Okay dogs of war, this is a thread for posting your home-made combat feats or your comments on the combat feats already posted. Your personal re-designs of combat feats already posted or in the Pathfinder rules are also good.
Here's four of my own design to start with.
Note: "Arcane Bursting Strike" is a special combat feat that is an exception to the rule of one per round because it is a combat trigger feat. Only one trigger feat can be used in combination with a combat feat at any given time.
ARCANE BURSTING STRIKE [COMBAT, TRIGGER]
"As you land a blow with your arcane-charged weapon, you unleash a surge of arcane energy that explodes with harmful effect at the point of impact"
Prerequisites: Arcane Strike, ability to cast 1st-level arcane spells
Benefit: When you successful hit an opponent while your Arcane Strike feat is active, you may expend a single prepared spell or spell slot to deal an extra 1d6 points of damage per spell level of the expended spell or spell slot.
SIDESTEP CHARGE [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent uses a charge action to attack or bull rush you. Before the opponent makes its attack roll, you may roll a 20-sided die as a defense roll. The result of the defense roll takes the place of your base 10 added to your Armor Class. If the opponent's attack misses, you gain an attack of opportunity against the opponent. This attack of opportunity ignores the opponent's Dexterity bonus to Armor Class if any.
GROUNDED SWING [COMBAT]
"You take a moment to adjust your footing and then take a swing at your foe. You continue to press your attack all the while concentrating on keeping your balance"
Prerequisites: Dex 13
Benefit: You can make melee attacks without having to make an Acrobatics check while fighting on terrain that would normally force you to make an Acrobatics check to prevent falling.
AFTERMATH ADVANTAGE [COMBAT]
"You quickly survey your nearby opponents and attack while they are distracted."
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You can make immediate attack(s) of opportunity on any adjacent opponent(s) that has just been successfully damaged by an attack. You can not use this feat if you were damaged by the same attack.
Here are a couple of examples of teamwork using Grounded Swing and Aftermath Advantage.
"The wizard casts Grease. The fighter remains on his feet and uses Grounded Swing against his prone foes without having to make a Balance check."
"The wizard casts Fireball. The rogue/fighter successfully evades the full blast of the flames and immediately uses Aftermath Advantage to make an attack of opportunity against the adjacent opponent that failed the Reflex save and is momentarily reeling from the burning heat of the Fireball."
quest-master wrote: SIDESTEP CHARGE [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent uses a charge action to attack or bull rush you. Before the opponent makes its attack roll, you may roll a 20-sided die as a defense roll. The result of the defense roll takes the place of your base 10 added to your Armor Class. If the opponent's attack misses, you gain an attack of opportunity against the opponent. This attack of opportunity ignores the opponent's Dexterity bonus to Armor Class if any.
Personally I'd probably make this so that if an enemy charges you and misses their attack you get an immediate attack of opportunity against them and they lose their Dex mod to AC. Allow it to work on Bull Rushes too...it's a feat that will only work in very narrow situations, but is fairly good.
Has anyone looked at Monte Cook's Book of Experimental Might II? 228 combat feats for your fighter, including double-feats, uber feats and oblation feats, oh my!
By the way, I think Grounded Swing should actually be Strength-based, so that players who don't have a high Dexterity can take it. Those who want to avoid falling over can make Athletics checks while those who don't can take this feat. Its just an option, but this feat puts me in mind of a short stocky dwarf slowly moving forward and swinging his warhammer. I also think you should still be impaired in movement. (half-speed at least) because you are concentrating on keeping your footing.
You could also just ignore my suggestion.
Jesse Vindiola wrote: quest-master wrote: Personally I'd probably make this so that if an enemy charges you and misses their attack you get an immediate attack of opportunity against them and they lose their Dex mod to AC. Allow it to work on Bull Rushes too...it's a feat that will only work in very narrow situations, but is fairly good. Okay, here's a new version of the feat.
SIDESTEP CHARGE [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent uses a charge action to attack or bull rush you. If the opponent's attack misses, you gain an attack of opportunity against the opponent. This attack of opportunity ignores the opponent's Dexterity bonus to Armor Class if any.
