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The book just showed up today, thanks for the great service!

Repost from alpha 2 thread I made a few hours before alpha 3 was released.

I would love to see some combat feats designed for monsters to make monsters easier to use and more versatile in more situations, such as mobs of low level monsters, complicated monsters in groups, and solo monsters against the group. I have a few 'suggested' ones that may or may not be good.

Combined Attack
Benefit: When making a full attack action you may make one attack roll using your primary weapons bonus with an additional +1 on the attack roll for each extra natural attack you posses. Your damage delt is the same as your primary weapon with 2x strength bonus.
Notes: This would be great when using a group of monsters (6+) with several natural attacks or weapons with terrible hit bonuses to reduce the number of attacks you need to roll. I think maybe the strength bonus should scale with the number of attacks sacrificed as well tho.

? (I have no idea for a name)
Benefit: When making a full attack action you may sacrifice one of your attacks from your primary attack to use one of your spell like abilities. Your caster level for this spell like ability is 1/2 the base attack bonus of the attack sacrificed.
Notes: This feat may need a lot of tweaking. The basic premise is for a solo monster to be able to use his spell like abilities while still attacking so he can target several party members each round. I would like it to work with special abilities as well not sure exactly how to write it up.

Teamwork (terrible name I know)
Benefit: When making an attack against the target you grant all allies using this combat feat a +2 bonus on there attack rolls against this target, including yourself, until the beginning of your next turn.
Notes: This is to help large groups of monsters strike higher level enemies.

And this was the one response.

Volsung wrote:

This is an interesting idea.

Vital Strike and Improved Vital Strike do something similar to what your Combined Attack does (that is, reduce the number of attack...

Repost from alpha 2 thread I made a few hours before alpha 3 was released.

I would love to see some combat feats designed for monsters to make monsters easier to use and more versatile in more situations, such as mobs of low level monsters, complicated monsters in groups, and solo monsters against the group. I have a few 'suggested' ones that may or may not be good.

Combined Attack
Benefit: When making a full attack action you may make one attack roll using your primary weapons bonus with an additional +1 on the attack roll for each extra natural attack you posses. Your damage delt is the same as your primary weapon with 2x strength bonus.
Notes: This would be great when using a group of monsters (6+) with several natural attacks or weapons with terrible hit bonuses to reduce the number of attacks you need to roll. I think maybe the strength bonus should scale with the number of attacks sacrificed as well tho.

? (I have no idea for a name)
Benefit: When making a full attack action you may sacrifice one of your attacks from your primary attack to use one of your spell like abilities. Your caster level for this spell like ability is 1/2 the base attack bonus of the attack sacrificed.
Notes: This feat may need a lot of tweaking. The basic premise is for a solo monster to be able to use his spell like abilities while still attacking so he can target several party members each round. I would like it to work with special abilities as well not sure exactly how to write it up.

Teamwork (terrible name I know)
Benefit: When making an attack against the target you grant all allies using this combat feat a +2 bonus on there attack rolls against this target, including yourself, until the beginning of your next turn.
Notes: This is to help large groups of monsters strike higher level enemies.

And this was the one response.

This is an interesting idea.

Vital Strike and Improved Vital Strike do something similar to what your Combined Attack does (that is, reduce the number of attack rolls). Though, they're really only useful with high level monsters. If the BAB requirements reduced it would certainly be a boon for the GM (though, usually a bad idea for PC's before you have three iterative attacks).

Maybe simplifying Combined Attack to just an attack bonus increase equal to the natural attacks given up would probably be sufficient, since attack bonuses are usually about twice as valuable as damage bonuses, and harder to get. In most cases this would outshine multiattack, and since you are only modifying the attack roll it will be easier to add the feat on the fly to published non-Pathfinder adventures.

That way you could use Vital Strike/Improved Vital Strike for monsters with lots of attacks and a good attack bonus, and Combined Attack for mosters with lots of attacks and poor attack bonuses.

Perhaps for your teamwork feat we could allow a number of attackers to make a full round action so that they act like a swarm. The target takes automatic damage equal to the weakest attacker's primary attack plus one point per two attackers, and faces becoming distracted, similar to the swarm mechanic (DC = 10 + numer of attackers + lowest Con modifier of attackers). Or something like that.

Thank you!

Sadly the book still has not arrived =(
What should we do? I contacted the post office again and they still say 'we have no idea we would have forwarded it' and to contact you guys.

