I have been looking into the PRD after buying the core book PDF, and wanted to build a Defensive Dwarven Fighter from the phalanx archetype. It was alot more difficult than I thought it would be given, some of the inherent quirks of the Phalanx Soldier. After focusing the feat structure and revising what I wanted this character to do as he leveled, I have come up with the following build order. I would like to restrict myself to the core book and the advanced player supplements currently on the PRD. I have built this character around the Dwarf's characteristic's as well, and am proud enough to say that it is a very Dwarven Character as a result. More details after the build:
Description: Template for a Dwarven Fighter–Phalanx Soldier(VaultWarden)
LV Class Atk. Class: (Bonus Feats) Feats Ability
1 Fighter +1 1.Combat Expertise 1.Improved Trip
2 Fighter +2 2.Combat Reflexes
3 Fighter +3 2.Shield Focus
4 Fighter +4 3.Shield Spec: Tower +1 Dex
5 Fighter +5 Weapon1: Pole Arms 3.Body Guard
6 Fighter +6/+1 4. Greater Trip
7 Fighter +7/+2 4.In Harm’s Way
8 Fighter +8/+3 5. Power Attack +1 Dex
9 Fighter +9/+4 Weapon2: Spear 5.Vital Strike
10 Fighter +10/+5 6.Improved Bull Rush
11 Fighter +11/+6/+1 6.Imp. Vital Strike
12 Fighter +12/+7/+2 7. Improved Overrun +1 Con
13 Fighter +13/+8/+3 Weapon3: Close 7. Charge through
14 Fighter +14/+9/+4 8. Greater Overrun
15 Fighter +15/+10/+5 8.Greater Bull Rush
16 Fighter +16/+11/+6/+1 9. Greater Vital Strike +1 Con
17 Fighter +17/+12/+7/+2 Weapon4: Crossbow 9. Stunning Assault
18 Fighter +18/+13/+8/+3 10. Second Chance
19 Fighter +19/+14/+9/+4 10. Lightning Reflexes
20 Fighter +20/+15/+10/+5 11.Imp.Lightning Reflexes +1 Con
Starting Stats (15 pts): STR: 14 DEX: 14 CON: 16 INT: 13 WIS: 10 CHA: 7
The strength of the phalanx soldier comes from it's mastery of the tower shield, its large bonus to CMD and later CMB, and the defensive bonuses it provides to adjacent allies from 9th level up. The shield Shield Slam tree is therefore not a factor in this build. The feat tax from that feat tree would also have hindered CM versatility. Vital Strike has been included in this build because it pairs greatly with the Phalanx Soldier's move action ally defense bonus, which is why I have added it at lv. 9 instead of 6. The Power attack, Bull rush, and Overrun Feats have been factored in to take effect before Irresistible Advance. Stunning Assault is combined with Charge Through to reach vulnerable targets behind other enemies that need to be disabled for that round. Second Chance is used during the full round action to ensure that an urgently needed trip or stun is allowed to go off. Lightning Reflexes and Improved Lightning Reflexes are not dumps but rather build up to the improved Evasion provided by the Tower Shield at lv 20.
The weapon of choice for this build is a Halberd wielded in one hand (Trident leading up to it). The Halberd is a versatile two-handed weapon with two different damage types and the brace and trip feature. As a one handed weapon, it is very potent in that regard, especially for a Phalanx Soldier that can take advantage of the brace property. AoO beyond 2 are made possible by the inclusion of a Mithral Tower Shield (an upgrade from a Steel Tower Shield) as stated in Races of Stone.
Steel Tower Shield Cost: 75 gp (4075 gp Mithral)
Shield Bonus:+4 Max Dex: +2 (+4 Mithril) Armor Check Penalty: –10 (-7 Mithril) Spell Failure: 50% (40% Mithril)
Weight: 100 lb. (50 lbs Mithril) Hardness: 10 (15 Mithral) Hit Points: 60 (60 Mithral)
Tower Shields are further made more important in this build by the use of the Shield Spec Feat, which grants bonus CMD based on the base Shield Bonus + 1. Overall, I have aimed to make this Fighter a Combat Maneuver superiority Defensive - Support Fighter. Damage was considered but not prioritized. I would like input from the community on my idea :)
NOTE: I am sorry if my Character Build format does not come out how I wanted it. I have tried to make it clear how I meant to progress, let me know if I need to make any clarifications.
You might sneak a level of cleric into that with the travel and liberation domains in there.
You want your base speed to be 30, right?
I do it with this cleric and masterwork stone plate!
plus you get longstrider as a spell going up to 40 most of the time!
You might sneak a level of cleric into that with the travel and liberation domains in there.
You want your base speed to be 30, right?
I do it with this cleric and masterwork stone plate!
plus you get longstrider as a spell going up to 40 most of the time!
