[feat]Power Defense

[Winged One]

Power Defense[general]
Your great strength allows you to bat aside some blows with ease.
Prerequisite: STR 15, Power Attack
Benefit: When taking the Total Defense action, you add half of your Strength bonus as a dodge bonus to your Armor Class against melee attacks. You may also do so when using the Combat Expertise feat, but you only get the bonus you would from a strength bonus up to the penalty you took to hit.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as a bonus feat.

So, is it good as is, does it need work, or is it an abomination that should never have seen the light of this forum?

[jindra34]

why would Strength provide a bonus to defense is my only question?

[Green Leviathan]

I like it. It reminds me of those times in moveis/books/whatever when someone have to grab a sword midswipe or hitting away another weapon as it comes at you.

I would change the fighting defensively part though, imagine a Cloud Giant or some such with this just fighting defensively with like a 10+ bonus to his ac for -4 to an already insane attack.

I would consider mabey just using something simular to combat expertise. mabey subtract strength bonus from damage and add to 1/2 AC.

[Corncracker]

A dodge Bonus seems odd, as strength will hardly help you avoid an attack. You'd be better off Calling it a deflection bonus, or a DR (Strength Modifer)/-

Even if you want to keep the AC Bonus instead, I'd suggest changing it to a different kind of Bonus, like my previously suggested Deflection.

[ZeroNumerous]

I only have one question. Why does Strength give a Dodge bonus? If you're smacking swords and things away, wouldn't it give a Deflection bonus? And would it function versus arrows?

Ninja'd.

[Vhaidara]

I think that you should lose the amount of STR bonus you give up for that round, meaning any AOO or bull rush and that stuff. And a max of a +5 trade in, just like Power Attack.

[Spiryt]

why would Strength provide a bonus to defense is my only question?

I don't want to be jerk or anything but he stated it quite clear:

strength allows you to bat aside some blows with ease

I really like the idea, but Leviathan made a good point:

imagine a Cloud Giant or some such with this just fighting defensively with like a 10+ bonus to his ac for -4 to an already insane attack.

So in my it should work against melee attacks only ( it's hard to imagine defendig against crossbow bolts this way), and only with total defense or combat expertise.

It's a very fine feat for me anyway, good way to combine Power attack with combat expertise.

[Winged One]

Okay, I was considering restricting it to melee defense anyway. Fighting defensively concerns have been noted and will be addressed. I picked a dodge bonus because the actions that allow it also provide dodge bonuses.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yes, but dodge implies moving out of the way. Interposing something between yourself and the attack is usually a shield bonus. While actually having something to knock attacks away is a deflection bonus.

[Matthew]

Hmmn. What I wonder about this feat is whether it is necessary. What kind of Character do you forsee taking this sort of Feat?