Fighter feats rewrite and a class feature, PEACH

[Eldan]

So, this partially spawned out of the Fighter Manifesto thread, and is partially something I wanted to do anyway. One of the many problem a fighter has is that there aren't enough feat chains and high level feats to give him anything meaninful at higher levels, and that feats don't scale with level. I'd like and try to at least partially correct that by lengthening existing feat chains and make existing feats scale with level.
Now, these aren't done yet, and it will take a while, but I thought I'd start with one feat chain for now, Two-weapon fighting. It still needs more feats, so suggestions are welcome.

First of all, a suggested class feature for the fighter, though. I'd like to say first that this isn't mean to fix the class all by itself and is instead rather meant as one of several features the fighter in a full fix should get. The name is shamelessly stolen from Fax Celestis' d20r, I hope he doesn't mind too much, otherwise, I'll rename it.

Prowess: For all feats marked with [Prowess], all which have a bonus or ability scaling with character level, fighter levels count double. Therefore, for these feats, a fighter 8 would count as a level 16 character, while a Fighter 2/Rogue 3 would count as level 7.

Parry Bonuses: The parry bonus is a new armour class bonus. It applies to touch AC, but is lost when flat-footed.
The following boni are parry boni:
-the AC bonus from fighting defensively or using the total defense action.
-the AC bonus from a defending weapon
-the boni from several of the feats mentioned below


Rewritten feats:

Two-weapon fighting [General, Prowess]

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You can fight with a weapon in each hand.

Prerequisites: Dex 15
Benefit: Your penalties on attack rolls for fighting with two weapons are reduced. The penalty for your primary hand lessens by 2 and the one for your off hand lessens by 6. See the Two-Weapon Fighting special attack.
These penalties are lessened by another 1 for every ten character levels.

Improved Two-weapon fighting

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Two-Weapon Fighting, Base attack bonus +6
Benefit:When your base attack bonus reaches +6, you can make a second attack with your off-hand weapon, at a -5 penalty. When your base attack bonus reaches +11, you can make a third attack with a -10 penalty, and when it reaches +16, you can make a fourth attack with a -15 penalty.

Two-Weapon Defense [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Two-Weapon Fighting.
Benefit When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 parry bonus to your AC. This bonus increases by +1 per four character levels.

When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this parry bonus increases by +2.

Two-Weapon Rend[General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Str 13, Dex 15, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-weapon Fighting, BAB 6+
Benefit If the you hit an opponent with a weapon in each hand in the same round, you may automatically rend the opponent. This deals additional damage equal to the base damage of the smaller weapon plus your strength bonus plus one damage per two character levels. Base weapon damage includes an enhancement bonus on damage, if any.
You only rend once per round, regardless of how many successful attacks you make.

Cleave [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack
Benefit: If you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it), you get an immediate, extra melee attack against another creature within reach. You cannot take a 5-foot step before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same weapon and at the same bonus as the attack that dropped the previous creature. You can use this ability once per round, plus an additional time per five character levels.

Dodge [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Dex 13.
Benefit During your round , you designate an opponent and receive a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks from that opponent. You can select a new opponent on any action. This bonus increases by +1 for every five character levels.

Far Shot [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites Point Blanc Shot
Benefit: When you use a ranged weapon, it's range increment is doubled. For every eight character levels, your range increment multiplier increases by one (to x3 at level 8, x4 at level 16 and so on).

Improved Bull Rush [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites Str 13, Power Attack
Benefit When you perform a bull rush you do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender. You also gain a +4 bonus on the opposed Strength check you make to push back the defender. This bonus increases by +1 for every four character levels.

Improved Disarm [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to disarm an opponent, nor does the opponent have a chance to disarm you. You also gain a +2 bonus on the opposed attack roll you make to disarm your opponent, which increases by +1 for every four character levels.

Improved Feint [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit: You can make a Bluff check to feint in combat as a swift action. You also gain a +1 bonus for every three character levels on your bluff check to feint.

