Just wondering of the times anyone has played a fighter, what was the best or most effective?
What system, was it in? 1e? 3.5? PF?
What level did he get to and/or how long before he became "un playable?" or did he?
Any special equipment, Kit or Archetype?
Not enough time to get into details, but I've had 2 that works very well.
1: Kulgar the Unkilable. Unbreakable Fighter Orc, kitted out around DR, Regeneration (Boots of the Earth/Ring of Regeneration), and pumped his constitution to the nines. Orc FCB and feats that increased healing effects guaranteed his survivability all the way to the upper levels. A passable UMD guaranteed he could use his own happy stick (healing wands). Determination armor, Deathless feat tree, and the like... Single handedly held off an entire goblinoid army on a very narrow mountain pass for nearly a half hour of in-game time. Just in time for reinforcements to arrive when he died, who revived him with 1 round left before he finally expired thanks to the Tenacious Survivor feat (I think that was it).
2: Lasted until around 10th or so, can't recall his name. Half-orc with Racial Heritage (Dwarf). Reach-based cleavemeister. Cleave, Great Cleave, Cleaving Finish line, Follow Through feats from the half orc, the 'Hewer' feats from the Dwarf. Slaughtered a LOT of people.
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I forget the character name, it was 20 years ago. 2nd Edition fighter who specialized up to grand master in daggers and put three slots into two weapon fighting. With a speed factor of -4 thanks to Dex and Weapon enchantments, I was able to go first all the time and completely eviscerated opponents. My DM stopped using Mages as bad guys because there was no way that they ever got off a spell.
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It was a 3.5 LG character that was actually a mutt, but fighter was the most predominant class. I think he ended up Fighter 6, Barbarian 2, Rogue 2, Pious Templar 4, Holy Liberator 4. He essentially had very good saves with mettle and evasion as well as being immune to charm and compulsion and a fairly high AC (mid-30's, IIRC) He didn't hit as hard as a pure barbarian, but was a lot more survivable and had some useful low level spells.
1-10 levels PF/3.5, fighters have always been amazing for me.
After that, the scale of combats prevents "smacking it" from working out too well.
Robert Oakwood 3.5 lvl 13, Rick Savage PF lvl 10, Nackle 3.5 lvl 10
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I've had a lot of great fighters. I found the key was not to min max for maximum DPR. When I did min max for maximum DRP I found I had fighter that was one trick pony.
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It was an exhibition game: We were trying the 3.0 D&D system for the first time. Everyone else had a bad opinion of the Fighter. Everything else got a TON of Special Abilities.
My very 1st Character EVER was a Fighter, so I checked out the 3.0 version for the 1st time.
I made one, and we were all 8th Level for the exhibition game.
I had a Greatsword +2, an 18 strength, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus (Greatsword),Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Improved Critical (Greatsword), Improved Initiative, and Toughness (Added 3 HP each time you took it back then).
We saw a large group of creatures in the cavern ahead, and we moved to the attack. I think that they were Lizard Men. I volunteered to soften them up.
Gared ran at them, and OBLITERATED the one Lizard Man he could hit. The rest swarmed him. Surrounded, by enemies, he could not expect aid from the Wizard, or risk taking Fireball Damage. Thusly, I said that I'd handle them alone. The next round, I did.
Great Cleave required that I 'Drop' one target before being allowed to attack the next in line. Lizard Men do NOT have enough Hit Points to survive what I dished out that day.
The GM described the action once my attacks had been resolved, and only ONE Lizard Man was left (I never hit that last guy at all).
"A ring of blood and gore EXPLODES away from the Fighter, as all but one is hacked IN HALF with one swipe of Gared's sword..."
Every other Player had their jaws on the table. NOBODY had ever seen Great Cleave used before (exhibition game)!
I will NEVER forget that evening!!!
The most fun I've had with a fighter build was in 3.5 ftr 10 scout 5. I dont remember all the feats but the main ones were Blood Soaked Charger chain and the shield feats that let you trip and stun during a charge attack.
1-10 levels PF/3.5, fighters have always been amazing for me.
After that, the scale of combats prevents "smacking it" from working out too well.
