Kensai and ToB

[Eugenides]

Basically, exactly what the title says: are there any good combinations of Kensai with Tome of Battle?

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'm inclined to say no.

Kensai's class features all revolve around advancing kensai. The class is almost useless for a dip. You could stagger a martial adept with kensai (after you qualify) such that every third level is, for example, a crusader level allowing you to get up to a reasonably high level of maneuvers.

There's no real synergy except in the kensai's power surge feature making him hit that much harder, or perhaps his ability to parse out his BaB to an ally while he uses white raven maneuvers to make that ally look awesome.

It's not a bad fit, but it's not spectacular either.

[HunterColt22]

I'm inclined to say no.

Kensai's class features all revolve around advancing kensai. The class is almost useless for a dip. You could stagger a martial adept with kensai (after you qualify) such that every third level is, for example, a crusader level allowing you to get up to a reasonably high level of maneuvers.

There's no real synergy except in the kensai's power surge feature making him hit that much harder, or perhaps his ability to parse out his BaB to an ally while he uses white raven maneuvers to make that ally look awesome.

It's not a bad fit, but it's not spectacular either.

What about the opposite though? What if you go in, from say, a warblade into Kensai. :/ I do not much about the class though because I never played one.

[Amphetryon]

If you can pick up Ride as a class skill somewhere, Warblade and the Diamond Mind maneuvers have good synergy, since you'll be wanting to pump Concentration anyway.

[eggs]

If you can get a good batch of natural weapons, enhancements can get pretty expensive, even with a Necklace of Natural Attacks. But getting that extra damage per attacks can be some decent damage output.

So for a natural weapon-reliant Tiger claw-user. Kensai's weapon enhancements might be worth dipping a couple levels. Added to the Concentration/Diamond Mind thing, I think the Warblade/Kensai could be viable.

I don't think there's a very compelling reason to go past Kensai 5 though.

[Talionis]

If you can pick up Ride as a class skill somewhere, Warblade and the Diamond Mind maneuvers have good synergy, since you'll be wanting to pump Concentration anyway.

A Ring of Undersong (Bard level 1 spell from Spell Compedium) allows you to change those from a Concentration check to a Perform Check. Changing the stat from Constitution to Charisma. For some builds optimizing Charisma that might be important.

[Kelb_Panthera]

What about the opposite though? What if you go in, from say, a warblade into Kensai. :/ I do not much about the class though because I never played one.

Being a PrC, you have to come into kensai from somewhere else anyway. Like I said though, the fewer levels you put into kensai, the less you get out of the class. This is true of any class, but especially of kensai since almost all of his class features are keyed to his kensai level.

If you're in it for the signature weapon, just take a dip in OA's samurai. Ancestral daisho keys off of character level. The cost for ancestral daisho is in gold, but it's still cheaper than buying a weapon, IIRC.

Power surge is nigh useless till level 4 because its duration is kensai level X1/2 rounds and it takes a move action to activate.

Ki projection and ki warlord aren't really much to write home about, so I could certainly see not bothering with them.

Withstand is nice but boosting reflex saves is generally not the most necessary of things.

Instill can be great with a booster of any kind and that includes white raven focused martial adepts, but it's at level 8.

I'm just personally of the opinion that kensai is a pretty all-or-nothing class. Either it's the key ingredient in the build or you're better served with something else.

[Talionis]

Also maybe Fist of the Forest to get even more Constitution synergy in an un armed attack build. Kensai works well to make your fists magical and FoF adds a lot of base damage.