Improved Grapple [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to start a grapple. You also gain a +4 bonus on all grapple checks, regardless of whether you started the grapple. This bonus increases by +1 for every four character levels.

Improved Initiative [General, Prowess]

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Benefit You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every six character levels.

Improved Overrun [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack.
Benefit: When you attempt to overrun an opponent, the target may not choose to avoid you. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to knock down your opponent. This bonus increases by +1 for every four character levels.

Improved Trip [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent. This bonus increases by +1 for every four character levels.

If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.

Mobility [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge
Benefit:
You get a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. This bonus increases by +1 for every three character levels.

Furthermore, for every six character levels, your base land speed increases by 5ft.

Saving Throw Focus: [General]

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Benefit: Choose a save type (Fortitude, Reflex or Will).
You get a +2 bonus on all saving throws of that type. This bonus increases by +1 for every five character levels.
Additionally, once per day, and an additional time per day for every six character levels, you may reroll a save of the chosen type.

Skill Focus [General]

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Benefit: Choose one skill. You gain a +3 bonus on all checks involving that skill. This bonus increases by +1 for every two character levels.
Additionally, this skill is always treated as a class skill for you.

Spring Attack [General]

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Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, BAB +6
Benefit: As part of a full attack action, you can move up to your speed, distributing your attacks between each enemy you pass by. However, you can not attack any enemy attacked this way more than once, and you have to move at least five feet between every attack.

Your movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from any foe you attack this way.

Weapon Focus [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Proficiency with the chosen weapon group, BAB +1
Benefit: Choose one weapon group. You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls with all weapons of the chosen weapon group. This bonus increases by +1 every four character levels.

Weapon Specialization [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Proficiency with the chosen weapon group, Weapon Focus with the chosen weapon group. BAB +4
Benefit: You gain a +2 damage bonus with all weapons of the chosen group. This damage bonus increases by +1 every two character levels after the fourth.

Weapon Mastery [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Proficiency with the chosen weapon group, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization and Improved Critical with the chosen weapon group, BAB +8
Benefit: For all the feats listed as prerequisites for Weapon Mastery, your character level is considered to be four higher. Furthermore, when you make a full attack with a weapon of the chosen group, all your iterative attacks after the first are made with a +5 bonus to their attack rolls. (So a fighter 20 would attack at +20/+20/+15/+10, plus whatever boni he had.

Weapon Supremacy [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Proficiency with the chosen weapon group, Weapon Focus, Weapon Mastery, Weapon Specialization, Weapon Technique and Improved Critical with the chosen weapon group, BAB +12
Benefit: When fighting with a weapon of the chosen weapon group, you receive the following benefits:
-You can not be disarmed (if you are fighting with two weapons, you may still lose your second weapon to disarming if it is not in the chosen weapon group).
-Once per day for every five class levels you have, you may reroll a single attack roll with a weapon of the chosen group.
-You have a +4 bonus to confirm critical hits with weapons of the chosen group, and your critical hit multiplier increases by +1.

New Feats:


Main Gauche

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Int 13, Two-weapon fighting, Two-weapon Defense, Combat Expertise
Benefit: When fighting defensively, you only apply the attack penalty to your off-hand. Furthermore, you may choose to use combat expertise only with our off-hand, gaining a +1 dodge bonus to AC for every -2 penalty to attack you take, to a maximum bonus of +5.

Multi-weapon Pounce

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Str 13, Power Attack, Two-weapon fighting, Improved Bull rush, BAB +6, Jump 10 ranks
Benefit: You can combine a charge attack with a jump check. If you cover at least 10 feet horizontally with your jump, you may attack once with every weapon you carry, instead of just with one weapon.
Additionally, you can make a single bull rush or trip attack against the enemy you charge. For this attempt, you are treated as being one size category larger than you are, and armed with a two-handed weapon. You also gain a +1 bonus on your strength check to bull rush or trip for every four points your jump check exceeds 10 by.

Synergy: If you have Two-weapon rend, your bonus damage from it is doubled during a pounce.

