3.5e Dragonborn of Bahamut super tank Crusader

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Hello organisms (my corrent PC personality),

I want to make a *Dragonborn of Bahamut Crusader super tank and don't really know how.
I want your help with the build if you are willing to help me.
I can use every 3.5e book(even the wird ones like book of erotic fantasy).
I don't know if I want to go full Crusader or taking PrC.
The campaign have to option to go to lvl 20 and higher.

I don't really know how many points I will get for abilities but I can do this alone :)

I will like to know what you guys think and to get your help.

I am planning to use the Intimidate skill in order to take aggro but I will like to know if you have a better idea.

* http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b

BTW, my group is always try to break the game so I will need to be super affective in my field(taking agro) or I will left behind.

[ApologyFestival]

There aren't many ways to "take aggro" in D&D. From memory, there's some naff feat called Goad, and the Knight's Challenge class feature from the Knight class. Both are awful.

Mercifully, D&D is not an MMO. So if you want to tank, you need to either pose a massive threat and thus be a priority target, or you need to punish your opponents for targeting your allies. Crusaders can do both. If your DM rules that charging maneuvers stack nicely with pounce, then taking a quick dip into barbarian will let you pound out ridiculous damage for minimal investment, which should satisfy the criteria for making the Crusader a threat (at most tables). Beyond that, a reach weapon and an attack of opportunity build, focused on the Thicket of Blades stance, can force enemies to attack the Crusader or suffer otherwise avoidable attacks. Focus your feat selections on Combat Reflexes, and options which increase the amount of actions which trigger attacks of opportunity.

I've only played a Crusader once, pretty much using those vague guidelines above, and the campaign stopped at level 15. He proved to be a hideously effective controller that could effortlessly delete anything that could be charged, which honestly made combat really dull, but these things depend on other players and the campaign itself.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

There aren't many ways to "take aggro" in D&D. From memory, there's some naff feat called Goad, and the Knight's Challenge class feature from the Knight class. Both are awful.

Mercifully, D&D is not an MMO. So if you want to tank, you need to either pose a massive threat and thus be a priority target, or you need to punish your opponents for targeting your allies. Crusaders can do both. If your DM rules that charging maneuvers stack nicely with pounce, then taking a quick dip into barbarian will let you pound out ridiculous damage for minimal investment, which should satisfy the criteria for making the Crusader a threat (at most tables). Beyond that, a reach weapon and an attack of opportunity build, focused on the Thicket of Blades stance, can force enemies to attack the Crusader or suffer otherwise avoidable attacks. Focus your feat selections on Combat Reflexes, and options which increase the amount of actions which trigger attacks of opportunity.

I've only played a Crusader once, pretty much using those vague guidelines above, and the campaign stopped at level 15. He proved to be a hideously effective controller that could effortlessly delete anything that could be charged, which honestly made combat really dull, but these things depend on other players and the campaign itself.

I know that there aren't any good whys to take aggro in D&D but I want to try to do it.

The problem is that with my group doing insane damage isn't going to help because we have insane damage dealers.
I will like to have more utility like tripping or disabling the enemies or supporting my group.
But I don't know how to do it.

[Inevitability]

If you want to tank and be a crusader, take maneuvers like Iron Guard's Glare. A -4 penalty on attack rolls is pretty significant at level 1, especially if your fellow meleeers have naturally high AC's.

[darkdragoon]

Ring of Diamond Mind: even though it's not a normal Crusader discipline it does have some defense and come at me bro stuff.

Imperious Command

[Darrin]

I know that there aren't any good whys to take aggro in D&D but I want to try to do it.


Race: Dragonborn Savage Progression Aasimar (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b).
Ability Adjustments: Dex -2, Con +2, Cha +2
Stub: Knight 4/Wolf Totem Barbarian 2/Crusader 14
Feats: EWP:Spiked Chain (1st), Mounted Combat (2nd) Combat Reflexes (3rd), Ability Focus: Test of Mettle (6th), Improved Trip (6th), Stand Still (9th), Knock-Down (12th), Extra Granted Maneuver (15th), Martial Study/Stance (18th).

Swap Mounted Combat or Tower Shield Proficiency for Dragon Tail (if you take the Wings aspect) or Dragon Wings (if you take the Heart or Mind aspect), as per Races of the Dragon p. 10. Take the Whirling Frenzy ACF (Unearthed Arcana) for the extra attack if you like, or the Frenzy ACF (Cityscape Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)) to buff your Dex (more AoOs for Combat Reflexes). You can also get Pounce (Complete Champion), although it's not entirely necessary here.

You can use Test of Mettle to encourage all enemies within 100' to attack you (Will save DC 10 + 1/2 Knight levels + Cha bonus), along with Iron Guard's Glare (threatened opponents get -4 penalty to attack anyone else). Barb 2 gets you Improved Trip, use Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown) from the Divine Section of the SRD. Look for magic items that can increase your size, such as Phylactery of Change (11200 GP, A&EG) or Fleshshifter Armor (13160 GP, BoVD).



The problem is that with my group doing insane damage isn't going to help because we have insane damage dealers.


Can they do infinite damage yet? A variation on Bassetking's d2 Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=3300686&postcount=38) might be worth a few giggles.



I will like to have more utility like tripping or disabling the enemies or supporting my group.
But I don't know how to do it.

Hmmm.

