Unbalanced Characters/ToB?

[Victim]

It really sounds like he's abusing the DM's ignorance, rather than actually playing a Warblade.

Cheers, -- N

Let's be fair here. He could also be ignorant or stupid.

 

[TwinBahamut]

We actually started at level 8.

The maneuver would be executed, then an immediate/swift action to renew in the same round. Mountain Hammer sounds familiar. So far, yes there are lots of stone/earth floors.

As to another poster, he was using a greatsword, not two weapons.

As someone who is currently playing a warblade in my D&D campaign... The problem isn't that the warblade is unbalancing. The problem is that it should be impossible for this guy to refresh his maneuvers and use a maneuver in the same round. Refreshing and using Mountain Hammer in the same round is simply illegal by the rules.

Mountain hammer requires that you use a standard action to perform it.

Refreshing requires using a swift action (so you can't use a counter or switch stance that turn), and a standard action, which can only be a normal attack or a wasted action.

Since I don't think there exists a maneuver which uses neither a swift or a standard action, a warblade can't refresh on the same turn he has used a maneuver. If the guy is doing so, he either doesn't uderstand the rules, or is cheating.

 

[Asmor]

I'm really quite aghast that so many are quick to assume that the guy's cheating. All we know for sure is that he's not playing correctly, assuming the OP's descriptions are accurate.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I think it's a lot better to assume they're unwittingly playing incorrectly as opposed to actively cheating.

 

[blargney the second]

Let's be fair here. He could also be ignorant or stupid.

*lol*

 

[Razz]

Curently, I am DMing an Illumian Truenamer, a Shifter Swordsage, and Goliath Warblade all at level 1.

While it may seem the ToB classes are overpowered, they are not. This is because their theme is built around the use of their maneuvers. They can only use one maneuver readied per encounter and must delay their actions somehow in order to acquire them back.

They are martial adepts, warrior characters who use a form of magic that relies on pulling off these maneuvers. It's not different than playing a true spellcaster, such as cleric or wizard, and pulling off uber spells. A spellcaster can still clean out a Warblade at any level.

So, before anyone starts saying what's overpowered and what is not, please glance over at the Cleric and Wizard and say to yourself,"Nothing can be more overpowered than these two...".

What's worse, Cleric/Wizard/Mystic Theurge with Battle Caster feat and mithral fullplate and mithral heavy shield along with Somatic Gesture feat...yeah, I thought so.

 

[Slife]

So, before anyone starts saying what's overpowered and what is not, please glance over at the Cleric and Wizard and say to yourself,"Nothing can be more overpowered than these two...".

I take it you haven't seen the Druid.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Normally a ToB maneuver needs a full-round action to recover a single maneuver.

That's just for swordsages. Warblades get them back as a swift action followed by an attack (or wasted standard action where you do nothing but emulate an attack, maybe by doing some flourish). It seems that said attack must be a regular attack, not a manoeuvre. Crusaders have yet another system.

the user has to be standing on the ground to use them. I'd take that as 'earth and stone'

Unless it's spelled out like that, I wouldn't be quite as harsh - I'd just require him to touch down with his feet - that means no flying, no levitating, no climbing, and so on.

Otherwise, the DM could deny this power far too easy, or, to put it another way, the DM would either be limited to a very specific kind of adventure (nothing involving ships, some of the planes, and so on) or leave one player with several useless abilities.

The three of us who were experienced showed up and rolled hit points when we arrived, whereas this character did not

I see.

No, the Book of Nine Swords doesn't grant you the ability to roll HP without the DM seeing it.

The warblade does get the d12 as HD, but that wouldn't give him twice as many HP as a fighter, so the blame rests elsewhere: He either did very well in his rolls, or said he did.

Same for rolling tons of 18s and better. The book can't influence the way dice roll.

 

[The Human Target]

I have no idea if the guy was cheating or not.

He could have just been competent and lucky.


That being said, Warblades are pretty powerful if you work them right.

I'm about to start playing one in a Ptolus game this weekend.

My d12 hit dice and maneuvers are going to be glorious to behold.