Crusader Build

[newbee]

Right now I am trying to build the ultimate tank and I think I might have found a good combo but need some insight. I would like to know your thoughts. I am new to the whole D&D game just an FYI. So here is what I was thinking. My DM tells me I have to start at lvl 1 so I take Crusader no big deal but where do I go after that? I started looking in all the 3.5 books and started to do research. I like dragons so I opened up the dragon books and found dragonfire adept. Doing farther research I found that dragonfire adept breath weapon doesn't get affected by armor class. Also if I cast 24hr invocations they also don't get affected by armor. And at lvl 3 Crusader 1/Dragonfire adept 2 I get natural armor scales +2 raising my AC even higher. At lvl 2 take invocation breath under water and swim speed. this should help with me sinking like a rock right? I figured at lvl 3 taking feat of entangling breath. After lvl 3 I was going to take rest of my lvls in Crusader. But making sure to take advantage of scales +2. My question is does this sound good? this will help with my week point of swim checks and get me armor win win?

-Newbee-

P.S. Is taking entangling roots a waist of a feat when higher lvl if no other lvls will be put in DFA?

[TheMooch]

I would just go with a dragonborn dwarf and then take crusader 20. You can mix this up with a few levels of barbarian (wolf totem for trip if you want), sprinkle in some warblade or fighter for extra abilities and feats. Honestly just 20 levels in Crusader is pretty good.


Crusader Handbook for your reading pleasure
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181655

[Snowbluff]

I second straight crusader. Dragon stuff can be taken through feats to greater effect. :smallsmile:

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dragonborn of Bahamut (https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1) is a template from Races of the Dragon with no level adjustment, you can have it as a 1st level character. You lose everything your base race would have given you except for size, shape, movement modes, and ability score adjustments.

For example, apply it to a Water Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater) from Unearthed Arcana, and you keep the Str +4, Con +2, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2, 30 ft. land speed, 30 ft. swim speed, and medium size humanoid shape. You lose the other general race of water traits, and the Orc's darkvision and light sensitivity. You get to add all the Dragonborn traits onto that, replacing some mediocre traits and even a drawback for some extremely useful traits. So that ends up with total ability score adjustments of Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2, and you can get the Heart aspect for a breath attack that you can use every 1d4 rounds which improves as you level up. You can still use Entangling Exhalation with that, which is one of the best tricks to hinder opponents when it's available.