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I come to you all with another series of things I have done: This time, namely, Militant feats. I Felt that, instead of trying to fix the fighter class, that we should play to what it does best. What's that? Feats! I've come up with a series of Feats that either A) Being a fighter gives you easy and total access too, or B) Can be gained by other classes, but cannot for the life of them barely scratch the surface of.
I've probably drawn inspiration from many sources, and I could not possibly name them. If anything here seems like something you've done, or close to something already done, let me know!
Here we go!
Militant series feats:
These feats must be taken by using bonus feats gained from a class.
Fighters and Psychic Warriors count all [militant] Feats on their list of Bonus Feats.
Fighter’s Training Benefit: You may treat feats normally gained from level progression as bonus feats for the purpose of taking Militant Feats. Bonus: Fighters and Psychic Warriors gain this feat for free at First Level.
Parry[Militant] Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +6 Benefits: Per encounter a number of times equal to your constitution modifier, you may attempt to parry a nonmagical melee attack. Make an attack roll in opposition to your opponent’s attack roll. If yours is higher, than the attack misses instead of hits.
Parrying works opponents of any size smaller than and up to one larger than your size. Parrying provokes no attacks of opportunity. Bonus: any dodge bonus to your AC is also added to your parry roll (Ex: From Combat Expertise, Dodge, Total Defense, Mobility, and the like).
Ranged Parry[Militant] Prerequisites: Parry Benefits: As Parry, but you may also attempt to parry nonmagical Ranged attacks. Using this feat counts toward your uses of Parry per encounter. Bonus: As Parry.
Magical Parry[Militant] Prerequisites: Ranged Parry Benefit: As Parry, but Also Works against Magical Attacks (Such as rays and magical touch attacks). Using this feat counts toward your uses of Parry per encounter. The opponent's size does not matter when using this feat to parry a magical attack. Bonus: As Parry.
Counter Attack[Militant] Prerequisites: Parry, Combat Reflexes Benefits: When you successfully parry an opponent’s melee attack, you may make an attack of opportunity against them at a –10 penalty. This attack may be a disarm, trip, sunder, or grapple.
Ranged Redirect [Militant] Prerequisites: Ranged Parry Benefits: When you successfully parry a ranged attack (Including rays if you have Magical Parry), you may redirect the ranged attack against another. This is treated as though the chosen target is the new target of the attack, and the attack is made at a –10 penalty. A new attack roll is made by the you at your attack bonuses against the new target.
Large Parry [Militant] Prerequisites: Parry, strength 21 Benefits: You may parry any opponent up to two sizes larger than you. Normal: You can only parry opponents up to one size larger than you.
Extending Parry[Militant] Prerequisite: Parry Benefit: You can use your parry ability when an adjacent ally is targeted. If your parry check is higher than the attackers attack roll, the attack instead misses. This provokes attacks of opportunity from everyone but the attacker.
Parry Training[Militant] Prerequisites: Parry, Fighter’s Training Benefit: You can Parry a number of times per encounter equal to twice your constitution bonus. Normal: You can parry a number of times per encounter equal to your constitution bonus.
Combination Attack[Militant] Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +11 Benefits: During a full attack, for every attack you land, Subsequent attacks gain a +2 attack bonus. Any attacks that miss reset the bonuses given by this feat. Ex: If your first and second attacks have landed so far, your third attack gains a total of a +4 Bonus. However, if your third attack misses, your fourth attack will have no bonus. Bonus: If you have the Weapon Focus feat and are using the weapon in question, you gain a +3 bonus to attacks instead of +2.
Combination Assault[Militant] Prerequisites: Combination Attack Benefits: During a Full attack, for every attack you land, subsequent attacks gain a +1 damage bonus. Any attacks that Miss reset the bonuses given by this feat. Bonus: If you have the Weapon Specialization feat and you are using the weapon in question, you gain a +2 bonus to damage instead of a +1.
Combination Culmination[Militant] Prerequisites: Combination Assault Benefits: If, during a full attack, if all of your attacks hit (Including your final attack in the full attack) than your final attack automatically causes a critical threat, regardless of what is actually rolled. Bonus: If you have the Improved Critical feat and you are using the weapon in question, than you add a +2 bonus to your critical threat confirmation rolls (Not just for this feat).
Combination Power[Militant] Prerequisites: Combination Assault, Power attack Benefits: If, during a full attack, all of your attacks land (Including your final attack), you may use your power attack feat on your final attack whether or not you actually declared its use. You may take up to the normal amount from your attack roll and add it to your damage, but the number chosen cannot cause your attack to have actually missed.
Combination Expertise[Militant] Prerequisites: Combination Assault, Combat Expertise Benefits: If, During a Full attack, all of your attacks hit (Including your final one), you may use your combat expertise feat with your final attack, regardless of whether or not you declared its use. You may take up to the normal amount from your attack roll and add it to your AC, but the number chosen cannot cause your attack to have actually missed.
Jump Dodge [Militant] Prerequisites: 7 ranks in jump, Dodge Benefits: If you provoke an attack of opportunity from an opponent, you can make a jump check as an immediate action. The opponent’s attack roll is made against the jump check. If your roll is higher, the attack misses and you land on any space within 10 feet and adjacent to the opponent. If your roll is lower than your opponents, his attack succeeds and you fall prone in your space. Use of this feat does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Bonus: You gain an additional +2 bonus to Reflex checks if you have the Lightning Reflexes Feat.
Jumping Whirlwind [Militant] Prerequisites: Jump Dodge, Whirlwind attack Benefits: If you successfully use your Jump Dodge feat, you may choose to use your whirlwind attack feat when you land. These attacks are made at a -10 penalty, and you take a -3 AC penalty until the end of the next round.
