The M-Series Grey Maiden; or, help with teamwork feats

[Douglas Muir 406]

IMC, the Grey Maidens are sort of mass-produced. The G-Series are the lower-level mooks from _Seven Days to Anarchy_; the more powerful ones you encounter in _Crown of Fangs_ are the K-series.

I figured the Queen would have an alternate mounted variant, which I call the M-Series:

Gray Maiden CR 3
Female human fighter 2/Cavalier 2
LE Medium humanoid

Spoiler:

Init +5; Senses Perception -1

DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 42 (4d10+16)
Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +1 (+1 vs. fear)

OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee longsword +7 (1d8+3/19–20)
Mounted mwk lance +8 (d8+3/x3)
Ranged composite longbow (Str +3) +5 (1d8+3/x3)

STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 13
Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 17
Feats Iron Will, Improved Initiative Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Teamwork Feat (see below)

Skills Intimidate +6, Ride +10

Languages Common
SQ Bravery +1, Challenge 1/day (+2 damage, +1 AC against challenge target), Mount, Order of the Lion, Lion's Call (standard action, allies get +1 to attack and vs. fear for 3 rounds).

Gear masterwork full plate, heavy steel shield, masterwork lance, longsword, composite longbow with 20 arrows

-- As L2 cavaliers, they get a teamwork feat and the Tactician special ability, which allows them to share it with allies as a standard action. So each one of them chooses from a list of teamwork feats:

Spoiler:

1 Outflank (flanking bonus increases to +4, crits provoke AoOs from allies)
2 Cavalry Formation (move and charge through other mounts)
3 Coordinated Maneuvers (+2 CMD, +4 to break grapples)
4 Shield Wall (+2 AC if adjacent to fellow Grey Maiden)
5 Escape Route (provoke no AoOs moving through squares adjacent to an ally)
6 Shake it off (+1 to all saves per adjacent ally, max +4)

-- and they're typically encountered in groups of 2-6, in which each member will have different feats.

Activating Tactician is a standard action, so in combat they'll generally open with Lion Call from one Maiden and feat activation from at least one other.

Really I'm just fooling around with teamwork feats here. I have to say they seem kind of marginal; potentially good, sure, but super situational. The "standard action to activate Tactician" is really a killer. I'm trying to design a group to use them against my PCs, and I don't think this quite succeeds.

Suggestions?

Doug M.

[GeraintElberion]

My first two suggestions would be:

1.

Spoiler warning this post in the title, or do the whole thing.

2.

Move this post to the correct forum.

It just takes a bit of thoughtlessness and someone else's play experience can be diminished.

[Thalin]

Turn them from cavaliers to anti-paladin 3 / Fighter 1 with the holy tactician archetype. These share out their teamwork feat at level 3 with unlimited duration, and can switch which teamwork feat from their bonus feats is up as a swift action.

Some teamwork feats, shared out en masse, are amazing. Full-round actions during surprise rounds, +4 to hit flanks, shield bonuses massing up, +1 on all saves for each person around you... all are potential.

[Douglas Muir 406]

GeraintElberion wrote:

Move this post to the correct forum.

I'm asking for advice on NPC design. I'm modifying some NPCs from an AP. ISTM this could reasonably go either in the AP thread, or here. I'm not seeing what would make either one the "correct" forum.

GeraintElberion wrote:

It just takes a bit of thoughtlessness and someone else's play experience can be diminished.

I agree with that, and have made minor changes to the post.

Doug M.

[CaroRose]

Honestly, I haven't used my Maidens as mounted fighters. Most of them are encountered in areas not conducive to mounted combat. I went for a Fighter/Inquisitor mix instead. Inquisitors have teamwork feats as well, and the idea fit with their zealotous training.