Post/Author/DateTime	Post
xclarkx 11-20-05, 07:32 PM	ok so heres the deal..i have an 8TH level fighter..but im getting a bit bored of being a bog standard fighter. he has these feats; Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiancy: Bastard Sword, Improved Critical: Bastard Sword, Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword, Greater Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword, Mobility, Spring Attack any ideas of prestige classes or anything i could be to make my fighter a little more intresting to play?...and i have already thought of exoctic weapons expert.. and am considering it! also as an extra note to mention.. my character adventures with a dwarven fighter/defender so he is usually moving around alot to get flanking bonus' and is always one moving through threat areas (hence the mobility and spring attack) thanks for your help Clark x edit: hes human..and id have to look at his character sheet to remeber all his skills, which is currrently with my DM...but i can ask and ill post it up as soon as he gets back to me.
MindWandererB 11-20-05, 09:22 PM	It would be helpful to know the character's race, alignment, and skill ranks to check for various PrC qualifications. Knowing the character's stats will help plan feats. Exotic Weapon Master is indeed a good one, though there aren't many stunt choices for a bastard sword. Uncanny Blow is about the best you can do there. If you don't have the right skills to take the PrC you want, just stick with fighter, but look into other feats. Combat Expertise will qualify you for Whirlwind attack, and since you've already bought the other prereqs you might as well go all the way. Once you have Combat Expertise, you can pair that with the EWM's Trip Attack stunt, and then get Improved Trip. If you have a high enough Dex, Improved Shield Bash combines with Two-Weapon Fighting to make a fairly nasty combination. I assume your Dex is decent since you're using Spring Attack. You could also diversify into archery. That will improve your character's versatility considerably.
Ziatyn Phoenixwolf 11-20-05, 09:39 PM	since you are always moving into flanking positions you could always multi as a rouge if you either do not mind a experience penilty or you are a race that can do so without it. A prestege class that I like for the fighter that can provide an emence amount of depth to the charactor is the divine champion; however, it my not be as fun or benificial if you dumpped charisma, or if you are not in to the gods.
Darth_Azalin 11-20-05, 10:08 PM	Next feat to take is Flay Foe Also it might be wise to use the bastard sword 2 handed so you gain more damage when you power attack. If you want then go with a larger bastard sword and take the monkey grip feat. Also after taking Flay, your next feats would be like Great Cleave or Eyes in the back of your head.
JTalbain 11-20-05, 10:21 PM	I second multiclassing as Rogue. Fighter/Rogues are so popular for a multitude of reasons: They can do massive damage in melee if they are mobile (which you are), they'll have two decent saves, they're eventually immune to flanking and surprise by any but a very experienced Rogue, they've got both a high number of skills and feats, etc. They're just really fun to play. But if you wanted something really different... Why don't you try multiclassing as Monk? Even more mobility, a few extra nifty abilities, you get evasion, all good saves, and it already sounds like your character does quite well in light armor. Screw the fact that you focus on a Bastard Sword, you'd be just fine using your fist only as a backup. :D Multiclassing as a Monk wouldn't slow your feat progression at all, would increase your skill repetoire and with a few minor tweaks, you'd get nothing but bonuses. Just depends on what your stats are I guess.
Dangaard 11-20-05, 11:29 PM	by JTalbain I second multiclassing as Rogue. Fighter/Rogues are so popular for a multitude of reasons: They can do massive damage in melee if they are mobile (which you are), they'll have two decent saves, they're eventually immune to flanking and surprise by any but a very experienced Rogue, they've got both a high number of skills and feats, etc. They're just really fun to play. I "third" the rogue/fighter combo it just really complements itself. oh and if you dont want to do that get imp trip, imp shield bash, shield slam, and shield charge. run behind put em down take em out. and bang em on the head with the shield.
