Skipping feats in Ranger Combat Style

[Leostarnfire]

I am currently making a level 10 Ranger for my current game. This has been asked before but not as specific. It is agreed that you dont need prerequisites to gain combat feats from your combat style list at the levels they are given to you (2,6,10). So could I do this:

Level 2 take two weapon fighting (reduced penalties)

Level 6 take Double Slice (Full STR bonus to off hand)

Level 8 Greater two weapon fighting (to have 3 off hand attacks)

Having improved two weapon fighting is a prequisit for GTWF and therefore is not needed to take GTWF.

This seems to be the coolest thing to do. But GTWF only says you gain a third attack. It does not say you have 3 off hand attacks.

Could this then mean I get an empty attack? Main main off ? off

Or main main off off off

[VoodistMonk]

In the spirit of the entire feat chain, it is obvious that it is your off-hand, given that is all any of the TWF feats provide you.

Is there a rule spelled out for this exact scenario, no... just the other feats that share the same name.

Skipping the prerequisites for a feat doesn't mean that the feat suddenly works in a completely different way than it would otherwise.

[avr]

At level 10 that would give you, I guess, Main-2/main-7/off-2/off-12. You'd be strictly better to have got improved TWF instead (M-2/M-7/O-2/O-7).

[Mysterious Stranger]

Rangers don’t get their third combat feat until 10th level. That means you cannot take it at 8th level, you have to wait until 10th to pick it up.

Since GTW does not state you get three attacks you don’t. You are also taking a -10 penalty on the extra attack instead on -5. The feat is very specific on what penalty you take. So while technically you can take GTW without ITW it is a worse option.

Double slice is only a minor damage boost so I would suggest skipping it until 14th level. Power attack still only gives the offhand damage bonus even with double slice. The extra attack will increase your damage more especially at lower levels.

[RAWmonger]

Mysterious stranger and avr are correct. Taking greater TWF instead of improved TWF means your new attacks are at a penalty of: -2/-2/-7/-12 instead of -2/-2/-7/-7 with improved. The point of TWF/improved/greater is a chain that offers more attacks, but just because uou can take a later one, it doesn’t grant you the feats that are its prerequisites.