[3.5] Optimizing Gestalt Warblade/Crusader

[Krotchrot]

In a new Gestalt game I'm in I have chosen the route of being up front and personal. To this end I've chosen my path as Crusader/Warblade. I am playing a Half-Elf and will go into the Eternal Blade. As my first level feat I picked up EWP:Spiked Chain. I was wondering about other feats I should give a look into as well as Class Dipping I could use for extra feats. I've got 2 levels of Warrior and Rogue(Thug variant) in mind. I am going to pick up Power Attack as my Next Feat. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. I'm leaning towards a Charger/Jumper build with the way my Skill points will be falling in line.

[Jeff the Green]

So, first off, are you set on Warblade//Crusader? They're not terribly synergetic for gestalt. They both have good BAB, high fort, low will and reflex, high HD, and maneuvers. Really the main thing you get from gestalting them is a wider variety of maneuvers, since neither class has the Swordsage's problems of having a limited number of maneuvers available per encounter.

If you are set on the combo, consider instead of half-elf being a wild, wood or snow elf (wild and wood are on the SRD, snow is from Frostburn). Half-elf doesn't really benefit anything other than a diplomacy build, while the others will net you some bonuses to useful stats, and snow elf only dings your dump stat (CHA).

If you want to use a spiked chain, you should probably go for tripping, so pick up Combat Expertise and Improved Trip. If flaws are available, you can get them at first level. If not, a two-level dip in fighter will get them for you.

On the other hand, if you want to do damage, pick up Power Attack now, and don't worry about the chain. Grab either a greatsword or a polearm and gauntlet. It frees up a feat and does more damage to boot. Get Improved Bullrush from a flaw, and then either Leap Attack or Shock Trooper at 6th level and the other through a Fighter dip or at 9th.

If you aren't set on Warblade//Crusader, consider going Warblade10/Eternalblade10//Factotum1/Fighter2/Factotum17. You get some nice INT synergy, more skillpoints, and some spells for backup, plus the ability to burn an inspiration point for a standard action, and Warblades are action-starved to begin with. The only thing you'll really lose is access to Devoted Spirit maneuvers.

[playswithfire]

I might also toss out Barbarian 2/Warblade X//Thug Rogue Y/Swordsage Z with Kung Fu Genius/Carmendine Monk to switch the Swordsage AC bonus from WIS to INT. A few levels of Bloodclaw Master would also fit.
Swordsage gets you weapon focus(spiked chain) and Wolf Totem barbarian gets Improved Trip with Combat Expertise and Lion Spirit Totem gets you pounce, freeing up some feat slots.

[Snowbluff]

You could Dip Bard, song of the White Raven, some Bardic Music Feats. Keep one Side Pure for Full Music Progression. Perhaps Bard6/WB14//Crusader10/EB10 in those orders (last 10 levels on one side should be WB or Crusader).

[Snowbluff]

I might also toss out Barbarian 2/Warblade X//Thug Rogue Y/Swordsage Z with Kung Fu Genius/Carmendine Monk to switch the Swordsage AC bonus from WIS to INT. A few levels of Bloodclaw Master would also fit.
Swordsage gets you weapon focus(spiked chain) and Wolf Totem barbarian gets Improved Trip with Combat Expertise and Lion Spirit Totem gets you pounce, freeing up some feat slots.

IF you have WB and SS and you can retrain ALL of the Weapon Focus feats to different weapons.

[Jeff the Green]

IF you have WB and SS and you can retrain ALL of the Weapon Focus feats to different weapons.

I don't think that's true. You don't actually get Weapon Focus from Swordsage 1, you get the benefit of Weapon Focus.

[Snowbluff]

I don't think that's true. You don't actually get Weapon Focus from Swordsage 1, you get the benefit of Weapon Focus.

In that case, be undead. The benefit of the Heal strike is +10 healing/level. Really it's up to interpretation, but I agree with you.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Warblade//Crusader is actually quite bad, considering that you'll still only get one strike per round. However, this is a perfect opportunity for you to use this character (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12672635&postcount=3), with a slight variation of this build (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12785974&postcount=61) which only gets better with gestalt. Note that your first seven levels are entirely focused on gaining bonus feats:

1. Warblade 1// Feat Rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) 1, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
2. Warblade 2// Feat Rogue 2, Martial Study: Vanguard Strike; Spell Reflection ACF (CM)
3. Warbalde 3// Crusader 1, Adaptive Style
4. Warbalde 4// Psion 1, Speed of Thought
5. Warbalde 5// Cobra-Strike Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cobraStrike) 1, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Blind-Fight
6. Warbalde 6// Psychic Warrior 1, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization
7. Warbalde 7// Psychic Warrior 2, Improved Initiative
8. Warbalde 8// Master of Nine 1
9. Warbalde 9// Master of Nine 2, Extra Granted Maneuver, Stone Power
10. Warbalde 10// Master of Nine 3
11. Warbalde 11// Eternal Blade 1
12. Warbalde 12// Eternal Blade 2, Melee Weapon Mastery
13. Warbalde 13// Eternal Blade 3, (Warblade bonus feat)
14. Warbalde 14// Eternal Blade 4
15. Warbalde 15// Eternal Blade 5, Defensive Sweep
16. Warbalde 16// Eternal Blade 6
17. Warbalde 17// Eternal Blade 7, (Warblade bonus feat)
18. Warbalde 18// Eternal Blade 8, Greater Weapon Focus
19. Fighter 1// Eternal Blade 9, Greater Weapon Specialization
20. Fighter 2// Eternal Blade 10, Weapon Supremacy

Maneuvers and Stances Known:
Warblade; Crusader; removed
1. Charging Minotaur, Stone Bones, Leading the Attack, Bolstering Voice
2. Douse the Flames, Vanguard Strike
3. Wall of Blades; Crusader's Strike, Martial Spirit or Iron Guard's Glare
4. Mountain Hammer, Punishing Stance; Douse the Flames
5. Iron Heart Surge
6. Battle Leader's Charge; Charging Minotaur
7. Mithral Tornado
8. Lightning Recovery; Moment of Perfect Mind; Stone Bones
9. Elder Mountain Hammer; Action Before Thought, Mind Over Body, Thicket of Blades
10. Dazing Strike, Hearing the Air; Divine Surge, White Raven Tactics*; Leading the Attack
11. Rallying Strike, Manticore Parry
12. War Leader's Charge; Battle Leader's Charge
13. Ancient Mountain Hammer; Flanking Maneuver
14. Colossus Strike; Mountain Hammer
15. Diamond Nightmare Blade, White Raven Hammer, Immortal Fortitude
16. Adamantine Hurricane, Stance of Alacrity; Mithral Tornado
17. Strike of Perfect Clarity; Scything Blade
18. War Master's Charge; Dazing Strike
19. Strike of Righteous Vitality
*Potentially/extremely game-breaking if you target yourself with it.

You apply all three levels of Master of Nine to Crusader for maneuvers known/readied and stances known. You apply the 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 9th levels of Eternal Blade to Crusader for maneuvers known/readied, all other Eternal Blade levels apply to Warblade. Your Crusader maneuvers actually known and maneuvers readied (granted) at a given level are as follows:
3. 1; 5 (2)
8. 3; 6 (3)
9. 4; 7 (5)
10. 6; 8 (6)
13. 7; 9 (7)
16. 7; 10 (8)
17. 8; 10 (8)
19. 9; 11 (9)
Note that italicized maneuvers are available for you to use every single round, they all get recovered and re-granted at the end of each of your turns. You can just spam one maneuver round after round after round, spam the same boost every round, have your Concentration-save maneuvers available to use every round, etc. That's the Idiot Crusader in action, he knows only as many maneuvers as he's granted, since you can't learn the same maneuver more than once.

Get a continuous-effect custom item of Undersong from Spell Compendium as early as possible, preferably prior to 8th level. It should only cost 3,000 gp created at a caster level of one, or you could even add the effect to an existing item for 4,500 gp. Note that your effective Fighter level for qualifying for Fighter-exclusive feats is your (Warblade level -2) + Fighter level, so I included a means to gain the coveted Weapon Supremacy at 20th level. If you don't want to go that route, you can go Warblade 20 and replace a few of those feats for something else. Forget the Monk AC bonus even exists, wear light or medium armor and get an animated shield.

[Krotchrot]

Awesome ideas, one thing that I forgot about was that our DM makes us take the Main Class of Gestalt as our Favored class and locks us in it. Part of the reason I choose Half-Elf, it opens up so I can be any Favored Class. I have been thinking of keeping Warblade as my Primary and then as my secondary going with Factotum(also suggested by another friend) with possible dips into Thug variant Rogue and Fighter for extra feats. Not to mention with a Couple of Fonts of Inspiration I can see some crazy stuff. I think I might just drop the Spiked Chain. Realizing that I could use a Guisarme/Spiked Gauntlet possibly even the Greatsword as well. I had an idea to use a Mercurial Greatsword, then realized that its from 3.0. Knowing that I have to keep my "Favored Class" thus Warblade all the way, I think only Humans and Half-Elves are the only races with "Any" as a favored class.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

On that build I made, it was late and I didn't include maneuvers from enough disciplines to actually qualify for Master of Nine. It's easily fixed by switching the Psion level for Swordsage, which gets you Weapon Focus, so put Speed of Thought at Psychic Warrior 1.