Two-weapon feint

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Two-weapon Fighting, Improved Feint
Benefit: As a free action, you can give up an attack with one hand to feint as a free action with the other hand.

(needs better wording, help appreciated, but I hope the intent is clear).

Two-weapon Mastery

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Prerequisites: Str 13, Dex 15, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Two-weapon Fighting, Improved Two-weapon fighting, Two-weapon Defence, Two-weapon Rend, Dual Strike, Base attack bonus 12+
You have mastered the art of fighting with one weapon in each hand.
Benefit: As long as you are holding a weapon in each hand, this feat gives you the following benefits:
As long as you retain your dexterity bonus to armour class, you can not be flanked.
Your weapons count as two-handed weapons for calculating your disarm modifier.
Whenever a feat, ability or special attack allows you to make a single attack, you can instead make one attack with each weapon.
You apply your full strength bonus to damage with each weapon.

Synergy: if you have the Dodge feat, you can nominate two targets instead of one and receive a dodge bonus against both of them, as well as any boni which apply to your dodge target from other feats and abilities.

Catch weapon

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Prerequisites: Dex 15, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Disarm, Two-weapon fighting, Two-weapon defense
Benefit: Whenever the target of your Dodge feat makes a melee attack you and misses, you can use an attack of opportunity to try and disarm him.

Shield Guard [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisities: Shield Proficiency
Benefit: Choose one ally. As long as that ally stays adjacent to you, he profits from your shield bonus as well.
For every five character levels, you may choose one additional ally to profit from your shield bonus, to a maximum of four.

Shield Cover [General]

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Prerequisities: Shield Proficiency, Shield Guard
Benefit: Whenever you and ally profiting from your shield bonus via shield guard are both affected by an area effect allowing a reflex save for half damage, you can choose to automatically fail your save, taking the full effect. If you do so, your ally only takes half damage on a failed save or no damage on a successful save.

Weapon Technique [General, Prowess]

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Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with the chosen weapon group, base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all disarm, feint and trip checks and a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls to sunder with weapons of the chosen group. This bonus increases by +1 for every four character levels.
Furthermore, you gain a +1 bonus to your armour class while wielding a weapon of the chosen group. This bonus increases to +2 when fighting defensively.

Weapon Expert: Axes

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Prerequisites: STR 13, Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the axes group, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Base Attack bonus +4
Benefit: Whenever you wound an opponent with a weapon of the axe group, the wound continues to bleed, dealing 1 point of damage per round thereafter. Multiple wounds result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Furthermore, whenever you hit an opponent with a weapon of the axe group, you may automatically make attempt to sunder any shield or armour he is wearing.

Weapon Expert: Claw weapons

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Prerequisites: Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the claw weapon group, base attack bonus +4
Benefit: When attacking with a weapon of the claw weapon group, you may add your unarmed damage to your weapon damage. You may use all abilities which only work while unarmed while wielding a claw weapon.
While wielding a claw weapon, you may make one extra attack in a round at your highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, as does each other attack made that round.

Hip shot

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Prerequisites: Weapon focus with the crossbow weapon group, rapid reload.
Benefit: As a swift action, you may fire a single shot from a crossbow, but if you do so, you suffer a -5 penalty to your attack roll.

Weapon Expert: Double Weapons

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Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Two-weapon fighting, Two-weapon defense, Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the double weapon group, base attack bonus +4
Benefit: Your parry bonus from two-weapon defense is doubled while wielding a double weapon.
As a free action, you can change your grip on a double weapon, using it as a two-handed weapon dealing damage like either and of the double weapon. Your reach increases by five feet for attacks made in this way. You may even change your grip during a full attack, mixing the two-attack styles freely.

Weapon Expert: Flails and Chains

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the Flails and Chains weapon group, BAB +4
Benefit: Your opponent can not add any parry bonus to AC against attacks you make with a weapon of the flails and chains group.
Whenever you hit an opponent with a weapon of this group, you may make a free disarm attempt against him.

