We're starting a pretty high powered campaign in a week and I'm looking for some suggestions/advice on how to build this character.
Current party roster is a Bard 15, Witch 15 and Cleric 15.
I have 2 very distinct ideas, but there is one theme I'd like to focus on with either build - namely the Critical Feats.
My first idea is not a big damage dealer, and he's a TWF dual kukri wielding maniac. At 15th level, he'd threaten on a 15-20 anytime he swings and would be laying Blindness and Deafness down with each confirmed crit. Basically, I'd want him to get as many chances as possible to crit and lay some dibilitating statuses down on the bad guys. Making me reconsider this idea is the fact that this character and the witch might step on each others' toes role-wise and this would also leave the party with 2 buffers and 2 de-buffers.
My other idea, which I am strongly considering now, would be much more focused on doing damage, as we don't have a strong damage dealer in the party. (as an aside, our DM has promised to throw "elite" monsters at us with HPs in excess of 1,000) This is also the idea I need the most help with.
Still utilizing the Critical Feats (because I love them), what would be a strong damage-dealing direction to go in? I'm assuming this will be a ranged build, for maximum opportunities to Full Attack, but any suggestions would be appreciated. Must have feats/equipment? Any ideas would be great!
*bump*
A ranged build is both a good idea and a bad idea.
Good, because at those levels, you'll face numerous baddies that like to fly or teleport or use other tricks to stay out of your reach. You'll need tools to damage those guys or you'll be little more than a spectator in those fights.
The higher your level, the more often your enemies use such tricks to neutralize your ground-n-po9und melee types.
Bad, because your whole group is weak on the melee end. If the DM throws a good old ground-n-pound melee battle at you, your ranged specialist will be compromised, and everyone else in that group will suffer too.
Generally, you need at least one melee-specialist in the group. It looks like you're it.
What you really want to do is be excellet at both. As a pure fighter, you can do it. You have a gajillion feats, so pick some good melee feats and some good ranged feats, and make sure you have good magical weapons of each type.
As for build, max up your three physical stats starting with STR and then CON and then DEX, and feat up your melee first and ranged second.
Good magical gear to get is the obvious armor and weapons and protective gear. Focus heavily on stuff to improve your WILL save (lots of magic at 15th level will target you and focus on your weak WILL save and you'll spend many combats running in fear, or held, slept, improsoned, etc., so don't make yourself an easy target for that kind of thing).
But the most important stuff for you is movement stuff. You want to be able to fly, teleport, jump, fall safely, and move around the battlefield as easily as a wizard, without having to rely on easily-dispelled buffs from your allies.
You also want stuff to trap your enemies and render them imobile so they can't move around the battlefield easily.
The books are full of such stuff, if you look carefully. And these boards are full of specific advice on these kinds of items if you search.
At 15th level, you're likely looking at critters with HIGH Fort save bonuses. Critical Feats are nice and nasty, but raw damage output is even more important.
You are looking at two weapons, a composite long bow (for perforation at range) and a two-handed melee weapon of choice. I tend to prefer the old stand-by, the battle axe. Your first three weapon groups, in order, are Axes, Bows and Thrown Weapons. As a Fighter, you're relying on your allies to provide motive ability to you along with defenses and buffs that make you even deadlier. Your main purpose is to get close and hit things HARD - Improved Vital Strike on the initial closing movement, switching to full-attack nastiness afterward. Your ultimate weapon is a +5 ghost touch adamantine battle axe - this puppy weighs in with a 30 hardness and 70 hit points. Any extraneous enchantments are not necessary, since that money goes into your bow, efficient quiver and ammunition to perforate bad guys with.
Something along the lines of:
(Feats) Note that I'm skipping 1st, human 1st (if you're a human character), 3rd and 5th level feat slots completely. To be able to swap the weapons out quickly, I would recommend Quick Draw at 1st level, 3rd at the very latest, so that you retain desired flexibility in quickly swapping from bow to your pet axe. Blind-Fight, Toughness, Nimble Moves/Acrobatic Steps and Iron Will are also crucial feats - ones you won't have enough 'openings' to grab all of them, most likely. Alertness and Skill Focus (Perception) can make an enormous difference in your fighter's ability to feather foes at great distances with numerous arrows. Make sure your group's casters prepare plenty of protection from evil spells to curtail your being dominated, put to sleep and possessed by demons. The 14th level Fighter feat is also left open.
- (Ftr 1) Weapon Focus - Battle Axe
- (Ftr 2) Power Attack
- (Ftr 4)Weapon Specialization - Battle Axe
- (Ftr 6) Improved Sunder
- (7th)Vital Strike
- (Ftr 8) Greater Weapon Focus - Battle Axe
- (9th)Improved Critical - Battle Axe
- (Ftr 10) Improved Vital Strike
- (11th) Critical Focus
- (Ftr 12) Greater Weapon Specialization - Battle Axe
- (13th) Staggering Critical
- (Ftr 14) open
- (15th) Blinding Critical
At Ftr 16th, you're grabbing Critical Mastery - this lets you bleed and blind everything you confirm a critical against, which at this point on a full round attack is at least once every other round of full-round attacks.
Armor depends heavily on your Dexterity score and the campaign setting. Since a shield is not a primary option, you want banded mail early, later to upgrade to full plate. I'd probably go with adamantine armor for the DR 3/--, although +5 mithral full plate of speed can be a godsend in a high-mobility emphasis group. That choice is yours to make.
+1 heavy fortification bracers of armor or better are also a must, to help in thwarting incorporeal touch attack critters (dread wraiths, spectres, ghosts) as well as outright halting sneak attacks and all the critical hits you'll eat in turn. A ring of sustenance means you can take watch for all but a couple of hours a day.
A ring of protection is your other "must have" defensive item along with the near-inevitable cloak of resistance, providing a better Touch AC and all-around better saving throws - both of which are vitally important at this level, as you probably are aware.
(Skills) Perception first and foremost, followed by anything else you care to be able to do, depending upon your fighter's INT and race. Alertness and Skill Focus at this level, combined with 15 ranks, gives you a basic +25 bonus not counting WIS and, say, eyes of the eagle, or - if you have gp to burn, a robe of eyes.
Have fun!
Excellent advice all around - super helpful!
A high level fighter in my group once made great use out of boots of speed and a ring of blinking.