[3.5; Low wealth; Build critique] Jill B. Stormguard

[Frosty]

So recently I started thinking about a melee character that is competent, but is not an exclusively one-trick pony, and is definitely fun to play and RP. Inspired by the Jack B. Quick build, I came up with a build that focuses on getting AoOs, but being able to have several options with said AoOs as to fit each situation.

Here comes Jill B. Stormguard, a distant relative of Jack B. Quick. She slices, she dices, and she stops people dead in their tracks! If someone hits her in melee, she may give twice as good as he gets, or she may hold her tongue for one round. But, she never forgets! She'll get you back GOOD the next round, channeling her rage into powerful attacks. Mages won't be getting away from her easily as she makes them stay exactly where they should be...next to her and crying.

If no one provokes from Jill, that's fine too. She has the option of making touch attacks for one round, dealing no damage, and the next round she'll hit very VERy hard indeed. And she can hit MANY times indeed with maneuvers like Avalanche of Blades. And with the attacks being touch atacks, it'll be awhile before she misses. And the next round, don't be surprised she gets something along the lines of +30 damage per attack. If someone tries to be smart and move away or something after the touch attacks, Jill can still Charge after them and full-attack (again, her barbarian side allows her to channel her rage in some very de-constructive ways). Later on in her career, Jill will even be able to make others provoke AoOs from her just by them not attacking her or not moving away from her. (and moving away from her is so very hard to do!) Her one level in Crusader can give her access to some cool Counters and Boosts that auto-refresh, so stock up on things that are not standard actions for her 5 crusader maneuvers.

Please tell me what you think of this build! Note: Two flaws were used, since that's the only way I could have enough feats to play with. You can do this with more Fighter levels and no flaws, but then you wouldn't be getting 9th level maneuvers. Note I also planned this build with a low-wealth envrionment in mind. My DM is stingy on the loot, so I wanted ways of upping my to-hit and damage without too much reliance on items.

Jill the Unforgiving, TN Medium Female Humanoid

Level             Feats/note-worthy abilities
1 Warblade        Dodge, EWP (Spiked Chain), Combat Expertise, Stand Still
2 Warblade        
3 Warblade        Karmic Strike
4 Warblade
5 Warblade        Warblade Bonus (Combat Reflexes)
6 Warblade        Mage Slayer
7 Warblade
8 Warblade
9 Warblade        Warblade Bonus (Ironheart Aura), Stormguard Warrior
10 Barbarian      Whirling Freny Variant, Lion Totem Variant (Pounce)
11 Warblade
12 Warblade       Robilar's Gambit
13 Crusader
14 Warblade
15 Warblade       Warblade Bonus (Endurance), Martial Stance (Thicket of Blades)
16 Warblade      
17 Warblade      
18 Warblade       Overwhelming Assault
19 Warblade       Warblade Bonus (Die Hard)
20 Fighter        Defensive Sweep

[Sinfire Titan]

Try this idea: Wield a Boot Knife and a Glaive or Guisarme instead of a Spiked Chain. This allows you to use the following build:

Azurin (Any non-lawful)
Level             Feats/note-worthy abilities
1 Warblade        Midnight Dodge, Shape Soulmeld (Rage Claws), Combat Expertise, Stand Still
2 Warblade        
3 Warblade        Karmic Strike
4 Warblade
5 Warblade        Warblade Bonus (Combat Reflexes)
6 Warblade        Mage Slayer
7 Warblade
8 Warblade
9 Warblade        Warblade Bonus (Ironheart Aura), Stormguard Warrior
10 Barbarian      Whirling Freny Variant, Lion Totem Variant (Pounce)
11 Warblade
12 Warblade       Robilar's Gambit
13 Crusader
14 Crusader       (Thicket of Blades)
15 Warblade      Combat Focus
16 Warblade      Warblade Bonus (Improved Initiative or Stone Power)
17 Warblade      
18 Warblade       Combat Vigor
19 Warblade
20 Fighter        Defensive Sweep

Same basic idea, but more effective feat distribution. Diehard sucks compared to Rage Claws+2 Essentia (max negative HP is 16 instead of 10, no action penalties at all, no more HP loss from being in negatives). Midnight Dodge counts as Dodge for all purposes, and you never invest into it. Its a bit harder on the wallet to use a Boot Knife+Glaive/Guisarme, but that difference is negated by massive bonuses from Stormguard Warrior.

