Have rejigged bits.... the final version! Have hopefully got round the metagaming problem.
I think it strikes a good balance towards making the fighter more appropriate but also not giving away too many freebies.
Effortless Assault
Fighters due to their years of training and battle become fluid, instinctive creatures of war. Movement and attack become inseparable. At 4th level the fighter may move 10 feet as well as launch a full attack; this distance increases by 5 feet every 3 levels after. This total amount cannot exceed the fighter's natural move distance.
COMBAT FEATS
Disruptor (minor)
You have carefully observed the practices of magic users and understand how best to wound them and cause pain, in order to hinder their concentration.
Prerequisites: Fighter class, BAB +5, weapon training, Dexterity 10
Benefit: If you hit a creature with levels in a magic using class or one that uses SLA, you force them to make a concentration check each time they wish to cast a spell or use a SLA. The duration for the effect is equivalent to the fighter’s strength modifier. The DC is equivalent to 15 + fighters strength modifier + spell level. The intent to use this ability must be declared before an attack roll is made, and cannot be combined with any critical hit scored.
Disruptor (lesser)
Such is the ferocity and unerring precision of your attacks, you can cause a magic user to lose connection with spells currently in effect.
Prerequisites: Fighter class, BAB + 7, Dexterity 12, Disruptor (minor)
Benefit: If you hit a creature with levels in a magic using class or one that uses SLA, existing spells or SLA in operation from the caster are immediately subject to the equivalent casting of dispel magic. Each spell is addressed separately; the fighter uses his class level instead of caster level and applies a bonus matching that of his dexterity modifier. The intent to use this ability must be declared before an attack roll is made, and cannot be combined with any critical hit scored.
Disruptor (major)
You have studied how magic users move whilst summoning the energies required for their spells; you see anatomical weak points and how to strike at them.
Prerequisites: Fighter class, BAB + 10, Disruptor (lesser), Dexterity 14, advanced weapon training
Benefit: : If you hit a creature with levels in a magic using class or one that uses SLA, you cause the caster to be unable to use spells or SLA that have a somatic component. The duration for the effect is equivalent to the fighter’s strength modifier. The save against it is Fortitude based and equivalent to DC 10 + ½ fighter level + strength modifier. The intent to use this ability must be declared before an attack roll is made, and cannot be combined with any critical hit scored.
Disruptor (master)
The way you move and attack with your weapons is now innately dangerous to all magic users. Your training is complete.
Prerequisites: Fighter class, BAB + 15, Disruptor (major), Dexterity 16
Benefit: You no longer need to declare the intent to use any disruption effects, and all can now be combined with critical hits. In addition, the fighter receives a +2 bonus to his effective class level when determining effects.
The logic behind having to declare is 2 part:
1) Thematic - this kind of attack is quite different from the usual hack and slash, it is specifically geared towards disrupting magic users. If you declare to use it, you have to use it! It makes sense.
2) To help avoid metagaming - by having to declare it and having it not combine with crit means that people wont just have it 'ON' all the time, because until 15th level you cant crit and disrupt in the same hit. So the damage is normal + disruption effect. If people walk around with it on all the time.... yes when they hit a magic user it will have a disruption effect but if they hit a martial, they will only be able to score normal damage as they cant combine it with a crit and the disruptor effect wont do anything as theyre a pure martial. At 15th level, its effectively 'ON' all the time, but this is fine as casters are lobbing out 8th level spells by then!
Do you see what I mean?
I tried to balance things by introducing a DEX pre-req (thematic I thought as well) but also that the disruptor effect can be used on just a regular hit. As someone said.... if you confirm a crit on a caster, there going to be almost dead anyway! Cuts down on the dice rolling a bit and makes the ability much more worthwhile to take.... especially considering its a feat chain.
Is it allowed with ranged attacks too?
Did you consider making it require a single attack as a full-round action (similar to stunning fist)?
Dont see a prob with ranged....same logic applies
Yes you could make it once per round, and there is a thematic logic to it, in that it is a very deliberate thought out attack.
this isnt about "screwing over casters" per se.... its about the reality of having a large sword stuck in your guts when its not something that you're accustomed to!!
Its about joining 2 completely logical concepts....
1) Fighters being the best at fighting
2) The detrimental effects to casting that should occur when you are in extreme pain/have restricted movements/are leaking bodily fluids/are missing chunks of flesh!!
this is actually an issue of how you look at hit points. they're not intended to represent you taking a direct hit and losing blood. they're actually intended to represent something more akin to stamina. that's why it's tied to BAB. the higher your BAB the more you are presumed to have combat training to increase your stamina. you've got a sword stuck in your gut when you're at 0 HP or less.
that said, i was recently thinking about something i'll probably house rule into fighters and i'm sure it's not enough on its own, but it could be helpful if fighters ever get unchained.
Additionally, 3 + INT modifier (minimum 1) times per day a Fighter with Martial Adaptability may apply the effects of any feats that require him to choose a weapon to which to apply them to any weapon he holds for 1 minute as a (move/swift?) action.
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Effortless Assault
Fighters due to their years of training and battle become fluid, instinctive creatures of war. Movement and attack become inseparable. At 4th level the fighter may move 10 feet as well as launch a full attack; this distance increases by 5 feet every 3 levels after. This total amount cannot exceed the fighter's natural move distance.
i like this. language needs to be cleaned up a bit though.
Disruptor (minor)
You have carefully observed the practices of magic users and understand how best to wound them and cause pain, in order to hinder their concentration.
