Verith's page

Basically, you hit opponents and push them back 5 feet. They can't move, and you step back 5 feet. Now, they need to move 10 feet to reach you, and provoke more AoOs. At higher levels, you can combine this with Lunge to hit them when they are 10 feet from you (not with your AoOs, though).

This is pretty much what I was imagining, but instead of Pushing Assault using Shield Slam.

Although that then brings up the question if the Two-Weap feats are worth it just for shield use? (Req. for Slam)

In your original build: what were you looking to get out of the Rogue dip? I'm trying to puzzle that one out and it isn't coming to me.

I honestly had to spend 5min puzzling it out too, heh.

I thought a 3lvl dip in the Weapon Expert arche might be worth it for:
A number of class skills (perception, stealth, UMD, etc..), or rather the bonus for them being class skills.
Weapon Training at lvl 1 instead of 5, which I would lose from Phalanx arche.
Small bonus from Fighter Training mitigates some negative from dipping.
Evasion when wearing medium armor. Which also answers why I put chainmail in as a gear idea.

I hear nothing but good things about rogues (DM's favorite class).
My main concern with them is tactical positioning/choices, for instance I'm still trying to wrap my head around sneak-attacks (I have to strip their DEX+2AC anytime I want to SA?? How do I even...).
I'm just not sure I've got the finesse to pull off a rogue, I'd probably just end up walking right up to the ogre to poke him in the eye instead of creeping through shadows to a backstabbing position (is backstabbing a thing?).

"Tank" isn't the right word, but the first that comes to mind.
I know there is a CFeat that keeps mobs from passing you, and a way to get an AE (30ft?) intimidate using STR mod.
The idea was, "you mobs stand here while my party melts you and I poke at ya, also I made you a little gimp-y"

I'm mainly trying to avoid getting into combat, then annoying 5 other people while I try and figure out what I'm doing for the next 6s every 6s.

I'm going to be starting a campaign very soon as a "new player" in a group of veterans. I have some experience with CoC and WoD but not D&D, whereas they have been playing D&D since 2nd or 3rd edition.

Our setting is going to be frontier based, using a world they had used characters in (they are rerolling though).
Previously it was an evil campaign with no magic, healing, or deities.
Now there will be magic, flint-lock firearms, and maybe healing (DM hates combat healing).

What I'm looking for is:

1) Fairly simple combat.
I'm not confident in my knowledge of the combat system and want to avoid complex combat maneuvers and additional resources to track (mana/rage/ki/etc...).

2) Frontline.
Most of the other players want caster/healer type classes since they were denied them last campaign. I'd like to be able to distract/cover for them.

3) Somewhat variable.
I like being able to be a combat filler so I can damage or tank. Though I don't expect to do either particularly well.

Through some cursory research I've got some ideas, but I'm not sure how viable they are. So any suggestions of better options to do similar things would be greatly appreciated.

What I'm thinking is:
Human
Primary - Phalanx Soldier
Dip - Weapon Expert (rogue)
Core Gear - Ranseur or Bec de Corbin, Serrated Shield, Medium Armor (chainmail)?

Feat-wise I have too many things I like, but the phalanx concept of keep them at 10ft and using shield slam if they don't tickles me.