Fighters and Feat Chains

[Segev]

This isn't going to elevate the Fighter to T2 or anything, but what if, on each level wherein a Fighter does not get a bonus feat, he could, for every Fighter feat he has (whether picked using his Fighter bonus feats or using normal feat selections), he could choose to learn any feat which has those feats as prerequisites for which he meets all prerequisites?

So a fighter who picked up Dodge at level 1 could pick up Mobility at level 3 and (because he needs a +4 BAB) Spring Attack at level 5. If he also had picked up Weapon Focus at level 2, 3, or 4, he could additionally pick up Weapon Specialization at level 5.

A human fighter could pick up EWP: Spiked Chain, Dodge and Combat Expertise at level 1, pick up Weapon Focus (longsword) at level 2, use his "feat chain" class feature at level 3 to pick up Mobility (off of Dodge) and Improved Trip (off of Combat Expertise), pick up Power Attack at level 4, and at level 5 chain the following:

Dodge->Mobility->Spring Attack
Combat Expertise->Whirlwind Attack (needed Spring Attack and a +4 BAB, so had to wait 'til now)
Weapon Focus (Spiked Chain)->Weapon Specialization (Spiked Chain) (needed 4 levels of Fighter, so had to wait 'til now unless he wanted to pick up Weapon spec with a fighter feat)
Power Attack->Cleave

He picks any other "entry" fighter bonus feat at level 6, as well as a "normal" feat. At level 7, he can chain still other things off of each of the feats he's got (continuing the Power Attack tree, for instance).

This can lead to somewhat explosive expansion, as technically he could chain Dodge to something at level 5, if there are other things to which to chain it (and, in books beyond the core, there are plenty).

[TheIronGolem]

Sounds like a needless complication. Why not just give a bonus feat at every level?

Also, it's probably possible to take a fighter to 2nd level without taking any feats that act as prerequisites for further feats. What happens when that guy reaches 3rd level?

[Segev]

While it's imperfect, as noted, since one could take Fighter feats that render you as having no options or could optimize feat selection to maximize options, it is important to note that the complexity leads to MORE feats than one would get from "a feat every level," if one optimizes even a little for feats that are prerequisites to other feats.

[TheIronGolem]

Well, that's a fairly serious problem. One mid-level fighter could have vastly more feats than another fighter of the same level and similar build theme, simply because he put his feats in a more optimal order. Sure, higher levels of system mastery will almost always produce superior builds, but what you propose would act as a force multiplier that widens that gap.

[HammeredWharf]

I don't like this. I never liked D&D's focus on planning instead of organic character progression and this is the embodiment of planning.

[OldTrees1]

Pros:
Gaining combat bonus feats that are not on the fighter bonus feat list as a Fighter class feature is a good way to fix the fighter bonus feat list.

Gaining quadratic quantities of combat feats is a good way to handle the negative scaling of most combat feats.

It encourages getting many starting fighter feats at low levels (Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Two Weapon Fighting, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency ...)

Con:
The only thing I don't like is that it can give drastically different numbers of feats to 2 different fighters.
However this can be fixed. In stead of having it be uncapped at each level. Let them gain (class level +1)/2 feats. They must meet the prerequisites for each feat and each feat needs to have a previously selected fighter bonus feat as a prerequisite.

[Segev]

My original idea, which I rejected because it would get too front-loaded too quickly, was simply to have Fighters have a class feature that states that they automatically gain fighter bonus feats for which they have all the prerequisites when those prerequisites are met. Fighter bonus feats that have no prereqs still have to be purchased with feat slots.

[dextercorvia]

I like it. I would play a fighter under that system.

[Segev]

Under which, the one in the OP, or the simpler but perhaps less balanced one that could front-load too easily?

[dextercorvia]

Under which, the one in the OP, or the simpler but perhaps less balanced one that could front-load too easily?

The system in the OP, perhaps limited as OldTrees suggests.