Help me build a tank

[welby]

I'm starting a new campaign and have to build a FR 5th level character. The other party members are a cleric and a rogue/mage. I want to be the meat shield - one that's hard as heck to take down.

I *think* I have pretty much any reasonable source available to me, but I have to get my DMs approval. I also have 9000 gold to do with what I want, but no single item can be over 2500. But if it's close, I'm pretty sure I could bribe my DM =)

There are two things I'm really looking for in my build. Fast Healing and DR. Things like mettle or evasion would be a bonus.

I figured out the fast healing thing by taking a level of cleric and chaining undeath domain, planning domain, persistant spell, divine metamagic - persistant spell. It's a little munchkinny I know.

For DR, I've looked at a level Dragon Shaman but I think that DR 1/magic might not be useful after a few more levels.

A level of Pious Templar would add mettle without interupting base attack progression, which sounds nice.

I've started to look at the shapeshifting variant for druids in PHB2 but having never played a druid, I'm not sure where to go with them (but am totally willing to learn).

I've also started looking at just going barb, but I wouldn't get DR for a few levels with that approach.

I've tried to do my homework, but I just am not coming up with what I want. So I turn this problem to you, character tweaking experts. How would you build this character?

 

[BASHMAN]

why not get them all?

Take the crusader class from Book of 9 Swords.

They have a delayed damage pool (similar to DR), and also have maneuvers that provide true DR and Fasthealing (and can heal your party, as well). AND, they get mettle as a class ability.

 

[Krafen]

Crusaders make good tanks. You delay some damage for a round, giving your cleric a chance to heal you. You also get bonuses from the delayed damage. You can take maneuvers that allow you to heal yourself or others.

 

[pallandrome]

Try going Rogue 2, Hexblade 3, Paladin of Tyrrany the rest of the way. If you don't mind EVIL, that is.

 

[brehobit]

As others mentioned, the crusader is a great tank. I doubt you'll find better.

If you want silly amounts of DR, the fey feats (in complete mage) get you there, even better with warlock. At 7th level a human warlock with only fey feats would have a DR of 6/cold iron.
Plus by 9th level (DR 7/cold iron) you'd have some sweet spells to toss around.

Hideous blow (with either a reach weapon or lots of ranks in concentration) will do you quite well in hand-to-hand.

Mark

 

[Wish]

The key feature of a tank, other than being stout defensively, is to have enough offense or battlefield control ability that the opposition can't just ignore you. If you're AC 70 with 250 hp and hit for 1d8+3, while your buddy is AC 15 with 70 hp and hits for 6d6+20, they're just going to ignore you and let you hit them while they butcher your buddy.

I don't know enough to comment on crusader, but a pretty standard tank build in the groups I play with is either fighter/paladin/pious templar or barbarian/fighter/pious templar.

For a more techy option, you could do a fighter/monk/paladin/pious templar. (You're probably better off using a shield and light armor than trying to use the monk ac bonus.) You'd have remarkably good saves, evasion and mettle, some bonus feats to play with, and access to the monk weapons (which are actually pretty good for tech fighters).

For a tech fighter, you could either go the Combat Focus chain or the Combat Expertise chain. Doing both is extremely feat intensive, and really only an option for a straight fighter.

 

[Nightfall]

Crusader does take it and can dish it out. But if you want a better survivor rate, swordsage and/or Warblade do better in some ways since they can (at the expense of a feat) gain more power and still can use Devoted Spirit school powers at said feat expenditure.

 

[welby]

Crusader or Warblade do sound nice. Does anyone have any experience with these classes? Crusader in particular seems like a lot of book keeping to figure out which maneuver you can use. Are they good classes to multiclass? I was thinking maybe taking a few levels of crusader and then going for another class or PrC. Something like 3clr/3crus/-> pious templar. Do you think there's more tanky goodness by staying crusader all the way up?

 

[szilard]

I think a Crusader/Dragon Shaman would work well - they both benefit from a decent Charisma, and the Dragon Shaman adds auras (such as Fast Healing) which don't interfere with a Crusader's abilities - and a ranged attack, which the Crusader could benefit from.

-Stuart

 

[brehobit]

Crusader or Warblade do sound nice. Does anyone have any experience with these classes? Crusader in particular seems like a lot of book keeping to figure out which maneuver you can use. Are they good classes to multiclass? I was thinking maybe taking a few levels of crusader and then going for another class or PrC. Something like 3clr/3crus/-> pious templar. Do you think there's more tanky goodness by staying crusader all the way up?

Crusader is fine as long as you use the cards (on the WoTC site). In fact, easier than spells with the cards. Without them it is almost unplayable IME. (I make the swordsage in my party use them too.)

If you are going to go crusader/cleric I'd go with Ruby Knight Vindicator as a PrC. (Crusader 1/cleric2/crusader2/RKV2/crusader1/RKV). It certainly isn't the best PrC in the world, but it is good and it is cool (well good once you hit 7th level and finally get 2nd level spells...) I'd go pure crusader myself (maybe a one level dip into swordsage or warblade around level 9). Crusaders are just the tankiest of tanks.

If you want to tank as a crusader take the feats that grant an extra readied maneuver and let you heal when you recover. With the above build you will always do this on round 4 (and 3+level hit points is nice as a free action!). Also stone power is a must (either 3rd or 6th level).