Zaydos
2009-09-18, 01:24 PM
I wanted to try as to make fighters stronger without using anything Tome of Battle related. So far I have a slight modification to Two-Weapon Fighting feat tree a few new feats, and granting the fighter a special ability every level. How I made it fighters can eventually get pounce ability, and two abilities that allow them to chain attacks (one functions using critical hit mechanics, and the other is simply based on hitting well enough).
Mostly I just want an idea how powerful this will be before I implement it. Most of my players aren't optimizers, or fail dreadfully at it when they try. One of them does have a tendency to break classes, but does so using bluff and diplomacy, so I'm not the most worried about optimized builds but I wanted to make fighters fun to play especially at higher levels. This is still a work in progress and I intend to work on it further. I simply like the idea of the fighter as the guy who gets a lot of attacks every round yet can do enough damage to make it worth while.
/end rant
Before anyone comments about this making fighter better than barbarian (which I hope it does), I intend to do a similar thing to Barbarian, Swashbuckler, Monk, Paladin, Knight and maybe even Hexblade, but decided to start with fighter (because they're my favorite non-caster class).
New Fighter Abilities
Level Special
3rd Target
5th Dodge Bonus +1
7th Chain Blow, Double Strike
9th Dodge Bonus +3
11th Pounce
13th Dodge Bonus +4
15th Supreme Combo (full attack)
17th Dodge Bonus +6
19th Supreme Combo (standard action)
Target: As a swift action once per encounter a fighter may designate one creature as his target. He gains a +2 to Attack and Damage against this target till the end of the encounter.
Dodge Bonus: A fighter gains the listed dodge bonus to AC.
Chain Blow: When making a full-attack, if the fighter hits a creature and the attack would have been a critical hit if his weapon had a 19-20 base crit range then he may make a free attack at the same BAB, he may not move in any way between these attacks. If the creature is immune to crits and he would have scored a threat if his weapon had a 19-20 base criit range then he still rolls to confirm crit to determine whether Chain Blow activates.
Double Strike: A fighter may make two attacks as a standard action or on the end of a charge; the second attack does suffer a -5.
Pounce: As the creature ability; a fighter gains the ability to make a full attack at the end of a charge.
Supreme Combo: When making a full-attack if you hit by 5 or more you may immediately make an extra attack at -5 to hit. You can continuously chain these but the modifier to attack stacks. This is -5 to whatever attack you had just used (if the attack was a smite the combo-strike is also a smite) and these attacks are in addition to your normal attacks for the round (so if you have +40/+35/+30/+25 and rolled a 19 with your last attack to hit AC 39 you’d get another attack at +20 to hit; meanwhile if that had been your first attack and you rolled a 4 you’d get one at +35 to hit and could then with a roll of 9 get another at +30 to hit, if this was a 9 you’d not get another bonus attack but get your 2nd normal attack at +35 to hit). You may even use these with the bonus attack from cleave, or other sources. Starting at 19th level you may use this ability with a standard attack action
New Fighter Feats:
Two-Weapon Fighting Feat Tree:
Prerequisites: Reduce all Dexterity prerequisites to 13+ Dex.
Combat Expertise and Feat Tree:
Prerequisites: Remove Int prerequisites.
Supreme Weapon Training:
Prerequisites: Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization and Improved Critical in chosen weapon, Fighter level 15+.
Benefit: You gain a +4 to hit with the chosen weapon and +8 damage. In addition the critical damage multiplier of the chosen weapon is increased by 1.
Dual Weapon Mastery:
Prerequisites: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Weapon Specialization.
Benefit: If you have Greater Weapon Specialization in both weapons you wield, you gain an additional +2 to attack with said weapons, and should you hit with both weapons gain an extra attack at your highest attack bonus -5.
Fatal Chain:
Prerequisites: Supreme Combo.
Benefit: You deal +5 damage with any hit that triggers your Supreme Combo ability and on the bonus attack from your Supreme Combo ability.
Heavy Armor Mastery:
Prerequisites: Improved Heavy Armor Optimization, Fighter Level 6+.
