency (elven courtblade)
4 - (fighter bonus feat) Improved Initiative
5 - (fighter bonus feat) Power Attack
6 - ?
8 - (spellsword bonus feat) Quicken Spell
9 - Arcane Strike
11 - (eldritch knight bonus feat) Cleave
12 - Practiced Spellcaster
15 - ?
18 - ?

This leaves me 3 more feat slots...  More ideas!  More, I say! 

[RobbyPants]

If you seriously have that many slots open, make sure to take Improved Initiative.  At higher levels, that's what determines a fight.  Weapon Focus could work fine too, although I think there are better feats to take (like Extend Spell).

[j0lt]

Imp.Init is at level 4.   

[TheChrisWaits]

Craft Contingent Spell (Complete Arcane) at 15 might be nice. Have a contingent buff that triggers when you enter combat or somesuch.

[GawainBS]

Mirror Image is better than Invisibility.

@uber: I hadn't noticed Fiendform before and I don't own the PGtF. Our DM wouldn't allow it anyway. But thanks for the suggestion.

[Prime32]

Mirror Image is better than Invisibility.

Except for, y'know, they can see you. Not much use for surprise attacks.

[j0lt]

Mirror Image is better than Invisibility.

Except for, y'know, they can see you. Not much use for surprise attacks.

Exactly! 
Last time I had a similar build, I used invisibility to get in close to deliver the glass cannon shot.
This time, I'm hoping my cannon's at least made of plexiglass! 

[Ubernoob]

Mirror Image is better than Invisibility.

@uber: I hadn't noticed Fiendform before and I don't own the PGtF. Our DM wouldn't allow it anyway. But thanks for the suggestion.

http://www.realmshelps.dandello.net/datafind/feats.shtml

Always handy.

[j0lt]

Since my familiar is going to suck anyways, I might as well just choose Toad for the extra HP.  That, along with Improved Toughness is 4 free HP at 1st! 

[Prime32]

Since my familiar is going to suck anyways, I might as well just choose Toad for the extra HP.  That, along with Improved Toughness is 4 free HP at 1st! 

Take the normal version of Toughness, then retrain it at 3rd level.

I take it you can't get that Dragon option approved?


Note that if you trade your familiar for something else, then take Attain Familiar feat for a new one, its abilities are based on your caster level instead of your class level. You should still be able to trade in the familiar from that feat for, say, a ranger animal companion (which you can improve with Natural Bond, if you wish).

Instead of having the familiar of a 4th-level wizard, you'll have the animal companion of a 12th-level druid.

[Ubernoob]

Since my familiar is going to suck anyways, I might as well just choose Toad for the extra HP.  That, along with Improved Toughness is 4 free HP at 1st! 

Get a rat.  Rats are awesome.

Note that if you trade your familiar for something else, then take Attain Familiar feat for a new one, its abilities are based on your caster level instead of your class level. You should still be able to trade in the familiar from that feat for, say, a ranger animal companion (which you can improve with Natural Bond, if you wish).

Instead of having the familiar of a 4th-level wizard, you'll have the animal companion of a 12th-level druid.

You can't do that.  At all.

[Agita]

Note that if you trade your familiar for something else, then take Attain Familiar feat for a new one, its abilities are based on your caster level instead of your class level. You should still be able to trade in the familiar from that feat for, say, a ranger animal companion (which you can improve with Natural Bond, if you wish).

Instead of having the familiar of a 4th-level wizard, you'll have the animal companion of a 12th-level druid.

You can't do that.  At all.

I'm pretty sure you can, actually.

EDIT: After reading over it again, I don't know if it would work with the feat.

[j0lt]

Since my familiar is going to suck anyways, I might as well just choose Toad for the extra HP.  That, along with Improved Toughness is 4 free HP at 1st! 

Get a rat.  Rats are awesome.

Yeah, but a Rat only grants me a bonus to Fort, which I'll have pretty solid.  Those 3 extra HP are gonna be REALLY important!  Especially considering that I'll most likely be playing this character with only one or two other party members!

[Ubernoob]

Note that if you trade your familiar for something else, then take Attain Familiar feat for a new one, its abilities are based on your caster level instead of your class level. You should still be able to trade in the familiar from that feat for, say, a ranger animal companion (which you can improve with Natural Bond, if you wish).

Instead of having the familiar of a 4th-level wizard, you'll have the animal companion of a 12th-level druid.

You can't do that.  At all.

I'm pretty sure you can, actually.

EDIT: After reading over it again, I don't know if it would work with the feat.

Exactly.  Not with the feat.

Since my familiar is going to suck anyways, I might as well just choose Toad for the extra HP.  That, along with Improved Toughness is 4 free HP at 1st! 

Get a rat.  Rats are awesome.

Yeah, but a Rat only grants me a bonus to Fort, which I'll have pretty solid.  Those 3 extra HP are gonna be REALLY important!  Especially considering that I'll most likely be playing this character with only one or two other party members!

I wasn't clear.  Eventually you'll want a rat instead.  Right now a toad is quite good (level 1 is tough).

[j0lt]

Problem is, I'll only ever have 4 levels of Wizard, which means the familiar is going to be the valedictorian of suckland.  I figure I'll just take the 3hp and ignore the familiar from then on in.  (if I really have to, I'll just have it follow along with the wagon/in my backpack)

BTW, here's the online character sheet:
http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/view.php?id=93596