I guess everyone disagrees and I can easily house rule it, its just even as a fighter I feel very feat starved when I look at the passive feats that I feel I must take (weapon focus, iron will, power attack, etc) and all the combat feats that would be useful in various situations. I want cleave and great cleave to deal with crowds, I want vital strike against high DR, etc. But especially as any class other than fighter, I will pick my one or two combat feats and always use the one. I guess to me it seems similar to if you made casters take a feat to learn there spells, or spell schools. Even at level 20 a character only receives 10 feats, it is hard to justify spending more than 2 or 3 on feats that are usually not being used (aside from the favored), especially at lower levels when you are getting your necessary feats.

What I am suggesting is instead of spending a feat slot to gain them fighting classes would learn them automatically as they increase in level similar to how casters learn new spells. For example, a full bab class, like the fighter, has 2 combat feats at level 1 and gains an additional 1 every other level. A 3/4ths class, like a rogue, has 1 at level 1 and gains an additional every third level. They just pain me to take them as feats when only one is usable per round when I would love to have a large amount of them for specific situations in combat.

Thank you for fixing my address and I shall wait another week and check at the post office again today, but it has already been 20 days so i believe we are past the forwarding stage, but I could be wrong.

Title says it all. Granted I love the idea of combat feats and the options it adds to fighting classes, however, I do not belive they should cost a feat to gain them. Could they not be tied to BAB? Perhaps at every 2 bab you gain one, and make a 'feat' that allows you to gain 2 extra? Would this imbalance the game?

My order was shipped to my old address which has been changed in my profile, 120 Florence Drive is the correct one. I have checked at the old address and at the post office and no one has received it or knows where it is located, I am assuming it was returned. Is there a way we can find out where it is located or if it was returned have it shipped again? It was shipped via USPS.

Also, is there a way to remove the old Timber Ridge address?

Thanks!

Weird. For some reason, this thread isn't actually showing up. But I can reply to it. Maybe. Is there a reason for this? I don't want to take a bunch of time to type something up that will get eaten.

I can see it...

Undead Hunter

First ability is worthless, unless you use some type of 'good' undead like deathless and allow it to apply to them. I'd swap it out for some form of turning minus the healing effect.

Animate and create undead would be worthless, for animate i'd change it from create to unanimate but only on mindless undead.

Create undead, pick another spell of that level to use.

Final ability, change to immunity to negative energy effects.

Actually, now that I think about it a necromancer undead hunter would have about 3/4ths of his necromoncy spell list as worthless to begin with no?

I'm all for keeping the iterative attacks but I do have a few things to say about them that could perhaps help them out.

1) Two Weapon Fighting makes them a nightmare. Perhaps change the greater two weapon fighting feats to grant other bonuses than just an extra attack. Maybe one takes away the -2 penalty, and the last one gives a +2 to hit with attacks. Makes two weapon fighting the 'precise' method of fighting, well eventually.

2) I think the last attack for full bab, and 3/4th bab characters is worthless. Why not go the monk flurry route with this. When you gain your last attack, reduce the penalty by one for your other attacks. so at level 20 a full bab character would be 20/16/12 and a rogue 15/11/7. Makes that last attack gain mean something, but then multiclassing gets tricky. Perhaps at a certan BaB you gain an attack, and at a certian BaB you gain a decrease in the penalty. That would let a 3/4ths bab character keep there last attack but I dont see 3 atacks as that big of a deal.

3) Spells that create things with a BaB. These are just plain old annoying, and slowing to the game. Spiritual Weapon, Mord. Sword, etc. Make the damage go up as you level but only get one attack perhaps?

While they are better I feel that with how directly they are tied to the stats, power attack getting worse as your strength gets higher, and that you still have to apply more math to your attack, that I honestly perfer the orginials to them, although YMMV.

I've been thinking on how to fix so to speak the problem that these feats introduce, and i think i have come up with a simple idea.

Make them like stunning fist with a set or stat determined bonus. For example, Power attack, once per day per four hit dice add your strength bonus again to your damage. Fighters may use this feat once per day per hit die.

This makes the fighter a bit more powerful and makes the feat much easier to use and still makes it useful for monsters who already have it. You could also add a + to hit feat that works similarly, and maybe even a damage reduction feat if you so choose. You could also convert dodge to work this way if you really wanted to, although i'm not sure how you would make it special vs expertise.

I have to agree with the original poster. I think the universal changes that offer a simple way to improve things across the board are good and that apply to classes not in the core books will be a big issue for me. A good example of this is the new hit point mechanic and the new grapple mechanic. A change of power attack and some of the feats is fine, provided that the requirements and methods of using them remain similar, but changing power attack and cleave the way the did is going to make me covert a monster from MM4 before I use him, as opposed to it being a simple enough change for me to convert the monster AS I use it. The massive power increase for the wizard is another good example.