Prerequisites: Fighter class, BAB +5, weapon training, Dexterity 10
Benefit: If you hit a creature with levels in a magic using class or one that uses SLA, you force them to make a concentration check each time they wish to cast a spell or use a SLA. The duration for the effect is equivalent to the fighter’s strength modifier. The DC is equivalent to 15 + fighters strength modifier + spell level. The intent to use this ability must be declared before an attack roll is made, and cannot be combined with any critical hit scored.
STR modifier what? rounds? minutes? days? also, this whole line should really just be balanced better around being STR based, no DEX requirements and melee only. OR balance it around not scaling with an ability mod and possibly make knowledge (arcana) or, more likely, spellcraft ranks a prerequisite (at which point ranged would be fine as the mechanics wouldn't contradict the thematics, though i'm still not really sure you need to be able to do this at range). note: i'm also in favor of giving fighters (and clerics!) more skill ranks.
i like this. language needs to be cleaned up a bit though.
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Cheers for the feedback!... Will have a look through and see if there can be a tweak!
STR modifier what? rounds? minutes? days? also, this whole line should really just be balanced better around being STR based, no DEX requirements and melee only. OR balance it around not scaling with an ability mod and possibly make knowledge (arcana) or, more likely, spellcraft ranks a prerequisite (at which point ranged would be fine as the mechanics wouldn't contradict the thematics, though i'm still not really sure you need to be able to do this at range). note: i'm also in favor of giving fighters (and clerics!) more skill ranks.
Sorry yes its in rounds.
I disagree, I wanted DEX as a real thematic component to this. The fighter that takes this chain, isn't some hulking tank in full plate.... it just DOES NOT fit the picture. He/she (I like the idea of she especially in this instance :)) ) is graceful, fluid, accurate.... deadly... to all that wield the foul magicks!!
then why do all the abilities scale with STR? that makes no sense. it requires you to be dextrous, but takes no actual advantage of your DEX.
honestly, neither STR nor DEX are particularly thematic for being more skilled at disrupting casting. that sounds like either knowledge (arcana) or (more probably) spellcraft. DEX screams spell avoidance feat tree to me.
I'll just leave this here...I really don't like per diem stamina. Per diem pools are the enemy of good narrative flow and any rewrite should strive to remove them from classes that have them rather than add them to classes that don't.
Eh, on the one hand, per day pools are annoying, especially when everyone has one because they stop feeling unique. But so long as this is a resource management game, such systems are what determine how good (and lucky) a player is at the game. Efficient use of resources is the main point of the G in this rpg.
That said, i dislike per day limits on non magical effects such as stunning fist or any of the other similar combat feats I'm sure I've read but can no longer remember....
I'll just leave this here...
Huge kudos for all the hard work but I dont think the fighter needs that much of a rework
Actually, in regards to Darksol's doc...
Fighters gain a bonus combat feat every even level. Rogues gain a rogue talent. Barbarians a rage power. Why is it that these classes each get a "choose a thing" feature on every even level, but the fighter is the one who only gets them from the common pool of combat feats, especially when other classes (ranger, magus, slayer) dip further into this pool with their own features? Should the fighter have their own section of "fighter talents"?
I don't think so, because if feats were of comparable effectiveness to things like rage power (scaling with level) then there wouldn't be a power discrepancy. The main advantage of the fighter's bonus feats would then be the versatility they offer above a normal class, or the ability to leverage general feats while still filling out a combat style. The fighter's uniqueness can then be made up with their other features to give them something beyond "has more of the same" possibly including features that synergise with feats.
Actually, in regards to Darksol's doc...
Fighters gain a bonus combat feat every even level. Rogues gain a rogue talent. Barbarians a rage power. Why is it that these classes each get a "choose a thing" feature on every even level, but the fighter is the one who only gets them from the common pool of combat feats, especially when other classes (ranger, magus, slayer) dip further into this pool with their own features? Should the fighter have their own section of "fighter talents"?
I don't think so, because if feats were of comparable effectiveness to things like rage power (scaling with level) then there wouldn't be a power discrepancy. The main advantage of the fighter's bonus feats would then be the versatility they offer above a normal class, or the ability to leverage general feats while still filling out a combat style. The fighter's uniqueness can then be made up with their other features to give them something beyond "has more of the same" possibly including features that synergise with feats.
Which is precisely what I was trying to accomplish when I created Combat Arts. These are abilities that allow the Fighter to perform unique and interesting actions in combat that not many (if any) other classes or characters can perform. That's what makes Paladins, Barbarians, Inquisitors, Bards, etc. unique to the playing field, by having their own tailor-made abilities and choices. The Rogue ones suck, and the Fighter didn't have anything tailor-made besides some silly Fighter-only feats that should be Class Features.
I also expanded their ability of selecting bonus feats to not only be an optional thing (if they truly want a feat), but to be able to circumvent some pre-requisites, as well as advance their access to others (i.e. those that require a high BAB).
The Fighter-only feats in the game that weren't Weapon Focus/Specialization, Shield Focus/Specialization, etc. should have simply been class features for the Fighter. Getting rid of staple feats like that should be done so that you aren't transmuting Feats into free numbers. (Although they aren't bad options, Feats should be better spent on something interesting and unique, enabling the character to do some out-of-the-box activities, not something as bland as a +1 to hit or +2 damage with a single type of weapon).
The Fighter-only feats in the game that weren't Weapon Focus/Specialization, Shield Focus/Specialization, etc. should have simply been class features for the Fighter. Getting rid of staple feats like that...
I definitely agree that bonus feats should be bonus feats... it would enable some nice fighter customisation.