Need a Melee high damage build

[Confused Dad]

I am joining a campaign in progress and I normally play casters, but DM wants a melee build.

First, the limitations: No human, no elf, no LA buyoff. Level 8. No cleric or druid. Good only.

On the plus side, standard wealth by level, max HP (made me think barbarian) and a decent array 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

I started building a paladin, but most of the good prestige classes are in Champions of Valor, Planar handbook etc. I need an idea of classes/variants, feats and equipment to arrive in town and save the day...

I want something that can keep up fairly well with the Cleric/Druid/Diviner, I realize that by level 8, melee is already getting outstripped, preferably something that can wade into mooks and take down several while protecting the squishies.

[Teapot Salty]

These five feats net you the best damage output:

Power attack
Combat expertise
Improved bullrush
shock trooper
Leap attack

I see no tome of battle, which is unfortunate.
Barbarian is probably best, and with a one-two level dip in fighter, you can get all (but one on a 1 level fighter dip) these feats at level 8. Take shock trooper first. Make sure that you auto succeed jump on everything better than a nat 1 and you golden.

EDIT: I forgot to add pounce. Take pounce if your DM allows it, if not you could go spirit lion barbarian.

[heavyfuel]

These five feats net you the best damage output:

Power attack
Combat expertise
Improved bullrush
shock trooper
Leap attack

I see no tome of battle, which is unfortunate.
Barbarian is probably best, and with a one-two level dip in fighter, you can get all (but one on a 1 level fighter dip) these feats at level 8. Take shock trooper first. Make sure that you auto succeed jump on everything better than a nat 1 and you golden.

EDIT: I forgot to add pounce. Take pounce if your DM allows it, if not you could go spirit lion barbarian.

Came here to suggest that exact build.

Some caveats:
Try to get Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Spiked Chain. It gives you reach and ability to trip. Get it as your Human bonus feat if you're human, otherwise, go for 4 levels in Fighter instead of 2. At level 9 get Improved Trip and now you can do something else other than hit things really hard if hitting things hard isn't working during a particular encounter.

If have enough gold and your DM allows, get a continuous item of Righteous Fury (paladin 2, Miniature's handbook) so that your charge always deals double damage.

Also, take a look here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) for other items you'll want

[inertia709]

These five four feats net you the best damage output:

Power attack
Combat expertise
Improved bullrush
shock trooper
Leap attack

Combat expertise isn't a prereq for any of the other four feats.

EDIT: Like heavyfuel said, combat expertise -> improved trip is great too, though I'd recommend getting the above four feats first. If you had Unearthed Arcana, I'd recommend two levels of wolf totem barbarian for improved trip as a bonus feat, skipping combat expertise (yay dumping int!), but unfortunately, you do not.

[heavyfuel]

Combat expertise isn't a prereq for any of the other four feats.

It is for Improved Trip, which a really good feat for any mundane melee character.

[Hurnn]

It is for Improved Trip, which a really good feat for any mundane melee character.

wolf spirit totem at lvl 3 solves the prereq issue.

[eggynack]

wolf spirit totem at lvl 3 solves the prereq issue.
Level 2, actually. It's some sweet business.

[heavyfuel]

wolf spirit totem at lvl 3 solves the prereq issue

If only he had access to UA.

[Confused Dad]

Well there were a lot of great ideas...that I can't use. No UA. No human. Is it barbarian 1, fighter 4 or 6 to get all the feats? Any race have pluses to more than 1 physical stat?

[Lilapop]

If have enough gold and your DM allows, get a continuous item of Righteous Fury (paladin 2, Miniature's handbook) so that your charge always deals double damage.
Righteous Fury only affects the first attack you make, even on a pounce. With Paladins' slower spell leveling and the duration at 1 round/lvl, that item wont be exactly cheap, either.

