Warforged Ultimate Tank Unarmed Striker

[Striden]

So I would appreciate some help on building the Ultimate Tank for Warforged, but also doing it to where it does not have a weapon. My Ideal Warforged character would basically be like a monk, but also I want it to have the Juggernaut Prestige class. I do require it to have the Adamantine Body Plating, obviously for the reason that its gotta be able to take some serious hits. Currently in the campaign the character would be lvl 7, but I'd like the character mapped out to about lvl 15 if possible. I'm thinking something like:

Unarmed Sword Sage
Warforged Juggernaut
Crusader

But I'm willing to take other ideas on classes and suggested levels. The whole point obviously being I don't want to run around with a Great Axe and Shield I want him to be super tank-y and be able to deal a bunch of damage with his natural weapons.

[Cerefel]

If you're okay with avoiding classes that progress unarmed strike, you can get the whole progression with a few feats. Improved Unarmed Strike, Superior Unarmed Strike, Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike) is a good way to get an unarmed strike progression that scales by character level.

[RoyVG]

I would propose, as a start, at least 1 level in monk and increase your damage using items and feats, like the BattleFist in the Eberron books, a Monk Belt, and Superior Unarmed strike feat. Voila, your fists deal 2d8 Bludgeoning and Piercing damage for being effectively a Large monk of level 10. Improved Natural Attack eventually could increase this to 3d8 according to the weapon size. Plus you can enchant your battelfist becasue it is effectively a spiked guantlet as well.

Taking 2 levels of Passive Way Monk gives you Combat expertise and Improved trip for free. Tripping is a valuable technique for a tank. Taking these monk levels means you have to wait until level 7 to get into Juggernaut because of BaB prereqs, so you have until level 6 to get the prereqs, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush and Adamatine Body. Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Trip and Combat Expertise are bonus feats obtained whenever you are taking the monk levels.

See if you have a Flaw/Feat available, which adds another feat at level 1, you may choose to take 1 or 2 Fighter levels instead of Crusader to get 1 or 2 more Fighter bonus feats. With the emphasis on Bullrushing inside Juggernaut, I would have a look at the Shocktrooper feat for level 9.

My Build would look a bit like this.

1 Fighter1: Adamantine Body, Power Attack
2 Monk1: Improved Unarmed Strike, Combat Expertise
3 Monk2: Improved Trip, Improved Bullrush
4 Fighter2: Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike) (Can be switched out with Dungeon Crasher Fighter variant from Dungeonscape, recommended)
5 ANY FULL BAB: (As long as it is not Crusader)
6 Crusader1: Extra Granted maneuver(This is a very good feat for Crusaders) OR Combat Reflexes
7 WFJ1:
8 WFJ2:
9 WFJ3: Shocktrooper
10WFJ4
11WFJ5
12Crusader2: Standstill (If taking Combat Reflexes) OR Any other choice

You can take your second level Crusader a little earlier if you want, as long as your Initiator level is 4 before taking it (level 8 at the earliest), so you can take the Thicket of blades Stance immediately. Combat Reflexes and Standstill Feats are a great combo to have to make sure people will not move past you.

Invest in increasing you size during combat to get more reach, reach is especially helpful for a tank. Ability scores are Strength>Constitution>Dexterity>'Int=Cha=Wis'. Extra Dexterity is nice if you are going to take both Combat Reflexes and Standstill.

Anyway, hope this helps

[Fouredged Sword]

One thing I will suggest is that you take the Decisive Strike ACF for your monk levels. You can use it in armor and it doubles the damage of an attack if you take a full round action to make a single attack. This works really well for doubling the bonus of power attack. Pair it with snapkick to get a second attack.

[Red Fel]

So I would appreciate some help on building the Ultimate Tank for Warforged, but also doing it to where it does not have a weapon. My Ideal Warforged character would basically be like a monk, but also I want it to have the Juggernaut Prestige class. I do require it to have the Adamantine Body Plating, obviously for the reason that its gotta be able to take some serious hits. Currently in the campaign the character would be lvl 7, but I'd like the character mapped out to about lvl 15 if possible. I'm thinking something like:

Unarmed Sword Sage
Warforged Juggernaut
Crusader

But I'm willing to take other ideas on classes and suggested levels. The whole point obviously being I don't want to run around with a Great Axe and Shield I want him to be super tank-y and be able to deal a bunch of damage with his natural weapons.

Hm... You do realize that Adamantine Body means that you're treated as wearing heavy armor, right? While you're always proficient in your Warforged Body feats, that doesn't mean you keep class features based on them. In this case, the Swordsage (and unarmed Swordsage) loses its AC bonus and Evasion features when wearing heavy armor. Those are two of the big reasons to take the Swordsage class (aside from maneuvers and the Unarmed adaptation).