Race: Dragonborn Human
Stub: Overwhelming Attack Invisible Fist Monk 2/Fighter 2/Cloistered Cleric 1/Rogue 1/Crusader 2/Ruby Knight Vindicator 10/Crusader +2
Feats: Power Attack (1st), Cleave (1st), TWF (1st), IBR (2nd), WF Morningstar (3rd), Three Mountains Style (3rd), Oversized TWF (4th), Craven (6th), Staggering Strike (9th), Prehensile Tail (12th), Improved TWF (15th), Greater TWF (18th)

When you go Dragonborn, you can lose any other feat instead of your human bonus feat, such as Improved Unarmed Strike or Tower Shield Proficiency. You can also swap one of your existing feats for Dragon Tail, such as Heavy Armor Proficiency or one of your Devotion feats from Cloistered Cleric. With Prehensile Tail and Oversized TWF, you can wield three morningstars at once. Hit with at least two of them, and your target has to make a save vs. nausea. On top of that, use your Invisible Fist ACF along with RKV's access to Shadow Hand maneuvers (Cloak of Deception) to hit them with sneak attack + Staggering Strike (save vs. stagger).

Hmm. That doesn't quite make sense if they are already nauseated. Maybe switch that with Arterial Strike.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Race: Dragonborn Savage Progression Aasimar (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b).
Ability Adjustments: Dex -2, Con +2, Cha +2
Stub: Knight 4/Wolf Totem Barbarian 2/Crusader 14
Feats: EWP:Spiked Chain (1st), Mounted Combat (2nd) Combat Reflexes (3rd), Ability Focus: Test of Mettle (6th), Improved Trip (6th), Stand Still (9th), Knock-Down (12th), Extra Granted Maneuver (15th), Martial Study/Stance (18th).

Swap Mounted Combat or Tower Shield Proficiency for Dragon Tail (if you take the Wings aspect) or Dragon Wings (if you take the Heart or Mind aspect), as per Races of the Dragon p. 10. Take the Whirling Frenzy ACF (Unearthed Arcana) for the extra attack if you like, or the Frenzy ACF (Cityscape Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)) to buff your Dex (more AoOs for Combat Reflexes). You can also get Pounce (Complete Champion), although it's not entirely necessary here.

You can use Test of Mettle to encourage all enemies within 100' to attack you (Will save DC 10 + 1/2 Knight levels + Cha bonus), along with Iron Guard's Glare (threatened opponents get -4 penalty to attack anyone else). Barb 2 gets you Improved Trip, use Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown) from the Divine Section of the SRD. Look for magic items that can increase your size, such as Phylactery of Change (11200 GP, A&EG) or Fleshshifter Armor (13160 GP, BoVD).



Can they do infinite damage yet? A variation on Bassetking's d2 Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=3300686&postcount=38) might be worth a few giggles.



Hmmm.

Race: Dragonborn Human
Stub: Cobra Strike Invisible Fist Monk 2/Fighter 2/Cloistered Cleric 1/Rogue 1/Crusader 2/Ruby Knight Vindicator 10/Crusader +2
Feats: Power Attack (1st), Cleave (1st), TWF (1st), IBR (2nd), WF Morningstar (3rd), Three Mountains Style (3rd), Oversized TWF (4th), Craven (6th), Staggering Strike (9th), Prehensile Tail (12th), Improved TWF (15th), Greater TWF (18th)

When you go Dragonborn, you can lose any other feat instead of your human bonus feat, such as Improved Unarmed Strike or Tower Shield Proficiency. You can also swap one of your existing feats for Dragon Tail, such as Heavy Armor Proficiency or one of your Devotion feats from Cloistered Cleric. With Prehensile Tail and Oversized TWF, you can wield three morningstars at once. Hit with at least two of them, and your target has to make a save vs. nausea. On top of that, use your Invisible Fist ACF along with RKV's access to Shadow Hand maneuvers (Cloak of Deception) to hit them with sneak attack + Staggering Strike (save vs. stagger).

Hmm. That doesn't quite make sense if they are already nauseated. Maybe switch that with Arterial Strike.

WOW!!!
thank you, now I need to open all the books and understand all you wrote.

btw, why is there a cleric in there?

BTW,
the idea of staggering a nauseated enemy make me laugh :)

[Darrin]

btw, why is there a cleric in there?


Ruby Knight Vindicator (RKV) requires Turn Undead, and I couldn't find an easy way to get that into the build without sacrificing something else. At RKV 7, you can burn Turn Undead attempts to recover White Raven Tactics and give yourself swift actions to use it, giving yourself a new turn for every 3 Turn Undead attempts you have. (This assumes your group doesn't require Divine Impetus to use a standard action, which is Rules As Written but also stupid.) So load yourself up with Nightsticks and you can take multiple turns in a round, unloading a whirlwind of morningstars and/or nausea.

Let me know if you can't find something, can't find a source, or are confused about why I put something in the build.

[LordOfCain]

There is Jester's third level ability which lets you draw agro. But that's from Dragon Compendium and requires three levels of investment in a fairly rubbish class.

[Darrin]

Race: Dragonborn Human
Stub: Cobra Strike Overwhelming Attack Invisible Fist Monk 2/Fighter Feat Rogue 2/Cloistered Cleric 1/Rogue Sneak Attack Fighter 1/Crusader 3/Ruby Knight Vindicator 10/Crusader +1
Feats: Power Attack (1st), Cleave (1st), TWF (1st), IBR (2nd), WF Morningstar (3rd), Three Mountains Style (3rd), Oversized TWF (4th), Craven (6th), Staggering Strike (9th), Prehensile Tail (12th), Improved MWF (15th), Greater MWF (18th)


Wrong variant monk... Cobra Strike gets Dodge/Mobility, Overwhelming Attack gets Power Attack/IBR. Also, it's probably better to use Feat Rogue 2/Sneak-Attack Fighter 1 rather than Fighter 2/Rogue 1. Same BAB, but you get Evasion and more skill points.

So let me break it down a bit...


1) Overwhelming Attack Monk 1. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Power Attack. Feat: Cleave. Feat: TWF (Human).
2) Overwhelming Attack Monk 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush. Invisible Fist ACF.
3) Feat Rogue 1. Feat: WF Morningstar. Bonus: Thee Mountains Style (Complete Warrior).
4) Feat Rogue 2. Bonus: Oversized TWF (Complete Adventurer).
5) Cloistered Cleric 1. Bonus: Knowledge Devotion, Law Devotion. Magic Domain.
6) Sneak Attack Fighter 1. Feat: Craven.
7) Crusader 1. [IL 4]
8) Crusader 2. [IL 5]
9) Crusader 3. [IL 6] Feat: Staggering Strike.
10) RKV 1. [IL 7] Stance: Assassin's Stance for +2d6 sneak attack.
11) RKV 2. [IL 8] Divine Recovery. Maneuver: Cloak of Deception.
12) RKV 3. [IL 9] Feat: Prehensile Tail.
13) RKV 4. [IL 10] Maneuver: Shadow Stride.
14) RKV 5. [IL 11] +1 readied/granted maneuver.
15) RKV 6. [IL 12] Maneuver: Rallying Strike. Stance: Aura of Chaos. Feat: Improved MWF (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting).
16) RKV 7. [IL 13] Divine Impetus.
17) RKV 8. [IL 14] Maneuver: Shadow Blink.
18) RKV 9. [IL 15] Feat: Greater MWF. +1 readied/granted maneuver.
19) RKV 10. [IL 16] Maneuver: White Raven Hammer.
20) Crusader 4. [IL 17] Strike of Righteous Vitality.


1) Overwhelming Attack Monk 1. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Power Attack. Feat: Cleave. Feat: TWF (Human).
2) Overwhelming Attack Monk 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush. Invisible Fist ACF.

This gets most of the prereq feats for Three Mountains out of the way. Overwhelming Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#overwhelmingAttack) is a variant monk style from Unearthed Arcana (UA). It can also be found in the online SRD. Invisible Fist is an Alternative Class Feature (ACF) in Exemplars of Evil where you can swap Evasion for the ability to turn yourself invisible once every 4 rounds. And it's the invisibility special ability rather than the spell effect, so you stay invisible for the whole round even if you attack. This will help you set up sneak attacks later.

3) Feat Rogue 1. Feat: WF Morningstar. Bonus: Thee Mountains Style (Complete Warrior).
4) Feat Rogue 2. Bonus: Oversized TWF (Complete Adventurer).

Feat Rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) can also be found in UA or the online SRD. We need BAB +1 to pick up Weapon Focus, and we just barely have that at 3rd level. Three Mountains Style gives us the save vs. nausea if we hit an opponent twice with our morningstars: Fort save DC is 10 + 1/2 character level + Strength Modifier. Oversized TWF allows us to wield a one-handed offhand weapon as if it were light for the purposes of TWF. For everything else, they're still treated as one-handed, which means we can use Power Attack with both our primary and offhand morningstar. Also at Rogue 2, we pick up Evasion, because... why not? More skill points, too, so we can put a couple ranks in Intimidate to help us qualify for RKV. If you have any skill points left over, consider putting 1 point in Knoweldge (Local) and some cross-class points in the knowledge skills related to creature types: Arcana for dragons/magical beasts, Dungeoneering for aberrations/oozes, Nature for animals/plants/vermin, and the Planes for elementals/outsiders.

5) Cloistered Cleric 1. Bonus: Knowledge Devotion, Law Devotion. Magic Domain.

Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) is another UA/online SRD variant. It's front-loaded and all we need is one level to qualify for RKV, so we don't care about the poor BAB and lack of armor proficiencies. We're also going to use a variant rule from Complete Champion that lets us swap out our domains with Devotion feats. Top off Knowledge (Religion) up to 8 ranks, so we qualify for both Knowledge Devotion and RKV. Your second devotion pick doesn't matter so much, but from Wee Jas' list of domains, we have Law Devotion and Magic Devotion available. Magic Domain is actually more useful here, as it lets us use spell-trigger items as a wizard, so swapping the Law domain for Law Devotion is better here. We could also take the Domination Domain (as per Complete Divine) and pick up Spell Focus (Enchantment). It doesn't matter so much as long as we have a bonus feat.

This is the level where it's best to undergo the Ritual of Rebirth and become a Dragonborn of Bahamut, but we have to lose two bonus feats somewhere. As per Races of the Dragon p. 10:

"If your original race granted you a nonspecific bonus feat (such as the one gained by a human at 1st level), any feat can be lost, so long as it is not a prerequisite for another feat you have." (emphasis added)

So we can keep the human bonus feat, we just need to lose something else. Law Devotion can work here, or we can lose Light Armor Proficiency. As per the PHB p. 89:

"All characters except wizards, sorcerers, and monks automatically have Armor Proficiency (light) as a bonus feat."

So both Rogue and Cloistered Cleric have this as a bonus feat. We can lose one and still keep the other one.

If we go back to Races of the Dragon p. 10, we can also swap an existing feat for a "Dragonblood only" feat:

"Ordinarily, only a 1st-level character can select certain feats requiring the dragonblood subtype (see Chapter 6). However, upon becoming a dragonborn, you can elect to replace one (and only one) of your existing feats with one of these feats."

There are only two feats that qualify: Dragon Tail and Dragon Wings. We can get flying from taking the Wings aspect of Dragonborn, and we can swap out an existing feat for Dragon Tail. Just pick Law Devotion or Light Armor Proficiency, whichever one you didn't lose instead of your racial bonus feat. Dragon Tail gives us a tail attack, and when we add Prehensile Tail later (Savage Species or Serpent Kingdom), that's how we add a third morningstar. If you'd prefer to keep Law Devotion or lose a different feat, you could wait until you take a level of Crusader and lose Tower Shield Proficiency or Heavy Armor Proficiency instead.

