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Exacting Strike has the Press trait. That means that you can only use it if you have MAP, so using it on your first attack, with 0 MAP is not an option.
Now, let's say that you Strike once, and are at -5 MAP (leaving Agile weapons and the like out of this for convenience). You can now use Exacting Strike. If you hit, you hit and are now at -10 MAP. If you miss, you miss but are still at -5 MAP.
Now, you could use your first two actions to Double Slice, leaving you at -10 MAP. If you do, you can use your 3rd action for Exacting Strike, but there's no special benefit. Even if you're quickened and would have an action to make a 4th Strike afterward, the MAP that you have after you've already made two attacks is maximum MAP. It doesn't go higher than that, no matter how many actions a creature has.
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Okay fellow PF2E-r's,
Please explain Exacting strike to me? Can I use it 2-3 times per round? Would it be a zero MAP if I had none to start with? What's this "failure" all about in relation to it. Could I use it right after Double Slice since it has no MAP until after that? Could you please provide examples... they work better for my newbie brain in this. THNX!
Source Core Rulebook pg. 144 2.0Fighter, Press
You make a controlled attack, fully accounting for your momentum. Make a Strike. The Strike gains the following failure effect.
Failure This attack does not count toward your multiple attack penalty.Note the 'Press' traitActions with this trait allow you to follow up earlier attacks. An action with the press trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple attack penalty. Some actions with the press trait also grant an effect on a failure. The effects that are added on a failure don’t apply on a critical failure. If your press action succeeds, you can choose to apply the failure effect instead. (For example, you may wish to do this when an attack deals no damage due to resistance.) Because a press action requires a multiple attack penalty, you can’t use one when it’s not your turn, even if you use the Ready activity.
So, you can't use it for your first strike, and it is pointless to use on your final strike (since you have no further attacks) so it normally gets you a 'second chance' at your second strike if you miss (your third attack uses the MAP of a second attack, since the second attack was an exacting strike and doesn't count against your MAP on a miss).
Note that this does not help you if you critically fail your exacting strike.
What they said.
In brief, Exacting Strike is only both usable & useful as a 2nd Strike when you're planning on making a 3rd Strike if the 2nd misses.
I don't see many Fighters devote their three actions to three Strikes. They should have other options available, including the basics of moving & putting up one's shield.
IMO, all Fighter's need a Press, yet this one's not that useful until Haste is in play regularly, at which point I'd expect there'd be a better Press available (among many other options).
It should be worthwhile to note that if the character is quickened and has a 4th action (like from haste), they could Strike->Exacting-Strike->Exacting-Strike->Strike. If both Exacting Strikes fail, then the final Strike would only have a -5 MAP from the first Strike.
Could be useful if there's an enemy that would fall in one Strike, as the penalty only increases beyond -5 after a success.
It should be worthwhile to note that if the character is quickened and has a 4th action (like from haste), they could Strike->Exacting-Strike->Exacting-Strike->Strike. If both Exacting Strikes fail, then the final Strike would only have a -5 MAP from the first Strike.
Could be useful if there's an enemy that would fall in one Strike, as the penalty only increases beyond -5 after a success.
Would that be common enough (including misses) to spend a feat on?
As compared to Sudden Charge or whichever 1st level feat suited one's combat style.|
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OP, there are a handful of key traits for fighters to watch out for (as listed in the Fighter's CRB entry):
Source
Core Rulebook pg. 140 2.0
Flourish: Actions with this trait are special techniques that require too much exertion for you to perform frequently. You can use only 1 action with the FLOURISH trait per turn.
Open: These maneuvers work only as the first salvo in the attacks you make on your turn. You can use an action with the OPEN trait only if you haven't used an action with the ATTACK or OPEN trait yet this turn.
Press: Actions with this trait allow you to follow up earlier attacks. An action with the PRESS trait can be used only if you are currently affected by a multiple attack penalty. You can't use a press action when it's not your turn, even if you use the Ready activity.
Some actions with the press trait also grant an effect on a failure. The effects that are added on a failure don't apply on a critical failure. If your press action succeeds, you can choose to apply the failure effect instead. (For example, you may wish to do this when an attack deals no damage due to resistance.)
Stance: A stance is a general combat strategy that you enter by using an action with the stance trait, and you remain in for some time. A stance lasts until you get knocked outunconscious, until its requirements (if any) are violated, until the encounter ends, or until you enter a new stance, whichever comes first. After you take an action with the STANCE trait, you can't take another one for 1 round. You can enter or be in a stance only in encounter mode.
Once you get a handle on these traits (and learn to keep an eye out for them), the class feats make a lot more sense...
Note that this does not help you if you critically fail your exacting strike.Expect table variation
Why?
Press failure effects explicitly do not work with critical fails. It's in the rules Taja quoted.Is it a popular houserule to allow that?
Note that this does not help you if you critically fail your exacting strike.Expect table variationWhy?
Press failure effects explicitly do not work with critical fails. It's in the rules Taja quoted.
Is it a popular houserule to allow that?
It is in the rules for Determine the Degree of Success
If a feat, magic item, spell, or other effect does not list a critical success or critical failure, treat is as an ordinary success or failure instead.
Though I agree with you that there shouldn't be any table variation on this. Since Exacting Strike only lists a failure effect, you would use the same effect for a critical failure also.
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Why?
Because it explicitly says "failure." There is no mention of critical failure, which is still at its core, a failure. It mentions nothing about a more severe penalty for a critical failure. This is the same as a critical success also being a success and many rules do not define something different happening in the case of a critical success. That doesn't mean the success conditions do not also apply to a critical success.
there shouldn't be any table variation
My comment was because if Castilliano says the effect of a critical failure is different than what you or I are saying, then there is table variation. Its in the eye of the beholder which one of us is "right." And for our own private campaigns, technically we are both right.
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Note that this does not help you if you critically fail your exacting strike.Expect table variationWhy?
Press failure effects explicitly do not work with critical fails. It's in the rules Taja quoted.
Is it a popular houserule to allow that?It is in the rules for Determine the Degree of Success
If a feat, magic item, spell, or other effect does not list a critical success or critical failure, treat is as an ordinary success or failure instead.Though I agree with you that there shouldn't be any table variation on this. Since Exacting Strike only lists a failure effect, you would use the same effect for a critical failure also.
Except there's a specific rule for Press attacks that the failure effects do not work with critical fails. This isn't about the feat only listing a failure effect and then referring to the general rules re: failures, it's about Press crit failures explicitly not working. (See Press trait which Taja quoted above).
Except there's a specific rule for Press attacks that the failure effects do not work with critical fails. This isn't about the feat only listing a failure effect and then referring to the general rules re: failures, it's about Press crit failures explicitly not working. (See Press trait which Taja quoted above).
Ah. Indeed there is.
See. Still shouldn't be any table variation on this ;-)