Please help my Warforged crusader?

[Nymeria]

Hi, I'm a massive beginner and am choosing my discipline, maneuvers and stance, what would you recommend?

[Ellowryn]

What level are you starting at? As i assume that you are going for durability then Devoted Spirit maneuvers are going to take up the bulk of your readied list. Make sure you always have the highest possible healing strike available, grab the mountain hammer line from stone dragon to deal with those pesky doors and DR heavy enemies, and white raven tactics is always fun to abuse.

However crusaders make the best real tanks in the game thanks to thicket of blades when combined with reach, combat reflexes, and knockdown.

[Extra Anchovies]

Quick maneuver setup, by starting level.

1st level: Martial Spirit (Stance), Leading the Attack, Crusader's Strike, Douse the Flames, Vanguard Strike, Douse the Flames
2nd level: Iron Guard's Glare (Stance)
3rd level: Mountain Hammer
5th level: White Raven Tactics
6th level: swap out Crusader's Strike or Vanguard Strike for Revitalizing Strike
7th level: Divine Surge
8th level: Thicket of Blades
9th level: Elder Mountain Hammer
11th level: Rallying Strike
13th level: Ancient Mountain Hammer or Swarming Assault, plus whichever of the four 6th-level Devoted Spirit stances you qualify for and like most (Perfect Order is a good one, as is Triumph)
15th level: Greater Divine Surge, I guess
17th level: Strike of Righteous Vitality
19th level: you probably aren't starting this high, which is good cuz I have no idea what to put here.

[KingSmitty]

At higher levels look into the PrC Warforged Juggernaut

[torrasque666]

At higher levels look into the PrC Warforged Juggernaut

While some may say that this could be a bad idea, I am all for it. You lose out on three initiator levels which leaves you at 17, enough for 9th level maneuvers, as well as two maneuvers known and one maneuver readied, but more than make up for it with all the immunities it gives you. And most importantly, you don't even lose any of your healing capability as they aren't Conjuration(Healing) effects!

[gorfnab]

These two handbook may be of some use:
Spirit of Steel: The Crusader Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?181655-Spirit-of-Steel-The-Crusader-s-Handbook-WIP)
Crusader Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2645.0)

[Irk]

Stone Power + Shocking Fist is pretty good on any Warforged ToB character. It comes together at level 3 for +3d4 damage and only increases by a d4 until level 10. Not too high-power, but a pretty useful boost nevertheless. Also a very neat aesthetic.

[Nymeria]

Thank you you lovely people! You've all been so helpful! I'm still getting to grips with everything and still really appreciate any pointers you have :D

[lytokk]

Something that came in handy with my warforged crusader, never forget about your slam. If you don't use a manuever, remember that the Martial Spirit stance activates healing with every successful attack. Your slam might be at a -5, but its still an extra punch of healing on a full attack.

Also, the highest level devoted spirit manuever that heals, Strike of Righteous Vitality, specifically mimics the Heal spell. So if you use that you only get half the healing from it, and if you take juggernaut, you get none of it.

[Ferronach]

Something that came in handy with my warforged crusader, never forget about your slam. If you don't use a manuever, remember that the Martial Spirit stance activates healing with every successful attack. Your slam might be at a -5, but its still an extra punch of healing on a full attack.

Also, the highest level devoted spirit manuever that heals, Strike of Righteous Vitality, specifically mimics the Heal spell. So if you use that you only get half the healing from it, and if you take juggernaut, you get none of it.

Have I been doing things wrong then when I full attack with an axe for all of the attacks allowed by BAB and then don't slam because I have used all of my attacks?
(Sorry for "stealing" thread momentarily)

[lytokk]

The slam is a secondary attack, so you don't HAVE to use it. But you can. I think. I know I read this somewhere, and now I'm having problems finding it.

[Red Fel]

Have I been doing things wrong then when I full attack with an axe for all of the attacks allowed by BAB and then don't slam because I have used all of my attacks?
(Sorry for "stealing" thread momentarily)

Yep. When you take a full attack, you are allowed to make your iteratives, plus one attack with each of your natural weapons (at a penalty). An exception to this is using claws when wielding a weapon, but this is easily solved by taking a free action to drop/unhand your weapon. A slam, being an "appendage," can basically be anything, so you're fine.

Here's the quote (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#manufacturedWeapons):
Some creatures combine attacks with natural and manufactured weapons when they make a full attack. When they do so, the manufactured weapon attack is considered the primary attack unless the creature’s description indicates otherwise and any natural weapons the creature also uses are considered secondary natural attacks. These secondary attacks do not interfere with the primary attack as attacking with an off-hand weapon does, but they take the usual -5 penalty (or -2 with the Multiattack feat) for such attacks, even if the natural weapon used is normally the creature’s primary natural weapon.

For example, say you have a 15 BAB. That means you make three weapon attacks at +15, +10, and +5, and one slam attack at +10 (highest BAB -5).

[Ferronach]

For example, say you have a 15 BAB. That means you make three weapon attacks at +15, +10, and +5, and one slam attack at +10 (highest BAB -5).

And this is why these forums are amazing! Thanks GITP friends!

There you have it Nymeria, as Lytokk said, Don't forget about your Slam!

And if you do go with Warforged Juggernaut as a PrC, you get some nice armor spikes to add extra damage to your slams XD

[KingAtomsk]

Warforged have Paladin racial substitution levels available to them which are very awesome, plus Paladin makes great entry for Ruby Knight Vindicator. Depending on what level you're starting at, you might look at a Paladin/Crusader/Ruby Knight Vindicator Build.
With the Battle Blessing feat, you can use all your extra swift actions from RKV to cast your Paladin buffs in the first round of combat so you don't take all day to buff.

[Red Fel]

Warforged have Paladin racial substitution levels available to them which are very awesome, plus Paladin makes great entry for Ruby Knight Vindicator. Depending on what level you're starting at, you might look at a Paladin/Crusader/Ruby Knight Vindicator Build.
With the Battle Blessing feat, you can use all your extra swift actions from RKV to cast your Paladin buffs in the first round of combat so you don't take all day to buff.

If you do decide to go RKV, this is definitely an awesome option. Ordinarily, I'd suggest Crusader/Cleric/RKV, but Warforged taking the Warforged Paladin racial sub levels are basically strictly superior to regular Paladins. At level 1, you gain the ability to Smite Constructs and give up nothing. And unlike Smite Evil (which you still get), Smite Construct has no per-day limit - you can simply use Smite Evil against any construct, regardless of its alignment. That's pure utility increase. At level 2, swap the Cha-to-saves of Divine Grace with Con-to-Will, which basically means that you're using a strong ability (Con) instead of a weak one (Cha) to buff a weak save (Will) based on a weak stat (Wis) - pure win for you. You also replace your Lay on Hands with a heal based on your strong ability (Con), that gives full healing to constructs like you (and half healing to non-constructs) - congratulations, keep stayin' alive. And at level 3, you give up Divine Health - immunity to disease is redundant for you anyway - and gain Immunity to Stunning, which is incredible. Immunity to stunning is a highly desirable immunity to have, and it's all you, baby. And that's in three levels. Take one more and you get Turn Undead, and with it you qualify for RKV. As long as those are the only non-initiator levels you take - Crusader 6, Paladin 4, RKV 10 - you have an IL of 18 (6 Crusader + 10 RKV + 4/2 Paladin = 18). That gets you one 9th-level maneuver at level 19.

This is, of course, assuming you want to go Crusader -> RKV at some point. Straight Crusader works just fine, too.