Person_Man
2009-10-02, 10:48 AM
Now that 3.X D&D is basically complete, I took it upon myself to compile the most commonly used melee tactics into one guide for easy reference. Here are the building blocks that you can choose from:
Play with a Powerful Melee Class
Pro: There are many non-casters can be just as strong as casters if you know what you're doing. And each possesses its own interesting powers and abilities.
Con: Essentially unavailable in core or core-ish games. Non-core classes tend to have very little support
Level of Effort: Pick one of the following: Crusader, Warblade, Swordsage, Totemist, Binder, Psychic Warrior, or any full caster (and maybe a Knight or Duskblade). Make this the basis for your build.
Best used against: Anyone.
Commentary: This is probably the easiest and most effective way to improve the power level of your build. In 3.X D&D, classes which have scaled powers (spells, psionics, blade magic, incarnum, or vestiges) are far more powerful then classes that don't. This does not include "half-casters" or other half progression classes or prestige classes. It's not "fair" or intelligent game design, but it's true.
Optimize Power Attack
Pro: If your enemies are dead, they can't attack you. Virtually every enemy is subject to melee damage.
Con: Lots of mechanical concerns. Doesn't really kick in until ECL 6ish. Basically requires full BAB and a two handed weapon to use well. Reduces your To-Hit or AC (with Shock Trooper). And there are also serious metagame concerns (see commentary).
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7165087) is dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Anyone you can reach (or just plain anyone, if you're a Bloodstorm Blade).
Commentary: Your goal is to win combat. If your enemies are dead, you've won. But if you kill your enemies too quickly, then your DM is just going to add more enemies, or make them tougher. So one of the first things most melee builds should so is work out how it is going to deal respectable damage. If you don't, then you’ll either have to rely on your party members to kill your enemies (a perfectly acceptable tactical option, as long as they know that it’s their job to do so and are half decent at doing it) or you'll have to deal with marathon combat, which greatly increases the probability of someone in your party getting killed. But after your build can deal respectable damage, move on. Optimizing damage to a ridiculous level is self defeating.
Get Really Big and/or Improve Your Effective Size and/or Reach
Pro: Increased size means increased damage, improved modifiers for opposed checks (Trip, Bull Rush, Grapple, etc), and reach. More reach equals a wider threatened area, improving your ability to trigger attacks of opportunity and use most other combos.
Con: The larger you are, the harder it is to move around in any tight space (like dungeons). In some cramped spaces, you will not be able to go above Medium size without taking squeezing penalties (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Movement,_Position,_and_Distance#Squeezing), and you may not be able to go above Large size at all. You also obviously become a much bigger target, both literally and in roleplaying terms (ie, the DM will feel more compelled to have enemies target you each round). Spells and psionic powers that improve size also have an activation cost, which means that you need to expend limited resources and sometimes need to spend a round of combat (a round you could be using to attack) in order to use them. There are also some serious metagame concerns (see above).
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7081777) is dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Anyone.
Commentary: Although somewhat less popular then Power Attack, getting really big is arguably the most efficient and effective way to improve a melee build. In particular, the huge bonuses to many opposed checks and the improved reach are just as valuable (if not more so) compared to the increases in damage. The biggest down side is that unlike Power Attack, which can essentially be used in virtually ever combat, your DM can easily nerf your build without adjusting his encounters or plot by forcing the party to adventure in cramped spaces. But it's noteworthy that just improving your reach (using a reach weapon, Inhuman Reach, Deformity Tall, etc) has no such restriction.
Get Extra Attacks
Pro: More attacks means more damage, potentially more follow up attacks (Knock-Down, Knockback, etc), and forces your enemy to make more Saves if your attacks have a status effect. You can also target multiple enemies.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Varies. Here’s a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7066595) dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Getting lots of attacks tends to be most efficient for fighting multiple weak enemies. But with Pounce and/or Ridiculous Reach and/or some sort of thrown weapon combo in order to get a full attack every turn, it's good against anyone.
Commentary: Pretty much the same metagame concerns as getting lots of damage.
Learn How to Get a Decent To-Hit
Pro: If you miss, you’ve essentially wasted your attack. In the long run, having a 95% chance of dealing 10 damage is better then having a 5% chance of dealing 95 damage.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Some combination of full BAB, high Strength (or something else with an X to Y ability (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125732)), Knowledge Devotion, and miscellaneous combat modifiers. You can also get touch attacks via a wide variety of means (Wand of Flame Blade, Fire Lash, Master Thrower, Spectral Weapon, Wraithstrike) and/or deny your enemy his Dexterity bonus to AC (Greater Invisibility, Ring of Blinking + Pierce Magical Concealment, Skill Tricks).
Commentary: Same as above. Be good at hitting things. But not so good that you hit 95% of the time. Only bust out your super To-Hit combos when you really need them. Otherwise your DM will just make enemies harder to hit.
Learn How to Get Respectable Defense
Pro: As long as you're alive, you can keep fighting.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Varies. You want some combination of high hit points, high AC, high Saves, combat healing, a Miss Chance (Displacement, Blur, etc), high Touch AC, and special defenses (Evasion, Mettle, Fearless Destiny), usually in that order of importance.
Commentary: As long as you do your best to protect your friends and don't brag about how awesome your build is (something you should never do), you can usually optimize your defenses with impunity. This is how people get away with playing Batman Wizard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19085) builds in real games - focus on teamwork, not self aggrandizement. I'd also add that you should rarely make pure defense the only thing you do. Battlefield control is often much more effective then good defenses, because if your enemy can't attack you, it doesn't matter how low your AC is.
