Unfortunately, the answer is, "not much." How the opponents react is entirely up to the DM. If you feel that the DM was being unfair, then have a talk with him/her. There's really not much else to do.
Except for the "Antagonize" feat, of course. ;)
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Taunting / threat works just fine [mostly] for MMO-type games, but in an actual sit-down RPG, the characters, both PC and NPC alike can make decisions based on the situation at hand, not a pre-set aggro meter. If the GM is playing the mobs with even a small amount of tactical decision making, they're gonna be going after the easiest targets out there, not the Ironclad Meat Machine. Careful feat selection can help you pull some focus from the other fighter [Antagonize, et al], as can better tactical decisions [put yourself in front of the squishies and block off all approach routes]. That's about it, really. I think there's some cursed armor out there that makes things want to hit you more [armor of rage? don't have my book handy], and you might be able to get a spell-casty-friend to come up with a spell that makes things more likely to dislike you [bestow curse might do the trick].
Hope that helps.
As you level up, concentrate on ways to become more "annoying," like increasing your damage output or performing Disarms and Trips. A couple of levels of rogue for the sneak attack damage can do it as well, assuming you find yourself flanking frequently.
Another option is to adjust your tactics. If the bad guys are concentrating on someone else, then move into position to attack their more vulnerable casters, etc.
I'd suggest you taking Combat Reflexes and Stand Still, then playing intelligently to force as many AoO's as possible. Also, consider getting your fighter friend to take a reach weapon... 5 foot steps can be kinda cool and the AoO's are awesome I believe as all enemies approaching would have to pass through a threatened square?
Can't you use "aid another" to boost an ally's ac as well?
Straight up start going to town on the monsters with insults. Get good at it.
In the first round of a fight with a rakshasa, I asked (loudly and obnoxiously) that the creature would have a difficult time attending to its own... ahem, needs... with backwards hands. I was the target's focus after that, undeniably. At least, for two rounds-- until my friends had pretty much cornered him and had him for dinner.
Sometimes all it takes is being a smartass to get focus fired.
Another good way to get focus fired is to ignore people and just run right by. Draw AoOs and walk right up to the caster or the VIP in the back, and I guarantee that anyone not locked in combat will come for you. If there's no VIP, just walk through empty squares to get behind them. You draw a lot of fire this way, and I really don't suggest it for level 2, but being the guy who is "the one who is flanking us/me" sometimes makes you more important than the guy who is actually about to hit them.
For feats, Step Up is almost mandatory. Avoid Stand Still, it's worse than Improved Trip if you have the feats to spare to get to it. If you don't have 13 Int, then go with Stand Still. Combat Reflexes. Readied actions to disrupt casting.
If you want to get in more to roleplaying, dress up like a cleric. Put the holy symbol of Torag or another dwarven god on your shield. Paint it on your waraxe. Go into battle chanting the litanies of Torag. Develop code-words among your teammates-- something as simple as any statement including the words "Heal me" or "divine aid" means to flank the closest enemy to them. It won't work on people you've met before, but I bet it would work on people you've never met, and it'll definitely make you Target Number One if the DM is playing with gloves off.
what can i do about that there's no threat in pathfinder like there is in 4th edition.
There's a simple solution to your problems. Walk around in your underwear -- unkempt dwarf and all -- with no shield or silly ring of protection. With such a painful sight and an AC of 12, any enemy worth their salt will definitely try to vanquish you as soon as possible.
k 2 fighters in this group i am in, we are both level 2 atm.
other fighter:
16 ac
21 damage max (18str power attack).. 1d12 + 6(str) + 3 (PA)
and he has cleave so up to 2 attacks per round and 14 AC when he cleaves which is always.My Dwarf fighter"
22 AC (+3 shield focus, 6ac, 2dex, +1 Ring of Protection)
16 damage max, (18str, power attack) dwarven waraxe (1d10+ 4str +2 (PA)he was rolling better and hitting multiple targets usually with cleave
so the DM starts hitting him with his 14 ac when cleaving and i cant do anything about it, so i sat there hitting for about 13 damage or so and nothing is attacking me, where he is doing preety good damage 18+ damage and cleaving usually. what can i do about that there's no threat in pathfinder like there is in 4th edition.
While there's nothing like a stated aggro mechanic like in a MMO, you DO have mechanical options but a number are suboptimial/situational or are things that may be considered inferior to just attacking.
You could attempt to intimidate to "demoralize", you could AID to help AC, there are some shield feats, teamwork feats to explore but likely the other person won't want to burn a feat unless it's another fighter. Also some Combat Maneuvers would assist, tripping or repositioning type maneuvers would be helpful but the Int/Combat Expertise requirement is a bitter pill to swallor for a lot of fighters.