No, I do not need a base speed of 30 for this build. Even if I wanted it, I do not see where I would fit that into the leveling scheme and still maintain the pace of feat advancement required for what I am aiming for. Maybe if the character was human, but even then unlikely, and at great cost. The phalanx soldier benefits to much from being static after lv 9 to warrant a great commitment to get a small speed boost, and by lv 15 at the very least you should be able to charge across the battlefield if you need to get anywhere quick AND run over anything in your path while doing so. Multi-Class Fighter/Cleric (especially those domains) would also be very hard to stomach from a role play perspective given the traditional Dwarven nature of the character. While I appreciate the suggestion, I find it hard to believe that you actually read through my post to begin with.
As it stands, if I truly wanted a fast and mobile fighter, I would have tried making a Mobile Fighter Archetype with your Cleric multiclass.
The Steel Tower Shield Variant and its Mithral Shield upgrade from Races of Stone was referenced due to the lack of clarity regarding the adjustments new materials such as Darkwood or Mithral would have on a Tower Shield's Max Dex Modifier. The Steel Tower Shield is otherwise just like a regular Tower Shield but twice as heavy and much sturdier. I am trying to limit my feat selection to the material provided in the core book and the advanced player additional feats viewable on the PRD. I feel that the inclusion of an additional item such as stated from a 3.5 source does not risk compromising the Pathfinder core game as much as allowing the use of another pool of feats as provided in Complete Warrior.
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I like the build: it has a lot of Dwarven flavor and feel to it.
Pathfinder tower shields are clearly defined as being made from wood, not metal. As such, you can't have a mithral tower shield in Pathfinder - barring a homebrew ruling from your DM.
Having said that, using a tower shield affects the max DEX you can use for AC, but it doesn't affect your DEX with respect to things like Combat Reflexes and AOOs:
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Maximum Dex Bonus
This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to Armor Class that this type of armor allows. Dexterity bonuses in excess of this number are reduced to this number for the purposes of determining the wearer's Armor Class. Heavier armors limit mobility, reducing the wearer's ability to dodge blows. This restriction doesn't affect any other Dexterity-related abilities.
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Have you considered the Fauchard? You can't brace with it like you can with a Halberd, but reach and the extended crit range (18-20!) more than make up for that, IMO.
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Ahh I was refering to either the heavy poleaxe or greatspear from complete warrior, the feats from pathfinder are generally superior to the ones from 3.5 including those from the aforementioned book. As far as your build goes I like it, it keeps a good RP flavor while still being very effective at what it does. Did you actually use the Phalanx Fighter archetype?
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Have you considered the Fauchard? You can't brace with it like you can with a Halberd, but reach and the extended crit range (18-20!) more than make up for that, IMO.
I'd think that the brace quality is extremely important for the phalanx soldier; they get Ready Pike which allows them to brace as an immediate action. That makes bracing very useful!
Thank you Argus The Slayer for pointing out that property of the Maximum Dex Bonus, which I had completely overlooked. This essentially negates the need for a RoS Mithral Tower Shield in this build, and as such I am fine with forgoing it altogether. A good Dex is still important in this build for AoO (Which not only allows for trips during enemy movement, but feeds the Bodyguard AC bonus), but now I can focus on maximizing my AC rather than my Max Dex if I need to.
I actually do not know what the fauchard is, as it is neither in the core book or the advanced gear list of the PRD. While my build does seem to benefit most from a halberd, I would be a fool to say that mixing things up was a bad thing, especially if it is with another Pole Arm. My only problem with reach weapons is that it cant be used on adjacent foes, thus requiring you to either step back (and lose ground) to attack, or move back the foe with the shield slam's built in bull rush before attacking with the Pole Arm. Reach is very useful, but I would rather it were done with the Enlarge Person spell from that anemic wizard you try to keep out of trouble. Being bigger, you also benefit from bonuses to Combat Maneuvers, making this build even better at what it does.
R.Cornelius, I did not write it in, but all of the feat advancements were written in to work in tandem with the Phalanx Soldier's own class progression. An example would be the picking of Vital Strike at lv 9 to coincide with the Shield Ally class feature also earned at that level. While lackluster at most any other time, Vital Strike does allow the Phalanx Soldier to give a good hit even when using a move action to apply the Shield Ally defensive bonus to your friends (+2 AC and +1 Ref, and where appropriate use Bodyguard to add another +2 AC).
This build can be further flavored by Dwarf Advanced Race Modifications, such as choosing the Relentless (+2 Bull Rush, Overrun) Feature to get more from Bull rush and Overrun later on, and recovering the CMD against Trip and Overrun from the Alternative Dwarf Fav Class leveling bonus (+1 CMD trip/Overrun instead of +1 HP or +1 Skill). My main concern now is deciding the best use of the Ability points earned through leveling.