Combat Reflexes + Combat Exp + Improved Trip + Knock-Down:
Pro: Enemy can either sit there and attack with a -4 penalty, crawl, or stand up and provoke an AoO if you threaten them.
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. Pointless against most enemies with ranged attacks and/or spells. Some enemies can't be tripped, or can stand up without provoking.
Level of Effort: 4ish feats.
Best used against: Groups of weak enemies, or to create a choke point in a dungeon.
Commentary: Probably the most common form of melee lock down. Even though it's not particularly effective against many enemies, some DMs really hate this combo and think that it's unbalanced. If yours does, pick something else.
Combat Reflexes + Power Attack + Improved Bull Rush + Knockback + Shock Trooper
Pro: Pushes enemy away from you, preventing counter attacks. Can deal massive damage with Dungeoncrasher Fighter variant (Dungeonscape).
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. Pointless against most enemies with ranged attacks and/or spells. Pushing an enemy away from you can prevent you from making a full attack against them. Enemy can move again their next turn without penalty.
Level of Effort: Goliath or Half Giant (+1 LA) + Fighter 6 + 5 feats.
Best used against: Groups of weak or mediocre enemies.
Commentary: This option requires the highest investment, but is also one of the most powerful. Dungeoncrasher is very (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4108954&postcount=22), very (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107248) open to abuse. If you want to be less abusive, you can drop Knockback and get free Bull Rush attempts from the Shield of the Severed Hand (Complete Divine pg 102 or MIC) and/or Brutal Surge weapons (MIC). Or you can drop Dungeoncrasher and just use Bull Rush for Shock Trooper ping pong fun.
Fear effects:
Pro: Forces enemy to run away, or to Cower if you can also lock him down otherwise (Stand Still, Grapple, etc).
Con: Usually allows multiple Saves. Tons of enemies are immune or have a high Will Save. Enemies that are running away from you really aren't locked down, they're just running.
Level of Effort: 1-3 feat(s) + 1 magic item and/or 1 class ability and/or Intimidate Skill ranks
Best used against: Any enemy or enemies that aren't immune with a low-ish Will Save. Tag team with party members who focus on ranged attacks/spells.
Commentary: This is a very strong low-mid level combo that will generally get less useful as you gain levels and fight harder enemies. It's a particularly good choice for strait Fighters who learn how to Demoralize (forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-911167).
Combat Reflexes + Stand Still:
Pro: Stops enemy movement. Once you have the ability to deal 40ish damage, it's 95% effective against all enemies.
Con: Deals no damage. Enemy can move again on their next turn. Completely pointless if the enemy isn't using melee attacks.
Level of Effort: 2 feats.
Best used against: Moderately powerful enemies that you can't kill in one round.
Commentary: This is a very overlooked combo. Yes, it doesn't hurt your damage, and doesn't prevent them from moving on their turn. But if you're a defensive build with glass cannons in your party, Stand Still is going to be a lot more effective for you then anything that allows an opposed check or Save.
Create Difficult Terrain:
Pro: Enemies can't Charge, and have a hard time moving around. Enemies can't take 5 ft steps, and thus will always provoke AoO without Tumble. Effects enemies regardless of size. Generally doesn't require any kind of attack roll or check to use.
Con: Enemy can still move and attack. Completely pointless if the enemy isn't using melee attacks. Useless against flying enemies and many others (Scouts, high level Rangers, etc).
Level of Effort: Varies. Earth Devotion, Knight, Deepstone Sentinel, and a few other options.
Best used against: Enemies with very high Saves/checks that you need to slow down.
Commentary: This is a very common ability for casters but rare for melee builds. It's also not particularly effective unless it's used in concert with at least one other lock down combo. But if used intelligently it can be very handy in most combats.
Daze effects:
Pro: Effects anyone, completely incapacitating them.
Con: Allows a Save, and usually only lasts for 1 round. Usually requires using specific weapons and/or sub-optimal pre-reqs. Pointless if you can kill the enemy in 1-3 hits. Some Daze effects (Incarnum and Vestiges) have caveats (only effect the living, or mind effecting).
Level of Effort: Varies. Shield Slam, Anvil of Thunder, Boomerang Daze, Killoren Smite, Dragonmark Smite, Devoted Inquisitor build, Cabinet Trickster, Dire Flail Smash, Ironsoul Forgemaster, Arcane Focus soulmeld, Incarnum Blast invocation, Dahlver-Nar vestige, Scion of Dantalion, Dazing Strike maneuver, a few magic items.
Best used against: A single powerful enemy or quirky miniboss squad.
Commentary: Daze is one of the best status effects in D&D. If you can get this effect for a reasonable investment, then do so.
Improved Unarmed Strike -> Improved Grapple -> Scorpion's Grasp
Pro: Locks down a single enemy, drastically limiting their options. Allows you to deal damage with opposed checks instead of attack rolls. Can deal massive damage if you have your entire build geared toward this.
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. You lose your Dex bonus against other attackers. Ineffective against more then one enemy at a time.
Level of Effort: 3 feats + Monk/Fist of the Forest/Psychic Warrior or something similar if you also want to deal high damage.
Best used against: A single powerful enemy.
Commentary: This is another high investment/high return combo. But be careful - it works great against one enemy, but is really lousy against multiple enemies.
Combat Expertise -> Improved Disarm -> Snatch Weapon (http://www.realmshelps.org/cgi-bin/featbox.pl?feat=Snatch_Weapon)
Pro: When fighting non-caster humanoids or monstrous humanoids, if you take their weapon, they've essentially lost. This is a particularly good combo for a Haberdash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5266526) build, or anyone with a Flindbar (Monster Manual III), which grants a free Disarm attempt when you threaten a critical hit (20% of the time with a Keen effect).
