Need Buildhelp for a Crusader with homebrew rules.

[WhiteBread]

My newest campaign has some homebrew rules. Currently all classes below the t2 are buffed in some ways. We are allowed to take some flaws+feats ( Feats can only be ones that can be taken at lvl 1, with 1 bab and so on), martial adept classes get full il from prcs with no spellcasting progression.

My current build idea looks like this:

Race: Hengeyokai (Str form)
Crusader2/Warblade2/Warshaper4/Binder1 ( Maybe some Crusader sprinkles in this build here and there)


I build my character along the lines of "Claymore" the manga but male. Ideas I have but can't realize that simply are Wildshape and Regeneration without shaping. Should I take a martial adept prc to improve maneuvers from here on out?

I would take ideas and suggestions for classes, prcs and 1st level feats( still only 1 regional and no dragon magazine).

Are there more of them lovely warshaper prcs?

[Karl Aegis]

What am I looking at here? Like, what is the character concept I'm supposed to be looking at? From what I can tell you want to be some kind of bear thing that gets attacked by evil spirits and is totally useless against them.

[WhiteBread]

What am I looking at here? Like, what is the character concept I'm supposed to be looking at? From what I can tell you want to be some kind of bear thing that gets attacked by evil spirits and is totally useless against them.

What? .. How are you getting a bear and dark spirits from this? If you don't know about the manga. It is about an organization infusing soldiers with dragon organs into humans giving them the ability to shape into something resembling an abberation. They are able to partially shape, can fast heal and stick cut off arms/legs back to their places or sometimes even fully regenerate a lost arm. They are mostly using a claymore as a weapon and have the tendency to crave human flesh when using to much of their shaping powers....

My character is kinda based on this concept somewhat. Now I need ideas which feats and prcs would make sense.

The crusader and warblade levels are for the maneuvers, warshaper to resemble their shaping(hengeyokai for easy entering), the binder lvl for naberius ability dmg healing. Now I am missing something that lets me stick back my arms and legs, and maybe something that gives me abberation wildshaping.

[Gruftzwerg]

Master of Many Forms 6 gives you access to Wild Shape (Aberration). But dunno if the heavy investment would justify it.

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Otherwise I would suggest to cheese the build into a Idiot Crusader (or Crusader for Dummies). There are 2 ways to get full auto reset for your Crusader maneuvers at the end of your turns.

a) Idiot Crusader
- Crusader + another initiator base class (in your chase Warblade)
- get into a maneuver progressing prc ASAP
- new maneuvers known from prc go to the "other initiator class"
- more maneuvers readied go to Crusader.
- repeat until Crusader can ready all his maneuvers at once

b) Crusader for Dummies
- Crusader + Warblade
- starting at Warblade 4 you may trade maneuvers known (from Crusader too) into new maneuvers available (for Warblade). Trade as much Crusader maneuvers away (with more Warblade lvls) until you are left with only as much maneuvers known as you can ready.

The feat "Extra granted Maneuver" helps to reach your goal faster. You can also combine these two methods. Since you will have full initiator lvls due to your homebrew buffs, it should be a really strong melee build. And remember that with prc and/or Martial Study (feat) you can get access to any maneuver you want for your Crusader (e.g. Tiger Claw, Shadow Hand..).
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If you intend to focus on charge, I would suggest to invest into Barb1 with ACF pounce and maybe even Drunken Master 2 (not the film^^, the prc) to get Stagger (free direction changes while charging: run back & forth. if access to fly, fly up and dive down for charge multiplier).

[The_Jette]

For the regrowth of body parts: have you considered troll blooded?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Mkay, so you're looking for

Minor shapeshifting, of the "turn into a monsterous form" sort.
Full-on Aberration Wild Shape, if possible
Regeneration
Maneuvers, which are fully advanced by non-spellcasting PrCs.

