Optimizing Resounding Blow and Quell the Profance

[Gaiden]

How do you best optimize the above two feats for a 9th level character?

For getting the effects:

Improved Critical/Keen
Power Critical
Weapon Focus
Greater Weapon Focus

For maximizing opportunity:

Two Weapon Fighting
Cleave
Whirlwind Attack
Hold the Line
Combat Reflexes

I am making a 9th level character for a mini-campaign (practically a one-shot) where the character will be the captain of a special forces unit in a world being overrun with demons.

See: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104856

I was thinking of a Fighter 8, Ranger 1 with the following:

Resounding Blow
Quell the Profane
Exotic Weapon - Great Scimitar
Weapon Focus - Great Scimitar
Improved Critical - Great Scimitar
Sacred Relic - Great Scimitar (made out of cold iron) [there are no magic items available, so this will be a powerful feat]
Power Critical (3.5 version) - Great Scimitar
Greater Weapon Focus - Great Scimitar
Weapon Specialization - Great Scimitar

With a keen holy great scimitar I will be looking a substantial amount of damage against demons:

2d6 (base)
+2 (favored enemy)
+6 (str)
+2 (specialization)
+1 (magic)
+2d6 (holy)

On a critical, the dmg is 6d6+22+shaken+1d4+1 str dmg and I should crit about half the time. Jesus...I never actually added it up before.

You just never have enough feats though: Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, and Hold the Line would be nice for this character.

Suggestions?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I would consider dropping the Great Scimitar and just going for a Falchion. 2 points less damage per hit on average, but you can pick up Power Attack which is pretty much an essential feat for any melee-based character.

 

[Trainz]

One shot adventure, almost always fighting demons who are your species enemy ??! That is a munchkin's dream come true !

Allow me...

Drop Improved Critical (doesn't stack with your Keen ability) Power Critical and Greater Weapon Focus, and replace them by Nemesis (detect favored enemy 60' radius - GREAT for your character concept - and +1d6 damage v.s. that favored enemy: a MUST), Power Attack, and Favored Power Attack (against your favored enemy will add 3 TIMES the damage instead of two times with your two-handed weapon).

I'd at least always power attack for 2 to add 6 to damage.

If you go that way and do the PA for 2 always, you critical damage formula becomes:

7d6+34+shaken+1d4+1 str dmg.

Mmmmm..?

 

[Gaiden]

I would consider dropping the Great Scimitar and just going for a Falchion. 2 points less damage per hit on average, but you can pick up Power Attack which is pretty much an essential feat for any melee-based character.

I had forgotten that Power Attack is a prerequisite for Resounding Blow and Quell the Profane. So I have to have it .

One shot adventure, almost always fighting demons who are your species enemy ??! That is a munchkin's dream come true !

Allow me...

Drop Improved Critical (doesn't stack with your Keen ability) Power Critical and Greater Weapon Focus, and replace them by Nemesis (detect favored enemy 60' radius - GREAT for your character concept - and +1d6 damage v.s. that favored enemy: a MUST), Power Attack, and Favored Power Attack (against your favored enemy will add 3 TIMES the damage instead of two times with your two-handed weapon).

I'd at least always power attack for 2 to add 6 to damage.

If you go that way and do the PA for 2 always, you critical damage formula becomes:

7d6+34+shaken+1d4+1 str dmg.

Mmmmm..?

I am fairly certain the DM will not mind the 3.0 version of keen stacking with I.C. (the whole non-stacking is just assanine anyway - it was only an issue for bladed gauntlets in the first place - and they were errated anyway).

Nemesis, upon review, is actually a good choice. I specifically decided against this because I was thinking of this character being more of a badass in general as opposed to just against demons. However, given the backhistory, nemesis would probably be appropriate: the demons have been warring with the world for several hundred years and this character is human. Moreover, his ancestral relic, the great scimitar was his father's whom fell in battle against the demons - so the whole nemesis thing seems appropriate.

I am already taking PA and I am fully aware of how good FPA could be.

The question is, with only 10 feats, how do I allocate them. I was incorrect in my above post about resounding blow - it does not cause the opponent to be shaken, but to cower for a round! Given that fact, the goal should really be to get as many criticals as possible - the more chances of causing the opponent to cower for a round, the more it doesn't matter how much damage I am doing because they basically lose a turn.

So the new feat list has to include:

Power Attack
Resounding Blow
Exotic Weapon - Great Scimitar
Ancestral Relic

Quell the Profane actually isn't strictly necessary for this, although it would be nice to do 1d4+1 str dmg (F save 10+1/2 level +chr mod). I am almost thinking that the best thing to do is get Whirlwind attack. It costs 6 feats but against multiple enemies there would be no better way to disable multiple foes.

If I don't got the WWA route, I am thinking I really need someway to increase the number of attacks I have - the cowering is the most powerful ability with the combo and with only 2 attacks a round I am not going to be dishing out the status damage all that well. Also, with the effect unrelated to damage, it just depends on the number of crits I can get.

I almost think Improved cricital is more valuable than whirlwind attack (with the stacking rules of 3.0). What do you think is more important - more attacks or hitting more often and for more damage with the attacks that I've got?

I could go for increasing attacks with cleave, but that seems sort of counter productive with the cowering. I could try and increase attacks with Attacks of Opportunity, but I can't see a good why to accomplish this often. I could go for Karmic Strike....mmmmmmm, KARMIC STRIKE!!!!

Isn't the prereq on that Combat Reflexes?

So maybe:

Power Attack
Resounding Blow
Quell the Profane
Exotic Weapon - Great Scimitar
Weapon Focus - Great Scimitar
Improved Critical - Great Scimitar
Ancestral Relic - Great Scimitar
Combat Reflexes
Karmic Strike
Nemesis.

It reduces the overall damage but could allow for a phenominally greater number of attacks. Also, Combat Reflexes just seems very appropriate for this character.

 

[Gaiden]

Another thought,

Do you lose your dex when cowering?

If so, Expert Tactician would rock - probably replace Weapon Focus with it.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

You lose your Dex bonus when cowering.

Cowering: The character is frozen in fear and can take no actions. A cowering character takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class and loses her Dexterity bonus (if any).

 

[Gaiden]

You lose your Dex bonus when cowering.

Freakin' A. Yeah, expert tactician is a must, especially already having combat reflexes. Goodbye Weapon Focus.

So, new list:

Power Attack
Resounding Blow
Quell the Profane
Exotic Weapon - Great Scimitar
Improved Critical - Great Scimitar
Ancestral Relic - Great Scimitar
Combat Reflexes
Karmic Strike
Nemesis
Expert Tactician

Dude, 100% bad ass!

 

[Trainz]

The rogue in your group will fall in love with you !

 

[Gaiden]

Woops

Karmic Strike has Dodge as a second prereq.

I guess I should get rid of Quell the Profane?

New Feat list:

Power Attack
Resounding Blow
Dodge
Combat Reflexes
Karmic Strike
Expert Tactician
Exotic Weapon Proficiency - Great Scimitar
Improved Critical - Great Scimitar
Ancestral Relic - Great Scimitar
Nemesis