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View Full Version : Don't know what feats to take for Lv 7 Warblade



neochaos
2008-08-05, 07:37 PM
Well, I'm making a Lv 7 Human Warblade. My DM banned PHB2, and allowed only one flaw. So I can take 6 feats, but I'm not sure which feats to take. I'm planning to take Power Attack, Adaptive Style, Improved Initiative, and Leap Attack. I cannot take Roblilar's Gambit combo because PHB2 is not allowed, and I am planning to make this character focused on 1 on 1. Could you guys help me to find decent feats to get?

Eldariel
2008-08-05, 07:49 PM
Adaptive Style isn't particularly good for Warblades as they have a relatively small selection of maneuvers, and a quick recovery method. Much depends on your combat style - Ironheart Aura > Stormguard Warrior is good for TWF, Combat Reflexes>Martial Study+Stance: Thicket of Blades (or 2-level Crusader dip) for battlefield control, Combat Expertise>Improved Trip for a tripper, Improved Bullrush > Shock Trooper for a Charger, etc. Basically, choose whatcha wanna do.

neochaos
2008-08-05, 08:51 PM
Well, Trip and Disarm got weaken by our house rule (harder to use), and I'm planning to use greatsword....I will take Ironhart Aura in Lv 9, by the way.

Meat Shield
2008-08-05, 09:05 PM
Ditto on no adaptive style - not needed for the warblade. Blade meditation is good, and there is always a need for an extra stance or extra maneuver, but those only if you are really hurting for which feat to pick

Eldariel
2008-08-05, 09:53 PM
Well, Trip and Disarm got weaken by our house rule (harder to use), and I'm planning to use greatsword....I will take Ironhart Aura in Lv 9, by the way.

I suggest Improved Bull Rush/Shock Trooper then. Combine with White Raven charges for extreme pain.

neochaos
2008-08-06, 01:03 AM
Any Idea about maneuvers I should take?

Draken
2008-08-06, 01:07 AM
Depends on what you want to do.

Personally. I am biased towards Iron Heart and Diamond Mind maneuvers. You did not give us a preference or a role in this matter.

Hunter Noventa
2008-08-06, 01:32 AM
I highly suggest Stone power and Shards of granite ASAP. If you can pump your to-hit high enough, you'll never be btohered by DR or hardness again.

neochaos
2008-08-06, 01:33 AM
Ooops. I'm planning to be a One-on-One speciallist, and I personally favor Diamond Mind and Tiger Claw.

Covered In Bees
2008-08-06, 01:35 AM
Ooops. I'm planning to be a One-on-One speciallist, and I personally favor Diamond Mind and Tiger Claw.

Take two levels of Psychic Warrior. Take Psionic Weapon, Psionic Meditation, and Deep Impact.

Combine Deep Impact with your maneuvers, like Ruby Nightmare Blade, and full Power Attack.

Laugh.

neochaos
2008-08-06, 01:43 AM
Sorry, no psionics allowed. (Thought it was a cool idea)

Darrin
2008-08-07, 12:12 PM
Ooops. I'm planning to be a One-on-One speciallist, and I personally favor Diamond Mind and Tiger Claw.

Hmm. So far sounds like you want an UberCharger:

WB1. Feat: PA, Human Feat: Improved Bull Rush. Flaw: ???
WB2.
WB3. Feat: Travel Devotion
WB4.
WB5. Bonus Feat: Improved Initiative
WB6. Feat: Leap Attack/Shock Trooper

Travel Devotion essentially gives you Pounce-Lite for 10 rounds 1/day. As a swift action, you can move up to your speed. You can then take your stand/move/full-round actions... like, oh, let's say, full-attack. Rinse and repeat.

Recommended Stances/Maneuvers:

WB1. Stance: Leading the Charge. Maneuvers: Moment of Perfect Mind, Steel Wind, Wolf Fang Strike
WB2. Sudden Leap (free movement)
WB3. Mountain Hammer (all-purpose anti-DR insta-shatter can-opener)
WB4. Stance: Punishing Stance. Action Before Thought (if Dex dumped) or Wall of Blades, replacing Wolf Fang Strike.
WB5. White Raven Tactics (to turn the party wizard into a Demigawd of Pwnage) or Iron Heart Surge (get rid of pesky nuisances like gravity or sunlight)
WB6. Whatever you didn't pick last level, pick it up here, replacing Steel Wind.
WB7. Death From Above (more free movement), Bounding Assault (if you're headed for Time Stands Still), or Lightning Recovery (make sure that White Raven Hammer auto-stun hits later on).

