This entire ordeal below is mostly to hear your opinions as to what I should do with a 4th level Fighter I now have based upon the general ideas at hand.
How this came to be is really quite simple - the Dungeon Master was under the assumption psionics are overpowered and found that my Energy Mantle focused Ardent was too powerful. The rest of the party has little to no combat competency or focus, one being solely a social focused Rogue, another being a multiclass Cleric-Several-Random-Things who forgets she has spells at all unless told to use them, a traditional Druid player who is almost never present at a game, and a Crusader focused on a lockdown build who I helped. After discussing with the Dungeon Master at length, again, about the nature of the system itself (he is the sort who handwaves anything and everything in the game, and I feel as though we might as well just ignore the rules in the books when he is in control) and what it means to be a "caster" other than the traditional sorts or stereotypes.
In the end, I got nowhere with him and to make a point I would retire my previous character and only use core SRD, Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual I material to make a Fighter. Based on our discussion we had an agreement that he would stick to the material in the books (not tampering with or making special abilities, Armor Class, hit points, et cetera, up at whim) if I opted to make something less "overpowered", specifically a Fighter - with Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization included by name.
It did not take him long to break his agreement; a session and a half.
Apparently sundering, tripping or disarming your enemy is inherently much too powerful versus just slashing them to death.
This leads me to where I am now, which is that I intend to set upon a few paths if possible. I enjoy the character, who is a Chaotic Good, and it ties in with the mostly Neutral-something-with-Evil-leanings party being the only way to meet the ends of the campaign's objectives. I just wish to no longer be tied to the Fighter class any further. I have no real ambitions of caring if he or the rest of the party thinks something is overpowered or not anymore.
Ability Scores
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 12
Feats
Flaw: Combat Expertise
Human Bonus: Improved Trip
1st Level: Power Attack
1st Fighter Level: Weapon Focus (Greatsword)
2nd Fighter Level: Improved Disarm
3rd Level: Cleave
4th Fighter Level: Weapon Specialization (Greatsword)
Consider anything fair game, but the only real limit is to keep the theme of a "crusading, divinely empowered zealot" and do more than swing a greatsword at it. Assume any retraining is not an option as the characters almost never have downtime short of being aboard a ship at sea.
Current Class ConsiderationsCleric: There are no undead, at all, in the campaign but Turn Undead is still excellent for all the reasons we are aware. The buffs such as Bless, Shield of Faith, Shield Other, Divine Favor, Spiritual Weapon and the sort are all classic go to options. I intend to take a second Flaw in order to acquire Practiced Spellcaster to compensate for the lost levels. Then there's the general utility of it all and the thematic combination of a holy warrior aspect.
Crusader: There's another Crusader in the group but solely devoted to a lockdown build and defensive abilities. While there would be some overlap, I would specialize much more in the White Raven aspect and the auras, attack buffs and damage maneuvers. The notable resiliency of the class is a major draw because the rest of the party is outright terrible at disabling enemies or focusing the ones us two in the front are with.
Warblade: I really needn't even mention why this is an option between the mixture of the aforementioned White Raven maneuvers, Iron Heart school itself, and then the thematic option of Desert Wind being appropriate to the character. I am not building a charger or pouncer - not this time at least. It does have a bit of synergy with the Fighter levels and Intelligence options, but as you can see I am not wedded to any.
Prestige Classes: Any recommendation - sooner is better in terms of reward. Pious Templar is a major consideration as an example, as is Divine Crusader or Hellreaver.