Con: Tons of enemies don't use weapons. Tons of enemies that use weapons carry backup weapons. And after you Disarm the first enemy and smack him with his own weapon (which is probably less effective then your magic weapon), you have to drop it if you want to Disarm a different enemy (letting unarmed enemies have a chance to pick it up), or waste a Move Action to Sheath it.
Level of Effort: 3ish feats.
Best used against: Anyone wielding a weapon.
Commentary: Choosing this combo depends heavily on your DM. I think it's a great low level combo for Rangers and other Two Weapon Fighters, especially in urban or gladiatorial campaigns. Otherwise, it's probably one of the weakest melee control options out there.
Power Attack -> Improved Sunder -> Combat Brute
Pro: If an enemy relies on a weapon, shield, spell component pouch, holy symbol, or some other item, you can destroy it. This can effectively neuter very potent enemies.
Con: In some cases you're destroying your treasure. Useless against most non-humanoids or monstrous humanoids. Useless against enemies who use supernatural or spell-like abilities.
Level of Effort: Minimal. All you really need is an adamantine reach weapon, so that you can ignore the hardness of non-adamantine things you want to sunder. You can optimize it with 3 feats.
Best used against: Casters without Eschew Materials.
Commentary: This is a much maligned combo. It's just improperly applied. People think that it should be used like Disarm, against people hitting them with weapons. While it can be used that way, most of the time it shouldn't, because you're just robbing yourself of loot. Instead, use it to target casters. Also, I suggest that you not bother taking this combo unless you need Improved Sunder as a pre-req for a prestige class or some other feat combo. All you need is an adamantine weapon. And like Improved Disarm, if you over use this combo then you'll quickly find yourself fighting enemies that it's useless against.
Sleight of Hand (www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/SleightOfHand.htm)
Pro: You can pick pocket any unattended item from your enemy as a Free Action. This includes spell component pouches, quivers, potions, and sometimes holy symbols and other useful items.
Con: Useless against attended/held items. Useless against enemies who don't use items. Sleight of Hand isn't a class Skill for many melee based classes.
Level of Effort: You need to be able to make a DC 20 check if you want to pick pocket something as a Standard Action. If you want to do it as a Free Action, you need to be able to do it with a -20 penalty. That makes it nearly impossible to pull off at low levels. But by mid levels it can be done with some combination of high Dex, Factotum, Marshal, Incarnate (Theft Gloves soulmeld), a Skill boosting magic item, and/or Item Familiar.
Best used against: Casters without Eschew Materials.
Commentary: Sleight of Hand is basically a more limited version of Sunder, used to screw enemies with spell component pouches and other unattended items that they rely on. It can also be used against certain ranged builds, since un-drawn weapons and ammunition count as being unattended. It can't be used against items your enemy is holding in their hands. But since it can be used as a Free Action, it's more efficient then a Sunder attempt. Plus there's no feat investment associated with it. So it's a good option for melee Skill Monkeys, and occasionally other high level builds that have extra Skill Points that they can afford to invest in cross class.
Ability Damage and/or Penalties
Pro: If you reduce an enemy to 0 in any stat, they're rendered Helpless (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Helpless). You can Coup de Grace a Helpless enemy. Even if you don't, you're generally reducing their movement (lower Str = lower carrying capacity) or otherwise debuffing them and/or limiting their actions. Nets, Lasso, Razor Nets, and Harpoons also limit an enemy's movement away from you.
Con: Sometimes allows a Save. And some enemies (Undead, Constructs) are immune to Ability Damage. (Though your DM might rule that they're not immune to mundane Ability Penalties from being entangled or whatnot).
Level of Effort: Varies, but generally it's a very low investment. Here's a handy list of ways to deal Dex damage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6342523&postcount=23). If I have the time I'll expand it to a list of all ability damage. You might also want the Death Blow feat (Complete Adventurer) which lets you Coup de Grace as a Standard Action (allowing you to Move and Coup de Grace in the same turn).
Best used against: Non-immune creatures with high hit points.
Commentary: There are a surprisingly huge number of ways to deal ability damage. All you really need is a couple of Spell Storing (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Spell_storing) nets (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Net), which is pure core. However, I would suggest that you only use this combo against boss enemies. Plenty of monsters are immune to crits. And if your DM sees you using this combo too often, you'll see a lot more of them.
Other Status Effects such as Stun, Stagger, Nauseated, etc.
Pro: Prevents enemy from acting in some way or imposes a penalty.
Con: Tons of enemies are immune. Usually allows a Save. Not nearly as effective as other combos. Those who are effected can usually be killed in 1-3 hits anyway.
Level of Effort: Varies. Good sources include Stunning Fist, Staggering Strike, Sickening Strike, Pain Touch, Three Mountains Style, and Acheron Flurry.
Best used against: Any enemy or enemies that aren't immune with a low-ish Fort Save.
Commentary: There are usually much better ways to control your enemy. But if you can get one or two dice of Sneak Attack damage, then you can force some enemies into making multiple Saves per attack for a very low investment. It's particularly useful for builds that focus on debuffing.
Tactical Movement
Pro: Your goal is to make a full attack, and then move away from the enemy. If you’re more then 10 feet away from the enemy at the end of your turn, then it makes it very difficult for them to make a full attack against you in melee.
Con: If you’re moving away from the enemy, you can’t be a meat shield to protect your friends. Useless against enemies with ranged attacks, spells, etc. Difficult to pull off in an enclosed area.
