This is an overview of Plant Banner and its interactions. I'm setting aside the argument of whether the feat's worthwhile given you can't Brandish your Banner and it's stuck in place, vulnerable. There's definitely a risk/reward factor, but I'm focused more on the implementation (the merits I'll leave to your playstyle). I'd like insights. :-)
PLANT BANNER
Key points from the feat are that it's not tied to one's aura so that burst stays at 30'; and it works on all allies, not limited to squadmates, but this also means not yourself. Bummer.
Check with your GM on whether AoEs can damage unattended items, namely the Banner which they might make a special case for being susceptible since that's part of the risk/trope/intent.
Also verify how they interpret: "...each time an ally starts there turn within the burst, their temporary Hit Points are renewed for another round." IMO the straightforward reading is the Hit Points & duration renew, but w/ a different emphasis (or perhaps translation), one might read it as renewing the duration of the same original Hit Points. (Yuk.)
Also check whether your GM lets your squadmates follow your Tactics before they go in initiative. *sigh* Seeing as a maxed Int Commander has one of the highest initiative bonuses in the party (if they can see an opponent) I'd hope so. Then again, if they can't then Plant Banner at least gives you something to contribute since you're unlikely to take point.
What kind of Banner?
One you can Plant in one action (so not on your back or shield) and that isn't your main weapon. One trick I hesitate to mention is putting the Banner on a Free-Hand weapon. Then when you retrieve your Banner, you should be wielding it, which means you retain a free hand.
And make it metal. So a gauntlet which also gives us "throwing down the gauntlet" vibes to begin a battle.
Strategy #1
The simplest, most secure way to use this is to Plant & retrieve immediately. So a 2-action burst of temp h.p. This alone makes it worthwhile IF you have the free hand to do so. This makes it a bit harder for melee Commanders who kinda need either a shield or a big weapon to warrant being in the front lines, though if they prefer a shield boss/spikes they could work. Ranged attackers or puppetmasters (those w/o weapons who fight vicariously through others) should have few issues.
Strategy #2
Plant and forget. Avoid Brandish feats, see how it goes. Suitable for melee warriors, Cantrip users, or whatnot.
Protecting one's Banner
It's easy for an enemy to snatch it and how one defends it will mostly depend on one's party and the battlefield. One basic principle is that if it's worth it for your enemy to stop, then you're doing something right. If it's a significant enemy, them moving to remove it is kinda costly to them. Just snuff any peons trying so it doesn't come cheap.
Losing one's Banner
Not all Tactics require a Banner or its aura. Here are the current ones:
-Mountaineering Training
-Naval Training
-Double Team (2A)
-Pincer Attack
-Reload!
-Mirrored Wall (2A) (the "wall" part where you Raise a Shield, not the blinding part)
Pincer Attack is already foundational IMO, passing out cheap Steps to your squad. And while Double Team isn't as strong as some, it has unlimited range and works on yourself. So you can still contribute good Tactics until you get a free minute to replace your Banner (and that's hardly any lag).
CLAIM THE FIELD (6th)
The only feat that follows from Plant Banner lets you Plant at short range and better yet makes it difficult for mere peons to pull out (if you have the Int/Save DC that is). Except now we're using a Thrown weapon, preferably metal like a light hammer, starknife, metal javelin, or even itty bitty shuriken (which makes it easy to draw). Or ya' know a hatchet, so you can bury it (thought that's only 10' away).
So now the Banner protects itself, but better yet, with a Thrown weapon as your Banner you can use Thrower's Bandolier (3rd level item) to retrieve it (2A) if the enemy does take it. And its Hardness should make breaking it quite difficult. Drop & forget loses much of its risk now. You might have traded some actions for some of theirs, which against tougher enemies is usually worth it.
Strategy #3
At 7th you can pick up Demoralizing Charge. You send two allies up ahead to Strike then Plant the Banner 20' forward to hit them up to 50' away and PC's in the back.