6) Sneak Attack Fighter 1. Feat: Craven.

Yet another variant class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighter) from UA/online SRD. This qualifies us for Craven (taken here) and Staggering Strike (later). We could also add the Hit-and-Run ACF here from Drow of the Underdark if you like (you don't have to be drow to take it), but it's not all that necessary. It allows you to add your Dex bonus to damage when your opponents are flat-footed... which happens whenever you use Invisible Fist, or later, Cloak of Deception.

7) Crusader 1.
8) Crusader 2. [IL 5]
9) Crusader 3. [IL 6] Feat: Staggering Strike.

Maneuvers (5): Crusader's Strike, Vanguard Strike, Mountain Hammer, Leading the Attack, Battle Leader's Charge.
Stances: Martial Spirit (7th), Leading the Charge (8th)

This gets us started on our maneuvers. Crusader's Strike allows us to attack and heal with a standard action, and it scales up a bit as your IL increases. You *may* be able to use this for out-of-combat healing if your DM is ok with you attacking "neutral" trees that somehow "pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way"... like, maybe they could give you splinters, or fall on you? Some DM's consider this silly and don't allow it. Vanguard Strike and Leading the Attack are essentially the same maneuver, except Vanguard Strike is an untyped +4 bonus and Leading the Attack is a +4 morale bonus, which doesn't stack with [I]bless or inspire courage. Battle Leader's Charge is good to start with on your first round, and if you've got any damage multipliers, the +10 damage bonus can be multiplied (it's a static modifier). Mountain Hammer is your swiss army chainsaw for dealing with DR/hardness, drilling through stone walls, chopping through adamantine doors, etc.

For your stances, if you want to draw a little aggro, you can take Iron Guard's Glare instead. Martial Spirit can be paired up with Crusader's Strike, but it doesn't have the same alignment/immediate threat restrictions, so some DM's may let the whole attacking trees/rocks thing slide for unlimited out-of-combat healing. Leading the Charge is good to start off the first round of combat with, it affects all your allies, and the damage scales up as your IL increases.

At 9th level, we pick up White Raven Tactics. This is a controversial maneuver, although the Rules As Written (RAW) on it is pretty clear. As per the PHB p. 304: "In most cases, references to 'allies' include yourself." So there's nothing explicitly stopping you from using it on yourself. However, many DMs will ban this maneuver outright, or put restrictions on it, such as: cannot be used on yourself and/or can only be used once per turn (we'll come back to this last point a little later).

For your 9th level feat, you can take Staggering Strike here, although there may be some overlap with the nausea from Three Mountains Style. On the other hand, Three Mountains only works on two hits, while Staggering Strike works on only one. Also, the save DC for Three Mountains doesn't change much, while the Staggering Strike DC is based on your damage... and with Craven + Assassin's Stance + whatever else you can throw on there, that save DC could be substantial. Staggering Strike only works when you qualify for sneak attack, and Invisible Fist only comes up once every 4 rounds. Later, you'll have Cloak of Deception, but that won't be every round either. If you prefer, you can take something else here, such as Arterial Strike or Shock Trooper.

10) RKV 1. [IL 7] Stance: Assassin's Stance for +2d6 sneak attack.
11) RKV 2. [IL 8] Divine Recovery. Maneuver: Cloak of Deception.

You don't have to pick those maneuvers, but they help you sneak attack anything that can't detect invisible attackers. You now have two methods to render yourself invisible for a turn.

Divine Recovery allows you to spend a Turn Undead as a swift action to recover a maneuver... such as White Raven Tactics (WRT). It's not quite the full-blown combo yet without Divine Impetus.

12) RKV 3. [IL 9] Feat: Prehensile Tail.

You can now wield a third morningstar. Since you have three "hands", TWF is replaced with Multi-Weapon Fighting (MWF).

13) RKV 4. [IL 10] Maneuver: Shadow Stride.

Move-action teleport never gets old.

14) RKV 5. [IL 11] +1 readied/granted maneuver.
15) RKV 6. [IL 12] Maneuver: Rallying Strike. Stance: Aura of Chaos. Feat: Improved MWF (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting).

Aura of Chaos is a favorite of mine, but you're welcome to take any stance you like here. Thicket of Blades or Press the Advantage are both kinda nifty, and I've seen Dance of the Spider put to good use.

Oh, and a head's up about Improved Multi-Weapon Fighting (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting) (MWF). This was printed in Savage Species, which wasn't quite a 3.5 book... and when this feat was updated to 3.5, it was in the Epic Section of the online SRD. And the tricky part is that although Ambidexterity was dropped as a prereq, the designers left the other 3.0 prerequisites in-place... notably, the BAB +9 rather than the BAB +6 for Improved TWF. Not really a problem here, but if you try to take Improved TWF earlier... well, check with your DM if he's going to require the higher BAB or stick with the 3.5 prereqs.

16) RKV 7. [IL 13] Divine Impetus.

This is the *sweet spot* where you start to do unspeakable things to the action economy. Get as many Nightsticks (7500 GP, Libris Mortis) and Charisma boosters as you can lay your grubby little hands on.

Turn 1. Move/standard/full attack whatever. Swift action -> WRT on yourself.
Turn 2. Take WRT turn. Swift action: Divine Recovery to recover WRT. Activate Divine Impetus to give yourself another swift action. Use that 2nd swift action to use WRT on yourself.
Turn 3. Take WRT turn. Swift action: Divine Recovery to recover WRT. Activate Divine Impetus to give yourself another swift action. Use that 2nd swift action to use WRT on yourself.
Turn 4. Rinse & Repeat until you run out of Turn Undead attempts.