Bleeding Strike[Militant] Prerequisites: Base Attack bonus +6 Benefits: Whenever you roll a critical hit, you also cause 1 point of constitution damage. The opponent must roll a fortitude check or take an additional point of constitution damage at the beginning of the next round.
Unexpected Assault [Militant] Prerequisites: Dodge, Combat Expertise Benefits: Whenever you use the total defense action, you may use this feat. Make a Bluff check opposed by your opponents sense motive check. If your roll succeeds, then you may charge and then full attack the opponent in question.
Painful Strikes [Militant] Prerequisites: Base attack Bonus +5 Benefits: When you Attack, you may choose to have half of your damage dealt be nonlethal damage instead.
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
Well, I Don't know. Thats the fun part. It would work for one Of the feat lines I made, The Jump dodge and Jump Whirlwind. But, I or someone else could certainly come up with other reasons to use it as well. Like "Use Provoke and get a benefit" Or something like that.
Actually, it could also be used to get attacks out of turn with Parry and counterattack from this line of feats I came up with. Something I just noticed. (Teardrop)
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
Well, Thank you very much. =) What about them do you like? Or, is there a specific one you liked?
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
good addition there 0_0** That makes good sense. I will do that.
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
Tough it Out![Militant] Prerequisites: Toughness Benefits: A number of times per day equal to your constitution modifier, you may make a fortitude save instead of a reflex check when called to make one against an attack or spell. Bonus: You gain an additional hit point per level. This is retroactive for levels gained.
Tough it Out!, Greater[Militant] Prerequisites: Tough it Out!, Endurance Benefits: Whenever you use the Tough it Out! Feat, you take no damage from the attack on a successful save. After the encounter, you take nonlethal damage equal to half the saved damage. Bonus: your carrying limits are now 1 and 1/2 times your normal.
Down and Dirty[Militant] Prerequisites: Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike
U]Benefits:[/u] When Grappling with an opponent, you take no penalty for attack an opponent with a weapon, whether yours or theirs. In addition, when you pin your opponent, they must make a concentration check in opposition to a grapple check in order to cast a spell, or else lose the spell they were attempting to cast.
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
These seem they they could be fun and work well in a game.
As far as bringing the fighter's power level on par with casters, it doesn't, but that's OK and the idea of progressively better feats in chains is a good start.
I like your ideas.
I like Tough it Out!, but I think the Greater version could be split into 2 feats operation somewhat like Evasion and Improved Evasion.
Also anything special about the Reflex saves that one can turn into Fortitude saves with Tough it Out! should also apply to normal Fortitude saves made by that character.
Let me give you an example based on what you already have.
Improved Tough it Out![Militant] Prerequisites: Tough it Out! Benefit: Whenever you make a Fortitude save, including ones made to replace Reflex saves, that would halve or prevent damage you ignore all of the damage even if you would normally take half (or any amount) and even if you do not make the save half the damage is taken as nonlethal.
Greater Tough it Out![Militant] Prerequisites: Improved Tough it Out! Benefit: As Improved Tough it out except when saves are failed you only take half the damage you normally would and it is taken in nonlethal form.
@ Rowanomicon: I like that! I'll implement those feats. though, it would mean more a feat sink for the fighter... bleh. who cares?
Bringing fighters on par with wizards? I don't see that happening. What I see is most people say fighters aren't fun to play cause they just do: run up and attack. oh, trip! and attack. take a 5 foot step. attack. repeat.
Besides, wizards are supposed to be powerful. but then again you'll probably only find 1 of them for every 5 or 6 20 level fighters (even though the wizard could kill them all with a glance). Moving on though...
I want to try and spice things up a little, and maybe just make some feats for the sake of it.
I know the tome of the nine swords does something similar. I guess i'm looking a a less spectacular means.
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"I took the road less traveled- now where the hell am I?"
"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." -C.S. Lewis
These are nice.
One question and a suggestion: shouldn't Fighter’s Training training lose the militant descriptor (so classes that don't get it for free can actually get it)? And perhaps it should give some additional benefits considering "you can actually take these feats now" is kinda lame for a feat, as it stands you'd be much better of just taking a 1 level dip in fighter.
I remember trying to do something like this. If you want to see it, there is a link in my sig.
I even had an Idea for called shots. Take the feat, take a penalty on your attack roll, and inflict a debuff in addition to damage when you hit. What Fun!
I'm wondering whether Parry should be based on Dex instead of Con. I mean you're ability to deflect somebody's attacks depends heavily on your agility right?
I can understand why it may be based on Con, but I think the option should be there for Dex as well.
And I like the idea of these feats, they do help to give the Fighter a nice power boost. However, I don't think it entirely fixes the fighter, he still lacks usefulness outside of combat.
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Sorry guys, School's come down on my like a tonne of bricks and I'm quite busy. Posting will be intermittent at best.
Pointless much? Why would you EVER want to provoke?
Well a monster without combat reflexes can only make 1 AoO per round, so a fighter may wish to take it if he knows a party member will provoke one on their turn. However in order to be worth while it would need to be a free action and even then a +2-4 AC bonus against all AoO should also be thrown in.
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"It doesn't matter how much you struggle or strive,
You'll never get out of life alive,
So please kill yourself and save this land,
And your last mission is to spread my command,"
Slightly adapted quote from X-Fusion, Please Kill Yourself
You don't need a feat to provoke an AoO as a move action. You can just take any of a whole bunch of move actions that provoke AoOs already (like, say, moving.)
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Militant Feats [PEACH]
(How else could that NPC octopus have predicted all games correctly?)
