Help me improve me Warblade. Please

[Goladar]

So I'm playing in a campaign with nearly unbearable levels of pop culture references and enemies with tons of homebrew abilities and classes(we get no access to any of them). I got tired of my wizard's spells not working the way the books say they do, so I'd like to play somethkng a little more straight forward.

Enemies routinely hit an AC of35-40 and/or target touch AC(and sometimes even flat footed touch AC). Save DCs also tend to be in the mid 30's.

Anything I could do to keep myself around a little longer and more reliably hit enemies?

Fortula Urdun

Human Female Warblade 16
Hit Dice: 16d12+32(+80) (141(189) hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 24 ( +4 Dex, +6 Armor, +3 Shield, +1 deflection, +1 insight ), touch 12, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+22
Attack: Falchion +29 melee (2d4+23/15-20)
Full Attack: Falchion +29/+24/+19/+14 melee (2d4+23/15-20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +12(+16), Ref +7(+12), Will +5(+9)
Abilities: Str 22(28), Dex 14(18), Con 14(20), Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills:95sp:37 left Bal 5(7), Tmbl 19(21), Swm 5(11), Clmb 5(11), Jump 14(20(22)), Conc 19(21), Listen 4.5, Spot 9
feats: Imp. Critical(Falchion), Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, weapon focus(Falchion), Weapon Specialization(Falchion), Melee Weapon Mastery(Slashing) , Leap Attack
Warblade Bonus Feats: Imp. Initiative, Blind-fight, Quickdraw
Class Features: Battle Clarity, Weapon Aptitude, Uncanny Dodge, Battle Ardor, Imp. Uncanny Dodge, Battle Cunning, Battle Skill, Battle Mastery

Maneuvers known:11
Strikes: Emerald Blade, Diamond Nightmare Blade, Adamantine Hurricane, Finishing Move,, Lightning Throw, Raging Mongoose

Counters: Action Before Thought, moment of perfect mind, Iron Heart Surge, Wall of Blades, Manticore parry

Man. Readied:6

Stances known:4
Hearing the Air
dancing blade form
Press the Advantage
Absolute Steel Stance

7.605k left

+1 Adamantine Metalline, Collision Falchion 53.375k
+1 Mithril, Medium Fortification Breastplate 20.35k
+1 Animated Heavy Mithril Shield 10.17k

Belt of giant strength +6 36k
Amulet of Health +6 36k
Gloves of Dex +4 16k
Ring of Entropic Deflection 8k
Ring of Evasion/Ring of Protection +1 28k
Cloak of resistance +4 16k
Dusty Rose Ioun Stone 5k

Boots of Striding and Springing 5.5k
2 Pearl of Power III 18k

Sources: Anything outside core has to be approved on an individual basis.

[Particle_Man]

Perhaps trade human for elf and get six levels of eternal blade?

The other unkilllable tank option is crusader, or even crusader/eternal blade.

[ChaosStar]

Sounds to me like your DM has the mindset of being an antagonist to the players. DMs are supposed to tell a story with the players as the main characters. Personally I'd leave the group and find one with a DM who doesn't seem like he wants to murder your characters and kill your fun.

[Maat Mons]

Enemies routinely hit an AC of35-40 and/or target touch AC(and sometimes even flat footed touch AC).

Well, the Deflective Armor feat lets you add your armor bonus to touch AC. Thaalud stone armor has an AC bonus of +12, and you could add up to a +5 enhancement bonus. There are two different feats that let you add your shield bonus to touch AC. A tower shield has a +4 bonus, and you can add up to a +5 enhancment bonus. With a +5 deflection bonus item, that gets you up to 41 AC. You might be able to find some other bonuses to touch AC.

As for the flat-footed part, you could have Uncanny Dodge... assuming you even stand to lose AC from that.





Save DCs also tend to be in the mid 30's.

How much stuff can you manage to be flat-out immune to? Can you get Mind Blank, Freedom of Movement, Death Ward, and True Seeing? (As items, or as spells.)

I guess being a Warforged Juggernaut would only cost you 3 initiator levels. (And you could toss in one more level of whatever without losing another initiator level.) Might be worth it?

[RNightstalker]

How do you have Weapon Supremacy? That requires a 18th level fighter or 20th level warblade, and you're missing three feat prereqs...did you mean weapon specialization?

[Mordaedil]

If your DM rules that spells don't work like they ought to, why would feats work like you hope they would?

[Goladar]

Warforged Juggernaught is out. Considered too powerful.

I'm not seeing any great benefit to taking Eternal Blade. Island in Time looks amazing, but you only get that once/day. With straight warblade, I can get Time Stands Still and do that multiple times each encounter.