Combat Vigor keeps you alive, at the very least. Both it and its requirement can be forgone, if you want two free feats.

[Frosty]

I don't even know what a Boot Knife is. Where is it from? I'll see if I can talk my DM into using soulmeds, but I personally have never used them before and neither has he. We're talking about a Binder feature?

[tonberrian]

I don't even know what a Boot Knife is. Where is it from? I'll see if I can talk my DM into using soulmeds, but I personally have never used them before and neither has he. We're talking about a Binder feature?

Apparently, a boot blade is a type of hidden blade available in Comp. Scoundrel. Soulmelds are found in Magic of Incarnum and are totally unrelated to Binders.

[Frosty]

Hmm...since we're in a low-wealth campaign, I'd prefer to stay away from needing to enchant two separate weapons...

[Sinfire Titan]

I don't even know what a Boot Knife is. Where is it from? I'll see if I can talk my DM into using soulmeds, but I personally have never used them before and neither has he. We're talking about a Binder feature?

You don't need to enchant it unless you fight something with DR 20/Magic or better type of DR. You're dealing 50+ damage per hit in the second round, and have massive attack modifiers. You can afford only the +1 on the Knife, as it is meant to be a backup weapon in case you can't take a 5' step backwards and attack with the reach weapon.

Personally, I'd actually shoot for TWFing and forgo the reach with a Stormsurge build. 7 attacks base, 11 counting Dancing Mongoose, 12 if you have Snap Kick, and even more if you can get natural weapons in the build. Fuel Stormguard with Avalanche of Blades and Touch Attacks, then use Time Stands Still+Dancing Mongoose the next round to eviscerate them (or get a Cohort who has WRT and have him use that on you so they can't back away before they get killed).

Assuming only 5 of your touch attacks from AoB hit, that's still +25 to your damage next round. If they remain within the reach of a normal character (getting Enlarge cast on you by a friend is really easy) you can force them to provoke AoO's no matter what they do (except if they Teleport out of the way). Assuming you only get one of your many to even go off, you can forgo it for the extra +4 on attacks and damage (in all odds, if the enemy in question has never seen you do this before, they will most likely attack you once or twice).

Next round you swing in with 7 attacks base, doubled to 14 via TSS, and then 18 total assuming you do not have Snap Kick or natural weapons. Plus, any AoOs you make that round will get the +29 base damage. If even three of those attacks hit (in all likelyhood you will hit with 7 of your 18) you can easily get an average of 50-70 damage a hit. Most creatures would be either inclined to flee or focus their efforts on you, so you would be fufilling your duty as a tank.

Of course, that's the TWFing Stormsurge build. This one gets 8 attacks, and only 4 of them are likely to hit unless the first round went amazingly. If you can get a +8 from Stormguard Warrior with AoOs alone and you managed to hit 4 or more times with AoB, then you have them.

As for Soulmelds, I'm somewhat of a specialist in Incarnum. I wrot ethe handbook, I understand the system perfectly, and I can give you any help you need. But trust me when I say this: Diehard is inferior to Rage Claws.

[Frosty]

Sinfire Titan: I do not doubt you at all when you say Diehard sucks...well, hard. I am, however, limited by the books my DM have, and my DM is somewhat uncomfortable with things he is not familia rwith. As it is, I've gotta hope that hell let me stack Karmic Strike and Robilar's Gambit, or that he'll allow Stormguard Warrior.

So, why the Bone Knife and not some other dagger? It's got nifty bonuses?

And I agree. TWF is the optimal way to way in terms of damage, but whether I do 800 damage a turn or merely 300 damage a turn, the enemy is still dead. Our group doesn't power game that much (especially when I'm not the DM), and we sort of need a tank, which is why I went with the whole reach and Lockdown route.

Wow, no one else has any thoughts on this build huh?

[Erom]

So, why the Bone Knife and not some other dagger? It's got nifty bonuses?

I'm assuming Boot Knife isn't a typo, and he means the classic little knife blade hidden in the end of your boot. I assume the purpose of it is that you can "wield" it by kicking, and can thus wield both it and a two handed weapon. In other words, the idea is that if you are stuck in close quarters where you can't get a swing in with your real weapon, you can pop out your handy little switchblade and shank em with that.

[Sinfire Titan]

Sinfire Titan: I do not doubt you at all when you say Diehard sucks...well, hard. I am, however, limited by the books my DM have, and my DM is somewhat uncomfortable with things he is not familia rwith. As it is, I've gotta hope that hell let me stack Karmic Strike and Robilar's Gambit, or that he'll allow Stormguard Warrior.