Strategy #4
You could also Plant 20' out then use Gather to Me to move everybody up a Stride (including yourself) w/o worrying about overshooting your aura (and you'd have an action left to shoot a bow, throw your main weapon, or Recall Knowledge).
COMMANDER'S COMPANION feat chain
Yes, it'll give another ally to grant Hit Points too and has great synergy w/ Tactics in general, but it's most relevant to Plant Banner at 16th when your AC acts can like a Banner (if you choose that upgrade). So now you'd have to lose your original Banner and your AC before being denied Tactics. Your top two tiers' Tactics do need auras, but just over half lack Brandish, so you'll have options for while your Banner's Planted. There's a slue of questions of what kind of animal playing how dangerous a role that depend once more on party composition, but worst case you could get an AC bird, air elemental, or other flyer who's a bit safer and can survive well enough if they don't engage. In best case scenario an AC can be useful for setting up Tactics w/o worrying about what those random PC-squadmates choose to do.
MCD Commander
Most likely they should just use the nonstrategic strategy #2 of just dropping & forgetting since they don't have their main shtick based on the Banner. Pumping out that many h.p. is worth the feats IMO if you can spare the stats for Int (like many archers can), have another use for Int (like Enigma Bard) or have an Int-KAS. A dumb/+0 half-elf might see the MCD as worthwhile at 9th for Pincer Attack w/ 10th for Plant Banner at 12 h.p./round. The hidden cost here is having a free hand to Plant, so again archers, but many casters too, as well as the Investigator w/ their smaller weapon. Probably not so great for an Inventor though.
Certain kinds of Kineticist should sync well too, as discordant as the default tropes are.
Funnily enough, an Animal Barbarian works fine since there are no Concentration actions involved. They could have something animal-themed as their Banner, like killed prey, scat, or an enemy's skull. ("My Ape Barbarian flings poo on the ground. Everybody gets 8 temp hit points." "So that's why she's been collecting that.")
Claim the Field should never bump out a 12th level feat, even in a Free Archetype game. FA players should likely have started a second Archetype by then anyway.
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So that's it, kinda my notes to myself, shared.
I do have side notes about using a metal beer tankard as one's Banner or a firearm w/ a "BANG!" "banner" poking out of it, but hardly relevant here. Hmm, now thinking about Planting some sort of Banner that's a trap, like a cursed one or one that backfires. Or maybe take Snarecrafter to guard your Banner! I'd already been considering it for the Legendary Class DC. Hmm, now you have a legitimate lure.
It's worth noting that the GM determines if you can use reactions before your first turn "depending on the situation in which the encounter happens". So if you aren't ambushed, it's pretty safe to presume on the party having reactions. Commander can always hand one out if not.
I'll leave my old playtest thread here for shenanigan options.
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Not diving into your other observations, because I haven't had the time to develop my own thoughts on it either, but want to express my difficulty with the banner as both a player and GM.
As a player, I'm not sure if I should expect a GM to target the banner. The banner obviously gives out some good benefits, but it also calls out that it can be damaged or unplanted as an interact action...
I'm not sure how much a GM should target it.
If NPCs ignore it, it might be too good. But if any intelligent enemy goes after it, that might be too bad.
I haven't tried to figure out what kind of HP we would expect a banner to have, but my suspicion is that it wont be that hard to outright destroy a banner, even with the hardness it gains.
I'm not a fan of this line of feats because it creates a potentially antagonistic situation without much guidance for GMs on how much to focus or ignore a banner. But realistically, intelligent enemies aware of the banners effects (or potential effects) should probably attempt to destroy it or at least remove it from being planted if it doesn't take much additional effort to do so. Especially because destroying it has a decent negative effect on the enemy (the party).
QuidEst,
Some GMs (including Claxon here, though in another thread) have the opposite opinion. So while I agree with you, it's dangerous to presume that ruling when you could ask beforehand. I would avoid such tables w/ a Commander (maybe Fighter too).
