Dex based fighters get screwed!


Classes: Barbarian, Fighter, and Ranger

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Quandary wrote:

Not to thread-jack, but reading this:

Pinpointing an invisible creature moving past you is a reactive check, DC 5 (+20 for invis) for armored foes, DC 10 (+20 for invis) for unarmored foes, or DC 20 + Stealth for invisible foes moving stealthily (pg. 68 and 69, bottom right and top left columns respectively.)
I thought that was seriously out-of-wack. Armor/ No Armor/ Stealth should all use the base DC, and add/subtract Stealth Ranks and Armor Penalty where appropriate... Otherwise, why NOT take one Rank in Stealth, since you increase the Perception DC by +11/+16 ? (and that's NOT as a Class Skill).

Yeah, you can also use stealth untrained even if you have no ranks in it, and make the DC 20 +whatever you roll +dex mod. I really think the way perception, stealth, and invis work together really needs to be looked at. In 3.5 you could at least make a listen check without penalty to hear an invisible opponent, but somehow in Pathfinder invisibility makes you impossible to see or hear. (Well, according to RAW, any DM worth his salt is going to houserule that so fast it hurts.)


Sir Hexen Ineptus wrote:

I can understand why one would feel this way. However this game does have a mechanical balancing factor to consider. You can't just make dex do what dex does and what str would already do for free, with exception of carrying capacity. That would make str a dump stat for everyone, and dex too good not to put a high stat in.

Now as for making some changes to better help them, yeah I can see having ranged combat adding their dex modifier on top of strength from a strength composite bow. This would help the DR problem a lot.

Yes, that you make Strength a dump stat for Ranged and two-weapon wielding chars and that is the whole point.

Especially for two-weapon wielding chars. They get additional attack but with -2 to all attacks, they cannot get 1.5x (and with new feats 2x) strength modifier to damage and their power attack is only -1 attack +1 damage. Although they will have 3 attacks more (and the 3rd is rarely ever going to hit) their damage is still going to be low since they will need to get their Dex to at least 19 to get all the feats, so they will have much lower Strength. Also the base damage of such weapons is lower (1d6 compared to 2d6 or 1d12).


-Archangel- wrote:
Sir Hexen Ineptus wrote:

I can understand why one would feel this way. However this game does have a mechanical balancing factor to consider. You can't just make dex do what dex does and what str would already do for free, with exception of carrying capacity. That would make str a dump stat for everyone, and dex too good not to put a high stat in.

Now as for making some changes to better help them, yeah I can see having ranged combat adding their dex modifier on top of strength from a strength composite bow. This would help the DR problem a lot.

Yes, that you make Strength a dump stat for Ranged and two-weapon wielding chars and that is the whole point.

Especially for two-weapon wielding chars. They get additional attack but with -2 to all attacks, they cannot get 1.5x (and with new feats 2x) strength modifier to damage and their power attack is only -1 attack +1 damage. Although they will have 3 attacks more (and the 3rd is rarely ever going to hit) their damage is still going to be low since they will need to get their Dex to at least 19 to get all the feats, so they will have much lower Strength. Also the base damage of such weapons is lower (1d6 compared to 2d6 or 1d12).

Well I have my own solution to TWF, with out breaking the game balance like you purposed.

My Thread


However I would have to say that combat maneuvers defenses should be based on dex or str which ever is better.


Sir Hexen Ineptus wrote:
However I would have to say that combat maneuvers defenses should be based on dex or str which ever is better.

Yes, your proposal is an interesting one, but I still feel my solution is better.

Dark Archive

Wow alot of number crutching going on. I play fighters all the time. Regardless of whether you are a fan of Dex based fighters or Muscle car fighters. I tend to play fighters and enjoy them because feats are their spells. No other class gets the abundance of feat choices so consistently. Feats are your friends. If you could be a 10th lvl fighter at 1st level then there would be no point in playing anything else. I think, from a humble roleplaying perspective, You need to decide what your field of expertise will be(TW Fighter, Ranged Figher, Big weapon fighter) and focus on that. This is a team sport not boxing...snicker. I play ranged fighters as well and have saved my parties butt on many an occasion. Same holds true with my straight melee. Being specific is the key to success with a fighter even before you crunch those numbers.

Dark Archive

Kyrinn S. Eis wrote:
I sympathise, but must remind you that it is an evil world.

Actually, it's a Chaotic Evil world... ;)


Long before 3.0, when I was running a 2.0 game so heavy in houserules that it was really a homebrew system that leaned on D&D, I created an out for the dex fighter.

In todays' terms, what I did was allow anyone to use Dex for to hit with a "finnesable" weapon, but if you do, you get no strength for damage. If you take "weapon finesse", now you get the strength damage back, and can use it with a few more weapons (katana, spear, staff, etc...). And the one feat allwoed you to use your technique with anything you knew how to use (unlike 3.0 where they tried to make you take it again for each individual weapon).


Havn't read the whole thread so perhaps this has been said - but makign al fighters proficient with medium and heavy armor is also a crock for the dex fighter. I realize that the new "armor training" rules help a bit, but if you trully want a dex-centered fighter, then you'll also want to be able to move around the battle field, which means light armor.

Why make all fighters learn how to use all armors and shields? If you're a light, dextrous guy planning on always usign two weapons, why in the world would you even bother training with shields and heavy armor - it's a waste of your time, and of the guy training you.

I suggest lettign fighters pick different builds: the heavy weapon / heavy armor standard version, and a version that gives some combination of weapon finesse, improved initiative, and/or two wepaon fighting instead of all those pesky medium and heavy armor and shield proficiencies.

Now the dex guy isn;t behind on feats, and hasn't put resources into learnign all kinds of things he never intends to use.

Not every lightly built warrior wants ot be a rogue or a ranger, y'know.


OK, now I;ve read it all, and something surprises me a little. Nobody has said a word about AoO. If I'm DMing, that Archer will fnd himself in melee frequently, and every shot he takes will give others AoO. Meanwhile, the archer himself doesn't threaten aything, and all the foes near him can act as if he's not even there in terms of casting spells, reading scrolls, drinking potions and the like.

Unless, of course, all this changed in PF and I missed it. Off to do a little research.

Nope, everything's still there. The archer provokes AoO and cannot make them. I'm stil impressed at how strong the archer archetype can actually be in PF, but this is definitely another blow to overall effectiveness.

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