Darth_Azalin 11-21-05, 04:24 AM	I second multiclassing as Rogue. Fighter/Rogues are so popular for a multitude of reasons: They can do massive damage in melee if they are mobile (which you are), they'll have two decent saves, they're eventually immune to flanking and surprise by any but a very experienced Rogue, they've got both a high number of skills and feats, etc. They're just really fun to play. Well the reason I say "Eyes in the back of your head" is because you no longer can be flanked. So no need to go Rogue.. If you want to do the extra damage like sneak attack. That is actual so limited unless you have Improved Feint its not a benefit. With Flay Foe you do an extra d6 of damage for each successful hit passed the first one. So its much better than sneak attack. Stay with fighter and just be a stronger powerhouse.
Gundragon 11-21-05, 04:28 AM	I'm actually this guys DM. His character is Human, but his skills arn't that plentiful. I don't remember his stats exactly, but I think he has a few ranks in Ride and Jump. I'm at work now, but I have his character sheet at home. I'll post his stats later.
Darth_Azalin 11-21-05, 04:34 AM	well with that said taking one level in Rogue would give him a crap load of skills... But I still wouldnt do it...
Cadfan 11-21-05, 04:55 AM	You won't qualify for Dread Commando without some ranks in hide and move silently, but you meet the rest of the requirements. That prestige class gives you, over 5 levels, a huge initiative bonus to you and the rest of your party, a good class skill list with some of the best skills in the game (including disable device, and open lock), sudden strike, a huge reduction in armor check penalties, and so on. It would add some variety to your character. You could pick the hide/move silently up faster with the Guerilla Warrior feat, which, in combination with Dread Commando, will eventually let you have an armor check penalty 5 points lower than you do now. Its certainly got more variety than a straight up fighter.
Tristan 11-21-05, 05:34 AM	pick up Complete warrior there are probably a dozen classes you could go for Occult slayer Kensai Samurai Cavalier Knight Protector(or whatever its called)
xclarkx 11-21-05, 07:48 AM	pick up Complete warrior there are probably a dozen classes you could go for Occult slayer Kensai Samurai Cavalier Knight Protector(or whatever its called) yeah i have looked in it and am going to be getting it for christmas..but alot of the classes i cant use due to my alignment (chaotic neutural) other then exotic weapons expert.
Ash the blackcowl 11-21-05, 08:40 AM	Some of the best fighter material out there are the tactial and weapon style feats. I love them because the give you some really flavorful attack options. They can be found in the CW and there are a few found in an 05 issue of dragon.
Atar 11-21-05, 08:41 AM	You won't qualify for Dread Commando without some ranks in hide and move silently, but you meet the rest of the requirements. That prestige class gives you, over 5 levels, a huge initiative bonus to you and the rest of your party, a good class skill list with some of the best skills in the game (including disable device, and open lock), sudden strike, a huge reduction in armor check penalties, and so on. It would add some variety to your character. You could pick the hide/move silently up faster with the Guerilla Warrior feat, which, in combination with Dread Commando, will eventually let you have an armor check penalty 5 points lower than you do now. Its certainly got more variety than a straight up fighter. Which book is this from? I'm interested myself! Also, what are the pre-req's? To the OP: I fourth (sp?) the choice of rogue. I'd go 10 / 10 myself. That way you can't be flanked, get a nice enough sneak attack and a very sweet feat like Oppertunist or Crippling Strike, both work EXTREMELY well when you're a well-build flanker. Also think about Combat Reflexes so you can still make 'normal' attacks of oppertunity (if you take Oppertunist). Good luck :)
TattooedMonk 11-21-05, 09:15 AM	As far as alignment goes, pick a PrC and have a run in with the law/a band of no goods or something that may shift his alignment so that he meets the prerequisites. :D
Beppo 11-21-05, 09:23 AM	Dread Commando is written in the "Heroes of Battle" Sourcebook. The requirements are: BAP +5, Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks, Dodge and Mobility
Dracspero 11-21-05, 11:45 AM	You didn't list Specialization (isn't is a pre-requisite for Greater Focus?), but if you have it you may want to look at Planar Champion in Manual of the Planes. They get some nifty abilities, and to be able to slice open reality with your sword to travel to other planes is just...neat.
