Making a fighter and decided that my vague theme is "spring attack with a reach weapon"
In this situation full attacking isn't a thing unless I'm in a corner or really need to press my advantage. I don't expect to compensate for full attacks but I need some kind of schtick to mitigate some of the damage lost from not full attacking.
Feats I expect to already be eating.
Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Iron Will, Combat Reflexes
Feats I'm thinking about
Combat Expertise, Whirlwind Attack, Improved Trip.
Suspected Stats before racials (20 point buy)
Str-16
Dex-14
Con-12
Int-14
Wis-10
Cha-8
I'm thinking of going human but I've been human too much lately so I'm open to whatever Core or Featured race that works.
What kind of of feats/strategies/tricks are good with this kind of build?
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I've had good success with my half-orc with a bite attack (I took toothy alt. racial trait). You increase your total number of threatened squares by 8; which is only going to benefit you with Combat Reflexes.
If a foe steps inside your reach you can bite them.
A common schtick I use is attack with glaive, 5 foot step and bite at -5. Then the next round I bite at -5, 5' step and attack with glaive.
I don't think vital strike works with spring attack, which is a shame.
Krodjin is right from my reading of spring attack and several prior threads that vital stroke and spring attack don't mesh.
You would be insane NOT to take whirlwind attack with this build.
I've had good success with my half-orc with a bite attack (I took toothy alt. racial trait). You increase your total number of threatened squares by 8; which is only going to benefit you with Combat Reflexes.
If a foe steps inside your reach you can bite them.
A common schtick I use is attack with glaive, 5 foot step and bite at -5. Then the next round I bite at -5, 5' step and attack with glaive.
I don't think vital strike works with spring attack, which is a shame.
Ah the walk and chew strategy. From the famous orc strategist Chewz Zu.
How useful is Combat Patrol, Tripping, or Pin Down in this kind of build?
What kind of archetypes support this?
It looks like I'm set to handle medium enemies, what about large or larger enemies or other unconventional enemies?
What should the rest of my feats be?
I made a character as a werebear Orc barbarian shadowdancer using a scythe as his weapon of choice. 10Barb 10Shadowdancer
I took feats/talents to increase the reach of the character, took mobility feats to keep close to the target if he tries to escape, and took everything I could to max damage and overall mobility.
Idea was to make a brutal, fleshy, Grim Reaper. If your enemy Withdraws, you can easily pop up behind him in his own shadow. The scariest rager to try and run from.......
Combat patrol, Improved Reach, Combat Reflexes, Spring Attack, and others. Look around a bit for some more ideas of your own how to incorporate maximum lethality and mobility depending on your own style of play ;)
I have something in mind that's lethal to anything that can be tripped and comes in groups of less than five. Outside those parameters I'm unsure as to what to do.
What do people normally do with spring attack?
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The nice thing about Spring Attack and reach builds is that you can attack on your turn and still position yourself to fish for AoOs. Usually it's one or t'other. Spring attack does not work with Vital Strike, but that's OK you don't care. Lunge also does the same thing, but not nearly as well.
Here's a killer optimization tidbit for your concept: dip one level of cleric and worship one of these deities. This provides access to the Plant (Growth) domain, which is the shortcut to martial godhood. Particularly for the reach/trip build you contemplate. In actual play this domain power is even more useful than it seems it might be. E.g. You can full attack a foe who starts the round 30' away and yet the foe must eat your AoO to attack you even once, then you can automatically disengage and do it again. You'd like WIS12 and STR16 if you take this approach. The swift action enlarge greatly enhances your pinnacle Whirlwind attack. You'd like to have feats Power Attack and Quickdraw, too.
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The nice thing about Spring Attack and reach builds is that you can attack on your turn and still position yourself to fish for AoOs. Usually it's one or t'other. Spring attack does not work with Vital Strike, but that's OK you don't care. Lunge also does the same thing, but not nearly as well.
Here's a killer optimization tidbit for your concept: dip one level of cleric and worship one of these deities. This provides access to the Plant (Growth) domain, which is the shortcut to martial godhood. Particularly for the reach/trip build you contemplate. In actual play this domain power is even more useful than it seems it might be. E.g. You can full attack a foe who starts the round 30' away and yet the foe must eat your AoO to attack you even once, then you can automatically disengage and do it again. You'd like WIS12 and STR16 if you take this approach. The swift action enlarge greatly enhances your pinnacle Whirlwind attack. You'd like to have feats Power Attack and Quickdraw, too.
To better understand the awesomeness of this I sketched it out on a piece of graph paper... Imagine a half-orc with bite attack and a polearm (any will do, I like the Fauchard).
Disclaimer: We play that a polearm does NOT threaten the 2nd diagonal (it's 20' away), but any creature moving in on the diagonal still provokes an AoO (unless they use a 5' step). All my estimates are based on this premise...
