Warblade: Worth dipping into Fighter?

[StreamOfTheSky]

Swordsage cannot learn Iron Heart OR White Raven...

 

[Shreav]

Swordsage cannot learn Iron Heart OR White Raven...

Ah crap, Heroforge had be confused.

EDIT: Cheers for that, I managed to fix it all and now it makes more sense.

 

[Shreav]

Okay, I believe the following makes more sense. I'm suggesting maneuver progressions for up until CL6:

Level 1: Warblade

Diamond Mind

• Sapphire Nightmare Blade

Stone Dragon

• Charging Minotaur

Tiger Claw

• Wolf Fang Strike
• Hunter's Sense (Stance)

Level 2: Warblade

Tiger Claw

• Sudden Leap

Level 3: Warblade

Tiger Claw

• Rabid Wolf Strike

Level 4: Swordsage

Desert Wind

• Burning Blade
• Distracting Ember

Diamond Mind

• Moment of Perfect Mind

Setting Sun

• Counter Charge
• Mighty Throw

Shadow Hand

• Shadow Blade Technique
• Child of Shadow (Stance)

Level 5: Swordsage

Shadow Hand

• Cloak of Deception

Tiger Claw

• Blood in the Water

Level 6: Warblade

Iron Heart

• Replace Sapphire Nightmare Blade with Iron Heart Surge
• Absolute Steel (Stance)

If you guys see any mistakes with this, please let me know, lol...

 

[kitcik]

I agree with [MENTION=35909]StreamOfTheSky[/MENTION] that Blood in the Water is a poor stance unless you have a crit build.

You don't get that many stances - get a different one.

 

[Shreav]

I agree with @StreamOfTheSky that Blood in the Water is a poor stance unless you have a crit build.

You don't get that many stances - get a different one.

I know. I didn't really want that one either. But I had to choose from this:

Flame's Blessing
Stance of Clarity
Punishing Stance
Step of the Wind
Island of Blades
Stonefoot Stance
Blood in the Water

I took Blood in the Water, but I guess I could see myself replacing that with Stonefoot Stance. Do you have any suggestions considering this guy will be a jumper/charger and Diamond Striker from time to time?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Stonefoot isn't very good, IMO. Since you have so many low level stances, any sort of utility options that are really handy when you can use them but otherwise not worth switching your main stance(s) for are ideal. Because you can only have one stance up at a time, so it's silly to pick a bunch of "decent but not as good as my default" stances. Get the funky ones that give truly unique abilities. On that note:

I like Step of the Wind a lot. Even if you never utilize it for the combat maneuver bonus (and it gives a more general +2 to hit aside from that anyway), just the ability to ignore difficult terrain can be very helpful.

Flame's Blessing, if you plan to keep your tumble ranks maxed, is decent fire res, though the stance is pretty mediocre till level 16, when it's suddenly giving you fire immunity.

Hunter's Stance is excellent for the new form of detection you get. Again, the only thing is it becomes kinda redundant if you later take Hearing the Air. Well, that and you basically have to waste a maneuver known on Wolf Fang Strike to qualify for it.

Child of Shadow is a very good stance, too, and a great "I walk around with this one up" choice until you pick up Absolute Steel. Island of Blades is probably the next best pick after all the ones already mentioned. It's not great, but it's something.

Every other stance option I'd rank much lower than the ones mentioned above (Stonefoot, Clarity, and and Blood in the Water).

 

[Dandu]

Flame's Blessing, if you plan to keep your tumble ranks maxed, is decent fire res, though the stance is pretty mediocre till level 16, when it's suddenly giving you fire mimmunity.

Mimmunity sounds awesome. What is it?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

A typo.

 

[Dandu]

So not immunity to mimes?

Damn, that would have been more useful.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Well, it'd only be immunity to mimes that were flaming. Not sure how much of an impact that would have from your interpretation, though.