The Fighter Sucks, what should I stick in the loot pile for him?

[Dormammu]

My poor player. He asked me to make his character for him and I made a mostly core human fighter.

Then the other players got out their 2 dozen splat books, and went on the forums, and went bananagrams with their melee characters.

Now he's vastly overshadowed.

I talked to him about it and he said he didn't want to change the build, but he wouldn't mind if Santa left him something in the next poorly locked treasure chest.

Here's the build:

Spoiler: Male Human Fighter 10

Show

Male Human Fighter 10

Strength 18 (+4)
Dexterity 14 (+2)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 8 (-1)
Wisdom 8 (-1)
Charisma 14 (+2)

Feats:

Dodge
Mobility
Spring Attack
Great Fortitude
Iron Will
Lightning Reflexes
Power Attack
Cleave
Great Cleave
Improved Sunder
Weapon Focus x1

What should Santa have in his big swollen sack?

[Eox]

In order: A Sphere of Annihilation, a free reroll and a copy of the Tome of Battle.

edit: In all seriousness though, what are some examples of him being overshadowed? Knowing what the other players can do is just as important as knowing what he can do.

[Morcleon]

In order: A Sphere of Annihilation, a free reroll and a copy of the Tome of Battle.

...yeah, that's pretty good.

If he doesn't wanna switch to a ToB class, give him some of the discipline items from the book so he can do more interesting things.

[Blackhawk748]

A 1 use combo item of Embrace the Dark Chaos and Shun the Dark Chaos that only works for badly built Fighters. Seriously, he has Lighting Reflexes, and not for a Pre Req, get him a feat shuffle quick.

With that being said, a 3/day item of Trollshape would be fun.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Give him an intelligent psychoactive skin of proteus of his alignment that acts as a Venom style symbiont, and can't be removed once it attaches to him while he's asleep.

ML 7 at-will metamorphosis is fantastic for attack, defense, mobility, and utility, both in and out of a fight.

[johnbragg]

My poor player. He asked me to make his character for him and I made a mostly core human fighter.

Then the other players got out their 2 dozen splat books, and went on the forums, and went bananagrams with their melee characters.

Now he's vastly overshadowed.

I talked to him about it and he said he didn't want to change the build, but he wouldn't mind if Santa left him something in the next poorly locked treasure chest.

Here's the build:

Spoiler: Male Human Fighter 10

Show

Male Human Fighter 10

Strength 18 (+4)
Dexterity 14 (+2)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 8 (-1)
Wisdom 8 (-1)
Charisma 14 (+2)

Feats:

Dodge
Mobility
Spring Attack
Great Fortitude
Iron Will
Lightning Reflexes
Power Attack
Cleave
Great Cleave
Improved Sunder
Weapon Focus x1

What should Santa have in his big swollen sack?

Geez, for one thing, a magic doohickey that lets him swap out the three save boosting feats for a Martial Stance and two Maneuvers.

He has Spring Attack, so how about Boots of Striding and Springing, boosted to say +30 feet instead of +10.

A magic (weapon that he has weapon focus in) with the spirit of a sympatico archmage bonded to it?

[Afgncaap5]

Would you rather keep it something that exists in the books, or do you want to homebrew something special? Since it's a new player, I'd be tempted to invent something that lets the player roll dice since die-rolling is fun. I always like homebrewing things. Assuming you don't, though...

It might be fun to introduce an artifact as a story hook. Would the Shield of Prator be too overpowering for what you're doing? Daily access to level 20 Paladin spells, resistance 10 to energy damage, spell resistance of 15, and (of course) the +5 enhancement bonus to the shield. Best part is that if it becomes an annoyance, you can enforce a deity commanding the fighter to go on a quest and/or have the shield be damaged by an agent of darkness who doesn't want the shield at full strength in the hands of a hero before BBEG Operation X commences. (Or even just some demon lord who wants it as a trophy repeatedly saying "I'll torch this village of kittens if you don't give it to me. No? Well I'll torch THIS kitten of villagers if you don't give it to me. No? Well, I'll torch THIS! village of villagers..." etc.)

[Elkad]

Minotaur Greathammer with a pile of powers (including free EWP for it) and a class restriction of "single-class Fighters" only?

Include something moderately ridiculous like always-on Overland Flight

[Eox]

An intelligent magic weapon that only helps the underdog. Shocks the **** out of the other melee players if they try to take it, but instantly opens up its full suite of powers to the fighter.

