Belial_the_Leveler
2013-10-23, 08:31 AM
1) We all know about the linear fighter/quadratic wizard imbalance when at any two levels over 4 the wizard gains 5 spell slots and lots of known spells while the fighter gains only a single feat. The wizard ends with 50+ slots while the fighter ends with 11 feats.
2) Fighter feats were supposed to be the fighter's class features. He only gets 11 of them, leaving dead levels, and even the levels where a feat is gained are uninteresting because fighter feats are static bonuses. Even the Pathfinder fighter doesn't really fix that.
3) Fighter feats give quite limited, quite weak options. A single strong buff will be better than all of a fighter's feats for any character levels beyond 4 or so. In addition, magic feats are much better than any fighter feats - just compare most Item Creation or Metamagic feats to Fighter feats i.e. Persistent Spell vs Weapon Specialization.
In short, the Fighter is hosed as we all know. Thus I present the following feats that scale by level and are essentially class abilities for the fighter class that give appropriately high bonuses to high-level fighters;
GENERAL RULES
All the following feats are fighter bonus feats.
If a feat refers to your "fighter feats" it means "feats that can be taken as fighter bonus feats, which you gained directly from class bonus feats, race, flaws and level advancement but not other sources such as spells, items, rituals, achievements, use of special abilities, feat use, powers and any other means that would give more feats than normal."
Advanced Weapon Focus
Prerequisites: Fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: You gain weapon focus for a number of weapons equal to your number of fighter feats. If you aren't proficient with said weapons you also become proficient with them. For every 5 fighter feats you possess you gain the benefit of an additional feat of your choice from the weapon focus chain for those weapons. Those feats are greater weapon focus, improved critical, weapon specialization, greater weapon specialization
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, choosing additional weapons to apply its effects to.
Advanced Martial Technique
Prerequisites: Fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: You gain the benefit of a single non-scaling combat feat or general you meet the prerequisites for. For every 5 fighter feats you possess, you gain the benefits on an additional non-scaling combat or general feat.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, gaining the benefit of additional feats.
Advanced Martial Training
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every 2 fighter feats you possess you gain one ToB maneuver known and readied. You must meet maneuver and initiator level prerequisites to learn a maneuver, though you can have lower-level maneuvers in the same feat as the prerequisites for the higher-level ones. Your initiator level is equal to your number of fighter feats. You recover maneuvers expended as per a swordsage.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, learning additional maneuvers. You may pick a maneuver more than once, allowing you to ready it more than once.
Advanced Martial Stance
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every 4 fighter feats you possess you learn one ToB martial stance you meet the prerequisites for.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, learning additional stances.
True Aim
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every fighter feat you possess your melee and ranged attacks can penetrate a barrier 1 inch thick and still strike an enemy taking cover behind it. Alternatively, for every 4 fighter feats you possess you may reroll miss chances due to concealment, incorporeality or magical effects and take the best roll.
Improved Toughness
Prerequisites: fighter lvl 1 or four fighter feats
Effect: You gain 3 extra hit points per fighter feat you possess and Fast Healing 1 for every 7 fighter feats you possess.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. The effects stack.
Improved Resilience
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every four fighter feats you possess reduce each ability damage, ability drain, ability penalty or negative level effect by 1 to a minimum of 0.
Improved Resistance
Prerequisites: ten fighter feats
Effect: Reduce any damage taken of any type or source by 1 per fighter feat you possess, to a minimum of 0.
Improved Defense
Prerequisites: fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: you gain a competence bonus to AC equal to the number of fighter feats you possess. It doesn't stack with armor bonuses.
Special: if you have 5 or more fighter feats, you also gain a 5% chance to dodge attacks and targeted effects per fighter feat you possess, to a maximum of 75% chance for 15 feats.
Instant Parry
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: Against any attack that requires an attack roll aimed at you you may roll an opposed attack roll with any weapon or shield you are holding. If you use your shield, add the shield's enhancement bonus and shield focus (if any) to the roll. If your roll is greater than the attacker's roll, the attack is blocked, parried, deflected or otherwise pushed aside harmlessly. You cannot use this feat against attacks you lose your dexterity bonus against.
