Low level Crusader Feat selection

[The Souljourner]

I am starting a level 1 human crusader with a single flaw (yes, it's shaky).
That's three feats I get to take.

I want to be a sword and board, defensive style guy, protecting the other players in the party, etc.

Extra granted maneuver seems like a must... it adds 50% more options in the first round of combat, and ensures my maneuvers get refreshed one round sooner.

I want shield spec, imp shield bash, and agile shield fighter... but man, three feats is a lot for one extra attack and +1 AC with my shield.

I also want shield ward, because later on that can be a big help, +4 or more to a whole bunch of stuff.

There's also the devoted spirit feat that gives you and an ally next to you +1 ac , which fits the theme well.

Plus there's Stone Power, which combos well with the Crusader's damage pool...

Too many feats!

Anyone have a suggestion?

Right now I'm thinking Stone Power, Shield Spec, and Extra Granted Maneuver

-Nate

 

[Erywin]

Those three are very nice choices for you concept imo.

Cheers,
E

 

[Particle_Man]

Since you will gain mettle, iron will and great fortitude might be good ones to get eventually. Extra Smiting might be fun too.

 

[Kurotowa]

Right now I'm thinking Stone Power, Shield Spec, and Extra Granted Maneuver

Looks like a good set to me.

 

[backbeat]

I am playing a knight/hexblade right now with a similar concept. One of the big problems I had especially for the first few levels was Armor check penalty. At -8 to climb I had to roll high just to get up the stairs. Sure you can de-equip your shield, but a level 1 character can't afford full plate, and half plate has a nasty bad AC penalty.

Consider taking a feat or two for mobility.

 

[blargney the second]

I'm playing a defensive axe&board crusader right now, a few levels higher. Here are my observations:
1) Extra Granted Maneuver is awesome. Get it as early as you can.
2) Imp Shield Bash & Agile Shield Fighter can't be used with strikes, which use a standard action and a single attack for the most part.
3) Dodge, Mobility, and Elusive Target are an amazing feat chain for defensive crusaders. You'll be able to use Cause Overreach to trip enemies frequently because you have a move action available when you use standard action strikes. It's a good use of actions every round.
4) Stone Power is a great crusader option that I don't have yet, but I'm considering it very strongly. The feat gets better at higher levels when you have more attack bonus to spare, and you'll have extra attacks so that full-round attacks actually mean something. (At which point the shield bashing feats get better as well...)
5) If you've got Shield Spec already, you really ought to pick up Shield Ward asap.

Conclusion: Extra Granted Maneuver, Shield Specialization, and Shield Ward would be a good start out the gate. Option #2 would be Extra Granted, Dodge, and Mobility.
-blarg

 

[The Souljourner]

Great response blarg. I forgot about Elusive Target. I do love that tactical feat and haven't ever gotten a chance to use it. I had been thinking (briefly) about dodge and mobility, but wasn't sure they were strong enough to take. It's essentially two dump feats so I can get Elusive Target... which is almost good enough to make it worth it. There's just so many other feats I want. It's true that the standard actions of maneuvers preclude agile shield fighting being worth it....

Tough, tough decisions.

-Nate

 

[Diirk]

I want shield spec, imp shield bash, and agile shield fighter... but man, three feats is a lot for one extra attack and +1 AC with my shield.

I was looking at something similair for a character, and then it suddenly occurred to me: shield bashing just allows you to treat a shield as an offhand weapon, and Improved Shield Bash doesn't lessen any TWF penalties.

So with long sword + light shield (counts as light weapon), you're at -4/-8 to attack, or -2/-6 with agile shield fighter. With a heavy shield you've got an additional -2 on each for not using a light offhand weapon.

Am I missing something?

 

[XCorvis]

I played a low-level crusader with Extra Granted Maneuver, Stone Power and Blade Meditation. He was using a greataxe, I think. It worked out rather well. Both White Raven and Devoted Spirit list longsword as their weapon, so Blade Meditation would be doubly effective for those maneuvers.

Even if you don't like that, shield spec and later shield ward are excellent alternate choices.

 

[The Souljourner]

So with long sword + light shield (counts as light weapon), you're at -4/-8 to attack, or -2/-6 with agile shield fighter. With a heavy shield you've got an additional -2 on each for not using a light offhand weapon.

Am I missing something?

Yes. Agile shield fighter specifically replaces whatever penalties you have for fighting with two weapons with a flat -2 to hit with all attacks. That means you don't have to have a light weapon in your offhand (you can use a large shield). Plus, it has no dex requirement, which is nice for guys in full plate.

Hmm.... I forget what blade meditation is... is that the one where you gain hp = 3 + level when you refresh your maneuvers? Or is that a different one?

-Nate