Normal
Bite @5', Polearm @10'
Total threatened area (TTA): 20 squares
Add Lunge;
Bite @5' & 10', Polearm @10' & 15'
TTA: 35 squares
Enlarged;
Bite @5' & 10', Polearm @15' & 20'
TTA: 72 squares
Enlarged + Lunge;
Bite @5', 10' & 15', Polearm @15', 20' & 25'
TTA: 116 squares
If my interpretation of how Lunge and Enlarge Person impact the reach of both the bite & the polearm is correct; that is an insane threatened area.
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That looks about right. This approach allows your martial PC to dominate the battlefield. Not only do you get to full attack your target of choice, but any foe who wishes to move must endure your AoO.
PCs with this build may find that their worst foe is often their own over-eager, tactically-challenged allies.
I was playing a 3rd level Fighter/Cleric PC with this build in a Tier 3-4 game. We knew there was almost certainly a ferocious large starving berserk yeti BBEG hiding in the next room, a 60' square chamber with many doors and much debris. I was the primary martial combatant in the group, and was acting as the group protector and 'tank'.
I knew my PC was optimized especially versus this sort of martial foe. Monsters like Yeti, Trolls, ghouls etc have a very powerful full attack sequence, but a weak standard action attack. This sort of PC hardly ever has to eat a full attack. I'll generally trade 2-3 polearm attacks for every 1 monster attack. I knew the yeti was a dire threat to my squishy allies, while I could probably beat it easily in single combat. I wanted the yeti to attack me.
My PC said, "Stay back & let me draw it out! Back me up once it emerges, but keep your distance and, whatever you do, do not let it full attack you!". Then my PC moved into the the center of the room, enlarged, and loudly called out, "Come here, big fluffy bumble monster with fangs and teeth! Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!". My 50' diameter threatened zone nearly filled the room.
You would think the other PCs would have the sense to wait. One did not. The 5th level party Bard ignored my suggestion. The Bard walked into the room and opened a door. The yeti was standing right there. We were surprised, and the yeti won initiative. Two full attacks later, with some bonus squeeze and cold damage, the Bard was very dead. Then my PC, with the help of safe allies keeping their distance, easily slew the yeti, exactly per plan. The Bard's player felt pretty stupid, especially once he saw how the monster was completely outclassed in melee combat by my lower level PC.
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I love the tactical advantages of a reach weapon with Combat Reflexes. It's a good approach overall, but it can be especially devastating at lower levels.
If you win initiative, you set yourself in a good strategic position (back to the wall, in front of your caster, across from the other melee fighter, etc.), then ready an attack for when someone comes into reach. When they move in to attack, your readied action goes off, and then you still get your AoO when they leave your threatened hex. This is also effective against flyers who don't yet have fly-by attack.
If you don't win initiative, you get a free attack on any creature closing into melee range with you.
You can also use disarm and trip as AoOs, and even if you don't have Improved {Maneuver}, you don't provoke because they aren't in melee range yet.
And if you ever find yourself with a free feat slot, take Bodyguard to use those extra AoOs to protect your friends from the bad guys.
And yeah, a one-level dip into anything that gets you the Growth domain is awesome with this build.
How about a sunder focus build? Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Sundering Strike, Greater Sunder.
Have an adamantine 19-20 crit reach weapon (and add Keen or Improved Critical to expand the crit range).
Spring attack to hit your opponent. If you crit, you get to sunder their weapon (sundering strike). If you destroy the weapon, the excess damage goes to your opponent (greater sunder).
If you're an Orc Half-orc Barbarian or Bloodrager, add in Destroyer's Blessing to gain some rage or healing each sunder.
Some Dex and Combat Reflexes would be helpful in order to smack those who attempt to close (and thus set up a potential sunder... whatever will they attack with once they're beside you?).
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Sundering Strike doesn't seem that useful. You're better off just going in for the sunder and relying on Greater Sunder for your damage. An enemy with no weapon can be considered pretty handily neutralized.
Whirlwind Attack sunder is probably the most horrifying thing imaginable, especially enlarged with Lunge and a reach weapon.
Wonder if you could make this work as a druid?
Sundering Strike doesn't seem that useful. You're better off just going in for the sunder and relying on Greater Sunder for your damage. An enemy with no weapon can be considered pretty handily neutralized.
Whirlwind Attack sunder is probably the most horrifying thing imaginable, especially enlarged with Lunge and a reach weapon.
I thought moving threw an enemy threatened only ever provoked ONE AOO. Even if they circle around you.
I made an elf barbarian (favored class bonus +1 foot of speed per level/+5 feet of speed per 5 levels) that took Raging Leaper and Bestial Leaper rage powers.
Prerequisite: Barbarian 6, raging leaper rage power
Benefit: While raging, the barbarian can take a move action to move and can take her normal standard action at any point during the move.
You can use Vital Strike with a virtual Spring Attack, and your speed is 45 feet. I also took Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, and Pushing Assault, and was going to take Improved Critical (elven curve blade), but there might be a high crit fisher reach weapon.
EDIT:
ninjaed by Mergy.
Maybe barbarian 6/fighter X? Heavier armor, armor training, more feats, Weapon Specialization & Weapon Training.