[Lans]

You could backport the pathfinder fighter

[Eox]

You could backport the pathfinder fighter

Actually, do this. The Advanced Weapon Training they just more-or-less patched in is absolutely wonderful.

[AvatarVecna]

A 1 use combo item of Embrace the Dark Chaos and Shun the Dark Chaos that only works for badly built Fighters. Seriously, he has Lighting Reflexes, and not for a Pre Req, get him a feat shuffle quick.

With the feats he's got set up, I feel like there should be enough charges for him to change away all the crap feats he's got. Beyond that, if he really doesn't want to rebuild his character, there's not much you can do to help him that doesn't fall into the shifty area of WBLmancy, and even that can only help so much without giving him piles of loot that are far beyond what the rest of the party has. If you wish to go that route, though...

1. Slippers of Swiftness (Continuous "Haste" from Trapsmith list); extra attack, costs 8000 gp
2. Stone Gauntlets (Continuous "Fist of Stone"); Str +6 enhancement, costs 8000 gp
3. Wraith's Ring (Continuous "Wraithstrike"); all melee attacks target Touch AC, costs 48000 gp
4. Choker of Rest (Use-Activated "Cure Light Wounds"); 1d8+1 healing as a standard action at-will, 1800 gp
5. Rod of Rebirth (X charges of "Embrace the Dark Chaos" and "Shun the Dark Chaos" each); reshuffle feats X times, costs (3050*X) gp

Just a few ideas.

EDIT: In fact, while I normally hate these modifiers with a passion, I suggest you pile on the "restricted to a particular class/alignment/race" cost reducers, to make the items less likely to get appropriated by the other characters, as well as to reduce their effective cost so you can claim it's still balanced loot.

[Dormammu]

In order: A Sphere of Annihilation, a free reroll and a copy of the Tome of Battle.

edit: In all seriousness though, what are some examples of him being overshadowed? Knowing what the other players can do is just as important as knowing what he can do.

Ha ha! Delightful.

He's being overshadowed by exactly what you suggest. There's a Swordsage with Leap Attack & Battle Jump, and an Ogre Barbarian with a +1 Vicious, Flaming, Shocking Greatclub and a lot of tactical feats.

Honestly the player is newer and doesn't need things that will make him look up more rules. We're looking for something simple that will boost his damage output.

[AvatarVecna]

Honestly the player is newer and doesn't need things that will make him look up more rules. We're looking for something simple that will boost his damage output.

The first three items I listed help with that; one gives an extra attack, one gives him a cheap Str bonus, and the last one lets him target Touch AC, letting him Power Attack all the time. Also, if you feel like it, throw in a Goliath Belt (Continuous "Enlarge Person") for another 4000 gp if you think it'll help.

[Dormammu]

Would you rather keep it something that exists in the books, or do you want to homebrew something special? Since it's a new player, I'd be tempted to invent something that lets the player roll dice since die-rolling is fun.

It can be homebrewed, it can be an artifact. It should be something simple though, since the player is overwhelmed with rules as it is. Rolling dice is fun.

If it has complex rules maybe an intelligent item perhaps? So that he doesn't have to track them?

[Âmesang]

Joke Response: So as of this writing I'm watching WWE SmackDown and my first thought was a fighter cohort to act as a tag-team.

I'm sure the Complete series has skill tricks for that, right?

[johnbragg]

Ha ha! Delightful.

He's being overshadowed by exactly what you suggest. There's a Swordsage with Leap Attack & Battle Jump, and an Ogre Barbarian with a +1 Vicious, Flaming, Shocking Greatclub and a lot of tactical feats.

Honestly the player is newer and doesn't need things that will make him look up more rules. We're looking for something simple that will boost his damage output.

Give him a Tinkerbell Pixie Sorceror 6 who keeps casting haste and fly and invisibility and expeditious retreat (so he can use that Spring Attack effectively) and enlarge person

Argh, I always forget that Expeditious Retreat is a self-only spell. Maybe say "screw the rules, I'm a Kobold!" and make him Tinkerbell's familiar? EDIT: Throw in True Strike, too.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Argh, I always forget that Expeditious Retreat is a self-only spell.

It also doesn't stack with haste. Both are enhancement bonuses to speed.

[johnbragg]

It also doesn't stack with haste. Both are enhancement bonuses to speed.

But you might run out of 3rd level spell slots. Yeah, probably pick something besides Expeditious Retreat.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

But you might run out of 3rd level spell slots. Yeah, probably pick something besides Expeditious Retreat.

In that case, the sorcerer should pack a spellblade of expeditious retreat. Cast the spell on himself and redirect it at the fighter as a free action.