Your description of what you want (mowing through/tanking mooks) didn't really scream damage at me, so I'd rather ditch all the ubercharger stuff and really invest the limited amount of feat slots you have into tripping, AoOs or both. Without ToB's Crusader, a few levels of Knight from the PHB II (probably even matching your intended flavor, if you considered a Paladin) might be the next best thing. With enough extra AoOs per turn, everything you tripped will keep eating AoOs and stay tripped - the hard part is making them all provoke in the first round. Robilar's Gambit (PHB II) and Karmic Strike (CW?) come to mind.

Another thing you should try and find a workaround for is an AoO build's love for reach versus most reach weapons' minimum reach. There are a bunch of options, of which a Spiked Chain is probably the cleanest in terms of build. Short Haft from the PHB II isn't that great, as you want reach-no minimum on the opponents' turn. Dragon Compendium has some neat feats directed at this issue, especially Shorten Grip, but isn't available at your table. Anything that allows you to attack with the butt of the weapon is undesired, as that usually doesn't include a weapon's tripping abilities.
Aside from those, there are always size increases - a few uses/day of Enlarge Person aren't all that expensive iirc.

Regarding number of AoOs, there all that much after Combat Reflexes and a good DEX score. Dragon #100 has Imp+Greater Combat Reflexes, giving you BAB-like progression. Stormwrack comes with Curling Wave Strike, allowing you to execute a second trip attackon a different target instead of Imp Trip's follow-up. In the MIC, you find bracers you can activate as a swift to give you an extra AoO on that turn (they probably are initially from some other sourcebook). Finally, there is the Epic Level Handbook with another one called Greater Combat Reflexes, this time completely removing the limit.

Lastly, you will want the Stand Still feat (from the SRD, I believe) at later levels to target the opponent's reflex save instead of his STR+size.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Do you have to be mundane melee? Gish builds can do melee just fine, and you're starting at a high enough level to make that work...

[Urpriest]

The question is, do you want to protect the squishies in an active way, or just by being in melee? Is your priority damage, or control?

For damage, at level 8 Barbarian can indeed be pretty solid. So can a Duskblade. For control, as has been mentioned, Knight levels could be workable.

[Dimcair]

Is there a level ~8 way to ragecycle in 3.5?

[Oddman80]

Combat Reflexes for extra AoO.
Aberration Blood (LoM) - Tail (gives boys
to balance, but also +4 vs being
tripped due to being more stable)
Inhuman Reach (LoM) - gives you 10'
reach. This doubles to 20' with
enlarge person (a wand of which you
should provide to your relevant party
caster)
Improved Trip (PHB) - if you can pick this
up from wolf totem barbarian, do so -
talk to the DM. This is far less
impactful than the spirit lion
totem/pounce or whirling frenzy
ACFs.)
Knockdown (SRD) - any time you cause 10
damage to a foe, you get a free trip
attempt, and if you successfully trip
them you get to hit them again (via
improved trip)
Use a Heavy Flail or Guisarme (for tripping capabilities)

If you have room for a ranger level, you can then use the following cheap wands (insert into weapon with Wand Chambers from Dungeonscape):

Rhino Rush: x2 damage on charge
Cats Grace: +4 Dex (i.e., +2 AoO & +2 AC)
Animalistic Power: +2 physical stats (I.e.,
+1 to hit & damage, +1 AoO & AC, +
char lvl HP.)

This is the counter build to the Ubercharger. Rather than taking out one enemy in one shot, you aim your initial charge at the centermost foe, then lock down the battlefield by taking multiple attacks of opportunity per round, and with each one, knocking the foes over.

Strength > Dexterity > Constitution

Pick up a Cristal mask of mind armor to help keep you from getting dominated and turned against your party.

[Urpriest]

Is there a level ~8 way to ragecycle in 3.5?

You can't ragecycle in 3.5 at all, there are no per-rage powers and rage isn't broken up into individual rounds.

[Confused Dad]

I have no objection to a gish build, however most I have seen start with paladin and then progress to something else. Is everybody else's DM much more lenient about EX paladins?

I really am happy over all of the suggestions, but many of them Involve ACFs that are not available, or human, which is not available either.

