The biggest problem with the fighter is he is so bland. Most of the routine is walk up and hit stuff. Sure there are combat maneuvers, but none of that really inspires the fighter.
What I'm asking for is actual abilities. For example:
In place of a full attack (Maybe have +6 prerequisite) You pick up one enemy and throw him at another forcing falling damage plus strength damage and they're both left prone.
Or have it so that (without needing a list of feats to get improved criticals) fighters can deal ability score damage.
I wreck his hands to deal dex damage.
I punch the opponent so hard in the lungs he has con damage.
I cut a tendon on that last attack making his next attack weaker; str damage
I hit the wizard with the flat of my blade confusing him; int damage
Or even just using weapons in unique ways. Being able to throw that sword 30 feet instead of 10 feet, making ranged attacks with a great sword. Improvising weapons as tools for climbing. Using a pole arm to pole vault.
Note how none of these are magical. And sure as a GM you can work these things in, but it can be difficult sometimes to find that inspiration. What I want is to gather abilities that don't shatter the suspension of disbelief but offer a greater versatility to the fighter.
There are some alternate rules in Ultimate Combat for called shots and such, OP. Also, the Dirty Trick Combat Maneuver can be pretty creatively used.
Go here and click on "Feats." Then Check out the [strike] feats that start on page 71.
EDIT: Never mind, you know about those. And you have a more recent version! But, yeah, Crippling Strike can stand in for your attribute damage attacks.
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maybe there becomes such a thing as subdual ability damage - which lasts for 10 minutes - and you create a new maneuver which inflicts 1 point of subdual ability damage +1 for every 5 by which the CMB attack exceeds the CMD. like:
Devastating Strike
A fighter may use a devastating strike in combination with any other maneuver. If the maneuver succeeds, the foe takes subdual ability damage equal to 1 + 1/5 by which the CMB exceeds the CMD.
Each maneuver may not be paired with each ability damage morethan once against the same foe per 24 hours.
I came to the conclusion that the fighter is part of why martials can't/don't have nice things. If you think of giving martials anything you have to consider if its going to step on the fighters toes/render them obsolete. From what I understand that is why the feat per level idea (from Monte Cooks Book of Experimental Might) never caught on. And why some hated Tomb of Battle (Book of Nine Swords in 3.5), it had a class that made fighters redundant.
Anyway Tomb of Battle has a PF update in the form of Path of War. Between PF giving all the class's a slight buff and Path of War being done by Dreamscarred Press (who are known for their well balanced work) it shouldn't step on the fighters toes so much and it gives you class's that can do some very cool things. And Feats that let other class's do a few of those cool things too. This should let you do what you want to do, unless I've miss understood what you wanted to do.