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View Full Version : Fighter Fix Friday 3.5/PF (PEACH!)



Nakun
2012-09-14, 04:43 PM
Everyone seems to still be working on this, which I hope means there is still interest for trying to fix this class. I have been looking on the boards for a little under a year now tweaking my idea of what makes a good fighter as I go. Not all of these ideas are mine, many of these ideas are yours that I am borrowing (and will credit, because thank you!)

So, here's what I've come up with for our friend, the fighter(as always, aiming for tier 3):

So, I'm going for a 3.5 / Pathfinder general area to be working in. I'm leaning towards houseruling that if you could make more than one attack per round you can move and take all your attacks as a free action, for that reason there is no ability that grants the fighter this since it is implied in my thinking.

Another thing I wrestled with was whether to allow the fighter to have a large amount of versatility with weapons and weapon choices or to have them focus on a specific style. I ended up deciding on specific style because it seemed more realistic, although I realize it does hamper class versatility and may be what keeps my fighter in a lower tier...

The Fighter

Class Features:

Hit Die: d10
Skill Points: (4 + int mod) x4 at first level and 4 + int mod at every level beyond first.
Skills: Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge(architecture and engineering), Knowledge (history), knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Listen, Profession, Spot, Survival, Use Rope


{table=head]Table 1: The Fighter[/table]
{table=head]
[b]Level |
[b]BAB |
Fort |
Ref |
Will | Special
1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Battle Edge, Active Defense, Weapon Style Feat
2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Bonus Feat, Battle Lore
3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Dungeon Crasher, Mettle
4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Bonus Feat, Battle Edge Ability
5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Armor Optimization I
6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Bonus Feat, Ogreish
7th| +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +5 |Weapon Style Feat
8th| +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Bonus Feat, Battle Edge Ability
9th| +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 |
10th| +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Bonus Feat, Armor Optimization II
11th| +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Giantesque
12th| +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Bonus Feat, Battle Edge Ability
13th| +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Improved Dungeon Crasher, Weapon Style Feat
14th| +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Bonus Feat
15th| +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Armor Optimization III
16th| +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Bonus Feat, Colossus, Battle Edge Ability
17th| +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 |
18th| +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Bonus Feat
19th| +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Weapon Style Feat
20th| +20/+15/+10/+5 |+12 | +6 | +6 | Bonus Feat, Battle Edge Ability
[/table]



Class Features Philosophy
I've decided that the fighter needs a few cool things that only (pure) fighters can do. To dissuade people from dipping a level in fighter, I've decided that rather than make these class abilities that are gained at first level, they will be class features that are only available to characters who take their first level in fighter.

Combat Superiority: The fighter is hands down the best of all combatants in a straight fight. There is little and less that her opponents can do to stop her progress. Any character that has her first level in fighter gains Combat Superiority. From first level, the fighter may add her fighter level to initiative checks and as a bonus to any of her ability scores for the purpose of determining feat prerequisites. At sixth level, a fighter is a threat to everyone on the battle field. If an opponent within her reach attacks someone else, she may use an attack of opportunity against that opponent.

Certainly took influence from SSGoW's fix (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250513).

Field Training: Fighters have years of experience in the battle fields. For many this journey begins with enrolling in the local militia or similar group. Characters who take their first level in fighter never suffer penalties to their movement speed or skill checks due to carrying a medium or heavy load. Additionally, fighters may sleep in their armor at night without become fatigued as if they possessed the Endurance feat.

Class Abilities:

Fighting Style: At first level a fighter chooses a fighting style to focus on and may choose a bonus feat based on that style for which she meets the prerequisites (Weapon Focus may be selected regardless of the style.)
Sword and Board: Shield Focus, Improved Shield Focus, Interposing Shield, Allied Shield, Missile Shield, Ray Shield, Improved Shield Bash, Mounted Shield
Two Handed Weapon: Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder, Heavy Blade Student, Heavy Blade Master, Axe Student, Axe Master, Arc Attack
Two Weapon: Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Defense, Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Fencing: Weapon Finesse, Flurry Attack
Polearm: Polearm Student, Polearm Master, Improved Trip
Bow: Point-Blank Shot, Many Shot, Shot on the Run, Mounted Archery
Mounted: Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Mounted Shield, Improved Overrun

A fighter may select another weapon style bonus feat again at seventh, thirteenth, and nineteenth level.

There are feats included here from pathfinder as well as other OGL sources as well as somethings I've thought up on my own. I feel that this is a major weakness since these lists are nowhere near a standard length.

