protector themed viable S&B user?

[Raendyn]

Hello playgrounders,

Last week I asked for some ideas for my upcoming campaign and I manage to conclude in what I am gona prepare. Now, although the campaign is ready there's a minor inconvenience with one of the players character.

You see, I am big supporter of the idea that all the PC's must be close in powerlevel and thus far when this advice isn't taken into consideration during character creation, it ends up in a messy/unfun situation sooner or later.

Now, the whole power lvl is just average in general, but the charger barbarian decided to swap for a dwarven defender.

So, I am trying to come up with a build to fill his S&B prereq, that is not so useless as his freaking DDefender.

Any suggestions?? All books allowed, save the non FR setting specific.

thanks in advance.

[thethird]

what's the level? also the iron chef contest on the dwarven defender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342807-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVI) might give some intel. For what is worth, this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17404989&postcount=225) is the winning build.

[Troacctid]

What level are you starting at? If it's a high enough level, you might point him towards Deepstone Sentinel instead. Ironsoul Forgemaster is also a better execution of a similar concept. Dwarven Defender is pretty crappy.

If he's set on it, the way to do it is with a reach weapon and enlarge person. When you're threatening that many squares, you don't need to move. Trade his racial familiarity with the Urgrosh away for racial familiarity with the Dwarven Warpike from Races of Stone, which is a fantastic reach weapon, and have him take Improved Trip and Combat Reflexes so he can lock down the battlefield with it. (Use armor spikes to threaten adjacent squares.) Need a free hand for a shield? No you don't, that's what animated shields are for.

[lytokk]

Hmm... my first thought would be a twf warblade, focusing on stone dragon maneuvers and stances, since for the stances you're not allowed to move anyway with either class. I say twf, but the offhand will always be a shield bash. All you need is a 1 handed tripping weapon and he should be decent for a lockdown build. A few levels of fighter may be necessary to get all the pre-reqs for DD as well as the twf, as well as the 1 handed tripping weapon, since I can't think of any that wouldn't be exotic off-hand.

Or you could substitute crusader for warblade, but honestly, I'd think warblade wins out on this one. Though, I have to add a disclaimer I'm not the optimizer that a lot of other people on this board are.

[Troacctid]

Flails are a martial one-handed tripping weapon, but using a reach weapon with an animated shield seems way better, I'd say.

I like Crusader over Warblade because you get Iron Guard's Glare to make enemies attack you instead of your allies. The flavor is better as a defender too.

[lytokk]

I always felt that animated shields are sort of a cop-out. But that's just me. It's like throwing the dragonborn or water orc template on everything mundane. Feels cheesey, really isn't, but it feels that way to me.

You're probably right about crusader. I think I only liked warblade better since it gets that 1 feat it can use to fill one of the DD prereq feats, thus freeing up a feat for something else, assuming of course that one doesn't want to take levels in fighter.

[Raendyn]

It starts at lvl1 and will go till 16-ish

Animated shield isnt an option he is married to the idea of 1hand+shield.

[Rebel7284]

Crusader is alright at this. Between
Shield Block (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/shield-block--3613/) and later Shield Counter (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/shield-counter--3614/) plus using Iron Guard's Glare (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/iron-guards-glare--3607/) early on. They are actually reasonably good at playing a defender character.

Combine with a character with a slow move speed and using a one-handed reach weapon+ Stand Still (http://dndtools.eu/feats/expanded-psionics-handbook--65/stand-still--2759/) and you have a character that's somewhat like a dwarven defender, but has options. :)

[Extra Anchovies]

Crusader is alright at this. Between
Shield Block (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/shield-block--3613/) and later Shield Counter (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/shield-counter--3614/) plus using Iron Guard's Glare (http://dndtools.eu/spells/tome-of-battle-the-book-of-nine-swords--88/iron-guards-glare--3607/) early on. They are actually reasonably good at playing a defender character.

Combine with a character with a slow move speed and using a one-handed reach weapon+ Stand Still (http://dndtools.eu/feats/expanded-psionics-handbook--65/stand-still--2759/) and you have a character that's somewhat like a dwarven defender, but has options. :)

Crusader, going into Deepstone Sentinel. DS is what Dwarven Defender should have been.

[sage20500]

If I remember correctly, isn't the Kuris Gama (the thing that is like a 1 handed version of the spiked chain) a 1 handed weapon that can get reach and make trip attempts? Maybe you could let him use that as his weapon?

[Troacctid]

I think I only liked warblade better since it gets that 1 feat it can use to fill one of the DD prereq feats, thus freeing up a feat for something else, assuming of course that one doesn't want to take levels in fighter.

For that, you probably want Psychic Warrior, not Fighter. It gives you bonus feats and access to expansion, which is well worth losing a point of BAB for.