need help with feats for S&B fighter

[kendo]

working on a dwarf fighter. planned out to take the THF line along with the defender line so I can switch off between great axes and shield + dwarven axe. so a lot of the feats are set - a couple of the shield masteries, 3 THF feats, weapon focus, weapon spec, etc.

where I have a little room to play and where I am asking for some advice is with the control or extra feats - I see support on the forums for things like stunning blow, improved trip, improved sunder, cleave or even an extra toughness or two.

the character does some soloing but plays mainly in static groups of 3 - 5 friends. doubt we will get up to epics but we might some day. so mainly play at hard or elite in at level quests.

if you had to pick two, at most three, of these feats to round out an AC + decent DPS tank type character, what would you recommend?

thanks for any help, suggestions or advice

[Caliban]

This is what my dwarf S&B fighter looks like (no equipment, just the stats, feats, and enhancements):

I took all the tactical feats - Stunning Blow, Improved Sunder, and Improved Trip. As a bonus, the dwarf racial enhancements for tactical feats grants the bonus to all of them.

He's lvl 16 right now, with Calvary Plate and the Swashbuckler shield. When in stance with Combat Expertise turned on, he has AC 58, and 519 hp. Not bad for a first life.

Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.11.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page

Morin Stonebreaker
Level 20 Lawful Good Dwarf Male
(20 Fighter) 
Hit Points: 392
Spell Points: 0 
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 17
Reflex: 9
Will: 6

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
Abilities        Base Stats          Modified Stats
(32 Point)       (Level 1)             (Level 20)
Strength             18                    28
Dexterity            14                    16
Constitution         16                    20
Intelligence         12                    14
Wisdom                8                    10
Charisma              6                     8

Tomes Used
+1 Tome of Intelligence used at level 3
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

                  Starting          Feat/Enhancement
                 Base Skills         Modified Skills
Skills           (Level 1)            (Level 20)
Balance               4                    18
Bluff                -2                    -1
Concentration         3                     5
Diplomacy            -2                    -1
Disable Device        n/a                   n/a
Haggle               -2                    -1
Heal                 -1                     0
Hide                  2                     3
Intimidate            2                    30
Jump                  8                    32
Listen               -1                     0
Move Silently         2                     3
Open Lock             n/a                   n/a
Perform              n/a                   n/a
Repair                1                     2
Search                1                     4
Spot                 -1                     6
Swim                  4                     9
Tumble                n/a                   4
Use Magic Device     n/a                   n/a

Level 1 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost I
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense I
Enhancement: Improved Intimidate I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness I


Level 2 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Trip) I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength I


Level 3 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Stunning Blow
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage I
Enhancement: Dwarven Tactics I


Level 4 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost II
Enhancement: Improved Intimidate II


Level 5 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution I
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness II


Level 6 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Combat Expertise
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Trip
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender I


Level 7 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Fighter Strength II


Level 8 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Armor Class Boost III


Level 9 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Dwarven Constitution II


Level 10 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Two Handed Fighting
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 11 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Fighter Strength III


Level 12 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Dodge
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Greater Weapon Specialization: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender II
Enhancement: Fighter Strategy (Stunning Blow) I
Enhancement: Fighter Item Defense II


Level 13 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Fighter Toughness III


Level 14 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Power Attack


Level 15 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Sunder
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Damage II
Enhancement: Dwarven Tactics II
Enhancement: Fighter Dwarven Waraxe Specialization I


Level 16 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack I
Enhancement: Fighter Dwarven Waraxe Specialization II


Level 17 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Dwarven Axe Attack II


Level 18 (Fighter)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Shield Bash
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Shield Mastery
Enhancement: Fighter Stalwart Defender III


Level 19 (Fighter)
Enhancement: Dwarven Tactics III


Level 20 (Fighter)
Feat: (Fighter Bonus) Improved Shield Mastery
Enhancement: Fighter Haste Boost II
Enhancement: Fighter Weapon Alacrity

[Kinerd]

Improved Sunder is really good. The pre-req is Power Attack, so the only cost is a feat slot. The ability itself is most useful against raid bosses, which has a lot of synergy with Stalwart Defender but less if you play mostly in a static non-raid group.

Improved Trip is not as good. The pre-req is Combat Expertise, which costs you 13 Intel and you might not even have the feat. It uses the funky Trip save of the higher of Strength or Dexterity, and doesn't have the automatic -3 to that save that Improved Sunder has. If you took Stunning Blow as a CC feat instead, you could follow Improved Sunder with it, as they make the same save check.

Cleave is not good.

More Toughness is always good if you aren't sure. Not being dead is the most useful tactic in DDO.

[kendo]

thank you Caliban and Kinerd, some good things to think about.

I took stunning blow at this level up which now gives me

tough
shield mastery
WF - slash
THF
PA
ITHF
W spec- slash
imp crit - slash
stun blow

will put a point or two in dwarven tatics which will boost sunder, trip and stunning. tentative plans now are to take improved sunder next and see how he's doing.

CE was in the planned build for the additional boost to AC but so far not seeing the need. so may table CE/improved trip until later and see if they are needed. will focus on GTHF, GW Spec and another toughness or two.

that will also give me time to see how some of the changes I have read about for U12 impact AC builds with the dodge/mobility line.

any additional advice folks can pass along would be appreciated but thanks again for the help so far