Claxon,
For the pure Commander, the Banner might represent all of their eggs in one basket, especially if it's their primary weapon (which someone asserted was the obvious dominant choice in another thread). That situation's one reason I examined this, to see how a Plant Banner build would look. And IMO it's not as risky as I'd presumed. Riskier, yes, but the reward's dang high. And w/ the Bandolier, fear aura, and late game AC as backup Banner, that standard risks dwindle (and one can play it safe/not Plant when facing more fantastic risks later).
As for targeting a Banner, it's much like if a Wizard had to cast directly from their spellbook held in their hands (et al). It's an RPG conceit to say spellbooks are safe if the Wizard takes a modicum of care, but brazenly holding it in front of one's enemy? Or planting it on the ground to spout even more magic on its own?? Yeah, that's a target in both cases IMO, and why I'd recommend at least one non-Banner Offensive Tactic for every Commander.
A few Brandish Tactics in, most sapient enemies will recognize (at least w/ Expert+ Tactics vs. veteran enemies) that that Banner's a threat they should consider neutralizing. Heck, one might want to go for big, metallic objects as one's Banner and Plant Banner might be worthwhile for just the bonus Hardness on one's "eggs". I suspect the conceit with Commanders will become that if you wear it on your back or animal & don't Brandish it, enemies won't target it (and arguably most won't even know to target it, as non-Banner banners are a thing, plus there are the new magical ones). Not that it's easy to target, so there's that.
Not sure what Plant Banner looks like to enemies as compared to flag-bearer sticks pole in ground in audacious display. Sure they'll want to smash it, but that seems secondary to active combatants charging oneself. And that's assuming they even recognize it as a banner (much less Banner), since Commander lists many alternatives, like a fan.
There's definitely some question as to whether there is any sort of magical emanation from the banner, or any sort of identifiable effect. I feel like there has to be, or at least should be.
Not sure about using metallic banners. The examples given are cloth, thing leather, and thing wood. As a GM, if I were to be generous I might say yes to thin metal, and at best you might get hardness and hp like a steel shield. Which still isn't going to be that challenging to destroy.
As you mention there are ways to mitigate the risk.
Although I would definitely encourage any Commander to split the risk by taking a decent amount (50%?) of non-banner tactics.
Plant Banner gives high Hardness, at least high enough a peon will struggle with destroying it. But the hit points remain low, or even very low because yeah it has to be those flimsy examples or "...some other highly visible and item of negligible or light Bulk." (sic, AoN) Seems there's a missing word there. And it's only affixed to, not sketched/engraved on, the larger items like a weapon, shield, or pole which would have separate hit points. So it really is a banner, not just a rallying symbol. That's a shame. I'd had one concept of impaling the heads of my enemies on a spear for a banner; visible indeed, but probably 1 Bulk. :-)
Plant Banner releases a burst, not emanation. Of what? Who knows, but it's not listed as magical and can't be purely emotional as it works on all allies, even non-sapient, mindless. It's kinda a story conceit re: "leadership" w/ some hand waving.
I'm a bit wary that some hardnose GM's might have your throwing weapon return to the bandolier, but not what's attached to it. :-/
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I really wish they just gave the banner a specific HP and hardness, and let us as players imagine it as whatever we want without mechanical consequence in that regard.
As it stands, choosing thin wood is probably the best choose* as it has the highest hardness and HP.
*As far as things that are explicitly called out in the banner description. It's unclear if it could be thin steel or what other materials are/aren't appropriate.
Which means you could end up with a wide range of HP and hardness.
What kind of Banner?
One you can Plant in one action (so not on your back or shield) and that isn't your main weapon. One trick I hesitate to mention is putting the Banner on a Free-Hand weapon. Then when you retrieve your Banner, you should be wielding it, which means you retain a free hand.
And make it metal. So a gauntlet which also gives us "throwing down the gauntlet" vibes to begin a battle.
The objectively correct answer to this question is a Sturdy Shield with Shield Augmentation to give the Shield the Thrown 10 feet trait once you reach level 6 and take Claim the Field. You get the most durable banner available (by far) and all the benefits that come from Claim the Field. The 10 foot range is inconsequential when most people plant the banner right next to themselves anyway.
