Building a foot-charger


Advice


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I'm trying to build a character. My intent is for her to be a paladin-like fighter. I'm working on a vaguely roman theme, and her name is Alba Fulviafilia Very disciplined and virtuous, but easily shaken when her morals are challenged. She'll be as close to a paladin without being one. I've written the backstory and now I'm into the building phase.

I'm hoping to have her use a polearm (probably a lance) with her main attack strategy being a direct charge. Otherwise, I want her to be incredibly tanky: heavily armor with as much armor as possible (it's too bad weight has nothing to do with charge bonuses).

I've looked at a few options and nothing seems to really fit. Polearm master seems to sacrifice too much defense. I wish there was a way to wield most one-handed so that she could use a tower shield. In any case she'll probably wielding tower shields and a pilum in melee. I'll probably give her quickdraw to quickly switch from a lance (for charging) and the pilum for melee.

Any tips would be appreciated. I cant really find any useful charge related feats (except maybe improved bull rush). I'd even accept other clases (including paladin) but I dont know any good archetypes for what I want to do. Anybody have any good ideas.

Note: I'll consider 20 point build for the moment (I might modify later), and the race as human. The distribution will probably be:

Str: 16 Dex: 13 Con: 14 Int: 12 Wis: 13 Cha: 12

So she's a physically powerful women, with a balanced personality.


It sounds like you should play a Phalanx Fighter archetype.


Here's a clever thing to consider:
A heavy shield is a 1-h weapon when you make a shield bash. Most people would presume that, if you wanted to TWF with weapon + shield, you'd be wielding something like a longsword and a shield and the shield would be your off-hand weapon, which is why most will take the light shield so they get light off-hand TWF penalties. However, if you use the Heavy shield and a light weapon such as a Gladius (a Roman themed weapon), you can use the light weapon as your off-hand and your heavy shield as your main-hand weapon. Suddenly, you're getting light off-hand TWF benefits. Then you just pick up the appropriate shield feats and you're good as gold. You'd need to pump your Dex up to 15 to take the TWF feat at the start, but that's just a marginal change. Another possibility is to dip 2 levels of Titan Mauler Barbarian for Jotungrip, then you can wield a 2-h weapon in only 1 hand and free the other one up for, say, a tower shield. It also gives you some rounds of rag... "holy anger smiting", yeah, that's what I meant.


OMG I hadnt noticed they could use a polearm one handed. THANKS YOU. Still looking for some good "charge" related feats though. I think I'm gonna try to create some sort of boots of hook charge. Or the boots of lighting leaping.


I would avoid the lance for on foot. The lance is meant for a mount. Unless you think it looks really cool to charge with a lance I would get something else.

Phalanx Soldier fighter will allow you to use a shield and a polearm at the same time eventually. So you could just grab a polearm and stick with it.

I would look at overrun and charge through as some charge feats. basically you run over the first guy keep going and attack the next guy. If you get greater overrun and you knock that guy you run over down, you also get a free attack on the poor fellow.


Nice, that is exactly what I wanted. I think I will also take the teamwork feat that give bonuses for when two shield weilders are side by side.


BTW, are there any feats that, using a shield bash, push an enemy back? It'll be useful to keep the enemy in reach range.

1-Power Attack, TWF, Improved shield bash
2-Improved overrun
3-Charge through, Combat Reflexes
4-Bodyguard
5-Shield focus,Weapon Focus
6-Shield Slam
7- Cleave, Weapon Specialisation
8- Shield Wall
9-Shield Specialization, Greater Overrun
10- Great Cleave
11-Shield Master; Weapon focus, Greater
12 Greater shield specialization

Not sure what to take for the weapon focus though. I'm thinking a boar spear. I might drag a glaive guisarme and a bec de corbin though.

Scarab Sages

If you want to make real use of the Shield Slam then I'd recommend Imp. and greater Bullrush. Honestly this is looking really feat dependent, so I will second Claxon's recomendation of Phalanx Fighter. You'll have your goal of one-handed reach weapons by lvl 3 and will be up one feat on the Barbarian. You will loose a bit by not having the rage, but that extra feat is worth it, in my humble opinion.


