Peregrine
2007-06-08, 09:20 AM
What began as one idea, the ever-popular fight to make spear-and-shield combat possible, has basically turned into two things. One is still true to that aim, though branching out into such things as new weapons of the spear family. The other grew out of a feat intended to exploit one of the new weapons, and has basically turned into the beginnings, at least, of a whole new feat tree, of the same ilk as Dodge and Power Attack and so on. Where the Dodge tree is about being on the move and hard to hit, with attacks getting second place, this tree is about being on the attack and moving while doing so.
I don't doubt that the ideas of this feat tree have been done before, but here I've turned my hand to doing them and doing them together as a (hopefully) cohesive whole. Please let me know what you think.
Feats
Spear Formation [General]
You are trained in the basics of fighting in the solid defensive style of spear formations.
Prerequisites
Proficient with spear or longspear, Shield Proficiency
Benefits
By taking a move action to ready yourself, you are able to fight effectively with a spear or longspear in one hand, freeing up your other hand to bear a shield. You must be proficient with the type of spear wielded.
While you are readied in this way, you do not grant cover to enemies against the melee attacks of allies with reach.
If you change your position, you must take another move action to ready yourself in your new position.
Normal
A spear or longspear is a two-handed weapon. You provide soft cover against all melee reach attacks made through your space.
Special
A fighter may select Spear Formation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
Fight with a spear and shield (or anything else in your off hand), and let allies behind you reach past to hit too. The lack of mobility seems to be quite suitable, since wielding a spear two-handed fits better with DnD's normal 'facing everywhere, moving and turning fast' kind of combat. I don't imagine you can reposition yourself as easily when you've only got one hand on your spear. Actually, modelling this with facing rules would be a good idea, but I'm not going there with this just now. (Do note that the two benefits of this feat are separate; even without a qualifying spear, you can ready yourself in position in order to let allies behind strike past you.)
Mobile Spear Formation [General]
You are thoroughly drilled in the tactics of spear formation combat.
Prerequisites
Proficient with spear or longspear, Offensive Mobility, Shield Proficiency, Spear Formation
Benefits
When you are readied to gain the benefits of the Spear Formation feat, you may move up to half your speed without needing to take a move action to ready yourself again.
Analysis
Wondering if that should be your full speed rather than half. Now you can charge and still have your shield ready!
Offensive Mobility [General]
You are always on the move when you're on the attack.
Benefit
When using the full attack action, you may take a five-foot step at any point during your action.
Normal
You may only take a five-foot step before or after making a full attack.
Special
A fighter may select Offensive Mobility as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
A nice, simple, not very powerful feat that should lead into good things: the same rationale behind Dodge. Not sure whether to let you step between Cleaves, though. It can't hurt, right? It's just a special case, since it needn't be a full attack. Come to think of it, though, for all I said it's a nice, simple feat, it's useless unless and until you get multiple attacks. That means two-weapon fighting or BAB +6. Suddenly, this has put a big damper on my fun...
Mobile Assault [General]
You roam across the battlefield, leaving carnage in your wake.
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, Offensive Mobility, Spring Attack, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit
When using the full attack action, you may freely mix in movement between your attacks, as long as you do not move a total distance greater than your speed.
Special
A fighter may select Mobile Assault as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
Of all of these feats, this one is the one I'm most sure I've seen done before. Note that there's no restriction on armour, unlike its prerequisite Spring Attack. I'm thinking about making a note to the effect that you can still avoid one AoO, as per Spring Attack, if you're in less than heavy armour. Still not sure on the Cleave question.
Valiant Charge [General]
You can really make a charge count when going toe-to-toe with the enemy.
Prerequisites
Str 13, Improved Overrun, Offensive Mobility, Power Attack
Benefit
When on foot and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a foot lance).
Special
A fighter may select Valiant Charge as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
I was comparing to Spirited Charge while making this, of course. Improved Overrun filled the gap of an extra prerequisite; it fit closely enough thematically (compare Ride-By Attack -> Spirited Charge), and was in the Power Attack tree as I desired.
Weapons
Foot Lance (Two-handed Martial weapon)
1d6 (Small), 1d8 (Medium), 20/x3, reach weapon
8gp, 8lb.
A foot lance deals double damage when used while charging on foot. It has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can’t use it against an adjacent foe.
You can convert a mounted lance to a foot lance with a DC 10 Craft (Weaponsmithing) check and 1 minute. Doing this with a masterwork lance ruins its masterwork quality unless you beat DC 20. You cannot convert a foot lance into a mounted lance.
Rationale: Some years ago I read about how English knights fought unmounted at a certain battle in the Hundred Years' War, cutting down their lances to be more effective on foot, and so did more in the battle than the French knights who remained mounted and were unable to fight effectively in adverse weather conditions and a thick melee. At least, I think that's how it went. Anyway, the pertinent point is that some mounted knights cut their lances down a bit to make them easier to wield when they fought on foot, and this was apparently not uncommon. I wanted a weapon that modelled this; the normal lance is just a glorified longspear when you're not mounted.
Pike (Two-handed Martial weapon)
1d6 (Small), 1d8 (Medium), 20/x3, reach weapon (special)
8gp, 12lb.
A pike has exceptional reach. It triples rather than doubles your natural reach, so a typical Small or Medium creature can hit opponents 15 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away. (A Large creature with a pike could hit opponents at 25 to 30 feet, and so on.) If you use a ready action to set a pike against a charge, you deal double damage on a successful hit against a charging character.
Rationale: It's a pike. It's a dirty great spear that lets even more ranks of spearmen reach past each other to get at the enemy. What's to explain? Oh, but while you can benefit from the no-cover benefit of the Spear Formation feat, you can't wield it one-handed. I might change that though; my archaeologist fiancée was telling me today about how Alexander's phalangists wielded spears 20 feet long, in tandem with a shield.
I don't doubt that the ideas of this feat tree have been done before, but here I've turned my hand to doing them and doing them together as a (hopefully) cohesive whole. Please let me know what you think.
Feats
Spear Formation [General]
You are trained in the basics of fighting in the solid defensive style of spear formations.
Prerequisites
Proficient with spear or longspear, Shield Proficiency
Benefits
By taking a move action to ready yourself, you are able to fight effectively with a spear or longspear in one hand, freeing up your other hand to bear a shield. You must be proficient with the type of spear wielded.
While you are readied in this way, you do not grant cover to enemies against the melee attacks of allies with reach.
If you change your position, you must take another move action to ready yourself in your new position.
Normal
A spear or longspear is a two-handed weapon. You provide soft cover against all melee reach attacks made through your space.
Special
A fighter may select Spear Formation as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
Fight with a spear and shield (or anything else in your off hand), and let allies behind you reach past to hit too. The lack of mobility seems to be quite suitable, since wielding a spear two-handed fits better with DnD's normal 'facing everywhere, moving and turning fast' kind of combat. I don't imagine you can reposition yourself as easily when you've only got one hand on your spear. Actually, modelling this with facing rules would be a good idea, but I'm not going there with this just now. (Do note that the two benefits of this feat are separate; even without a qualifying spear, you can ready yourself in position in order to let allies behind strike past you.)
Mobile Spear Formation [General]
You are thoroughly drilled in the tactics of spear formation combat.
Prerequisites
Proficient with spear or longspear, Offensive Mobility, Shield Proficiency, Spear Formation
Benefits
When you are readied to gain the benefits of the Spear Formation feat, you may move up to half your speed without needing to take a move action to ready yourself again.
Analysis
Wondering if that should be your full speed rather than half. Now you can charge and still have your shield ready!
Offensive Mobility [General]
You are always on the move when you're on the attack.
Benefit
When using the full attack action, you may take a five-foot step at any point during your action.
Normal
You may only take a five-foot step before or after making a full attack.
Special
A fighter may select Offensive Mobility as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
A nice, simple, not very powerful feat that should lead into good things: the same rationale behind Dodge. Not sure whether to let you step between Cleaves, though. It can't hurt, right? It's just a special case, since it needn't be a full attack. Come to think of it, though, for all I said it's a nice, simple feat, it's useless unless and until you get multiple attacks. That means two-weapon fighting or BAB +6. Suddenly, this has put a big damper on my fun...
Mobile Assault [General]
You roam across the battlefield, leaving carnage in your wake.
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, Offensive Mobility, Spring Attack, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit
When using the full attack action, you may freely mix in movement between your attacks, as long as you do not move a total distance greater than your speed.
Special
A fighter may select Mobile Assault as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
Of all of these feats, this one is the one I'm most sure I've seen done before. Note that there's no restriction on armour, unlike its prerequisite Spring Attack. I'm thinking about making a note to the effect that you can still avoid one AoO, as per Spring Attack, if you're in less than heavy armour. Still not sure on the Cleave question.
Valiant Charge [General]
You can really make a charge count when going toe-to-toe with the enemy.
Prerequisites
Str 13, Improved Overrun, Offensive Mobility, Power Attack
Benefit
When on foot and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a foot lance).
Special
A fighter may select Valiant Charge as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Analysis
I was comparing to Spirited Charge while making this, of course. Improved Overrun filled the gap of an extra prerequisite; it fit closely enough thematically (compare Ride-By Attack -> Spirited Charge), and was in the Power Attack tree as I desired.
Weapons
Foot Lance (Two-handed Martial weapon)
1d6 (Small), 1d8 (Medium), 20/x3, reach weapon
8gp, 8lb.
A foot lance deals double damage when used while charging on foot. It has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can’t use it against an adjacent foe.
You can convert a mounted lance to a foot lance with a DC 10 Craft (Weaponsmithing) check and 1 minute. Doing this with a masterwork lance ruins its masterwork quality unless you beat DC 20. You cannot convert a foot lance into a mounted lance.
Rationale: Some years ago I read about how English knights fought unmounted at a certain battle in the Hundred Years' War, cutting down their lances to be more effective on foot, and so did more in the battle than the French knights who remained mounted and were unable to fight effectively in adverse weather conditions and a thick melee. At least, I think that's how it went. Anyway, the pertinent point is that some mounted knights cut their lances down a bit to make them easier to wield when they fought on foot, and this was apparently not uncommon. I wanted a weapon that modelled this; the normal lance is just a glorified longspear when you're not mounted.
Pike (Two-handed Martial weapon)
1d6 (Small), 1d8 (Medium), 20/x3, reach weapon (special)
8gp, 12lb.
A pike has exceptional reach. It triples rather than doubles your natural reach, so a typical Small or Medium creature can hit opponents 15 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away. (A Large creature with a pike could hit opponents at 25 to 30 feet, and so on.) If you use a ready action to set a pike against a charge, you deal double damage on a successful hit against a charging character.
Rationale: It's a pike. It's a dirty great spear that lets even more ranks of spearmen reach past each other to get at the enemy. What's to explain? Oh, but while you can benefit from the no-cover benefit of the Spear Formation feat, you can't wield it one-handed. I might change that though; my archaeologist fiancée was telling me today about how Alexander's phalangists wielded spears 20 feet long, in tandem with a shield.