Benefit: You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC when in heavy armor you are proficient with, and can ignore its ACP. The max Dex bonus of any heavy armor you wear and are proficient with is increased by +1.
Mostly I just want an idea how powerful this will be before I implement it. Most of my players aren't optimizers, or fail dreadfully at it when they try. One of them does have a tendency to break classes, but does so using bluff and diplomacy, so I'm not the most worried about optimized builds but I wanted to make fighters fun to play especially at higher levels. This is still a work in progress and I intend to work on it further. I simply like the idea of the fighter as the guy who gets a lot of attacks every round yet can do enough damage to make it worth while.
/end rant
Before anyone comments about this making fighter better than barbarian (which I hope it does), I intend to do a similar thing to Barbarian, Swashbuckler, Monk, Paladin, Knight and maybe even Hexblade, but decided to start with fighter (because they're my favorite non-caster class).
New Fighter Abilities
Level Special
3rd Target
5th Dodge Bonus +1
7th Chain Blow, Double Strike
9th Dodge Bonus +3
11th Pounce
13th Dodge Bonus +4
15th Supreme Combo (full attack)
17th Dodge Bonus +6
19th Supreme Combo (standard action)
Target: As a swift action once per encounter a fighter may designate one creature as his target. He gains a +2 to Attack and Damage against this target till the end of the encounter.
Dodge Bonus: A fighter gains the listed dodge bonus to AC.
Chain Blow: When making a full-attack, if the fighter hits a creature and the attack would have been a critical hit if his weapon had a 19-20 base crit range then he may make a free attack at the same BAB, he may not move in any way between these attacks. If the creature is immune to crits and he would have scored a threat if his weapon had a 19-20 base criit range then he still rolls to confirm crit to determine whether Chain Blow activates.
Double Strike: A fighter may make two attacks as a standard action or on the end of a charge; the second attack does suffer a -5.
Pounce: As the creature ability; a fighter gains the ability to make a full attack at the end of a charge.
Supreme Combo: When making a full-attack if you hit by 5 or more you may immediately make an extra attack at -5 to hit. You can continuously chain these but the modifier to attack stacks. This is -5 to whatever attack you had just used (if the attack was a smite the combo-strike is also a smite) and these attacks are in addition to your normal attacks for the round (so if you have +40/+35/+30/+25 and rolled a 19 with your last attack to hit AC 39 you’d get another attack at +20 to hit; meanwhile if that had been your first attack and you rolled a 4 you’d get one at +35 to hit and could then with a roll of 9 get another at +30 to hit, if this was a 9 you’d not get another bonus attack but get your 2nd normal attack at +35 to hit). You may even use these with the bonus attack from cleave, or other sources. Starting at 19th level you may use this ability with a standard attack action
New Fighter Feats:
Two-Weapon Fighting Feat Tree:
Prerequisites: Reduce all Dexterity prerequisites to 13+ Dex.
Combat Expertise and Feat Tree:
Prerequisites: Remove Int prerequisites.
Supreme Weapon Training:
Prerequisites: Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization and Improved Critical in chosen weapon, Fighter level 15+.
Benefit: You gain a +4 to hit with the chosen weapon and +8 damage. In addition the critical damage multiplier of the chosen weapon is increased by 1.
Dual Weapon Mastery:
Prerequisites: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Weapon Specialization.
Benefit: If you have Greater Weapon Specialization in both weapons you wield, you gain an additional +2 to attack with said weapons, and should you hit with both weapons gain an extra attack at your highest attack bonus -5.
Fatal Chain:
Prerequisites: Supreme Combo.
Benefit: You deal +5 damage with any hit that triggers your Supreme Combo ability and on the bonus attack from your Supreme Combo ability.
Heavy Armor Mastery:
Prerequisites: Improved Heavy Armor Optimization, Fighter Level 6+.
Benefit: You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC when in heavy armor you are proficient with, and can ignore its ACP. The max Dex bonus of any heavy armor you wear and are proficient with is increased by +1.