Trouble is that the Banner is affixed to the shield, it's not the shield itself. Otherwise yeah, we could choose an adamantine anything.
I can't recall any "magic fabrics" off the top of my head that fill the role like Darkwood or Dawnsilver do. The latter's famously light, so maybe a fine mail banner? I doubt I'd allow it, holding to the principle it should probably be light enough to wave. Maybe the Elves know some trick with leaves like w/ Leaf Weave (which resembles leather, is as sturdy as thin wood...which in fantasy battles wouldn't be sturdy at all).
AoN's Materials page gives me Dreamweb, Rare (and deservedly so).
Maybe weave something out of the hair of a creature w/ notoriously strong locks? Like that watery Fey that grapples with it? CR 12+ IIRC, and arguably magically empowered, losing that when severed.
A "personalized totem" looks like the only loophole, which means as a GM I'd feel obliged to keep possibilities in the same ballpark as the others listed. Otherwise it could be anything, which wouldn't be so bad, if like Claxon suggested it came w/ fixed Hardness & Hit Points. But for now, there are real mechanical consequences to one's choice, yet the severe limits on choice make it seem like there weren't meant to be.
Trouble is that the Banner is affixed to the shield, it's not the shield itself. Otherwise yeah, we could choose an adamantine anything.
This doesn't matter, because:
"An unattended banner has the base Hardness and Hit Points of a standard item of its type (usually cloth, thin leather, or thin wood; GM Core 252) or the Hardness and Hit Points of the object it is affixed to, whichever is greater."
So...yeah. Do in fact choose Adamantine anything, once you're able to afford it. But for early levels, Sturdy Shield with the Thrown shield augmentation is your best bet, by far.
Trouble is that the Banner is affixed to the shield, it's not the shield itself. Otherwise yeah, we could choose an adamantine anything.
This doesn't matter, because:
"An unattended banner has the base Hardness and Hit Points of a standard item of its type (usually cloth, thin leather, or thin wood; GM Core 252) or the Hardness and Hit Points of the object it is affixed to, whichever is greater."
So...yeah. Do in fact choose Adamantine anything, once you're able to afford it. But for early levels, Sturdy Shield with the Thrown shield augmentation is your best bet, by far.
OMG, Paizo should have reprinted that in the Commander Banner entry!
For Plant Banner I'd likely start w/ a steel gauntlet; w/ +4 Int you'd get Hardness 15, which should survive anything or waste so much times it's worth the 1-minute afterward replacing it. And for the Free Hand trait.
Hmm, but then again, an enemy might grab/attend/un-unattend the banner then target the fabric part specifically, a.k.a. tear the banner off the shield/hard thing. It's odd that that rule specifies Unattended, as if ownership alters its properties (even if there's a degree of immunity bestowed by possession).
Separately I'm wondering if improvised weapons should count as weapons or would that defeat the whole purpose of the description? Probably not, since that would explode into "anything handheld".
A banner can already be anything handheld, since it can be:
"Your banner might be a literal flag or pennant, a decorated fan, a personalized totem, or some other highly visible and item of negligible or light Bulk."
I could literally just be a baton, like this made of whatever material you can think of.
As for first level, I'd classify a gauntlet the same as a steel shield, hardness wise (because a gauntlet is both a weapon and armor, but it's pretty thin armor, certainly not any more durable than a shield or sword) and let you use it, sure. It skirts the requirement of being highly visible but that's a minor quibble.
And as for tearing the banner off, it is both excessive and a waste of actions. Just grabbing the banner and running off is bad enough since it completely shuts down all your commander abilities, and the only way to get it back is killing the creature or disarming it.
TheFinish, where did you find the rules that says the banner takes on the hardness and hit points of the object it is affixed to?
I can't locate that text....but honestly I feel that's even worse (from a consistent rules) perspective.
I'm doubling down that Paizo needs to just establish specific hp and hardness for the banner (including whatever its affixed to) and that it shouldn't matter it looks like or describe it.