Weapon Expert: Heavy Blades [Prowess]

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Prerequisites: STR 13, Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the heavy blade weapon group, BAB +4
Benefit: When wielding a weapon of the heavy blade group, you gain a +1 parry bonus to AC. This bonus increases by +1 for every five character levels.
Whenever you attack an opponent with a weapon of the heavy blade group, you may decide to either deal slashing or piercing damage.
Finally, whenever you make an extra attack from your cleave feat, you can make a five-foot step before taking your cleave attack.

Weapon Expert: Light Blades

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the light blade group
Benefit: While wielding a light blade, you gain a +1 parry bonus to AC and a +1 initiative bonus. These boni both increases by +1 for every five character levels.
Whenever you attack an opponent with a weapon of the light blade group, you may decide to either deal slashing or piercing damage.
While wielding a light blade, may make one extra attack in a round at your highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, as does each other attack made that round.

Weapon Expert: Maces, Picks and Hammers

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Prerequisites: STR 13, Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization and Weapon Technique with the Maces or the Picks and Hammers group, BAB 4+
Benefit: Whenever you attack an opponent with a weapon of the maces or the picks and hammers group, he only applies one half his armour and natural armour boni to armour class.
Whenever you hit an opponent while taking a penalty of -4 or more to hit from your power attack feat while wielding a weapon of these two groups, your opponent must make a fortitude save of DC 10+1/2 your class level + your strength bonus or be dazed until the end of his next turn.

Weapon Expert: Polearms and Spears

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Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise Weapon Focus and Weapon Technique with the polearm or the spear group, BAB 4+
Benefit: As a free action, you can change your grip on a weapon of the polearms or the spears group, using it either as a reach weapon (even if it normally isn't a reach weapon, such as a halberd) or against adjacent foes.
Furthermore, whenever you take an attack of opportunity with a weapon of the polearms or spears groups against an opponent moving out of one of your threatened squares, you may immediately take a five-foot step after the attack.

[Ashtagon]

My take on feats has four principles:

* Merge feat chains into single feats.
* A feat should be worth more to a high-level character than to a low-level character. Feats should scale.
* Static bonuses to d20 rolls should not scale; doing so simply results in a rocket tag situation.
* There should ideally be a defined interaction with action points for every feat.

Skill Training (skill, skill)
* Benefit: This feat has three benefits. Choose two skills. First, you gain a +2 bonus on skill checks with the chosen skills. Second, when you spend an action point to improve a skill check with either skill, you roll d10s instead of d6s. Third, once per day you may re-roll a skill check for either skill, and take the best result. If you spent an action point on that skill check, the bonus from the action points is not re-rolled.
* Scaling: At 9 skill ranks, and every five ranks after that, you gain one additional re-roll per day. The skill with the lower number if ranks is used to determine how many extra re-rolls you get to share between both skills.
* Special: The GM may either provide a list of pre-approved skill pairs that can be chosen with this skill, or else may veto player-chosen pairs of skills chosen with this feat.
* Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, a different pair of skills must be chosen.

I purposely avoided having the long list of skill feats in the SRD, and left it to the GM to veto weird combinations.

Skill Focus (skill)
* Benefit: This feat has three benefits. Choose one skill. First, you gain a +3 bonus on skill checks with that skill. Second, when you spend an action point to improve a skill check with this skill, you roll d10s instead of d6s. Third, once per day you may re-roll a skill check for this skill, and take the best result. If you spent an action point on that saving throw, the bonus from the action points is not re-rolled.
* Scaling: At 9 skill ranks, and every five ranks after that, you gain one additional re-roll per day.
* Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, a different skill must be chosen.

Save Focus (save)
* Benefit: This feat has three benefits. First, you gain a +2 bonus on one saving throw. Second, when you spend an action point to improve a that saving throw, you roll d10s instead of d6s. Third, once per day you may re-roll that saving throw, and take the best result. If you spent an action point on that saving throw, the bonus from the action points is not re-rolled.
* Scaling: At 6th level, and every five levels after that, you gain one additional re-roll per day.
* Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, a different save type must be chosen.

This is basically a single paragraph to define all three saving throw feats.

