Quellian-dyrae
2007-01-12, 01:24 AM
Playing a defensive character in D&D is a difficult affair. Even though the PHB2 has some good new defensive feats and abilities, it is still something of a trick simply because of the typical system of balance through situation. You can be really good in this situation, but you're going to be useless in this one. Rogues, in particular, know what I'm talking about.
For offensive characters, like rogues, that's annoying, but acceptable. So the golem has DR and without your sneak attack you can't even deal damage to it. That's what the barbarian and its power attack feat are there for. With defenders, though, being unable to use your primary abilities doesn't just mean you're going to be bored while your allies handle things; it means you're suffering a greater risk than usual, and, since you're not an offensive character, you can't even fight back effectively.
Ergo:
Eldritch Expertise (General, Fighter):
You are skilled at using a warrior’s tactics to defend against magic.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +2.
Benefit: When you use your combat expertise feat, you may spend the points of AC gained to gain a luck bonus on a single class of saving throws, dividing your points among AC and saves as you see fit. For example, you might take -4 on your attack roll to get a +2 luck bonus to your Fortitude saves, a +1 luck bonus to your Reflex saves, and a +1 dodge bonus to your AC.
Eldritch Expertise, Improved (General, Fighter):
You can defend against multiple types of magical threats simultaneously.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Eldritch Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +4.
Benefit: When you use eldritch expertise, you may increase all of your saves. For every two points you remove from your AC bonus, you get a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. Additionally, the reduction to your AC bonus does not apply to your touch AC, but your touch AC cannot at any point be higher than your normal AC. For example, you might take -4 on your attack rolls to get +2 to normal AC, +1 to saving throws, and +4 to touch AC (up to a maximum touch AC of your normal AC).
If you wish, you can still increase a single save category at the cost of 1 point of AC per +1. If you increase all saves and a given category, the bonuses stack. For example, you might take -4 to attack rolls to get a +1 luck bonus on all saves, an additional +1 on Fortitude saves, and a +1 dodge bonus to AC.
Eldritch Expertise, Greater (General, Fighter):
You can defend against magical and physical attacks in tandem.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Eldritch Expertise, Improved Eldritch Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: Any time you use combat expertise, you apply half the AC bonus as a luck bonus on all saving throws, without lowering the bonus to your AC. For example, if you take -4 on attack rolls, you would get +4 to AC and a +2 to all saving throws.
If you wish, you may lower the AC bonus to raise individual saves on a point for point basis. You may not, however, lower the AC bonus to further increase all saves at once (in other words, you can apply greater eldritch expertise and eldritch expertise simultaneously, but not greater eldritch expertise and improved eldritch expertise).
For offensive characters, like rogues, that's annoying, but acceptable. So the golem has DR and without your sneak attack you can't even deal damage to it. That's what the barbarian and its power attack feat are there for. With defenders, though, being unable to use your primary abilities doesn't just mean you're going to be bored while your allies handle things; it means you're suffering a greater risk than usual, and, since you're not an offensive character, you can't even fight back effectively.
Ergo:
Eldritch Expertise (General, Fighter):
You are skilled at using a warrior’s tactics to defend against magic.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +2.
Benefit: When you use your combat expertise feat, you may spend the points of AC gained to gain a luck bonus on a single class of saving throws, dividing your points among AC and saves as you see fit. For example, you might take -4 on your attack roll to get a +2 luck bonus to your Fortitude saves, a +1 luck bonus to your Reflex saves, and a +1 dodge bonus to your AC.
Eldritch Expertise, Improved (General, Fighter):
You can defend against multiple types of magical threats simultaneously.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Eldritch Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +4.
Benefit: When you use eldritch expertise, you may increase all of your saves. For every two points you remove from your AC bonus, you get a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. Additionally, the reduction to your AC bonus does not apply to your touch AC, but your touch AC cannot at any point be higher than your normal AC. For example, you might take -4 on your attack rolls to get +2 to normal AC, +1 to saving throws, and +4 to touch AC (up to a maximum touch AC of your normal AC).
If you wish, you can still increase a single save category at the cost of 1 point of AC per +1. If you increase all saves and a given category, the bonuses stack. For example, you might take -4 to attack rolls to get a +1 luck bonus on all saves, an additional +1 on Fortitude saves, and a +1 dodge bonus to AC.
Eldritch Expertise, Greater (General, Fighter):
You can defend against magical and physical attacks in tandem.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Eldritch Expertise, Improved Eldritch Expertise, Base Attack Bonus +6.
Benefit: Any time you use combat expertise, you apply half the AC bonus as a luck bonus on all saving throws, without lowering the bonus to your AC. For example, if you take -4 on attack rolls, you would get +4 to AC and a +2 to all saving throws.
If you wish, you may lower the AC bonus to raise individual saves on a point for point basis. You may not, however, lower the AC bonus to further increase all saves at once (in other words, you can apply greater eldritch expertise and eldritch expertise simultaneously, but not greater eldritch expertise and improved eldritch expertise).