Have you checked out the Stalwart Defender?
Or the Armiger on d20pfsrd.com? Both might inspire you, and you can take stalwart defender.
My only problem with reach weapons is that it cant be used on adjacent foes, thus requiring you to either step back (and lose ground) to attack, or move back the foe with the shield slam's built in bull rush before attacking with the Pole Arm. Reach is very useful, but I would rather it were done with the Enlarge Person spell from that anemic wizard you try to keep out of trouble. Being bigger, you also benefit from bonuses to Combat Maneuvers, making this build even better at what it does.
You might consider checking out Dwarves of Golarion. Even if you aren't doing a Golarion campaign there are some really nice additions. Specifically, the Dwarven dorn-dergar (a weapon that I think is on the pfsrd) which is a nice compromise between reach and a normal weapon. It might not be best for the feat profession you have in mind, but worth considering.
Strength is a good idea, but Dex adds to your CMD to, and gives more AoO. Strength is also not as much a damage factor if you use Vital Strike a lot. Still, I'd think Str after two points of Dex would be best, as Con does not seem to add much when you put a point in aside from a Fort save every modifier raise.
Cheapy, I have checked out the Stalwart Defender, and was honestly not impressed. While I did state earlier that I was not looking for a ton of mobility, the Stalwart Defender is just far to immobile for my taste. Being reliant on Defensive Stance, a daily finite resource, to enact your class powers is a stinging weakness, and that is not even taking into account that you cant move while you are doing it. It would be a patient GM that is not tempted to have his monsters take advantage of that. If you do want to move, you are fatigued for twice as long afterwards, and the "Defensive Powers" are just Combat Feats and Barbarian Rage Powers with different names. There is more potential for the Phalanx Soldier to be a Defensive Powerhouse while still being mobile, and on top of that being great at Combat Maneuvers.
Lareg, I actually just bought Dwarves of Golarion just the other day and greatly enjoyed it (a bit pricey for 32 pages, but still). I was at first disappointed with the "New Dwarven Weapon", as I was expecting a quadruple headed mechanized Battle Axe or something. After looking at it again, I did see the potential of a versatile reach weapon, but only after taking those specific feats. Since its not a Pole Arm, does not provide the brace property, and requires additional feats to make use of properly, I cant say that it has a place in this build. Still, thank you for the suggestion.
Cheapy, I have checked out the Stalwart Defender, and was honestly not impressed. While I did state earlier that I was not looking for a ton of mobility, the Stalwart Defender is just far to immobile for my taste. Being reliant on Defensive Stance, a daily finite resource, to enact your class powers is a stinging weakness, and that is not even taking into account that you cant move while you are doing it. It would be a patient GM that is not tempted to have his monsters take advantage of that. If you do want to move, you are fatigued for twice as long afterwards, and the "Defensive Powers" are just Combat Feats and Barbarian Rage Powers with different names. There is more potential for the Phalanx Soldier to be a Defensive Powerhouse while still being mobile, and on top of that being great at Combat Maneuvers.
One thing about the Stalwart Defender is that eventually he can make it so people *can't* move past him.
Halting Blow (Ex): If a foe’s movement in the defender’s threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity and the stalwart defender successfully hits the foe with the attack, the foe’s movement ends immediately. The foe cannot move again until its next turn but can still take the rest of its action. A stalwart defender must have selected the bulwark power prior to selecting halting blow.
That with a few feats and a reach weapon means people won't be getting past you.
Again (and now with a link!) you might be able to draw some inspiration from this third party class. It might even fit with your character concept better, if your GM allows it. Note that it gives Cover to adjacent guys at level 1, but it won't get all those yummy feats that a fighter will have. It does however have the ability to use crossbows with a shield (and gets free repeating crossbows prof!), which with Quick Draw or Gloves of Item Storing could allow you to quickly switch between polearm and real ranged combat.
Otherwise, you have a solid character idea. Good defense and ranged trips are always awesome.
One suggestion is to perhaps grab Dodge, Mobility, and Combat Patrol instead of the Overrun line of feats. This would let you shutdown a huge number of squares, letting you whack (and trip! and then whack again due to greater trip!). I'm not generally a fan of Overrun, so that's why I said those ones. Plus, Greater Overrun will probably be useless to you, since you can't attack the guys you are running over (due to the reach of the polearm).
I know you mentioned that you wish to use only Core and APG, but if you're GM allows stuff from Ultimate Combat, there is a feat that may be of interest to you. Felling Smash does the following:
If you use the attack action to make a single
melee attack at your highest base attack bonus while
using Power Attack and you hit an opponent, you can
spend a swift action to attempt a trip combat maneuver
against that opponent.
