Gonwar Kidfog (giving a melee character tons of options)

[Dr_emperor]

Jack stood watch for his resting companions after a long day of fighting orcs.  When he noticed one coming back into the war camp carrying a big spear that had already noticed him.  He decided to go for his bow to take down the melee orc when three blueish spears snapped from the orc and a strange fog started to surround him.  One of the spears struck a glancing blow.  Jack decided he wasn't going to let an orc get away with that and drew his sword and axe as he moved closer.  The orc fired again seemingly from a tail, but missed completely.  Jack went in to attack the orc easily ignoring the spear only to be knocked off his feat by a strong sweeping kick.  Jack lashed back hitting the orc with both his weapons trying to bring it too, to the   ground.  The orc stayed up and snapped his foot down crushing jacks shoulder before moving back.  Jack knew he needed to get up but knew he couldn't keep his guard and surrendered.


So this is partially a showcase of a ten level build and partially a question of where it should go next.

Race Orc, Half Giant, Goliath, Human/Azurin(Jotunbred feat) basically a strength increase or powerful build is needed.  Powerful build would be prefered so tripping tactics can be used later into the game.

Passive Way Monk 2/fighter 2/Totemist 2/Incarnate 2/Crusader 2

Abilities and feats(kind of in order)
Monk 1       Decisive strike, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes
Monk 2       Improved Trip
Fighter 1     Dodge, Defensive Throw (could go Midnight dodge Karmic Strike, but then you'd want to grab a damage reduction soulmeld instead of fellmist robe)
Fighter 2     Power Attack
Totemist 1   soulmelds
Totemist 2   Manticore belt bound, Extra Essentia
Incarnate 1  Fellmist Robe
Incarnate 2  Bind Threefold Mask of the Chimera to Crown
Crusader  1  Some strikes and boosts, shape soulmeld mauling gauntlets
Crusader 2   Thicket of Blades

Feats that would be good: sidestep, Rolibars Gambit, mobility, elusive target (retraining rules and/or flaws would help immensely)

Soulmelds From Totemist: Blink Shirt, Manticore belt, Threefold Chimera
Effects: high spot check, Blink Shirt can get out of bad situations, Multishot Ranged attack, extra move when really needed.

Incarnate: Fellmist Robe, lucky dice, free
Effects: miss chance for oponents, one to hit and damage, something

This build is an effort to try and give a fighter type as many tactical choices and powers that a spellcaster can use .   It also has a large group of defensive options to be able to go mellee with more powerful monsters. 

Tactics: Fellmist Robe, and spot enhancers should have essentia during noncombat to help avoid surprises, and to have defenses on. 

Against Ranged enemies and casters Manticore belt serves as a good ranged attack and an awesome attack to ready to disrupt a caster while fellmist robe again works to give yourself concealment against their attacks

Against smaller enemies Thicket of blades combined with mauling gauntlets should let you make trip attacks that they can't oppose

Reach opponents are presented with a challenge that normally PC's face against them.  To get around the fellmist Robe They need to be Adjacent which would provoke attacks of oppurtunity.

Cons: 7/10 base attack with very few boosts, feat starved, hard to find the next ten levels

Pros: doesn't specialize to much(could probably pick up any reach weapon or a two hander), needing the high strength to hit means more damage, good defensive options.

Stats probably go Str>Dex=Con>Int>Wis>Cha but the last three are not used for anything except skills and will saves

I posted this on the wizards bords a week ago, and got no responses maybe everyone really did move here.

[SorO_Lost]

Race Orc, Half Giant, Goliath, Human/Azurin(Jotunbred feat) basically a strength increase or powerful build is needed.  Powerful build would be prefered so tripping tactics can be used later into the game.

Orc is its own race. Goliath is its own race. Human is its own race.
I'm confused. Umm.... Loth-Touched Orc under the effects of Enlarge Person (+1 LA, +12 str) via Permanency is legal and truly large...

Passive Way Monk 2/fighter 2/Totemist 2/Incarnate 2/Crusader 2

Have you considered Bard 12 / Chameleon 7 / Master of Masks 1 or possible factotum 20 for simplicity?

You could inspire for a +12 moral bonus on attack and damage as a swift action while mimicing any core class while using any exotic weapon you want while buying items that make wasting levels for items redundant.

I posted this on the wizards bords a week ago, and got no responses maybe everyone really did move here.

Give us some direction. All I see is a less-than-a-bard generic build using a high str race I don't understand possibly considering going VoP and using trip but not quite.

I'm clueless so all you can get out of me is:
Take Knock Down (Deities & Demigods) if you want to trip stuff.

Edit - Back to the point of Magic of Incarnum suckage.
Fellmist Robe: 15% miss chance after taking two levels in incarnate and investing all your essentia into it, ignoring cap since I don't know it off hte top of my head.

Custom Legacy Item's 2 slot ability Obscuring Mist: 20% when you don't move. Costs like 4k and 4HP or so for this ability instead of two entire levels.

Edit 2 - Defensive Throw should be replaced by Roilers' Gambit when you hit level 12. You can try to trip on AOOs without any special feats.