Level of Effort: Varies. In most cases you will need Pounce AND some method of moving away from your enemy after you attack, such as Ride by Attack, Hustle, Travel Devotion, or Evasive Reflexes + Karmic Strike + Robilar’s Gambit. But take a good look at the list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358) of ways to get Pounce and Free Movement, and you’ll find plenty of ways.
Best used against: Anyone who relies on making melee full attack actions.
Commentary: This is basically the point of Spring Attack. Move, attack, move. Except Spring attack sucks, because you only get 1 attack. But there are dozens of other ways. This is a good option for builds with high damage output but low hit points, like Rogues, Scouts, etc.
Precision Damage + Lots of Attacks
Pro: Precision Damage (Sneak Attack, Sudden Strike, and Skirmish) provides relatively good bonus damage independent of your BAB. Doesn't penalize your To-Hit or AC (like Power Attack or Shock Trooper). Ambush feats can also add status effects.
Con: Requires a trigger (Flanking and/or Denied Dex or moving 10 ft). Lots of enemies are immune to Precision Damage. Bonus dice of damage aren't multiplied. Damage does not scale as well as other options (Power Attack, Dungeoncrasher, Claws of the Beast, ToB manuevers, etc).
Level of Effort: Intense. You're probably going to want some combination of Two Weapon Fighting feats or Multiweapon Fighting, natural attacks, a Haste effect, and an Attack of Opportunity Combo. You're also going to want to invest in some way to get past Precision Damage immunity, such as Dragonfire Strike, alternate class features, or wands. And you're going to want Ambush feats to add status effects
Best Used Against: Anyone who isn't immune.
Commentary: If your goal is to be excellent at melee, then don't rely on Precision Damage. The return on investment is never going to be as good as a Power Attack combo or a scaled power related combo (psionics, ToB, incarnum, etc). However, if your goal is to an excellent Skill Monkey and you don't want to play a Factotum or Beguiler or Incarnate, then you'll probably need to learn how to optimize this. Here's a good mini-guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6893722&postcount=35). It's worth mentioning that if you can just pick up a few dice of Sneak Attack without sacrificing BAB, via Blackguard or a similar prestige class, then it's worth picking up a feats (like Craven and Staggering Strike) to supplement your Sneak Attack without a huge investment.
Poison
Pro: An excellent way to deal ability damage and/or to completely debilitate your enemy in one attack.
Con: Allows a Fort Save. Expensive to use. By RAW, using poison is an Evil act (though most DMs will hand wave this). And tons of common enemies are immune.
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=4854.0) is dedicated to the subject. The key takeaway of the thread is that anyone with a few ranks in Handle Animal and Craft (Poison Making) can milk a poison producing creature to get a free dose (Drow of the Underdark). You can also create plant based poisons with Psionic Minor Creation (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Psionic_Minor_Creation), which you can access via Expanded Knowledge (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Expanded_Knowledge) or with 1 level of Psion (Shaper).
Best Used Against: Anyone who isn't immune. But in practice, because of it's cost you should save any poison you have for boss fights against BBEG with poor Fort Saves (casters, aberrations, fey).
Commentary: Poison is an excellent low level combo. In particular, it's a great option for Rangers and Druids, who can easily buy or summon poison producing creatures, milk them, and store the poison for important battles. Similarly, any low level psionic build can get a lot of millage out of Psionic Minor Creation. At mid levels it's a good choice for debuff builds. For example, a Hexblade/Binder/Blackguard can easily impose a -6 to -12 penalty on their targets, has access to a potentially poisonous Familiar and a Fiendish Servant, and has the Poison Use ability. But there is a huge diminishing return on poison. One or two Poison related feats and/or magic items might help a lot. But beyond that, you're not getting a really good bang for your buck. And because tons of enemies are immune, it cannot be relied upon for important combats. So this is a good combo to pick up once you already have 2 or 3 other combos under your belt.
Mage Slayer + lockdown combo
Pro: Prevents enemies that you threaten from casting defensively. This utterly nerfs anyone who depends on spells or spell-like abilities.
Con: Mage Slayer reduces your caster level, which means that it's not a viable option for many different builds who would really love to take it, especially mid level Paladins, Rangers, Hexblades, etc. It's also completely worthless against other melee builds, supernatural abilities, and extraordinary abilities.
Level of Effort: Mage Slayer + 1-2 feats or class abilities. You need Mage Slayer (duh) and some method of preventing your enemy from moving away. Nets (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Net), harpoons, Knock-Down, Thicket of Blades (Crusader), Earth Devotion, Knight (Bulwark of Defense), Deepstone Sentinel, or just armor spikes + a reach weapon, Spiked Chain, Spinning Sword, natural reach, etc. Anything that prevents your enemy from just taking a 5 ft step away will work fine.
Best Used Against: Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics, Warlocks, monsters with Spell-Like abilities, etc.
Commentary: Given the prevalence and potency of magic at mid-high levels, I think this is a must have combo for any melee build above ECL 12 that doesn't have caster levels. If at all possible, you should also take Pierce Magical Concealment, as it allows you to ignore any magical miss chance.
Also note that to be optimal, Trip, Bull Rush, and Grapple pretty much require that you get really big, or find some other way to boost your opposed check (Marshal, certain magic items, etc). Similarly, anything that allows a Save benefits from a debuff build. Remember that although Stand Still and difficult terrain are weaker, they're also much more difficult for enemies to resist.
You can look up most of the material cited at crystalkeep (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php) or find the citation at the wotc index (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats). I'll do my best to add in links for everything once I'm not blocked at work.
Please post any additions, corrections, and commentary. In particular, please post your favorite melee builds and handbooks. Thanks.