Robert Oakwood 3.5 lvl 13, Rick Savage PF lvl 10, Nackle 3.5 lvl 10
Eh, you can make it so that smacking things in the head brings more effects than just caved in skulls.
Cornugon smash and riving strike are some of my favorites, since they can force a total -4 to saves against spells. More than enough justification for your presence.
1-10 levels PF/3.5, fighters have always been amazing for me.
After that, the scale of combats prevents "smacking it" from working out too well.
Robert Oakwood 3.5 lvl 13, Rick Savage PF lvl 10, Nackle 3.5 lvl 10
Eh, you can make it so that smacking things in the head brings more effects than just caved in skulls.
Cornugon smash and riving strike are some of my favorites, since they can force a total -4 to saves against spells. More than enough justification for your presence.
Getting in smacking range period is the problem.
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Lets see...
In Neverwinter Nights I had a lvl 25 fighter/Weaponsmaster who dual-wielded keen scimitars. Due to that broken ruleset I had a threat range of 10-20 while using 2 +4 Flameburst/Frostburst weapons. Things just exploded when she was around. Orthos might remember her (Courtney)
In actual PnP that would be the lvl 19 dwarf fighter in the Against the Giants campaign who ended up with a Hammer of Thunderbolts with all the trimmings and a natural con of like 25. 300 some odd HP's and AC in the mid 40's, he was a beast.
I have had several very good fighters, either mine or made for other players. For all, the weak Will save was their largest drawback.
My preference is for a dex-based fighter (lore warden)/rogue/duelist which worked really well - he had decent DPR, maneuvers, and skills.
I built a sword & board fighter for my daughter that was appallingly effective at DPR.
I played a great polaearm-based fighter that was a brilliant all-rounder in a game a few years back.
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The closest thing to fighter that I played was a divine mind (medium bab, terrible auras, no spells, no bonus feats, pretty sure most people said it was the most terrible class in the game back in the days), so I kept it fairly simple, power attack and a greatsword, here's what I did:
-1st session, party ambushed by lizardfolks they ask for money, I say no and challenge the leader for a duel for our freedom. Leader fumble on his first attack, I attack him, critical hit, confirmed, fight over.
-I took on the grappling challenge with a royal Hippogriff from the baron of a town and won. At a much lower level than said Hippogriff.
-I pick up the wizard from our group, because he didn't want to go somewhere. Wizard cast Earth hand or whatever, a 3.5 spell with a massive grapple bonus, I grapple the earth hand with a penalty since I'm using one hand, and the other hand to carry the wizard. I win the grapple.
-Later on, we meet the lizardfolks again, they were working for a council of dragons. we get captured, the dragons are deciding our faith. I challenge them. They think that I'm a fool and send me an arena where I fight the half-dragon barbarian lizarfolk first born son of one of the dragon. One on One fight...he is vastly stronger than me. I slay the half-dragon, have all the dragons mock the one who lost his first born son, earn our freedom.
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I've played several fighters in all additions (though I prefer at least partial casters).
They can be fun if you have something other than "I hit it" in your tool bag.
If all you have is a constantly improving "I hit it", many people quickly find it boring. It can also seem underwhelming since you will eventually be outshined by the full casters.
But if you can smash with the typical "I hit it", you have at least one combat maneuver you are decent at (grapple is a favorite), and something else like combat reflexes with a reach weapon - you then have lots of options.
When "I hit it" is no longer the most satisfying option, you can grapple the caster / smash anyone that comes close to you friends while they are working / bull rush the captain off the wall / etc...
Also, fighters have enough feats to easily afford to throw a few at weird things like the eldritch heritage line or hero point line. That can give them some odd abilities and flavor that can add quite a bit of spice to the class.
I think my most favorite was a LE fighter that was mostly a two handed weapon fighter. He also had improved grapple to put the hurt on primary casters. Then he added the eldritch heritage for (eventually) an improved familiar that could function as a pretty decent scout for the group.
