pikeman feat selection.

[big teej]

so I'm creating some construct-soldiers for a riddle/trap room for a dungeon crawl.

due to the natural attacks of the constructs. I'm giving them all longspears.

I have 4 fighter bonus feats to work with.
and 2 "any" feats.


whats good for a pikeman?

I'm thinking of going for the Hold-the-line tree along with the weapon focus tree.

why?

because the party that's going to fight these things is that low op.

but I think I'm gonna have feats leftover, so I'm asking.

EDIT:4 fighter bonus feats, I miscounted.

[Flickerdart]

Constructs do not gain feats, as they have no Intelligence scores. Neither can they gain class levels, for the same reason. :smalltongue:

However, you're the DM. Give 'em Combat Reflexes, Stand Still, Improved Trip, Combat Expertise and you're in business.

[big teej]

Constructs do not gain feats, as they have no Intelligence scores. Neither can they gain class levels, for the same reason. :smalltongue:

However, you're the DM. Give 'em Combat Reflexes, Stand Still, Improved Trip, Combat Expertise and you're in business.

the construct-soldiers are Warforged :smalltongue:

EDIT: also, I don't think you can trip with longspears

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

So six feats total, four of which must be Fighter feats?

Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown)

Alternate list:
Combat Reflexes, Adamantine Body, Stand Still (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#standStill), Weapon Focus, Earth Devotion (CC), Heavy Armor Optimization (RoS)

Earth Devotion is extremely useful for thwarting a charge. Someone charges, you spend an immediate action to create some difficult terrain in their path. There's no takesies-backsies, so they charge over the difficult terrain and have to make a balance check (or two), at a -5 penalty, at probably a DC of 12 or 15. If they fail by four or less then they just can't continue the charge; failure by five or more points means they trip and fall on their face. This is typically enough to stop most (non-ToB) armored characters from charging until the higher levels. When activating this say one of them stomps his foot and a shockwave moves out and makes the floor uneven at that spot or something similar.

Hold the line isn't necessary if they have longer reach than their opponents. I only comes into effect if you have the same reach as your opponent, and your opponent charges you. It's extremely situational and usually not even worth taking.

[big teej]

So six feats total, four of which must be Fighter feats?

Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Knock-Down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown)

Alternate list:
Combat Reflexes, Adamantine Body, Stand Still (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#standStill), Weapon Focus, Earth Devotion (CC), Heavy Armor Optimization (RoS)

Earth Devotion is extremely useful for thwarting a charge. Someone charges, you spend an immediate action to create some difficult terrain in their path. There's no takesies-backsies, so they charge over the difficult terrain and have to make a balance check (or two), at a -5 penalty, at probably a DC of 12 or 15. If they fail by four or less then they just can't continue the charge; failure by five or more points means they trip and fall on their face. This is typically enough to stop most (non-ToB) armored characters from charging until the higher levels. When activating this say one of them stomps his foot and a shockwave moves out and makes the floor uneven at that spot or something similar.

Hold the line isn't necessary if they have longer reach than their opponents. I only comes into effect if you have the same reach as your opponent, and your opponent charges you. It's extremely situational and usually not even worth taking.

what would you swap out earth devotion for? I don't have the book that's from, so it's outa bounds.

rest of it looks good.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Hang on a minute, how do they have four Fighter feats and only two general feats? Fighter 6 would be four Fighter feats, so wouldn't that be three general feats, or do you already have a feat picked out for each of them?

Improved Fortification if they have a +6 BAB.
Weapon Specialization if they get two feats at +4 BAB or higher (Heavy Armor Optimization takes priority over this).
Iron Will or Mage Slayer (CA) otherwise.

[big teej]

Hang on a minute, how do they have four Fighter feats and only two general feats? Fighter 6 would be four Fighter feats, so wouldn't that be three general feats, or do you already have a feat picked out for each of them?