Weapon Focus (weapon group)
* Benefit: Choose a weapon group. With all weapons in this weapon group, you gain a +1 on attack rolls. If you spend an action point on an attack with this weapon type, you roll d10s instead of d6s, and the action point bonus is applied to both the attack and the damage rolls.
* Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, it applies to a different weapon group.
* Scaling: You gain a bonus equal to half your base attack bonus (round down) on damage rolls. If your base attack bonus is +11 or better, you also double the threat range of the weapon.

[Coplantor]

Me likes! I mean, I dont think it's enough to bump poor old fighter into the powerful tiers, but having scaling abilities feels really good! Gotta use this feats on my gaming group.

[Eldan]

Well, it's a start, isn't it?
And, well, for those who want it and don't mind a slightly more mystical/magical flavour, I'm also working on more Combat Focus feats and a longer Mage Slayer tree, so that should also help being a little competitive.

[Coplantor]

Awesome, this will give people playing fighters more options than Ubercharger and Spiked Chain Tripper.

You know what I always wanted to do but couldn't work it out? Weapon choice having a bigger impact on gameplay. Like creating weapon tricks, so each weapon would offer something unique to the wielder

[Eldan]

Good idea. My first idea was just doing this by damage type, similar to PHBII, like giving the ability to ignore some armour with bludgeoning weapons or deal bleeding wounds with slashing, but weapon groups, like Ashtagon did in her post, might work better for that. Of course, someone more knowledgeable about weaponry than me would have to suggest advantages for different weapon groups first.

[Coplantor]

Well, we could ask about weapons in the real world weapons thread, get some ideas and and then work on the game weapons. Maybe they can give you some maneuver like ability?

[Eldan]

Good idea. Though I don't want to make too many special feats, honestly.

Ashtagon: how about also including a clause in Skill training that says that the chosen skill also becomes a class skill for you?

[Mongoose87]

I'd change TWF to allow you to attack with each weapon as a standard action.

[Coplantor]

I dont think feats would be necesary, say, X weapon gives A ability to people with BAB 0-4, slightly more powerful B ability to people with 5-9, C for 10-14...

You get the idea right?
Abilities shouln't be flashy or ridiculously supernatural, sometthing along the lines of free disarm atempt, extra AoO, bonus AC, etc...

[Eldan]

So you mean inherent in the weapon? That would be a rather significant overhaul. Perhaps an other time.

[Coplantor]

It wouldnt be a magical pump to a character, but people proficient and with good BAB (more combat experienced) would get the most benefits out of it.

Tell me if you are going to do this, so I can help

[Eldan]

I'd change TWF to allow you to attack with each weapon as a standard action.

Didn't see that one first...
Actually, that's Dual Strike, isn't it? I would have put that one in the "move and TWF" tree I was going to edit in later.

[Ashtagon]

Two-Weapon Fighting
* Prerequisite: Dexterity 15.
* Benefit: You suffer a -4/-4 attack penalty when attacking with two weapons, or -2/-2 if the off-hand weapon is a light weapon. See the section on two-weapon fighting in the Combat chapter.
* Normal: You suffer a -6/-10 attack penalty when attacking with two weapons, or -4/-8 if the off-hand weapon is a light weapon.
* Scaling: If you have bab +6 and Dexterity 17, you gain two attacks with your off-hand weapon. If you have bab +11 and Dexterity 19, you gain three attacks with your off-hand weapon. If you have bab +16 and Dexterity 21, you gain four attacks with your off-hand weapon.
* Special: If playing with the d20a variant rules set, where an iterative attack would be gained, you instead gain a re-roll on the attack.

It seemed reasonable to list the modifiers for TWF in the feat, as well as in the combat chapter.

