Darrin
2010-01-04, 02:27 PM
Archon of Nine
This build acquires all nine of the 9th level maneuvers by ECL 20. It does so without:
1) flaws (my previous Heaven of Nine (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871534/Tome_of_Battle_Build_Compendium_II?post_id=3384036 02#338403602) build)
2) magic items that grant maneuvers (Gideon_gideonson/Djinn_In_Tonic's Becoming Reshar (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=357.msg186705#msg186705))
3) heroics spell (Kirech's Peerless Master of the Sublime Way (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871346/Tome_of_Battle_Build_Compendium?post_id=338393250# 338393250))
4) retraining, psychic reformation, or Dark Chaos Shuffle
5) bloodline levels
The only real "trick" is it uses Legacy Champion to inflate its Initiator Level, similar to using bloodline levels, but is more mechanically sound from a RAW standpoint (the optional rules for bloodline levels are... shall we say, somewhat unclear and wonky). Due to Legacy Champion, it does require a legacy item and unlocking the Least Legacy feat, so if you lose that item you lose most of your class abilities from ECL 11-20. But once you pick up the Least Legacy feat, you can toss the legacy item into your haversack and ignore the rest of the Weapons of Legacy rules.
If we use Legacy Champion to advance Swordsage (including Initiator Level, maneuvers, and stances), we wind up with an effective Swordsage level of 12. The first level of Master of Nine adds another +1 IL. Our Warblade, Crusader, and Legacy Champion levels count as 1/2 IL, so 12 + 1 + (8 / 2) = 17 at ECL 16. Essentially, Legacy Champion levels 2-6 count as 1.5 ILs. When we take our 6th level of Legacy Champion, we pick up maneuvers as a 12th level Swordsage, so we get one new 9th level maneuver and replace an existing maneuver with a second 9th level maneuver. We need a total of 43 maneuvers or stances to get all of them. Actually, only 42, since we're replacing one of our prereqs with a 9th level maneuver.
Taking a look at the 9th level prereqs:
DW Inferno Blast 5
DS Strike of Righteous Vitality 3
DM Time Stands Still 4
IH Strike of Perfect Clarity 4
SS Tornado Throw 5
SH Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike 5
SD Mountain Tombstone Strike 0
TC Feral Death Blow 4
WR War Master's Charge 4
Total Prereqs: 34
34 (Prereqs) + 9 (9th level maneuvers) = 43
Here's how we get there:
Swordsage 12, 17 maneuvers + 4 stances
Warblade 1, 3 manuevers + 1 stance
Crusader 1, 5 maneuvers + 1 stance
Master of Nine, 8 manuvers + 2 stances
Total: 33 maneuvers + 8 stances + 1 (Martial Study) + 1 (replace maneuver) = 43
Feats:
We get 7 feats plus 1 bonus feat (human). We need one of those for Martial Study, and five of those for the Master of Nine prereqs (Adaptive Style, Blind-fight, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike). The only other feat we need is Least Legacy, which can be purchased for 1500-2500 GP by acquiring a legacy weapon and performing the Least Legacy ritual (Eventide's Edge is one of the cheapest, but Kamate's is probably the least annoying). There's two open feats at ECL 12 and 15, and we can also free up another one by using the Unarmed Swordsage variant to pick up Improved Unarmed Strike for free.
Suggested Feats: Snap Kick + Improved Critical, or Mage Slayer + Pierce Magical Concealment.
Race: Human, Azurin, Strongheart Halfling, or Hadozee
Stats: Str, Dex/Wis, Con, Int, Cha. Both Dex and Wis will add to your AC, but there aren't enough free feats to make use of TWF or Shadow Blade. There aren't enough levels of Warblade to make Int worthwhile, and while you need a lot of skill points for Master of Nine, Swordsage gets enough that you can probably get away with a small penalty there. And there aren't enough Crusader levels to make Charisma anything other than its usual fate as everybody's favorite dump stat.
1) Swordsage 1. IL = 1.0. Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Blindfight.
2) Swordsage 2. IL = 2.0.
3) Swordsage 3. IL = 3.0. Feat: Adaptive Style.
4) Swordsage 4. IL = 4.0.
5) Swordsage 5. IL = 5.0. (Note: pay ritual cost for Least Legacy, if available)
6) Swordsage 6. IL = 6.0. Feat: Improved Initiative.
7) Swordsage 7. IL = 7.0.
8) Warblade 1. IL = 4.5.
9) Crusader 1. IL = 5.0. Feat: Dodge/Desert Wind Dodge/Expeditious Dodge.