If the opponent's attack misses on a natural roll of 1, you gain a +2 bonus on the attack of opportunity.
Phil. L wrote:
By the way, I think Grounded Swing should actually be Strength-based, so that players who don't have a high Dexterity can take it. Those who want to avoid falling over can make Athletics checks while those who don't can take this feat. Its just an option, but this feat puts me in mind of a short stocky dwarf slowly moving forward and swinging his warhammer. I also think you should still be impaired in movement. (half-speed at least) because you are concentrating on keeping your footing.
You could also just ignore my suggestion.
It might be rude of me to ignore your suggestion so here's my reply.
Dwarves are naturally well-balanced because they have big feet and their weight is distributed in a way as to help them balance themselves.
Bigger muscles typically means more body weight which means more weight to balance, making it actually more difficult to stay on your feet. Balancing requires coordination. Coordination is rooted in Dexterity.
The feat says you can make attacks without falling, you're still normally impaired for movement as usual when you're balancing yourself (Requiring Acrobatics check to keep from falling). Making an attack requires you to shift your weight in an abrupt motion. This feat helps you shift your weight in a way that lets you automatically balance yourself. Actually moving out of your square (more than a couple of feet) is a different story altogether.
TIMBERRRRRRRRRR! Whoopsy Daisy!
I have some problems with Combat Feats. These are not new problems, but since they were not addressed in the Alpha 3, I thought I would repeat them.
First of all, take a look at Spring Attack. Then take a look at Mobility.
Now, Mobility is a prereq for Spring Attack. But Spring Attack also gives you the entire benefit of Mobility as part of the feat. This is a cleverly designed ploy to allow you to use more than one combat feat per turn. This is done because the whole concept of a combat feat that can only be used once per turn is completely inane.
If the feat is powerful enough that it should be possible only once per round, it should require a standard or full-action.
Spring Attack and Mobility don't need to be combat feats. Why shouldn't a character be able to Spring Attack while using Dodge? Since I know there is no attack of opportunity you might think it is unnecessary, but what about a readied action? Is that extra +1 to AC so powerful that I shouldn't be able to use it at the same time as other feats?
And that is by no means the only example of feats that SHOULD work together but don't.
If I take Deft Shield and I hit my opponent, I keep my Shield Bonus to AC. Sounds like a nice ability. Now, if I take Shield Slam so I can get a free Bull Rush attack I can't use Deft Shield in the same round. So I can bull rush but then I lose the advantage of taking Deft Shield in the first place.
If you're building feat chains, they should improve on the existing abilities. Would it be broken to allow someone to use Deft Shield and Shield Slam together (to keep their AC bonus when making a Bull Rush with a shield)? I don't think so.
The combat feats shouldn't have a new mechanic. Those feats that are in a chain should work together in that chain, allowing for the lower level feats to continue to be useful once a better feat is later gained.
And that's what I have to say about that.
Bugoo wrote: 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...
Here's a fun one for front-line fighters defending their injured comrades.
REACTIVE TRIP [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent attempts to move through a square you threaten or when an adjacent opponent attacks and misses you with a natural roll of 1. You can immediately make a special trip attack against the opponent as a free action. In this case, you are not knocked prone if your attack fails by 10 or more.
Magesting (Combat)
Prerequisites: Sneak Attack +1d6 or more, ability to cast 1st level or better spells
Benefit: If you cast a damaging spell on a flat-footed foe, you may add your sneak attack bonus damage to it.
quest-master wrote: Here's a fun one for front-line fighters defending their injured comrades.
REACTIVE TRIP [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent attempts to move through a square you threaten or when an adjacent opponent attacks and misses you with a natural roll of 1. You can immediately make a special trip attack against the opponent as a free action. In this case, you are not knocked prone if your attack fails by 10 or more.
Can't you already Trip as an attack of opportunity?
Pneumonica wrote: quest-master wrote: Here's a fun one for front-line fighters defending their injured comrades.