Combat Expertise
* Prerequisite: Intelligence 13.
* Benefit: Once per day you may enter a mental state of mind, in which your defensive fighting skills are improved. Entering this state of mind is a free action which can only be done on your turn. The combat zone lasts for one minute (10 rounds), and provides a +3 dodge bonus to your AC against melee attacks, or a +1 dodge bonus to AC against ranged attacks. In addition, choose one of the following three manoeuvres:
** Improved Disarm: You gain a +4 bonus on disarm attempts, do not provoke attacks of opportunity, and do not risk your weapon being disarmed on an unsuccessful disarm attempt.
** Improved Feint: You can feint as a move action, instead of a standard action.
** Improved Trip: You gain a +4 bonus on trip attempts, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
* Scaling: At 6th, 11th, and 16th level, you gain an additional daily use of the mental combat zone ability. You can also choose an additional combat manoeuvre at each of these levels.

Needs a fourth manoeuvre for 19th level scaling purposes.

[Mongoose87]

Didn't see that one first...
Actually, that's Dual Strike, isn't it? I would have put that one in the "move and TWF" tree I was going to edit in later.

I know, but TWF has enough feat taxes already, right? Might as well let them try to be as good as everyone else. There's no way they're going to touch THF's damage if they're still only going one-handed on standard actions.

[Spiryt]

Still nothing for Shi(winning conflicts since ~6000 B.C)elds, eh?

But anyway, quite interesting mechanics, I may definitely try to use some of it if I ever do serious D&D again.

[Ashtagon]

Mobility
* Prerequisite: Dexterity 13.
* Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against melee attacks.
* Scaling: At 6th level, you gain an additional +4 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity triggered by your movement. At 11th level, you can split your move action to move both before and after a standard action used to make an attack. At 16th level, as a full-round action, you can make a single attack against every enemy within melee range.
* Action Point: When you spend an action point to improve your AC, you roll d10s instead of d6s.

Power Attack
* Prerequisite: Strength 13.
* Benefit: Once per day you may enter a mental state of mind, in which your offensive fighting skills are improved. Entering this state of mind is a free action which can only be done on your turn. The combat zone lasts for one minute (10 rounds), and doubles the size of your Strength bonus to melee damage rolls. In addition, choose one of the following three manoeuvres.
** Improved Sunder: You gain a +4 bonus on attack rolls made to sunder an object, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you attempt to sunder an object.
** Improved Bull Rush: You gain a +4 bonus on attack rolls made bull rush an enemy, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you attempt to bull rush an enemy.
** Improved Overrun: You gain a +4 bonus on attack rolls made overrun rush an enemy, and your target may not choose to avoid your overrun attempt.
* Scaling: At 6th, 11th, and 16th level, you gain an additional daily use of the mental combat zone ability. You can also choose an additional combat manoeuvre at each of these levels.
* Action Point: You can spend an action point to gain an additional daily use of your mental combat zone.

Cleave
* Prerequisite: Strength 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +2.
* Benefit: When you drop an enemy in melee combat, you may an attack with the same weapon against any enemy in range.
* Scaling: As long as you continue dropping opponents with each melee attack, you can make a number of additional attacks equal to half your base attack bonus (round down). If your base attack bonus is +11 or better, you can make a 5-foot step before each additional attack, if desired.

[Ashtagon]

Toughness
* Benefit: You gain +3 hit points. In addition, choose one of the following three manoeuvres:
** Endurance: You may sleep in light or medium armour without becoming fatigued. Also, You gain a +4 bonus on the following rolls: Swim checks made to resist non-lethal damage, Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid non-lethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to hold your breath, Constitution checks made to avoid non-lethal damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves made to avoid non-lethal damage from hot or cold environments, and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation.
** Run: You move at five times (instead of four time) your normal speed when you take a run action. You cannot be wearing medium or heavy armour, or carrying a medium or heavy load.
** Abs of Steel: As a move action or a standard action, you can flex your muscles, giving you damage resistance against bludgeoning and slashing damage equal to the lower of your Strength or Constitution bonus. This lasts until the start of your next turn.
* Scaling: At 4th level (or 4 HD) and higher, you gain +1 hit point per level. This replaces the basic +3 hp from this feat. At 6th, 11th, and 16th level, you can choose an additional manoeuvre from those listed.

[Ashtagon]

Hmm, just noticed a general issue with these feats as I am redesigning them - if a character picks one up at mid-high level, it will effectively come pre-packaged with a significant amount of power up already. I'm not entirely sure whether I should consider this a bug or a feature. Opinions?

