Faulty
2009-03-27, 10:40 PM
I think one thing that would mend some of the inequities between melee and magic at higher levels would be allowing melee characters to make more than a single attack with a standard action. A caster can use a move action, cast a spell, and then cast a quickened spell; a melee fighter can't use a move action and then use their comparable high level "ability", iterative attacks. This is a bit of an attempt to fix that. The ideas aren't completely original and spawned from a discussion on the Pathfinder beta testing forums, but they hadn't been crafted into feats, so I figure I'd get around to doing that.
Swift Strike
Through great strength or deft finesse, you're capable of striking more quickly than most.
Prerequisites: Str 15 and/or Dex 15, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: When making a melee attack as a standard action, you can opt to make two attacks with your main hand weapon rather than one, both at your highest base attack bonus. All attacks most be made on the same target. If you choose to do this, you suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls you make that round.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Improved Swift Strike
As your might or dexterity has grown, so has the speed of your blows. You can rain many blows on your chosen foe in a short amount of time.
Prerequisites: Str 19 and/or Dex 19, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, Swift Strike, base attack bonus +16
Benefit: When making a melee attack as a standard action, you can opt to make three attacks with your main hand weapon rather than one, all at your highest base attack bonus. All attacks most be made on the same target. If you choose to do this, you suffer a -4 penalty to all attack rolls you make that round.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Precise Swift Strike
The precision of your Swift Strike has increased with practice.
Prerequisites: Str 16 and/or Dex 16, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, Swift Strike and/or Improved Swift Strike, base attack bonus +11
Benefit: When using Swift Strike or Improved Swift Strike, the penalty you take to attack rolls is reduce by 1.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
This feat may only be taken once.
Whirling Combo
You wield your melee weapon with such ferocity that each blow you land on a foe gives you the strength and will to strike another.
Prerequisites: Str 15, Power Attack, base attack bonus +10
Benefit: As a standard action you can make one melee attack with your main or off hand weapon at your highest base attack bonus. If the blow hits, you may immediately strike another enemy, using the same weapon and your highest base attack bonus.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Greater Whirling Combo
You wield your melee weapon with such strength and ferocity that you can rain blow upon consecutive blow upon your enemies.
Prerequisites: Str 17, Power Attack, Whirling Combo, base attack bonus +15
Benefit: This feat functions as Whirling Combo, however, if your second attack hits, you may make a third attack in the same manner, and if that hits, a fourth, and so on. You may only attack an individual foe in this manner once per round. If you miss an attack, the combo ceases.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
A little deviation of those two which I have in mind takes into account Pathfinder's changes to Cleave/Great Cleave (you can use a full round action to make a melee attack against a foe, if you hit, you can attack another/Great Cleave allows you to hit as many targets as you can reach, but you can't hit one more than once). The new feats would work the same, though both would require Cleave and Great Cleave.
***
So, what do you think? Any ideas for changes? Could it do more? Does it do too much?
Thanks in advance for any input. :smallbiggrin:
Swift Strike
Through great strength or deft finesse, you're capable of striking more quickly than most.
Prerequisites: Str 15 and/or Dex 15, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: When making a melee attack as a standard action, you can opt to make two attacks with your main hand weapon rather than one, both at your highest base attack bonus. All attacks most be made on the same target. If you choose to do this, you suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls you make that round.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Improved Swift Strike
As your might or dexterity has grown, so has the speed of your blows. You can rain many blows on your chosen foe in a short amount of time.
Prerequisites: Str 19 and/or Dex 19, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, Swift Strike, base attack bonus +16
Benefit: When making a melee attack as a standard action, you can opt to make three attacks with your main hand weapon rather than one, all at your highest base attack bonus. All attacks most be made on the same target. If you choose to do this, you suffer a -4 penalty to all attack rolls you make that round.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Precise Swift Strike
The precision of your Swift Strike has increased with practice.
Prerequisites: Str 16 and/or Dex 16, Power Attack and/or Combat Expertise, Swift Strike and/or Improved Swift Strike, base attack bonus +11
Benefit: When using Swift Strike or Improved Swift Strike, the penalty you take to attack rolls is reduce by 1.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
This feat may only be taken once.
Whirling Combo
You wield your melee weapon with such ferocity that each blow you land on a foe gives you the strength and will to strike another.
Prerequisites: Str 15, Power Attack, base attack bonus +10
Benefit: As a standard action you can make one melee attack with your main or off hand weapon at your highest base attack bonus. If the blow hits, you may immediately strike another enemy, using the same weapon and your highest base attack bonus.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
Greater Whirling Combo
You wield your melee weapon with such strength and ferocity that you can rain blow upon consecutive blow upon your enemies.
Prerequisites: Str 17, Power Attack, Whirling Combo, base attack bonus +15
Benefit: This feat functions as Whirling Combo, however, if your second attack hits, you may make a third attack in the same manner, and if that hits, a fourth, and so on. You may only attack an individual foe in this manner once per round. If you miss an attack, the combo ceases.
Special: A Fighter may select this as one of his or her bonus feats.
A little deviation of those two which I have in mind takes into account Pathfinder's changes to Cleave/Great Cleave (you can use a full round action to make a melee attack against a foe, if you hit, you can attack another/Great Cleave allows you to hit as many targets as you can reach, but you can't hit one more than once). The new feats would work the same, though both would require Cleave and Great Cleave.
***
So, what do you think? Any ideas for changes? Could it do more? Does it do too much?
Thanks in advance for any input. :smallbiggrin: