Karmic Strike and Robilar's Gambit

[hemophage]

so, i found an optimization build somewhere, that used karmic strike and robilar's gambit in addition to some prestige classes abilities to gain +4 to hit and +4 to dmg for each AoO not taken during a round. I cannot for the life of my find this build or prestige class despite all my searching. does anyone know the name or book that this prestige class is out of?

Thank you in advance for any help

[The_Snark]

It's not a prestige class, it's a tactical feat - Stormguard Warrior, I believe, from Tome of Battle. And yes, one of the options it gives is the ability to refrain from making AoOs in exchange for a +4 bonus to attack/damage rolls per attack you didn't take against that target. (That is, if 1 guy attacks you twice and another attacks you once, you get +8 against the first and +4 against the second.)

Combine that with Robilar's Gambit, and anyone who attacks you will get a +4 bonus to attack and damage to all attacks—but you'll get a +4 bonus to attack and damage for each attack they make. It's an even trade at the very worst, and the more they attack you the better it gets. Against certain enemies (like dragons and hydras), the bonuses are ridiculous... though you'll have to survive to make use of them.

Add Karmic Strike into the mix, and you take another -4 AC but gain an additional +4 for every attack that successfully hits you. (Drawback: Karmic Strike has some inconvenient prerequisites.) At this point you're doing a lot of damage, but you had better make sure you have a lot of hit points, damage reduction, concealment, or something to keep you from dying too quickly.

It's a neat combo (and Stormguard Warrior has another nice option as well), but you're a bit of a glass cannon. Also, make sure it's not your only trick - need to be able to contribute if your enemies decide to pick on someone else.

[Malachei]

Jack B. Quick (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19869062/6_hits_to_1:_Jack_B._Quick), one of my favorite builds uses both, combined with Double Hit and High Sword, Low Axe for tripping.

Regarding glass cannon: Of course, Karmic Strike's usefulness depends on the chances to hit and the average damage dealt. It is a problem if your AC is so high that your enemy hits you only on, let's say, a 20 pre-Karmic, and going Karmic makes you take five times the damage due to -4 AC. In this situation, you'd leave it off. As many monsters easily hit in and after the mid levels, this scenario is not too likely.