Need help designing a fighter for a first time player

[Morbis Meh]

Hello playgrounders!

I am just joined a level 3 campaign with some friends and a couple other people. One of the players is a first timer and went with a fighter to play as. She is using a spiked chain but wasn't using it for tripping when I started. I was able to explain what it could really do with a couple of feats and she absolutely loves being a tripper. So now she trusts my advice and told me what she would like to do with her character. She wants to be a more sneaky character (which is cool with me) but wants to be able to kick butt. She mentioned in her back story that her father was an assassin and that her character kind of wanted to follow suit.

Now what I want to do is make this happen, I will give you her current build, but what I do not want is people telling me how lame a fighter is and how she would play a ToB character (it would probably confuse the hell out of her to play as a warblade). So her is here character:

Level 3 human Fighter TN
Str- 18
Dex- 16
Con- 18
Int- 14
Wis- 15
Cha-10

Feats: EWP: Spiked chain, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Combat Reflexes, Martial Study (Crusader's Strike)

She is using a chain shirt and will most likely upgrade to mithral when she can afford it. Now what I would like are possible prestige classes, and feat to make her character how she wants it. If she stays fighter then at Level 10 she will take martial stance to pick up thicket of blades.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Take levels in swordsage. Seriously. They have stealth skills and Shadow Hand.

[Morbis Meh]

Yeah I would do that if it was my character, but I am thinking the maneuver system would be a little complicated to a first timer... I will mull it over maybe suggest that she read through the ToB and see what she thinks, but I would like some suggestions on feats and such please and thank you!

[Xyk]

Now what I want to do is make this happen, I will give you her current build, but what I do not want is people telling me how lame a fighter is and how she would play a ToB character (it would probably confuse the hell out of her to play as a warblade).


Take levels in swordsage. Seriously. They have stealth skills and Shadow Hand.

Come on, bro, read the whole post.

With a spiked chain, you might want Exotic Weapon Master from Complete Warrior. Ghost-Faced Killer from Complete Adventurer fits her concept of a sneaky character that also kicks butt in fighting mode, but you'd have to change the build significantly.

[Eldariel]

The problem with staying Fighter is that you don't have stealth skills in class. You could use Ranger instead, or Thug (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighterVariantThug) but even Thug wouldn't get the stealth skills in class. Some levels of Ranger and e.g. Able Learner is probably the easiest choice.

Like 2 levels of Ranger with Strong-Arm style [DR326; basically just gets Power Attack, Improved Sunder and Great Cleave as the 3 combat style feats instead of TWF or Rapid Shot-line], and 2 levels of Fighter for the feats. That would get her both, skills and feats. Just as long as the first level is in Ranger so she gets the skills. Or even just 1 level of Ranger first, and then Fighter. Able Learner would help but isn't strictly necessary.


I always use Ranger in my non-ToB warrior types for the skills, and always try to start with the class 'cause skills are cool.

Though frankly, maneuvers are fairly intuitive. "You have these attacks as extra options and if you use one, you have to recover it before you use it again." That's really all there is to it.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Four levels of rogue are great for a fighter, as it gives them 2d6 sneak attack, skills, evasion, good reflex save, and uncanny dodge.

Another option is a two level rogue dip and a two level barbarian dip (whirling frenzy variant), for 1d6 sneak attack, still having better skills than the fighter, evasion, fast movement (or pounce), whirling frenzy (take extra rage and extend rage to really make it good) and uncanny dodge.

[Hirax]

This build begs to have knock-down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown) added

[Eldariel]

You could actually use straight Ranger (with maybe small Barbarian dip for Fast Movement; sounds like it'd fit with the concept) with the "Champion of the Wild"-variant [Complete Champion]; replaces your spellcasting (which would be strong but sounds like not what she wants) with bonus feats. Including the Combat Expertise line. So you can be a full Ranger getting the feats almost as a Fighter (level 2, 4, 6, 8 have bonus feats; 2 and 6 are Combat Style and 4 and 8 are from the ACF). In other words, skills and feats. Only one feat behind by this level too.

Basically, you could have a Ranger that's basically Fighter for the purposes of what she wants, but complete with skills (which sounds like what she wants and makes for a 100 times more interesting character anyways since he does more than just wave a weapon).


And you could trade Animal Companion for the automatic flank on all opponents you attack (PHBII has "Distracting Attack"-variant) in case she doesn't want one hanging around. And with Cityscape Web Enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) (Assassin would probably want all the 3 trades; Gather Information for Handle Animal, Tumble for Ride and Sense Motive for Survival), you could customize the skill list to further fit what you desire. And hell, Ranger could gain Trapfinding with Trap Expert [Dungeonscape] if she wants to play a Roguish character (and isn't interested in tracking; either option is fine for an assassin type of course).

But yeah, it definitely sounds like she wants a Fighter With Skills and if not using ToB, Ranger definitely fits the bill really, really well (you even get Favored Enemy; if she's especially practiced killing Humans, for example, this has obvious benefits).

EDIT: To be precise, this would be a completely mundane, not-so-naturey Ranger. Not a spell slinging warrior but just a skilled warrior with some talent for stealth. Pretty much the exact same as her old character, except with skills.

[Morbis Meh]

I definitely like the suggestion of ghost faced killer, the flavour is great even though the mechanics are rather weak. Hmm maybe I can help explain the mechanics of ToB and make her into a Fighter2/SS 4/GFK X (we just leveled up to 3 and the DM is allowing her to alter her character a little bit since she is new). I do own a copy of ToB but she would have to download it since I am using it for another campaign.

[Morbis Meh]

This build begs to have knock-down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown) added

I asked the DM about it already he will not allow the Knockdown,Imp Trip, then attack combo.