[RobbyPants]

Race Orc, Half Giant, Goliath, Human/Azurin(Jotunbred feat) basically a strength increase or powerful build is needed.  Powerful build would be prefered so tripping tactics can be used later into the game.

Orc is its own race. Goliath is its own race. Human is its own race.
I'm confused. Umm.... Loth-Touched Orc under the effects of Enlarge Person (+1 LA, +12 str) via Permanency is legal and truly large...

I think he's saying he'd pick any one of those four options.  The first gives him a solid Str boost with no LA.  The last three give him powerful build.

Although you do give a more powerful solution (so long as you don't get dispelled ).

[Dr_emperor]

Ok, First Robby Pants is right you could use any of the races I listed, and I don't think I have the book with lolth touched, but it always sounded like half ogre at + 1 level adjustment(something I'm not sure DM's allow)

Plus if you end up with powerful build and get enlarged you still powerful build up to huge(I realize a few of those races are giants and not legal targets)

Have you considered Bard 12 / Chameleon 7 / Master of Masks 1 or possible factotum 20 for simplicity?

yes to the first one (but I've played a chameleon before), and no to the second (I simply lack cityscape and dungeonscape in my group)

Give us some direction. All I see is a less-than-a-bard generic build using a high str race I don't understand possibly considering going VoP and using trip but not quite.

So this is partially a showcase of a ten level build and partially a question of where it should go next.
I guess I said versatile so it deserves the bard comparison, but its supposed to be more of a fighter type.  I don't know where you got going VoP. It uses trip a lot.

I'll try to explain again.  Fellmist Robe works all the time against non adjacent enemies.  Against a large troll lets say, It wants to hit but has an extra 15% chance to miss by staying away and using its reach so it decides to move closer which would activate thicket of blades allowing you to have an oppurtunity attack probably used to trip, with mauling gauntlets you'll probably win.  Defensive throw only works if they miss so fellmist robe gives another chance at that happenning.

Defensive Throw should be replaced by Roilers' Gambit when you hit level 12. You can try to trip on AOOs without any special feats.

True but it loses 3 base attack so that will have to happen at 15 level minimum.  It also lets you switch the dodge feat for the kind of dodge feat that gives an essentia boost.

[SorO_Lost]

I guess I said versatile so it deserves the bard comparison, but its supposed to be more of a fighter type.

Another small hint. Does that mean anything fighter-like (and I'm not talking the class here) and versatile is what you are looking for? What books are you allowed to use or have access to?

So this is partially a showcase of a ten level build and partially a question of where it should go next.
Ok you showed us, and your getting partial answers along with those partial questions. You need more Cowbell Warblade levels.

Another comparison of incarnum vs core items.
Minor Cloak of Displacement: Effect 20% miss chance; Cost 24,000gp.
Fellmist Robe: Effect 5%+invested essenta which is capped at (ecl/4)-1 and your own pool (which is 2 unless to further pay even more to increase it, like that feat you don't need); Cost two entire class levels.
Srsly, its not worth two class levels instead of just buying an item. Not only is the cloak better with its 20% miss chance instead of your at cap 15% investment, but it don't require you to blow a feat to hit a 20% miss chance on top of levels already wasted for it.

[Dr_emperor]

A fighter that protects any softer targets in the group and makes an enemy pay for not attacking it. Versatility seems to be key for any character knowing how many different monsters there are.  With all the multiclassing warblade might be a good option (I recently ordered tomb of battle used to borrow it from a friend and this is an old build we used to talk about.  I'm just bored and thought people might pick up a few ideas from it.)

SorO_Lost we seem to disagree on the usefulness of incarnate, and you are the only one responding so I'm going to keep trying to convince you that it might be useful.  I hope thats ok, and I'm seeing pros and cons to just buy this magic item solutions.  I really like that you can get the abilities from a class not from an item.  It seems more intrinsic to the character that way.

Magic Item vs Fellmist Robe.  Magic item costs half your money at level ten so Fellmist might be better before that.  After that the item seems to be better with the two approaching parity at around level 18 where truesight becomes common, but the robe offers a slightly higher bonus.

So I think a conclusion is that I might like incarnate now, but might regret it later, so lets see what all it gives.

Incarnate 2 essentia, 3 soulmelds, 1 bind (and I'm using it for a totemist one), some alignment stuff

The essentia can be used on
Bink shirt:              teleport 10+10/essentia
Fellmist Robe:         miss chance
lucky Dice:             I wouldn't
Manticore belt:       Multishot at half strength damage. essentia = number of of spikes  and spot(Scout would be good for advancint this things damage)
Threefold chimera:  spot when bound lets you take an extra move action but take -5 on next round to a bunch can reduce penalty with essentia
Mauling gauntlets:  strength checks like tripping
Free meld
I could see wanting to have a lot of essentia, and I probably put too much emphasis on getting stuff from classes not items.  I could see switching when you get a miss chance item to law incarnate avatar for more to hit.

Also thanks I never noticed that minor cloak displacement was a constant effect.  I always thought it was the 15 round thing that the major one was.