D&D 3E/3.5 WotBS (3.5) character help. One hell of a badass cat.

[Zesty Gordita]

I will be in an upcoming War of the Burning Sky campaign, and my DM has allowed me to try out a race that I have just fallen in love with from the Dragon Compendium. The Tibbit. I need your expert help figuring out how to make a build for a specific character feel.

Relevant info:
40 point-buy
Tier-based Gestalt (only one prestige class at a time) [No double Tier 1, No double Tier 2, no Tier 1 and 2]
Practically any classes allowed
Pathfinder feat progression

He is allowing a homebrew class as well, of which I am thinking only 1 or 2 levels, mainly for some flavor for the character. Now on to the flavor.

I was thinking of having this character stay in his cat form for... the majority of the campaign. He thinks highly of himself, hailing from "royalty." He would rather not do any strenuous work (done by being carried on a cushion created from his psychic abilities by an Unseen Servant created by a Collar of Perpetual Attendance). I was thinking perhaps going into Psionics, thus not needing any material or somatic components. If possible, he would also be the speaker of the party, doing the majority of the diplomacy and such.

And now my problem, I have not really... dealt with Psionics and the like. And I am looking for any help to make this an awesome, diplomatic, and death dealing cat. All from a soft cushion.

Tiers link: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5293
Homebrew Class: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215075
Collar: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c

 

[Dozen]

Never having played or DM'd for Manifesters, I for one can only make educated guesses, but I have been once pounded to uncounsciousness during a party split in a warehouse by a Shadowmind. Might have been the first and only encounter I called BS on, because I literally had no idea what was happening, and the moment I decided to take Force of Personality or an Armor of Confidence every time I dump Wisdom.

I was later told it was because that *?#Đ- khm, Psion used her Mind Stab ability on me. From my character's viewpoint, wounds just sort of appeared on his body out of nowhere, while in reality she was most likely standing right in front of his face and messing it up with Sneak Attacks.

So the idea is boils down to you taking levels in Shadowmind as soon as you can. I wish I could tell you more, but as I said, I'm not much better with psionics than you are. The real candy - Mind Stab - is at 10th level, and you'd have to get Diplomacy from your other class, but the PrC gives Autohypnosis and a good couple of Rogue Skills to make up for it, and if you ran low on Power Points, you are still a cat with maxed out stealth and Cloud Mind; you can just walk away to sleep on your pillow, nobody will notice. There, not strenuous(none of that tedious, complicated "battle" bullsh*t, you just stand there and stab people, essentially), deceptive, and definitely awesome, for you and your party anyway. What do you think?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Ohhh... Tibbit's are fun.

I've played 3 Tibbit characters: tibbit warlock Puck The Uncanny Hellcat, a Tibbit Dragonfire Adept and a Tibbit Psion. Super fun and rediculious.

I played them as almost always in cat form, disdaining the idea of looking like a Halfling.

Remember to find a way to communicate before you get the ability to speak telepathically.

The Tibbit Psion was of the Telepath discipline. The Thrallherd PrC would likely fit your character's personality. Perhaps if you want to play the diplomat role, have the Marshal class on the other side of Psion?

What level are you starting at? Are you asking for suggestions for a gestalt character build?

Do you have both Expanded Psionics Handbook and Complete Psionics to work from?

 

[Zesty Gordita]

Dozen:
I'll definitely have to look into that Shadowmind PRC, sounds like a bunch of fun. That actually helps out with some other stuff I was looking for as well. Thanks for the help!

RUMBLETiGER:
We're starting at level 1 I believe. Luckily for me (I think?) my DM wants me to be able to speak (even though the Tibbit normally can't) and thus he's giving me speech in my cat form.
Suggestions would be most appreciated as I am rather lost at the moment. And I do indeed have access to both those books.
Marshal could actually fit very nicely.


Also, I suppose I should mention this. As far as I know, the party will consist of 6 PCs and 1 NPC. All I know about the other characters is that 1 will possibly be a Lupin Druid or Ranger//Something, another will be a Warlock, and the NPC is going to be some mixture of a Bard/Paladin of Freedom/Seela Paragon/Wilder.

So far I was thinking something like:
Soulcrafter 2/Ardent ?(or Marshal instead?)//Psion ?
Str 3, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 18 (For cat form stats)
The only real point of the Soulcrafter class (as it is more of a melee class) is to get the Soulcraft ability (and Free Draw) so I can manifest cushions, couches, balls of yarn, or whatever mundane object I wish for my pleasure and comfort.
I was also debating on taking Leadership at some point and getting a pair of Dvati to serve me.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

For making objects, how about go with the Psion Shaper Discipline, and at level 1 you can get the Power Psionic Minor Creation?

As per the Minor Creation spell, "You create a nonmagical, unattended object of nonliving, vegetable matter. The volume of the item created cannot exceed 1 cubic foot per caster level. You must succeed on an appropriate skill check to make a complex item"

I'm thinking cotton pillows with cotton stuffing, balls of twine from plant fibers, wooden chairs... all should be within the bounds of this power, without you needing to take a few levels in something else. As a Power I don't think it has the spell's material component. The duration is a minute to create the object, and it will last for an hour per level. I see that the Soulcrafting ability is a Move Action, so debate within yourself it it's worth a 2 level dip for contrasting 6 seconds to 60 and the ongoing duration of the object's existence.

Another option might be the Psionic Floating Disk.

 

[Dozen]

You can find it in Complete Adventurer.

Oh, and also, since the DM is open to sources and uses some Pathfinder rules to begin with, you may want to consider the revised version.

 

[nijineko]

if you do decide to go thrallherd, avoid taking leadership, as the class nixes retroactively the leadership feat. thrallherds have their own built-in leadership class ability, which actually functions slightly more powerfully than the leadership feat.

you may also be able to talk your dm into letting you have an item which allows you to do psionic minor creation at will. perhaps offer to sacrifice your share of treasure until it is "paid off". limiting the race and/or class will knock off a bit of the price, there are other options which can knock off more.

going shaper will allow you to 'summon servants' (astral constructs). which can be played up the royal angle for fun and profit by naming them and giving constructs of certain abilities specific quirks and even personalities.