[3.5] Help with Odd ToB Divine Gish Concept

[Remedy]

I'm making a setting, and have decided that one of the cultures will consider unarmed (and unarmored) fighting a sacred art and the use of melee weapons (and armor) to be blasphemous. As such, pretty much every physically-oriented character who is part of that culture will be an Unarmed Swordsage or something similar, with a houserule allowing Swordsages to use the Ascetic X feats if they want to. (I almost certainly wouldn't allow that feat to make the other class fully progress the Initiator Level, but maybe somebody will correct my notion that such would be totally overpowered.)

Anyway, I don't think it would make any sense to have a culture that considers unarmed fighting a literally holy art but whose clergy are absolutely terrible at fighting without weapons, so I want to incorporate that. And it looks like the only Prestige Class that advances both initiating and divine casting is the Ruby Knight Vindicator, so that would be the obvious choice, with houserules to apply with other deities...

... Except that it requires and advances Maneuvers from the schools most inherent to the Crusader, presumably because that's the intended entry.

So basically, what I need is either advice on how to make an unarmed and unarmored Crusader viable, or similar advice on how to make the entire Ruby Knight Vindicator PrC viable when entered with Swordsage + Feats.

Thanks in advance for the help.

EDIT: Actually, I guess if you can suggest a different way to do a Divine ToB unarmed gish, it doesn't need to be RKV.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

UA has you covered: Defense Bonus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/defenseBonus.htm), which combines well with Armor As Damage Reduction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/armorAsDamageReduction.htm).

[BowStreetRunner]

You might want to look at how Pathfinder deals with the divine caster/martial adept concept as well. The Battle Templar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/prestige-classes/battle-templar) might be worth examining.

[Nifft]

I'm making a setting, and have decided that one of the cultures will consider unarmed (and unarmored) fighting a sacred art and the use of melee weapons (and armor) to be blasphemous. As such, pretty much every physically-oriented character who is part of that culture will be an Unarmed Swordsage or something similar, with a houserule allowing Swordsages to use the Ascetic X feats if they want to. (I almost certainly wouldn't allow that feat to make the other class fully progress the Initiator Level, but maybe somebody will correct my notion that such would be totally overpowered.)

Anyway, I don't think it would make any sense to have a culture that considers unarmed fighting a literally holy art but whose clergy are absolutely terrible at fighting without weapons, so I want to incorporate that. And it looks like the only Prestige Class that advances both initiating and divine casting is the Ruby Knight Vindicator, so that would be the obvious choice, with houserules to apply with other deities...

... Except that it requires and advances Maneuvers from the schools most inherent to the Crusader, presumably because that's the intended entry.

So basically, what I need is either advice on how to make an unarmed and unarmored Crusader viable, or similar advice on how to make the entire Ruby Knight Vindicator PrC viable when entered with Swordsage + Feats.

Thanks in advance for the help.

EDIT: Actually, I guess if you can suggest a different way to do a Divine ToB unarmed gish, it doesn't need to be RKV.

I'd suggest making a custom PrC based around the RKV but using Monk-ish stuff and stuff relevant to YOUR god, instead of the Wee Jas stuff.

Since your sect seems anti-weapon, I'd make the PrC built around:
- Setting Sun and Devoted Spirit maneuvers & stances
- Improved Disarm and/or Improved Sunder (call this feature "Eagle Claw Attack!")
- 8/10 casting progression
- Damage scaling for Unarmed Strikes, maybe?

Require Setting Sun or Devoted Spirit to get in (so allow Crusader or Swordsage entry), plus level 2 spells.

Give +1 maneuver known every 2 levels (half Swordsage progression), +1 readied every 3 levels, and 2 new stances total (at levels 6 and 10, perhaps).

What's your deity like?

[Sian]

Shugenja / Swordsage (modified as per 'unarmed' adaption suggestion) / Ruby Knight Vindicator (Modified as per alternate discipline suggestion)

[darksolitaire]

Check out Shaman from Oriental Adventures. It has divine caster goodness combined with unarmed combat bonus feats. And they buffed it when they ported it to 3.5 in Dragon Magazine.