Intuition
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats, perception 8 ranks
Effect: After years of lonely watches as a sentry or guardsman you have a sixth sense for secrets. Against hidden (via stealth, magic, concealment or other means) creatures or objects within 20 ft per fighter feat you possess make an unmodified perception check against their unmodified stealth/sleight of hand checks (if hidden via skill or the environment) or the unmodified caster/manifester/initiator level check (if hidden via other effects). If successful, you can pinpoint creatures within your range and know that an object has been hidden. You do not know what object has been hidden and hidden creatures still have any concealment or cover they'd normally get against you but you are not considered surprised or flat-footed against them.
Special: Failed intuition checks are retried every time a creature takes an action or every time an object is used. You do not get to retry against inactive creatures or objects.
Combat Mobility
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as a free action, expend a point to get an additional 5-ft-step or increase your speed for the round by 5 ft.
Special: If you have Combat Swiftness and/or Combat Surge, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Combat Swiftness
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as a free action, expend eight points to get an additional move action or standard action for the round. The move action can only be used for martial or mundane actions, not supernatural abilities and the standard action can only be used for attacks. You may not take a full-round action in any round in which you got additional attacks.
Special: If you have Combat Mobility and/or Combat Surge, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Combat Surge
Prerequisites: twelve fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as free action, expend fifteen points to perform an action that would normally be a move or standard action. The move action can only be used for martial or mundane actions, not supernatural abilities and the standard action can only be used for attacks. Combat Surge can be used to interrupt other actions when it is not your turn.
Special: If you have Combat Swiftness and/or Combat Mobility, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Defiance
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a fortitude save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Determination and/or Withstand add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Determination
Prerequisites: twelve fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a will save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Defiance and/or Withstand add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Withstand
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a reflex save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Determination and/or Defiance add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Mounted Knight
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: you have a trained animal mount of a CR equal to your number of fighter feats. The mount must be at least one size category larger than you and suitable for riding. Animal mounts obey simple, one-word commands. If you have eight fighter feats or more, you may choose a magical beast instead of an animal for a mount. Magical beast mounts may understand more than simple commands if they have high intelligence. If you have twelve fighter feats or more, you may select a Dragon mount. Dragon mounts are fully intelligent allies rather than pets.
Special: If a mount is slain you may replace it after 1 day per CR of the new mount, or whenever an opportunity arises at the DM's discretion, whichever comes first.
Weaponsmith
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: Using exotic materials from innately magical ores to body parts of supernatural creatures to energy-infused gemstones to reprocessing existing magic items you may craft magic arms and armor as well as wondrous items that are articles of clothing, armor or jewelry, without needing to be a spellcaster or needing to know specific spells. You must pay for materials or use up existing precious metals/gems or magic items equal to the forged items' full value but you have no XP expenditure. You may forge 300 gp worth of such items per day per fighter feat you possess.
Special: You must still make the relevant craft skill checks to make the base item a masterwork item for weapons or armor, usually Craft: Metalworking. You may take this feat multiple times. The amount of magic items you can forge per day stacks.
Warlord
Prerequisites: ten fighter feats
Effect: You are a warlord, general, knight lord, king or other figure of authority that can gather and command armies. In an 8-hour period you spend with your contacts, tribe, domain or position of power you may gather a number of followers equal to the square of the fighter feats you possess. Each follower can be up to a CR equal to 1/4 the fighter feats you possess. You may gather fewer followers than normal, in proportionately smaller time. I.e. if you could gather 100 followers in 8 hours, you could get a single follower in 5 minutes. Once called, followers remain until dismissed. Followers have mundane equipment only (not NPC wealth) they will not part with and can participate in 1 encounter per day. A Warlord may command a number of different armies equal to his charisma modifier.
Special: You may take this feat more than once, representing multiple sources of followers. The number of armies you can field stacks. You can gather followers from multiple sources at the same time. If an army you gathered is slain or decisively defeated, reduce your effective rank of Warlord by 1 for this source for 1 month. Enemies may take up (and potentially succeed in) quests to remove or destroy your source of followers. You may get a new source of followers by succeeding on a quest of your own.
2) Fighter feats were supposed to be the fighter's class features. He only gets 11 of them, leaving dead levels, and even the levels where a feat is gained are uninteresting because fighter feats are static bonuses. Even the Pathfinder fighter doesn't really fix that.
