Abstracting and increasing reach with level

[Petty Alchemy]

There's a rule from another system I'm considering applying in PF.

It's sort of like Combat Patrol, but less reactive. The idea is that a skilled warrior has a larger effective zone in which he moves to make strikes before returning to his center position (or reflavor it as sword blasts or what not if you like fightan magicks).

Sort of similar to how spell range improves with CL, but martials cap out on range immediately.

Standard Reach: 5ft
For every 5 BAB achieved, add 5ft to reach.
For every size greater than Medium, add 5ft to reach.
If using a reach weapon, add 5ft to reach.

[PD]

Maybe as a Feat, not as standard. And a Fighter only feat for that, those Paladins, Rangers and Barbarians have got enough toys as it is :)

[Majuba]

For the first 5 BAB, that's essentially the Lunge feat. "Improved Lunge" would be... odd, but maybe. Question is what if, say, there's no ground where they want to reach?

[Petty Alchemy]

@PD: It would be a feat tax if it was a feat.

@Majuba: It's up to you and your imagination.

Maybe you leap at your levitating opponent, perform your attacks, and backflip off.

[Majuba]

Petty Alchemy wrote:

@Majuba: It's up to you and your imagination.

Fair enough - but it should be a 'feat tax' - not every warrior should be able to do that.

[Petty Alchemy]

Certainly not every warrior, just the ones badass enough to live that long.

[PD]

So a 15th level Fighter with a dagger can attack anyone within 20' without moving? I guess whatever works in your game, but unless you're saying high level Fighters use wire-fu supernatural combat, this just doesn't feel right to me. Guess it depends how you pitch the feel of your game - it's great for certain genres, but doesn't feel like a universal rule to me.

[kyrt-ryder]

At 15th level? He should be making Neo (post training/awakening) look like an amateur. (Without the flight, unless he's deliberately pursued flight as an ability beyond leveling up as a martial character.)

[Petty Alchemy]

It's up to you how you want to abstract it, PD. He can do this anyway via Combat Patrol.
I just think Martials should be able to control an increasingly large area around themselves without giving up their primary offense, and without provoking attacks of opportunity so long as they return to their anchor point (the actual square they are in).

[christos gurd]

Combat patrol is a full round action and explicitly brings up being limited to where they can move to. Not standing still with any and all standard action attacks. Now if you granted an extra 5 foot reach at bab 11, that also stacked with lunge, that would be way more reasonable than a halfling paladin smiting with a greatsword 25 feet away while wearing plate.

[Petty Alchemy]

You think that's not reasonable for a level 20 Paladin?

[christos gurd]

Petty Alchemy wrote:

You think that's not reasonable for a level 20 Paladin?

Not for zero investment no, and it ruins my verisimilitude when I can swing my sword and hit enemies more than twice as far as i can move and jump without throwing it, 4 times. Also once you start applying this to enemies, like giants and dragons, who already have massive reach, it heavily screws with balance. Now a smaller bonus that stacked with lunge and had an investment such as a magic item or feat (I personally think it should restricted to fighters, but I simply want them to have better toys). Alternatively if it was a feat that was restricted to a single attack on a full round action allowed characters to move 1/2 speed first (maybe call it greater spring attack?) it would be far more balanced and game balance affecting. Also monks would love it.

[Gunsmith Paladin]

Hmm. Sounds more like something a fighter/wizard would be capable of. They could use a dimension door like spell to stab people from far away.

[kyrt-ryder]

You don't apply it to Giants and Dragons. This sort of thing should be based on levels in martial classes, but for simplicity it's listed as BAB.

If your Giant has 5 levels in Fighter or Barbarian (or possibly 7 levels of Rogue, although because of the place Rogue is in the balance scale I'd have zero problems treating Rogue levels as martial levels here) I'd have no problem giving him +5 feet reach.