A bloodclaw master build.

[TheCrowing1432]

Hello there. I want to build a bloodclaw master, focused primarily on kukri's and tiger stances in general and two weapon fighting.

Ive never actually built a two weapon fighter before. We're starting at level 5, I was thinking of taking Warblade 3/Fighter 2.

Can someone give me suggestions? I know you need TWF to qualify for Bloodclaw Master, but other then that I dont know what to do with my extra feats, I obviously cant get the additional TWF feats until my BAB is higher.

[Anthrowhale]

Hello there. I want to build a bloodclaw master, focused primarily on kukri's and tiger stances in general and two weapon fighting.

Ive never actually built a two weapon fighter before. We're starting at level 5, I was thinking of taking Warblade 3/Fighter 2.

Can someone give me suggestions? I know you need TWF to qualify for Bloodclaw Master, but other then that I dont know what to do with my extra feats, I obviously cant get the additional TWF feats until my BAB is higher.

TWF is particularly nice with sneak attack because you get to apply it more. Something like Rogue 3 taking the lightbringer rogue ACF and Craven, then taking Combat Reflexes and Double Team with some ally could be fun. Rogue 3/Fighter 1/Barbarian 1/Warblade 1 could fit TWF, Craven, Combat Reflexes, and Double Team using the lion totem barbarian for pounce.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I was going to go on a several paragraph rant about how Bloodclaw Master is a steaming pile of garbage, but then I realized it may be able to redeem itself if you only take two levels. The loss of a point of BAB hurts, but being able to two-handed power attack and make an offhand attack with armor spikes that adds your full Str bonus to damage and doesn't impose a -2 penalty to hit on your main hand actually makes it useful for that type of build. So do that, and forget everything else this painfully mediocre class tries to offer.

[TheCrowing1432]

TWF is particularly nice with sneak attack because you get to apply it more. Something like Rogue 3 taking the lightbringer rogue ACF and Craven, then taking Combat Reflexes and Double Team with some ally could be fun. Rogue 3/Fighter 1/Barbarian 1/Warblade 1 could fit TWF, Craven, Combat Reflexes, and Double Team using the lion totem barbarian for pounce.

Mmm, well the purpose of using Kukris was to generate a crit fishing build, sneak attacks arent multipled with crits, and I wanted a straight up combat character, not a sneak.


I was going to go on a several paragraph rant about how Bloodclaw Master is a steaming pile of garbage, but then I realized it may be able to redeem itself if you only take two levels. The loss of a point of BAB hurts, but being able to two-handed power attack and make an offhand attack with armor spikes that adds your full Str bonus to damage and doesn't impose a -2 penalty to hit on your main hand actually makes it useful for that type of build. So do that, and forget everything else this painfully mediocre class tries to offer.

Im taking bloodclaw master for the theme of it. He's honorable, but absolutely feral in combat, utilizing the Tiger style.

I didnt feel like taking barbarian, wanting to primarily stick to Warblade.

[Particle_Man]

Well not to be boring but weapon focus kukri?

[Saintheart]

Mmm, well the purpose of using Kukris was to generate a crit fishing build, sneak attacks arent multipled with crits, and I wanted a straight up combat character, not a sneak.

"Crit fishing build" has its own divisions within it: are you looking to spam lots of attacks and therefore generate critical threats on sheer probability, or are you looking to have a high chance of a critical hit on every attack without hitting the opponent 600 times in a round?

This is a consideration since while you can build something that does both, D&D punishes generalisation for the most part, especially in martial characters.

The multiple-weapon fighter has to spam as many attacks as possible and make up for the loss in attack accuracy and lower damage dice by using flat bonuses such as Knowledge Devotion, Shiba Protector, Lightning Mace ab/use, and so on. If you're going down this line, make sure whatever edged weapon you're using, you get kaorti resin on them for maximum hitpoint damage on a critical hit, and pick up some effects that trigger on critical hits. If you are determined to take 2 levels in Bloodclaw Master then you're likely stuck with kukris, but bear in mind these are not the only weapons out there that have an 18-20 range. They are the only Core, Light, martial weapons that do, but in sheer mathematical terms there are a lot of exotic weapons or outside-Core weapons that can do better if you agree with Biff's advice and ditch Bloodclaw Master.

If your approach isn't to spam attacks and rather just do a metric ton of damage because your critical hit range is wide and your multiplier is large, that's different. The approach there isn't much different to a standard ubercharger. Indeed mounted critfishing is something that's not explored often but which allows you to hit (in effect) x7, or x8 critical hit multipliers pretty easily since a double of a double is a triple, and charging characters using lances do double damage. That aside, in this case, you use a single weapon like a Jovar or a Greatsword, increase its critical threat range by stuff like Keen, Disciple of Dispater, and so on, and make sure you have kaorti resin on it. Another way to critfish, or at least generate one murderous critical hit per fight, is easier: kaorti resin weapon, Warblade 1, Hida Defender 1, Cleric the rest of the way through. Clerics get Surge of Fortune and Sense Weakness, which are basically a guaranteed critical hit since Surge can be discharged to create a natural 20 and Sense automatically confirms the critical hit. Your critical multiplier on this hit is x5: x4 from kaorti resin, another x1 from Hida Defender 1 which can be applied to your weapon via the Warblade's Weapon Aptitude.

The longer story is in the Critical Hit Handbook in my sig.

[Anthrowhale]

Mmm, well the purpose of using Kukris was to generate a crit fishing build, sneak attacks arent multipled with crits,
There's a feat called 'Telling Blow' which allows you to add sneak damage on a critical hit.


and I wanted a straight up combat character, not a sneak.
That's why you take 'Double Team', as it allows you to run up and slashy-slashy with gobs of extra damage. If no one else wants to do it, play as a Dvati (LA+1) so you can Double Team yourself. By level 10, you could do Rogue 3/Fighter 1/Barbarian 1/Warblade 1/Bloodclaw Master 2/Fighter 2 with
TWF, Craven, Combat Reflexes, Double Team, Improved Critical, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Telling Blow.

[Saintheart]

There's a feat called 'Telling Blow' which allows you to add sneak damage on a critical hit.


That's why you take 'Double Team', as it allows you to run up and slashy-slashy with gobs of extra damage. If no one else wants to do it, play as a Dvati (LA+1) so you can Double Team yourself. By level 10, you could do Rogue 3/Fighter 1/Barbarian 1/Warblade 1/Bloodclaw Master 2/Fighter 2 with
TWF, Craven, Combat Reflexes, Double Team, >Improved Critical<, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, and Telling Blow.

Improved Critical is a garbage feat. I'm talking sub-Dodge or Mobility in usefulness, at least those feats give you something that a +1 weapon quality can't replicate. If you are playing under 3.5 RAW which specifies you can't stack keen and Improved Critical, there is no earthly reason to take it outside meeting a prerequisite (one of which is Staggering Critical out of DoTU, which is legit good for critfishing). Even ponying up for two keen weapons is more worthwhile in the long run, mainly because gp is unlimited, feat slots are not.

[Anthrowhale]

Improved Critical is a garbage feat.
That seems fair.

[Particle_Man]

Oh since you will need one more level before the prestige class you might want to consider warblade 3/fighter 2/swordsage 1. That can give you four nice one shot tricks in a fight like short term invisibility, teleport, instant flank buddy, counter charge, etc. Plus an extra stance like ignoring rough terrain or fire resistance or sneak attack. Add some spice to the build (albeit at the cost of a BAB).