Lets Build a Juggernaut!

[CCH_LLC]

Well, as so often happens to me recently I find myself needing to roll a new character for my upcoming Eberron game (due to my Duskblade dieing a hilarious but painful death last week). I have opted to create a Warforged Fighter/Juggernaut due to the fact that we basically have no real melee specialists in our group and that our strongest character is an artificer.

I am still fairly new to DnD so I would greatly appreciate any help in creating an optimized juggernaut, I am not married to that idea though so if anyone has any brilliant suggestions I am more then happy to consider them.

The relevant details are as follows:

28 point buy

starting at level 7

19k gold to start with, but I cannot spend more then half of it on any one item

all common books are allowed, except for magic of the incarnum, complete psionics (DM allows psionics, but doesnt like them very much, and doesnt allow that book at all), and tome of battle

the group currently consists of a level 9 warforged Artificer who is going the "blastificer" route, a level 7 human fighter/sorc/knight arcane/knight phantom, a level 7 changeling rogue, and a level 7 druid/natures warrior with the alternate wildshape feat from PHBII.

I am looking for a high damage fighter who tends to solve situations by putting his head down and charging, I would like it to be optimized but I dont want to try and pull a fast on my DM, and my main goal is to find a character that is fun to play.

Any builds would be greatly appreciated, and let me know if there is anything I can clear up.

 

[SteelDraco]

Honestly, if you're looking for a good, powerful melee build, you can't go wrong with something like this.

Barbarian1/Fighter4/Warforged Juggernaught2

Str 17 (10 points from point-buy, +1 from 4th level)
Dex 10 (2 points from point-buy)
Con 16 (6 points from point-buy, +2 racial)
Int 12 (4 points from point-buy)
Wis 10 (4 points from point-buy, -2 racial)
Cha 8 (2 points from point-buy, -2 racial)

C1 - Adamantine Body
F1 - Power Attack
F2 - Improved Bull Rush
C3 - Cleave
F4 - Close-Quarters Fighting
WFJ2 - Powerful Charge

Just get yourself a big, adamantine two-handed weapon, and go nuts. Charge things, and destroy them. Look into the Combat Brute tactical feat from CW. Enchant your armor, pick up a few stat bonuses, and you're good to go. You'll have to worry about mind-affecting spells until you get Construct Perfection II next level, since your Will save is going to stink. Make friends with the artificer; he'll be your bestest friend in the world.

 

[blargney the second]

Yeah, that's about the size of it.

 

[Erywin]

SteelDraco has a pretty solid build there, with an Artificer in the group it makes a Great synergy to have a warforged Your basically a charging spiked ball of Death!!

Cheers,
E

 

[CCH_LLC]

Honestly, if you're looking for a good, powerful melee build, you can't go wrong with something like this.

Barbarian1/Fighter4/Warforged Juggernaught2

Str 17 (10 points from point-buy, +1 from 4th level)
Dex 10 (2 points from point-buy)
Con 16 (6 points from point-buy, +2 racial)
Int 12 (4 points from point-buy)
Wis 10 (4 points from point-buy, -2 racial)
Cha 8 (2 points from point-buy, -2 racial)

C1 - Adamantine Body
F1 - Power Attack
F2 - Improved Bull Rush
C3 - Cleave
F4 - Close-Quarters Fighting
WFJ2 - Powerful Charge

Just get yourself a big, adamantine two-handed weapon, and go nuts. Charge things, and destroy them. Look into the Combat Brute tactical feat from CW. Enchant your armor, pick up a few stat bonuses, and you're good to go. You'll have to worry about mind-affecting spells until you get Construct Perfection II next level, since your Will save is going to stink. Make friends with the artificer; he'll be your bestest friend in the world.

Wouldnt the adamantine body cancel out the rage stuff from the barbarian?

Looks good though.

 

[Erywin]

Not the rage, just the fast movement, which you can use some of the barbarian variants to replace anyways.

 

[blargney the second]

Did someone say Warforged Juggernaut with Pounce? Giggity.

 

[CCH_LLC]

For the sake of variety, does anyone have another build to compare this one too? Be creative, have fun with it. Also keep in mind I will have 19k gold to play with.

 

[Beckett]

This is an ongoing campaign, right? As my suggestion is a little delayed in its effect.

Fighter 6/Juggernaut 1

1 Adamantine Body
F1 Power Attack
F2 Dungeon Crasher alternate class feature from Dungeonscape page 10 (gives you bonuses against traps, bonuses on checks to break down doors, and if you bullrush someone into a wall, you inflict 4D6+2xStr bonus)
3 Improved Bullrush
F4 WF Great Axe (lots of options actually- close-quarters fighting that SteelDraco suggested is good to avoid grapples, and other options might look good)
6 WS Great Axe (if you took Weapon Focus at 4; otherwise, again, your options are open)
F6 Dungeon Crasher improves, increasing bonuses and dealing 8D6+3xStr bonus

19K should be enough to grab Boots of Striding and Springing (30 move is so much nicer than 20, and means 60 or 65 ft charges instead of 40 or 45), Gauntlets of Ogre Power (no such thing as too much strength, especially if you want to be Bull Rushing a lot), a +1 weapon (I say great axe because it's a nice iconic weapon- great sword is more consistent, scythe is bigger crits, and armblade lets you use a shield, so some options), and a +2 bonus on your armor, with some cash to spare (or you could swing a +2 enchantment on your weapon, but have nothing left for your armor).

As is, this build works pretty good as long as you've got lots of walls around. It really takes off when you hit Juggernaut 3 and gain Superior Bull Rush, when you get to do damage with your armor spikes and powerful charge on a bull rush, plus that 8D6 if you push the opponent into a wall.

 

[CCH_LLC]

This is an ongoing campaign, right? As my suggestion is a little delayed in its effect.

Fighter 6/Juggernaut 1

1 Adamantine Body
F1 Power Attack
F2 Dungeon Crasher alternate class feature from Dungeonscape page 10 (gives you bonuses against traps, bonuses on checks to break down doors, and if you bullrush someone into a wall, you inflict 4D6+2xStr bonus)
3 Improved Bullrush
F4 WF Great Axe (lots of options actually- close-quarters fighting that SteelDraco suggested is good to avoid grapples, and other options might look good)
6 WS Great Axe (if you took Weapon Focus at 4; otherwise, again, your options are open)
F6 Dungeon Crasher improves, increasing bonuses and dealing 8D6+3xStr bonus

19K should be enough to grab Boots of Striding and Springing (30 move is so much nicer than 20, and means 60 or 65 ft charges instead of 40 or 45), Gauntlets of Ogre Power (no such thing as too much strength, especially if you want to be Bull Rushing a lot), a +1 weapon (I say great axe because it's a nice iconic weapon- great sword is more consistent, scythe is bigger crits, and armblade lets you use a shield, so some options), and a +2 bonus on your armor, with some cash to spare (or you could swing a +2 enchantment on your weapon, but have nothing left for your armor).

As is, this build works pretty good as long as you've got lots of walls around. It really takes off when you hit Juggernaut 3 and gain Superior Bull Rush, when you get to do damage with your armor spikes and powerful charge on a bull rush, plus that 8D6 if you push the opponent into a wall.

That looks pretty awesome, especially the idea of smashing people into walls! I will see if my DM has Dungeonscape (he has to own to the book to allow the feat).

What do you guys think about anklets of teleportation from Magic Item compendium? I like the idea of it, but I am thinking I would probably be better off charging most of the time.