What is a good Arcane Warrior (not Duskblade)

[IngloriousBastard]

Abjurant Champion - Complete Mage p50
BAB: 5/5 CL: 5/5
Gain bonus from expending spell slots.

Havoc Mage - Miniature's Handbook p20
BAB: 3/5 CL: 3/5
Battle Cast - Lets you cast a spell (max 8) and make a full round attack (unlimited)

Spellsword - Complete Warrior p79
BAB: 10/10 CL: 5/10
Can channel spells through weapon (limited per day), lowers ASF, good first level dip to maintain BAB and CL.

[Hades]

I always treated spellsword as "the first level of Abjurant Champion". It requires +4 bab, so taking 1 level it grants the +1 bab needed to become Abjurant Champion.

Also, the synergy between "ignore spell failure" (with the right options even the initial 10% is enough to be able to wear a full plate with no ASF) and "abjurant armor" (despite the name it doesn't work on mage armor, but does wonders to shield) is impressive.

[jeffrie]

Did you actually ask about Duskblade yet? It's a pretty simple build, but fun. Strong, and yet certainly not overpowered.

[brujon]

Did you actually ask about Duskblade yet? It's a pretty simple build, but fun. Strong, and yet certainly not overpowered.

This supposed to be serious or troll post? It's in the title he doesn't want Duskblade...

[jeffrie]

Did you actually ask about Duskblade yet? It's a pretty simple build, but fun. Strong, and yet certainly not overpowered.

This supposed to be serious or troll post? It's in the title he doesn't want Duskblade...

Yes, friend, thank you for the help. I only meant to point out; "As for the Dusk Blade, it wouldn't be received well, it is a awesome class however."

Sometimes when I assume a response from my DM/players i am wrong, and pleasantly surprised. I thought it might be worth the time to ask.

[CE2JRH]

The battle sorcerer got shot down;

What is wrong with your DM?

It sounds like you need things crazily straightforward, so here is core only:

Fighter1/Wizard5/Eldritch Knight10/Wizard+4
BAB 15, casting as level 18 wizard.

If you can get Spellsword 1 from Complete Warrior:

Fighter 1/Wizard4/Spellsword1/Eldritch Knight 10/Wizard +4
BAB16, casting as level 18 wizard

If you can get Abjurant Champion from Complete Mage:
Fighter 1/Wizard4/Spellsword1/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 9
BAB 18, casting as level 18 wizard.

[phaedrusxy]

The battle sorcerer got shot down;

What is wrong with your DM?

It sounds like you need things crazily straightforward, so here is core only:

Fighter1/Wizard5/Eldritch Knight10/Wizard+4
BAB 15, casting as level 18 wizard.

If you can get Spellsword 1 from Complete Warrior:

Fighter 1/Wizard4/Spellsword1/Eldritch Knight 10/Wizard +4
BAB16, casting as level 18 wizard

If you can get Abjurant Champion from Complete Mage:
Fighter 1/Wizard4/Spellsword1/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 9
BAB 18, casting as level 18 wizard.

This is all stronger than pretty much all of the other options, anyway. So just go with simple but powerful. Your DM seems to be one of the fools who thinks that core = more balanced. So enjoy the raw power of a tier 1 core class.

And I just noticed that in the OP you said the party is all tier 3. Druid is not Tier 3. It's Tier 1 (easily one of the strongest classes in any D&D book ever printed).

[zugschef]

Unless he is starting play at level 19, he will be two levels behind in casting. That is unacceptable. You need level appropriate abilities. Use a race which gives you proficiency in a martial weapon (like any elf if sticking to core, although people will complain about the -2 con penalty) play a focused specialist transmuter (ban evocation, enchantment and illusion or necromancy) and switch to Abjurant Champion at level 6, then take the Arcane Strike feat. Done.

[CE2JRH]

Abjurant Champion requires BAB5.

Unless he is starting play at level 19, he will be two levels behind in casting. That is unacceptable. You need level appropriate abilities.

