Leading the Charge

[blade777]

Hi all, I have a question about this particular Stance. I'm building a Shieldfighter Charger Barbarian/Warblade and after reading a bit of the Warblade Handbook here:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?176968-Masters-of-the-Sword-A-Warblade-s-Handbook-Under-Construction

I decided to pick it up. But, after reading the stance with my DM we have a doubt. This affects my damage? or only affects charges done by my allies?

You fire the confidence and martial spirit of your allies, giving them the energy and bravery needed to make a devastating charge against your enemies.
The White Raven discipline teaches that tactics, leadership, and planning can overcome an opponent’s superior individual abilities. This stance embodies that teaching, allowing you to spur your allies on to greater feats of martial skill.
While you are in this stance, all allies who hear you and make a charge attack in the area gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to your initiator level.

[Darrin]

This affects my damage? or only affects charges done by my allies?


PHB p. 304:

"ally: A creature friendly to you. In most cases, references to 'allies' include yourself."

Thus, unless the rules text specifically calls something out as an exception, you count as your own ally.

[KorbeltheReader]

Hi all, I have a question about this particular Stance. I'm building a Shieldfighter Charger Barbarian/Warblade and after reading a bit of the Warblade Handbook here:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?176968-Masters-of-the-Sword-A-Warblade-s-Handbook-Under-Construction

I decided to pick it up. But, after reading the stance with my DM we have a doubt. This affects my damage? or only affects charges done by my allies?

You fire the confidence and martial spirit of your allies, giving them the energy and bravery needed to make a devastating charge against your enemies.
The White Raven discipline teaches that tactics, leadership, and planning can overcome an opponent’s superior individual abilities. This stance embodies that teaching, allowing you to spur your allies on to greater feats of martial skill.
While you are in this stance, all allies who hear you and make a charge attack in the area gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to your initiator level.

By RAW, probably you too. I don't like it, as I would think the author would have said "yourself and your allies" at least once if they meant it that way, but WotC has said that allies usually includes yourself.

[Bakkan]

Make sure you run White Raven Tactics by your DM as well if you wind up taking it. By exactly the same argument for Leading the Charge applying to your own damage, White Raven Tactics, by RAW, can allow you to act twice in a row. Some DM's might not like this. If yours is one of them, the most reasonable thing to do is to houserule the words "other than yourself" into the text of White Raven Tactics rather than find some dubious "RAW" reason why it works one way and Leading the Charge works another way.

[Darrin]

The other major point of contention will likely be, does the damage from Leading the Charge get multiplied on a crit?

(I think we're still arguing about this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?329312-Does-Strike-of-Perfect-Mind-s-damage-multiple-on-a-crit). For the record, I'm in the "It's a static modifier, so it gets multiplied" camp.)