So, why the Bone Knife and not some other dagger? It's got nifty bonuses?

And I agree. TWF is the optimal way to way in terms of damage, but whether I do 800 damage a turn or merely 300 damage a turn, the enemy is still dead. Our group doesn't power game that much (especially when I'm not the DM), and we sort of need a tank, which is why I went with the whole reach and Lockdown route.

Wow, no one else has any thoughts on this build huh?

If he's still buying 3.5, then do him a favor and get him the MoI for Christmas or something. The book is amazing.

Boot Knife is there so you don't have to drop your main weapon and draw a new one. Revealing a hidden weapon is a Move action at the slowest, so you can reveal the Boot Knife and smack them with a Mountain Hammer if you like.

[Magnor Criol]

If he's still buying 3.5, then do him a favor and get him the MoI for Christmas or something. The book is amazing.

Boot Knife is there so you don't have to drop your main weapon and draw a new one. Revealing a hidden weapon is a Move action at the slowest, so you can reveal the Boot Knife and smack them with a Mountain Hammer if you like.

"Hey! Hey! Lookit the pretty knife! Lookit the pretty knife!" *WHAM* "Oh, hey, look, a hammer."

I like the style of this build; I've always liked AoO builds, there's a certain panache to them. The idea of being able to shred an an enemy with AoOs - especially with feats and abilities that allow you to count actions as AoOs that don't normally provoke them, like, say, standing still - has a certain....flair to it.

[Frosty]

Just to make sure: Refraining from taking an AoO means I don't actually use it up right? I have a feeling my DM might make me use up an AoO anyways becuase he might think my original build will do too much damage.

[Sinfire Titan]

Just to make sure: Refraining from taking an AoO means I don't actually use it up right? I have a feeling my DM might make me use up an AoO anyways becuase he might think my original build will do too much damage.

Right. If he makes you use it, just use Channel the Storm and get +5 for every AoO you make instead of the +4 to attacks and damage.

[Frosty]

Right. If he makes you use it, just use Channel the Storm and get +5 for every AoO you make instead of the +4 to attacks and damage.

Yeah. It wouldn't be as good, and I'd have to pump up Dex to get more AoO (I gotta stop mages too) and I don't have room for weapon finess. Bah.

[Sinfire Titan]

Yeah. It wouldn't be as good, and I'd have to pump up Dex to get more AoO (I gotta stop mages too) and I don't have room for weapon finess. Bah.

Using the build I posted, exchange a Fighter level for Swashbuckler level, and then grab Defensive Sweep with one of the spare feats. Use a Skilled Spiked Chain or grab EWP (Spiked Chain, Kurisari-Gama, Spinning Sword) and go to town with Finesse. Your Str doesn't matter, as most of your damage is coming from Stormguard Warrior instead.

[Frosty]

Well, it *sort* of matters. I need ok damage to make Stand Still actually work. Plus to make the Concentration DCs to maintain a spell higher when I hit them.

[Sinfire Titan]

Well, it *sort* of matters. I need ok damage to make Stand Still actually work. Plus to make the Concentration DCs to maintain a spell higher when I hit them.

Well, a +5 Collision Skilled (Any +1 enhancement) Spiked Chain made of Baatorian Greensteel (or Heavy, from PTGF) will do an average of 18 damage per hit with a 10 Str score, and there are a number of ways for you to increase that.


And considering a well-played spellcaster won't be getting into your threatened reach very often, I'd say you can get away with a lower Str score. A poorly played one? Well, that's a different story.

[Frosty]

Like I said, very low wealth. I'm not expecting to go through this campaign with very much magic items at all, so I have to rely on my stats. I'll be lucky if I ever get a +3 weapon. As for the enemies, they won't be very well optimized. The DM rarely optimizes NPCs against us in his current campaign, although the one time he did he ruled that the Quickdraw feat also allows free action sheathing, which, combined with Flick of the Wrist, allows for Sneak Attack no matter what. The DM usually uses stock creatures from the DMG 1 and 2 only if not using humanoids.

I expect none of the enemy humanoids to actually go etheral or have Anklets of Translocation, or even very many to have Tumble (it's only fair becuase our wealth total will suck). The DM doesn't use Celerity, but Foresight might be common. In short, he doesn't really optimize, so I don't foresee any impossible to beat mages.