Im a crusader...Help!

[Martial_law]

Ive fallen in love with the crusader, on paper he looks like what Im looking for, but Im overwhelmed with all the stances and maneuvers. Can anyone with experience please point me in the right direction for this?

[Dessembrae]

Look no further... http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181655

[Waker]

Was there some aspect of the class/maneuvers that you were having particular issues with? The mechanics behind learning/preparing maneuvers, refreshing maneuvers or was it something else?

[Martial_law]

you nailed it, learning and prepping maneuvers.

[Martial_law]

and WHAT is RKV?

[DR27]

Ruby Knight Vindicator. Read that link, then come ask for advice. The writer has a whole section on it.

[Ketiara]

For the random selection of maneuvres I use laminated cards that I've printed from this site. It makes keeping track of everything much easier and faster.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20061225a

[Martial_law]

Ruby Knight Vindicator. Read that link, then come ask for advice. The writer has a whole section on it.

I hadn't gotten that far when I posted it, so I later realized my error. Sorry to have hurt you so much.

The guide still leaves me with more questions. Thought it is better than others I've read that left me utterly stumped.

[DR27]

The guide still leaves me with more questions. Thought it is better than others I've read that left me utterly stumped.Post those questions

[Gwendol]

What level are you starting at?

[Firechanter]

Actually, the Crusader is pretty EZ-Bake, once you understand the maneuver mechanics. He only has access to 3 schools, so it's virtually impossible to paint yourself in a corner, as can be the case with Warblade.

At 1st level, you qualify for 6 maneuvers and may take 5 of them. Personally, I ignore Stone Bones, although it does have some utility on low levels.
Vanguard Strike and Leading the Attack are practically identical, but given the random access to maneuvers that is not necessarily a bad thing.

So here's how I build and play a Crusader on the lower levels:

Race Human, PB 32
Str 16*, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
(all levelup boosts and item priority goes to Str)

Feats:
R: Combat Reflexes
1: Extra Granted Maneuver
3: Power Attack
6: Stand Still

Maneuvers:
1: Douse the Flames, Vanguard Strike, Leading the Attack, Charging Minotaur, Crusader's Strike
3: Mountain Hammer
4: Stone Vise [lose Vanguard Strike]
5: White Raven Tactics
6: Revitalizing Strike [lose Crusader's Strike]
7: White Raven Strike
8: Covering Strike [lose Douse the Flames]

Stances:
Iron Guard's Glare
Martial Spirit
Thicket of Blades

In case you're wondering why I pick up the mediocre Stone Vise: that's so we have 3 Stone Dragon maneuvers, to qualify for Ancient Mountain Hammer at level 11+.

As you can see, this friendly bloke goes mainly into Lockdown, so of course you give him a Reach weapon, like Glaive. For the first 7 levels, you'll be in Iron Guard Stance most of the time, and from then on, Thicket of Blades.

Your job is not to deal maximum damage, it is to tie up the enemies so they can't attack your teammates. You do need to hit reliably so your Strikes actually trigger, though. Find some chokepoint no wider than 25', and yell "No pasaran!"

[Phaederkiel]

just try around.

Even if you take the worst maneuvers in the book, the crusader will be still fun to play and good enough to handle any challenge.

[Ketiara]

If you want to mix it up at level 8+ try some warblade level jumping to get some of the very good warblade levels.
This guide has helped me alot.

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19871270/Tome_of_Battle_for_Dummies

[Gwendol]

I like the Leading the Charge stance, it's especially good for a Bardsader (Bard 4/Crusader X using the Song of the White Raven feat to stack levels). With that and inspire courage you turn your whole team into a crack fighting force.

[lsfreak]

If it's simply picking the maneuvers and stances, it's hard to go wrong. If you're in a caster-heavy group, I'd think carefully about picking ones whose main benefit is helping your allies (most only benefit melee, or require you to be close to them), but even then it's pretty much impossible to screw up.

[Jarnaxis]

Hello, I have a player who is making a crusader and had a question that myself and all other resources I usually go to could not decide.

Does "Stone Vise" make the victim flat footed?

the reason we cannot seem to adjudicate it properly is in one section of the description it mentions a moment when "The crushing weight of your blow forces it to waste a precious moment regaining its footing" and at the same time mentions "It can otherwise act normally".

This is concerning because were there only one or the other it would easily sway the decision.

Thoughts?

Thanks