Battle Edge: A fighter has a pool of Battle Edge Points that help her overcome her foes in combat. The maximum number of battle edge points a fighter can have is equal to ½ her fighter level (minimum 1) plus her wisdom modifier. At first level, so long as a fighter has Battle Edge Points remaining she may take a 10 on any skill check, even if she is threatened or distracted (such as being in combat.) At fourth level and every four levels thereafter a fighter gains a new Battle Edge Ability that functions so long as she has at least one Battle Edge Point Remaining.
A fighter can expend one Battle Edge Point to activate one of the following abilities:
* As a free action, a fighter may expend any number of Battle Edge Points to gain a bonus on attack and damage rolls until the next round equal to the number of Battle Edge Points expended in this way.
* As a free action, to allow the fighter to make an additional attack of opportunity this round. More than one Battle Edge Point may be used per round for this purpose.
* As a move action, to remove the effects of one of the following effects: Blinded, Dazed, Deafened, Sickened, Stunned.
A fighter regains one Battle Edge Point every time she reduces an opponent to fewer than zero hit points or confirms a critical hit. A fighter may never have more than her maximum number of Battle Edge Points regardless of the circumstances.

So, for these things, I've looked to Rage Powers and Rouge Tricks from Pathfinder. I also greatly enjoyed Realms of Chaos' Combat Techniques (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217700) Idea and intend to incorporate some of those as Battle Edge Powers. Sorry, but I'm going to have to post the list later as I am out of time.

Active Defense: A fighter is always wary of her opponents in battle. She gains a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to her wisdom bonus. These additional attacks of opportunity stack with any additional attacks of opportunity gained from the Combat Reflexes feat. At third level, any opponent hit by a fighter’s attack of opportunity must cease its movement. At seventh level, a fighter may use her attacks of opportunity to attempt to foil an opponent’s action in combat, even those that do not normally provoke an attack of opportunity such as casting a spell defensively. The fighter and opponent make opposed attack rolls at their highest base attack bonus, if the fighter wins, the opponent takes damage as per an attack of opportunity and loses their action for that round.

Bonus Feat: At second level and every even numbered level thereafter a fighter gains a bonus feat selected from the fighter bonus feat list.

Battle Lore: A fighter is exposed to more battles, weapons, tactics, and techniques than any other character. Starting at second level, a fighter may attempt a Battle Lore check (d20 + fighter level + int modifier) as a minor action in combat. Depending on the result, she gains an insight bonus to attack rolls and armor class against the selected opponent or that opponent’s monster type and subtype according to the table below. This ability lasts until the end of combat or until either the fighter or her opponent falls unconscious.
Outside of combat, a fighter may use this expertise to examine weapons, armor, and combat related gear that she encounters. A fighter may use her Battle Lore check in place of an Appraise check to determine the value of any such equipment. Additionally, upon examination of the equipment, she is immediately aware if the item is of master work quality or if it is composed of a special material such as cold iron or mythril. If the weapon in question has any magical properties, even those that require a command word to activate, the fighter is aware of those properties after one round of using the item in combat (ie making attack rolls or being attack while wearing.) This ability to determine magical properties and command words does not apply to those abilities that are not directly related to combat (for example armor that granted sustenance or water breathing would not reveal those properties to the fighter, but arrow-catching gloves would be apparent to the fighter.)
Taken from Grod the Giant's barbarian/fighter fix (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227466), called Victor of a Thousand Battles. Further adapted to include the bit about weapon identification because of a comment made elsewhere.

Dungeon Crasher: A fighter becomes “skilled” at negotiating her way through the many obstacles a dungeon presents. At third level, a fighter may add a +2 bonus to any strength checks to break down doors, smash obstacles, or the like. Additionally, if a fighter attempts to break down a door or object that has been trapped, there is a 33% chance that she destroys the trap without triggering it, regardless of if she was aware to the trap or not. At thirteenth level the bonus to strength checks becomes +4 and there is a 66% chance that she destroys any traps.
Taken from Rouge Shadow's fighter fix (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210972) and modified a little bit.

Mettle: Starting at third level, so long as the fighter is engaged in melee combat, she gains a +1 bonus to fortitude and will saves.

Armor Optimization: Starting at fifth level, a fighter learns to don her armor with deliberate care. She may chose to wear armor so that it allows more maneuverability (lessening the armor check penalty by one and increasing the max dex bonus by one) or more protection (increasing the armor class by one.) At tenth level and fifteenth level, these bonuses increase to 2 and 3 respectively.

Ogreish: At sixth level a fighter is treated as one size category larger, when it would be advantageous to her, for the purpose of combat maneuver checks and combat maneuver defense.

Giantesque: At eleventh level a fighter is treated as two size categories larger, when it would be advantageous to her, for the purpose of combat maneuver checks and combat maneuver defense.

Colossus: At sixteenth level a fighter is treated as three size categories larger, when it would be advantageous to her, for the purpose of combat maneuver checks and combat maneuver defense.

Nakun
2012-09-14, 04:44 PM
Reserved just in case (possibly for feats or Battle Edge Abilities.)