Antagonize is borked don't do your DM that injustice.
There's no threat, you can't hold it, there's no aggro, this isn't an MMO, this is a simulation. Your DM played the monster correctly, given that he isn't some nonintelligent AI lump.
How exactly do you reach the conclusion that the DM ran the encounter appropriately? The OP didn't say what type of creature or creatures were involved, much less how intelligent they were. It seems just as likely that he's trying to deal with a poor DM, as it is that he's dealing with a good one.
Yeah, I'd say that if you made yourself a tank build and you're not getting hit, use that to your tactical advantage. Got some spare HP, try some game changing combat maneuvers that provoke without the relevant feat. Trip em', break their mallet, through em' off a bridge...whatever, eat em' up. You're dps and support when your not getting hit. The best way to spare your friend is to remove the aggressor from combat.
Suggestions for holding threat.. research lore of the creatures/monsters you encounter. Learn their languages or their customs. Do things to offend them or to incite rage in them and have it focused on you..
Insult an intelligent creature's mother/mate.
Slather yourself in something that's smell offends the senses of the beast you are fighting.
When all else fails, bottleneck in a strategic situation, narrow hallway .. get their backs to a cliff or vise versa.. etc.
Always an option out there, but people are correct. There is no taunt button in this game. The closest thing you can get to it is creative uses of diplomacy/intimmidation/bluff.. and your knowledge skills.
OP stated that his issue was not just one encounter, but a recurring thing.
No, he didn't. Nor did he criticize his/her DM at all. And he certainly didn't post anything to imply that he wanted the DM to behave like a "nonintelligent AI lump." Not sure why you felt the need to give him the attitude, because he certainly didn't post anything that deserved it.
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Well, as it has been mentioned earlier, there isn't any such thing as "threat" in pathfinder.
If you want to get people to attack you, perhaps the Knight class might be what you are looking for...it was in the 3.5 player's handbook 2. the knight could "challange" and apponent, it had to make a will save, and if it failed, it would direct its attacks toward the knight.
I hope this helps
Straight up start going to town on the monsters with insults. Get good at it.
I'm playing a Dwarven Fighter/Paladin in RotRL. I went into the campaign with the concept of being the "tank" and let the DM know this. Niether of us are big on the "Goad" or "Antagonize" type feats in our pen&paper game, but understand the difficulty holding aggro with sword&board characters.
The DM works with me, that in itself is a big step. However we a bit of discussion we've ruled that intimidate through the "Dazzling Display" feat makes me look like more of a threat. "Scary dwarf, yelling and swinging his axe, KILL it!"
Once they find out they simply can't hit me, or the STR-based Monk or Rogue start doing gobs of damage I lose aggro.... BUT, note that those monsters who are affected by the intimidate have a '-2 to hit'... which is beneficial to my party as a whole. If one of your casters has a way to make the same monsters 'sickened', both effects will stack for a '-4 to hit'.
Goodluck!
k 2 fighters in this group i am in, we are both level 2 atm.
other fighter:
16 ac
21 damage max (18str power attack).. 1d12 + 6(str) + 3 (PA)
and he has cleave so up to 2 attacks per round and 14 AC when he cleaves which is always.My Dwarf fighter"
22 AC (+3 shield focus, 6ac, 2dex, +1 Ring of Protection)
16 damage max, (18str, power attack) dwarven waraxe (1d10+ 4str +2 (PA)he was rolling better and hitting multiple targets usually with cleave
so the DM starts hitting him with his 14 ac when cleaving and i cant do anything about it, so i sat there hitting for about 13 damage or so and nothing is attacking me, where he is doing preety good damage 18+ damage and cleaving usually. what can i do about that there's no threat in pathfinder like there is in 4th edition.
Use a buckler. Two hand the Waraxe when they are not attacking you and use the buckler when they are. 1d10+ 4str +2 (PA) 16 max goes to 1d10+ 6str +4 (2H PA) 20 max. Now you are basically on par with him damage wise.
From there, you could use Cleave yourself and play the same game he is. Or you could take Furious Focus to negate the PA's attack decrease.
I'd advise positioning yourself in front of the party and reading an attack (especially brutal with a polearm) and letting your enemy come to you, or at the very least, delay til this fighter's turn (or have him do the same) and charge in together. Try to coordinate with your other fighter so that enemies have to bypass you to get to him. Combat Reflexes might be worth the investment, you could essentially trip any foe that moves past you. I'm not sure what the ruling is on unfeated manuevers used as part of an AoO... would they still provoke? Would that hinder their action?
Intentionally move through threatened squares or attempt combat manuevers to draw AoOs that would cripple your party.