Gundragon 11-21-05, 12:55 PM	Okay, here's the rest of Clark's stats: CN Fighter (8) Str 18 Dex 13 Con 15 Int 12 Wis 9 Cha 13 Skills: Gather Information 3 Intimidate 2 Jump 7 Listen 2.5 Ride 9 Search 3 Feats: Dodge Exotic Weap Prof: BSword Imp Crit: BSword Power Attack Cleave Weap Focus: BSword Greater Weap Focus: BSword Mobility Spring Attack Thats about it :D
heretic888 11-21-05, 01:13 PM	You could pick the hide/move silently up faster with the Guerilla Warrior feat, which, in combination with Dread Commando, will eventually let you have an armor check penalty 5 points lower than you do now. Cadfan, Which book is this Guerilla Warrior feat in?? What exactly does it entail?? Thanks.
2y1y1z2 11-21-05, 01:44 PM	Take your Masterwork Bastard Sword (which conveniently doubles as a Katana), pick up a Masterwork Short Sword (which conveniently doubles as a Wakizashi) and start taking levels in the Iaijutsu Master PrC from Oriental Adventures.
MistWolf 11-21-05, 07:55 PM	This boy is in serious need of some Tumbling! First of all, there's nothing wrong with the character. You don't need to multiclass into anything to rid yourself of the boring character blues. I mean let's face reality here. All any class represents is the ability to strip hit points or buff something so it can- no matter what you call the ability or how it's roleplayed. Adding another character class will not change the boredom. What you need are: A) A goal for your character. This can be anything from collecting spoons from the various places you visit to avenging your father's death at the hands of your uncle, to saving the world or building your own kingdom. Anything B) Plot out 3 allies and 1 or 2 nemisis for your DM to flavor your world with. Allies may not be friends, your nemisis may not be your enemy C) Go through the DMs Guide & whatever Dragon Mags you can git yer paws on & find some magical items/weapons you'd like for your character. For example, an item that increases your Constitution will also increase your hit points D) Bond your favorite weapon and start imbuing abilities to it, such as Speed, a +3 ability that gives you an extra attack, or Frost that does 1d6 of extra cold damage. Rules for Bonding can be found in the DMG II- a book that everyone should read the first chapter of. Sit down with your DM and discuss these options first. It's alright to multiclass your character- don't get me wrong. But first get with our DM for a brainstorming session
BadCatMan 11-22-05, 04:04 AM	I tried posting this last night, but everything went wonky. Here we go again. Now this is what Character Optimisation is for. :) Player boredom is best cured by cheese*. Acquiring a template such as Vampire or a Lycanthrope can add an interesting new dimension to your character with a number of interesting abilities (as well as associated difficulties). If your interested, perhaps your DM will oblige. Racial progression levels can be found on the website. * Well, probably not, but you get the idea. A simple multiclassing choice would be another base class, as naturally made characters rarely qualify for PrCs (a few are possible, see below). You could take Barbarian if you feel angry enough, Ranger if you feel woodsy enough, Paladin if you feel particularly devout, or Rogue, as mentioned before. Depends on your stats and RP. Or you could try Human Paragon out of Unearthed Arcana and the SRD. This will give you some more opportunities for further customisation and possible RP. That bastard sword... is it really a katana? I ask because I have a strong feeling that no player ever wields an actual bastard sword. :) Anyway, it suggested Oriental Adventures to me, but the best choice I found there was Weapon Master (which can also be found in Sword and Fist). You still need Combat Expertise, Reflexes and Whirlwind Attack, which you can obtain if you take your next two levels in Psychic Warrior, giving you two feats, plus one from level 9. This is good if you feel like being a master of the bastard sword, letting it become an extension of your body and soul. Or whatever. The same effect can be had from CW's Exotic Weapon Master, as mentioned above. Your choice. Dual-wielding bastard swords seems to be a popular choice (again, katanas). Some TWF fighting feats plus what you have already will get you into Tempest, out of Complete Adventurer. Don't forget to grab Oversized TWF out of the same book. You could mix this with EWM's Trip Attack for dual-tripping fun. Anyway, flick through some Expansion Books for some interesting PrCs or feats to help you spice up your character some more. Complete Warrior and the older Sword & Fist will be good places to begin looking. From S&F, some interesting PrCs that you could try going for (and are close to qualifying) are: * Devoted Defender - bodyguard, but I don't think you're going to want to take a hit for the Dwarven Defender. * Ghostwalker - play dead, ghost around, and get your revenge. * Gladiator - you don't actually have to be a gladiator to take levels, but there are a number of potentially fun tricks here. Likely you qualify already. * Weapon Master - yeah, I said it already. Now I see the stats... you're only 2 ranks in Intimidate away from the Gladiator. You could have some fun with that if you can find a crowd of spectators (who could be party members, but I'm not sure). Kill a foe, then dance around punching the air, singing 'I am the Greatest!'*. Like I said, you don't have to be an actual gladiator to take the class, you can just be a show-off. *: With your Spring Attack style, you could do a nice 'Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee.' routine. :) You're 1 point of Intelligence away from the Expertise / Whirlwind route. Perhaps you could change your 8th level stat increase to Intelligence. Two levels of Psychic Warrior will give you an extra feat to play with if you want to go for Weapon Master. It suits your character's style and development so far. Don't worry about the Psionic powers - you won't be able to manifest them anyway. :) (Not unless you increase your Wisdom later on.)