Play with a Powerful Melee Class
Pro: There are many non-casters can be just as strong as casters if you know what you're doing. And each possesses its own interesting powers and abilities.
Con: Essentially unavailable in core or core-ish games. Non-core classes tend to have very little support
Level of Effort: Pick one of the following: Crusader, Warblade, Swordsage, Totemist, Binder, Psychic Warrior, or any full caster (and maybe a Knight or Duskblade). Make this the basis for your build.
Best used against: Anyone.
Commentary: This is probably the easiest and most effective way to improve the power level of your build. In 3.X D&D, classes which have scaled powers (spells, psionics, blade magic, incarnum, or vestiges) are far more powerful then classes that don't. This does not include "half-casters" or other half progression classes or prestige classes. It's not "fair" or intelligent game design, but it's true.
Optimize Power Attack
Pro: If your enemies are dead, they can't attack you. Virtually every enemy is subject to melee damage.
Con: Lots of mechanical concerns. Doesn't really kick in until ECL 6ish. Basically requires full BAB and a two handed weapon to use well. Reduces your To-Hit or AC (with Shock Trooper). And there are also serious metagame concerns (see commentary).
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7165087) is dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Anyone you can reach (or just plain anyone, if you're a Bloodstorm Blade).
Commentary: Your goal is to win combat. If your enemies are dead, you've won. But if you kill your enemies too quickly, then your DM is just going to add more enemies, or make them tougher. So one of the first things most melee builds should so is work out how it is going to deal respectable damage. If you don't, then you’ll either have to rely on your party members to kill your enemies (a perfectly acceptable tactical option, as long as they know that it’s their job to do so and are half decent at doing it) or you'll have to deal with marathon combat, which greatly increases the probability of someone in your party getting killed. But after your build can deal respectable damage, move on. Optimizing damage to a ridiculous level is self defeating.
Get Really Big and/or Improve Your Effective Size and/or Reach
Pro: Increased size means increased damage, improved modifiers for opposed checks (Trip, Bull Rush, Grapple, etc), and reach. More reach equals a wider threatened area, improving your ability to trigger attacks of opportunity and use most other combos.
Con: The larger you are, the harder it is to move around in any tight space (like dungeons). In some cramped spaces, you will not be able to go above Medium size without taking squeezing penalties (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Movement,_Position,_and_Distance#Squeezing), and you may not be able to go above Large size at all. You also obviously become a much bigger target, both literally and in roleplaying terms (ie, the DM will feel more compelled to have enemies target you each round). Spells and psionic powers that improve size also have an activation cost, which means that you need to expend limited resources and sometimes need to spend a round of combat (a round you could be using to attack) in order to use them. There are also some serious metagame concerns (see above).
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7081777) is dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Anyone.
Commentary: Although somewhat less popular then Power Attack, getting really big is arguably the most efficient and effective way to improve a melee build. In particular, the huge bonuses to many opposed checks and the improved reach are just as valuable (if not more so) compared to the increases in damage. The biggest down side is that unlike Power Attack, which can essentially be used in virtually ever combat, your DM can easily nerf your build without adjusting his encounters or plot by forcing the party to adventure in cramped spaces. But it's noteworthy that just improving your reach (using a reach weapon, Inhuman Reach, Deformity Tall, etc) has no such restriction.
Get Extra Attacks
Pro: More attacks means more damage, potentially more follow up attacks (Knock-Down, Knockback, etc), and forces your enemy to make more Saves if your attacks have a status effect. You can also target multiple enemies.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Varies. Here’s a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7066595) dedicated to the subject.
Best used against: Getting lots of attacks tends to be most efficient for fighting multiple weak enemies. But with Pounce and/or Ridiculous Reach and/or some sort of thrown weapon combo in order to get a full attack every turn, it's good against anyone.
Commentary: Pretty much the same metagame concerns as getting lots of damage.
Learn How to Get a Decent To-Hit
Pro: If you miss, you’ve essentially wasted your attack. In the long run, having a 95% chance of dealing 10 damage is better then having a 5% chance of dealing 95 damage.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Some combination of full BAB, high Strength (or something else with an X to Y ability (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125732)), Knowledge Devotion, and miscellaneous combat modifiers. You can also get touch attacks via a wide variety of means (Wand of Flame Blade, Fire Lash, Master Thrower, Spectral Weapon, Wraithstrike) and/or deny your enemy his Dexterity bonus to AC (Greater Invisibility, Ring of Blinking + Pierce Magical Concealment, Skill Tricks).
Commentary: Same as above. Be good at hitting things. But not so good that you hit 95% of the time. Only bust out your super To-Hit combos when you really need them. Otherwise your DM will just make enemies harder to hit.
Learn How to Get Respectable Defense
Pro: As long as you're alive, you can keep fighting.
Con: Metagame concerns.
Level of Effort: Varies. You want some combination of high hit points, high AC, high Saves, combat healing, a Miss Chance (Displacement, Blur, etc), high Touch AC, and special defenses (Evasion, Mettle, Fearless Destiny), usually in that order of importance.
Commentary: As long as you do your best to protect your friends and don't brag about how awesome your build is (something you should never do), you can usually optimize your defenses with impunity. This is how people get away with playing Batman Wizard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19085) builds in real games - focus on teamwork, not self aggrandizement. I'd also add that you should rarely make pure defense the only thing you do. Battlefield control is often much more effective then good defenses, because if your enemy can't attack you, it doesn't matter how low your AC is.
Combat Reflexes + Combat Exp + Improved Trip + Knock-Down:
Pro: Enemy can either sit there and attack with a -4 penalty, crawl, or stand up and provoke an AoO if you threaten them.