Put some thought into which high-level maneuver you want to work towards. For example, Time Stands Still is a favorite, but needs a lot of prereqs... and in an UberCharger build, you probably want to stay away from the Diamond Mind strikes, since you can't combine a charge with a standard-action strike.

Higher-level Tiger Claw stuff such as Rabid/Dancing Mongoose and Girallon Windmill Fleshrip work best with TWF, but buy some armor spikes as an offhand weapon and Boccobs-yer-uncle.

Eldariel
2008-08-07, 02:06 PM
WB3. Feat: Travel Devotion
WB4.
WB5. Bonus Feat: Improved Initiative
WB6. Feat: Leap Attack/Shock Trooper

Travel Devotion essentially gives you Pounce-Lite for 10 rounds 1/day. As a swift action, you can move up to your speed. You can then take your stand/move/full-round actions... like, oh, let's say, full-attack. Rinse and repeat.

The problem with this is, Shock Trooper only triggers on a charge. It would be kinda wasteful to take a once/day ability that doesn't even synergize with your plan. I'd rather look towards maneuvers like Pouncing Charge - at this point he still only has two attacks, so not having Pounce isn't that big of a loss. Later you can get it with maneuvers, or the Barbarian-dip to combine it with White Raven-charges.

The point is though, spending a feat on wannabe Pounce for 1 encounter/day just isn't worth the investment, especially not for a Martial Adept who already has a large variety of abilities that can be used as a Standard Action, making them less reliant on full attacks in the first place.

Lemur
2008-08-07, 02:39 PM
You could always opt for a Karmic Strike build in lieu of Rolibar's Gambit, although it's not as feat efficient. Take Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Dodge, Combat Expertise, and Karmic Strike. Then you could take Leap Attack, Improved Bull Rush in anticipation for Shock Trooper at level 9, Mobility in anticipation of Elusive Target at level 9, or Ironheart Aura in anticipation for Stormguard Warrior at level 9, depending on which way you want to go with it.

Darrin
2008-08-07, 02:49 PM
The problem with this is, Shock Trooper only triggers on a charge. It would be kinda wasteful to take a once/day ability that doesn't even synergize with your plan.


I should have mentioned using Travel Devotion for making 10 straight charge attacks in a row rather than move+full attack. Once you're next to an opponent, use your swift move action to move 20 ft back. Charge + Leap Attack. Rinse and repeat. Ok, so you only get one attack with Shock Trooper, but you'd more than make up for the lost damage with Leading the Charge and damage multipliers.

Other ways to back up at least 10': 5' step + Sudden Leap, Tumble DC 40 for 10' step, Press the Advantage.



I'd rather look towards maneuvers like Pouncing Charge - at this point he still only has two attacks, so not having Pounce isn't that big of a loss.


Pouncing Charge is fun, but isn't available until IL 9.



The point is though, spending a feat on wannabe Pounce for 1 encounter/day just isn't worth the investment, especially not for a Martial Adept who already has a large variety of abilities that can be used as a Standard Action, making them less reliant on full attacks in the first place.

10 extra move actions 1/day always seemed to me to be a little closer to the "bling bling bling!" end of the pool than the "not worth the investment" end. But then my particular play style favors TWF warblades... I'm not a big fan of standard action maneuvers, I prefer loading up on boosts and counters. Which probably isn't all that optimal. Without RKV, though, it's hard to use all those swift actions on moves from the Travel Devotion when you may need them for boosts/counters/maneuver recovery.

Eldariel
2008-08-07, 03:59 PM
Eh, if the Move Action weren't a Swift Action (something adepts spend in abundance already) and it were 1/encounter, maybe. As it stands though, it would be 1/day and use one of your very valuable commodities already. Still not worth the investment - "ding ding" would require it to be actually a good idea to take the feats. A single level of Cleric would get it to you ~3-5 times per day (exact number depends on Cha), which would be worth it for something like a Fighter. Still not worth it for Adepts though.

And frankly, he doesn't need Pounce that much before he has the third attack. It's far more important for TWFers than THFers (yet another reason why it's dumb you have to spend three feats for TWF - THF is better in almost every respect and that's before you have to take penalties for TWF - TWF should require one feat at most and that would be a lot).

CASTLEMIKE
2008-08-08, 12:56 PM
Leadership is always a nice feat if you can swing it especially with White Raven tactics for the right L5 cohort side kick.