Hey guys, was looking at this PrC today, and...I need help. The phalanx fighter seems much better at doing what this guy is supposed to do than what this PrC does (Super Tank). Am I just looking at it wrong? Fatigued is a pretty minor draw back, and can see jumping into Stance for a few rounds, jumping out, repositioning, then hopping back in, but I'm curious if anyone has some really good advice on this PrC to make it shine. Thanks guys!
Just looking at it, it seems to suffer from the inevitability of having the bad guys just walking around him to attack the squishier party members. That sort of metagaming spawns from the fact that unlike MMORPGs, "tanks" have no method of diverting aggro, since the GM can attack whoever he wants to attack. Strategy wise, you'll have to put yourself in a position where the opponent has no choice but to attack you, a circumstance that will not always exist. Just about all of the Defensive Powers benefit the Defender and the Defender alone, which again, only applies if he is the target in the first place.
Halting blow at 4th level is pretty awesome. No save or cmb just ends movement on successful aoo. Spiked armor and reach weapon and enlarge person or righteous might armor. Then you just need a mobile platform that a friend can pilot for best positioning or a caster to battlefield control the fight towards you.
Halting blow makes stand still obsolete.
Feat only works against adjacent and requires a nonweapon cmb, power works on all movement aoos on a successful weapon attack, well worth the two powers, it's the best martial battlefield control possible no contest. Waiting til 9th level is the rub, it's a long wait if you're starting from 1st, but stand still just isn't worth the feat imo. Much tougher funnelling opponents within 5' of you than 20' to protect your party. I'd rather rely on damage and possibly tripping instead before that.
I recommend paladin levels. By taking the remove fatigue mercy, you'll be able to get out of the stance, lay on hands and remove the fatigue as a swift action, and reposition yourself. It's not as ideal as prevent the bad guys from just ignoring/moving past you, but it's the next best thing.
Order of the shield cavalier gets a better version of standstill, that works as an attack.
Personaly I think your right about thefighter being better at this.
The powers are awesome but not moving sucks.
High level trick but if there's a witch in your party SHE can move you on her turn, then you can full attack.
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I recommend paladin levels. By taking the remove fatigue mercy, you'll be able to get out of the stance, lay on hands and remove the fatigue as a swift action, and reposition yourself. It's not as ideal as prevent the bad guys from just ignoring/moving past you, but it's the next best thing.
A single cleric level with the Healing subdomain Restoration grants: Restorative Touch (Su): You can touch a creature, letting the healing power of your deity flow through you to relieve the creature of a minor condition. Your touch can remove the dazed, fatigued, shaken, sickened, or staggered condition. You choose which condition is removed. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
-- That's so crazy good that it should be reconsidered (it basically nerfs a paladin's entire Mercy track, since now any cleric can do it with a single level).
I recommend using a bow. Pill Box style is perfectly valid for a stalwart defender.
I'll have to agree about the APG giving some incredible options, but i think the cleric thing is a standard, while paladin's is a swift when used on self. But yeah, liking the idea of the pally stalwart, but if i really wanted to build a guy who actually seriously protected people, id go with phalanx fighter, maybe there is one other one too, dont feel like looking up the second fighter archetype thats really good at protecting others...