Raptoren Fighter

[quiet1mi]

I was thinking about a lower tier character... Think Tier 4...

Shock trooper came to mind, along with dungeon crasher... But first I have a few questions...


Does Leap Attack count if I am falling/Flying... Instinct says no... (I should probably avoid squeezing out ridiculous point of damage from PA anyway as it becomes counter productive with the DMs ability to just increase the HP of the monsters)
With flying in mind, Could the Raptoren bull rush someone into the ground, Thus Dungeoncrashing them into the floor...
Is roof jumper worth it? As Raptorens do not weigh as much as Warforges the falling damage against the monster would not be huge (see squeezing out damage from PA for reason to just say never-mind)
What other feats are worth taking, with pure fighter up to level 10, with a Raptoren in mind...

[Bookworm702]

Definitely specialize in piercing weapons. What you want to do is get a piercing weapon with reach. The dive mechanic says you need to move at least thirty feet forward and ten feet down. Then you get an attack at +4. The opponent gets an attack of opportunity at +4, but that's why you have a reach weapon :smallamused:. Diving also doubles your damage, and it stacks if you roll a critical. Take spring attack and boost your fly speed and maneuverability until you can dive and move out of range before they can attack you. Let the good times roll.:smallbiggrin:

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Definitely specialize in piercing weapons. What you want to do is get a piercing weapon with reach. The dive mechanic says you need to move at least thirty feet forward and ten feet down. Then you get an attack at +4. The opponent gets an attack of opportunity at +4, but that's why you have a reach weapon :smallamused:. Diving also doubles your damage, and it stacks if you roll a critical. Take spring attackFLYBY ATTACK and boost your fly speed and maneuverability until you can dive and move out of range before they can attack you. Let the good times roll.:smallbiggrin:Never take Spring Attack, especially if you're naturally winged.

[Person_Man]

Does Leap Attack count if I am falling/Flying... Instinct says no... (I should probably avoid squeezing out ridiculous point of damage from PA anyway as it becomes counter productive with the DMs ability to just increase the HP of the monsters)

Leap Attack specifically requires you to jump, and references using the Jump Skill. So unless your DM hand waves it away, you'd have to start on a solid surface of some sort. Besides, don't you already get *2 from a flying Charge since you're Raptorian? How much damage do you need?


With flying in mind, Could the Raptoren bull rush someone into the ground, Thus Dungeoncrashing them into the floor...

Yes. Though I would suggest that you not do so very often. The damage from Dungeoncrasher is ridiculous, especially when combined with Knockback, a Shield of the Severed Hand, and/or a Brutal Surge weapon. If you overdo it, your DM is just going to make the enemies you fight more ridiculous.



Is roof jumper worth it? As Raptorens do not weigh as much as Warforges the falling damage against the monster would not be huge (see squeezing out damage from PA for reason to just say never-mind)

Nope. You're already dealing massive damage. A few more dice of bonus damage won't make much of a difference.


What other feats are worth taking, with pure fighter up to level 10, with a Raptoren in mind...[/LIST]

Melee Guide Combo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7044115).

Stock Fighter Advice

Fighter is actually quite a respectable choice up to ECL 12ish if you know what you're doing. The keys are alternate class features (forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-906113.html) and careful feat selection (see combos above).

At level 1, Fighters get the Tower Shield for free. This in itself is useful. Races of Stone also lets you trade it away for Exotic Shield Proficiency, which has several uses (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6848292). I suggest using it for a Gnome Battle Cloak, which is essentially a shield you wear on your back, which is essentially a free Animated shield. Or you can take the Extreme Shield if you want +3 AC without a To-Hit penalty (but don't care about making shield bash attacks). If you want a mounted build (which is one of your best core-ish options) then I suggest a Riding Shield.

At levels 2 and 6, Dungonscape lets you trade away feats for the Dungeoncrasher ability, which gives you massive damage when you Bull Rush an enemy into a wall or solid object. As others have opined, the easiest way to abuse this is through the Knockback feat. Check out Flaming Homer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4108954&postcount=22) and the King of Pong (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107248). If you want to be less abusive and/or don't want to be a Goliath, then I suggest you be a Raptorian or Dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1) for free flight (though it doesn't kick in until ECL 12). This lets you move above enemies, so that you can Bull Rush them into the floor. You can also get free Bull Rush attempts from the Shield of the Severed Hand (Complete Divine pg 102 or MIC) and/or Brutal Surge weapons (MIC). It's also worth mentioning that Dungeoncrasher damage is so high that even a single mundane Bull Rush per turn can kill most enemies.

At 2nd level or higher you can give up a Fighter bonus feat to gain the Resolute ability (Complete Champion). It allows you to immediately shift 1/2 your BAB to your Will Save. Hugely useful at mid to high levels, as Will Saves are often Save or Lose. Once you get to level 10 or higher I would definitely pick this one up, unless you can find some other form of mental protection.

A nifty web ad on (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) gives you various buffs to your ability to Demoralize. The most important kicks in at 11th level, which lets you Demoralize as a Swift Action. This can be a powerful tool (http://boards-test-dev.wizards.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-911167), especially when combined with the Imperious Command feat (Drow of the Underdark) which makes Demoralized enemies Cower (www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Cowering).

Put that together, and you get respectable defense, strong offense, and two forms of battlefield control (Bull Rush and Fear). Pretty solid for any low to mid level melee build.


So maybe:

1: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Gnome Battle Cloak (trade Tower Shield)
2: Dungeoncrasher 1
3: Combat Focus (PHBII, +4 Will Saves)
4: Combat Stability (PHBII, +8 to resist Trip/Bull Rush/etc)
6: Shock Trooper, Dungeoncrasher 2
8: Imperious Command
9: Combat Vigor (Fast Healing 3)
10: Flyby Attack

I think that gives you a good mix of offense, defense, mobility, and battlefield control.