Same pre-reqs as Greater Trip, but with Power Attack as well. So, once you start using your move action to provide cover to your allies, you can also trip your enemies, doing damage when you hit them, then whacking them again due to Greater Trip. Then when they get up...whack 'em again. (See where this is going?)
Just some thoughts :)
R.Cornelius your right, I forgot that Weapon training was replaced by the Phalanx Soldier's other class features. Luckily, I was not relying on Weapon Training for anything else, so I can simply disregard that mistake. The Combat Maneuver bonus with Pole Arms will be sorely missed, however.
Your right Cheapy, the Stalwart Defender does have a way to shutdown movement all around him with the right Defense Power and buffs to reach, but relying exclusively on that means that you assume the action will always take place around the square you've chosen to defend at the start of the battle, a risky proposition in any scenario. Then there is the fact that it is a one trick pony tactic, a bit cheap on the side, and does not sufficiently mitigate the other liabilities of that Prestige Class.
I defend my use of the Overrun feats. The Phalanx Soldier gets a solid Bonus to Overrun and Bull Rush with Irresistible Advance (lv 15.), especially with the Tower Shield, making great synergy with the Charge Through feat. Being able to Overrun one enemy, attack him with AoO, Bull Rush another into a wall so that they are prone as well (If the shield slam rule applies), then attack or trip them when they rise has great lock down potential. As a said before, this build revolves around use of the Halberd as the primary weapon, which is considered a Pole Arm (See Fighter Section) and therefore useable by the Phalanx Soldier with one hand after lv 3. The Halberd does not have reach, so Greater Overrun is used to its full potential. Using Charge though to run over one enemy and attack another with the Stunning Assault feat is also a late game combo I have planned out.
I would like to keep the used material (or as much as possible) within the Pathfinder boundaries, which for the most part rules out home brew classes such as your Armiger
As for Ultimate Combat, I will not consider material from it with this build (or even a game) until I know it is balanced with prior released material. If Ultimate Magic is anything to go by, it likely wont be, and the inclusion of the Ninja also has me not a little perturbed.
On closer inspection, I just realized that the Armiger is not homebrew but rather... a third party supplement from Super Genius Games? I had no idea third parties were making supplements and offshoots to sell to Pathfinder fans. Kind of ironic given how Pathfinder is something of an offshoot of 3.5. That, along with the Death Rider, Archon, Shaman, Vanguard and so on from that company alone. While this might certainly add more flavor and diversity to player options, I would be cautious about embracing such additions, especially since I know so little about them right now. Still, it looks more official than home brew, if only a little. Thanks for the link Cheapy.
The guy who wrote that has done a lot of freelancing for Paizo too. And there is quite a large 3rd party following of PF. Check out the compatible products forum!
Now that I'm at my computer again...Compatible Products forum and Super Genius Game's store. Judging by the amount of stuff they have for sale, you gotta figure a lot of people are quite happy with their products :) Other good 3rd Party publishers include Rite Publishing, and some others.
But enough about that! I do think it might not work to use an AoO with a polearm from overruning them. It seems like the moment you over run them, you get the attack, not 5' later which is the minimum necessary to use with a polearm. Maybe if you had armor spikes?
Maybe swap out the last 3 feats to get the Combat Patrol? I do understand your reasoning for those feats though, and it makes sense. At level 20, that's something like 30 feet that you can trip someone in, if you use that option. Enlarged would make it 35, easily. That's 6 or 7 squares in all directions of you that you can use your AoOs in! Since it seems like you will be near your allies (to help out with your Tower Shield), you'll be near the guys the enemies will be going after, so you're shutting down a huge area.
I figured you weren't relying on the weapon training boosts, and like I said earlier I do like your build but in my party I'm the main DPR guy so my build is trying to blend damage with control and so far its worked pretty well!
I am glad to hear your character is working out for you R.C.
Oh, and Cheapy, I actually do have to move or change around my lower three feats, but that is because I have realized that Improved Lightning Reflexes cannot be taken as a Fight Bonus Feat. Had that been allowed to happen, it would have made a great end, as the Phalanx Soldier Benefits from Improved Evasion while using a Tower Shield at level 20. That not being the case, I am very open to trying to fit in Combat Patrol in there for those three feats instead.
I am not sure what you are trying to point out with the polearms and overrun, as the Halberd would act like any other melee weapon without reach in any other case. Would it be the case that you would not be able to use, say, a Greatsword, to do that AoO as well? I am actually not sure if you are allowed to do Attacks of opportunity while charging to begin with, but that is what the spirit of Greater Overrun seems to imply.
I was under the mistaken assumption that a Halbred was a Reach weapon, hence all of my talk about Combat Patrol.
You are absolutely right that you can take an AoO when over running with the Halbred. If it were a reach weapon (like a Guisarme), I don't think that'd work.