Character Optimization, Lockdown Crusader

[Fluffles]

I'm trying to build a Crusader X/Something X/Something X who specializes in keeping people away from his party/person hes guarding. I'm not really sure where to start, but I was thinking stating out Fighter 2/ Barbarian (one of the totems) 2/ Crusader X/ PrC X

Note: I'll be a Henchman who is hired by the BBEG (who is also a player) and I'll be his personal bodyguard. Ideally he'll be a full caster with Leadership. So White Raven Maneuver's will be greatly helpful.

Personality: Quiet, smart, calculating. Knows when to fight and when to run. He likes power, but he hates being the one at the top. To much paper work and trying to keep people happy...ish. He's Lawful Evil (Fits with the Power Lust, and not being first in command) and he is not sadistic in anyways. He ends his fights as quickly as possible, toying with enemies, no matter how weak they seem, will only end in death.

And on to sources!

# Player's Handbook
# Player's Handbook 2
# Dungeon Master's Guide
# Monster Manual
# Monster Manual II
# Monster Manual III
# Monster Manual IV
# Miniature's Handbook
# Expanded Psionics Handbook
# Complete Adventurer
# Complete Arcane
# Complete Champion
# Complete Divine
# Complete Mage
# Complete Psionic [Scratch out Erudite]
# Complete Scoundrel
# Complete Warrior
# Dungeonscape
# Arms and Equipment Guide (Yes, it's 3.0, but I consider the weapon and armor tables to be reasonable) [Only mundane weapons and armor are instapproved, anything else please ask]
# Draconomicon
# Dragon Magic
# Libris Mortis
# Races of Destiny
# Races of Eberron
# Races of Faerun
# Races of Stone
# Races of the Dragon
# Races of the Wild
# Frostburn
# Sandstorm
# Stormwrack
# Heroes of Horror
# Magic of Incarnum
# Magic Item Compendium
# Spell Compendium
# Tome of Battle
# Tome of Magic [Scratch True Namer]

Stuff from Unearthed Arcana:
* Reducing Level Adjustments
* Bloodlines
* Racial Paragon Classes
* Variant Base Classes
* Character Traits (You are permitted ONE trait)
* Character Flaws (You are permitted ONE flaw that legitimately affects your character in a reasonable way)
* Taint
* Taint Prestige Classes


Banned Sources:
* Savage Species
* Heroes of Battle
* Ghost Walk


Due to the way the application process is (it's a PbP), I'm not sure what the ECL will be. but it will be 9+ so a build from 9-20 would be nice, but not needed.

Ability scores are 32 standard point buy, max HP first level roll after that, Standard WBL. Since I'm not sure what that is, a list of equipment to get (in order of importance) would be awesome

EDIT: No spoiler tags. How about that.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Thicket of Blades + Large Size (ask for Enlarge Person from your boss) + Spiked Chain + Improved Trip = "No, you are NOT going to close with him. Sit down, shut up."

Two-level dip in Fighter for feats, maybe even a two-level dip in PsiWar for Expansion and bonus feats.

Then just start swatting everything down.

[Fluffles]

Alright, I just got 100% confirmation that Psionics are allowed.

So I'm looking at a Half-Giant Psychic warrior 5 (w/ Practiced manifester)/Fighter 2/Crusader X

And a Spiked Chain doesn't fit my style. I'm looking at a Guisarme for now. Maybe a Ransuer, but I doubt it.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Alright, I just got 100% confirmation that Psionics are allowed.

So I'm looking at a Half-Giant Psychic warrior 5 (w/ Practiced manifester)/Fighter 2/Crusader X

And a Spiked Chain doesn't fit my style. I'm looking at a Guisarme for now. Maybe a Ransuer, but I doubt it.

Crusader1 is all you really need for Thicket of Blades. Pick up Stone Power for damage mitigation and Shards of Granite to ignore funky DR.

I still suggest Spiked Chain, but I suppose a Guisarme will do if you have Improved Unarmed Strike or somesuch...

[Kallisti]

Look up Large and In Charge on Crystal Keep or Realmshelp to see if it's ever been printed in any source you're allowed. I also remember some psionic feat on a villain we fought in a campaign once which let him stop people's movement with his AoO's, although using your AoO for a trip attempt is usually just as good. If you can convince your DM to look at the Dragon Compendium, it has a pretty large number of polearm feats that could help make up for the fact that a Ranseur is an inferior weapon to a spiked chain, since it can't attack adjacent foes.