Cadfan 11-22-05, 04:26 AM	The guerilla warrior feat is in Heroes of Battle. It lets you buy Hide and Move Silently for one point per rank as if it were a class skill, but it does not remove the cross class skill point cap, if that is applicable to you. It also reduces your armor check penalty by 1. There's nothing wrong with updating one's character to relieve boredom. The more choices you have in a game, the less bored you'll be. Some character classes don't offer a lot of choices during gameplay- fighter is famous for this, since often your choice will be "hit it with my sword" or "uh, hit it with my sword." That's why a highly customizable prestige class like dread commando can be so fun. Its not a munchkin prestige class, its a prestige class for people who want to be able to do interesting things in many situations. Scale stone walls in plate mail armor? He can do that. Sneak around with the rogue? He can do that. Suddenly where you used to sit around and wait for the rogue to do his scouting thing, you're up there with him in the action. In fact, with the level 4 ability, while you may not be *quite* as quiet as the rogue, you're probably faster at sneaking about than him even with your plate mail on. And its got the team initiative bonus, which makes your whole party happy. And synergizes with the sudden strike. Fun for everyone.
Quirriff 11-22-05, 09:21 AM	Okay, here's the rest of Clark's stats: CN Fighter (8) Str 18 Dex 13 Con 15 Int 12 Wis 9 Cha 13 Skills: Gather Information 3 Intimidate 2 Jump 7 Listen 2.5 Ride 9 Search 3 Feats: Dodge Exotic Weap Prof: BSword Imp Crit: BSword Power Attack Cleave Weap Focus: BSword Greater Weap Focus: BSword Mobility Spring Attack Thats about it :D No weapon Specialisation ARE YOU CRAZY!, that's one of the things that makes fighters special and you don't have it. Improved Initiative is also a big bonus and I think eventually everyone should have it. If you have weapon specialisation you can do d10+8 damage with bastard sword two handed if you have 18 strength. But regardless a fighter is a blank slate, what you need is to do some Role playing, not roll playing. Find something your fighter is good at. Perhaps what you should do is since you've got good ranks in Ride is Horseback fighting, you have Exotic Bastard sword use, so you can chop people's heads off while running through their ranks, just a thought.
Glenn4Moose 11-22-05, 12:02 PM	You might want to try out scout. Its from the Complete Adventurer and it relies on mobility. As you do that already, you'll get the benefits of the extra damage(sneak attack but you have to move x number of feet[not posting as it might break the whole don't talk about copyrighted materials thing]). You'd also get more skills, more skill points and keep the full bab progression(to the best of my knowledge). Throw some ranks in tumble or use spring attack liberally and you'd be much more then just a meat shield. :p
heretic888 11-22-05, 12:09 PM	You'd also get more skills, more skill points and keep the full bab progression(to the best of my knowledge). While I don't have Complete Adventurer in front of me right now, I'm pretty sure the Scout class doesn't have a full BAB progression. Laterz.
