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Haakon
2007-12-14, 12:02 AM
I'm currently playing a level 5 warblade and about to hit level 6. I have been given permission to retrain/change some feats around. This is what I currently have as feat choices:

Flaw: Power Attack
Flaw: Cleave
Human: WF Glaive
1: Combat Reflexes
3: Hold the Line
5 Warblade Bonus Feat: Ironheart Aura

I'm more or less the tank/damage dealer for the group. I can't change power attack or cleave, but all of the others are open. At 6th level I plan on taking Improved Combat Reflexes (which allows you to take an additional AoO at a -5 penalty when your give the option to take one).

I'm thinking of switching Hold the Line (get an AoO when someone charges you) to Deft Opportunist (+4 Bonus on making AoO's). I currently get 6 AoOs a round (1 + 5 from 21 Dex) and I will end up using all of them on creatures moving through my reach (since I get 2 per occurrence), so I'll run out of them to make having Hold the Line useful.

Yes, I know the feat Weapon Focus is a limited one, but since I can switch it to another weapon (because of being a Warblade), its still very useful. Changing to a Spiked Chain isn't an option either, mostly because my PC can't actually find one (and I don't think my DM will allow it and I think its lame, heh). I'm currently using a Glaive with spiked Gauntlets.

Another idea I was considering was any of the feats that allow you to make attacks next to you with reach weapons. There are 2 that I know of: Short Haft (which I need WF for and allows one to switch the reach of a weapon with swift attacks and Shorten Grip (make attacks against adjacent foes at a -2 penalty). I prefer Shorten grip since I make heavy use of Swift attacks already (which alchemical weapon capsules and changing stances).

Just looking for some opinions.

Xefas
2007-12-14, 12:24 AM
If you actually mean "tank" as in "a guy who keeps the enemies off his friends" and not necessarily "a guy who is really tough to kill", then you might be interested in Stand Still (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#standStill).

It allows you to root enemies in place, keeping them from beating on your party members, and works off of AoOs.

tyckspoon
2007-12-14, 12:28 AM
I would swap out the Weapon Focus anyway. Unless you're planning to continue up the line and eventually wind up with the higher level fighter-only feats (the Mastery ones, specifically) it's just not that good a feat. Exotic Weapon Proficiency might be worth it to let you use any bizarre bit of kit you run across, but if you don't expect to see many exotic weapons it's not worthwhile. Consider trading it for Stand Still (Expanded Psionics Handbook, you can check it out at d20srd.org) to improve your field control abilities or taking Improved Trip to help you qualify for Knock-down (Divine section of the SRD, for whatever bizarre reason, near Hold the Line.) If you get both Stand Still and Knock-down, you could use one AoO on a charger to make him stop moving and the other one to smack him to the ground.

The simplest way to get to threaten inside your glaive's reach would be to have armor spikes put on whatever you're wearing. You don't need two-weapon fighting to use them effectively, since you will never actually be fighting with the glaive and the spikes at the same time. If your DM doesn't like those (they can be almost as bad as the spiked chain to think about) and you have to take a feat, go for Shorten Grip; chances are you've got better things to use your swift actions for than Short Haft.. and if you trade out the Weapon Focus, Shorten Grip will be your only option anyway.

zaei
2007-12-14, 02:17 AM
Improved Trip would be very nice. When they provoke, you can trip them, and then get another immediate attack against them (from the trip) which doesn't count against your AoOs. Then they provoke when they get up again.

Karmic Strike, so you can AoO (and trip) when someone hits you.

Robilar's Gambit, so you can AoO (and trip) when someone hits or misses you. If you use this with Karmic Strike, you get two AoOs when someone hits you, because Robilar's Gambit triggers when they SWING, and Karmic Strike triggers when they HIT, so the rules that say that you can't provoke more than one AoO from the same action don't apply.

Swooper
2007-12-14, 06:51 AM
Head for Stormguard Warrior. It's the ultimate choice for warblade AoO beasts, and you've already got the prerequisites I think (Ironheart Aura, can't remember if there was anything else). Then, go for either Karmic Strike and/or Robilar's Gambit, and get armour spikes if you are going to keep the glaive. Voila. Your tactics would be something like this:

Round 1: Full attack, use combat rythm from SGW (touch attacks that do no damage initially, but give you a cumulative +5 to damage on the same target)
Enemy's round: Full attack back. Every attack provokes an AoO. So does every attack that hits. Channel the Storm (+4 to hit and damage for each skipped AoO) here, still no damage.
Round 2: Unleash hell with the monstrous bonuses you've gathered through SGW. Let's say, you have two attacks and the enemy has three at this point. Both your attacks should hit (they were touch attacks), and the enemy hits two. This means you get a total of +20 to hit, and +30 to damage.

Now, imagine what this can do with TWF+Double Hit, a dip level of LT barbarian for pounce and whirling frenzy, shadow blink (doable with 5 levels of swordsage) and valourous weapons. Don't go there. That's squeezing every bit of gouda out of this feat that's humanly possible, I believe.

Note: I don't claim to have invented this build, I'm just the messenger.

Chronicled
2007-12-15, 09:07 PM
Every attack provokes an AoO. So does every attack that hits.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that you can't combine Robilar's Gambit and Karmic Strike anymore. I saw something about it being errata'ed or the like.

Swooper
2007-12-16, 12:08 PM
Actually, I'm pretty sure that you can't combine Robilar's Gambit and Karmic Strike anymore. I saw something about it being errata'ed or the like.
Ah, damn, I didn't know that. Skip Karmic Strike then, and buff up your AC somehow instead. It's still a mean build without Karmic Strike.

zaei
2007-12-16, 02:46 PM
Actually, I'm pretty sure that you can't combine Robilar's Gambit and Karmic Strike anymore. I saw something about it being errata'ed or the like.

I didn't see anything about Robilar's in the PHB2 errata. Like I said in my post, the two feats trigger on different events, so they should stack just fine.