Melee build help

[Confused Dad]

I need help with a melee build, level 8. (I normally play casters). First the restrictions:No human or elf, must be good. No cleric or druid. No primary summoner. No LA buyoff. Max HP (barbarian? :) ) Standard wealth/level, no magic item can be over 1/2 of total.

A good selection of books:
Complete Arcane
Complete Mage
Complete Divine
Complete Warrior
Complete Scoundrel
Complete Champion
Complete Adventurer
DMG 3.5
DMG II
PHB 3.5
Races of the Dragon
Dragon Magic
Draconomicon
Book of Vile Darkness
MM II
MM I
Races of the Wild
Oriental Adventures
Rokugan
Savage Species (Some races may not be allowed)
Libris Mortis
Fiend Folio
Lords of Madness
Ghostwalk
Creature Collection
Heroes of Horror
PHB II
Miniatures Handbook

While a standard 'I walk up to creature and whack it with my sword' is too simple, I need help with with the interaction of feats if it gets too weird: enter rage, charging pounce, power attack, cleave everybody in reach shennaigans that make the barbarian charger so powerful...

[Juntao112]

How do you feel about tripping?

[Gabrosin]

Step 1: Purchase Tome of Battle.
Step 2: Play a Warblade.

Seriously though, what do you want to DO with your melee build? If you want to optimize damage, look up builds for chargepouncing. If you want to optimize battlefield control, focus on trip attacks. If you want to be the best, make something like Wizard 5/Incantatrix 3 with Arcane Disciple (Competition) and persist Divine Power and one level later Draconic Polymorph.

Do you need to be the tank, the damage dealer, the controller, or something else?

[Immabozo]

Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale (Savage Species) LA 0 RHD 3
+8 str, +4 con, +4 dex, int becomes 11, +6 wis, +4 cha and natural armor 9 (and 3 monsterous humanoid levels grant 2 BAB, saves, skills and hp) and size large

1-3: RHD
4: Whirling frenzy and spirit lion totem barbarian ACF
5: fighter
6: Warblade (?)
7: fighter
8-12: War Hulk

Feats:
flaw: Cleave
flaw: Great Cleave
level 1: Power Attack
level 3: Leap Attack
fighter bonus feat: Imp. Bull Rush
level 6: Shock Trooper
fighter bonus feat 2: Combat Brute
level 9: Knockback
level 12: Combat reflexes

Either get the skillful (http://www.realmshelps.net/cgi-bin/magweapdesc.pl?power=Skillful&src=mweapontype) enchantment to bring your BAB up from (at level 12) 6 to 9, or get Divine Power (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/divinePower.htm) persisted or (if your DM will allow it, permanancied on you for a BAB of 12. All your attacks hit three squares and anyone you hit will be subjected to a huge opposed bullrush to hit the like a baseball bat and send them flying.

Assuming a starting str of 18, your str should be 18 + 8 (racial) + 8 (war hulk) +2 (item) + 4 (rage) for str 40 and PA for +36 and in all following rounds, +48 (2:1 for THF, +1:0 from leap attack, +1:0 from combat brute in all rounds after the first) and after your full attack, which each hit 3 squares, you should be throwing around a d20 +55/+67(+15 str, +36/+48 PA, +4 size) bull rush. no one will be able to resist that!

And since you are throwing all your enemies around the battlefield, you get to use that under-used and under rated other 2 tactical uses of shock trooper. For each square you push them back, you can push them one square to the left/right. Try to guide them off cliffs, into pit traps, etc or send them flying into other opponents for a trip attempt on both at a +19 (+4 size, +15 str) to trip them both, with no AoO against you and they cannot return a failed trip.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Get two flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm), they must be taken when creating a character so since you're creating the character at 8th level, your flaws can be used to gain feats at 8th level. I'd recommend Weak Willed and Murky Eyed.

Earth Dwarf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfEarth), Archivist 5/ Paragnostic Apostle 2/ Sacred Exorcist 1, get Spatial Awareness and Mind Over Matter from Paragnostic Apostle. With three Night Sticks and Cha 8 you can DMM: Persist two spells each day, with Extra Turning and Cha 14 (Cha 10 and Eagle's Splendor) you can DMM: Persist three spells each day: Divine Power, Mass Lesser Vigor, and Elation (BoED), the latter two on the whole party. If your DM/group rules that Extend + Persist results in a 48-hour duration you can include more persistent spells, I'd go with Swift Haste (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1023251) (2nd), Nightshield, and a Bite of the Werecreature spell depending on what stats you want and keeping in mind a Str bonus won't stack with Divine Power's +6. Use ((Lesser Rod of) Extended) (Greater) Luminous Armor every day, and put (Lesser Rod of Extended) Magic Vestment on it along with Greater Magic Weapon (3rd) on your primary melee weapon. Also consider using a shield with Magic Vestment on it if you're worried about your AC. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Beads of Smiting and Healing removed, per DMG pricing it will be free and you can use the Bead of Karma before buffing to get +4 caster level. At your current level this will make your extended hour/level buffs last exactly 24 hours.