Krellen
2007-03-18, 11:36 AM
I've been thinking up a bit on the way Fighters - and their feats - work. Some of the "standard" Fighter feats - Weapon Focus, Specialisation, Improved Critical, etc. - just don't seem to work right.
First, I'll tackle Weapon Focus; as written, it's a feat worth 300 gp (the cost of making a weapon masterwork.) As a counter example, the various skill-boost feats are worth 1200 gp (the cost of a +2 bonus to two skills; 900 gp for Skill Focus). Clearly, Weapon Focus is undervalued. At 1st level, it's bonus is significant - it doubles a Fighter's combat ability! But at 20th, it's virtually useless: a mere 5% bonus to combat ability. That level of decay is too steep.
Weapon Specialisation inadequately reflects the bonuses a "specialist" should truly have, as well. I've retooled its bonuses as well. I've also made it not a fighter-only feat: the reason for this will become clear when I get to the Fighter himself.
Of course, changes to these two base feats require changes to their Greater versions as well, so I've included those.
Weapon Focus [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster) as your weapon for the purposes of this feat. You are especially good at using this weapon. (If you have chosen ray, you are especially good with rays, such as the one produced by the ray of frost spell.)
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, base attack bonus +1.
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon. If you gain iterative attacks from a high base attack bonus, this bonus becomes +2 on the second attack, +3 on the third attack, and +4 on the fourth.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Weapon Focus as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Weapon Specialisation [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are especially skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon focus with selected weapon, base attack bonus +4.
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls with the selected weapon. In addition, when it is beneficial to you (such as resisting a disarm), you may consider the selected weapon as one "step" larger than normal (thus, a light weapon is treated as one-handed, and a one-handed weapon as two-handed. A two-handed weapon remains two-handed.) This does not change the base damage of the weapon, nor allow you to apply more of your Strength bonus to damage. This does allow you to utilise the Power Attack feat with a light weapon, however.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Weapon Specialisation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Greater Weapon Focus [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are exceptionally skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, fighter level 8th.
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon. If you gain iterative attacks from a high base attack bonus, this bonus becomes +2 on the second attack, +3 on the third attack, and +4 on the fourth. This bonus stacks with other bonuses on attack rolls, including the one from Weapon Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Greater Weapon Focus as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Greater Weapon Specialisation [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Specialisation feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are exceptionally skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, Weapon Specialisation with selected weapon, Greater Weapon Focus with selected weapon, fighter level 12th.
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls you make using the selected weapon. This bonus stacks with other bonuses on damage rolls, including the one from Weapon Specialisation. In addition, you may treat this weapon as light, one-handed or two-handed, whichever is most beneficial to you. This allows you to deal one-and-a-half times your Strength damage with a one-handed or light weapon, or utilise the Weapon Finesse feat with a two-handed or one-handed weapon. It does not change how many hands are actually required to wield the weapon.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Greater Weapon Specialisation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Virtually every Fighter takes these feats. Based upon the basic rule that a feat taken by every member of a class should be a class feature instead, I present the retooled Fighter:
Fighter
Over the course of an adventuring career, most adventurers adopt - and eventually master - one style of combat, focusing on one or two specific weapons. But where most adventurers leave time to develop other skills, the Fighter devotes himself wholly to combat, mastering many styles and many weapons over the course of his career. Anyone can master a single weapon; the Fighter seeks to master them all.
Fighter
{table=head]Level|
Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Bonus feat
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Bonus feat
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Signature Weapon
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|Bonus feat
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Signature Weapon
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Bonus feat
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+2|Signature Weapon
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+2|Bonus feat
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+3|Signature Weapon
10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+3|Bonus feat
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+3|Signature Weapon
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+4x|Bonus feat
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Signature Weapon
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+4|Bonus feat
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+5|Signature Weapon
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Bonus feat
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+5|Signature Weapon
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Bonus feat
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+6|Signature Weapon
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Bonus feat[/table]
Signature Weapon: Starting at level 3, and every two levels after that, the Fighter can adapt his fighting style to incorporate a more diverse arsenal. He may apply the benefits of any weapon-specific feats he possesses (Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialisation, Improved Critical, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialisation) to an additional weapon. For example, Arick has Weapon Focus with the greataxe. At 3rd level, he chooses the longbow as a signature weapon; he now gains the benefits of Weapon Focus with both his greataxe and his longbow.
If the Fighter does not already possess these feats, he insteads gains them as bonus feats with the following progression:
{table=head]Level|
Bonus Feat
3rd| Weapon Focus
5th| Weapon Specialisation
9th| Greater Weapon Focus
11th| Improved Critical
13th| Greater Weapon Specialisation[/table]
He gains a Signature Weapon as normal at levels 7, 15, 17 and 19.