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. Pointless against most enemies with ranged attacks and/or spells. Some enemies can't be tripped, or can stand up without provoking.
Level of Effort: 4ish feats.
Best used against: Groups of weak enemies, or to create a choke point in a dungeon.
Commentary: Probably the most common form of melee lock down. Even though it's not particularly effective against many enemies, some DMs really hate this combo and think that it's unbalanced. If yours does, pick something else.
Combat Reflexes + Power Attack + Improved Bull Rush + Knockback + Shock Trooper
Pro: Pushes enemy away from you, preventing counter attacks. Can deal massive damage with Dungeoncrasher Fighter variant (Dungeonscape).
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. Pointless against most enemies with ranged attacks and/or spells. Pushing an enemy away from you can prevent you from making a full attack against them. Enemy can move again their next turn without penalty.
Level of Effort: Goliath or Half Giant (+1 LA) + Fighter 6 + 5 feats.
Best used against: Groups of weak or mediocre enemies.
Commentary: This option requires the highest investment, but is also one of the most powerful. Dungeoncrasher is very (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4108954&postcount=22), very (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107248) open to abuse. If you want to be less abusive, you can drop Knockback and get free Bull Rush attempts from the Shield of the Severed Hand (Complete Divine pg 102 or MIC) and/or Brutal Surge weapons (MIC). Or you can drop Dungeoncrasher and just use Bull Rush for Shock Trooper ping pong fun.
Fear effects:
Pro: Forces enemy to run away, or to Cower if you can also lock him down otherwise (Stand Still, Grapple, etc).
Con: Usually allows multiple Saves. Tons of enemies are immune or have a high Will Save. Enemies that are running away from you really aren't locked down, they're just running.
Level of Effort: 1-3 feat(s) + 1 magic item and/or 1 class ability and/or Intimidate Skill ranks
Best used against: Any enemy or enemies that aren't immune with a low-ish Will Save. Tag team with party members who focus on ranged attacks/spells.
Commentary: This is a very strong low-mid level combo that will generally get less useful as you gain levels and fight harder enemies. It's a particularly good choice for strait Fighters who learn how to Demoralize (forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-911167).
Combat Reflexes + Stand Still:
Pro: Stops enemy movement. Once you have the ability to deal 40ish damage, it's 95% effective against all enemies.
Con: Deals no damage. Enemy can move again on their next turn. Completely pointless if the enemy isn't using melee attacks.
Level of Effort: 2 feats.
Best used against: Moderately powerful enemies that you can't kill in one round.
Commentary: This is a very overlooked combo. Yes, it doesn't hurt your damage, and doesn't prevent them from moving on their turn. But if you're a defensive build with glass cannons in your party, Stand Still is going to be a lot more effective for you then anything that allows an opposed check or Save.
Create Difficult Terrain:
Pro: Enemies can't Charge, and have a hard time moving around. Enemies can't take 5 ft steps, and thus will always provoke AoO without Tumble. Effects enemies regardless of size. Generally doesn't require any kind of attack roll or check to use.
Con: Enemy can still move and attack. Completely pointless if the enemy isn't using melee attacks. Useless against flying enemies and many others (Scouts, high level Rangers, etc).
Level of Effort: Varies. Earth Devotion, Knight, Deepstone Sentinel, and a few other options.
Best used against: Enemies with very high Saves/checks that you need to slow down.
Commentary: This is a very common ability for casters but rare for melee builds. It's also not particularly effective unless it's used in concert with at least one other lock down combo. But if used intelligently it can be very handy in most combats.
Daze effects:
Pro: Effects anyone, completely incapacitating them.
Con: Allows a Save, and usually only lasts for 1 round. Usually requires using specific weapons and/or sub-optimal pre-reqs. Pointless if you can kill the enemy in 1-3 hits. Some Daze effects (Incarnum and Vestiges) have caveats (only effect the living, or mind effecting).
Level of Effort: Varies. Shield Slam, Anvil of Thunder, Boomerang Daze, Killoren Smite, Dragonmark Smite, Devoted Inquisitor build, Cabinet Trickster, Dire Flail Smash, Ironsoul Forgemaster, Arcane Focus soulmeld, Incarnum Blast invocation, Dahlver-Nar vestige, Scion of Dantalion, Dazing Strike maneuver, a few magic items.
Best used against: A single powerful enemy or quirky miniboss squad.
Commentary: Daze is one of the best status effects in D&D. If you can get this effect for a reasonable investment, then do so.
Improved Unarmed Strike -> Improved Grapple -> Scorpion's Grasp
Pro: Locks down a single enemy, drastically limiting their options. Allows you to deal damage with opposed checks instead of attack rolls. Can deal massive damage if you have your entire build geared toward this.
Con: Size matters, so big/strong enemies will have an advantage. You lose your Dex bonus against other attackers. Ineffective against more then one enemy at a time.
Level of Effort: 3 feats + Monk/Fist of the Forest/Psychic Warrior or something similar if you also want to deal high damage.
Best used against: A single powerful enemy.
Commentary: This is another high investment/high return combo. But be careful - it works great against one enemy, but is really lousy against multiple enemies.
Combat Expertise -> Improved Disarm -> Snatch Weapon (http://www.realmshelps.org/cgi-bin/featbox.pl?feat=Snatch_Weapon)
Pro: When fighting non-caster humanoids or monstrous humanoids, if you take their weapon, they've essentially lost. This is a particularly good combo for a Haberdash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5266526) build, or anyone with a Flindbar (Monster Manual III), which grants a free Disarm attempt when you threaten a critical hit (20% of the time with a Keen effect).