10) Master of Nine 1. IL = 9.0.
11) Legacy Champion 1. IL = 9.5.
12) Legacy Champion 2. IL = 11.0. Feat: {Open}.
13) Legacy Champion 3. IL = 12.5.
14) Legacy Champion 4. IL = 14.0.
15) Legacy Champion 5. IL = 15.5. Feat: {Open}.
16) Legacy Champion 6. IL = 17.0.
17) Master of Nine 2. IL = 18.0.
18) Master of Nine 3. IL = 19.0. Feat: Martial Study
19) Master of Nine 4. IL = 20.0.
20) Master of Nine 5. IL = 21.0.
Maneuver Progression:
This is not very optimal, mostly because you can't get into Legacy Champion until ECL 11. Otherwise you'd want to take your Warblade and Crusader levels as late as possible to pick up the best maneuvers available. The high number of prereqs you need for some disciplines also forces you to take maneuvers in discipline's you might normally ignore (Desert Wind, Setting Sun, etc.), and the limited number of maneuvers you can swap (Swordsage 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) tend to fall on inconvenient levels. Many of the great signature maneuvers just can't be picked up, most notably in Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, and White Raven. For these, you can rely on martial scripts and the various Crown of the White Raven novice/scholar/master items.
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike.
Swordsage 2: Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Island of Blades (stance).
Swordsage 3: Cloak of Deception
Swordsage 4: Shadow Jaunt, Fire Riposte (replacing Wind Stride).
Swordsage 5: Death Mark, Assassin's Stance (stance).
Swordsage 6: Zephyr Dance, Insightful Strike (replacing Sapphire Nightmare Blade)
Swordsage 7: Comet Throw.
Warblade 1: Steel Wind, Wall of Blades, Punishing Stance (stance), Sudden Leap
Crusader 1: Crusader's Strike, Foehammer, Revitalizing Strike, Leading the Charge (stance), Lion's Roar, White Raven Tactics.
Master of Nine 1: Pouncing Charge, Iron Heart Surge.
Swordsage 8: Scorpion Parry, Death From Above (replacing Wolf Fang Strike).
Swordsage 9: Greater Insightful Strike, Shifting Defense (stance).
Swordsage 10: Raging Mongoose, Shadow Stride (replacing Shadow Jaunt).
Swordsage 11: Fool's Strike.
Swordsage 12: Strike of Righteous Vitality, Tornado Throw (replacing Counter Charge).
Master of Nine 2: Stance of Alacrity (stance), Time Stands Still.
Master of Nine 3: Inferno Blast, Strike of Perfect Clarity, Mountain Tombstone Strike (Martial Study).
Master of Nine 4: Press the Advantage (stance), War Master's Charge.
Master of Nine 5: Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike, Feral Death Blow.
Reshar's Build?
If the original Reshar had a non-epic progression, I'm not sure if it would look like this. It may be safe to assume he had levels of Legacy Champion, given that ToB includes support for Weapons of Legacy and Reshar collected the legacy weapons for all nine disciplines at one point. The only other facts we know about Reshar is he was human, started studying with the hobgoblins as a Warblade, went into Swordsage next, and sometime after that mastered all nine disciplines. The first nine levels can be taken in any order, so if you want a build that more closely matches Reshar's fluff, take Warblade 1 first, followed by Swordsage 7, then Crusader 1. If so, then some adjustments need to be made to the first two levels of maneuvers:
Warblade 1: Moment of Perfect Mind, Steel Wind, Steely Strike, Punishing Stance (stance).
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap.
Variation: Unarmed Swordsage, early Master of Nine
If we use the Unarmed Swordsage variant to get Improved Unarmed Strike, we can get into Master of Nine before we take our Warblade and Crusader levels. This gives us two more 4th level maneuvers, and increases our IL so we can take both Iron Heart Surge and White Raven Tactics with our Warblade and Crusader levels.
1) Swordsage 1. IL = 1.0. Feat: Improved Initiative. Bonus: Blindfight. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
2) Swordsage 2. IL = 2.0.
3) Swordsage 3. IL = 3.0. Feat: Adaptive Style.
4) Swordsage 4. IL = 4.0.
5) Swordsage 5. IL = 5.0. (Note: pay ritual cost for Least Legacy, if available)
6) Swordsage 6. IL = 6.0. Feat: Dodge/Desert Wind Dodge/Expeditious Dodge.
7) Swordsage 7. IL = 7.0.
8) Master of Nine 1. IL = 8.0.
9) Warblade 1. IL = 5.5. Feat: {Open}.