3) Fighter feats give quite limited, quite weak options. A single strong buff will be better than all of a fighter's feats for any character levels beyond 4 or so. In addition, magic feats are much better than any fighter feats - just compare most Item Creation or Metamagic feats to Fighter feats i.e. Persistent Spell vs Weapon Specialization.
In short, the Fighter is hosed as we all know. Thus I present the following feats that scale by level and are essentially class abilities for the fighter class that give appropriately high bonuses to high-level fighters;
GENERAL RULES
All the following feats are fighter bonus feats.
If a feat refers to your "fighter feats" it means "feats that can be taken as fighter bonus feats, which you gained directly from class bonus feats, race, flaws and level advancement but not other sources such as spells, items, rituals, achievements, use of special abilities, feat use, powers and any other means that would give more feats than normal."
Advanced Weapon Focus
Prerequisites: Fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: You gain weapon focus for a number of weapons equal to your number of fighter feats. If you aren't proficient with said weapons you also become proficient with them. For every 5 fighter feats you possess you gain the benefit of an additional feat of your choice from the weapon focus chain for those weapons. Those feats are greater weapon focus, improved critical, weapon specialization, greater weapon specialization
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, choosing additional weapons to apply its effects to.
Advanced Martial Technique
Prerequisites: Fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: You gain the benefit of a single non-scaling combat feat or general you meet the prerequisites for. For every 5 fighter feats you possess, you gain the benefits on an additional non-scaling combat or general feat.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times, gaining the benefit of additional feats.
Advanced Martial Training
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every 2 fighter feats you possess you gain one ToB maneuver known and readied. You must meet maneuver and initiator level prerequisites to learn a maneuver, though you can have lower-level maneuvers in the same feat as the prerequisites for the higher-level ones. Your initiator level is equal to your number of fighter feats. You recover maneuvers expended as per a swordsage.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, learning additional maneuvers. You may pick a maneuver more than once, allowing you to ready it more than once.
Advanced Martial Stance
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every 4 fighter feats you possess you learn one ToB martial stance you meet the prerequisites for.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times, learning additional stances.
True Aim
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every fighter feat you possess your melee and ranged attacks can penetrate a barrier 1 inch thick and still strike an enemy taking cover behind it. Alternatively, for every 4 fighter feats you possess you may reroll miss chances due to concealment, incorporeality or magical effects and take the best roll.
Improved Toughness
Prerequisites: fighter lvl 1 or four fighter feats
Effect: You gain 3 extra hit points per fighter feat you possess and Fast Healing 1 for every 7 fighter feats you possess.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. The effects stack.
Improved Resilience
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: For every four fighter feats you possess reduce each ability damage, ability drain, ability penalty or negative level effect by 1 to a minimum of 0.
Improved Resistance
Prerequisites: ten fighter feats
Effect: Reduce any damage taken of any type or source by 1 per fighter feat you possess, to a minimum of 0.
Improved Defense
Prerequisites: fighter lvl 1 OR two fighter feats
Effect: you gain a competence bonus to AC equal to the number of fighter feats you possess. It doesn't stack with armor bonuses.
Special: if you have 5 or more fighter feats, you also gain a 5% chance to dodge attacks and targeted effects per fighter feat you possess, to a maximum of 75% chance for 15 feats.
Instant Parry
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: Against any attack that requires an attack roll aimed at you you may roll an opposed attack roll with any weapon or shield you are holding. If you use your shield, add the shield's enhancement bonus and shield focus (if any) to the roll. If your roll is greater than the attacker's roll, the attack is blocked, parried, deflected or otherwise pushed aside harmlessly. You cannot use this feat against attacks you lose your dexterity bonus against.
Intuition
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats, perception 8 ranks
Effect: After years of lonely watches as a sentry or guardsman you have a sixth sense for secrets. Against hidden (via stealth, magic, concealment or other means) creatures or objects within 20 ft per fighter feat you possess make an unmodified perception check against their unmodified stealth/sleight of hand checks (if hidden via skill or the environment) or the unmodified caster/manifester/initiator level check (if hidden via other effects). If successful, you can pinpoint creatures within your range and know that an object has been hidden. You do not know what object has been hidden and hidden creatures still have any concealment or cover they'd normally get against you but you are not considered surprised or flat-footed against them.
