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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 3473165" data-attributes="member: 13966">Cool stuff to read about, hong.  Thanks for sharing your experiences with us all!After reading this thread, and seeing a friend play a swordsage in a brief 1st-4th level mini-campaign, I decided to try out a Tome of Battle character when we met for D&D again this Sunday.  The previous DM moved out of town, so a different DM took over, the guy who played the swordsage in that game (with my halfling copper-dragon shaman, another player's half-orc barbarian, and another guy's human rogue).  He decided to start a separate game, so we started making new characters, and he set the level to 10th and a 42-point-buy, max HP and 49,000 GP to spend.  He's going to make things tough, using the same point buy and max HP setup for NPCs.So I decided to try playing a swordsage this time.  I know warblade would likely be too cheesy, and one player's already going to be a barbarian anyway, so I'm avoiding that potential cheese factory.  Likewise with regards to the more abusive maneuvers and feats, far as I know, I'll avoid them if I can spot them.Anyway, since I only have access to the ToB while I'm at the Sunday game with the DM who owns a copy, I wanted to ask for a bit of advice/assistance.  Just a bit.  Hong, if ya think I should move this query to a separate thread, just say the word.[sblock]My Halfling Copper-Dragon Shaman 4 is being replaced with a Half-Giant (LA +1 race) Swordsage 5/Psychic Warrior 4.  Probably going to be true neutral.  Total ability scores from the point-buy, race, leveling, and items are Str 26 (+8), Dex 12 (+1), Con 16 (+3), Int 10 (+0), Wis 18 (+4), and Cha 10 (+0).  HP 99, standard AC 20, touch AC 15, flat-footed AC 19, initiative +3, speed 30 ft., BAB +6/+1.  I still need to name the guy, probably going to give him a background on Athas if there's any way he could've been astrally or ethereally transported away from there by another fellow....Other PCs are a Human Wizard (probably from Oerth), a Sun Elf Swashbuckler (probably from Faerun), an Orc Barbarian (dunno where from), a Human (I think?) Warmage/Healer/Mystic Theurge (probably from Faerun), and a Goblin Rogue (dunno where from, but he's a siege engineer, tinker, and alchemist; just a rogue for the skill points, and he doesn't want to be relying on magic artifice).For my PC, I may or may not want to take a prestige class from Book of Nine Swords, Expanded Psionics Handbook, or Complete Psionic.  All I'm sure of right now is that I'd really like a few more psionic feats/powers at some point and I intend to focus on stuff from the Book of Nine Swords.  Just about any 3.5 WotC book is allowed in the campaign, except Unearthed Arcana, Magic of Incarnum, and probably just a few other exceptions.My feats at present are Adaptive Style, Psionic Weapon (PsyWar1 bonus feat), Vital Recovery, Instant Clarity (PsyWar2 bonus feat, from Bo9S), Martial Study (Desert Wind style - Burning Brand learned - Tumble permanent class skill), and Deep Impact.  Not sure yet if I should replace Martial Study (my 6th-level feat) with something else or just change the style/maneuver.  I may swap Instant Clarity (Bo9S psionic feat) with Psionic Meditation if I can't make Instant Clarity work well with my maneuvers, since I may need to regain my psionic focus in battle more often than 3 times per day to remain effective (though the move action to do so at-will through PM may cut into my effectiveness or not).Main abilities so far are Powerful Build, Naturally Psionic, Stomp psi-like ability, two bonus feats, swordsage AC Bonus (Wis), Quick to Act (+2 initiative), Discipline Focus (undetermined as of yet), a few psionic powers, 13 power points, and a handful of martial maneuvers/stances.  Intended disciplines for use are Desert Wind (likely secondary), Diamond Mind (maybe primary), Setting Sun (not sure), and Stone Dragon (maybe primary).  I haven't looked at the other Swordsage disciplines yet except Shadowhand, which isn't likely to fit my character well so probably gonna ignore it.Armed with a keen +1 large greatsword of ghost touch (save myself a feat and be able to hit annoying spirit/ether critters), a +1 large composite longbow (+8 Strength to damage, my backup since I can't fly under my own power), an ordinary large spiked gauntlet (in case I'm grappled or somesuch), a +1 mithril shirt of light fortification (...I fear the crits this DM may unleash), a +4 belt of giant's strength (I'm one of the 2 frontline PCs), a +2 periapt of wisdom (Will saves are important, my swordsage AC needs it, and my skills need it), a +1 cloak of resistance (obvious reasons), and a paltry few basic supplies.  If I really need some more cash for an item, I may swap out the Keen quality on my greatsword, and instead take the Ghost Strike psionic feat in place of Martial Study.I can't remember if using Instant Clarity to regain Psionic Focus is a free action, or a swift action, and I couldn't figure out or remember if it only works at the end of the maneuver it is used with.  I was thinking about manifesting <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psionicLionsCharge.htm" target="_blank">Psionic Lion's Charge</a> and then using the 2nd or 3rd level Desert Wind boost (I forget its name) that grants an extra attack during a full-attack action (I recall the maneuver's duration being 'until end of turn'), but with -2 on the attack rolls (essentially like a melee version of Rapid Shot).  Now I can't remember either if Instant Clarity is strictly limited to once per round (I do know it's limited to 3 uses per day).  