Improved Fortification if they have a +6 BAB.
Weapon Specialization if they get two feats at +4 BAB or higher (Heavy Armor Optimization takes priority over this).
Iron Will or Mage Slayer (CA) otherwise.

well.... lets make sure I didn't miscount (twice)
1st level - Adamantine Body
3rd level - free
6th level - free
Fighter Bonus feat
Fighter Bonus Feat
Fighter Bonus Feat
Fighter Bonus Feat


I was polling suggestions before I really made any decisions.
but yes, to answer your question all the other feats are undecided except for adamantine body.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

In that case:
1. Adamantine Body
F1. Combat Reflexes
F2. Weapon Focus
3. Stand Still
F4. Heavy Armor Optimization
6. Improved Fortification
F6. Weapon Specialization

[big teej]

In that case:
1. Adamantine Body
F1. Combat Reflexes
F2. Weapon Focus
3. Stand Still
F4. Heavy Armor Optimization
6. Improved Fortification
F6. Weapon Specialization

that looks good and fits pretty well with what I had in mind.

thanks a bunch.

[JaronK]

If they're pikemen, have you considered giving them Awl Pikes or Dwarven War Pikes?

JaronK

[big teej]

If they're pikemen, have you considered giving them Awl Pikes or Dwarven War Pikes?

JaronK

don't know where Awl pikes are from, so no. and they're outabounds unless I just missed them in a book I have.

dwarven war pikes are als....

war pikes.
really?
what else would a pike before?

-ahem-

anyways. what do dwarven war pikes do over a normal longspear?


oh, semi-related.
the puzzle-room mentioned above, if they solve it, one of these buggers serves them until it's destroyed.

[JaronK]

War Pikes can be used to trip, and do 1d10 damage instead of 1d8. Awl Pikes are from Dragon Magazine and have 15' reach.

JaronK

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

There's not much reason to use a Longspear if they can use a Glaive, it gets one point higher damage on average. A Dwarven Warpike (RoS) is an exotic reach weapon that deals 2d6 with a x3 critical, and you have the option of dealing slashing or piercing damage with it. There's a Greatspear in CW which is also exotic, has roughly the same stats but can only do piercing damage, costs half as much, and has a 10 ft. range increment for throwing. The difference between 2d6 and 1d10 is 1.5 average damage per hit, so probably not worth spending a feat on exotic weapon proficiency.

Be sure to give them armor spikes so they can make AoOs against adjacent opponents.

On second thought, get rid of Heavy Armor Optimization, put Stand Still at Fighter 4, and give them Thick-Skinned from Savage Species at 3rd level. That will improve their DR to 4/Adamantine, which will probably be better for them than +1 AC.

[big teej]

War Pikes can be used to trip, and do 1d10 damage instead of 1d8. Awl Pikes are from Dragon Magazine and have 15' reach.

JaronK

ah, don't have any Dragon Mag stuff, and unfortunately Dwarven War Pikes are out due to it being a goblinoid dungeon :smalltongue:





There's not much reason to use a Longspear if they can use a Glaive, it gets one point higher damage on average. A Dwarven Warpike (RoS) is an exotic reach weapon that deals 2d6 with a x3 critical, and you have the option of dealing slashing or piercing damage with it. There's a Greatspear in CW which is also exotic, has roughly the same stats but can only do piercing damage, costs half as much, and has a 10 ft. range increment for throwing. The difference between 2d6 and 1d10 is 1.5 average damage per hit, so probably not worth spending a feat on exotic weapon proficiency.

Be sure to give them armor spikes so they can make AoOs against adjacent opponents.

On second thought, get rid of Heavy Armor Optimization, put Stand Still at Fighter 4, and give them Thick-Skinned from Savage Species at 3rd level. That will improve their DR to 4/Adamantine, which will probably be better for them than +1 AC.

:smallconfused: they already have a Slam attack for that

and don't have savage species.... so I'm probably gonna stick with the other feat suggestions.