[Milskidasith]

Two weapon disarm makes them into two weapons for all situations, not just for disarming, and I assume that wasn't your intent.

[Eldan]

^You're right... the intention was that you use both weapons to trap the enemy's weapon before disarming him, not anything else like that.

Still nothing for Shi(winning conflicts since ~6000 B.C)elds, eh?

But anyway, quite interesting mechanics, I may definitely try to use some of it if I ever do serious D&D again.

Well, I'm slowly working my way through the different weapon styles. Shield slams and better shield defences are coming up, but those might take a while. I still have ideas for TWF to finish, especially TWF+moving and TWF+better offence. Ideas there include better Two-weapon rend and a way for subsequent attacks in a turn to ignore some of the damage reduction of a creature.

[Spiryt]

Well, I'm slowly working my way through the different weapon styles. Shield slams and better shield defences are coming up, but those might take a while. I still have ideas for TWF to finish, especially TWF+moving and TWF+better offence. Ideas there include better Two-weapon rend and a way for subsequent attacks in a turn to ignore some of the damage reduction of a creature.

Well, I think that with mechanics you're coming up with, shield fighting could just be version of TWF, that provides much more AC and probably some different bonuses instead of much damage.

It could be quite elegant solutions (I think).

[Eldan]

True enough, since shield slams already work mostly like Two-weapon fighting. Perhaps a new branch of the TWF tree, then.

[Ashtagon]

I'd rather see feats that make shields get used for what they were designed to do - defend. Stuff like:

* Defend Ally: Apply your shield bonus to an adjacent ally.
** Greater Defend Ally: Apply your shield bonus to all adjacent allies.

* Shield Parry: Attempt to deflect one attack (melee or ranged) per round, by rolling bab + Dex modifier + shield bonus vs enemy's attack roll.
** Improved Shield Parry: As shield Parry, but twice per round.
*** Greater Shield Parry: As shield Parry, but three times per round.
**** Perfect Shield Parry: As shield Parry, but four times per round.

* Weapon Parry: Attempt to deflect one attack (melee only) per round, by rolling bab + Dex modifier vs enemy's attack roll. (yes, this is intentionally inferior to Shield Parry).

[Eldan]

Hmm. I don't know about the parry mechanic. It's another roll every round and further slows down combat. The shield bonus itself is already supposed to represent parrying with it. Defend Ally is already a separate tree I've been working on, though.

[Mongoose87]

Hmm. I don't know about the parry mechanic. It's another roll every round and further slows down combat. The shield bonus itself is already supposed to represent parrying with it. Defend Ally is already a separate tree I've been working on, though.

I second that view, on the parry. While verisimilitude is nice, the game needs to remain enjoyable.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

The trouble with these, Eldan, is that your fighter has invested 6 feats in disarming. He only gets 18 total. 1/3 of his entire character progression is now solely focused on disarming. Compare that to a Sorcerer, who might have 1 spell out of 40 odd spells focused on disarming a foe.

What you really need to do is either make scaling feats (with multiple techniques per feat), or have higher-level feats combine more benefits into single feats. Personally, I think scaling feats are the way to go.

[Eldan]

Well, I'm trying to do scaling feats. I'm just not sure how much to pack into them. And things like Two-weapon disarm are, well, new techniques, really, which combine two precursor feats. I'm not sure how to handle them.
Maybe make something like the style feats as the end point of the TWF tree, with two weapon disarm being one of three options? Or include it in catch weapon?

[Coplantor]

What about feat synergy? The more feats from a kind you get, the higher the bonus gets. Similar to Psionic body that gives you 2hp per psionic feat, maybe instead of counting fighter levels twice, you could count hem 1.5 times plus 1 per prowess feat? Fighters get the most feats in the game, so it's only natural for them to improve faster on them.

[Eldan]

Hmm. Good idea, actually. But that would mean putting them in categories, which would mean more keywords or a similar mechanic. I'll look into it.