REACTIVE TRIP [COMBAT]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip
Benefit: You may use this feat when an opponent attempts to move through a square you threaten or when an adjacent opponent attacks and misses you with a natural roll of 1. You can immediately make a special trip attack against the opponent as a free action. In this case, you are not knocked prone if your attack fails by 10 or more.
Can't you already Trip as an attack of opportunity? I thought so.
Which would make that anti-charge feat even more sick if you had Improved Trip and were a Rogue. Enemy charges you, he misses, you get an AOO and he's flat-footed, you trip, you succeed, he falls, you attack, he takes a sneak attack and has fallen and can't get up. :P
Big Fish wrote: I thought so.
Which would make that anti-charge feat even more sick if you had Improved Trip and were a Rogue. Enemy charges you, he misses, you get an AOO and he's flat-footed, you trip, you succeed, he falls, you attack, he takes a sneak attack and has fallen and can't get up. :P
Fortuitously, Improved Trip no longer gives you a free attack, because you should at least have to take a standard action to make the above happen. ^^
Oops, sorry. Here's what I should have put up.
REACTIVE TRIP [COMBAT]
"When your opponent fumbles, you make him fumble even more."
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip
Benefit: You may use this feat when an adjacent opponent attacks and misses you with a natural roll of 1 or if the attack missed your Armor Class by 10 or more. You can immediately make a special trip attack against the opponent as an attack of opportunity. In this case, you are not knocked prone if your attack fails by 10 or more.
I think combat feats should be made standard feats
Most of the powerful Combat Feats tend to require a Full or Standard action; for the most part, it prevents people (so far in my play experience, Fighters) from using a defensive and offensive ability the same round (IE, Dodge and Cleave.)
For the most part, this seems silly to me, so I'd generally agree, re: dropping them, OR making them good enough to be worth it.
New Improved trip sucks, then. I liked the old version. :P
DeadDMWalking wrote: I have some problems with Combat Feats. These are not new problems, but since they were not addressed in the Alpha 3, I thought I would repeat them.
First of all, take a look at Spring Attack...
I have to agree with DeadDMWalking, though a lot of the combat feat chains don't have problems some obviously do. The example of Spring Attack, Mobility, and Dodge is a good one. I actually think these feats shouldn't be combat feats.
The Deft Shield chain is another one that should be looked at. Even if losing your AC while doing the bull rush from Shield Slam makes sense, it's pretty tough to remember that Deft Shield and Shield Master (the 1st and 3rd feats in the chain) give you your shield bonus to AC, but Shield Slam does not (the 2nd feat in the chain). Unnecessarily complicated.
Something to think about regarding [combat] feats.
Alpha 1 release had a good idea of chaining combat feats. This was good, because it added variety to nonspellcasting classes. There are only so many times I could say "I take a 5ft step and full attack." and not find it boring. Combat feats changed this until alpha 2, where you'd only use the best combat feat available to you.
Now, combat feats don't require other feats to use them, but it might be a good idea to encourage using different feats in different rounds, by granting a bonus or other special effect if two combat feats are used on the same opponent succesfully. Here's an example of how this might work. My edit of feat is in italic. These are only to illustrate the point of how this mechanic could work.
Dazzling Display (Combat)
Your skill with your favored weapon can frighten enemies.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus.
Benef it: While wielding the weapon in which you
have Weapon Focus, you can perform a dazzling display
as a full-round action. Make an Intimidate check
against all foes within 30 feet who can see you. You can
substitute an attack roll in place of your Intimidate
check if it is higher. You gain +2 on feinting when used against an opponent intimidated by your dazzling display in the previous round.
Stunned Defense (Combat)
Your skill with your chosen weapon leaves opponents
unable to defend themselves.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, Dazzling Display, base
attack bonus +6.
Benefit: Any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponent
hit by you this round is f lat-footed to your attacks until the
end of your next turn. This includes any additional attacks
you make this round. If you succesfully used Dazzling Display on the previous round on an opponent attacked with Stunned Defense on this round, the opponent is dazzled for rounds equal to the number of successful attacks made on said opponent while using Stunned Defense.
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