
seekerofshadowlight |

Ok here is my thoughts on fixing combat feat chains
After looking over them more I like over all.here is my full thoughts
Remove dodge,Double Slice, mobility,point blank shot Precise Shot,Caught Off-Guard,Razor Sharp Chair Leg, Throw Anything,Turning Smite and Shot on the Run they should be feats.
Now here is the main change.Allow them to be used in one round if you have the BAB for it.You may move one step down the chain for each attack you have that round.
we now make it a full round action to use feat chains.
* arcane strike
Arcane Strike
Conduit Spell
Arcane Buildup
you can do this In two rounds by the time you can cast 7th level spells.
* Care full targeting chain
Careful Targeting
Exact Targeting
Pinpoint Targeting
BAB+11 for full chain can be done in one round by then.
*Cleave chain
cleave
great cleave
you can do this full chain by BAB+6
*Dazzling Display chain
Dazzling Display
Stunned Defense
Deadly Stroke
full chain by BAB +11
*Deft Shield chain
Deft Shield
Shield Slam
Shield Master
full chain by BAB+11
*Spring Attack chain
Spring Attack
Wind Stance
Lightning Stance
full chain by BAB+6 but cant take to BAB+8
*Overhand chop chain
Over hand chop
back swing
devastating blow
full chain BAB+11
* Rapid Shot chain
Rapid Shot
Many Shot
Full chain BAB+6
*Scorpion Style chain
Scorpion Style
Gorgon’s Fist
Medusa’s Wrath
Full chain BAB +11
*Weapon Swap chain
Weapon Swap
Two-Weapon Rend
Full chain BAB+11
as you see most chain can be done in one round at the level you can get them anyhow. This give make fighters more options with there attacks.
a fighter with the over hand chop chain could do 3 attacks or his chain.
I would be very happy with feat chains done this way. If any one would like to test them please let me know If they work they way they seem like they would.

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Edit: I think I should clarify, that I wrote this with alpha version's feats in mind, not seekerofshadowlight's changes.
I studied the combat feats. Here's what I think about them without trying them out.
Arcane Strike: +1 To damage is pretty low, this ability is useful by itself before magic weapons become common. As a fighter/wizard or bard I can see this being used whenever some other (combat) feat is not used.
Conduit Spell: This ability is a bit strange. A fighter/wizard could use this, because a pure wizard would most likely not wear armor and not use weapons. However, a fighter/wizard usually uses her spells for buffing instead of damaging or hampering his enemies.
Arcane Buildup: This might be worth a feat for any arcane caster, but arcane strike as a requirement pretty much makes this feat useless. Fighter/wizards could buff up with this, but even they have to wait three rounds for this. As most combats are over after a few rounds, buffing at round three is a waste of a spell.
Feat Chain: This feat chain seems to be suited for a duskblade or a similar character, who uses both weapons and spells offensively. Such characters are rare in my experience. This feat chain also tries to addresss the issue of arcane spell failure for fighter/wizards. In this regard it would be better, if counduit spell was changed so it could be used on spells that target the caster and targets hit with arcane strike on previous rounds. Frankly, I find the idea of a fighter/wizard stabbing himself and his allies before buffing them to be stupid.
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Cleave: This feat loses its usefullness after multiple attacks are gained. Two attacks against one enemy is usually a better strategy than one attack against two enemies. If this feat was changed into a standard action, it might see some use after level six when full attack is not possible.
Great Cleave: This feat suffers from the same problem as cleave. At low levels, before multiple attacks are common this feat is useful. When multiple attacks are gained however, this feat will rarely be used. As with cleave, standard action might let this feat see more use.
Feat Chain: Before iterative attacks are gained, these feats are great, essentially doubling the number of attacks one can make. When iterative attacks come into play these feats cease to be useful.
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Overhand Chop: This has the same problem as cleave. When iterative attacks become common nobody wants to spend a full round action on a single attack. Standard action activation time would fix this problem.
Backswing: An extra attack on a full attack looks like a nice ability, but if overhand chop isn't fixed this'll rarely see use. If a character has three attacks on a full attack (let's say a 6th level fighter with haste cast on him.) he could make two full attacks (at +0/+0/-5) or one attack at +0 and one full attack at (+0/+0/+0/-5). Both make four attacks at +0, but backswing user adds only half his strength bonus on one of those. Backswing user also makes one less attack at -5. If Overhand Chop is changed into a standard action this problem is averted. It's still not smart to use overhand chop & Backswing if you can use two normal full attacks instead, but if you have to move to your enemy fist you can't use full attack on first round, and Overhand Chop & Backswing combo is deadlier than basic attacks.
Devastating Blow: I think this feat works well as written. Up to now, I've been advocating single attacks be standard actions, but this feat is deadly enough to replace a full attack action. For example, let's take a look at scythe. With a crt x4, you'd need four hits to deal as much damage. More, if enemy has damage reduction. I think this makes devastating blow worth about five normal attacks. Devastating blow is powerful, but as it can only be used every three rounds it is balanced.
Feat Chain: If overhand chop is changed to a standard action, this seems balanced. If not, this chain is worse than full attacks after iterative attacks are gained.
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Careful Targeting: Works, nothing to complain about.
Exact Targeting: Works, if this seems powerful, remember that this can only be used on targets hit with exact targeting.