[Fluffles]

Couldn't find any thing for "Large and in Charge" but that might be because I didn't look hard enough...


But yeah, I want to stay away from the Chain (even though it is superior). I'll proably using armor spikes so that I still threaten.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Couldn't find any thing for "Large and in Charge" but that might be because I didn't look hard enough...


But yeah, I want to stay away from the Chain (even though it is superior). I'll proably using armor spikes so that I still threaten.

Unarmed damage works better, as you can trip with it, and you cannot with armor spikes.

[Fluffles]

Don't need to trip with it. Can just take a 5' step, then start the tripping.

But yeah, I guess I can squeeze in some Monk levels. (2 of them to be exact)

EDIT: Or Unarmed Swordsage instead. Would probably be better anyways.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Don't need to trip with it. Can just take a 5' step, then start the tripping.

But yeah, I guess I can squeeze in some Monk levels. (2 of them to be exact)

Superior Unarmed Strike + Monk's Belt = profit?
Two levels of monk also nets you Evasion, and relative immunity to blastomancy.

[Haberdashery]

You might also consider some Knight levels, namely for Bulwark of Defense, though Vigilant Defender isn't bad either if you don't mind the 5 levels in Knight.

[Fluffles]

*Noob question* What's Bulwark of Defense do?

[AslanCross]

*Noob question* What's Bulwark of Defense do?

It turns your threatened area into difficult terrain. Personally I'd go with Warforged Knight/Crusader. Take a reach weapon like a Glaive for a bigger threatened area and use your slam for anything too close to hit with the glaive. Keep in mind that the warforged's slam deals 1d4+(Str mod x 1.5) due to it being your only natural weapon. If I'm not mistaken, that also allows you to add x2 damage when Power Attacking with it.

[PhoenixRivers]

Large and in Charge is, among other places, in the Draconomicon.

You need 10' natural reach, you need to be large or larger.

If you hit someone with an AoO for movement, you get an opposed Strength check. If you're larger, you receive a +4 bonus for each size larger. You get +1 for every 5 points of damage you dealt with the AoO. If you win, they return to their former square, and cannot move farther this round.

It's generally subpar to Stand Still, but they can stack (Reflex save and opposed strength check), though the Large and in Charge wouldn't get any damage bonus (since stand still AoO's don't actually deal damage).

Upside, if you can get a modifier +19 over the opponent, you can autowin a LaiC check.

[Person_Man]

Knight Handbook

Note that Knight is strongest at ECL 4-11 or ECL 20 (when you get the uber Loyal Beyond Death). At ECL 1-3 it sucks compared to a Barbarian 1/Fighter 2. At ECL 12-19 you have a ton of dead levels. Multi-classing and PrC is difficult with the Knight, because the Save DC of your Test of Mettle is based on your Knight level. So unless you're some sort of Hexblade/Binder/Blackguard/Warchanter/whatever debuff build, the math just doesn't work well.

Putting that aside, consider Crusader 6/Blackguard 4/Deepstone Sentinel 5/Crusader 7-10.

Crusader grants manuevers and stances, plus Cha to Will Saves.

Blackguard grants Cha to all Saves (stacks with Crusader ability, which only does not stack with Divine Grace, and is silent about Dark Blessing), plus Command Undead (needed to fuel Domain feats, such as Travel Devotion and Earth Devotion), Poison Use (occasionally handy), Aura of Despair (keeps Save DC dependent manuevers useful until your Deepstone Sentinel levels pick up) and Sneak Attack (useful if you want to take Craven and/or Staggering Strike).

Deepstone Sentinel is chock full of abilities which create difficult terrain, and it progresses your Stone Dragon manuevers.

[Fluffles]

The ECL is most likely going to be less than 20, but higher than 11 (I said 9 in the OP just in case something odd happens)

I haven't been playing D&D long enough to be able to figure out the more complicated builds. As such I would like to stay with 2 classes, with a possible dip into a third.

[oxinabox]

Whats that feat that lets you probide an AC bonus from your shild to adjacent allies?

[Fluffles]

Dunno, but I'm not going for a sheild/AC/protector build. Caster's can do that for themselves. I'm planning on just keeping people away from him and on the ground.

What's that feat called (And whats it from) that lets you use certain wands w/o needing to make a UMD check? It basically gives you a "level" in the proper casting class for the use of wands and stuff. Arcane *something* I think it was.