Psionic Lion's Charge is a swift action to manifest, and I don't recall if that Desert Wind maneuver is also a swift action or not; if they're both swifts, then I can't combine them in one turn.I basically wanted to do this: First round of combat, use the Desert Wind maneuver I can't recall the name of; charge at an enemy; manifest Psionic Lion's Charge; attack once, expend Psionic Focus for Psionic Weapon's extra damage; use Instant Clarity to regain Psionic Focus; make my iterative attack, expending Psionic Focus again for Deep Impact to make it a touch attack; use Instant Clarity again to regain PF; make my extra attack from the maneuver, expend PF again for Psionic Weapon; use Instant Clarity again to regain PF for use next round.Basically go all-out to pulverize a Big Bad in one round, or at least seriously maim them, and generally draw the remaining foes' attention to me rather than the less-threatening (and more fragile) casters, rogue, and swashbuckler.  Besides, I got Vital Recovery and Adaptable Style to help myself heal and recover maneuvers quickly, at least once per encounter, and one of the party's casters is a Healer/Warmage/Mystic Theurge (yes, a logic-breaking combo of pacifistic support and raw destruction) anyway.  I am guessing that my first conceived tactic is probably not viable in the rules, but I don't have the Book of Nine Swords myself to check now that I'm home.An alternative tactic I'm considering is Dissolving Weapon (+4d6 acid on next attack) manifested in the round before I attack, then charging in and using a Strike maneuver of some sort (maybe Burning Brand?) in combination with that acid damage and Psionic Weapon (+2d6 damage).  But I'm not sure it'll be worthwhile, considering the standard action manifestation time of Dissolving Weapon.If both that and Psionic Lion's Charge prove ineffective combos with my Swordsage maneuvers, I may just go with <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/concealingAmorpha.htm" target="_blank">Concealing Amorpha</a> as my 2nd-level power or just lower my Psychic Warrior level to 2nd while boosting my Swordsage level to 7th.  But I really wanted to give 3.5 psionics a try while I'm actually playing a 3.5 game for a change, so I'm hoping I can make an effective combo of psi + martial strikes/boosts.For my 1st-level powers I'm going with <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/expansion.htm" target="_blank">Expansion</a> and two other powers from amongst <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/biofeedback.htm" target="_blank">Biofeedback</a>, <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/forceScreen.htm" target="_blank">Force Screen</a>, <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/gripofIron.htm" target="_blank">Grip of Iron</a>, <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/precognitionDefensive.htm" target="_blank">Defensive Precognition</a>, <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/precognitionOffensive.htm" target="_blank">Offensive Precognition</a>, and <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/prescienceOffensive.htm" target="_blank">Offensive Prescience</a>.  Animal Affinity is of little use to me, so I'm not considering it; +2 AC from Dex or Wis wouldn't help much, and I don't have the manifester level to augment it enough for +4 from boosting both scores.  Most likely I'm going to go with Force Screen and Offensive Prescience, but I'm not sure.  Considering my PC is a very muscular half-giant and I'll be using Expansion, my grapple check modifier will already be +18 to +22, so Grip of Iron's +4 may be a waste, but combined with a Stone Dragon maneuver or two my PC might be a very effective grappler, but I dunno (I don't have the feats to spare for Improved Unarmed Strke or Improved Grapple, most likely, so I'd likely suffer AoOs and take some punishment whenever I start a grapple).My AC is usually going to suck or be mediocre (at present, it looks like I'll have AC 20 most of the time; +5 from a mithril shirt of light fortification, +1 Dex, +4 Wis as a Swordsage), especially if I charge into melee often, and with the AC I'll lose from manifesting Expansion.  Besides whatever I may acquire from maneuvers and stances in terms of AC bonuses, my AC is probably going to be ineffective most often.  Thus Force Screen (+4 shield to AC) and Defensive Precognition (+1 or +2 insight to AC and saves) may be helpful in reducing how painfully easy it will be for enemies to hit my PC.  I don't recall if the Swordsage's AC Bonus from 2nd-level is an insight bonus or just an unnamed bonus that, like the Monk's, isn't so much insight but mere instinct.  Thicken Skin is a decent power to replace Defensive Precognition, but although its duration is longer it doesn't boost saves as DP does.  If it seems I can't get my AC to a decent number at a decent cost in power points, I'll just go with Biofeedback and be able soak up a bit more damage at least.Besides those psionic and psionic/maneuver-combo matters, I'm wondering what maneuvers and stances I should take.  I'm intending to use some mix of Desert Wind, Diamond Mind, Setting Sun, and Stone Dragon, but most likely I'll be focused in just one of those while dabbling a tad in one or two of the others.  It didn't look like Shadowhand would be terribly useful/effective with my character, and our party is only 6 PCs (three of whom are likely to avoid melee) so White Raven is probably no good to us.  Leadership is probably not a feat I want to take with this character.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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