Pinpoint Targeting: This might be broken, but it can only used every three rounds at most and only if enemies don't die after two rounds' worth of attacks.The only thing I'm concerned about this is, that power attack, deadly aim and similar abilities will be powerful when used with this attack.
Feat Chain: This works.
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Caught Off-Guard: If nothing else, this feat is stylish. However, this feat feels more like exotic weapon proficiency(weird and unconventional weapons) than (combat) feat. As this feat is (combat) feat, it can't ve used in conjunction with other (combat) feats. Even more, tools used with this rarely have the right material to bypass DR or have magical bonuses like real weapons. These reasons make me believe this feat to be underpowered.
Throw Anything: Everything said about caught off-guard applies here as well.
Razor Sharp Chair Leg: This feat is the only feat in this chain I think should be a (combat) feat, as it noticeably raises the damage potential of an improvised weapon. Then again, improvised weapons aren't likely to have magical bonuses and materials to bypass DR, so it evens out.
Feat Chain: Without actually playing with these feats, I can't say my opinion is right, but I'd make Caught off-guard and throw anything a basic feat, maybe fighter bonus.
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Dazzling Display: The feat works pretty well, considering demoralize can affect a creature for more than one round..
Stunned Defense: This feat actually feels like a follow up for dazzling display, instead of a mechanical balancing method to keep it from being used too often. I'd like to see more feat chains work like this.
Deadly Stroke: Do Not Want. As using this feat is a standard action, this feat might see some use, but compared to stunned defense this feels like an add-on to complete this feat chain with a third feat. This would be fine, but this feat feels out of place here. It requires greater weapon focus, a fighter only feat, when the previous feats best work with a rogue or other sneak attacker.
Feat Chain: The first two feats are made for rogues in mind, but the third feat is not even selectable for them. Most problems I see in this chain are in the third feat.
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Deft Shield: Why does this feat require two weaoin fighting, when some characters might want to wield the shield as a primary weapon?
Shield Slam: Again with the two weapon fighting. The feat obviously synergizes well with shield fighting, but it shouldn't be neccesary. Some charactrs might even prefer to fight only with a shield to ensure success of bull rushing.
Shield Master: Here I can see the two weapon fighting as a requirement, but I still don't like it.
Feat Chain: This Chain looks like it'll work pretty well, but [insert whining about two weapon fighting here].
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Dodge: This feat might work better as a basic feat, with effect unchanged. It seems boring to gain +1 AC for one round when one can do so much more exciting things with other (combat) feats.
Mobility: This works. Simple and effective.
Spring Attack: Let's see. Only useable every three rounds, doesn't evade AoO's like 3.5 version (although this is propably just an oversight in feat text, as fluff suggests it does.). I didn't think spring attack was that useful in 3.5, it certainly doesn't deserve a nerf like this.
Feat Chain: If I played a lightly armored melee fighter, I might take this. Still, I'd wish I could take 3.5 version of these feats.
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Dodge: Only added here because it's a prequisite for wind stance.
Wind Stance: An ability like this was seen in tome of Battle, and it didn't break the game then. It propably won't break the game now. Only thing I'd like to see, is a requirment to use one's own move action for moving, so that riding a horse, getting bull rushed or teleporting won't grant the benefit.
Lightning Stance: This feat might be problematic. Particularly if true sight and/or blindsight won't penetrate the concealment. I'll have to try this out before shouting 'broken'.
Feat Chain: This feat chain could be combined with dodge/mobility/spring attack chain so, that dodge and spring attack became normal feats, and (combat) feat chain would be mobility/wind stance/lightning stance. This would prevent spring attack from being nerfed into oblivion and ensure that (combat) feats would be used for exciting manouvers.
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Point Blank Shot: This isn't much of a (combat) feat, bonus is pretty small and not that exciting.
Precise Shot: I'm wondering, was archery overpowered in 3.5? Why can't one use this with Rapid shot anymore?
Rapid Shot: Same query as with precise shot.
Manyshot: Interesting. This feat is essentially +2 to attack compared to Rapid shot. If the character does precision damage (e.g. sneak attack), this is worse than rapid shot.
Shot On The Run: This feat didn't see use in 3.5, I'm not seeing it being used now either.
Feat Chain: What feat chain? Except manyshot, these feats can be used without first using other, less powerful feats like in every other chain. The only feat that requires another feat to be used on the previous round is almost identical to that feat. This chain needs more work.
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Scorpion Style: Slowing down quick enemies is tactically sound. I like this feat.
Gorgon's Fist: Unless there'll be a save versus daze, this feat is broken. As it is written, I could make a fighter who only used Gorgon's Fist to daze enemies and Scorpion Style to power up Gorgon's fist. I'd do this even with a character who doesn't do any damage unarmed.
Medusa's Wrath: As written, this feat is balanced since you can't use Gorgon's Fist on the following round. If Gorgon's fist is fixed, this is still balanced and worth using.
Feat Chain: Broken because of Gorgon's Fist.
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Turning Smite: This works.
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Weapon Swap: I'll have to try these TWF feats out before saying anything concrete. Still, Two Weapon fighting requires many feats, and even though more feats are gained the style might still be feat starving.
Two-Weapon Rend: Same thing applies here as in weapon swap.
Feat Chain: Yeah, I'll comment this more after I've tried it out.