Given that you're losing features, I'm inclined to agree with Cerefel about using IUS and SAS. Skip Swordsage altogether and take a full BAB class like Crusader. Or, if you feel abusive, grab Warblade and just use Punishing Stance until it stops being funny.

If you want to go further, you can grab feats like Snap Kick to get extra attacks with your unarmed strikes. Dip two levels of Barbarian and take the Spirit Lion Totem ACF and Whirling Frenzy variant. Spirit Lion Totem trades your Fast Movement (which you would otherwise be unable to use, because heavy armor) and trades it for Pounce, letting you make a full attack on a charge. Whirling Frenzy turns your rage into a boost to Str, dodge bonus to AC, and bonus to Reflex saves, and gives you an extra attack.

Another option, although one with a few caveats, is the Fist of the Forest PrC. In all likelihood, you will have taken two of the prerequisite feats (IUS and PA). You'll miss out on the Con to AC and Fast Movement, because you're treated as wearing heavy armor, but you'll gain increased unarmed damage, Uncanny Dodge, a separate form of rage, magical unarmed strikes, and Scent.

In either event, you'll want a Necklace of Natural Weapons, which will let you enhance your unarmed strikes as you would any weapon, and a Fanged Ring, which grants you INA (unarmed strikes) and deals 1 Con damage on a crit.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Ardent or psychic warrior 8/warforged juggernaut 5 works well enough. Pick up Tashalatora and Practiced Manifester, and buff yourself to ultimate tankness. Vigour + share pain + psicrystal is a tanking classic.

[Psyren]

I would skip monk entirely and instead boost your racial Slam natural attack to fight unarmed. Then you can go as heavy-armor-plated-juggernaut as you like and dump Wis through the floor.

[Darrin]

How about:

1) Battle Dancer 1. Feat: Adamantine Body. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
2) Barbarian 1. Spirit Lion Totem -> Pounce, Whirling Frenzy ACF.
3) Fighter 1. Feat: Superior Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Power Attack.
4) Fighter 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush.
5) Fighter 3.
6) Fighter 4. Feat: Jaws of Death. Bonus: Shock Trooper.
7) WFJ 1. Bonus: Powerful Charge.
8) WFJ 2.
9) WFJ 3. Feat: Multiattack.
10) WFJ 4.
11) WFJ 5. Bonus: Greater Powerful Charge.
12) Barbarian 2. Feat: Improved Multiattack. Wolf Totem -> Improved Trip.
13) Fighter 5.
14) Fighter 6. Bonus: Second Slam.
15) Barbarian 3. Feat: Snap Kick/Knock-Down/Leap Attack.

Hmm. Could use some Travel Devotion, maybe. Cleric dip instead of Barb 3?

[Flickerdart]

Punching? Son, punching is for sissies. Real men weld enormous spikes to their bodies and then use those spikes to gore their enemies to death.

Take a look at the Blood-Spiked Charger feat. It allows you to make great use of a spiked armor (or your warforged plating) and spiked shield as weapons. And I do recommend carrying a shield, because when you charge into the middle of the enemy force and kill a guy, the rest of them are going to focus on you, and you want to be able to survive.

[Fouredged Sword]

You have a natural slam attack. There is no reason NOT to include the Beast Strike feat. It adds your slam damage onto your unarmed strike damage for all attacks. Slide on a Battlefist and greater mighty wallop it and you increase the size of both your unarmed strike and slam damage at the same time. You then add the two together when determining your final unarmed strike damage.

[Striden]

How about:

1) Battle Dancer 1. Feat: Adamantine Body. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
2) Barbarian 1. Spirit Lion Totem -> Pounce, Whirling Frenzy ACF.
3) Fighter 1. Feat: Superior Unarmed Strike. Bonus: Power Attack.
4) Fighter 2. Bonus: Improved Bull Rush.
5) Fighter 3.
6) Fighter 4. Feat: Jaws of Death. Bonus: Shock Trooper.
7) WFJ 1. Bonus: Powerful Charge.
8) WFJ 2.
9) WFJ 3. Feat: Multiattack.
10) WFJ 4.
11) WFJ 5. Bonus: Greater Powerful Charge.
12) Barbarian 2. Feat: Improved Multiattack. Wolf Totem -> Improved Trip.
13) Fighter 5.
14) Fighter 6. Bonus: Second Slam.
15) Barbarian 3. Feat: Snap Kick/Knock-Down/Leap Attack.

Hmm. Could use some Travel Devotion, maybe. Cleric dip instead of Barb 3?

I'm liking this build alot thanks.