The Crusader's Handbook

[Sinfire Titan]

Faith Unswerving, particularly the Take One For the Team ability, seems to run counter to the whole idea that a Crusader can afford, even benefit from, a low AC.  It seems to me you'd almost need to build your Crusader with this feat and its prerequisite in mind, rather than building as you normally would for a Crusader.  Thoughts?

Yeah, most of the tactical feats are subpar. THe Shadow Hand, Iron Heart, and Stone Dragon ones have the most useful abilities.


The Devs just don't know how to make good Tactical feats.

[BenTheJester]

The oft-forgotten Hellbred race is quite good for Crusaders (Choose between +2con/-2int and 2 devil-touched feats¹ or +2cha/-2con and darkvision who works in magical darkness at later levels), and fits very well thematically.


¹ Nice options include: Darkvision+temporary Blindsight, a small increase in max HP+temporary fast healing and an ability to daze an opponent(although the save is cha-based)

[Jopustopin]

From Tome of Battle:
"If at the end of your turn, you cannot be granted a maneuver because you have no withheld maneuvers remaining, you recover all expanded maneuvers, and a new pair of readied maneuvers is granted to you.  Randomly determine which of your maneuvers are granted and which are withheld.  At the end of your next turn, a withheld maneuver is granted to you, and the whole process of divine inspiration begins again.

You begin an encounter with an additional granted maneuver at 10th level (bringing your total to three), and again at 20th level (bringing your total to four)."

Assuming pair always means 2.  Never does it say you gain more than a "new pair" (Except under the feat Extra Granted Maneuver).

Now read the feat Extra Granted Maneuver.  Now finally read Maneuvers Readied from page 96.

Q: Dear Sage,
When a crusader's maneuver recovery mechanic (Tome of Battle, p.9) activates, what happens to any maneuvers he still had ready and granted?
--Dan
A: If at the end of the crusader’s turn he cannot be granted a maneuver because he has no withheld maneuvers remaining, the process starts over from scratch. All maneuvers (whether expended or not) once again become withheld, and two of those maneuvers are randomly granted.

Am I mistaken when I say that a 20th level crusader is granted 4 maneuvers at the beginning of battle then when he recovers all of them he is only dealt a pair that he can use?

[Sinfire Titan]

That is a valid reading, but it is a huge nerf to a class that doesn't need nerfing.

[Jopustopin]

That is a valid reading, but it is a huge nerf to a class that doesn't need nerfing.

I've always thought that all the descriptions (for the base classes) in the tome of battle were intended to explain how things were at 1st level.  Lines like, "You begin play with a 1st level stance..." doesn't make much sense if you take your first level of warblade at level 12.  You are hardly "beginning play" at that point. I don't want to nerf the crusader (Shit I'm playing one!) I just think this is another instance where they are describing what it's like at 1st level without thinking about anything else.  I would just find it curious if this is how the class was intended.

[Shadowhunter]

That is a valid reading, but it is a huge nerf to a class that doesn't need nerfing.

I've always thought that all the descriptions (for the base classes) in the tome of battle were intended to explain how things were at 1st level.  Lines like, "You begin play with a 1st level stance..." doesn't make much sense if you take your first level of warblade at level 12.  You are hardly "beginning play" at that point. I don't want to nerf the crusader (Shit I'm playing one!) I just think this is another instance where they are describing what it's like at 1st level without thinking about anything else.  I would just find it curious if this is how the class was intended.

IIRC, someone on the design team intended for maneuvers to be usable only once per encounter, so you couldn't refresh them within the same encounter.
So, I'll remain wilfully ignorant of "intention" as far as ToB goes.

[Sinfire Titan]

Updated the Magic Item section. Still missing Armor, Shields, and Weaponry, but the Clothing section is more-or-less finished.


Please suggest more magic items.

[Grim]

Hey, big fan of the guide and I'm happy to see you're still working on it.

A few items for your consideration:
Retributive Amulet (BoED, 116) I believe this was nerfed somewhere though
Mechanus Armor (PlanHb)
Tooth of Savnok (ToM, 79) Move at your full land speed in heavy armor
Tabard of Valor (CC, 142) Improved Mettle is kind of badass even with a pretty heavy drawback

[Sinfire Titan]

I have started on the Maneuvers and Stances section. Currently at 3rd level maneuvers.

[Jopustopin]

Rock on

[Sinfire Titan]

Maneuvers and stances are finally done. Now I need to work on sample builds.

[Harye]

Awesome handbook, looking forward to those sample builds!

[Midnight_v]

Maneuvers and stances are finally done. Now I need to work on sample builds.

Are you going to come back and finish this? I was wondering if there were links to those builds? I vaguely rember Captain Americas build. pretty cool stuff.

[Sinfire Titan]

Maneuvers and stances are finally done. Now I need to work on sample builds.

Are you going to come back and finish this? I was wondering if there were links to those builds? I vaguely rember Captain Americas build. pretty cool stuff.

Yes, I am. I just need to set aside some time to work on them (I can finish two or three builds in a day fairly easily, but those builds won't have magic item lists).

[Midnight_v]

Awesome Awesome, I know how it is. . . I have a stack of incomplete projects put off because of other stuff myself, its funny at first I didn't like the crusader, but I've learned to love it.