Con: Tons of enemies don't use weapons. Tons of enemies that use weapons carry backup weapons. And after you Disarm the first enemy and smack him with his own weapon (which is probably less effective then your magic weapon), you have to drop it if you want to Disarm a different enemy (letting unarmed enemies have a chance to pick it up), or waste a Move Action to Sheath it.
Level of Effort: 3ish feats.
Best used against: Anyone wielding a weapon.
Commentary: Choosing this combo depends heavily on your DM. I think it's a great low level combo for Rangers and other Two Weapon Fighters, especially in urban or gladiatorial campaigns. Otherwise, it's probably one of the weakest melee control options out there.
Power Attack -> Improved Sunder -> Combat Brute
Pro: If an enemy relies on a weapon, shield, spell component pouch, holy symbol, or some other item, you can destroy it. This can effectively neuter very potent enemies.
Con: In some cases you're destroying your treasure. Useless against most non-humanoids or monstrous humanoids. Useless against enemies who use supernatural or spell-like abilities.
Level of Effort: Minimal. All you really need is an adamantine reach weapon, so that you can ignore the hardness of non-adamantine things you want to sunder. You can optimize it with 3 feats.
Best used against: Casters without Eschew Materials.
Commentary: This is a much maligned combo. It's just improperly applied. People think that it should be used like Disarm, against people hitting them with weapons. While it can be used that way, most of the time it shouldn't, because you're just robbing yourself of loot. Instead, use it to target casters. Also, I suggest that you not bother taking this combo unless you need Improved Sunder as a pre-req for a prestige class or some other feat combo. All you need is an adamantine weapon. And like Improved Disarm, if you over use this combo then you'll quickly find yourself fighting enemies that it's useless against.
Sleight of Hand (www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/SleightOfHand.htm)
Pro: You can pick pocket any unattended item from your enemy as a Free Action. This includes spell component pouches, quivers, potions, and sometimes holy symbols and other useful items.
Con: Useless against attended/held items. Useless against enemies who don't use items. Sleight of Hand isn't a class Skill for many melee based classes.
Level of Effort: You need to be able to make a DC 20 check if you want to pick pocket something as a Standard Action. If you want to do it as a Free Action, you need to be able to do it with a -20 penalty. That makes it nearly impossible to pull off at low levels. But by mid levels it can be done with some combination of high Dex, Factotum, Marshal, Incarnate (Theft Gloves soulmeld), a Skill boosting magic item, and/or Item Familiar.
Best used against: Casters without Eschew Materials.
Commentary: Sleight of Hand is basically a more limited version of Sunder, used to screw enemies with spell component pouches and other unattended items that they rely on. It can also be used against certain ranged builds, since un-drawn weapons and ammunition count as being unattended. It can't be used against items your enemy is holding in their hands. But since it can be used as a Free Action, it's more efficient then a Sunder attempt. Plus there's no feat investment associated with it. So it's a good option for melee Skill Monkeys, and occasionally other high level builds that have extra Skill Points that they can afford to invest in cross class.
Ability Damage and/or Penalties
Pro: If you reduce an enemy to 0 in any stat, they're rendered Helpless (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Helpless). You can Coup de Grace a Helpless enemy. Even if you don't, you're generally reducing their movement (lower Str = lower carrying capacity) or otherwise debuffing them and/or limiting their actions. Nets, Lasso, Razor Nets, and Harpoons also limit an enemy's movement away from you.
Con: Sometimes allows a Save. And some enemies (Undead, Constructs) are immune to Ability Damage. (Though your DM might rule that they're not immune to mundane Ability Penalties from being entangled or whatnot).
Level of Effort: Varies, but generally it's a very low investment. Here's a handy list of ways to deal Dex damage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6342523&postcount=23). If I have the time I'll expand it to a list of all ability damage. You might also want the Death Blow feat (Complete Adventurer) which lets you Coup de Grace as a Standard Action (allowing you to Move and Coup de Grace in the same turn).
Best used against: Non-immune creatures with high hit points.
Commentary: There are a surprisingly huge number of ways to deal ability damage. All you really need is a couple of Spell Storing (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Spell_storing) nets (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Net), which is pure core. However, I would suggest that you only use this combo against boss enemies. Plenty of monsters are immune to crits. And if your DM sees you using this combo too often, you'll see a lot more of them.
Other Status Effects such as Stun, Stagger, Nauseated, etc.
Pro: Prevents enemy from acting in some way or imposes a penalty.
Con: Tons of enemies are immune. Usually allows a Save. Not nearly as effective as other combos. Those who are effected can usually be killed in 1-3 hits anyway.
Level of Effort: Varies. Good sources include Stunning Fist, Staggering Strike, Sickening Strike, Pain Touch, Three Mountains Style, and Acheron Flurry.
Best used against: Any enemy or enemies that aren't immune with a low-ish Fort Save.
Commentary: There are usually much better ways to control your enemy. But if you can get one or two dice of Sneak Attack damage, then you can force some enemies into making multiple Saves per attack for a very low investment. It's particularly useful for builds that focus on debuffing.
Tactical Movement
Pro: Your goal is to make a full attack, and then move away from the enemy. If you’re more then 10 feet away from the enemy at the end of your turn, then it makes it very difficult for them to make a full attack against you in melee.
Con: If you’re moving away from the enemy, you can’t be a meat shield to protect your friends. Useless against enemies with ranged attacks, spells, etc. Difficult to pull off in an enclosed area.
