Clearing up the Crusader

[Angry Bob]

I'm in a campaign with a DM that has a fetish for sending CR 7 creatures in groups of three against a party of four semioptimized level 3-5 characters and then pwning them with his DMPC.

That's not the problem though - it's that [[houserule]if you're unconscious at the end of a battle, you get no XP for it[/houserule]. My lightly-armored, low-rolling Punishing Stance warblade learned how bad this was the hard way, getting screwed out of XP in at least four fights where she made enemies explode, but went into negatives enough to be set back a level from the rest of the party, then stepped on an enervation trap and took the three negative levels it took to kill her instantly. So I'm rerolling a level two character, one that can conceivably contribute to battles and get XP for it.

So I'm rolling a heavily armored tower shield using dwarven crusader, and want to clear up how their recovery mechanic works.

I know how initially granted maneuvers work and that they're granted a new maneuver at the beginning of each round, but am unsure what happens to expended maneuvers. If someone could run through a few things, it'd be very helpful.

What happens to expended granted maneuvers? Do they become fully expended, withheld, what?

What happens when a crusader has no withheld maneuvers at the beginning of a round?

Is there anything strange about the mechanic that might come up at an inconvenient time?

You can also solicit build advice if you really want to, but as we speak I've got two and a half different crusader handbooks open.

tl;dr: How does the crusader's recovery mechanic work?

Edit: Is damage emptied from the steely resolve pool subject to DR? If you have, say, DR 2/-, and you take 9 damage at level three. You take two damage right now, five is shunted to steely resolve, and 2 is ignored. When steely resolve empties, do you take five or three damage if you still have the DR?

Further edit: Does Stone Power give temp hp even if you miss?

[Duke of URL]

Any expended maneuver goes back into the pool of readied, but not granted, maneuvers. At the beginning of your turn, you randomly get one maneuver granted from the "pool", which could be a maneuver you had just expended the previous round.

If there are no maneuvers left in the "pool" at the start of your turn, then naturally you don't get one. And shame on you for not using the ones you had previously granted.

[dsmiles]

What happens to expended granted maneuvers? Do they become fully expended, withheld, what?

What happens when a crusader has no withheld maneuvers at the beginning of a round?

Is there anything strange about the mechanic that might come up at an inconvenient time?

You can also solicit build advice if you really want to, but as we speak I've got two and a half different crusader handbooks open.

tl;dr: How does the crusader's recovery mechanic work?

1. They go back to being withheld, IIRC.
2. Nothing special, they just have to expend a maneuver before it becomes withheld again. No maneuver spent + no withheld maneuvers = all your readied maneuvers are still usable.
3. Not that I know of.

Ninja'd. Big time.

[Force]

Basically:

When your character wakes up in the morning, you prepare your maneuvers as the other ToB classes. At the beginning of combat, you get two random maneuvers from the ones you prepared to play with (the withheld maneuvers). You can spend them, not spend them, whatever. At the end of the turn, you get another with-held maneuver. This continues until you have no more withheld maneuvers, upon which all your maneuvers are recovered and the cycle starts anew.

If you use a card system, think of it this way: When combat starts, you get two maneuver cards chosen randomly. At the end of each turn, you get another card from the withheld stack. You keep getting 1 card per turn from the withheld stack until it's empty. You then shuffle all the maneuvers back into the withheld stack, pick two more randomly, and start anew.

[Angry Bob]

'Kay. Thanks. I just wasn't sure if the expended maneuvers became withheld again, the book isn't very clear about it.

Another question: Is damage emptied from the steely resolve pool subject to DR, or do you just lose that much hp?

[kryan]

I'm in a campaign with a DM that has a fetish for sending CR 7 creatures in groups of three against a party of four semioptimized level 3-5 characters and then pwning them with his DMPC.

That's not the problem though - it's that [[houserule]if you're unconscious at the end of a battle, you get no XP for it[/houserule].

This DM is not worth playing with. Even if he's the only game in town, you're better off learning to DM for yourself. Even if you're not really interested in DMing, I can't imagine it would be worse than this.

This is a DM who has no concept who the heroes are. This is a DM who wants all the spotlight - and thinks being DM justifies that position.

There is basically nothing you can do in this game to not just be tagging along to watch the DMPC's exploits. No matter what people here come up with, he's just going to DM fiat that he's awesome and you're not. If you truly out-optimize him, he's just going to accuse of munchkinism or cheating or some other nastiness, there will be an argument, and more than likely one or both of you will leave the table. Might as well just get it over with.

[Angry Bob]

Eh, the DM's not quite as bad as I made him sound, and I prefer his style to an overprotective one which I've also had. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, regardless. It's just a thing, I guess.

The DMPC may get stabbed in his sleep, though.

I'm getting conflicting answers about the recovery mechanic. I reread the book and it seems to point to Force's post. Can anyone back any one else up?

Also, the steely resolve question again.

[Duke of URL]

After actually reading the section, Force is correct. I misremembered.

Regarding Steely Resolve, the delayed damage pool is damage you would have otherwise taken. It is already reduced by DR, if applicable, so it is not subject to DR again when you actually take the delayed damage. The optimal idea is to take damage, delayed with Steely Resolve, and use it to power Furious Counterstrike in conjunction with a maneuver that allows you to heal the delayed damage before you actually have to take it,

[Angry Bob]

Right, I've already sort of done that. I'm taking Stone Power first level for the temporary hit points. Does that only give the temporary hit points if you hit, or is it like Combat Expertise, where you get it even if you miss?

[kryan]

Past first level, really, though, the Steely Resolve pool is too small to be greatly meaningful. It's a cool mechanic and worth remembering, but it's not really adding very much to you.

[Force]

Right, I've already sort of done that. I'm taking Stone Power first level for the temporary hit points. Does that only give the temporary hit points if you hit, or is it like Combat Expertise, where you get it even if you miss?

Looking at the feat in question... It says you get the points when you use a stone dragon strike/attack/full attack, not when you hit or miss. I'd say you get them when you miss as well as when you hit.

[Angry Bob]

Excellent. Thanks for all the help.