Tweaking a Crusader/Hellreaver

[Gayle_Force]

So my 3.5 campaign I am joining has gotten delayed. And I was thinking of playing a Hellreaver off a crusader chassis with fighter and barb to get some charging/feats

I am having second thoughts in general mostly because too much time has passed since building his lvl 10 frame. His story was a little weak (no real goal besides kill evil creatures) as well.

The current party is a Sorcerer, Druid, Barbarian, Rogue/Scout (new player joining not entirely sure what class he is but it is a sneaky dude).

We will start play at lvl 10 and be fighting a lot of demons.

I definitely would not consider playing a cleric since I have played a few already. I do not want to step on the other party members toes too much either.

Other suggestions to as adventuring purpose in general terms (so I can mold to the DMs world) would be appreciated as well. I am hitting somewhat of a creative wall currently.

If Hellreaver/crusaders are a really fun combo, let me know and I will double down there as well.

(Slight creative burn-out possibly due to being in 3 separate campaigns currently, 1 of them would be ending before this one begins)

After thinking about it, some RP ideas are coming to me on how to play the character and starting to like it again. A few thoughts though,

1) Current build is Barb2/Exotic Fighter2/Crusader1/Hellreaver4/Crusader2 To get me thicket of blades by level 10. This is trying to take advantage of charging/power attack feats and tripping feats with a spiked chain. Am I crazy for trying to do too much?

2) Am I actually better off simply going Barb1(for pounce)/Crusader4/Hellreaver5? And if so, should I focus on charging or tripping, or can both still be achieved?

3) Being tanky for the group is 1 goal, is this better suited by going Hellreaver to 10 or capping it at 5 to 6 and going the rest Crusader?

4) This campaign is likely going to lvl 20 or beyond, Can I get 9th level manuevers with Barb1/Crusader9/Hellreaver10?

[Saintheart]

I have no ideas to put in here, but I would really like to see someone build a character that fights demons with Suggestion.

[Goaty14]

Here's the thought: Your character likes demons, like, he literally grew up with a group of them and generally got a good impression of them overall. Something like "There are good demons, you just gotta find them!", and maybe he got inspired by the legendary Succubus Paladin (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050824a) or something to try to find the best in even the worst. Thing is, some of these demons aren't good and just really wanna tear stuff apart, which is a bad thing :smallmad:

So y'know, a little discipline is in order, no? Your character has gotten the idea in his head that if demons just "respawn" in the abyss after death, and there's a chance that they "respawn" as "good demons" (a small chance, admittedly), then if he kills enough evil demons then eventually he'll get lucky and one of them will become a good demon! Lather, Rinse, Repeat, until every single demon in the Abyss is a "good demon".

TL;DR Your character thinks that demons can eventually become good, so he kills them until they become good.

[Gayle_Force]

Here's the thought: Your character likes demons, like, he literally grew up with a group of them and generally got a good impression of them overall. Something like "There are good demons, you just gotta find them!", and maybe he got inspired by the legendary Succubus Paladin (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050824a) or something to try to find the best in even the worst. Thing is, some of these demons aren't good and just really wanna tear stuff apart, which is a bad thing :smallmad:

So y'know, a little discipline is in order, no? Your character has gotten the idea in his head that if demons just "respawn" in the abyss after death, and there's a chance that they "respawn" as "good demons" (a small chance, admittedly), then if he kills enough evil demons then eventually he'll get lucky and one of them will become a good demon! Lather, Rinse, Repeat, until every single demon in the Abyss is a "good demon".

TL;DR Your character thinks that demons can eventually become good, so he kills them until they become good.

Haha, I think I would have to run that by the DM but the idea is rather funny.

[Mike Miller]

Look into the PrCs Fist of Raziel (BoED) and Knight of the Chalice (CW)

[Malphegor]

Fiendbinder, if you can beg your DM to let you use knowledge (planes), (arcana) or (religion) instead of truenaming (it's a skill that lets you research the names of things. ... It has no other function. And it is kind of awful because you're either all in to this extremely niche skill or you're mediocre at it), can be potentially pretty good, since the fiends you bind are permanently dead once summoned to this world and killed. Normally they just return to their plane. Actual, permanent death.

There's likely entire clerical orders whose jobs are to each day purge the lower planes by summoning then immediately slaying the devil or demon they've brought to mortality.

[Troacctid]

The funny thing is I was actually going to suggest Hellreaver when I saw the thread title.

[Gayle_Force]

The funny thing is I was actually going to suggest Hellreaver when I saw the thread title.

The prior path I had was 2 levels Barb for pounce and improved trip. 2 levels of exoticist fighter for free spiked chain proficiency and feats. 1 level of Crusader, 4 levels of Hellreaver, then another level of Crusader to get the maneuver which allows for crazy AoOs. I also had some feats (shock trooper, Leap attack) to make charging my combat initiator.

I think it was just not being able to think of something compelling to drive the character besides killing the present bad guy. While mechanically it would probably be decently good at what he does (charge in and then trip dudes), I didn't have much vision for the character.

[Gayle_Force]

I edited the first post for the recent thoughts/questions