Crusader/Warshaper is certainly a good start. Warshaper 4 will do a pretty good job of most of what you care about. You could go in as a Shifter instead of a Hengeyokai for a stronger "monster form rage" type deal.

The easiest way to shapeshift into Aberrations would probably be Alter Self on something like an Elan that's already an Aberration-- there are some neat monstrous forms you can get into that way. You could buy a wand and stick it in the wand chamber of your weapon, if you don't want to take 3-4 levels of a casting class. Aberration Wild Shape... you're probably talking Wild Shape Ranger, and you could maybe get your DM to swap in a maneuver progression in place of spells? Or the Divine Minion template; the feat doesn't specify that it has to be class-based Wild Shape, even.

Full regeneration is harder without the Dragon-only Troll Blooded feat. There's a location that can give it to you for ~30,000 gold in the Fiendish Codex 2, I think; and I see that there exists "Dukar Hand Coral" in Champions of Valor that will give you a very cheap, slow version.

[WhiteBread]

For the regrowth of body parts: have you considered troll blooded?

Dragon Magazine sadly and therefore not allowed.


Master of Many Forms 6 gives you access to Wild Shape (Aberration). But dunno if the heavy investment would justify it. -snip-

I dunno about the Master of Many Forms I am probably better off with the Shifter Prc. Getting 3rd level spells however is almost impossible with my build.


Mkay, so you're looking for

Minor shapeshifting, of the "turn into a monsterous form" sort.
Full-on Aberration Wild Shape, if possible
Regeneration
Maneuvers, which are fully advanced by non-spellcasting PrCs.

-Snip-

Well the Shifter Prc would give me everything I want on the Wildshaping side but the entry costs are something I need to think about. However I don't really need Regeneration as I already have Fast Healing. Something that would let me reattach limbs would be fine already.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I dunno about the Master of Many Forms I am probably better off with the Shifter Prc. Getting 3rd level spells however is almost impossible with my build.
...
Well the Shifter Prc would give me everything I want on the Wildshaping side but the entry costs are something I need to think about. However I don't really need Regeneration as I already have Fast Healing. Something that would let me reattach limbs would be fine already.
From what I can tell, MoMF looks like the 3.5 update of the Shifter PrC. Among other things, it doesn't have a spellcasting requirement, only the two feats... which can be obtained for free via Ranger levels if you take the Urban Companion ACF (which you pretty much always should). If you only want Aberrations, the feat (from Lords of Madness) is... easier to fit into a build, at least.

For the record, though, I was recommending the Shifter race, from Eberron; they're sort of like lesser werewolves with a feral state they can activate a one or more times/day. You get a stat boost and some other bonus-- natural weapons, natural armor, movement modes, that sort of thing.

Dukar Hand Coral lets you regrow limbs, at least. You might be able to talk a DM into letting you reattach limbs... otherwise, as I mentioned, I think you're looking for the Shriver. You need to strap yourself into a devil's torture machine for 4+ rounds, then escape, but if you do you get Regeneration 1, which can be increased by up to 5 if you spend more time in there.

[WhiteBread]

Dukar Hand Coral lets you regrow limbs, at least. You might be able to talk a DM into letting you reattach limbs... otherwise, as I mentioned, I think you're looking for the Shriver. You need to strap yourself into a devil's torture machine for 4+ rounds, then escape, but if you do you get Regeneration 1, which can be increased by up to 5 if you spend more time in there.

That sounds so ****ed up. Well it would actually fit perfectly because the warriors made in that manga were slit open and getting new organs transplanted while being concious.

[Grod_The_Giant]

That sounds so ****ed up. Well it would actually fit perfectly because the warriors made in that manga were slit open and getting new organs transplanted while being concious.
Right. It's messed up, but it's APPROPRIATELY messed up :p

You'll have to check with your GM about the availability, though. The equivalent treasure value would take up more than half your WBL, which I think is a recommended limit. If they won't go for a backstory "purchase," you might have to find time to get there in-game.