I'll probably take it for druid and get a wand of Earthbind.

[AslanCross]

Whats that feat that lets you probide an AC bonus from your shild to adjacent allies?

Actually, doesn't the Knight have that as a class feature?

[Farlion]

Actually, doesn't the Knight have that as a class feature?

Not that I'm aware of. The knight has "shield ally" and "imp. shield ally" which allows him to take half or all the damage done from one attack to an adjacent ally.

Edit: There is a special ability from the prestige class "knight protector" that lets you transfer 2 AC from yourself to an ally. The special ability is called "defensive stance"

[Fluffles]

Either way, I'm not interested in a shield.

And builds changed slightly. Now Psychic Warrior 6/Crusader 2/More Psychic Warrior.

That way I get lots of buffs, and get access to Thicket of Blades and the other first level stance that is actually good.

Alternatively, I could go Warblade 6/Swordsage 1/Master of the Nine X to get access to Thicket of Blades. But I get fewer buffs this way, but I do get more maneuvers.

EDIT: Wth is wrong with me? I keep typing ahead of my mind by 5~6 words...

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Either way, I'm not interested in a shield.

And builds changed slightly. Now Psychic Warrior 6/Crusader 2/More Psychic Warrior.

That way I get lots of buffs, and get access to Thicket of Blades and the other first level stance that is actually good.

Alternatively, I could go Warblade 6/Swordsage 1/Master of the Nine X to get access to Thicket of Blades. But I get fewer buffs this way, but I do get more maneuvers.

EDIT: Wth is wrong with me? I keep typing ahead of my mind by 5~6 words...

Slayer, you forgot Slayer. Psychic Warrior has 3/4 BAB. Slayer has full BAB and 9/10 manifesting. Plus eventual continuous Mind Blank effect.

[Haberdashery]

Whats that feat that lets you probide an AC bonus from your shild to adjacent allies?

Actually I think you're thinking of a Devoted Spirit maneuver. Shield Block, immediate action to grant an adjacent ally a bonus to their AC equal to your shield's AC bonus +4.

[Draz74]

Slayer, you forgot Slayer. Psychic Warrior has 3/4 BAB. Slayer has full BAB and 9/10 manifesting. Plus eventual continuous Mind Blank effect.

Slayer is decent, but not an automatic choice; it loses out on PsyWarrior bonus feats and requires blowing a feat on Track. On the other hand, it does give a good Will save progression and some decent skills.

Another option is War Mind. You kind of have to "start over" your manifesting progression, giving you a double dose of low-level Powers instead of any higher-level Powers; but you get full BAB and the awesome Sweeping Strike ability (which is especially nasty to combine with ToB maneuvers).

[Fluffles]

Hmm... Losing some higher level buffs, to get Full BAB+Sweeping strike. Sounds good to me

[oxinabox]

Actually I think you're thinking of a Devoted Spirit maneuver. Shield Block, immediate action to grant an adjacent ally a bonus to their AC equal to your shield's AC bonus +4.

No, i'm definitly thinking of a feat. (and it's not matrial study)

[Darrin]

Whats that feat that lets you probide an AC bonus from your shild to adjacent allies?

Shieldmate in the Miniatures Handbook. +1 shield bonus to adjacent allies, or +2 if you're using a tower shield.

It might also be worth noting that the Crusader is one of the few classes that is proficient with tower shields.

[Keld Denar]

Don't totally discount shields. Mid levels, an Animated Shield is well worth the ~9000g you spend on it, and opens up the DS shield maneuvers. Not viable at low levels, and not so great at the highest levels, but passable at mid levels.

[Darrin]

Don't totally discount shields. Mid levels, an Animated Shield is well worth the ~9000g you spend on it, and opens up the DS shield maneuvers.

Do the Devoted Spirit shield maneuvers actually require shields? I've never been clear on that.

[Nero24200]

I beleive alot of the above posters are refferiing to the feat Dutiful Guardian from Drow of the Underdark. Generally jist is that as a free action you pick a "mark", and at any time you can choose to, as an immedaite action, swap places with you mark if within 10ft. Useful against charging foes and such since they'll end up going for you over your mark.

[Fluffles]

I'll probably take a level of swordsage eventually to get counter-charge. Maybe (if I'm higher enough level) I'll pick up some Shadow Sun teleporting maneuvers as well.