Quellian-dyrae
2007-01-08, 02:21 PM
There are basically four ways to handle a melee weapon. The devastating power of the two handed grip; the blurring speed of two weapon fighting; the powerful defenses of the weapon and shield combination; and the, um, the opportunity to wave "hi" to people while fighting with a weapon in one hand?
Frankly, one handed fighting is virtually useless. Even feats that would seem to favor fighting with a single weapon (spring attack, for example) are no less effective (and probably more effective) when using a two handed weapon or a shield. This selection of feats is an effort to rectify that by giving the single-weapon specialist its own role to fill: accuracy. The feats are probably a degree more powerful than some others, but this extra benefit is made up for by requiring that you fight using the weakest fighting style.
All of these may be selected as fighter bonus feats.
Combat Elitism:
You favor precision strikes over massive damage.
Prerequisites: Int 13+.
Benefit: You can lower your damage rolls to increase your attack rolls. Each -2 you take on damage increases your attack rolls by +1. These adjustments must be initiated on your turn and last the entire round. You can get a bonus no higher than your base attack bonus, and you may not wind up with a negative modifier on damage (so a character with a damage roll of 1d8+7 could take no more than -7 to damage). You may not power attack and use combat elitism in the same round.
Special: A barbarian in rage (or another character using a rage ability) cannot use the combat elitism feat.
Combat Elitism, Improved:
You fight very effectively when using only one hand in combat.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism.
Benefit: When you use the combat elitism feat while using only one hand in combat (so, not fighting with two weapons, or a weapon in both hands, or using a shield, or attacking with a natural weapon/unarmed strike in addition to your weapon attack, and so on) you take a -1 penalty on damage for each +1 to your attack roll. The normal rules for combat elitism apply.
Elite Threat:
You take advantage of critical openings to make another deft attack.
Prerequisites: Dex 13+, Combat Elitism.
Benefit: When you score a threat with an attack while using only one hand in combat, you may choose to forego your check to score a critical hit and instead make an immediate additional attack against the same opponent.
Elite Threat, Improved:
You take advantage of critical openings to make another deft attack.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Combat Elitism, Elite Threat.
Benefit: Your secondary attacks due to the elite threat feat have threat ranges equal to the base threat range of your weapon. No adjustments to your threat range from any source apply to these secondary attacks.
If you do score a threat on one of these secondary attacks, you can attempt a critical hit or make another attack, which itself uses the base threat range of your weapon.
Elitist Strike:
You watch for the perfect moment, executing a single precise strike.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: While fighting with only one hand in combat, you may, as a full round action, make a single precise strike. You gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll. When your base attack bonus reaches +11, this bonus changes to +4. When your base attack bonus reaches +16, the bonus changes to +6.
Elitist Strike, Improved:
Your elitist strikes are more likely than normal to score critical hits.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +9.
Benefit: When you make an elitist strike, your threat range increases by one per point of the attack roll increase, provided you are wielding a weapon with a X2 critical multiplier. If the critical multiplier is X3, the increase is +1 per two points. If the multiplier is X4, it is +1 per three points. This bonus does stack with other effects that improve critical hits.
Elitist Strike, Greater:
If you score a critical hit on an elitist strike, it is particularly devastating.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Improved Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +12.
Benefit: When you score a critical hit on an elitist strike, your critical multiplier increases by 1. This does not change the threat range increase afforded you by the improved elitist strike feat.
Elitist Strike, Swift:
You can spot an opening for an elitist strike more quickly.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: You may make an elitist strike as a standard action, rather than a full-round action. You may only make one elitist strike per round, but you may do so after a move, as part of a spring attack, and so on. Since you are not necessarily taking advantage of as good an opening as you would with a full-round action, you gain only half the usual benefit of the improved elitist strike feat, and no benefit from greater elitist strike, when using this option.
Precision Strike:
Your damage power comes from skill, not strength.
Prerequisites: Dex 13+, Combat Elitism or Weapon Finesse.
Benefit: When using only one hand in combat, you may substitute your Dexterity modifier for your Strength modifier for damage rolls with a melee weapon. The benefit of this feat only applies when wielding a weapon that can be affected by the weapon finesse feat.
Precision Strike, Improved:
You can maintain a skillful showing even while concentrating on your off hand.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Precision Strike, Weapon Finesse.
Benefit: You may use your precision strike feat even when not using only one hand in combat. If you do so, you do not halve your damage bonus with an off-hand weapon, but neither do you increase it for wielding a weapon in both hands. This feat does not allow you to utilize other one-handed fighting feats or abilities with multiple hands, only precision strike.