Each turn burns 2 Turn Undead attempts: one for Divine Recovery, one for Divine Impetus. As I mentioned before, there's a bit of a rules problem with Divine Impetus, since it's a Supernatural ability, and the default action for (Su) is a standard action. The text for Divine Impetus doesn't explicitly state what sort of action it requires, so it's standard by default. If your DM insists on sticking to strict RAW, this combo doesn't work because you have to spend your standard action to get another swift action, and can't attack that turn. However, the context of how the ability is described implies it's supposed to be a free action. And while that's probably how the designers intended it to work... it's still pretty problematic, as you can keep using it over and over again so long as you have Turn Undead attempts to burn. So check with your DM on whether he'll allow this combo to work.

17) RKV 8. [IL 14] Maneuver: Shadow Blink.
18) RKV 9. [IL 15] Feat: Greater MWF. +1 readied/granted maneuver.
19) RKV 10. [IL 16] Maneuver: White Raven Hammer.

Same note about Greater MWF, which requires BAB +15.

20) Crusader 4. [IL 17] Strike of Righteous Vitality.

You don't get a new maneuver here, but you do get to *replace* an existing maneuver. And since you finally have IL 17, you can replace a 1st level maneuver with a 9th level maneuver. So trade in Leading the Attack for Strike of Righteous Vitality.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Apply Dragonborn to a Water Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater), you'll keep the medium size, humanoid shape, 30 ft. swim speed, and ability adjustments, but lose everything else such as light sensitivity. That gets you Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2.

Use the Heart aspect of Dragonborn to get a breath weapon usable every 1d4 rounds, and take the feat Entangling Exhalation in Races of the Dragon. Use that as often as you can to debuff as many opponents as possible. They'll be unable to effectively move away from you, and you'll present yourself as a credible threat to better hold their attention like a real tank.

Consider picking up the Mineral Warrior (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e) template, you won't lose anything it gives you if you gain it after Dragonborn, and you can buy off the +1 LA (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm). That gives you +3 natural armor, DR 8/Adamantine, Darkvision, a burrow speed, and an additional Str +2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2. If you opt to go with the Wings aspect of Dragonborn, you can gain this before 6th level and you'll still gain a fly speed.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Wrong variant monk... Cobra Strike gets Dodge/Mobility, Overwhelming Attack gets Power Attack/IBR. Also, it's probably better to use Feat Rogue 2/Sneak-Attack Fighter 1 rather than Fighter 2/Rogue 1. Same BAB, but you get Evasion and more skill points.

So let me break it down a bit...

1) Overwhelming Attack Monk 1. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Power Attack. Feat: Cleave. Feat: TWF (Human).
2) Overwhelming Attack Monk 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush. Invisible Fist ACF.

This gets most of the prereq feats for Three Mountains out of the way. Overwhelming Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#overwhelmingAttack) is a variant monk style from Unearthed Arcana (UA). It can also be found in the online SRD. Invisible Fist is an Alternative Class Feature (ACF) in Exemplars of Evil where you can swap Evasion for the ability to turn yourself invisible once every 4 rounds. And it's the invisibility special ability rather than the spell effect, so you stay invisible for the whole round even if you attack. This will help you set up sneak attacks later.

3) Feat Rogue 1. Feat: WF Morningstar. Bonus: Thee Mountains Style (Complete Warrior).
4) Feat Rogue 2. Bonus: Oversized TWF (Complete Adventurer).

Feat Rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) can also be found in UA or the online SRD. We need BAB +1 to pick up Weapon Focus, and we just barely have that at 3rd level. Three Mountains Style gives us the save vs. nausea if we hit an opponent twice with our morningstars: Fort save DC is 10 + 1/2 character level + Strength Modifier. Oversized TWF allows us to wield a one-handed offhand weapon as if it were light for the purposes of TWF. For everything else, they're still treated as one-handed, which means we can use Power Attack with both our primary and offhand morningstar. Also at Rogue 2, we pick up Evasion, because... why not? More skill points, too, so we can put a couple ranks in Intimidate to help us qualify for RKV. If you have any skill points left over, consider putting 1 point in Knoweldge (Local) and some cross-class points in the knowledge skills related to creature types: Arcana for dragons/magical beasts, Dungeoneering for aberrations/oozes, Nature for animals/plants/vermin, and the Planes for elementals/outsiders.

5) Cloistered Cleric 1. Bonus: Knowledge Devotion, Law Devotion. Magic Domain.

Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) is another UA/online SRD variant. It's front-loaded and all we need is one level to qualify for RKV, so we don't care about the poor BAB and lack of armor proficiencies. We're also going to use a variant rule from Complete Champion that lets us swap out our domains with Devotion feats. Top off Knowledge (Religion) up to 8 ranks, so we qualify for both Knowledge Devotion and RKV. Your second devotion pick doesn't matter so much, but from Wee Jas' list of domains, we have Law Devotion and Magic Devotion available. Magic Domain is actually more useful here, as it lets us use spell-trigger items as a wizard, so swapping the Law domain for Law Devotion is better here. We could also take the Domination Domain (as per Complete Divine) and pick up Spell Focus (Enchantment). It doesn't matter so much as long as we have a bonus feat.

This is the level where it's best to undergo the Ritual of Rebirth and become a Dragonborn of Bahamut, but we have to lose two bonus feats somewhere. As per Races of the Dragon p. 10:

"If your original race granted you a nonspecific bonus feat (such as the one gained by a human at 1st level), any feat can be lost, so long as it is not a prerequisite for another feat you have." (emphasis added)

So we can keep the human bonus feat, we just need to lose something else. Law Devotion can work here, or we can lose Light Armor Proficiency. As per the PHB p. 89:

"All characters except wizards, sorcerers, and monks automatically have Armor Proficiency (light) as a bonus feat."