10) Crusader 1. IL = 6.0.
11) Legacy Champion 1. IL = 9.5.
12) Legacy Champion 2. IL = 11.0. Feat: {Open}.
13) Legacy Champion 3. IL = 12.5.
14) Legacy Champion 4. IL = 14.0.
15) Legacy Champion 5. IL = 15.5. Feat: {Open}.
16) Legacy Champion 6. IL = 17.0.
17) Master of Nine 2. IL = 18.0.
18) Master of Nine 3. IL = 19.0. Feat: Martial Study
19) Master of Nine 4. IL = 20.0.
20) Master of Nine 5. IL = 21.0.
Feats:
9) Snap Kick or Staggering Strike
12) Mage Slayer or Improved Critical
15) Pierce Magical Concealment or Undo Resistance
Maneuver Progression:
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike.
Swordsage 2: Island of Blades (stance), Mountain Hammer.
Swordsage 3: Cloak of Deception
Swordsage 4: Shadow Jaunt, Sudden Leap (replacing Wolf Fang Strike).
Swordsage 5: Death Mark, Assassin's Stance (stance).
Swordsage 6: Insightful Strike, Fire Riposte (replacing Wind Stride)
Swordsage 7: Comet Throw.
Master of Nine 1: Searing Blade, Death From Above.
Warblade 1: Steel Wind, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge, Punishing Stance (stance).
Crusader 1: Crusader's Strike, Foehammer, Revitalizing Strike, Leading the Charge (stance), Lion's Roar, White Raven Tactics.
Swordsage 8: Scorpion Parry, Shadow Stride (replacing Shadow Jaunt).
Swordsage 9: Pouncing Charge, Shifting Defense (stance).
Swordsage 10: Raging Mongoose, Greater Insightful Strike (replacing Mountain Hammer).
Swordsage 11: Fool's Strike.
Swordsage 12: Strike of Righteous Vitality, Tornado Throw (replacing Counter Charge).
Master of Nine 2: Stance of Alacrity (stance), Time Stands Still.
Master of Nine 3: Inferno Blast, Strike of Perfect Clarity, Mountain Tombstone Strike (Martial Study).
Master of Nine 4: Press the Advantage (stance), War Master's Charge.
Master of Nine 5: Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike, Feral Death Blow.
This build acquires all nine of the 9th level maneuvers by ECL 20. It does so without:
1) flaws (my previous Heaven of Nine (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871534/Tome_of_Battle_Build_Compendium_II?post_id=3384036 02#338403602) build)
2) magic items that grant maneuvers (Gideon_gideonson/Djinn_In_Tonic's Becoming Reshar (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=357.msg186705#msg186705))
3) heroics spell (Kirech's Peerless Master of the Sublime Way (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871346/Tome_of_Battle_Build_Compendium?post_id=338393250# 338393250))
4) retraining, psychic reformation, or Dark Chaos Shuffle
5) bloodline levels
The only real "trick" is it uses Legacy Champion to inflate its Initiator Level, similar to using bloodline levels, but is more mechanically sound from a RAW standpoint (the optional rules for bloodline levels are... shall we say, somewhat unclear and wonky). Due to Legacy Champion, it does require a legacy item and unlocking the Least Legacy feat, so if you lose that item you lose most of your class abilities from ECL 11-20. But once you pick up the Least Legacy feat, you can toss the legacy item into your haversack and ignore the rest of the Weapons of Legacy rules.
If we use Legacy Champion to advance Swordsage (including Initiator Level, maneuvers, and stances), we wind up with an effective Swordsage level of 12. The first level of Master of Nine adds another +1 IL. Our Warblade, Crusader, and Legacy Champion levels count as 1/2 IL, so 12 + 1 + (8 / 2) = 17 at ECL 16. Essentially, Legacy Champion levels 2-6 count as 1.5 ILs. When we take our 6th level of Legacy Champion, we pick up maneuvers as a 12th level Swordsage, so we get one new 9th level maneuver and replace an existing maneuver with a second 9th level maneuver. We need a total of 43 maneuvers or stances to get all of them. Actually, only 42, since we're replacing one of our prereqs with a 9th level maneuver.
