more bo9s ToB questions

[calighis]

As a Crusader, do I have to choose different maneuvers to ready or can they all be the same?
I want to Crusader Strike all day every day again and again.

Douse the flames... Does this mean he cannot take attacks of opportunity against me if i provoke one on the way to executing this maneuver...
For instance standing from prone and the using it....

Argument with my DM over Stone power.
Can I use the temporary hp from stone power to absorb my DDP (delayed damage pool) damage at the end of my turn?

 

[Zurai]

As a Crusader, do I have to choose different maneuvers to ready or can they all be the same?
I want to Crusader Strike all day every day again and again.

You can only ready a given maneuver once.

Douse the flames... Does this mean he cannot take attacks of opportunity against me if i provoke one on the way to executing this maneuver...
For instance standing from prone and the using it....

It doesn't rewind time. Anything you do to provoke AOOs before you use the maneuver are unchanged because ... they happened, and the AOOs happened... before you did the maneuver.

Argument with my DM over Stone power.
Can I use the temporary hp from stone power to absorb my DDP (delayed damage pool) damage at the end of my turn?

Yes. That's pretty much the only reason that feat exists. Don't forget you can ONLY use Stone Power when you're using a Stone Dragon maneuver or no maneuver at all. You can't attack with a Devoted Spirit maneuver and use Stone Power (for example).

 

[Arkhandus]

1. Maneuvers don't have slots like spells. Therefore, you cannot ready the same maneuver multiple times at once; you ready a particular number of maneuvers based on your Crusader level, and they must each be a different maneuver. You don't have slots to assign maneuvers to.

2. You would still provoke AoOs for actions prior to the actual hit with Douse the Flames; its special effect doesn't trigger until you hit the target. Note the line in its rules text, "If your attack hits, ...."

3. Yes, you can use Stone Power for that purpose. Stone Power's temporary HP last until the beginning of your next turn; those HP can absorb damage dealt to you at the end of your current turn by Steely Resolve. Note that Steely Resolve deals you the damage from your delayed damage pool at the end of your next turn, so the damage isn't really inflicted on you until that time; you don't really take that damage at the moment it would normally be dealt.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

1. You can't ready the same maneuver more than once for any given class. Unlike a caster, you can recover your maneuvers, so it'd be unfair to let you spam the same one again and again. And the whole point of the book was to replace the normal full attack over and over with varied combat choices, not x maneuver over and over again.

2. Douse the Flames takes effect AFTER you hit with it. So, you'd draw the AoO if you stood up first, then used it. Also, it's too late for me to check, but make sure that protects you, too, and not just your other allies. If you want a nice way to get up from prone, check out the Boots of Agile Leaping from Magic Item Compendium. 600 gp, or still worth it at 900 to tack onto a better pair of boots, it lets you stand from prone as a swift action without provoking an AoO if you have 5 ranks in Balance. Balnce is a class skill for Crusader, so... If you don't want the boots, there's also skill tricks to do this in Complete Scoundrel.

3. Yes, you can! It's like...the whole point of taking it as a Crusader. Basically, you take damage into your pool, enjoy your furious counterstrike bonuses, then, on the turn you'd suffer the damage, use Stone Power to give yourself appropriate temp. hp and it deducts from that instead. Just remember, you can't use Stone Power with any strike maneuver other than one from Stone Dragon, a restriction well worth noting. You may even want to make sure to always keep a SD strike unused so it's there just in case you need to use the feat and still want to use a maneuver that round.

EDIT: Wow! two other people posted while I was typing! You people are GOOD.

*dies from Ninja'ing*

 

[calighis]

Well what are the best stances and maneuvers to select at first level?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Martial Spirit is simply the best maneuver for level 1 if you're actually starting there, as the amount of healing gained is so significant that early on. Even later, it retains usefulness, especially if you abuse the fact it has none of the restrictions of the healing strike maneuvers. Course, some DMs may vehemently not allow such tricks. ("I'm going to punch this goblin we took prisoner for nonlethal damage till all my allies are fully healed.")

If you're going straight Crusader, I walways recommend getting a WR stance, since none of the maneuvers for the discipline that have no maneuver known requirements are very good. Leading the Attack is just lame. So, unless your group's hurting on will saves, I'd say go with Leading the Charge, which scales with level, always getting better. And for a mounted lance-using ally, it's basically +3 damage per character level. Just one WR stance is enough to qualify for the highly vaunted WR Tactics at Initiator level 5. It also lets you get Battle Leader's Charge, if that's your thing.

Good first level maneuvers....any DS healing strike is good, and I've always liked Charging Minotaur. Not much else to get excited about, IMHO.

 

[Zurai]

Actually, I've always found Iron Guard's Glare to be the best 1st level stance, personally. If you build your crusader right, the enemies won't be hitting anyone, you included.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Actually, I've always found Iron Guard's Glare to be the best 1st level stance, personally. If you build your crusader right, the enemies won't be hitting anyone, you included.

it's a good early level maneuver, true. I mainly don't like the clumping together it encourages, cause I'm irrationally afraid of area effects.

The other reason i overlook it is, once you get Thicket of Blades, it still has its benefits, but the main usages become obsolete.

 

[Zurai]

once you get Thicket of Blades, it still has its benefits, but the main usages become obsolete.

How? They have two entirely different functions. When you're in Thicket of Blades, enemies are free to attack anyone they want without penalty. When you're in Iron Guard's Glare, enemies are free to 5' step and Withdraw without penalty.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

They do the same job differently. IGG lets you protect people near you. Thicket of Blades lets you control the area between your allies and the enemy so they can't get close enough to strike at them, at least not before some major headaches with AoO's, tripping, Stand Still, and whatever else the Crusader decided to take to ruin their day. Like I said, Iron Guard's Glare still has uses and can potentially be more useful in the right situations, but such instances are few enough that I never saw the point in taking both, unless you really didn't like any of the other 1st level stances.