If I understand Cornugon Smash and Shattered Defenses correctly, you have to have iterative attacks in order to make the combo work?
Round 1
1st attack: succeed, and make Intimidate check, target fails and becomes shaken
2nd attack: succeed, target becomes flat-footed
Round 2
Target is only shaken until the beginning of the attacker's turn, but flat-footed until the end of the attacker's turn. To extend the effect, you need to hit the target again, have it fail another Intimidate check to become shaken again, and then hit it again to extend the flat-footed effect.
If you don't have iterative attacks, it just doesn't work:
Round 1
Attack succeeds, make Intimidate check, target fails and becomes shaken until beginning of attacker's next turn.
Round 2
Target is no longer shaken at beginning of attacker's turn, so no opportunity to hit it and become flat-footed.
Do I have this right? If so, it really decreases the utility of Shattered Defenses. You not only have to hit it and succeed on the Intimidate check, but you have to hit the target again the same round, which becomes less likely with each additional attack.
Or anything that grants additional attacks, really. Flurry of Blows, Haste, two-weapon fighting, natural attacks, you name it.
So, couple of things.
First, it's possible to demoralise an opponent for more than 1 round. If you're investing inintimidate this should be trivial for most enemies by level 10 (read up on INTIMIDATE).
Second, Shatter defenses says the following:
Any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponent hit by you this round is flat-footed to your attacks until the end of your next turn.
This means it can work like this:
Round 1: Hit enemy with Cornugon Smash, free intimidate check. If you beat the DC by 5 or more they're intimidated for 2 (or more) rounds. For the sake of the argument, let's say it's only 2 rounds.
Round 2: Hit the enemy again. The enemy is shaken this round, so Shatter Defenses "activates" and the enemy is now flat-footed to your attacks until the END of the next round.
Round 3: The enemy is no longer shaken, but Shatter Defenses doesn't care about that, only that they were shaken last round in order to "activate". The enemy is now flat-footed against you until the end of this round.
So you absolutely can use this without iteratives (or other bonus attacks) but you won't get any benefit out of Shatter Defenses until round 3 (without outside help).
Round 1: Hit enemy with Cornugon Smash, free intimidate check. If you beat the DC by 5 or more they're intimidated for 2 (or more) rounds. For the sake of the argument, let's say it's only 2 rounds.
Round 2: Hit the enemy again. The enemy is shaken this round, so Shatter Defenses "activates" and the enemy is now flat-footed to your attacks until the END of the next round.
Round 3: The enemy is no longer shaken, but Shatter Defenses doesn't care about that, only that they were shaken last round in order to "activate". The enemy is now flat-footed against you until the end of this round.
So you absolutely can use this without iteratives (or other bonus attacks) but you won't get any benefit out of Shatter Defenses until round 3 (without outside help).
The problem is that, at least for me, very few combats involve melee with one particular opponent for more than 3 rounds, and you still have to hit the target on consecutive attempts, as well as making your Intimidate check. For 3 feats, (Cornugon Smash, Dazzling Display, and Shatter Defenses), it's hard to see the value.
When I first read Shatter Defenses I was hoping it meant that if you hit a target with Cornugon Smash and make your Intimidate check, then the target is also flat-footed from Shatter Defenses as you've already hit it. For an investment of 3 feats, that doesn't seem unreasonable, but that doesn't seem to be the accepted interpretation.
Cornugon Smash and Shattered Defenses have prereq's of Intimidate 6 ranks and BAB+6, so the minimum level you can get both of these is lvl6-9ish depending on how many bonus feats and BAB your class gets. And, once you have BAB6, you'll have at least one Iterative attack available every round no matter what; assuming all your attacks hit and you successfully Intimidate, you would gain the benefit of Shatter Defenses after the 2nd successful hit, so your target would be Flat-Footed to your 3rd attack in the 1st round, or at least for your first attack in the 2nd round.
So try to get Full Attack Actions as often as you can :)
Edit: +1 Cruel Enchantment synergizes very well with Cornugon Smash for the Shaken/Sicken combo.
Edit2: If your campaign is going lvl15+, consider getting a +4 Brilliant Energy enchantment. Shatter Defenses + Brilliant Energy = rolling for attack almost becomes a mere formality :P, just don't roll a 1 :P The target has no dodge, dexterity, armor, or shield bonuses to AC vs. your attacks :P
You're right. It's not very good in the scenario described above, probably not worth the feats. This is the rules forum and those are the rules. If you were to ask this in the advice forum they'd probably give you different advice like: "No it's rubbish, don't use it before iteratives".
Cornugon Smash and Shattered Defenses have prereq's of Intimidate 6 ranks and BAB+6
Lol I totally missed that. I guess that's the official answer to the OPs question: No you can't use them before iteratives.
Slayer would be my first choice for a Cornugon Smash/Shatter Defenses character. Studied target, high BAB, and Sneak Attack is nothing to sneeze at :)
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monk's goes to haven with this and Medusa's Wrath (which you can get at level 10 bonus feat without the required feats)as you get 2 extra attacks for attacking a flat-footed target.
my GM made me rebuild my monk who had that and jabbing master. rolled too many extra d6 for damage in one round...(also had elbow smash so it was like 10 attacks in a round)