Best 10th lvl Melee "Tank"

[Nifft]

Best level 10 character that doesn't rely on magic items - druid.

Druid with Vow of Poverty (from Book of Exalted Deeds) and the spell Venomfire (from Serpent Kingdoms) if you want to make your DM cry.

Yes. This.

Druid with a friendly arcane spellcaster who can cast mage armor every day, and a friendly Cleric who can cast shield of faith before each fight.

Cheers, -- N

 

[szilard]

Crusader is in Tome of Battle:Book of Nine Swords. It isn't part of the SRD. If your DM will allow classes from that book, that's probably your best bet.

(other than a ridiculous Druid)

-Stuart

 

[Darkwolf71]

i would be much obliged of you could link the srd to the crusader and other prestige classes because i'm low on text and refrence materials.

Sorry. Non-SRD classes. I think prttey much the only classes/Prestige classes that are SRD are the ones in the PHB/DMG.

I had a 10 dex dwarven tank I built awhile back. 18 STR, 18 CON and a Dwarf specific PRC that applied Con to AC instead of Dex. This bypasses the max Dex limit of armor. base 24 AC with non-magical full plate. Add a shield for 26. (I think Deep Warden. Races of Stone... maybe.) I also took feats to allow him to throw Dwarven War Axes with Str based hit rolls instead of Dex. A respectable tank, indeed. Sadly he died at low level due to no AC. (You don't get the bonus untill level 7.. maybe 8.) I fully intend on trying again in a higher level campaign one day.

 

[useridunavailable]

Druid with Vow of Poverty

Technically, isn't BoED 3.0?

At any rate, if we're going the "probably should be houseruled/banned" route (Vow of Poverty), here's what I'd do:

Human
Level 1: Barbarian
-Power Attack, Cleave
Level 2: Fighter
-Combat Reflexes (For later buttkicking)
Level 3: Fighter
-Destructive Rage, Combat Focus
Level 4: Fighter
-No Feats
Level 5: Fighter
-Combat Stability
Level 6: Barbarian
-Intimidating Rage
Level 7: Frenzied Berserker
Level 8: Frenzied Berserker
Level 9: Frenzied Berserker
-Combat Vigor
Level 10: Frenzied Berserker

*projected*
Level 11: Frenzied Berserker
Level 12: Frenzied Berserker
-Robilar's Gambit (Reason for Combat Reflexes)

At level 10, you have a character who can give himself +10 str/+4 con and who, while in this state, CANNOT BE KILLED by hit point damage in the immediate future. Combat vigor stops him from falling unconscious from the nonlethal damage caused by his frenzy. It's pretty hard to out-tank a guy who can take 50 billion hit points of damage and keep fighting. At level 12, he opens himself up to a bit more damage (who cares?), but he can also hit back every time he's attacked in melee provided he has a decent dex bonus.

IME, Frenzied Berserker is pretty much the best a tank can get. Of course, Druid, Master of Many Forms, Bear Warrior, and others have some serious damage output, but come on... the guy can't die... At level 11, he can Power Attack with a zweihander and get 3x the damage he pays for (4x at level 16)... Plus at 16th, his strength bonus for Rage/Frenzy totals +16. Pretty damned tanky. Just make sure you have a Bard around to Fascinate him so he doesn't turn around and kill the party when all the enemies are dead...

 

[Doug McCrae]

Technically, isn't BoED 3.0?

It's 3.5. It was published in Oct 2003. 3.5 was published in July. The evil one, Book of Vile Darkness, is 3.0.

 

[useridunavailable]

It's 3.5. It was published in Oct 2003. 3.5 was published in July. The evil one, Book of Vile Darkness, is 3.0.

Thanks! I stand corrected--wasn't sure about that one.

 

[Ungruush]

IME, Frenzied Berserker is pretty much the best a tank can get. Of course, Druid, Master of Many Forms, Bear Warrior, and others have some serious damage output, but come on... the guy can't die

So, my biggest question now is can you send me the full stats for the frenzied bezerker? i mean, BAB, saves, and list of any special abilities/qualitites?

Just make sure you have a Bard around to Fascinate him so he doesn't turn around and kill the party when all the enemies are dead...

and good call...lol

 

[Archimedes314]

Just how quirky is this homebrew? Quirky enough for an anthropomorphic baleen whale? If so, an anthro baleen whale monk would bring the unholy fury of the cetaceans to bear on your DM. It is one of the most overpowered races ever published. They are large size, and get +8 str, +4 dex, +4 con, +4 wis, +9 natural armor, and three monstrous humanoid HD. Did I mention that they have no level adjustment? Take improved natural weapon for your unarmed strike and go to town.

 

[Ungruush]

i believe the DM would have a coronary if this was brought to the table.

in essence, i believe he just wants us all to get the kicked out of us at every turn, and if thats gonna be the case, then i want to do the same to whatever he throws at us, within relative reason...lol


but i like the idea, gonna run it past him anyway

 

[Plane Sailing]

i'd really like to have an insane AC, and be able to inflict mediocre damage per attack, but just get a crap-load of them

How about straight Monk?

Str 10
Dex 18
Con 18
Int 13
Wis 18
Cha 5

Feats include weapon finesse

You should be able to get +11/+11/+6 (plus any magic), and if your DM allows TWF to be used at the same time, you could get another +11/+6 from the secondary weapon.

Your normal touch AC will be 18, if you can get mage armour cast on you it is 22, if you can get cats grace and owls wisdom it is 26 and you could then fight with full combat expertise to get another +5 for 31.

It isn't the best way to build a monk by any means, but if you want someone with a relatively high AC and mediocre damage, this is pretty good.