Tony Vargas 11-22-05, 08:32 PM	ok so heres the deal..i have an 8TH level fighter..but im getting a bit bored of being a bog standard fighter. There's no such thing as a 'standard' fighter, since you get to choose your feat progression. So far, you're close to a standard weapon & shield build - and weapon & shield is easily the least well-supported (you could say 'weakest') style in the game. Even so, there's a lot you could do.... he has these feats; Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiancy: Bastard Sword, Improved Critical: Bastard Sword, Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword, Greater Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword, Mobility, Spring Attack From here, you could pick up Combat Expertise and WWA (by 10th). Or, you could add some ranged capability by carrying some thrown weapons and getting Quickdraw (also PBS, Far Shot and/or Rapid Shot). Or, you could start in on one of the few things you can do with Weapon & Shield: TWF & Improved Shield Bash. What kind of shield you use actually makes a difference. If you want to use a buckler, you could two-hand your bastard sword for greater STR & Power Attack damage some of the time. If you're using a light shield, Improved Shield bash is efficient, since the shield counts as a light weapon; if it's a heavy shield, you'd want 'Oversize TWF' from the Complete Adventurer to reduce the penalty back to -2 (and the extra damage is nice). If you go with a Tower Shield, the throwing path starts to look good, since ranged attacks don't take the -2 AB from the shield. also as an extra note to mention.. my character adventures with a dwarven fighter/defender so he is usually moving around alot to get flanking bonus' and is always one moving through threat areas (hence the mobility and spring attack) Combat Expertise and WWA might be good choices, then, since the former lets you boost your AC, and the latter gives you the ability to attack multiple foes (and moving into flanking positions opposite the party's premier front liner can often mean gettting surrounded). Improved Uncanny Dodge would also be really nice to have, and, you can get it by multiclassing. PH-only, 5 levels of Barbarian (and you'll get Rage and Fast Movement!), or 2 of Barb and 4 of rogue (and you'll get some SA when flanking) can get you there. Non-core, there are other classes, and even a domain, that'll get you UD. Lords of Madness has a very desireable feat for the weapon & shield fighter, called 'Parying Shield' which allows your shield bonus to aply to your touch AC, no Preqs beyond shield proficiency.
WizO_Cat 11-22-05, 10:47 PM	Instead of taking something that does mucho damage, what you can do is take something like Improved Initiative or Blindfighting. Getting the first shot during initiative is always a good thing and being able to still fight decently in darkness can help out in a pinch.
Banebringer 11-22-05, 11:26 PM	If you are horribly bored with your organic fighter, take the Renegade Mastermaker prestige class from Magic Of Eberron. This class bestows you with a Battlefist and effectively turns you into a Warforged with a Body feat (Adamantine, Mithral, Darkwood, Unarmed, Psicrystal). This way you can take levels in other fighter-oriented classes such as the Warforged Juggernaut or even the Spellcarved Soldier if you dabble a bit in magic.
Kintara 11-23-05, 03:30 AM	Exotic Weapon Master is definitely my choice. Uncanny Blow is highly recommended. Wield your sword two-handed and deal lots of damage. Trip Attack can also be nifty if you decide to take Expertise and such. But that's not going to make the character's abilities a lot more interesting. Elusive Target, a Tactical feat from Complete Warrior, would be an easy pick up. That's a feat you'll have fun with. Combat Brute and Shock Trooper are some other neat feats you might want to look at from there, along with Karmic Strike. Complete Adventurer has Leap Attack. Pick up Combat Reflexes too and you'll have a nifty charge attack to unleash.
Lord Ariakon 11-23-05, 10:47 AM	Next feat to take is Flay Foe Also it might be wise to use the bastard sword 2 handed so you gain more damage when you power attack. If you want then go with a larger bastard sword and take the monkey grip feat. Also after taking Flay, your next feats would be like Great Cleave or Eyes in the back of your head. What source is the feat Flay Foe from? I have never heard of it.
Darth_Azalin 11-23-05, 02:19 PM	Champions of Ruin