Help me equip my Ruby Knight Vindicator

[Dexam]

In the current campaign I'm playing my character, a bard, has been captured, tortured, and killed by a Big Bad, with no chance of recovery and revival - the DM has informed me I need to create a new 10th level character. Current party consists of a Human Enchanter Specialist Wizard, a Catfolk Rogue, and a Catfolk Warlock (we've had 3 other players drop out recently for various reasons).

I've decided to roll up an Illumian Cleric of Wee Jas 4 / Crusader 1 / Ruby Knight Vindicator 5:
Str 16 Dex 10 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 18 Cha 10
Feats: Extra Turning, Extend Spell, Persistent Spell, Practiced Spellcaster.
I'm using the Naen Hoon Illumian symbols/word to get DMM twice a day and planning to persist Divine Power and Mass Lesser Vigor.

Current planned gear, using 10th level wealth (49,000 gp).
- Nightstick
- Reliquary Holy Symbol & Amulet of Health (+2 Con)
- Ring of Counterspells (holding Dispel Magic)
- Cloak of Charisma (+2 Cha)
- Full plate, +1, Called, Blurring
- Falchion (large), +1, Keen
- Strongarm Bracers
- Handy Haversack
- Anklet of Translocation
- Healing Belt
- Everlasting Rations
- Ironward Diamond (Least) Armor Crystal
- Crystal of Return (Least) Weapon Crystal
- Wand of CLW
350 gp remaining.

Does this look like a good selection? Anything missing? Things I'm wondering:
- change falchion for greatsword?
- Spell Storing instead of Keen? Or something else?
- drop the Strongarm Bracers & large weapon, and make the Blurring armor Retaliation or something else instead?

Sources available are core and most supplements: MIC, ToB, Completes (except Champion), Races books, Environment books, Monster books (LoM, LM, Draco), Dragon Magic, ToM. No Dragon magazine, Magic of Incarnum, or campaign specific stuff (i.e. no Forgotten Realms, Eberron, etc.).

Advice/thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated.

[jok]

If you plan on persisting Divine Power, ACF Cloistered Cleric would give you more skillpoints and the knowledge domain. Only thing you would realy loose are 2 to 8 hitpoints.

For equipment I would make room for the Belt of Battle, if it is allowed. 12000g but very good...

[Darrin]

- Full plate, +1, Called, Blurring


Blurring is overpriced for what it does... only lasts 15 rounds per day, and then that +1 enhancement is useless for the remaining 14385 rounds left in that day. Normally I'd recommend armor spikes with the Smoking property (from Lords of Darkness), but that's not in your available books. As far as what +1 enhancements are worth it... there aren't a lot. Death Ward (+1 enhancement, MIC) is popular, because everybody fails a "save or die" eventually, but there's that whole "what is it doing for the other 14399 rounds that day?" problem again. My general rule of thumb for armor enhancements: "When in doubt, get more Fortification" (DMG).

[Dexam]

If you plan on persisting Divine Power, ACF Cloistered Cleric would give you more skillpoints and the knowledge domain. Only thing you would realy loose are 2 to 8 hitpoints.

For equipment I would make room for the Belt of Battle, if it is allowed. 12000g but very good...
Cloistered Cleric might be a good option, but I'm not sure of the DM's position on the UA class variants; I'll have to check, but for now I'll probably have to assume not.

Belt of Battle is on my character's shopping wish-list. :smallsmile: If the DM approves Cloistered Cleric, I might be able to afford it (swap Int and Cha; trade the Cloak of Cha, Strongarm Bracers, Healing Belt, Wand of CLW, and Everlasting Rations)



Blurring is overpriced for what it does... only lasts 15 rounds per day, and then that +1 enhancement is useless for the remaining 14385 rounds left in that day. Normally I'd recommend armor spikes with the Smoking property (from Lords of Darkness), but that's not in your available books. As far as what +1 enhancements are worth it... there aren't a lot. Death Ward (+1 enhancement, MIC) is popular, because everybody fails a "save or die" eventually, but there's that whole "what is it doing for the other 14399 rounds that day?" problem again. My general rule of thumb for armor enhancements: "When in doubt, get more Fortification" (DMG).
Our group tends to only have one or two combat encounters per day - the characters are mostly low-optimisation, and the DM has a habit of throwing encounters at us above our EL - so 15 rounds is usually plenty of time to get the benefit.

Light Fortification is something else I looked at, though it seems to be rare for my character to get critical hit or sneak-attacked - I think it's happened to my character twice, though going from 7 to 4 PC's and going from support to front-line will probably mean it happens more often.

Any thoughts on losing the Strongarm Bracers and getting the armour a +2 enhancement proprerty? Any suggestions?