Crusader delayed damage and DR

[Asteron]

If you have a Crusader with DR, does their DR take affect when they would take damage from their delayed damage pool too? Assuming the initial damage doesn't overcome their DR...

[Nettlekid]

They aren't actually receiving damage again when it comes out of their pool, it just gets moved around. DR should apply when they first take it, but not when they get it back from the delayed pool.

Temp HP is another matter of course, which is why Stone Power is so great for them.

Ancillary question-How does the delayed damage pool interact with nonlethal damage? Does it fill up the pool like normal, can it not be put in the pool, or does it get put in a parallel pool the same way nonlethal damage gets put in a parallel stack next to regular damage?

[CyberThread]

Why is so great about that ability , you get to live for another turn ?

[Pex]

Why is so great about that ability , you get to live for another turn ?

That makes all the difference.

[Slipperychicken]

That makes all the difference.

An extra combat round is a long time in a D&D fight (most are 3-6 rounds). Also, you can get yourself healed during that turn, which can mean the difference between life and death.

[Douglas]

There's also the bonus on attacks it gives, and the way it works means that temporary hit points gained in the one round of delay can effectively become permanent healing.

[Nettlekid]

Why is so great about that ability , you get to live for another turn ?

An effective Crusader, especially at low levels (up to like 5) can eliminate taking damage if they're smart enough. If they use Stone Power, they can have 10 temporary HP as a buffer. When they take damage, they can take up to 20 damage in a turn before any of it actually hits their real HP (10 being absorbed into temp, 10 being put into the delayed damage pool.) If in their next turn they use Stone Power again, with less risk as Steely Resolve is giving them a boost, they can take the damage from their pool out of their temp HP, and be left with an empty pool and no actual damage taken. It makes them so tanky at low levels.

[Seppo87]

An effective Crusader, especially at low levels (up to like 5) can eliminate taking damage if they're smart enough. If they use Stone Power, they can have 10 temporary HP as a buffer. When they take damage, they can take up to 20 damage in a turn before any of it actually hits their real HP (10 being absorbed into temp, 10 being put into the delayed damage pool.) If in their next turn they use Stone Power again, with less risk as Steely Resolve is giving them a boost, they can take the damage from their pool out of their temp HP, and be left with an empty pool and no actual damage taken. It makes them so tanky at low levels.

I never played a high level crusader but aren't they even more tanky?
Stance of Immortal Fortitude + large Delayed Damage Pool + adamantine armor + starmantle cloak and/or retributive amulet + ring of nine lives ?

[Fouredged Sword]

At high levels, unless you kill the crusader within 3 rounds, they are as likely as not going to hit themselves will a heal spell, filling up their HP completely at least once per combat. Delaying death for even one round means that they have an extra round to roll up a free heal.

[Big Fau]

I never played a high level crusader but aren't they even more tanky?
Stance of Immortal Fortitude + large Delayed Damage Pool + adamantine armor + starmantle cloak and/or retributive amulet + ring of nine lives ?

Add in the 9th level strike and they are nearly immortal.

Why is so great about that ability , you get to live for another turn ?

During that turn you can use Stone Power to gain 10 temp HP, then hit the enemy with a maneuver like Crusader's Strike (or, if the damage you are taking is low enough, any maneuver combined with the Martial Spirit stance) to heal yourself above the 0HP mark. You can continue to do this for several turns with enough healing and temp HP. The Vampiric quality and Wrathful Healing quality both make the Crusader extremely durable as far as HP is concerned.

[Nettlekid]

I never played a high level crusader but aren't they even more tanky?
Stance of Immortal Fortitude + large Delayed Damage Pool + adamantine armor + starmantle cloak and/or retributive amulet + ring of nine lives ?

Yeah, of course a high level Crusader has means to keep themselves alive and tanking much better than a low level one. The low level is the only time that Stone Power really makes the difference, though, and is the most noticeable interaction between the delayed damage pool and the Crusader's own HP (at high levels the difference is just too slight.)

Hey...imagine a Crusader going into Ruby Knight Vindicator and then Sanctified One of Wee Jas. SO gives you Sanctified Fall, which lets you cast a spell as an immediate action when you're downed. That...is a mega tank.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

Yeah, of course a high level Crusader has means to keep themselves alive and tanking much better than a low level one. The low level is the only time that Stone Power really makes the difference, though, and is the most noticeable interaction between the delayed damage pool and the Crusader's own HP (at high levels the difference is just too slight.)

Hey...imagine a Crusader going into Ruby Knight Vindicator and then Sanctified One of Wee Jas. SO gives you Sanctified Fall, which lets you cast a spell as an immediate action when you're downed. That...is a mega tank.

Mother of god... *pulls down my shades*

[Windstorm]

Mother of god... *pulls down my shades*

and thats not even including the effect of a favor of the martyr spell, which lets you act when at -1 to -9, and not take HP damage from the action. you either splatter the crusader into chunky salsa or he will never actually drop.

half-celestial is also a pretty fantastic template for tank crusaders as well, since it gives you a whole bunch of DR and resistances, along with great stat boosts and mundane flight. even taking full LA with proper item choices you can take quite a lot of pain.

[Fouredged Sword]

Nah, the crusader just persists beastland ferocity and lives an immortal life.

[Nettlekid]

Nah, the crusader just persists beastland ferocity and lives an immortal life.

Once you do that there's no point to being tanky though, is there? You take all the damage you have to but you don't need to actually reduce it, since you can go to negative whatever. I guess Immortal Fortitude is still useful so when you hit -100,000 you can roll until you get a Nat 20 and come back to 1 HP, but still...

[Pex]

Immortal Fortitude is great but only necessary when near death. Using the heal strike delays the necessity. However, if you roll that Natural 1 or even 2 or 3, you fail to hit, don't get healed, and are in big trouble. Fortunately the crusader can get around that with Aura of Perfect Order stance. Have an auto roll of 11 to hit and never fail to hit again except perhaps against the most extreme BBEGs. Immortal Fortitude is still there should you need it.

Unfortunately by the book a single class crusader needs to spend feats for the stances, but that's another rant.