Special: Failed intuition checks are retried every time a creature takes an action or every time an object is used. You do not get to retry against inactive creatures or objects.
Combat Mobility
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as a free action, expend a point to get an additional 5-ft-step or increase your speed for the round by 5 ft.
Special: If you have Combat Swiftness and/or Combat Surge, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Combat Swiftness
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as a free action, expend eight points to get an additional move action or standard action for the round. The move action can only be used for martial or mundane actions, not supernatural abilities and the standard action can only be used for attacks. You may not take a full-round action in any round in which you got additional attacks.
Special: If you have Combat Mobility and/or Combat Surge, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Combat Surge
Prerequisites: twelve fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points per round equal to your number of fighter feats. You may, as free action, expend fifteen points to perform an action that would normally be a move or standard action. The move action can only be used for martial or mundane actions, not supernatural abilities and the standard action can only be used for attacks. Combat Surge can be used to interrupt other actions when it is not your turn.
Special: If you have Combat Swiftness and/or Combat Mobility, add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use.
Defiance
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a fortitude save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Determination and/or Withstand add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Determination
Prerequisites: twelve fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a will save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Defiance and/or Withstand add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Withstand
Prerequisites: eight fighter feats
Effect: You have a number of points equal to your number of fighter feats. Whenever you are affected by an attack or effect requiring a reflex save you may expend a number of points equal to the effect's level and succeed on your save without rolling. You must make the decision to expend points after you learn the effect's level but before you roll for any saves. Spent points regenerate at a rate of 1 point per round.
Special: If you have Determination and/or Defiance add up the points to a single common point pool that all of them can use. If you have all three, you may negate effects that do not allow a saving throw by expending twice their level in points; if you do any damage is halved and other effects are negated entirely. You may not negate effects that don't have levels such as normal attacks or feats.
Mounted Knight
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: you have a trained animal mount of a CR equal to your number of fighter feats. The mount must be at least one size category larger than you and suitable for riding. Animal mounts obey simple, one-word commands. If you have eight fighter feats or more, you may choose a magical beast instead of an animal for a mount. Magical beast mounts may understand more than simple commands if they have high intelligence. If you have twelve fighter feats or more, you may select a Dragon mount. Dragon mounts are fully intelligent allies rather than pets.
Special: If a mount is slain you may replace it after 1 day per CR of the new mount, or whenever an opportunity arises at the DM's discretion, whichever comes first.
Weaponsmith
Prerequisites: four fighter feats
Effect: Using exotic materials from innately magical ores to body parts of supernatural creatures to energy-infused gemstones to reprocessing existing magic items you may craft magic arms and armor as well as wondrous items that are articles of clothing, armor or jewelry, without needing to be a spellcaster or needing to know specific spells. You must pay for materials or use up existing precious metals/gems or magic items equal to the forged items' full value but you have no XP expenditure. You may forge 300 gp worth of such items per day per fighter feat you possess.
Special: You must still make the relevant craft skill checks to make the base item a masterwork item for weapons or armor, usually Craft: Metalworking. You may take this feat multiple times. The amount of magic items you can forge per day stacks.
Warlord
Prerequisites: ten fighter feats
Effect: You are a warlord, general, knight lord, king or other figure of authority that can gather and command armies. In an 8-hour period you spend with your contacts, tribe, domain or position of power you may gather a number of followers equal to the square of the fighter feats you possess. Each follower can be up to a CR equal to 1/4 the fighter feats you possess. You may gather fewer followers than normal, in proportionately smaller time. I.e. if you could gather 100 followers in 8 hours, you could get a single follower in 5 minutes. Once called, followers remain until dismissed. Followers have mundane equipment only (not NPC wealth) they will not part with and can participate in 1 encounter per day. A Warlord may command a number of different armies equal to his charisma modifier.
Special: You may take this feat more than once, representing multiple sources of followers. The number of armies you can field stacks. You can gather followers from multiple sources at the same time. If an army you gathered is slain or decisively defeated, reduce your effective rank of Warlord by 1 for this source for 1 month. Enemies may take up (and potentially succeed in) quests to remove or destroy your source of followers. You may get a new source of followers by succeeding on a quest of your own.