TheFinish, where did you find the rules that says the banner takes on the hardness and hit points of the object it is affixed to?
I can't locate that text....but honestly I feel that's even worse (from a consistent rules) perspective.
I'm doubling down that Paizo needs to just establish specific hp and hardness for the banner (including whatever its affixed to) and that it shouldn't matter it looks like or describe it.
It's the last paragraph of the description of the Commander's Banner Class Feature, Battlecry, page 22.
Or in the main Commander Details page of Archives of Nethys, whichever you prefer (I usually stick to the books since AoN sometimes forgets to copy stuff over or just does it wrong).
I don't see what's particularly wrong with it, to be honest. If you never plant your banner, it's statistics do not matter at all. It occupies the same place a Wizard's spellbook occupies: an item integral to class function that cannot be meaningfully interacted with save for the GM wanting to make a plot point of it.
If you do plant it, there are more than enough safe options to make destroying it so time consuming you're winning the action exchange anyway. The big problem is how easy it is to steal and how hard it is to retrieve it if it happens. It makes Claim the Field basically mandatory if you want to plant the banner and even then that's no guarantee since Claim the Field's effect is Incapacitation, which means higher level foes might just yank it anyway.
Okay yeah, I see it now.
So....destroying a banner will actually be pretty hard (depending on what you affix it to) but that just means the enemy is going to unplant it, and maybe steal it.
As to why the statistics matter, because unlike the wizards spellbook there are mechanical benefits and reasons for the Commander to plant their banner in the middle of combat. A wizard doesn't need their spellbook mid combat. And the rules go out of the way to say that people can interact with it to end the benefits. They can damage it or interact to "unplant" it, possibly running away with it. While Claim the Field does mean that the enemy now has to make a save to remove it, it is likely still worth while.
An on level enemy is going to succeed on the save around 50% of the time (maybe better). And unless they critically fail (not likely) they can repeat the action at no additional penalty beyond the spent action.
Persumably you have to spend an action to unstrap your shield from your arm before you can plant it, very bad action economy to go that route.
I think a lot of people remain unaware of or have willfully forgotten the remastered strap rules for shields.
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Okay yeah, I see it now.
So....destroying a banner will actually be pretty hard (depending on what you affix it to) but that just means the enemy is going to unplant it, and maybe steal it.
As to why the statistics matter, because unlike the wizards spellbook there are mechanical benefits and reasons for the Commander to plant their banner in the middle of combat. A wizard doesn't need their spellbook mid combat. And the rules go out of the way to say that people can interact with it to end the benefits. They can damage it or interact to "unplant" it, possibly running away with it. While Claim the Field does mean that the enemy now has to make a save to remove it, it is likely still worth while.
An on level enemy is going to succeed on the save around 50% of the time (maybe better). And unless they critically fail (not likely) they can repeat the action at no additional penalty beyond the spent action.
I know statistics matter, but the game does have enough rules to adjudicate those, and even provides examples.
The main problem isn't the game being unclear, it's that nothing except shields scales in HP, so anything but a shield becomes unuseable as levels increase because even though you get quite a bit of Hardness, that doesn't matter if your banner is still a 4 HP cloth pennant.
An easy stopgap solution for GMs and players here is to allow enhancing the banner with Reinforcing Runes, since that will help a ton.
Not much you can do about people yoinking it from the battlefield though.
Persumably you have to spend an action to unstrap your shield from your arm before you can plant it, very bad action economy to go that route.
I think a lot of people remain unaware of or have willfully forgotten the remastered strap rules for shields.
I haven't, but Plant Banner simply says you plant your banner as part of the action, so there's no reason to assume you have to spend an action to detach it in order to do so, whether it's a shield, a pole strapped to your backpack, or a pole strapped to your mount, or something you hold in your hand.
Just like how you don't need to spend an action detaching your shield to throw it if you have the corresponding shield augmentation, or you're using a shield that already has Thrown (like a Razor Disc).