So both Rogue and Cloistered Cleric have this as a bonus feat. We can lose one and still keep the other one.

If we go back to Races of the Dragon p. 10, we can also swap an existing feat for a "Dragonblood only" feat:

"Ordinarily, only a 1st-level character can select certain feats requiring the dragonblood subtype (see Chapter 6). However, upon becoming a dragonborn, you can elect to replace one (and only one) of your existing feats with one of these feats."

There are only two feats that qualify: Dragon Tail and Dragon Wings. We can get flying from taking the Wings aspect of Dragonborn, and we can swap out an existing feat for Dragon Tail. Just pick Law Devotion or Light Armor Proficiency, whichever one you didn't lose instead of your racial bonus feat. Dragon Tail gives us a tail attack, and when we add Prehensile Tail later (Savage Species or Serpent Kingdom), that's how we add a third morningstar. If you'd prefer to keep Law Devotion or lose a different feat, you could wait until you take a level of Crusader and lose Tower Shield Proficiency or Heavy Armor Proficiency instead.

6) Sneak Attack Fighter 1. Feat: Craven.

Yet another variant class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighter) from UA/online SRD. This qualifies us for Craven (taken here) and Staggering Strike (later). We could also add the Hit-and-Run ACF here from Drow of the Underdark if you like (you don't have to be drow to take it), but it's not all that necessary. It allows you to add your Dex bonus to damage when your opponents are flat-footed... which happens whenever you use Invisible Fist, or later, Cloak of Deception.

7) Crusader 1.
8) Crusader 2. [IL 5]
9) Crusader 3. [IL 6] Feat: Staggering Strike.

Maneuvers (5): Crusader's Strike, Vanguard Strike, Mountain Hammer, Leading the Attack, Battle Leader's Charge.
Stances: Martial Spirit (7th), Leading the Charge (8th)

This gets us started on our maneuvers. Crusader's Strike allows us to attack and heal with a standard action, and it scales up a bit as your IL increases. You *may* be able to use this for out-of-combat healing if your DM is ok with you attacking "neutral" trees that somehow "pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way"... like, maybe they could give you splinters, or fall on you? Some DM's consider this silly and don't allow it. Vanguard Strike and Leading the Attack are essentially the same maneuver, except Vanguard Strike is an untyped +4 bonus and Leading the Attack is a +4 morale bonus, which doesn't stack with [I]bless or inspire courage. Battle Leader's Charge is good to start with on your first round, and if you've got any damage multipliers, the +10 damage bonus can be multiplied (it's a static modifier). Mountain Hammer is your swiss army chainsaw for dealing with DR/hardness, drilling through stone walls, chopping through adamantine doors, etc.

For your stances, if you want to draw a little aggro, you can take Iron Guard's Glare instead. Martial Spirit can be paired up with Crusader's Strike, but it doesn't have the same alignment/immediate threat restrictions, so some DM's may let the whole attacking trees/rocks thing slide for unlimited out-of-combat healing. Leading the Charge is good to start off the first round of combat with, it affects all your allies, and the damage scales up as your IL increases.

At 9th level, we pick up White Raven Tactics. This is a controversial maneuver, although the Rules As Written (RAW) on it is pretty clear. As per the PHB p. 304: "In most cases, references to 'allies' include yourself." So there's nothing explicitly stopping you from using it on yourself. However, many DMs will ban this maneuver outright, or put restrictions on it, such as: cannot be used on yourself and/or can only be used once per turn (we'll come back to this last point a little later).

For your 9th level feat, you can take Staggering Strike here, although there may be some overlap with the nausea from Three Mountains Style. On the other hand, Three Mountains only works on two hits, while Staggering Strike works on only one. Also, the save DC for Three Mountains doesn't change much, while the Staggering Strike DC is based on your damage... and with Craven + Assassin's Stance + whatever else you can throw on there, that save DC could be substantial. Staggering Strike only works when you qualify for sneak attack, and Invisible Fist only comes up once every 4 rounds. Later, you'll have Cloak of Deception, but that won't be every round either. If you prefer, you can take something else here, such as Arterial Strike or Shock Trooper.

10) RKV 1. [IL 7] Stance: Assassin's Stance for +2d6 sneak attack.
11) RKV 2. [IL 8] Divine Recovery. Maneuver: Cloak of Deception.

You don't have to pick those maneuvers, but they help you sneak attack anything that can't detect invisible attackers. You now have two methods to render yourself invisible for a turn.

Divine Recovery allows you to spend a Turn Undead as a swift action to recover a maneuver... such as White Raven Tactics (WRT). It's not quite the full-blown combo yet without Divine Impetus.

12) RKV 3. [IL 9] Feat: Prehensile Tail.

You can now wield a third morningstar. Since you have three "hands", TWF is replaced with Multi-Weapon Fighting (MWF).

13) RKV 4. [IL 10] Maneuver: Shadow Stride.

Move-action teleport never gets old.

14) RKV 5. [IL 11] +1 readied/granted maneuver.
15) RKV 6. [IL 12] Maneuver: Rallying Strike. Stance: Aura of Chaos. Feat: Improved MWF (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting).

Aura of Chaos is a favorite of mine, but you're welcome to take any stance you like here. Thicket of Blades or Press the Advantage are both kinda nifty, and I've seen Dance of the Spider put to good use.