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My top was probably a 3.5 character. Though like so many 3.5 characters, he was a mixed bag. He had levels in fighter, paladin, and then into pious templar. (maybe something else - I can't recall) He used a tower shield (the cover aspect somewhat better in 3.5 - plus two-handed combat wasn't as dominant due to a weaker power attack)
He had decent damage (smite & weapon spec with a bastard sword), his saves were huge from divine grace, multiclassing, and the combat focus tree, and he used his shield and some of the weird style feats to get in the way of pretty much anything thrown at the party.
Cornugon smash and riving strike are some of my favorites, since they can force a total -4 to saves against spells. More than enough justification for your presence.
You can add a Cruel weapon special ability to get to -6 to saves against spells after a 2nd hit. :-) (I believe that Riving Strike, Demoralized, and Sickened all apply).
When the wielder strikes a creature that is frightened, shaken, or panicked with a cruel weapon, that creature becomes sickened for 1 round. When the wielder uses the weapon to knock unconscious or kill a creature, he gains 5 temporary hit points that last for 10 minutes.
It was an exhibition game: We were trying the 3.0 D&D system for the first time. Everyone else had a bad opinion of the Fighter. Everything else got a TON of Special Abilities.
I had a Greatsword +2, an 18 strength, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus (Greatsword),Weapon Specialization (Greatsword), Improved Critical (Greatsword), Improved Initiative, and Toughness (Added 3 HP each time you took it back then).
We saw a large group of creatures in the cavern ahead, and we moved to the attack. I think that they were Lizard Men. I volunteered to soften them up.
Gared ran at them, and OBLITERATED the one Lizard Man he could hit. The rest swarmed him. Surrounded, by enemies, he could not expect aid from the Wizard, or risk taking Fireball Damage. Thusly, I said that I'd handle them alone. The next round, I did.
Great Cleave required that I 'Drop' one target before being allowed to attack the next in line. Lizard Men do NOT have enough Hit Points to survive what I dished out that day.
The GM described the action once my attacks had been resolved, and only ONE Lizard Man was left (I never hit that last guy at all).
"A ring of blood and gore EXPLODES away from the Fighter, as all but one is hacked IN HALF with one swipe of Gared's sword..."
Every other Player had their jaws on the table. NOBODY had ever seen Great Cleave used before (exhibition game)!
I will NEVER forget that evening!!!
This reminds me of my first 3.0 character. He was a half-orc fighter that aspired to be a paladin (with his impressive 11 Cha).
He was 4th level with a 20 Str and greatsword. He got surrounded by 8 opponents with 9 HP each. With his greatsword doing 2d6+7 damage, all he had to do was hit 8 times in a row (which he did) to turn his opponents into chunks. We still talk about that to this day.
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Lets see...
In Neverwinter Nights I had a lvl 25 fighter/Weaponsmaster who dual-wielded keen scimitars. Due to that broken ruleset I had a threat range of 10-20 while using 2 +4 Flameburst/Frostburst weapons. Things just exploded when she was around. Orthos might remember her (Courtney)
In actual PnP that would be the lvl 19 dwarf fighter in the Against the Giants campaign who ended up with a Hammer of Thunderbolts with all the trimmings and a natural con of like 25. 300 some odd HP's and AC in the mid 40's, he was a beast.
Wasn't there some weird thing about you had to be 6'4" to wield that thing?
Waaaay back I played the demoweb pit modules, and a Ranger in the group had the Hammer, Gauntlets, and a Girdle of Giant Strength.
I didn't play the Giants modules with them, but I gathered it was loot found in that series.
Just some nitpicky thing I remember about that item (assuming I am right).
Was so awesome then. Now? I'm not sure I have ever read or heard of anyone using or getting that item.
I think that was back in 1st or 2nd edition. This version was modified to Pathfinder rules
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My top was probably a 3.5 character. Though like so many 3.5 characters, he was a mixed bag. He had levels in fighter, paladin, and then into pious templar. (maybe something else - I can't recall) He used a tower shield (the cover aspect somewhat better in 3.5 - plus two-handed combat wasn't as dominant due to a weaker power attack)
He had decent damage (smite & weapon spec with a bastard sword), his saves were huge from divine grace, multiclassing, and the combat focus tree, and he used his shield and some of the weird style feats to get in the way of pretty much anything thrown at the party.