First I must say I am extremely happy that someone is sticking with a version of third edition, and I believe that you will create an excellent product. I do have a handful of suggestions for you though. Also let me say any numbers are there just to be there and are probably inaccurate.

First, I believe you should try to keep the power level of the characters fairly close to those in third for the most part. I think you should increase the starting power of characters but keep the scaling similar. What I mean is this, you can change first level characters into fourth level characters, but adding one level should have the same power increase in either edition, or at least be close. This allows a DM to use more monsters per encounter (making conversions extremely easy) and keeps monsters scaling properly (so that at level 20 balors are still scary in some regard). I would recommend increasing power to level 2 or 4 as the base as this would allow 2 or 4 cr 1 monsters to become an appropriate encounter for the new and improved first level characters.

Secondly, I feel most changes should be general enough and come with guidelines so that modifying classes and prestige classes that you yourselves cannot without violating the OGL remains a simple endeavor. Your change to the size of hit die is a good example of this. Now classes that can be modified with a lot of flair should be, but keep simple, easy to use, five minute modification guidelines for other non base classes. This also refers back to my first statement. If you increase the power of the core classes from level to level, all other classes must be granted a host of new abilities to make up for it. This would be bad as I have a hexblade, warlock, and favored soul at the moment.

A good way to make changes such as these would be to utilize the feat system. Now I know this goes against what I was saying with my first point, but I’ll get back to that. Lets say you give classes with full base attack a bonus combat feat every 4 levels. Then you make a fighter specific feat (that may be taken instead of a bonus combat feat) to grant the new weapon and armor training abilities. Classes with a 3/4ths base attack bonus gain a bonus combat feat every 6 levels?? Then say classes that deal precision damage gain a bonus ‘precision’ feat every 4 levels. Convert the rogue talents into feats. Now a scout can take them. For wizard and cleric domain effects I have another proposition. Force them to sacrifice a spell slot to gain the bonuses or abilities power. You can make a the ability require a specific slot or have the bonus boosted by using a higher level slot. This would not work for the abilities that are ‘cast x 1/day’ but I feel those abilities are fairly lame anyway and should be replaced with more interesting, unique, effects. Perhaps even turn these into feats which they get a bonus one of if they are a full caster every so many levels. BAM my scout, hexblade, favored soul, etc are all easy to use with minim conversion AND I can add specific feats for them to take if they so choose. Now one downside to this is it does cause some character power increase. Perhaps monsters should have bonus feats they can choose (general, easy to use ones) based off of type and CR, or perhaps have a simple monsters add ½ cr to HP and damage? Or find another place to take power away from the characters, perhaps in the form of magic items which I’ll get to later.

Third, one big thing third edition needs is a resource balance. Casters run out of juice, melee characters never do. Perhaps the combat feats all draw from a general pool and you can only use them (combined) 10+BaB+con number of times per day. For casters make more of the domains as many times per day as you want (put a cap on lower level ones) to give them the equivalent of an always use ability. Or maybe let them be used times per day = 10+caster level or something like that. Perhaps this is unnecessary.

Fourth, try to round out the power scaling of martial and casters. Increase the power of low level casters, reduce there power at higher levels, or increase martial higher level power. My suggestion to allow casters to last longer by using spell slots to power there domain abilities would go a long way to fixing this, as does the addition of the combat feats. The other thing I would do is force first level spells to use the recommended dice for damage, and I would change the spell dice damage equation. Singe target = d8/Clvl, AoE = d6/Clvl, Save or Die = 8 damage / level (single target, AoE 6 damage), not sure on the save or die.

Fifth, try to fix more of the problems. One thing many people complain about is the magic item Christmas tree. I suggest at every 4th level, when you gain a stat increase, all stats increase by 1, and one (or two) increases by 2 instead. Also, add a defense bonus (1 every other level? One every fourth for AC?) to apply to all saves, touch ac, and general ac. This allows you to eliminate ALL stat boosting items/spells (maybe save some of the spells) AND grants a better scaling. This also allows touch ac to scale with levels, and you can remove rings of protection or amulets of natural armor (I’d keep the rings). Also, it allows stats to scale a tad bit better (to avoid a ten point disparity). I do not feel base attack needs changed as iterative attacks tend to smooth over the large disparities. Also, modify save or die spells, make all save or suck spells to allow a save retry every round, etc. I’m sure there are other large problems as well, but I have faith you’ll find them.

Sixth, do NOT fix things that a decent DM can fix on there own. 15 minute adventure day comes to mind, but I’m sure there are other things as well.

Lastly, let me say good luck and I’m really hoping you guys make something amazing. I know my post is long and wordy and I will refrain from such a large post in the future. I cant wait to see what direction this will a go in!