Oh, and a head's up about Improved Multi-Weapon Fighting (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting) (MWF). This was printed in Savage Species, which wasn't quite a 3.5 book... and when this feat was updated to 3.5, it was in the Epic Section of the online SRD. And the tricky part is that although Ambidexterity was dropped as a prereq, the designers left the other 3.0 prerequisites in-place... notably, the BAB +9 rather than the BAB +6 for Improved TWF. Not really a problem here, but if you try to take Improved TWF earlier... well, check with your DM if he's going to require the higher BAB or stick with the 3.5 prereqs.

16) RKV 7. [IL 13] Divine Impetus.

This is the *sweet spot* where you start to do unspeakable things to the action economy. Get as many Nightsticks (7500 GP, Libris Mortis) and Charisma boosters as you can lay your grubby little hands on.

Turn 1. Move/standard/full attack whatever. Swift action -> WRT on yourself.
Turn 2. Take WRT turn. Swift action: Divine Recovery to recover WRT. Activate Divine Impetus to give yourself another swift action. Use that 2nd swift action to use WRT on yourself.
Turn 3. Take WRT turn. Swift action: Divine Recovery to recover WRT. Activate Divine Impetus to give yourself another swift action. Use that 2nd swift action to use WRT on yourself.
Turn 4. Rinse & Repeat until you run out of Turn Undead attempts.

Each turn burns 2 Turn Undead attempts: one for Divine Recovery, one for Divine Impetus. As I mentioned before, there's a bit of a rules problem with Divine Impetus, since it's a Supernatural ability, and the default action for (Su) is a standard action. The text for Divine Impetus doesn't explicitly state what sort of action it requires, so it's standard by default. If your DM insists on sticking to strict RAW, this combo doesn't work because you have to spend your standard action to get another swift action, and can't attack that turn. However, the context of how the ability is described implies it's supposed to be a free action. And while that's probably how the designers intended it to work... it's still pretty problematic, as you can keep using it over and over again so long as you have Turn Undead attempts to burn. So check with your DM on whether he'll allow this combo to work.

17) RKV 8. [IL 14] Maneuver: Shadow Blink.
18) RKV 9. [IL 15] Feat: Greater MWF. +1 readied/granted maneuver.
19) RKV 10. [IL 16] Maneuver: White Raven Hammer.

Same note about Greater MWF, which requires BAB +15.

20) Crusader 4. [IL 17] Strike of Righteous Vitality.

You don't get a new maneuver here, but you do get to *replace* an existing maneuver. And since you finally have IL 17, you can replace a 1st level maneuver with a 9th level maneuver. So trade in Leading the Attack for Strike of Righteous Vitality.
I have a little problem with it.
1) I don't want to take a very long turn (this is not nice to make your friends wait).
2) I forgot that for now all the enemies are immune to SA and crits(undead and creatures that aren't have their organs where they should be).
3) I don't really like all the multi-classing(I am not against and willing to try).
4) I have a little problem with being limited to turn undead because I will not have the time to rest in order to refresh them and I have a little problem with getting magic items(maybe I will get ancestral relic but that will cost a feat).

I am sorry, I forgot some really important information :'(

Apply Dragonborn to a Water Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater), you'll keep the medium size, humanoid shape, 30 ft. swim speed, and ability adjustments, but lose everything else such as light sensitivity. That gets you Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2.

Use the Heart aspect of Dragonborn to get a breath weapon usable every 1d4 rounds, and take the feat Entangling Exhalation in Races of the Dragon. Use that as often as you can to debuff as many opponents as possible. They'll be unable to effectively move away from you, and you'll present yourself as a credible threat to better hold their attention like a real tank.

Consider picking up the Mineral Warrior (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e) template, you won't lose anything it gives you if you gain it after Dragonborn, and you can buy off the +1 LA (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm). That gives you +3 natural armor, DR 8/Adamantine, Darkvision, a burrow speed, and an additional Str +2, Con +4, Int -2, Wis -2, Cha -2. If you opt to go with the Wings aspect of Dragonborn, you can gain this before 6th level and you'll still gain a fly speed.
If the DM will allow it, I need to be near my books (I am a few hours away) in order to check it.

[Darrin]

I have a little problem with it.
1) I don't want to take a very long turn (this is not nice to make your friends wait).
2) I forgot that for now all the enemies are immune to SA and crits(undead and creatures that aren't have their organs where they should be).
3) I don't really like all the multi-classing(I am not against and willing to try).
4) I have a little problem with being limited to turn undead because I will not have the time to rest in order to refresh them and I have a little problem with getting magic items(maybe I will get ancestral relic but that will cost a feat).

I am sorry, I forgot some really important information :'(


Actually, that makes things considerably simpler. And I wasn't all that happy with shoehorning sneak attack into the build. So let's simplify:

Race: Dragonborn Wood Elf
1) Ranger 1. Feat: Power Attack. Bonus: Track -> Dragon Tail.
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: TWF.
3) Fighter 1. Feat: Oversize TWF. Bonus: Cleave.
4) Fighter 2. Bonus: WF Morningstar.
5) Crusader 1.
6) Crusader 2. Feat: Improved Bull Rush.
7) Crusader 3.
8) Crusader 4.
9) Crusader 5. Feat: Three Mountains Style.
10) Crusader 6.
11) Eternal Blade 1.
12) Eternal Blade 2. Feat: Prehensile Tail.
13) Eternal Blade 3.
14) Eternal Blade 4.
15) Eternal Blade 5. Feat: Improved MWF.
16) Eternal Blade 6.
17) Eternal Blade 7.
18) Eternal Blade 8. Feat: Greater MWF.
19) Eternal Blade 9. Time Stands Still.
20) Eternal Blade 10. Island in Time.

It's not exactly a melee powerhouse, but it's got interesting things to do, can heal a bit, and it can Alpha a whole bunch of attacks when you need it to: Time Stands Still + Island In Time.