Taking a look at the 9th level prereqs:
DW Inferno Blast 5
DS Strike of Righteous Vitality 3
DM Time Stands Still 4
IH Strike of Perfect Clarity 4
SS Tornado Throw 5
SH Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike 5
SD Mountain Tombstone Strike 0
TC Feral Death Blow 4
WR War Master's Charge 4
Total Prereqs: 34
34 (Prereqs) + 9 (9th level maneuvers) = 43
Here's how we get there:
Swordsage 12, 17 maneuvers + 4 stances
Warblade 1, 3 manuevers + 1 stance
Crusader 1, 5 maneuvers + 1 stance
Master of Nine, 8 manuvers + 2 stances
Total: 33 maneuvers + 8 stances + 1 (Martial Study) + 1 (replace maneuver) = 43
Feats:
We get 7 feats plus 1 bonus feat (human). We need one of those for Martial Study, and five of those for the Master of Nine prereqs (Adaptive Style, Blind-fight, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike). The only other feat we need is Least Legacy, which can be purchased for 1500-2500 GP by acquiring a legacy weapon and performing the Least Legacy ritual (Eventide's Edge is one of the cheapest, but Kamate's is probably the least annoying). There's two open feats at ECL 12 and 15, and we can also free up another one by using the Unarmed Swordsage variant to pick up Improved Unarmed Strike for free.
Suggested Feats: Snap Kick + Improved Critical, or Mage Slayer + Pierce Magical Concealment.
Race: Human, Azurin, Strongheart Halfling, or Hadozee
Stats: Str, Dex/Wis, Con, Int, Cha. Both Dex and Wis will add to your AC, but there aren't enough free feats to make use of TWF or Shadow Blade. There aren't enough levels of Warblade to make Int worthwhile, and while you need a lot of skill points for Master of Nine, Swordsage gets enough that you can probably get away with a small penalty there. And there aren't enough Crusader levels to make Charisma anything other than its usual fate as everybody's favorite dump stat.
1) Swordsage 1. IL = 1.0. Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Blindfight.
2) Swordsage 2. IL = 2.0.
3) Swordsage 3. IL = 3.0. Feat: Adaptive Style.
4) Swordsage 4. IL = 4.0.
5) Swordsage 5. IL = 5.0. (Note: pay ritual cost for Least Legacy, if available)
6) Swordsage 6. IL = 6.0. Feat: Improved Initiative.
7) Swordsage 7. IL = 7.0.
8) Warblade 1. IL = 4.5.
9) Crusader 1. IL = 5.0. Feat: Dodge/Desert Wind Dodge/Expeditious Dodge.
10) Master of Nine 1. IL = 9.0.
11) Legacy Champion 1. IL = 9.5.
12) Legacy Champion 2. IL = 11.0. Feat: {Open}.
13) Legacy Champion 3. IL = 12.5.
14) Legacy Champion 4. IL = 14.0.
15) Legacy Champion 5. IL = 15.5. Feat: {Open}.
16) Legacy Champion 6. IL = 17.0.
17) Master of Nine 2. IL = 18.0.
18) Master of Nine 3. IL = 19.0. Feat: Martial Study
19) Master of Nine 4. IL = 20.0.
20) Master of Nine 5. IL = 21.0.
Maneuver Progression:
This is not very optimal, mostly because you can't get into Legacy Champion until ECL 11. Otherwise you'd want to take your Warblade and Crusader levels as late as possible to pick up the best maneuvers available. The high number of prereqs you need for some disciplines also forces you to take maneuvers in discipline's you might normally ignore (Desert Wind, Setting Sun, etc.), and the limited number of maneuvers you can swap (Swordsage 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) tend to fall on inconvenient levels. Many of the great signature maneuvers just can't be picked up, most notably in Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart, and White Raven. For these, you can rely on martial scripts and the various Crown of the White Raven novice/scholar/master items.
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike.
Swordsage 2: Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Island of Blades (stance).
Swordsage 3: Cloak of Deception
Swordsage 4: Shadow Jaunt, Fire Riposte (replacing Wind Stride).
Swordsage 5: Death Mark, Assassin's Stance (stance).
Swordsage 6: Zephyr Dance, Insightful Strike (replacing Sapphire Nightmare Blade)
Swordsage 7: Comet Throw.
Warblade 1: Steel Wind, Wall of Blades, Punishing Stance (stance), Sudden Leap
Crusader 1: Crusader's Strike, Foehammer, Revitalizing Strike, Leading the Charge (stance), Lion's Roar, White Raven Tactics.
Master of Nine 1: Pouncing Charge, Iron Heart Surge.
Swordsage 8: Scorpion Parry, Death From Above (replacing Wolf Fang Strike).
Swordsage 9: Greater Insightful Strike, Shifting Defense (stance).
Swordsage 10: Raging Mongoose, Shadow Stride (replacing Shadow Jaunt).
Swordsage 11: Fool's Strike.
