An ordinary human single-classed fighter?

[Particle_Man]

So from what I can glean, if one remains human (non variant), this is a pretty good version of the humble, non-setting dependant, single-classed fighter? (There is a house rule where one can "earn" free feats through use of a weapon in exotic weapon proficiency, weapon focus, weapon specialization, greater weapon focus, and greater weapon specialization if one fights with the weapon enough and meets the prerequisite (so one sucks up a non-proficiency penalty for a while, but then it gets good). There is also a house rule where you get a free feat at first level to represent your culture, so long as that feat doesn't have prerequisites. So basically a strong melee guy with a lot of tricks gleaned through training.

Skill to max out: Jump (for leap attack goodness, and hey, jumping is fun!). Other skills: Then some spellcraft (for the mage slayer feat), some skill tricks (the ones associated with jump, climb, swim) and some ranks in climb, swim and if you have the spare points, ride.

Fighter variant: dungeon-crasher

1 Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Dodge, Blind-Fight (cultural)
(2nd) (dungeon crasher)
3 Mage Slayer
4 Improved Sunder
(6th) (dungeon crasher), 6 leap attack
8 shock trooper
9 pierce magical concealment
10 combat brute
12, 12 pierce magical protection, improved critical (spiked chain)
14 mobility
15 elusive target
16 melee weapon mastery (piercing)
18, 18 combat expertise, weapon supremacy (spiked chain)
20 improved trip

"Earned" feats:

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain)
Weapon Focus
Weapon Specialization (4+)
Greater Weapon Focus (8+)
Greater Weapon Specialization (12+)

So I know this is not a super-powerful character (tier 5? maybe 4?), but would it be at least a reasonably fun one, given the limits of "non-variant human" and "single-classed fighter"? The idea of someone that is not inherently magical, but who constantly trains very hard to be able to contribute in a magical world.

[Drelua]

Since you're going with a spiked chain, there's an ACF somewhere that you can take around level 16 instead of a bonus feat, I think it's called overwhelming attack. I'm not sure where it's from, might be miniatures handbook. It let's you do one attack as a full round action and you do double damage until your next turn. Since it works off your turn it works for AoOs, so it might be worthwhile for this build.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Looks like you're missing Knock-Down. Plus you're using a spiked chain, but not taking Improved Trip until level 20, and you've left out Combat Reflexes???

Check out what alternate class features, variants, and substitution levels (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?444354-3-5-Alternative-Class-Features-(ported-from-Wizards-community-boards)) are available. Plenty of those aren't setting or race specific. Be sure to get the Dead Levels (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20061013a) features as well.

Even a vanilla Fighter can get Permanency + Enlarge Person and make use of Knockback in RoS, which pairs well with Dungeoncrasher. The standard rate (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#spell) for those at a caster level of 20th (for dispel DC) would be 200 gp for Enlarge Person, and 3,500 gp for Permanency including the xp cost.

[Particle_Man]

Knockdown got banned by the DM.

Knock-back I am not sure about. I would have to check whether that permanency trick would get me access to the feat.

Yeah Combat reflexes looks like and improved trip is late, but there is so much to take and even with the extra feat slots, so little room!

[Maat Mons]

Bear in mind, bigger enemies are harder to trip. In fact, if an enemy is 2 size categories bigger than you, it's impossible for you to trip them. This becomes increasingly relevant at higher levels.

Also bear in mind, it's impossible to trip a flying enemy if it doesn't rely on wings for flight. So a Wizard under the effects of Overland Flight can't be tripped.

Playing a tripper at level 20 can be challenging.



Anyway, be sure to have Mind Blank, Freedom of Movement, True Seeing, flight, and immunity to death effects. At high levels, missing any one of those leaves you with an easily-exploitable weakness.

[Troacctid]

I mean, it's a Shock Trooper ubercharger. Shock Trooper uberchargers don't normally lend themselves much to fun gameplay. In my experience, they lend themselves more to anticlimactic one-shot kills and player vs. DM arms races. I'm not a fan.

[Particle_Man]

Anyway, be sure to have Mind Blank, Freedom of Movement, True Seeing, flight, and immunity to death effects. At high levels, missing any one of those leaves you with an easily-exploitable weakness.

I guess that is where magic items will have to come in.

I agree the Trip thing will not be an "always" thing but more of a "sometimes" thing. I mean shock trooper has its own trip function that follows the domino bull rush maneuver, if I have two enemies to line up.

I think many of the maneuvers will be a "sometimes" thing (I may or may not have a wall to push someone into, I may or may not want to sunder whatever someone else is holding, I may or may not be flanked, I may or may not be fighting someone using spells/magical protections, etc.).

[Gnaeus]

Bear in mind, bigger enemies are harder to trip. In fact, if an enemy is 2 size categories bigger than you, it's impossible for you to trip them. This becomes increasingly relevant at higher levels .

Until level 7. At which point you should spend most of your combat time polymorphed into a huge creature. You should have a couple of psionic tattoos of expansion for the times when the wizard happens to have the exact right I end combat now spell, but there are arent a lot of combat spells better than turning your chain tripper into a monster with 30ish strength and 30 foot reach. Buy a pearl of power or two solely for use recovering the polymorph. Polymorph is a chain tripper’s best class feature, ask for it by name and refuse to play your non functional character if the arcane guy won’t throw you a bone.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

A phylactery of change (A&EG) gives you polymorph while worn (and you can turn to that form and back as often as you want), and you can choose a new form to polymorph to 1/day. It's only 11,200 gp, too, which is pretty affordable. Upgrade to a psychoactive skin of proteus ASAP, although it's much more expensive at 84,000 gp.

[Godofallu]

I am in a few gamaes at once right now and one of them they want me to play a straight fighter. So I drafted a few recently for DM to approve or edit.

Bull Rush option (Dungeon Crasher)
1-Power Attack
H-Jotunbrud
1F-Improved Bull Rush
3-Knockback
4F-Cleave
6-Shock Trooper
8F-Improved Critical?
9-Leap Attack

Trip Option
1-Curling Wave Strike
H-Hyena Tribe Hunter
1F-Improved Trip
2F-Power Attack
3-Knockdown
4F-Improved Bull Rush
6- Leap Attack
6F-Shock Trooper
8F-Improved Critical?
9- Unsure still

Dire Flail Kensai
1- Weapon focus- Dire Flail
Human- Two weapon fighting
1Kensai- Dire Flail proficiency
1K +1atk and dmg with dire flail
2k- Power attack
3- Improved Sunder
4K- Dire Flail Smash
6- Two Weapon pounce
6K- Dire flail specialization
8K- Kensai extra attack
9- Melee weapon mastery

Those 3 ideas should give you concepts to edit around if desired.