Level of Effort: Varies. In most cases you will need Pounce AND some method of moving away from your enemy after you attack, such as Ride by Attack, Hustle, Travel Devotion, or Evasive Reflexes + Karmic Strike + Robilar’s Gambit. But take a good look at the list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358) of ways to get Pounce and Free Movement, and you’ll find plenty of ways.
Best used against: Anyone who relies on making melee full attack actions.
Commentary: This is basically the point of Spring Attack. Move, attack, move. Except Spring attack sucks, because you only get 1 attack. But there are dozens of other ways. This is a good option for builds with high damage output but low hit points, like Rogues, Scouts, etc.
Precision Damage + Lots of Attacks
Pro: Precision Damage (Sneak Attack, Sudden Strike, and Skirmish) provides relatively good bonus damage independent of your BAB. Doesn't penalize your To-Hit or AC (like Power Attack or Shock Trooper). Ambush feats can also add status effects.
Con: Requires a trigger (Flanking and/or Denied Dex or moving 10 ft). Lots of enemies are immune to Precision Damage. Bonus dice of damage aren't multiplied. Damage does not scale as well as other options (Power Attack, Dungeoncrasher, Claws of the Beast, ToB manuevers, etc).
Level of Effort: Intense. You're probably going to want some combination of Two Weapon Fighting feats or Multiweapon Fighting, natural attacks, a Haste effect, and an Attack of Opportunity Combo. You're also going to want to invest in some way to get past Precision Damage immunity, such as Dragonfire Strike, alternate class features, or wands. And you're going to want Ambush feats to add status effects
Best Used Against: Anyone who isn't immune.
Commentary: If your goal is to be excellent at melee, then don't rely on Precision Damage. The return on investment is never going to be as good as a Power Attack combo or a scaled power related combo (psionics, ToB, incarnum, etc). However, if your goal is to an excellent Skill Monkey and you don't want to play a Factotum or Beguiler or Incarnate, then you'll probably need to learn how to optimize this. Here's a good mini-guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6893722&postcount=35). It's worth mentioning that if you can just pick up a few dice of Sneak Attack without sacrificing BAB, via Blackguard or a similar prestige class, then it's worth picking up a feats (like Craven and Staggering Strike) to supplement your Sneak Attack without a huge investment.
Poison
Pro: An excellent way to deal ability damage and/or to completely debilitate your enemy in one attack.
Con: Allows a Fort Save. Expensive to use. By RAW, using poison is an Evil act (though most DMs will hand wave this). And tons of common enemies are immune.
Level of Effort: Varies. This thread (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=4854.0) is dedicated to the subject. The key takeaway of the thread is that anyone with a few ranks in Handle Animal and Craft (Poison Making) can milk a poison producing creature to get a free dose (Drow of the Underdark). You can also create plant based poisons with Psionic Minor Creation (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Psionic_Minor_Creation), which you can access via Expanded Knowledge (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Expanded_Knowledge) or with 1 level of Psion (Shaper).
Best Used Against: Anyone who isn't immune. But in practice, because of it's cost you should save any poison you have for boss fights against BBEG with poor Fort Saves (casters, aberrations, fey).
Commentary: Poison is an excellent low level combo. In particular, it's a great option for Rangers and Druids, who can easily buy or summon poison producing creatures, milk them, and store the poison for important battles. Similarly, any low level psionic build can get a lot of millage out of Psionic Minor Creation. At mid levels it's a good choice for debuff builds. For example, a Hexblade/Binder/Blackguard can easily impose a -6 to -12 penalty on their targets, has access to a potentially poisonous Familiar and a Fiendish Servant, and has the Poison Use ability. But there is a huge diminishing return on poison. One or two Poison related feats and/or magic items might help a lot. But beyond that, you're not getting a really good bang for your buck. And because tons of enemies are immune, it cannot be relied upon for important combats. So this is a good combo to pick up once you already have 2 or 3 other combos under your belt.
Mage Slayer + lockdown combo
Pro: Prevents enemies that you threaten from casting defensively. This utterly nerfs anyone who depends on spells or spell-like abilities.
Con: Mage Slayer reduces your caster level, which means that it's not a viable option for many different builds who would really love to take it, especially mid level Paladins, Rangers, Hexblades, etc. It's also completely worthless against other melee builds, supernatural abilities, and extraordinary abilities.
Level of Effort: Mage Slayer + 1-2 feats or class abilities. You need Mage Slayer (duh) and some method of preventing your enemy from moving away. Nets (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Net), harpoons, Knock-Down, Thicket of Blades (Crusader), Earth Devotion, Knight (Bulwark of Defense), Deepstone Sentinel, or just armor spikes + a reach weapon, Spiked Chain, Spinning Sword, natural reach, etc. Anything that prevents your enemy from just taking a 5 ft step away will work fine.
Best Used Against: Wizards, Sorcerers, Clerics, Warlocks, monsters with Spell-Like abilities, etc.
Commentary: Given the prevalence and potency of magic at mid-high levels, I think this is a must have combo for any melee build above ECL 12 that doesn't have caster levels. If at all possible, you should also take Pierce Magical Concealment, as it allows you to ignore any magical miss chance.
Also note that to be optimal, Trip, Bull Rush, and Grapple pretty much require that you get really big, or find some other way to boost your opposed check (Marshal, certain magic items, etc). Similarly, anything that allows a Save benefits from a debuff build. Remember that although Stand Still and difficult terrain are weaker, they're also much more difficult for enemies to resist.
You can look up most of the material cited at crystalkeep (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php) or find the citation at the wotc index (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats). I'll do my best to add in links for everything once I'm not blocked at work.
Please post any additions, corrections, and commentary. In particular, please post your favorite melee builds and handbooks. Thanks.