Return of the beast (Fighter-fix)

[Kioran]

The Wild Fighter

"My friends? Yeah, they bend reality with their minds. Zolthan negotiates minor nobles out of their land, and he´s a blast when drunk. Things start disappearing left and right....Me?
I don´t do anything special - well, I´m tough. Something like a beast the others unleash against our enemies......"
Soirath, Wild Fighter

This class is an attempt to fix the Fighter in a somewhat different way - I want to make him work more like a melee monster. No matter what equipment he uses, or the approach he chooses, he´s simply one of the toughest, meanest critters around. He doesn´t do anything special, but plenty of it.
It collides a little with the other Fighter Fix from Rowanomicon, but I think it has some unique ideas. Like the latter, it spawned from the "how mundane is mundane enough thread", specifically my utterances.
Without any further ado, I give you:



Wild Fighter

Alignment
Any.

Hit Die
d10.

Class Skills
The fighter’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
2 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|Bonus HD

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+0

|Bonus Feat

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|Bonus HD

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

|Bonus Feat

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

|Bonus HD

6th|

+6/+1

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

|Bonus Feat, Dual Strike

7th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

|Bonus HD

8th|

+8/+3

|

+6

|

+2

|

+2

|Bonus Feat, Insightful Training

9th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+3

|

+3

|Bonus HD

10th|

+10/+5

|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

|Bonus Feat

11th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

|Bonus HD, Mobile Combat

12th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+8

|

+4

|

+4

|Bonus Feat, Improved Dual Strike

13th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+4

|

+4

|Bonus HD

14th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+9

|

+4

|

+4

|Bonus Feat, Improved Healing

15th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+9

|

+5

|

+5

|Bonus HD

16th|

+16/+11/+6/+1

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

|Bonus Feat

17th|

+17/+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

|Bonus HD

18th|

+18/+13/+8/+3

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

|Bonus Feat

19th|

+19/+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

|Bonus HD

20th|

+20/+15/+10/+5

|

+12

|

+6

|

+6

|Bonus Feat, Heroic Vigor[/table]

Bonus HD: These additional hit Dice follow the table in the spoiler:

Spoiler

Show

Dice Size: d4
Skill Points: 2 per lvl, no additional at first lvl
Class Skills: As Original class

{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|[/table]

They do not count towards ECL, Character lvl for the purpose of qualifying for epic feats or the upper limit of ranks in skills.
They do count, however, for Regneration, energy drain or simliar purposes. Feats like improved Toughness affect these HD as well. These HD stack with the original HD for the purpose of acquiring Feats and Ability increases.

Bonus Feats: As per Fighter class, with additional Fighter-only Feats available and eligible.

Dual Strike: The character may, as a standard action, make an attack with his primary and off-hand weapon, at full BAB minus the apropriate penalites.

Insightful Training: If a Wild Fighter increases his permanent Intelligence score, the intelligence modifier is retroactively applied to all his previous HD.

Mobile Combat: The Wild Fighter may, as a standard action, make a normal attack at full BAB, followed by a second one at -10.

Improved Dual Strike: When using a mobile combat attack, a Wild Fighter may make a corresponding attack with the off-hand weapon for each of his two attacks.

Improved Healing: A Wild Fighter is now able to heal off permanent ability drain at a rate of 1 point/week, and may repeat a Fortitude save against a permanent, debiliating magical condition like those caused by "Feeblemind" or a Lich´s paralyzing touch, once every 24 hours affected. If that second save is succesful, the condition is shrugged off.

Heroic Vigor: The Wild Fighter receives HP through natural healing at a rate of 1HP/HD every 6 hours and recovers from ability drain at a rate of 1 point/day.

Special Wild Fighter-only Feats:

Spoiler

Show

Enhanced strength: Increase the strength score by one point, permanently. Can be taken up to three times.
Prerequisite: Wild Fighter lvls 1/4/7

Enhanced Constitution: Increase the constitution score by one point, permanently. Can be taken up to three times.
Prerequisite: Wild Fighter lvls 1/4/7

Enhanced Agility: Increase the Dexterity score by one point, permanently. Can be taken up to three times.
Prerequisite: Wild Fighter lvls 1/4/7

Amazing speed: The base land speed of your character is increased by 10, with all corresponding benefits. Can be taken up to three times.
Prerequisite: Wild Fighter lvls 4/8/12

Enhanced Reflexes: +2 to your reflex saves (effectively giving you a good save!). Stacks with other Feats and Boni.

Impressive Willpower: +2 to your will saves (effectively giving you a good save!). Stacks with other Feats and Boni.

