ok so i want to work on building a character that is built around one big hit rather than using iterative attacks. i am going with the 2 handed fighter archetype but i wanted to list out my feat options
this is what i have so far
power attack
furious focus
vital strike
improved vital strike
greater vital strike
are there any other feats that would work well for this build other than the weapon focus/specialization chain?
Use a large sized weapon. A wand of Enlarge Person would help as well.
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Yup. Large-sized Bastard Sword/Dwarven Waraxe for the 2d8s. Or you could go Large-sized Falcata. It's only 2d6, but you get the nice 19-20/x3 crit range.
Also, if you're going for powerful single hits, you might (emphasis on MIGHT) want to consider taking a level in Barbarian for the Rage, or taking a level in Sorcerer to qualify for Dragon Disciple and get 4 levels of that in there. That way you can Enlarge Person yourself, get access to True Strike, and get the inherent +4 to Strength.
Don't forget about Weapon Specialization. That's a must for doing as much damage as possible in one hit.
Also, another thing to consider. Wand of Lead Blades (Or Ointment, or whatever you need). As it treats the weapon as one size larger, it may actually stack with Enlarge Person. Not sure, though.
Edit*: Also, what james said. Charging builds tend to have some of the highest one-hit attack damage due to doubling EVERYTHING.
i enjoy charging but i never really enjoyed playing a mounted character just not my thing.
Large bastard sword + enlarge person + lead blades = 6d6/19-20 base weapon damage. Taking four levels of ranger gets you lead blades and you can select Cleave, Power Attack, Pushing Assault, or Shield of Swings as your 2nd level Combat Style feat (Two-Handed Weapon Style); also, the Guide archetype replaces Favored Enemy with Ranger's Focus: +2 on attack/damage rolls (+2 for every five levels) vs. one target per day (+1 every three levels beyond 1st).
For example, a character I posted in this thread:
22 Str (+2 race +3 advancements), 13 Dex, 14 Con, 7 Int, 12 Wis, 7 Cha (15-point buy)
Gatecrasher alternate racial trait
Traits- Killer, Magical Knack (Cleric)
Feats- Critical Focus, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword), Furious Focus, Improved Critical (Bastard Sword), Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (Bastard Sword)
Rage Powers- Moment of Clarity, Powerful Blow
Fighter Abilites- Shattering Strike, Overhand Chop
Ranger Abilities- Ranger's Focus, Terrain Bond
Ranger Spells (1st-1)- lead blades
Cleric Domains- Destruction (destructive smite), Ferocity (ferocious strike)
Cleric Spells (0-3, 1st-2+1)- bleed, detect magic, guidance; bless, divine favor, enlarge person
bless + enlarge person + divine favor + lead blades + Ranger's Focus + Rage + Overhead Chop + Improved Vital Strike + Power Attack + Furious Focus + Powerful Blow + destructive smite + ferocious strike + large bastard sword = one attack at +23 bonus for 18d6+34 damage (+6d6+36 on a critical hit)! Again, this doesn't count a belt of giant strength or weapon enhancements (be afraid).
+11 BAB, 28 Str with enlarge person and Rage
bless - morale +1 attack/saves vs. fear
destructive smite - morale +1 damage
divine favor - luck +1 attack/damage
enlarge person - size +2 Str/-2 Dex/-1 attack/-1 AC/large (large bastard sword goes from 2d8 to 3d8 base damage)
ferocious strike - untyped +1 damage
Improved Vital Strike - x3 base weapon damage when making a single attack, not multiplied on a critical hit
lead blades - untyped weapons count as one size larger (enlarged large bastard sword goes from 3d8 to 6d6 base damage)
Overhead Chop - add x2 Str bonus instead of x1.5 when making a single attack with a two-handed weapon
Powerful Blow - +2 damage on one damage roll per rage
Rage - morale +4 Str/+4 Con/+2 Will saves/-2 AC
Ranger's Focus - untyped +2 attack/damage
You might want to think about playing a strength based Druid - the basic damage of the gore attack of an Arsinotherium is 4d8, just imagine what Vital Strike does with that base (Power Attack still applies and Greater Magic Fang gives you your enhancement bonus and while you cannot be targeted with Enlarge Person, Animal Growth works on you, giving you +8 strength which compensates for the fact that unlike Enlarge Person it´s a 5th level spell, plus both Greater Magic Fang and Animal Growth are spells you can cast yourself)
for a level 10 challenge:
assume a strength of 20 (16 + race + leveling)
Druids get 6 BAB on level 8, allowing Vital Strike as the level 9 feat
From level 8 onwards you can wildshape into a Behemoth Hippopotamus, which gives you +6 STR and a 4d8 gore attack
Greater Magic Fang gives you an enhancement bonus of +2
Animal Growth gives you +8 STR and raises your damage by one category (I´m not sure what the 4d8 becomes but let´s assume at least 5d8)
Power Attack is +4 Dam/-2 Att at that level
resulting strength: 20 + 6 + 8 = 34, not including belts (which still function after melding to the tansformed body since they need no activation), giving a modifier of +12
so we have at least 10d8 + 14 Damage if I made no mistake, applying Power Attack 10d8 + 18 plus you get to play a very big Hippopotamus
(well, the fighter´s damage is more reliable, which should result in a higher DPR for most values of the target´s AC, on the other hand, your companion and summons also do some damage)
edit: oh, I applied strength only once, not 1.5 times - add 6 points of damage
attack should be about 21 (7 + 12 + 2) - size - power att
are there any other feats that would work well for this build other than the weapon focus/specialization chain?Spirited Charge.
