[3.5] Help with Ruby Knight Vindicator build

[matijas]

I'm making a RKV for a Expedition to Castle Ravenloft campaign and I'm having a hard time deciding on build. We start on lvl 6.

I think I'll go Cleric 2 / Crusader 3 / RKV 1.
90% that it will be human.

So i need advice on feats, but I'll also consider different builds if you have any to recommend.
Also, i need opinion on domains and spells (was thinking Undeath and cant decine on the other)

Additional info:
Starting stats are (16,12,18,12,16,16) dice loved me.
One of the conditions was that i use Falchion as weapon.
Deity WeeJas
No books are banned
Homebrew stuff must go trough DM first.

[Doc_Maynot]

If no books are banned think about using Divine Generic Spellcaster in place of cleric. Taking turn undead in place of the first class granted feat.

[Red Fel]

I'm making a RKV for a Expedition to Castle Ravenloft campaign and I'm having a hard time deciding on build. We start on lvl 6.

I think I'll go Cleric 2 / Crusader 3 / RKV 1.
90% that it will be human.

So i need advice on feats, but I'll also consider different builds if you have any to recommend.
Also, i need opinion on domains and spells (was thinking Undeath and cant decine on the other)

Additional info:
Starting stats are (16,12,18,12,16,16) dice loved me.
One of the conditions was that i use Falchion as weapon.
Deity WeeJas
No books are banned
Homebrew stuff must go trough DM first.

In what capacity do you plan to play the RKV? RKV the Cleric-with-maneuvers? RKV the tactical commander? RKV the tank? RKV the (urgh) stealth knight?

From the fact that you're using Falchion, am I to take it that you're going with Devoted Spirit-focus?

[matijas]

In what capacity do you plan to play the RKV? RKV the Cleric-with-maneuvers? RKV the tactical commander? RKV the tank? RKV the (urgh) stealth knight?

Something like Cleric with manuovers and a little bit of tanking :smallbiggrin:

What would be the best option?




From the fact that you're using Falchion, am I to take it that you're going with Devoted Spirit-focus?

Falcion was requested from the DM (his favourite class, with favourite fluff etc.). But Devoted Spirit is my focus, i really like the school.

[Firechanter]

Warning: gamebreaking material ahead.

The key maneuver you'll want to look at is White Raven Tactics.
First, get a call on whether you can use WRT on yourself. If yes, then you can win the action economy all by yourself. If no, you'll ideally have a second RKV in the party.

The basic scheme is the same. Let's assume you have 2 RKVs in the party:

Step 1: RKV1 uses WRT on RKV2
Step 2: RKV2 uses WRT on RKV1
Step 3: RKV1 uses Divine Recovery to regain WRT, and Divine Impetus to use it again immediately.
Step 4: RKV2 does the same.
That way, you can act any number of times in a single round. What you actually do with your actions is up to you; you can cast spells or use attack maneuvers, whatever.
Rinse and repeat until you are out of Turns or the encounter is won.

Expect any sane DM to quickly put a stop to that, by ruling that any character can be affected by WRT only once per round (or even per encounter). Still, acting twice per round where everyone else can only act once is already a pretty huge deal.

You might want to fit in a level of Swordsage or Warblade for access to Diamond Mind and Moment of Alacrity. Giving yourself +20 to Ini, then pulling up the rest of the party to your Ini -1 is a pretty good idea.

[Red Fel]

Something like Cleric with manuovers and a little bit of tanking :smallbiggrin:

What would be the best option?

Falcion was requested from the DM (his favourite class, with favourite fluff etc.). But Devoted Spirit is my focus, i really like the school.

Okay. First question, and possibly the biggest, is this: Do you want a high caster level, or a high initiator level?

If your goal is Cleric with a sprinkling of maneuvers, you want CL. That means you want to maximize your effective spellcaster level. The great thing about RKV is that it advances divine spellcasting 8/10 levels. That means, for example, that if you take 2 levels of Cleric, 3 levels of Crusader, and 10 levels of RKV, you have an effective Cleric caster level of 10. If your focus is on spellcasting, you will want more than that, but that's a start.

If your goal is maneuvers coupled with Cleric spellcasting, you want IL. That means you can take, and this is key, no more than 6 levels of classes that do not advance IL (such as Cleric). An sample build would be Cleric 6/ Crusader 4/ RKV 10. This gives you precisely IL 17, which is the minimum needed to use 9th-level maneuvers.

Moving on to build strategy. Devoted Spirit is, in fact, the discipline for tanking, and Crusader one of the ideal classes with which to build a tank. Two stances of which you should be aware: Iron Guard's Glare and Thicket of Blades. Thicket of Blades is the stance you use before enemies get close to your squishies - it provokes AoOs when they move through your threatened range, even a 5-foot step. Combined with the Stand Still feet, which allows you to use an AoO to stop an enemy's movement cold, you can easily and effectively lock down any enemies trying to get past you. Iron Guard's Glare is the stance you use once enemies have gotten close to your squishies - it causes them to take an attack penalty unless they attack you. This is one of those "last defense" measures to enable your squishies to escape safely.

Ordinarily, a tanking build usually requires a reach weapon, like a glaive or guisarme, but since you're set on a falchion, that decision is made for you.

Feats to consider in a build like this are Divine Spirit (while in a Devoted Spirit stance, expend one Turn Undead use to heal yourself 3+ Cha modifier hit points), Stand Still (as I just suggested), and Combat Reflexes (to give you extra AoOs to use with Stand Still + Thicket of Blades). You'll definitely want to take any feats or gear that can increase your daily TUs, as these will become your bread and butter.

Firechanter already told you about the awesomeness that is White Raven Tactics. Indeed, White Raven maneuvers are quite sick, in that they let you break the action economy. That said, your focus will be wading into melee, tanking, and periodically casting spells; White Raven is extremely helpful, but probably won't be your focus.

Stone Dragon is nice for smashing things, but ultimately seems weak compared to the other disciplines.

Finally, Shadow Hand. This is the oddity in the build; RKV gives you a discipline that's about concealment, stealth, and ability damage. It's a useful source of clever tricks, but for a massively armored casterbeast, I question how useful you'll find them.

The thing to remember, the magic feature that makes RKV worthwhile, is Divine Impetus - burn a TU, receive a swift action. It's sick and magical and be sure to use it.

One final note: I would advise against casting heal spells in combat if you can avoid it. If you're casting spells in combat, make them destructive. Don't use the Inflict line; try to find elemental spells or such within your domains. Out of combat, use wands and scrolls for healing.

[Xerlith]

If you do not need that many feats, may I propose a Lesser Aasimar? You can start with a 20 in Wisdom and 18 in Charisma if you so wish.

Or not, it depends on what you want to be the focus of your build.