First, I'll tackle Weapon Focus; as written, it's a feat worth 300 gp (the cost of making a weapon masterwork.) As a counter example, the various skill-boost feats are worth 1200 gp (the cost of a +2 bonus to two skills; 900 gp for Skill Focus). Clearly, Weapon Focus is undervalued. At 1st level, it's bonus is significant - it doubles a Fighter's combat ability! But at 20th, it's virtually useless: a mere 5% bonus to combat ability. That level of decay is too steep.
Weapon Specialisation inadequately reflects the bonuses a "specialist" should truly have, as well. I've retooled its bonuses as well. I've also made it not a fighter-only feat: the reason for this will become clear when I get to the Fighter himself.
Of course, changes to these two base feats require changes to their Greater versions as well, so I've included those.
Weapon Focus [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster) as your weapon for the purposes of this feat. You are especially good at using this weapon. (If you have chosen ray, you are especially good with rays, such as the one produced by the ray of frost spell.)
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, base attack bonus +1.
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon. If you gain iterative attacks from a high base attack bonus, this bonus becomes +2 on the second attack, +3 on the third attack, and +4 on the fourth.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Weapon Focus as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Weapon Specialisation [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are especially skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon focus with selected weapon, base attack bonus +4.
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls with the selected weapon. In addition, when it is beneficial to you (such as resisting a disarm), you may consider the selected weapon as one "step" larger than normal (thus, a light weapon is treated as one-handed, and a one-handed weapon as two-handed. A two-handed weapon remains two-handed.) This does not change the base damage of the weapon, nor allow you to apply more of your Strength bonus to damage. This does allow you to utilise the Power Attack feat with a light weapon, however.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Weapon Specialisation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Greater Weapon Focus [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Focus feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are exceptionally skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, fighter level 8th.
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon. If you gain iterative attacks from a high base attack bonus, this bonus becomes +2 on the second attack, +3 on the third attack, and +4 on the fourth. This bonus stacks with other bonuses on attack rolls, including the one from Weapon Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Greater Weapon Focus as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Greater Weapon Specialisation [General]
Choose one type of weapon, such as greataxe, for which you have already selected the Weapon Specialisation feat. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple as your weapon for purposes of this feat. You are exceptionally skilled with this weapon.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with selected weapon, Weapon Focus with selected weapon, Weapon Specialisation with selected weapon, Greater Weapon Focus with selected weapon, fighter level 12th.
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus on all damage rolls you make using the selected weapon. This bonus stacks with other bonuses on damage rolls, including the one from Weapon Specialisation. In addition, you may treat this weapon as light, one-handed or two-handed, whichever is most beneficial to you. This allows you to deal one-and-a-half times your Strength damage with a one-handed or light weapon, or utilise the Weapon Finesse feat with a two-handed or one-handed weapon. It does not change how many hands are actually required to wield the weapon.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new type of weapon.
A fighter may select Greater Weapon Specialisation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Virtually every Fighter takes these feats. Based upon the basic rule that a feat taken by every member of a class should be a class feature instead, I present the retooled Fighter:
Fighter
Over the course of an adventuring career, most adventurers adopt - and eventually master - one style of combat, focusing on one or two specific weapons. But where most adventurers leave time to develop other skills, the Fighter devotes himself wholly to combat, mastering many styles and many weapons over the course of his career. Anyone can master a single weapon; the Fighter seeks to master them all.
Fighter
{table=head]Level|
Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Bonus feat
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Bonus feat
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Signature Weapon
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|Bonus feat
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Signature Weapon
6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Bonus feat
7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+2|Signature Weapon
8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+2|Bonus feat
9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+3|Signature Weapon
10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+3|Bonus feat
11th|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+3|
+3|Signature Weapon
12th|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+4|
+4x|Bonus feat
13th|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Signature Weapon
14th|
+14/+9/+4|
+9|
+4|
+4|Bonus feat
15th|
+15/+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+5|Signature Weapon
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Bonus feat
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+5|
+5|Signature Weapon
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Bonus feat
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+6|
+6|Signature Weapon
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Bonus feat[/table]
Signature Weapon: Starting at level 3, and every two levels after that, the Fighter can adapt his fighting style to incorporate a more diverse arsenal. He may apply the benefits of any weapon-specific feats he possesses (Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialisation, Improved Critical, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialisation) to an additional weapon. For example, Arick has Weapon Focus with the greataxe. At 3rd level, he chooses the longbow as a signature weapon; he now gains the benefits of Weapon Focus with both his greataxe and his longbow.
If the Fighter does not already possess these feats, he insteads gains them as bonus feats with the following progression:
{table=head]Level|
Bonus Feat
3rd| Weapon Focus
5th| Weapon Specialisation
9th| Greater Weapon Focus
11th| Improved Critical
13th| Greater Weapon Specialisation[/table]
He gains a Signature Weapon as normal at levels 7, 15, 17 and 19.