I'm thinking bullrush would be useful. Since I cant really see the point of focusing on a single weapon (weapon focus, both of them, just gives a +2? Dissapointing). But I've heard that bodyguard is a surprisingly good feat, especially with combat reflexes.


It is expensive too. You need to pay for enchants on both items. I think if you wanna charge vital strike would be nice to have. Your full bab will cause you to hit often so power attack you can afford the minuses. Then you can improved vital strike and Devastating Strike for more damage.

You will be like smashing boulder charging across knocking people out of your way practically one hitting squishies. If you provoke from charging over someone, meh your heavy armor and tower shield will hard to hit you in.

Then focus on the tower shield with a two handed polearm. You will have an impressive AC and smash.

you can also get these items to help trample people.

Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver

Price 4,000 gp; Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd; Weight 1 lb.

The wearer of these gauntlets gains a +2 bonus on one type of combat maneuver check (such as bull rush, disarm, or steal) chosen by the creator when the item is created.

Boots of the Mastodon

Price 10,500 gp; Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Weight 2 lbs.

These massive boots are made from mastodon hide. The boots are so large and cumbersome that their wearer takes a –2 penalty on Stealth checks, but gains a +2 enhancement bonus on overrun attempts and a +2 dodge bonus to AC while attempting an overrun combat maneuver. In addition, once per day the wearer can make a trample attack . Regardless of his actual size, the creature wearing the boots can trample creatures of size Large or smaller in his path. The trample attack deals 2d8+18 points of damage (Reflex DC 29 halves).

Belt of Thunderous Charging

Price 10,000 gp; Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Weight 1 lb.

An engraving of a charging rhinoceros decorates this thick leather belt. The belt grants its wearer a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn.

The belt magnifies the wearer's momentum whenever she charges, granting her a +2 bonus on bull rush and overrun maneuvers. Furthermore, when the wearer makes a charge attack, her melee weapons and natural weapons deal damage as if they were one size category larger than they actually are.


Your dexterity is too low for TWF (requires a 15 dex). You could do this stat array:

Str: 16 Dex: 15 Con: 12 Int: 12 Wis: 12 Cha: 12

Scarab Sages

Note that you cannot shield bash with a tower shield. In order to make this work, you'll have to focus on heavy shields.

Also of note: you cannot vital strike at the end of a charge.


Finlanderboy wrote:


Boots of the Mastodon

Price 10,500 gp; Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Weight 2 lbs.

These massive boots are made from mastodon hide. The boots are so large and cumbersome that their wearer takes a –2 penalty on Stealth checks, but gains a +2 enhancement bonus on overrun attempts and a +2 dodge bonus to AC while attempting an overrun combat maneuver. In addition, once per day the wearer can make a trample attack . Regardless of his actual size, the creature wearing the boots can trample creatures of size Large or smaller in his path. The trample attack deals 2d8+18 points of damage (Reflex DC 29 halves).

I can just imagine a halfling trampling a giant...

But yeah, I didnt realize you couldn't shield bash with a tower shield. I'll have to realign a number of things.


You're taking to many feats on your odd levels and it might be throwing off your feat progression.

Scarab Sages

Debbin is right. You get one feat per even level and armor/weapon training on odd levels. It works out to 1 feat/lvl.


Yeah, I was just studying option and I marked some stuff I shouldn't (bad copy-paste)


Improved unarmed strike is a feat tax, but dragonstyle is almost a must for charging over the ubiquitous difficult terrain and your uncoordinated allies.


Well, I'm a fighter, so if anybody can afford it...


A 2 level dip into Master of Many Styles Monk will give you two tiers of the Dragon tree, even without meeting the prereqs. Moreover, if you take the base style "the hard way" by actually meeting the prereqs, you can, afterwards, dip your 2 monk MoMS levels to claim the Ferocity and Roar sans prereqs as opposed to rushing the first two ranks but then massively delaying the last one if you even manage to qualify.

BTW, just curious, does your character, in any way, involve having a javelin/pilum that converts into a hunting rifle?

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