[johnbragg]

I'm liking my revised Sorcerer 7 cohort idea, an awakened raven or a pseudodragon who for unfathomable reasons pledges undying loyalty to the Big Stupid Fighter.

Spells known: 3rd haste, fly, 2nd Invisibility, Resist Elements, Bulls' Strength 1st Enlarge Person, Protection from Evil, Comprehend LAnguages, 2 others.

Summon Monster I if the party could use a literal trapmonkey.
Unseen Servant along similar lines.

I figure you want straightforward spells, with obvious advantages for the Big Sweet Fighter. I'm sure he'll also find things to do with the Unseen Servant. Maybe Tenser's Floating Disk, too.

[Afgncaap5]

It can be homebrewed, it can be an artifact. It should be something simple though, since the player is overwhelmed with rules as it is. Rolling dice is fun.

If it has complex rules maybe an intelligent item perhaps? So that he doesn't have to track them?

How about some sort of "Luck Sword" that gives access to a few luck feats from Complete Scoundrel so that the player can reroll three-ish things a day, along with an enhancement bonus that gets supplemented by a luck bonus on attacks?

[Alex12]

What sort of weapon does he have now? One option you could try would be to apply that thing Solars have for their bows to a melee weapon, coupled with a shifting Bane effect. Each time he draws the weapon while focusing on an enemy, it automagically changes to be the appropriate Bane effect, and has a chance to insta-kill on a failed save.
Or you could upgrade his weapon to apply temporary negative levels.
Or roll twice and use the better roll for attack and/or damage.
Or have the weapon count as some number of sizes larger.
Or ignore DR and Hardness.
Or grant Pounce.
Or just go with a slab of keyword abilities.
Or give him the ability to at-will use a small number of maneuvers, perhaps from the warblade list
Or you could do something like one of the legacy weapons, but just keyed to Fighter level

Or talk with him and/or the other players to come up with something to help him contribute that won't make those players feel like they're the ones being overshadowed.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Given that he doesn't want to change the build, I think we can dispense with all the advice that boils down to "let/make him rebuild." My suggestion, partially because of Spring Attack and mostly because I've been watching a lot of Flash lately:

Savitar's Boon
Some say this +1 Shocking Burst <Weapon> was created personally by the god of speed. Others, that it was made by a wizard who was tired of being perpetually late. Either way, anyone holding it is granted powers of incredible speed. In addition to the obvious, the sword grants the following abilities:

• Strike Like Lightning: Whenever taking the attack option, the wielder may take a -2 penalty on all attacks this round in order to make one extra attack with this weapon. At BAB +15 he may make a second extra attack, and at BAB +20 he may make a third.
• Endless Haste: The wielder gains a +20ft bonus to base land speed, and may move ten times his base land speed when running. Doing so never makes him tired-- he may run at top speed for days, if he so desires.
• Vibrations of Thunder: Three times per day as a swift action, the wielder can cause his body to vibrate at tremendous speed for one round. This functions as the Blink spell, except that there is no chance of becoming material in the middle of a solid object.

That gives him some offense, some defense, and some out-of-combat utility.

[Eisfalken]

Man, I dunno; he's not "great" at anything. There's no direction; it's like trying to make him good at everything, but he ends up be mediocre/bad at all of it. What magic item do you get for someone whose theme is all over the place?

He doesn't need a bigger item; he needs feat retraining to focus on something. However, if you don't want this to feel like a total redo, instead of just making the changes, incorporate it into the game. Doesn't have to be the stuff from Tome of Battle; just have him find clue to some group that can use a rigorous "boot camp" to forge him into a specific kind of fighter. Perhaps there's a warrior school who does charging builds, while another does tripping builds. The magic item he finds could be something belonging to that school.

To complete his training he goes on an obstacle course that tests his abilities; this will give you a chance to help him understand his dice rolls and what his build is capable of. For example, a charging build could be tested on distance to a target, the type of terrain that makes charging impossible, etc.

This solves more than just the bad build: it makes the player's character feel significant at least for a little while, help wash the taste of a bad build out. Additionally, during this retraining, get the other PCs involved by having them learn how to support such a build here and there, such as buffs or control spells that help the fighter get the best opportunities. This helps group cohesion: everyone realizes they are all part of this mechanism that can absolutely destroy their enemies.

Remember, it's not just about making the numbers better, the player has to value the character again. If they realize they only succeed because you gave them a lot of magic item help, it won't matter if they have a +5 vorpal sword or not, they'll still know they aren't doing their best with the character.