That really, really, really is highly dependent on how a DM runs a game and what monsters a DM chooses to use.

[Gazzien]

Abjurant Champion requires BAB5.

Unless he is starting play at level 19, he will be two levels behind in casting. That is unacceptable. You need level appropriate abilities.

That really, really, really is highly dependent on how a DM runs a game and what monsters a DM chooses to use.

I cannot second this any harder. Some DM's will murder you flat-up unless you're a contingency'd, optimized fullcaster. Others think that a Dragonfire Bard is a bit much (like mine).

[brujon]

Abjurant Champion requires BAB5.

Unless he is starting play at level 19, he will be two levels behind in casting. That is unacceptable. You need level appropriate abilities.

That really, really, really is highly dependent on how a DM runs a game and what monsters a DM chooses to use.

I cannot second this any harder. Some DM's will murder you flat-up unless you're a contingency'd, optimized fullcaster. Others think that a Dragonfire Bard is a bit much (like mine).

I third that statement. I have been kicked out of games because of "powergaming". I was playing a straight up wizard, and the only thing i took that wasn't core were the spells. Also once by playing a druid that was better at fighting than the party fighter. That was with only core, plus the MM's. Both DM's didn't know the material as well as i did and they took it personally that i always had an option to straight-up end encounters that were supposed to be "memorable". The second one said i was stealing the spotlight from the fighter and straight-up ruining the game for everyone for not playing my role. Weird. All i did was change shape to a big beater from one of the monster manuals and self-buff. Not my fault WOTC printed animals like the Fleshraker. Fortunately i was never in a position where i was underpowered with a DM that put me into a impossible encounter - not in D&D anyway. In WOD, several times. DM simply did not grasp the concept that a single werewolf can and will rip a party of vampires apart if they aren't at least 3 in their disciplines, or have very powerful weapons that deal a lot of aggravated damage - plus skill points to actually put the bullets in the werewolf. Werewolves are insanely more powerful than vampires at start... A Son of Fenrir with the right Augur and well allocated points will go into a rampage that's practically unstoppable. Nonetheless i miss WOD... Really sad it will not continue.

[V-God]

I know this thread is kind old lol, but i have a build interesting for gish purposes (not exactly a champion of optimization, but good enough and gishy enough):

Dwarf

Level 1 - Any Full BAB Class that makes your character proficient with all weapons and armors needed to qualify for Spellsword;
Level 2 to 7 - Wizard 1 to 6;
Level 8 to 12 - Spellsword 1 to 5;
Level 13 to 14 - Runesmith 1 to 2;
Level 15 to 19 - Abjurant Champion 1 to 5;
Level 20 - Dragonslayer 1;

Your gish end up with BAB +16 (minimum to have 4 attacks), casting and knowing spells as Wizard 17 (minimum to have 9th level spells), the possibility to cast in heavy armors due to Rune Cast that ignores Somatic, and the ability to cast any spell through your weapon.

Of course the order of taking levels can be changed (like starting with Wizard, and after those 6 levels you can take Crusader or Warblade 1 to get some Maneuvers, in this case you could even switch Spellsword for Jade Phoenix Mage, but i like the ability to channel any spell through your weapon, anyway with JPM you'll cast and know spells as Wiz 18).

[LudicSavant]

Wizards.  Even straight-class wizards are great with the right spell choices.  No, really.  Sorcerers also qualify.  The secret here is to remember just how little BAB actually matters.

Bards.  Several ways to go about it, some of which include:
- Straight bard with echoblades and so forth.
- Bard / Swordsage.  Maybe see the "Captain Charisma" CharOp showcase build.
- Bardsader or Bardblade:  Just add Song of the White Raven.
- Bard 6 / Crusader 2 (get thicket of blades at 8!) / Jade Phoenix Mage 2 / Sublime Chord 2 / Jade Phoenix Mage 8

[vaz]

If level 7+, you don't really care about BAB with the right polymorph forms.