I was imagining a Banner-gauntlet resembling the Infinity Gauntlet comic book covers; quite visible (at least when wielded/Brandished). That said, I'm not averse to saying gauntlets (and other Free Hand weapons) aren't significant enough if only to avoid them having an exceptional Trait that might be unbalancing the hand-use budget of Banners (assuming that was accounted for in design).
Planted Banners (especially w/ their larger auras) should be visible too so no hiding the flag shenanigans, and yeah, maybe there needs to be more oomph to them as a principle.
One does have to account for simple Banner-yoinking, though that is several actions. If they're a significant enemy, that could be a worthwhile trade, especially if it takes them out of position (or you outright planned for it). And if they hightail it, the loss is only for the one battle if you get a minute (another oddity about Banners; they can be slapdash). Given how many enemies have excellent Athletics (counting at least as Trained IMO), Disarm remains a risk too, at least for some Banners. And I wouldn't want my Banner-weapon to Strike any gooey critters, those often stick to or dissolve weapons. And a Banner on a shield you want to Block with has occasional issues.
And then there's the notion of fake banners. Since a Banner can be slapped together in a minute, how hard could that be to duplicate? (and if a Snarecrafter, one might want several lures.) That circles back to what actually occurs with some of these Tactics/feats. Heck, start shouting in random languages as if a Commander. Players see the distinction of rounds as a mechanical phenomenon, but in-world the battle's blurrier. Was that a Tactic or a mere suggestion?
Hmm. Had not expected extrapolation to unearth so many issues.
When it comes to Hardness, Plant Banner feat adds Hardness to the Weapon or Pole the banner is attached to equal to the Commander's Int modifier+level.
Here is what I am wondering about Plant Banner, especially a banner like a battle flag (as that is how I envision them. I know they can be other things, and that's good.). What if a Commander did the following sequence of events:
Action 1: Plant Banner.
Action 2: Any one action, non-Brandish, Tactic.
Action 3: Grab the Banner. Not pull it out of the ground, but just Grab it so that it is not unattended and hence can't be stolen.
In Subsequent Rounds, spend 1 action to Grab each round. You'd give up PC mobility, and you could not use any Brandish tactics, but I think it would keep the Plant Banner benefits and prevent theft.
What do other people think?
When it comes to Hardness, Plant Banner feat adds Hardness to the Weapon or Pole the banner is attached to equal to the Commander's Int modifier+level.
Here is what I am wondering about Plant Banner, especially a banner like a battle flag (as that is how I envision them. I know they can be other things, and that's good.). What if a Commander did the following sequence of events:
Action 1: Plant Banner.
Action 2: Any one action, non-Brandish, Tactic.
Action 3: Grab the Banner. Not pull it out of the ground, but just Grab it so that it is not unattended and hence can't be stolen.In Subsequent Rounds, spend 1 action to Grab each round. You'd give up PC mobility, and you could not use any Brandish tactics, but I think it would keep the Plant Banner benefits and prevent theft.
What do other people think?
As a GM, I would probably rule that the banner is either planted or not. And if you're holding it, I would say it doesn't count as planted. Basically I would rule that you can't have a superposition where you can get the benefits of planting it, while also not having the drawbacks.
That said, it is definitely worth discussing if the benefits to drawback ratio is appropriate.
But as a GM my ruling is that in order to get the benefits of being planted, it also needs to have the drawbacks (can be destroyed or "unplanted" as an interact action).
Lia, I agree w/ Claxon re: gripping, but note that the temp h.p. don't go away if you retrieve your Banner. And you can use a 1-action Brandish Tactic before or after this. So Brandish for Protective Screen or Coordinating Maneuvers or even The Bigger They Are at Master Level, followed by Plant Banner for a burst of temp Hit Points for 1 round. Then retrieve it because you dislike the risk.
If you have Fighters & others w/ Strike Reactions vs. movement, you could pretty safely 2-action Brandish & Plant Banner for the first round then retrieve it at the beginning of the second round for another 2-action Brandish. For most enemies it'd be either too difficult or painful to push past the front line and also grab the flag (if they even can recognize its threat and have a free hand). When party & enemies intermingle, choose to suit.
