I actually have the feat that lets you take 10 on caster lvl checks, so thats covered. (i'm built for debuffing... i greater dispel, take 10, and everything is gone) an iwin stone or ring of arcane might is something i will probably buy, our GM decided he wont let them stack. FoM ring is also a very good idea... having trouble hitting the 150 cap on PW:stun (132 max hp). and i'm already wearing those anklets =)

my friend definitely has the weapon covered already. large size greatsword, mageslayer, holy, cold, vicious, adamantine... he rolls so many dice on each swing its crazy. he also has a ghost touch cold iron greatsword as a backup.
his build is set in stone, orc with crazy str, leap attack -> momentum swing for 2 rounds of 3x PA. will definitely have him look into that crystal though. he has tons of hp, but AC sucks as animated shields are outlawed. any easy ways for avoidance or mass hp?

thanks again