Frankly, one handed fighting is virtually useless. Even feats that would seem to favor fighting with a single weapon (spring attack, for example) are no less effective (and probably more effective) when using a two handed weapon or a shield. This selection of feats is an effort to rectify that by giving the single-weapon specialist its own role to fill: accuracy. The feats are probably a degree more powerful than some others, but this extra benefit is made up for by requiring that you fight using the weakest fighting style.
All of these may be selected as fighter bonus feats.
Combat Elitism:
You favor precision strikes over massive damage.
Prerequisites: Int 13+.
Benefit: You can lower your damage rolls to increase your attack rolls. Each -2 you take on damage increases your attack rolls by +1. These adjustments must be initiated on your turn and last the entire round. You can get a bonus no higher than your base attack bonus, and you may not wind up with a negative modifier on damage (so a character with a damage roll of 1d8+7 could take no more than -7 to damage). You may not power attack and use combat elitism in the same round.
Special: A barbarian in rage (or another character using a rage ability) cannot use the combat elitism feat.
Combat Elitism, Improved:
You fight very effectively when using only one hand in combat.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism.
Benefit: When you use the combat elitism feat while using only one hand in combat (so, not fighting with two weapons, or a weapon in both hands, or using a shield, or attacking with a natural weapon/unarmed strike in addition to your weapon attack, and so on) you take a -1 penalty on damage for each +1 to your attack roll. The normal rules for combat elitism apply.
Elite Threat:
You take advantage of critical openings to make another deft attack.
Prerequisites: Dex 13+, Combat Elitism.
Benefit: When you score a threat with an attack while using only one hand in combat, you may choose to forego your check to score a critical hit and instead make an immediate additional attack against the same opponent.
Elite Threat, Improved:
You take advantage of critical openings to make another deft attack.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Combat Elitism, Elite Threat.
Benefit: Your secondary attacks due to the elite threat feat have threat ranges equal to the base threat range of your weapon. No adjustments to your threat range from any source apply to these secondary attacks.
If you do score a threat on one of these secondary attacks, you can attempt a critical hit or make another attack, which itself uses the base threat range of your weapon.
Elitist Strike:
You watch for the perfect moment, executing a single precise strike.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: While fighting with only one hand in combat, you may, as a full round action, make a single precise strike. You gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll. When your base attack bonus reaches +11, this bonus changes to +4. When your base attack bonus reaches +16, the bonus changes to +6.
Elitist Strike, Improved:
Your elitist strikes are more likely than normal to score critical hits.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +9.
Benefit: When you make an elitist strike, your threat range increases by one per point of the attack roll increase, provided you are wielding a weapon with a X2 critical multiplier. If the critical multiplier is X3, the increase is +1 per two points. If the multiplier is X4, it is +1 per three points. This bonus does stack with other effects that improve critical hits.
Elitist Strike, Greater:
If you score a critical hit on an elitist strike, it is particularly devastating.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Improved Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +12.
Benefit: When you score a critical hit on an elitist strike, your critical multiplier increases by 1. This does not change the threat range increase afforded you by the improved elitist strike feat.
Elitist Strike, Swift:
You can spot an opening for an elitist strike more quickly.
Prerequisites: Int 13+, Combat Elitism, Improved Combat Elitism, Elitist Strike, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: You may make an elitist strike as a standard action, rather than a full-round action. You may only make one elitist strike per round, but you may do so after a move, as part of a spring attack, and so on. Since you are not necessarily taking advantage of as good an opening as you would with a full-round action, you gain only half the usual benefit of the improved elitist strike feat, and no benefit from greater elitist strike, when using this option.
Precision Strike:
Your damage power comes from skill, not strength.
Prerequisites: Dex 13+, Combat Elitism or Weapon Finesse.
Benefit: When using only one hand in combat, you may substitute your Dexterity modifier for your Strength modifier for damage rolls with a melee weapon. The benefit of this feat only applies when wielding a weapon that can be affected by the weapon finesse feat.
Precision Strike, Improved:
You can maintain a skillful showing even while concentrating on your off hand.
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Precision Strike, Weapon Finesse.
Benefit: You may use your precision strike feat even when not using only one hand in combat. If you do so, you do not halve your damage bonus with an off-hand weapon, but neither do you increase it for wielding a weapon in both hands. This feat does not allow you to utilize other one-handed fighting feats or abilities with multiple hands, only precision strike.