Does your group use flaws? If so, then you'll probably want to rework the feats a bit.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Actually, that makes things considerably simpler. And I wasn't all that happy with shoehorning sneak attack into the build. So let's simplify:

Race: Dragonborn Wood Elf
1) Ranger 1. Feat: Power Attack. Bonus: Track -> Dragon Tail.
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: TWF.
3) Fighter 1. Feat: Oversize TWF. Bonus: Cleave.
4) Fighter 2. Bonus: WF Morningstar.
5) Crusader 1.
6) Crusader 2. Feat: Improved Bull Rush.
7) Crusader 3.
8) Crusader 4.
9) Crusader 5. Feat: Three Mountains Style.
10) Crusader 6.
11) Eternal Blade 1.
12) Eternal Blade 2. Feat: Prehensile Tail.
13) Eternal Blade 3.
14) Eternal Blade 4.
15) Eternal Blade 5. Feat: Improved MWF.
16) Eternal Blade 6.
17) Eternal Blade 7.
18) Eternal Blade 8. Feat: Greater MWF.
19) Eternal Blade 9. Time Stands Still.
20) Eternal Blade 10. Island in Time.

It's not exactly a melee powerhouse, but it's got interesting things to do, can heal a bit, and it can Alpha a whole bunch of attacks when you need it to: Time Stands Still + Island In Time.

Does your group use flaws? If so, then you'll probably want to rework the feats a bit.

yes, we have max 2 flaws(I will not want to make a tree an enemy for healing because I will get myself team killed, we do have love of nature on a crazy one).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you have Fiendish Codex II and Tome of Magic, go Crusader 5/ Binder 1/ Hellreaver 5/ Crusader 9. You'll need Stone Power (or Power Attack), and you'll want to have an odd number for your Con score. You want to bind Naberius every day, mostly for Faster Ability Healing.

You can use Divine Succor from Hellreaver to heal yourself or an ally within 20 feet for 10 damage as a swift action, so you're not sacrificing any attacks to do it. At Hellreaver 5 you instead heal 20 points, and you basically have an unlimited number of Holy Fury points due to Heroic Sacrifice. Heal for 20 per round until you're out of Holy Fury, then spend your swift action on Heroic Sacrifice to take 2 Con damage and replenish your Holy Fury. You heal 1 ability damage per round, so you'll only be down one point of Con at the end of your turn and it's fully healed the next round, so with an odd number Con score it won't even make any difference.

The other abilities you get from Hellreaver and binding Naberius are well worth the levels invested, and you'll still have 9th level maneuvers by 20th level. With Entangling Exhalation you can keep the opponents debuffed and their attention on you, and this allows you to heal through anything they try to use while still being able to make attacks and use maneuvers.

[Rebel7284]

Ruby Knight Vindicators make the best tanks. Cleric 4/Crusader 1/RKV 10 is dead simple, only loses 1 BAB, and having cleric buffs and an occasional casting of close wounds is great for tanking. Entangling Exhilation + Standstill for control. Maybe with Quicken Breath for saving actions. Of course Thicket of Blades for more control.

[Angelmaker]

I know that there aren't any good whys to take aggro in D&D but I want to try to do it.

The problem is that with my group doing insane damage isn't going to help because we have insane damage dealers.
I will like to have more utility like tripping or disabling the enemies or supporting my group.
But I don't know how to do it.

Specify "insane damage dealers". Is all they do giggle while rolling dice or is it really them ending an encounter in two turns because of their ubercharging damage output?

Here is the thing: if they end encounters fast, there is no need for a tank.

Make sure, a tank is what you want and rally can use, because it will be incredibly dull to play aone when he isn't needed. If you want to support your damage dealers, look into batman/buff wizard rather. I don't know of any good mechanic supporting your wish for a build that says "i'd rather attack the high ac high HP target than they guy who just killed two of my buddies".

[Darrin]

yes, we have max 2 flaws(I will not want to make a tree an enemy for healing because I will get myself team killed, we do have love of nature on a crazy one).

In that case... take Meager Fortitude and Shaky as flaws. This allows us to bump some feats around and add two more feats: Shock Trooper and Extra Granted Maneuver.

Race: Dragonborn Wood Elf
1) Ranger 1. Feat: Power Attack. Bonus: Track -> Dragon Tail. Flaw: Cleave. Flaw: WF Morningstar.
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: TWF.
3) Fighter 1. Feat: Prehensile Tail. Bonus: Oversized TWF.
4) Fighter 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush.
5) Crusader 1.
6) Crusader 2. Feat: Three Mountains Style.
7) Crusader 3.
8) Crusader 4.
9) Crusader 5. Feat: Shock Trooper.
10) Crusader 6.
11) Eternal Blade 1.
12) Eternal Blade 2. Feat: Improved MWF.
13) Eternal Blade 3.
14) Eternal Blade 4.
15) Eternal Blade 5. Feat: Extra Granted Maneuver.
16) Eternal Blade 6.
17) Eternal Blade 7.
18) Eternal Blade 8. Feat: Greater MWF.
19) Eternal Blade 9. Time Stands Still.
20) Eternal Blade 10. Island in Time.

[Inevitability]

Make sure, a tank is what you want and rally can use, because it will be incredibly dull to play aone when he isn't needed. If you want to support your damage dealers, look into batman/buff wizard rather. I don't know of any good mechanic supporting your wish for a build that says "i'd rather attack the high ac high HP target than they guy who just killed two of my buddies".

Don't try to look for a mechanic that literally says that, try to look for a way to make yourself the only possible target. Lockdown trippers are quite good at it, at least if they can somehow suppress teleportation near them.