Righteous Rager (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Author's Note: "Fall on your swords while you can, evil! I won't be as gentle!"



Introduction
Summary::Scare your foes into running every time you charge into combat.

Skill Tricks

 * Never Outnumbered

Progression
Starting Ability Scores (Before Racial Adjustments): (Assuming 32 Point Buy) 16 14 14 8 10 15

Race: Half-Orc]]

At level 20: Final Class Progression::Barbarian 1 / Half-Orc Paragon 3 / Fighter 1 / Ronin 1 / Champion of Gwynharwyf 4 / Scarlet Corsair 9

Items of Note

 * Use a glaive with armor spikes to threaten a larger area (since you can only intimidate those within your reach)
 * Veil of Allure (MIC)
 * Menacing Armor (MIC)
 * Drums of Panic (DMG)
 * Eyes of Doom (DMG)
 * Axe of the Sea Reavers (MIC) may come in handy
 * Breastplate of Terror (MIC)
 * Mask of the Matriarch (DotU)

Highlights

 * Assumed stats at level 20:
 * Fear effects
 * Dreadful Wrath (When you charge or full attack, DC 26 Will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or be made shaken for one minute)
 * Righteous Wrath (When you first deal damage to an evil enemy, DC 26 will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or be made shaken until you go down or the encounter ends)
 * Intimidating Rage (One opponent can be made shaken as long as you rage)
 * Fearsome Fury (DC equal to Intimidate check against all opponents within 30' or be shaken for as long as you rage)
 * Never Outnumbered (Demoralize all enemies within 10' they first Cower then are Shaken for a single round due to Imperious Command)
 * Fearsome Lunge (Sacrifice 2d6 on Sneak Attacks to cause enemies to be Shaken)
 * Item - Menacing Armor (Standard action, DC 26 Will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or all enemies with less HD than you become Panicked for 5 rounds, Shaken for one round on a successful save)
 * Item - Drums of Panic (All creatures within 120' are affected by the Fear spell, DC 16, Shaken for one round on a successful save)
 * Item - Eyes of Doom (Doom at DC 11, Fear once per week at DC 16)
 * Item - Axe of the Sea Reavers (Standard action, DC 16 Will save or enemies within 15' are Panicked for one round)
 * Item - Breastplate of Terror (Immediate action on being wounded, DC 20 Will save or enemy is Frightened for one round, Shaken on successful save)
 * Item - Mask of the Matriarch (Standard action, DC 20 Will save gaze attack or target Cowers for one round and then is Shaken for another round)
 * Strength: 16 (Base) + 2 (Race) + 4 (Rage) + 2 (Ability Boost) + 6 (Item) + 5 (Tome) + 5 (Level) = 40 (+15)
 * Attack Bonus: 19 (BAB) + 15 (Str) + 5 (Magic) - 2 (Whirling Rage) + 1 (Weapon Focus) = +38/+38/+33/+28/+23
 * Damage: 1d10 (Glaive) + 22 (Str) + 5d6 (Sneak Attack) 5d6+5 (Magic) = 1d10+10d6+29
 * Total damage per attack comes out to 67.5 (on average), and a full attack comes out to 219.375 DPR when weighted against AC 40

Combat Sequence

 * Be sure to initiate a Duel of Wills (Tome of Battle) at the beginning of combat.
 * Charge and Rage to scare the crap out of your foes.
 * Laugh as they run away like little girls.

Further Optimization

 * Unnatural Aura can boost the DC of your fear effects by 2.
 * Hulking Brute or Intimidating Brute will let you use Strength instead of Charisma for intimidate checks.
 * Spiritual Weapon will let you specialize in Charisma more, allowing your DCs to rise.
 * On Your Knees and Improved On Your Knees will allow you to cause enemies to cower rather than run away.

Limitations

 * Creatures immune to mind-affecting or fear effects.

DM Counters

 * Usual melee defences apart from AC (illusions, concealment, distance, etc)

Variants

 * To remove Tome of Battle from sources used, replace the level of Swordsage with another of Barbarian or the Sneak Attack Fighter, to gain Uncanny Dodge at the cost of 2d6 SA, or lose 1d6 SA respectively.
 * Be a desert half-orc to lose the penalty to Charisma, though you also lose the bonus to Strength.
 * To add a little psychic power to the build, switch the level of Fighter and Swordsage with two levels of Psychic Warrior. This also gains you an extra bonus feat.