Deflective armor sounds great, but psionics is out as the DM doesn't want to have psionics in the campaign(except for when he does). And I would also have to take 3 feats just to do it.

Weapon Supremacy is supposed to be Weapon Specialization. I changed it. I also forgot that Warblades get Uncanny and Imp. Uncanny Dodge.

The feats are all core feats except Melee Weapon Mastery, which just adds a flat bonus to attack and damage, and Leap Attack, which I've already discussed with him.

Maybe I should trade the rung of evasion for Soulfire Bracers of Armor +1?

[DrMotives]

Sounds to me like your DM has the mindset of being an antagonist to the players. DMs are supposed to tell a story with the players as the main characters. Personally I'd leave the group and find one with a DM who doesn't seem like he wants to murder your characters and kill your fun.

This. I'd nope out of this group, and remember that while it's painful, no D&D is better than bad D&D. You aren't going to solve an issue with another player (DM in this case) with an in-character solution.

[Goladar]

This. I'd nope out of this group, and remember that while it's painful, no D&D is better than bad D&D. You aren't going to solve an issue with another player (DM in this case) with an in-character solution.

Bad D&D with good friends is better than doing nothing without anybody.

[DrMotives]

Bad D&D with good friends is better than doing nothing without anybody.

Ok, so plan B. You try DMing instead. Because the original point still stands, a bad campaign with one-sided house rules ins't going to be solved by picking a different character class. You're still trying to solve the wrong problem.

[Goladar]

Ok, so plan B. You try DMing instead. Because the original point still stands, a bad campaign with one-sided house rules ins't going to be solved by picking a different character class. You're still trying to solve the wrong problem.

I am. We alternate campaigns depending on who's available and who's had time to prep.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

One level in crusader gets you in-battle healing. The wrathful healing weapon enhancement (+3 equivalent, Enemies & Allies) also grants you healing with every swing. You should also get vampiric healing for more healy goodness.

A level in swordsage will give you TONS of utility. At will (Ex) shadow teleports are fantastic. Scent is another great ability for both inside and outside combat.

And don't forget a Stone Dragon maneuver or two for breaking adamantine with your bare hands.

Swap out all the Armor Proficiency feats you don't need from those extra classes via some purchased Dark Chaos Feat Shuffling for extra feats.

Use the item stacking rules in the MIC to get extra maneuvers from the items in ToB, and some stacked weapon crystals from the MIC, too.

And finally... http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items

[ExLibrisMortis]

What exactly is considered too powerful? Because if Warforged Juggernaut is up there, it's got to be a loooong list. I would generally recommend gishing in a situation like this (for example, a wizard/x/swiftblade, with x from {incantatrix, spelldancer}), but that's all likely to be banned as well. There's not a lot you can do, at that point.

[Goladar]

What exactly is considered too powerful? Because if Warforged Juggernaut is up there, it's got to be a loooong list. I would generally recommend gishing in a situation like this (for example, a wizard/x/swiftblade, with x from {incantatrix, spelldancer}), but that's all likely to be banned as well. There's not a lot you can do, at that point.

No gishing. An example of something too powerful it's a feat that gave me +4 to hit on attacks of opportunity.

So maybe i should go war14/cru1/SS1? Will that give me an effective level of 8 for Crusader and Swordsage? And i get to choose all the maneuvers separately for each class?

Soulfire armor was just approved. Although i have a feeling he's going to have something hit me with a targeted dispel.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

No gishing. An example of something too powerful it's a feat that gave me +4 to hit on attacks of opportunity.Errr... What? That's not very powerful at all, even if you focus on an AoO build.


So maybe i should go war14/cru1/SS1? Will that give me an effective level of 8 for Crusader and Swordsage? And i get to choose all the maneuvers separately for each class?Yes to all of those.


Soulfire armor was just approved. Although i have a feeling he's going to have something hit me with a targeted dispel.The spellblade weapon property is 6,000 gp and works to negate (and redirect) a targeted spell. Grab one for both dispel and greater dispel.

Also, http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?69571-Protecting-Against-Dispel

[Goladar]

So my bab drops by 1 and my saves go up by 1.

Here are the maneuvers I've chosen.

Crusader maneuvers(DS SD or WR) known 5 white raven tactics, revitalizing strike, vanguard strike, douse the flames, entangling blade
Stances 1 thicket of blades

Swordsage maneuvers(Desert Wind, Diamond Mind, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw.) known 6
Emerald razor, shadow jaunt, death From above, comet throw, cloak of deception
Stances 1
holocaust cloak

Eta: should i take adaptive style?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Eta: should i take adaptive style?If you have a spare feat or lean heavily on swordsage maneuvers, always take Adaptive Style. If not, then don't.