-James
Exactly
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I think you have hit the main ways of boosting damage without getting into weird things like large weapons. You might look at the Two-Handed Weapon archetype in the APG:
Some fighters focus their efforts on finding the biggest, heaviest, most imposing weapon they can find and training to manage and harness the weight of their massive weapons for maximum impact. These fighting school benefits only apply when using two-handed weapons.
Shattering Strike (Ex): At 2nd level, a two-handed fighter gains a +1 bonus to CMB and CMD on sunder attempts and on damage rolls made against objects. These bonuses increase by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd. This ability replaces bravery.
Overhand Chop (Ex): At 3rd level, when a two-handed fighter makes a single attack (with the attack action or a charge) with a two-handed weapon, he adds double his Strength bonus on damage rolls. This ability replaces armor training 1.
Weapon Training (Ex): As the fighter class feature, but the bonuses only apply when wielding two-handed melee weapons.
Backswing (Ex): At 7th level, when a two-handed fighter makes a full attack with a two-handed weapon, he adds double his Strength bonus on damage rolls for all attacks after the first. This ability replaces armor training 2.
Piledriver (Ex): At 11th level, as a standard action, a two-handed fighter can make a single melee attack with a two-handed weapon. If the attack hits, he may make a bull rush or trip combat maneuver against the target of his attack as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. This ability replaces armor training 3.
Greater Power Attack (Ex): At 15th level, when using Power Attack with a two-handed melee weapon, the bonus damage from Power Attack is doubled (+100%) instead of increased by half (+50%). This ability replaces armor training 4.
Devastating Blow (Ex): At 19th level, as a standard action, a two-handed fighter may make a single melee attack with a two-handed weapon at a –5 penalty. If the attack hits, it is treated as a critical threat. Special weapon abilities that activate only on a critical hit do not activate if this critical hit is confirmed. This ability replaces armor mastery.
The ability to do double strength damage with a single attack fits well with your theme, adding 2-4 points of damage on a typical hit.
can you tell me what level is the character plz?
i am currently level 4, almost 5, i am 2 levels barbarian (i took reckless abandon for my 2nd level rage power) 2 levels fighter (two-handed archetype) half-orc. i am using a earthbreaker as my weapon.
the feats that i have already taken (keen scent, power attack, cleave, furious focus)
it has to be a one handed weapon wielded in two hands at a -2 penalty to attack
i am currently level 4, almost 5, i am 2 levels barbarian (i took reckless abandon for my 2nd level rage power) 2 levels fighter (two-handed archetype) half-orc. i am using a earthbreaker as my weapon.
the feats that i have already taken (keen scent, power attack, cleave, furious focus)
You want the 3rd level in fighter (two-handed fighter archetype) for Overhand Chop. As long as your Wis is 12 or better, then take four levels of ranger (guide archetype, two-handed combat style) for Ranger's Focus (+2 on attack and damage vs. two opponents per day at ranger 4), either Pushing Assault or Shield of Swings as the combat style feat, Endurance (to qualify for Diehard and Fast Healing), Terrain Bond (helps the rest of the party), and the ability to cast lead blades. After that, switch back to fighter so you can gain Weapon Training and Backswing; you should have enough feats to take Extra Rage, Extra Rage Power, Improved Initiative, Lunge, Step Up, and Vital Strike, as well as Weapon Focus/Specialization in earthbreaker as you advance. Potions of enlarge person are cheap at 50 gp each, if you can't convince someone in the party to cast it on you before/at the start of a fight (earthbreaker + enlarge person + lead blades = 2d6 -> 3d6 -> 6d4 damage); alternately, you could always take Leadership and have a summoner cohort to buff you.