Melee BC

[PaucaTerrorem]

DM is running a Core only game. I want a melee guy who can do battlefield control. I can talk him into allowing a few things from splat, i.e.Dungeoncrasher, but not much. It's Core books and Human.

How do I do it?

[Juntao112]

Wield a reach weapon. Spiked Chains are great for this. Have a means of enlarging yourself, such as Enlarge Person. Take Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, and Improved Trip. If your DM allows Improved Trip to trigger Cleave, take Power Attack and Cleave.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

Horizon Tripper is considered the gold standard of Core Melee/Control/Utility

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80415

[Xerlith]

I think I shall point you to the Horizon Tripper. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80415)

[Person_Man]

Druid 5+

Cleric 7ish+ with buffs

Wizard 7ish+ with Polymorph

Paladin wielding a lance two handed with Spirited Charge + Power Attack + riding a Special Mount that you improve with the Leadership Feat. (Preferably a Halfling, so you can be Small and ride a Medium Mount).

[eggynack]

Druid 5+

Also 4-, when you account for the animal companion. Entangle+riding dog makes for a strong combination of melee and BFC.

[Zharradan Marr]

If something can be allowed from splat, ask for the Wolf Totem Barbarian from UA. It's a way to cheat into Improved Trip while bypassing prereqs.

[Zombulian]

Knight with a way to increase his size, a spiked chain, Combat Reflexes, other ways to increase reach, and Stand Still.

[Invader]

I never saw the appeal of taking a subpar class for 6 levels to get dim door at will.

[Seerow]

Knight with a way to increase his size, a spiked chain, Combat Reflexes, other ways to increase reach, and Stand Still.

Knight awful though. At most levels I'd rather play a straight fighter than a Knight.

[Gwendol]

Knight with a way to increase his size, a spiked chain, Combat Reflexes, other ways to increase reach, and Stand Still.

While a solid choice, it's unclear if the PHBII is "Core". If it does though, go for it since Test of Mettle is a way to have the mooks flock to you.

[Zombulian]

Knight awful though. At most levels I'd rather play a straight fighter than a Knight.
Leave. Just get out of my sight.
Jerk.
:smalltongue:


While a solid choice, it's unclear if the PHBII is "Core". If it does though, go for it since Test of Mettle is a way to have the mooks flock to you.

Yeah missed the core part. The build can be done with a Fighter as well, though with the surplus feats it makes Improved Trip a nicer option. Pick up Goad as well I suppose, since Fighter doesn't get Test of Mettle.

[Seerow]

Leave. Just get out of my sight.
Jerk.
:smalltongue:

Don't hate me, hate the class.



Yeah missed the core part. The build can be done with a Fighter as well, though with the surplus feats it makes Improved Trip a nicer option. Pick up Goad as well I suppose, since Fighter doesn't get Test of Mettle.

Goad isn't core either...


Really Core mundane BFC is going to be really painful core only. You get Imp Trip and Standstill (and this assumes SRD = Core, so Psionics is available), which are both great. But you're losing out on a bunch of ways to boost reach, you're missing Thicket of Blades, the various intimidate shenanigans, any way to inflict status conditions besides prone...


Honestly if core = SRD, and you actually mean melee, my recommendation would be Psiwar 20. If by melee you meant Mundane, I'm really not sure this is going to work at all past level 5 or so.

[Zombulian]

Don't hate me, hate the class.

But I love the class.


Goad isn't core either...

Son of a gun


Honestly if core = SRD, and you actually mean melee, my recommendation would be Psiwar 20. If by melee you meant Mundane, I'm really not sure this is going to work at all past level 5 or so.

Yeah that's mostly true.

[Hurnn]

DM is running a Core only game. I want a melee guy who can do battlefield control. I can talk him into allowing a few things from splat, i.e.Dungeoncrasher, but not much. It's Core books and Human.

How do I do it?

well if you go for dungeoncrasher, you gotta get him to let you have shock trooper too makes your life so much easier.

[Gwendol]

Knight awful though. At most levels I'd rather play a straight fighter than a Knight.

It can be made to work. It's not worse than fighter, unless you mess up.

But yes, if we're talking SRD: Horizon Tripper or PsyWarrior are recommended.

Paladin in core is going to be a pain, even with a reach weapon.

[Zharradan Marr]

well if you go for dungeoncrasher, you gotta get him to let you have shock trooper too makes your life so much easier.
These options have nothing to do with Battlefield control. They are good, but not BC. In 4E terms, Dungeoncrasher+Shock Trooper make a Striker, not a Controller.

[Seerow]

Shock trooper isn't used JUST for power attack damage, that's just the main use people on the forums get when they're showing off big numbers. Directed Bullrush and Domino Charge are both useful for BFC.

Also, Dungeoncrasher + Knockback can be fairly decent bfc with some damage thrown in. Add in Knockdown/Improved trip and whenever you make an attack you knock the enemy back, trip them and get a bonus attack (which you can use to knock them back further). It's not too bad.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

I never saw the appeal of taking a subpar class for 6 levels to get dim door at will.

What is par in core in your opinion?

More Fighter to get 2 feats? It's fairly easy to complete any of the half decent core combos without extra fighter leaving ou to pick up another trick or get lackluster bonuses.

Barbarian? I suppose, Greater rage is nice, but not huge. More uses of Rage is good to elevate it from once per day to every encounter. If case by case approvals is possible, like in the OP's scenario, Extra Rage is a very non threatening feat to ask for.

Horizon Walker 1-5 get's Immune to Fatigue/Exhaust is Fatigue, Darkvision 60 ft, +4 to a bunch of skills and +1 to hit and damage against most Prime dwellers.

They're easy to dismiss, but in Core Darkvision and those skill bonuses are a real resource, also you clearly take Shifting first, but tremorsense 30 is pretty amazing too.

[Invader]

What is par in core in your opinion?

More Fighter to get two feats? It's fairly easy to complete any of the half decent core combos without extra fighter leaving ou to pick up another trick or get lackluster bonuses.

Barbarian? I suppose, Greater rage is nice, but not huge. More uses of Rage is good to elevate it from once per day to every encounter. If case by case approvals is possible, like in the OP's scenario, Extra Rage is a very non threatening feat to ask for.

Horizon Walker 1-5 get's Immune to Fatigue/Exhaust is Fatigue, Darkvision 60 ft, +4 to a bunch of skills and +1 to hit and damage against most Prime dwellers.

They're easy to dismiss, but in Core Darkvision and those skill bonuses are a real resource, also you clearly take Shifting first, but tremorsense 30 is pretty amazing too.

You'd actually get 3 fighter feats and you wouldn't have to waste a feat on endurance which is about useless so that would net you a total of 4, plus slightly improved hps but regardless I just don't see Horizon Walker being that much outstanding even in core. Barbarian would continue to be good, a rogue dip for skills/SA/abilities wouldn't be bad either. It's just by the time that dim door comes on line it's not that much of a game changer, it's not bad by any means but it's not the be all end all imo.

[Petrocorus]

The Horizon Tripper is very good at what he do.

But i second the PsyWarrior, if core means SRD.
Note that if you play high lvl enough, you could build a Psion/Slayer quite good too.