Help me fill in the blanks! Half-Orc 2-handed fighter

[adamcboyd]

So here are my base stats... (no I can't change them as I am currently playing with them)

Str-17/Con-12/Dex-16/Int-14/Wis-6/Char-12

So I am planning my feats. My guy is a clobbering mercenary (if that matters). His play style it hit first, as many and often as possible, and keep going till Orc Ferocity kicks in. I need help filling in the blanks.

Oh, and he has +7 to intimidate at level 2 already.

1. Power Attack/Cleave
2. Shattering Strike/Cleaving Finish
3. Weapon Focus (+1 AB with weapon)
4. Greater Cleave OR Weapon Specialization (+2 dam)
5. Furious Focus (ignore -1 power attack mod on 1st strike)
6. Vital strike (x2 dam on single attack)
7. Greater Cleaving Finish (use Cleaving Finish whenever)
8. Greater Weapon Focus (+1 ab (stacks with weapon focus)
9. Critical Focus (+4 to attack rolls to confirm critical)
10. ?
11. OR Dreadful Carnage (free intimidate when foe to 0)
12. Penetrating Strike (ignore 5 dam red)
13. Improved Vital Strike (x3 dam)
14. Greater Weapon Specialization (+2 dam. (stacks)
15. ?
16. Greater Vital Strike (x4 dam))
17. Greater Penetrating Strike (ignore 10 dam red)
18. ?
19. ?
20. ?

Possibly IMPROVED REPOSITION somewhere so I can grab guys and set them
where I want them for cleave positioning? Let me know! Thanks brothers

[adamcboyd]

Oh, and I was thinking about working Cornugon Smash (Combat) in there somewhere around lvl 4 or 5 instead.

Any ideas?

[GeraintElberion]

Wisdom 6?

You will definitely need to take Iron Will and Improved Iron Will, otherwise whenever the going gets tough this tough-guy will stand around drooling (and at later levels, attacking his comrades).

Also, you haven't said which weapon you are focussing upon.

[adamcboyd]

Falchion.

I know about the will and trust me. I am the weak link in that area, but the party has a pally and a cleric and a dwarf ranger so I just don't open boxes anymore.

I am considering it, but as funny as it sounds, I want to play into his back story and that is not the brightest of the bunch. Besides, me being easy to fear makes my cleric useful as he constantly has to be reminded to even cast his 0 level spells.

I don't want him to be totally well rounded, otherwise I would just reroll. I want him to be a top heavy brute.

[GeraintElberion]

Are you planning on a keen weapon? If not I would have Improved Critical

[adamcboyd]

Yea cause a Keen would only bump it up +2 while the Improved Crit puts it up +4, right?

[adamcboyd]

Oh, well I guess it does the same. What is the benefit of one over the other? The way I see it, getting a Keen weapon just saves you having to burn a feat slot for Improved Crit?

[Dragonchess Player]

adamcboyd wrote:

Oh, well I guess it does the same. What is the benefit of one over the other? The way I see it, getting a Keen weapon just saves you having to burn a feat slot for Improved Crit?

As far as combat mechanics go, there's no real difference. However, the feat can be used with any weapon of that type (basically, any falchion the half-orc uses will have a critical threat range of 15-20). This also means that your character's main weapon can be a bit more powerful, since it can use the "extra +1 bonus" that would normally be used for keen on increasing the enhancement bonus or another ability. It's not like a fighter lacks feat slots, anyway.

I'd recommend Improved Critical, Greater Weapon Focus, and Critical Focus as your 8th, 9th, and 10th level feats. Greater Weapon Focus is the one I'd switch out as the least necessary.