Combat Opportunist Class


Homebrew and House Rules


I am trying to design an intelligence based fighter who specializes in maneuvers and dirty trick (not the maneuvers the ideas). Here's what I have so far.

Combat Opportunist

Combat Opportunists are those who play dirty who use every cheap trick in the book to keep a head, they are a gladiators, pirates, thieves and cutthroats and are willing to play fast and loose with the rules.

Alignment: Any non Lawful
HD: D8, Full BAB,
Saves: Ref (Fast), Fort (Fast), Will (slow)

Class Skills
The CO’s class skills are
Acrobatics(dex), Bluff (Cha) Diplomacy (Cha), Craft (int) Disable Device (Dex) Disguise (Cha) Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge(dungeoneering) (int), Knowledge (local) (int), Linguistics (Int)Perception (Wis), Sense Motives (Wis),Sleight of Hands (Dex), Stealth (Dex) , Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
The following are class features of the Combat Opportunist.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: CO’s are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword.

Combat Opportunism: A CO’s is an expert at leveraging the most of any opportunities his opponents give him. Any times he makes an attack of opportunity he adds a incite bonus to his attack equal to his intelligence and an incite bonus equal to his level in CO in damage.

On the Ball: A first level a CO’s can make an additional number of attacks of opportunity a turn equal to his intelligence modifier.

2nd Level: Evasion

2nd Level: Perfect Alibi: Add half-your class level to any roll used to persuade someone of your innocence or good intentions.

3rd Level: Smart Manoeuvres: A combat opportunists adds his intelligence bonus to his CMB in addition to his Strength modifier.

4th Level: Uncanny Dodge

5th Level: Tangle: A CO’s can trip flying enemies he can reach by pushing them off balance or tangling their wings. A CO’s ignores any multi-leg bonuses vs trip knowing how to get multiple legs working against each other.

6th Gladiators Challenge: As a standard action a combat opportunist can taunt an enemy getting him to focus on him. The opponent must make a will save at DC (10+half level+ int) or suffer a -4 to all rolls not to attack the CO, casters so taunted are distracted and must make a concentration check with a DC of (10+CO level+ spell level) to successfully cast . This effect lasts for 1 round for every three levels of CO but those affected can make a will save each round to end the effect. This is a mind affecting.

7th Terrifying Enemy: A combat expert gains a bonus to intimidation rolls equal to half his level and gains a +2 to attack when targeting (shaken, frightened and panicked enemies).

8th Level:Sheathing the Sword Gambit(as Come and Get Me Rage Power).

9th Level: (canny defence as duelist)

10th Level: Quick Cinch: You take half the penalty (-5) for attempting to tie up any enemy directly from a grapple.


I like the concept but a few of the abilities are problematic when synergised:

*Combat Opportunist and On the Ball - at 10th level you are making x AoO's (equal to your Int modifier) with insight bonus equal to your Int modifier and +10 insight bonus to damage.

*A bunch of these are just borrowed from other classes:

4th level ability is really a Barbarian/Rogue thing which will get people's noses out of joint, but I don't mind personally.

7th level ability is inquisitoresque.

8th and 9th level abilities are also from other classes. Again, just saying.

* Lastly why the d8 HD? Full BAB is d10 (or d12 if Barbarian) - as HD are an abstract representation of more than just abilit to take hits but also roll with, avoid and generally taking punishment and tiring out, I think this guy could go d10.


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Not to be persnickety, but I'm a little lazy. Do you think you could re-write your archetype and include what it replaces?


Abyssian wrote:
Not to be persnickety, but I'm a little lazy. Do you think you could re-write your archetype and include what it replaces?

I'm not sure this IS an archetype. With Full BAB and d8 HD it can't be - or at any rate I haven't come across an archetype that changes the base class HD or BAB - and this class skirts the two. I think this is a Base Class.


Hmm, I guess you're probably right. Now I have to read. Ugh.

Grand Lodge

Hmm, I'd rewrite this as a fighter archetype. Or maybe a ranger archetype even.

Combat opportunism is too powerful.

Smart Maneuvers: this is kinda cool, but it synergizes too well with combat opportunism. Adding Int twice to combat maneuver AOO's - makes a whip fighter super scary. Add Fury Snare (or whatever) and your adding dex as well to trip. I like smart maneuvers, but it needs some tempering.

Gladiators Challenge: 1) They have a feat that does this, 2) The class doesn't actually have any armor proficiency, so I don't think it should have a taunt ability.

Canny Defense: Seems awfully late entry for the class as written. I'd probably drop this as level one but make it like the kensai (one point per class level).

I really like the concept here though. Its neat, and I like smart fighters.


Oceanshieldwolf wrote:
Abyssian wrote:
Not to be persnickety, but I'm a little lazy. Do you think you could re-write your archetype and include what it replaces?
I'm not sure this IS an archetype. With Full BAB and d8 HD it can't be - or at any rate I haven't come across an archetype that changes the base class HD or BAB - and this class skirts the two. I think this is a Base Class.

To the OP, I think this might work best as an fighter archetype rather than a new class.

Some thoughts-

Maybe Combat Expertise instead of Evasion. If your build is going to use Int, it makes for a more organic connection considering the ability score used for each.

Dropping to a d8 for HP will make this concept hard to play- if you are pumping up Int score, you are suffering somewhere a fighter-type needs numbers, like HP, or Str, Dex, Con, even Wis...

Reads like you want a smart, mobile fighter- perhaps you are looking to create an archetype rather than a class. I find the idea intriguing, a smart fighter using tactics rather than brute force as a weapon. I think a fighter archetype might work because of all the bonus feats allowed that class.

Find the feats that match your concept of the cagey fighter and incorporate those- it might work better than borrowing from the other classes. You can trade out fighter features like Bravery, Weapon Training, etc to balance the idea.

I like your upping the skill points, 2 is too little for a fighter IMO.

A good concept, keep at it!


It looks like an incomplete new class, not an archetype.


It was meant as a new class but I ran out of steam halfway.


If it was a fighter archetype Combat Opportunist would replace weapon's training and armour training.

Shake it Off: You can choose to ignore a condition for a number of rounds equal to your level equal to your intelligence bonus times a day. Would replace bravery.

For the class replace evasion with Canny Defence at second. Add in light armour proficiency.

At 4th Level instead of the Uncanny Dodge replace with "To the Pain"
To the pain, A combat opportunist can cause his enemies a great deal of pain by targeting soft spots and jabbing nerves, to use this ability a CO must make a successful attack if he succeed the target must make a fortitude save or suffer a penalty to saves and AC equal to half the CO's level for a round. A CO can use this ability a number of times a day equal to his level.

Place Gladiators Challenge at 9th level and Shake it off at 6th.

Replace Terrifying Enemy with "Go for the Joints" which lets the combat opportunist bypass up to his Int Bonus in DR.

I will make Smart Maneuvers give a Insight Bonus to CMB to avoid the double stacking.

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