Crusader AoO + Trip Build [PEACH]

[Quirken]

We're starting the game at level 2. I doubt we'll see higher than level 15 ever.

Basic character idea is to have a tank who specializes in getting AoOs and tripping enemies when he has the chance, to get more AoOs and to protect the party.

Human
2 Wolf Totem Barbarian / 2 Fighter / 16 Crusader

Feats:
1 Aberration Blood
1b Inhuman Reach
1f Some kind of flaw (undecided)
1fb Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spiked Chain)
3 Extra Rage, Deft Opportunist, Supernatural Instincts, or Wolf Berskerer, or suggested by you
3b Combat Reflexes
4b Knock-Down
6 Extra Granted Maneuver
9 Unfilled, same as 3
12 Robilar's Gambit
15 Defensive Sweep

The barbarian dip gets me Improved Trip plus rage 1/day. Fighter dip gets me two bonus feats. Starting Crusader at level 5 means I get better starting maneuvers and am in a better place for stances. (We're using the corrected progression so 2nd stance is at level 3)

Inhuman reach extends reach by 5ft. With my Spiked Chain, I now threaten at 5ft, 10ft, 15ft, and 20ft, as a medium human!

I'm not really sure what feat to take at level 3 and 9. I'm not particularly interested in Power Attack. Stone Power would be nice, but kinda useless later on. I could really use feat suggestions for level 3 and 9! Wolf Berserker would go well with Knock-Down (+4 to trip attempts), Deft Opportunist (+4 attack roll on AoO) and Supernatural Instincts (supernatural abilities provoke AoE) both sound good for the build in general.

Robilar's Gambit gives enemies +4 to hit you, but if they swing (even if they miss), you get a free AoO. Defensive Sweep gives you free AoE if an adjacent enemy doesn't move during their turn.

For Defensive sweep, when it says "If an opponent begins his action adjacent to you," is an enemy considered adjacent if you threaten his square but aren't 5 ft away (i.e. reach weapon)?

[TheMooch]

Get Deft Opportunist, with the AoOs you generate you want to hit as much as possible. Also grab either stand still for those pesky enemies that can't be tripped or power attack because ... its power attack

[Darkcouch]

You could go with Willing Deformity and Deformity(Tall) to get even more reach. Stand Still can be useful.

[Big Fau]

Instead of spending 2 feats on Aberration Blood and Inhuman Reach, you could be Evil-aligned and worship an Elder Evil to gain Willing Deformity for free (then take Deformity:Tall with your human bonus feat).

[Quirken]

Instead of spending 2 feats on Aberration Blood and Inhuman Reach, you could be Evil-aligned and worship an Elder Evil to gain Willing Deformity for free (then take Deformity:Tall with your human bonus feat).

I looked that up. Doubt I will be able to get my DM to grant me a free feat every 5 levels. Regardless, worshiping an Elder Evil would probably cause some unwanted party tension.

I just realized that by going into barbarian (nonlawful), I've basically blocked myself from taking the Aura of Perfect Order stance, which lets you take 11 on any roll once per round. Or, I can "become lawful" and lose my 1/day rage, which might well be worth it.

Does anyone know of any other 1 or 2 level dip that could get me improved trip? (I already did fighter, so no more bonus feats there)

[thethird]

Feat rogue? Psy war?

I would keep the barbarian though, a whirling frenzy spirit lion totem wolf totem barbarian.

And I would take wolf berserker.

[Quirken]

Feat rogue? Psy war?

I would keep the barbarian though, a whirling frenzy spirit lion totem wolf totem barbarian.

And I would take wolf berserker.

Feat Rogue would hurt my HP and BAB a bit. I found a monk ACF Fighting Style called 'Passive Way' which would get me Combat Expertise and Improved trip over two levels, but it has the same problem - slightly better hit die, albeit with fewer skills than the rogue option.

I guess looking at it this way - the barbarian, even as an ex-barbarian without the rage, still gives more overall oomph than feat rogue, psy war, or passive way monk.

I'm pretty sure you can only be lion totem OR wolf totem barbarian. Fluff-wise you're "dedicated" to a totem, and they replace the same abilities...

Rage (or Whirling Frenzy) are both good, but being able to do it only 1/day doesn't sound that great compared to the possibility of every turn taking 11 on any one roll. Granted, that's a 6th level stance so it'd be a while before I got there, and I could enjoy rage until somewhere around there, when I'd need some reason for an alignment change.

[thethird]

I am talking about spirit lion (complete champion), not lion (unearthed arcana), they do not replace the same features this way. Spirit lion gives you pounce which by itself pretty much trumps almost anything for a melee build, so whirling frenzy is an added nice bonus.

[cerin616]

possibly karmic strike if you can pull it off. Karmic strike's wording makes it so you get an AoO when someone makes an attack against you, and thus you can hit them before they hit you.

There is also a feat that gives you an AoO if someone does not move in a round. That is great with a trip build.

There is also a feat that allows you to make a trip attempt against a second enemy after a successful trip attempt.

Ill try and find where these feats were.

[Quirken]

I am talking about spirit lion (complete champion), not lion (unearthed arcana), they do not replace the same features this way. Spirit lion gives you pounce which by itself pretty much trumps almost anything for a melee build, so whirling frenzy is an added nice bonus.

Ah. Yeah, pounce is pretty slick. I'll see if my DM will go for that.


possibly karmic strike if you can pull it off. Karmic strike's wording makes it so you get an AoO when someone makes an attack against you, and thus you can hit them before they hit you.
Is it worth getting both Karmic Strike and Robilar's Gambit?



There is also a feat that gives you an AoO if someone does not move in a round. That is great with a trip build.
{scrubbed}Defensive sweep? [/URL] Side note on that: Defensive sweep says "If an opponent begins his action adjacent to you"... Is an enemy considered adjacent if you threaten his square but aren't 5 ft away (i.e. reach weapon)?


There is also a feat that allows you to make a trip attempt against a second enemy after a successful trip attempt.
{Scrubbed}Curling Wave Strike?[/URL]