Feats for one handed weapon users

[Frog Dragon]

Surgical Duelist
A fighter using one weapon in one hand has the greatest control over his weapon allowing a skilled combatant apply strikes with unmatched presicion.
Prequistes: Weapon Finesse
Benefit: When wielding a one handed finessable weapon in one hand and no weapons or shields in the other you may replace your Str bonus with your Dex bonus for damage. In these circumstances you also gain a +2 shield bonus to AC

Just trying to make one handers a bit more feasible.

[Kylarra]

It's certainly not overpowered.

On the other hand, do you mean to allow sword and board with this to stack for an additional +2 AC?

[Frog Dragon]

No I don't. I meant the other hand must be unused in fighting to get the bonus.

Edit: Fixed

[Baron Corm]

I like this feat a lot because it gives 1H fighters a bonus that is really hard to get without ToB, and is a good representation of the 1H fighting style. When full attacks are possible, however, TWF is still superior in every way. Even just your second bonus attack will likely do more damage than your Dexterity bonus. You should make some more feats in this chain.

[Harperfan7]

Would a buckler count as a shield since you don't use your hand when wearing one?

[Ashtagon]

Would a buckler count as a shield since you don't use your hand when wearing one?

I know certain editions of the rules say it doesn't use up your hand, being strapped to your wrist or something. But in real life, you can't use the hand for anything else if its using a buckler, because real-world bucklers are not strapped to the wrist, but held in the hand. Most (larger) shields also included one or more leather straps, in addition to the grip itself. These straps are probably what gave rise to the idea that some shields were held and some strapped to the arm.

A shield that has straps could be suspended hanging from that arm for a while, but without being gripped in the hand in addition to being suspended by those straps, it could not be held rigidly enough to properly deflect any attack.

[Frog Dragon]

Precise Strength Focus
A one handed stance allows for great control over where to hit and the control may be maintained even when striking with strenght
Prequisites: BaB +3, Weapon Finesse, Surgical Duelist
Benefit: As long as you have nothing in your off hand and you are wielding a finessable one handed or light weapon you may stack Dex on top of Str for damage.

Duelist Defense
It is easy to control the angles of your blade in a one handed stance and thus parrying an redirecting is easier with lesser sacrifice in offense
Prequisites: Weapon Finesse, Combat Expertise, BaB +3
Benefit: When fighting defensively with a one handed or light weapon and you have nothing in the off hand, you gain the amount of BaB you surrender as AC doubled.

Decided to make some new ones. Seem good?

[Cieyrin]

Well, firstly, you spelled 'Strength' wrong. My grammar senses would not let me ignore that point. Damn Honors English classes ~_~.

Second, I think you forgot to mention in Precise Strength Focus that the weapon needs to be finessable, so on the off chance somebody doesn't start running about with a Dwarven Waraxe or Bastard Sword and get both their Strength and Dexterity to damage (which I secretly kinda wanna do, cuz I love Bastard Swords =x). This also makes it easier to do the Swashbuckler combo and have 3 stats to damage (Str, Dex and Int), which is something else to think about, given this is achievable by 3rd level now, when Swashbucklers get Insightful Strike for Int to damage. A bit MAD, I know, but I see all kinds of munchkininess coming out of that.

For Duelist Defense, I assume you're assuming that the duelist in question is using Combat Expertise and fighting defensively to get double AC back for the sacrificed BAB. I don't see a problem with this, honestly, given how many Power Attack enhancers there are out there, Combat Expertise could use some good loving (now, if the stupid limit on BAB-to-AC conversion could be dropped w/o having to take Improved Combat Expertise, then we'd be cooking with gas >=D ).

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

"Precise Strength Focus" should also have Weapon Finesse as a prerequisite. This shows that you have the training necessary to use your agility and quickness instead of brute strength to wield a weapon.

This has a possibility of abuse*, however. I may also word that the DEX damage bonus is "precision" damage, like Sneak Attack.



*Disclaimer: Like there is any ability in DnD that can't be abused. :smallbiggrin:

[Frog Dragon]

Surgical duelist has weapon finesse as a prequisite and Precise Strenght Focus has Surgical Duelist as prequisite. Thus you have to have Weapon finesse to get Precise Strenght Focus.

[InaVegt]

Surgical duelist has weapon finesse as a prequisite and Precise Strenght Focus has Surgical Duelist as prequisite. Thus you have to have Weapon finesse to get Precise Strenght Focus.

True, unless someone manages to get Surgical Duelist without needing to meet it's prerequisites.

[Frog Dragon]

Like how? Goddamn length limits.

[tribble]

homebrew creature?

[InaVegt]

Like how? Goddamn length limits.

I'm not sure there is one -- excluding homebrew --, but look over the feats made by WotC, I've yet to see feats that have other feats as prerequisites that do not have that feat's prerequisites as prerequisites themselves.

[TheGrimace]

Here is a relic back from my days of designing a version I dubbed 3.78125.

All feats were designed in trees of seven, where you get 1 at first level, which unlocks two more at 3rd level, which each unlocks two more at 9th level.

Here is the feat tree (or shrub) that was designed with 1 handed fighting in mind.

Duel:
Whenever you use a one handed weapon in one hand, have nothing in the other hand, and are in melee with only one opponent, you gain a +1 bonus (+1 for each feat they take with Duel as a prerequisite) to attack and Armor Class.

Weapon Finesse: Prerequisites (Duel)
You can apply your Dexterity modifier as a bonus to attack rolls, in addition to your strength modifier, whenever you use a light melee weapon, or any weapon whose description states that it can be used with weapon finesse.

Chink in the Armor: Prerequisites: (Duel, Weapon Finesse)
As a full round action, you can make one attack that ignores the targets armor bonus to AC (including enhancement bonuses to armor) and deals double damage.

Composure: Prerequisites: (Duel, Weapon Finesse)
Once per encounter, you can take a full attack action against any character that draws an attack of opportunity from you.

Weapon Artistry: Prerequisites (Duel)
You can apply your Dexterity modifier as a bonus to damage rolls, in addition to your strength modifier, whenever you use a light melee weapon, or any weapon whose description states that it can be used with weapon finesse.

Arterial Strike: Prerequisites (Duel, Weapon Artistry)
Whenever you hit an opponent in melee and are using weapon artistry with your weapon, the opponent must make a reflex save (DC 10+Dex modifier), or suffer a wound that continues to bleed for 1 damage each round. A heal check (DC10) or one point of cure magic stops the bleeding affect. Multiple wounds stack.

Insightful Strike: Prerequisites (Duel, Weapon Artistry)
You can apply your intelligence modifier, in addition to strength and dexterity, to all damage rolls you make with a light melee weapon, or any weapon whose description states that it can be used with weapon finesse.