[4E] The Boxer [PEACH]

[CarpeGuitarrem]

The Boxer
"This method of fighting has been passed down the line for GENERATIONS!"

Not everyone bothers to use weapons. Some just find fists to be far more useful for fighting, and have honed the art of using the fist to the same degree of regular armed combat.

Role: Defender. A boxer is the big guy who stands firm and gets in the way of enemies.

Power Source: Martial. Your fists, and your fists alone, are where your power comes from.

Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, Leather
Weapon Proficiencies: None
Bonus to Defense: +1 AC, +1 Fortitude

Hit Points at 1st Level: 14 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level: 7
Healing Surges: 8 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: From the class skill list below, choose three skills.
Class Skills: Athletics (Str), Acrobatics (Dex), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis)

Build Options: Deft Pugilist, Heavy-Handed Boxer

Class Features: Hard Shot, Two-Fisted Shot, Boxer Talents

Deft Pugilist
You like to hamper your enemies by making sure they never get a straight-up battle, giving them adverse conditions to fight in. You also have a good deal of skill at maneuvering around enemies. Strength is your primary attribute, giving you the ability to land hard blows. Dexterity is your second major stat, helping you to land precise blows. Constitution helps you gain HP, and lets you delve into powers from the other build. Take the Fancy Footwork Talent, and look for powers focused on causing secondary effects.

Heavy-Handed Fighter
You like to slam opponents with the raw power of your bodily strength. You deal a little bit of extra damage that way. Strength is your primary attack attribute, and Constitution helps you to deal extra damage, as well as protect yourself better. Dexterity can also add to your defense. Take the Iron Stance Talent to defend yourself against attacks.

Boxer Class Features

Fistfighter: You gain a +3 proficiency bonus to unarmed attacks, and your weapon die becomes 1d6. You also gain Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, even if you don't meet the prerequisites for that feat. You may gain the benefit of this feat even while not wielding weapons. Furthermore, your blocking abilities grant you a +1 bonus to AC, if you are not wielding a weapon in either hand. (weapons which allow unarmed attacks, like Spiked Gauntlets, do not prevent this bonus)

Hard Shot
When you hit an enemy, you may mark them as your own target. An enemy marked in this way takes a penalty to attack rolls against other players equal to your Dexterity or Constitution modifier, instead of -2.

Two-Fisted Shot
You gain the at-will "Two-Fisted Shot".
Two-Fisted Shot (Boxer 1)
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC (two attacks)
Hit: 1[W] damage.
Special: This power may be used in place of a basic melee attack.

Boxer Talents

Fancy Footwork: You are able to deftly dodge, and can send an opponent to an inopportune position. If a melee attack misses you, you may make a Dexterity vs. Reflex unarmed attack, targeting the creature who attacked you. On a hit, slide the target 1 square. The target must remain adjacent to you, and is slowed (save ends).

Iron Stance: You are able to turn your physical might into protection for yourself. Once per round, you may spend a minor action to gain a resistance to all melee damage equal to your Constitution modifier, for that round.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

1st Level At-Wills

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Fearsome Punch (Boxer Attack 1)
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Str
Iron Stance: If you marked the target, this attack deals extra damage equal to your Constitution modifier.

Guarded Attack (Boxer Attack 1)
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Str damage, and you gain a +1 power bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.

Quick Jab (Boxer Attack 1)
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: 1[W] + Str damage
Fancy Footwork: You may use this attack as a melee basic attack.

Solid Strike (Boxer Attack 1)
At-Will * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength +1 vs. AC
Iron Stance: This power gains the invigorating keyword.
Hit: 1[W] damage, and the target is dazed (save ends)

1st-Level Encounter Powers

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Deft Attack (Boxer Attack 1)
Encounter * Martial
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: 1[W] + Str + Dex damage
Fancy Footwork: Target is slowed.

Rage Strike (Boxer Attack 1)
Encounter * Martial, Invigorating
Standard Action Melee unarmed
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2[W] + Str damage
Iron Stance: You may spend a healing surge.

[Lappy9000]

......you used Major Armstrong as the basis for this class.

<3

[CarpeGuitarrem]

The inspiration, yes. I felt it was merely fitting.

[Suleman]

...I'm actually... liking this. It's looking cool and faithful to the boxing archetypes. Now I'm just interested in how you're gonna balance it, equipment-wise.

[KKL]

Iron Stance is hilarious.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

One thing to be very wary of: The Boxer, as written, is a defender with next to no armor class, and no real way to reduce damage to a reasonable amount to make up for it. Assuming an 18 Dex, his armor class will be, at most, 16 at 1st level, rather than the usual 17-19. It may not seem like a big difference, but it's the difference between a Striker's AC and a Defender's AC.

I think you'll find he dies quite quickly. Some thought may have to go into remedying the situation.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I think you'll find he dies quite quickly. Some thought may have to go into remedying the situation.

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure what to do. Is another class feature in order, perhaps?

[Shadow_Elf]

Why not give them proficiency with their fists and d6 fist die?
Also, I think Iron Stance is much better than Fancy Footwork as written. You get one or the other, right? Like fighting styles? If so, maybe make the Fancy Footwork attack also mark them.
Finally, I'd give them Two Weapon Defence as a bonus feat (like the Tempest Fighter), and let them use their fists as weapons for the purposes of TWD. That will shore up their defence a little.

[Suleman]

Hmm. How about this. What we know from boxing matches is that boxers tend to tire after a while. So what if the Boxer had an armor class bonus of, say, five. It could get better when you get levels. Then, every round, you'd lose one point of AC as you got more tired and easier to hit.

Another alternative is using maneuvers like Weaving Dodge, which would increase your AC for the round but would use up your move action. Another would be Weaving Step, where you'd be able to move, perhaps even further than normal, but you'd have to sacrifice your standard action for the round to greatly increase your AC, allowing you to move to a more advantageous spot to engage again.

...I'm pretty unimaginative.

[Nefarion Xid]

Hmm...there's a gnoll racial feat from one of the dragon magazines that makes that at-will just too good.

The feat turns a gnoll's claws into +3 Prof weapons that do 1d6 damage.

Edit to be helpful: So what you'd want to do would to give them a class feature that grants a Prof bonus to their fists (and a damage bonus to 1d6) rather than tacking on an untyped bonus from an at-will power.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Why not give them proficiency with their fists and d6 fist die?
Also, I think Iron Stance is much better than Fancy Footwork as written. You get one or the other, right? Like fighting styles? If so, maybe make the Fancy Footwork attack also mark them.
Finally, I'd give them Two Weapon Defence as a bonus feat (like the Tempest Fighter), and let them use their fists as weapons for the purposes of TWD. That will shore up their defence a little.

All excellent suggestions. That, and a static AC bonus (like for the swordmage) should be what's needed to keep this guy alive.