Try to "lock down" your opponent with trip, shield slam and step up.
And tell the man to buy some better armour for christ's sake. I realise you're only level 2, so have him put it on his list if he wants to survive.
EDIT: ... and I just scrolled up to find cfalcon has ninja'd me on just about all of these points, so I'll just go ahead and second his advice. :P
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I'll endorse role-playing to get an enemy's attention. As a DM, I try to run enemies realistically:
- Intelligent foes will try to take out the weakest or most dangerous. This generally includes Wizards and crazy-axe swinging loincloth clad barbarians who can hurt you badly. Wasting time whacking at an iron-clad dwarf in impenetrable armor is silly.
- Animals and non-intelligent things often react to whatever's obviously hurting it. Often that means first come, first serve.
- Foes with phobias should go after their hated foe within reason. Goblins should attack gnomes with preference. Hobgoblins (in older editions) hated and feared wizards.
- A well-placed taunt can go a long way. Brandishing a holy symbol to intelligent undead, clear sign you want a fight. Spit on the captain's boot and call him a sissy-livered goblin whelp, see if he might take a moment to make you regret that statement. It's worth a try!
Don't try to view the game as a MMO. No monster is more retarded than the one that knows it can't hurt the heavily armored warrior in front of him but still ignores the naked rogue behind him repeatedly backstabbing. You're doing a good amount of damage for your level, and you're a breath of fresh air I'd bet for not taxing your party's healing resources because you don't get hit often.
Folks have already covered the basics - there is no such thing as "threat" in tabletop games, generally.
Positioning, in-character insults and general obnoxiousness is what gets the enemy to go for you. If it does not, well, then you have a bigger problem and you'll need a heart-to-heart with your DM and a possible rebuild to a masochist tank if you can't find a way for a classic high-armor fellow to work out.
Either way, good luck!
k 2 fighters in this group i am in, we are both level 2 atm.
other fighter:
16 ac
21 damage max (18str power attack).. 1d12 + 6(str) + 3 (PA)
and he has cleave so up to 2 attacks per round and 14 AC when he cleaves which is always.My Dwarf fighter"
22 AC (+3 shield focus, 6ac, 2dex, +1 Ring of Protection)
16 damage max, (18str, power attack) dwarven waraxe (1d10+ 4str +2 (PA)he was rolling better and hitting multiple targets usually with cleave
so the DM starts hitting him with his 14 ac when cleaving and i cant do anything about it, so i sat there hitting for about 13 damage or so and nothing is attacking me, where he is doing preety good damage 18+ damage and cleaving usually. what can i do about that there's no threat in pathfinder like there is in 4th edition.
Of course there is threat. The other fighter is the bigger one. He does more damage AND is easier to hit. That means two of the most common (by far) criteria by which people and creatures choose threats are in favour of him being attacked. It's usually either "take down most dangerous attacker first" or "take least protected attacker first".
People keep asking for aggro of something like that, but that really has no place in a tabletop RPG. It's a crutch for games like WoW or Everquest, i.e. computer games where the enemies are controlled by a brainless machine. You need something in place to ape intelligent behaviour.
Tabletop RPGs don't need anything to ape intelligent behaviour. The GM has an actual brain.
So the goal isn't to abuse a game mechanic to dictate enemy behaviour. Instead, you use the game mechanics to do things you can do and control and try and steer combat into a direction more to your liking.
Tripping attacks, maybe combined with polearms, are something that comes to mind. Get a weapon with reach (like a guisarme), Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Greater Trip, and Combat Reflexes. Stay close to your fighter friend.
Now, you don't go and attack people with normal attacks. You try to sweep them off their feet. That means they'll end up prone (and if you have Greater Trip, they'll provoke an attack of opportunity, so you'll get to hit them right away, and so does your friend if he's next to them. Make sure he'll get Combat Reflexes, too!).
Your friend can then beat the heck out of the sucker (he's prone, that's -4 to AC and attacks!) Guy stands up (usually a move action, meaning they only get to attack once after) and provoke another AoO (and thanks to Combat Reflexes, you can make more than one).
Or he stays down and has -4 to attacks.
Confusion and lunging whirlwind attack works wonderfully ^^
don't forget the good old fashioned bull rush!
Unfortunately, the answer is, "not much." How the opponents react is entirely up to the DM. If you feel that the DM was being unfair, then have a talk with him/her. There's really not much else to do.
Except for the "Antagonize" feat, of course. ;)
I'm a big believer in inventing the game you want to play. If you don't like the spell selection, write up a spell and see if your GM OKs it. If you want to do something in combat that the rules don't provide for, write up a feat or a mechanic and work with your GM to bring it into the game. What makes RPGs better than any computer game is that they are infinitely extensible.