[Elder_Basilisk]

Male Human Fighter 10

Strength 18 (+4)
Dexterity 14 (+2)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 8 (-1)
Wisdom 8 (-1)
Charisma 14 (+2)

Feats:

Dodge
Mobility
Spring Attack
Great Fortitude
Iron Will
Lightning Reflexes
Power Attack
Cleave
Great Cleave
Improved Sunder
Weapon Focus x1

Here are a few thoughts, but really it's going to depend on what the player wants to do with the character and in what ways the character is having trouble pulling his weight:

1. Advice to take Elusive Target and Bounding Assault when he hits level 12.
1.5 Rebuild. Trading Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Great Cleave, and Improved Sunder for (for example), Elusive Target, Improved Bull Rush (prereq), Shock Trooper, Endurance (prereq), and Steadfast Determination would be a significant upgrade. Melee weapon mastery is another must have feat from PH 2.

2. Greater skirmisher boots--like Skirmisher boots from Magic Item Compendium but grant the +2 bonus to damage rolls whenever the character moves more than 10 feet before making an attack (rather than requiring the skirmish class feature), activate as a free action (like boots of speed), and have 10 charges per day (like boots of speed). It's a non-standard item, but if you need a price, either 16,000gp or pricing it like boots of speed would probably be fair (based on the standard skirmisher boots pricing). If the character is having trouble equaling ToB classes which do most of their attacks as a standard action, then the ability to make a second iterative attack and (effectively) a haste attack while using Spring Attack will go a long way towards equalizing the his ability to move+attack effectively.

3. A combination cloak of resistance/cloak of (arachnida, flying, montebank, or elemental protection). There are a lot of cloaks that have good mobility or other miscellaneous abilities that ToB classes seem to get but they conflict with the cloak of resistance. Giving the character a cloak of resistance with the other abilities stacked on would enable him to take advantage of interesting abilities without

[Eisfalken]

2. Greater skirmisher boots--like Skirmisher boots from Magic Item Compendium but grant the +2 bonus to damage rolls whenever the character moves more than 10 feet before making an attack (rather than requiring the skirmish class feature), activate as a free action (like boots of speed), and have 10 charges per day (like boots of speed). It's a non-standard item, but if you need a price, either 16,000gp or pricing it like boots of speed would probably be fair (based on the standard skirmisher boots pricing). If the character is having trouble equaling ToB classes which do most of their attacks as a standard action, then the ability to make a second iterative attack and (effectively) a haste attack while using Spring Attack will go a long way towards equalizing the his ability to move+attack effectively.

Quick side note: if you get the greater skirmisher boots, replace Dodge with Expeditious Dodge (from RotW); it grants a flat dodge bonus to AC against all attacks if you move... I think it's 20 ft. a round? Either way, this a much better feat than Dodge, especially with these boots.

3. A combination cloak of resistance/cloak of (arachnida, flying, montebank, or elemental protection). There are a lot of cloaks that have good mobility or other miscellaneous abilities that ToB classes seem to get but they conflict with the cloak of resistance. Giving the character a cloak of resistance with the other abilities stacked on would enable him to take advantage of interesting abilities without

Side note #2: you don't have to jury-rig this if you use the rules for adding common effects to magic items, located in MIC pg. 233-234. You can straight up take a cloak with a movement enhancement and add +resistance bonus to it. You only have to pay the additional cost of adding the bonus to the base item.

Supported officially with the item cloak of comfort in Complete Mage; it's basically an endure elements aura around the wearer with the resistance bonus built in.

[arkangel111]

Honestly if he is happy keeping the build I wouldn't worry about it. You have plenty of melee and damage. he is gonna be overshadowed without a HUGE push in a specific direction. I would just give him an interesting item familiar or such. Maybe it has very little effect in combat but it has a very memorable personality. Maybe it hates the fighter but refuses to be held by anyone but him. Likes the color purple and refuses to attack anything wearing purple. Maybe it always talks out loud at the most inappropriate times, or better tries to engage the fighter in philosophical debates in the heat of battle. Perhaps it refuses to be unsheathed unless the Player says "I HAVE THE POWER!!". Randomly takes control of the character and makes him do odd things in social situations.

Any of these things would do more for a first time player than giving him bigger damage numbers ever will. Plus since the other players are more experienced and more prone to minmaxing you can easily keep them from initially trying to grab this item.

[PaucaTerrorem]

Something that gives him Pounce?

[animewatcha]

Do the other 2 players have flight? Can you give this player flight? Like Mask of flight from magic of faerun book?