Pious Templar was generally used just for the mettle ability. Thankfully mettle was well worth the entry cost of the PrC
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Pious Templar was generally used just for the mettle ability. Thankfully mettle was well worth the entry cost of the PrCMy top was probably a 3.5 character. Though like so many 3.5 characters, he was a mixed bag. He had levels in fighter, paladin, and then into pious templar. (maybe something else - I can't recall) He used a tower shield (the cover aspect somewhat better in 3.5 - plus two-handed combat wasn't as dominant due to a weaker power attack)
He had decent damage (smite & weapon spec with a bastard sword), his saves were huge from divine grace, multiclassing, and the combat focus tree, and he used his shield and some of the weird style feats to get in the way of pretty much anything thrown at the party.
Even besides mettle it was a pretty decent class. High fort/will. Spellcasting. Full BAB & d10.
But yes - mettle was awesome. If I remember correctly, it was the only way to get it other than Hexblade. (At least I can't recall any others.)
Well, I'm sure he's hardly that effective, all things considered, but my Halfling Fighter is certainly my favourite character. Little (relatively) halfling who insisted on using big people weapons, crawled through 3.0, to 3.5, to Pathfinder. (Actually, he might have started in 3.0, I'm not certain.) Aside from being a halfling, built entirely as a typical beatstick, maxed Str and Con. And dumped Cha.
Donovan Chubtoe. He started as a bit of a joke, based on a 2nd-to-3rd edition character Torin Chubtoe (And since it was the same DM and campaign world, Donovan was Torin's descendent.) But he started a fresh (if-unsightly) faced 1st level character with a 16 Strength. He fought, smashed, and died four times on his bare-knuckle crawl all the way to 28th level. (Mostly fighter, one level of Exotic Weapon Master, and a few in Legendary Dreadnought) Currently still active, though in a supposedly non-combat political campaign.
Character-wise, my gimmick with him was that he romanticized the adventuring lifestyle, and loved going all over the world to smash evil in the face with his hammer. (Which was a family heirloom that had the spirit of Torin in it.) He was brash, but not suicidally so, willing to lay down his life for his allies, and always believing that things would work out in the end, as long as you have hope.
Still had some key RP moments with him, such as when illusions made him think he killed a little girl accidentally which nearly made him go catatonic with horror, or when he realized that his idealistic view of 'kill the evil wizard, save the princess, and go home a hero' was simply not going to be, and that his dreams of heroism were shattering around him. Right on the march to the BBEG's lair, he was disillusioned with his friends, his allies, and everything he thought he was fighting for. But he kept going.
I was able to play my low Charisma to be annoying to the party, but entertaining to the players, so the rest of the group also has fond memories of him. At least, so I've been told.
Anyways, as I've said, probably not the best build, but he served the party well, and was a blast to play.
Just wondering of the times anyone has played a fighter, what was the best or most effective?
What system, was it in? 1e? 3.5? PF?
What level did he get to and/or how long before he became "un playable?" or did he?
Any special equipment, Kit or Archetype?
I had an NPC who went TWF'ing and used the crit feats to lock a player down. The player only survived because the party caster intervened. Then once the PC was able to act he critted 3 times in one full round attack and my NPC was dead.
As for PC's I used as a player, they always die in the first session due to too many crits, that are too close together.
hmm… The only time I've ever played a straight "fighter" it was an Orc in a GURPS game. I should try one in Pathfinder sometime.
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I'm playing a demonspawn tiefling cavalier 2 (order of the cockatrice)/rogue 1 (thug). She isn't even that optimized, but she is able to use intimidate to great effect. I know she isn't a real fighter but she still does a great job at it.
For Pathfinder Beginner Box I was able to make Sherman the dwarf fighter. It's a basic build that focuses on everything that could be used for defense. I haven't used him yet, but I hope I will soon. (Yes, I named him after the tank.)
I don't know about the best, but my most fun was an Unarmed fighter in a one off to hunt down a big dinosaur thing. The encounter ended with me punching my way out of its stomach. Pretty much the best outcome I could've hoped for.