With all of these suggested feats, and human off the table, it looks like barbarian one fighter six?

[Iwasforger03]

Can we ask WHY human is not allowed? or elf (not that elf would help you with any of the above suggestions, i believe), but it does make me curious. And you could always negotiate for Unearthed Arcana, as mentioned.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I have no objection to a gish build, however most I have seen start with paladin and then progress to something else. Is everybody else's DM much more lenient about EX paladins?
Paladins who multiclass out can't take any more paladin levels, but retain their abilities. Given that builds generally don't return to Paladin after picking up Divine Grace, it doesn't matter too much.

In any case, there are plenty of good things to do that don't involve Sorcadin gishes. Any combination of:

Spellsword 1
Abjurant Champion
Eldrich Knight
Sacred Exorcist (Not the hardest to qualify for, and grants 3/4 BAB with full casting)
Ruathar (ditto)

will do you.

[Karnith]

As far as gishing goes, Duskblade 8 is also fine, and a Suel Arcanamach build could work, too, though it'd be a bit rough at level 8 (since you'd only have 2 levels of Suel Arcanamach).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Jungle Kobold (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#jungleKobolds) with natural attacks (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a), Wildshape Ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) 5/ Master of Many Forms 3. Turn into a Bladerager Troll (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20070705b&page=3), at 9th you can use Cave Troll, at 12th you can use War Troll. Obligatory Master of Many Forms Handbook (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-general/threads/1060931) link.

Start with a Monk's Belt with a Wilding Clasp, you'll add your Wis bonus to your AC and get an unarmed strike that you can use in any form. Wilding Clasp is from MIC, it costs 4,000 gp and makes the item it's attached to continue to function when you wild shape. That makes the item's magical and mundane functions continue to function when you wild shape, and one function of a belt is to store other items. Any item attached to your belt (sheathed weapons, wands, etc.) will also not meld into your form when you wild shape, so you can still use them. Say you hired NPC spellcasters to use Greater Magic Fang (+1 All) and Permanency each at a caster level of 20th for the standard rate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#spell) of 9,100 gp total. You'll have 900 gp remaining from ECL 8 WBL, so get a Wand of a 1st level spell such as Rhino's Rush.

Take two flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) to get two extra feats if possible, Shaky and Bestial Instinct (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258440-The-quot-Best-quot-Flaws#30). Get Multiattack, Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, and Leap Attack.

Power Attacking for -2 to hit, your full attack will look as follows when you charge and pounce in Bladerager Troll form:
+1 Unarmed Strike primary, +14/+9 melee, 2d6+14 (4d6+28 on the first hit with Rhino's Rush)
Two +1 Claws Secondary, +12 each, 2d6+9 (plus Rend 4d6+13 if both hit)
+1 Bite Secondary, +12 melee, 2d6+9
Average damage per round: 108; or 129 with Rhino's Rush.

[Confused Dad]

Why no human or elf? DM fiat. No more than 1/race. Also no catfolk or halfling, also not relevant to Melee build. As a cat owner, annoyed catfolk doesn't get pounce.

What other race would make good sorcadin?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Why no human or elf? DM fiat. No more than 1/race. Also no catfolk or halfling, also not relevant to Melee build.

What other race would make good sorcadin?

Illumian from Races of Destiny, Lesser Aasimar in PGtF, +0 LA Aasimar (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) and don't take the racial level (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a), Desert Half-Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertHalfOrcs), and if you can afford a Cha penalty or use Magic-Blooded, Warforged in MM3 or Earth Dwarf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfEarth).

Any good-aligned gish, especially a Sorcerer-based gish, is going to be severely gimped without BoED. Mostly due to (Greater) Luminous Armor and for Sorcerers this trick (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?267805-Sorcerer-Handbook#4).

[heavyfuel]

If you go Duskblade, I highlt suggest Extra Spell: Wraithstrike at level 9 (if our DM allows for spells from ther pell lists) It will let you Power Attack to the Max since touch AC is so easy to hit.