For an MCD Commander (esp. backrow like archer or caster) it feels like an easy transaction just to Plant Banner and allow an enemy to spend their actions on it. Especially so if the PC only preps non-Banner Tactics. That's like a free False Vitality for all allies hit in round one, w/ possible recharges and a Slow 1 (or worse) whenever an enemy does attempt to grab it. And if you're still next to it, you might be able to yoink it anyway (and Plant & retrieve again if whimsical). I'd likely avoid doing this w/ a horde of fast peons who have actions & movement to spare, but vs. a boss, sure, ruin your offensive routine w/ this distraction.
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For an MCD Commander (esp. backrow like archer or caster) it feels like an easy transaction just to Plant Banner and allow an enemy to spend their actions on it. Especially so if the PC only preps non-Banner Tactics. That's like a free False Vitality for all allies hit in round one, w/ possible recharges and a Slow 1 (or worse) whenever an enemy does attempt to grab it. And if you're still next to it, you might be able to yoink it anyway (and Plant & retrieve again if whimsical). I'd likely avoid doing this w/ a horde of fast peons who have actions & movement to spare, but vs. a boss, sure, ruin your offensive routine w/ this distraction.
That is kind of...very hard to do. The only tactics that don't rely on your banner are:
- Mountaineering Training
- Naval Training
- Double Team
- Pincer Attack
- Reload
All the others require affecting people in your aura, and per the Banner class feature, you only have that aura while the banner is visible and in your possession. Plant Banner lets the aura keep working when its planted (and makes it bigger), but per the feat you lose the benefits of the feat and all other banner benefits if someone steals it (or destroys it).
So it isn't impossible to do, it just limits you severely and lowers the Commander's battlefield power tremendously.
I think I might have preferred if there were some tactics that only work with a planted banner, and more than currently available that function if your banner isn't available, but probably by the commander themselves having a smaller Aura area focused on just them. With the banner giving them a separate aura area they could effect, and sometimes lob around the battlefield.
As things are, there's decent incentive for an enemy within reach to spend a 3rd action on taking a banner to kill a commander's ability to help their team. If the banner gave a separate aura area from the Commander themselves things would be different.
For an MCD Commander (esp. backrow like archer or caster) it feels like an easy transaction just to Plant Banner and allow an enemy to spend their actions on it. Especially so if the PC only preps non-Banner Tactics. That's like a free False Vitality for all allies hit in round one, w/ possible recharges and a Slow 1 (or worse) whenever an enemy does attempt to grab it. And if you're still next to it, you might be able to yoink it anyway (and Plant & retrieve again if whimsical). I'd likely avoid doing this w/ a horde of fast peons who have actions & movement to spare, but vs. a boss, sure, ruin your offensive routine w/ this distraction.That is kind of...very hard to do. The only tactics that don't rely on your banner are:
- Mountaineering Training
- Naval Training
- Double Team
- Pincer Attack
- ReloadAll the others require affecting people in your aura, and per the Banner class feature, you only have that aura while the banner is visible and in your possession. Plant Banner lets the aura keep working when its planted (and makes it bigger), but per the feat you lose the benefits of the feat and all other banner benefits if someone steals it (or destroys it).
So it isn't impossible to do, it just limits you severely and lowers the Commander's battlefield power tremendously.
Yes, I know, I'd listed those Tactics above. You seem to have overlooked that this Plant-and-forget strategy's NOT a recommendation for Commanders to risk their battlefield power. As stated it's for MCD Commanders. They prep very few Tactics (1 to begin) so lose little (and they have their main class for their battlefield power). And if that PC preps the good Pincer Attack for example, they lose nothing when the Banner falls (other than the Plant Banner effect itself). So not "very hard to do", only one action. I reckon Pincer Attack + Plant Banner (even of unreliable duration) are competitive choices for a 2nd & 4th level feat (if you have the Int & want some 3rd actions).