Swordsage 12: Strike of Righteous Vitality, Tornado Throw (replacing Counter Charge).
Master of Nine 2: Stance of Alacrity (stance), Time Stands Still.
Master of Nine 3: Inferno Blast, Strike of Perfect Clarity, Mountain Tombstone Strike (Martial Study).
Master of Nine 4: Press the Advantage (stance), War Master's Charge.
Master of Nine 5: Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike, Feral Death Blow.
Reshar's Build?
If the original Reshar had a non-epic progression, I'm not sure if it would look like this. It may be safe to assume he had levels of Legacy Champion, given that ToB includes support for Weapons of Legacy and Reshar collected the legacy weapons for all nine disciplines at one point. The only other facts we know about Reshar is he was human, started studying with the hobgoblins as a Warblade, went into Swordsage next, and sometime after that mastered all nine disciplines. The first nine levels can be taken in any order, so if you want a build that more closely matches Reshar's fluff, take Warblade 1 first, followed by Swordsage 7, then Crusader 1. If so, then some adjustments need to be made to the first two levels of maneuvers:
Warblade 1: Moment of Perfect Mind, Steel Wind, Steely Strike, Punishing Stance (stance).
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap.
Variation: Unarmed Swordsage, early Master of Nine
If we use the Unarmed Swordsage variant to get Improved Unarmed Strike, we can get into Master of Nine before we take our Warblade and Crusader levels. This gives us two more 4th level maneuvers, and increases our IL so we can take both Iron Heart Surge and White Raven Tactics with our Warblade and Crusader levels.
1) Swordsage 1. IL = 1.0. Feat: Improved Initiative. Bonus: Blindfight. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
2) Swordsage 2. IL = 2.0.
3) Swordsage 3. IL = 3.0. Feat: Adaptive Style.
4) Swordsage 4. IL = 4.0.
5) Swordsage 5. IL = 5.0. (Note: pay ritual cost for Least Legacy, if available)
6) Swordsage 6. IL = 6.0. Feat: Dodge/Desert Wind Dodge/Expeditious Dodge.
7) Swordsage 7. IL = 7.0.
8) Master of Nine 1. IL = 8.0.
9) Warblade 1. IL = 5.5. Feat: {Open}.
10) Crusader 1. IL = 6.0.
11) Legacy Champion 1. IL = 9.5.
12) Legacy Champion 2. IL = 11.0. Feat: {Open}.
13) Legacy Champion 3. IL = 12.5.
14) Legacy Champion 4. IL = 14.0.
15) Legacy Champion 5. IL = 15.5. Feat: {Open}.
16) Legacy Champion 6. IL = 17.0.
17) Master of Nine 2. IL = 18.0.
18) Master of Nine 3. IL = 19.0. Feat: Martial Study
19) Master of Nine 4. IL = 20.0.
20) Master of Nine 5. IL = 21.0.
Feats:
9) Snap Kick or Staggering Strike
12) Mage Slayer or Improved Critical
15) Pierce Magical Concealment or Undo Resistance
Maneuver Progression:
Swordsage 1: Burning Blade, Flame's Blessing (stance), Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike.
Swordsage 2: Island of Blades (stance), Mountain Hammer.
Swordsage 3: Cloak of Deception
Swordsage 4: Shadow Jaunt, Sudden Leap (replacing Wolf Fang Strike).
Swordsage 5: Death Mark, Assassin's Stance (stance).
Swordsage 6: Insightful Strike, Fire Riposte (replacing Wind Stride)
Swordsage 7: Comet Throw.
Master of Nine 1: Searing Blade, Death From Above.
Warblade 1: Steel Wind, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge, Punishing Stance (stance).
Crusader 1: Crusader's Strike, Foehammer, Revitalizing Strike, Leading the Charge (stance), Lion's Roar, White Raven Tactics.
Swordsage 8: Scorpion Parry, Shadow Stride (replacing Shadow Jaunt).
Swordsage 9: Pouncing Charge, Shifting Defense (stance).
Swordsage 10: Raging Mongoose, Greater Insightful Strike (replacing Mountain Hammer).
Swordsage 11: Fool's Strike.
Swordsage 12: Strike of Righteous Vitality, Tornado Throw (replacing Counter Charge).
Master of Nine 2: Stance of Alacrity (stance), Time Stands Still.
Master of Nine 3: Inferno Blast, Strike of Perfect Clarity, Mountain Tombstone Strike (Martial Study).
Master of Nine 4: Press the Advantage (stance), War Master's Charge.
Master of Nine 5: Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike, Feral Death Blow.