Useful Experience: Pick the three skills of your choice. They become class skills for your Wild Fighter and Bonus HD
Prerequisite: Wild Fighter 1

Talented: Gain an additional skill point per HD, quadrupule at first, as per human race. This benefit is applied retroactively. Can be taken up to four times
Prerequiste: Wild Fighter 1/5/9/13

Resilent body: Gain DR 1/- . This bonus stacks with DR gained from armor or other classes like barbarian. This feat can be taken multiple times, and also stacks with itself.
Prerequisite: none, can be taken other classes as well

Toughened Body: Gain a natural armor bonus of 1. This Feat can be taken multiple times. It stacks.
Prerequisite: none, can be taken by other classes as well

Edits: Scaled down the Bonus HD, added three additional Feats. I also recommend, as a quick and dirty fix if you use this(thanks for the catch, Moff chumley), adding the Bonus HD to the Core Melee classes(or other melee classes of low power-lvl) along the following lines:

Monk, Ranger, Paladin, Swashbuckler, CW Samurai: Bonus HD att all even levels.
Barbarian: Bonus HD att all levels divisible by three

Notes: the CW Samurai may add these HD to his base HD for the purpose of staredown, actually making it a little useful.

[Spiryt]

What "bonus HD" mean? He gains everything what is in this spoilered table?

[Kioran]

What "bonus HD" mean? He gains everything what is in this spoilered table?

Yes - they also follow some special rules/exceptions as seen in the paragraph below the table. Benefits from these stack with those from the original Class-HD

[Spiryt]

Then sorry, but you must now that this all is horribly broken. He probably still couldn't face wizard, but instead barbarians, rangers and others are pretty pointless compared to him.

That fighter will certainly be allow to face many opponets and win, and could contribute to party, but for what cast.

As I said few times - full casting is broken and only fixing it could fix D&D. I now that this is probably impossible of at least very hard - but there is no other option.

[Moff Chumley]

Very interesting, I like the idea of bonus HD. However, to make this balanced, you might want to do a similar fix for Rangers, Pallies, and Barbarians. To make this class viable against mages, possibly add some spell resistance or immunities?

[JackMage666]

What if the bonus HD just gave more HP, instead of increased BAB and Saves? Like, the bonus HD is just an extra d10 he gets to roll?

[Kioran]

Very interesting, I like the idea of bonus HD. However, to make this balanced, you might want to do a similar fix for Rangers, Pallies, and Barbarians. To make this class viable against mages, possibly add some spell resistance or immunities?

Of course - the rest of Core Melee (including the Monk) could tack this right on at the even levels (with barbarian, the strongest of ém, getting only 6 HD, one every level divisible by 3). I don´t think it would unbalance them much, though I ask myself about the Rogue and balance. Is this more powerful than a properly played Rogue?
Special Abilities like SR or Immunities don´t fit my vision of the class that much - it´s like an Ogre or giant, just a lumbering mass of abilities and HD out to get you.

What if the bonus HD just gave more HP, instead of increased BAB and Saves? Like, the bonus HD is just an extra d10 he gets to roll?

We could talk about the BAB or the Skills, maybe even the saves, but the intent is not onyl to grant more HP, but to make this viable against, for example, Barbarians and Warblades, both of which have useful and strong class features, without handing out a specific set of class feature. No mechanic is as generelasized as HD, that´s why I´m picking additional HD for a Power-up. The Saves are mainly there to make the Fighter the meatshield in meaning as well as name. Now he can take some of the things which would have insta-killed him before, something he would have been able to even with many HP.

To everyone: Would you advocate reducing the HD to true Commoner-HD by dropping the good Fort Save?

[Kioran]

I made some adjustments. Please comment.

[JackMage666]

The bonus HD just arn't working. They're like giving a Fighter gestalt, just cause you feel sorry for him. Plus, it says they count for Feats and Ability increases, which means you get an additional +2 Ability Points and 4 Extra Feats, aside from all the bonus feats from the class. It gives easier entry into PrCs, due to the increased BAB, plus an extra 2+Int skill points, no cost. Think of it this way, a Human Fighter with 16 Intelligence, and every few levels he gets Weapon Focus (all weapons) (this is special because it stacks), and Open Mind (gives 5 skill points for free). By the end of his career, he'll have 5 Mass Weapon Focuses, 10 Open Minds, Iron Will, Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, and then some. Not to mention they qualified for feats earlier, gained more ability score and feats than any other character, and gain an edge in HP even over the Barbarian. Let's say we have a Figher with 16 Con. Every 2 levels, he gains 2d10+1d4+9 HP (22 HP, average, 27 1st level), while the same score Barbarins only gains 19 HP (23 while raging).

It surpasses every other non-spellcasting class due to its increased versatility, and the other melee classes the most. Given, it still can't Sneak Attack, but the extra Feats and such will certaily make it a definitive runner in the long run.