So far, my only changes to Fighters have been in my Rhunaria homebrew and my Aurelia homebrew. To note though, I run 3.0 rules, so a few of my changes may be redundant in 3.5 (I know at least that Knowledge-War is a fighter class skill in 3.5, frex).
In my Rhunaria campaign, fighters get a few tweaks, mostly minor and improving their options. The greater skills have pleased the group's fighter, and he doesn't seem to have any problem with continuing in the fighter class except for the fact that he's been considering using his character's background to try multiclassing into samurai or the Master Samurai prestige class.
Copied and pasted from my website: "A fighter in Rhunaria adds the skills Balance (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge [War] (Int), Listen (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex) to their list of class skills. Fighters of Rhunaria also gain base skill points of 4 per level instead of 2 per level. Rhunarian fighters gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, natural weapon damage rolls, unarmed strike damage rolls, and grapple check damage rolls, once they reach 9th-level, which increases to +2 at 17th-level. They also increase their base AC by +1 at 13th-level, and again at 19th-level."
"Lastly, fighters add the following feats to their list of selectable bonus feats: Chink In The Armor, Circle Kick, Close-Quarters Fighting, Dragon's Toughness, Dual Strike, Dwarf's Toughness, Flying Kick, Giant's Toughness, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Hold The Line, Improved Grapple, Improved Overrun, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Sunder, Knock-Down, Multidexterity, Off-Hand Parry, Pin Shield, Power Critical, Rapid Reload, Roundabout Kick, Sharp-Shooting, Shield Charge, Shield Expert, and Snatch Weapon. The feats Flying Kick, Improved Grapple, and Roundabout Kick are from Oriental Adventures. Circle Kick, Close-Quarters Fighting, Dual Strike, Hold The Line, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, Knock-Down, Off-Hand Parry, Pin Shield, Rapid Reload, Sharp-Shooting, and Shield Expert are feats from Sword & Fist. Improved Shield Bash and Shield Charge are feats from Defenders of the Faith. The feats Dragon's Toughness, Dwarf's Toughness, Giant's Toughness, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Multidexterity, and Power Critical are from Masters of the Wild. Chink In The Armor and Snatch Weapon are feats from Song & Silence."
My Aurelia campaign has more extensive adjustments to all the classes, but I think my Aurelian fighter is more balanced even against standard core spellcasters.
Aurelian fighters get a base of 4 skill points per level rather than 2, just like my Rhunarian fighters. Their class skills are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Iaijutsu Focus (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all creature lore skills, taken individually) (Int), Knowledge (war) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str).
An Aurelian fighter gets a special Prowess fighting style at 5th-level and every 6 additional levels, like 11th and 17th. Each of these is applied to a particular weapon (a different weapon can be chosen each time, but each Prowess can only be applied once to any given weapon), and useable on any round the fighter wields that weapon, but a fighter can only use one Prowess fighting style each round. The different Prowess styles are Berserker, Deceiver, Defender, Destroyer, Harrier, Pillager, Preserver, Prowler, Rampager, and Thunderer, each giving different benefits and drawbacks when used, but generally the benefits are slightly greater than the drawbacks.
Also, Aurelian fighters gain exclusive access to several additional Special feats, which are selectable as fighter bonus feats as well. I'll put the feats at the bottom of the post.
Lastly, they gain 3 new abilities at upper levels to help them compensate for lacking a spellcaster's high-level attack and defense spells; Agonizing Strike at 13th-level, Warrior's Spirit at 15th-level, and Evade Rays at 19th-level.
Agonizing Strike: A veteran fighter knows how to strike enemies for maximum, debilitating pain, even if that degree of pain is only fleeting. Thus, a fighter of 13th-level or higher can choose to take a -4 penalty on the attack and damage with any weapon attack, natural weapon attack, or unarmed strike, in order to try inflicting extra pain with that attack, by aiming at a particularly painful location on the opponent. The damage penalty is handled like that from a low Strength score, though it does not replace any existing Strength modifier; it is separate. Multiple Agonizing Strikes on a victim are cumulative in effect. For every 10 feet of distance between the fighter and the victim (even in melee with reach), at the time of making the Agonizing Strike attack, the fighter suffers a -2 penalty on all DCs for Agonizing Strike.
An Agonizing Strike must be declared before the attack roll, and the fighter may use this ability with any number of his or her attacks. Agonizing Strike only functions against targets that are subject to both pain and critical hits, and only against foes with discernable anatomy. Agonizing Strike cannot be used if the opponent has 50% or more concealment, or any other 50% or greater miss chance, or three-quarters cover or better, relative to the fighter. An opponent hit by an Agonizing Strike may attempt a Reflex save to avoid the Agonizing Strike effect, but it does not negate the hit itself, just the additional effects from that use of the Agonizing Strike ability. The Reflex DC is equal to 5 + the fighter's level in this class. This represents shifting just enough in position to make the fighter's strike hit a less painful, but no less vital, location. The Reflex save cannot be attempted if paralyzed, immobilized, stunned, or denied a Dexterity bonus to AC against the fighter's attack.
If the Agonizing Strike hits, it deals damage and such as normal, but if it successfully deals any piercing or slashing damage (after resistances and reductions), the victim must roll a Fortitude save to resist a severe, debilitating surge of pain. The save DC is equal to 5 + the fighter's level in this class + the fighter's Intelligence modifier + the fighter's Dexterity modifier. If the opponent fails their save, the debilitating pain incurs a -2 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, Reflex saves, ability checks, skill checks, and any other rolls that specifically require concentration, focus, patience, or calm.
Additionally, as long as an Agonizing Strike's effect persists, the victim's capacity to focus on special abilities and techniques is disrupted, such that the victim must succeed at a Concentration check in order to successfully cast, manifest, or activate any spell, power, ability, or item that requires concentration, focus, patience, or calm. The victim also must succeed at such a check each round in order to maintain concentration on any given abilities, spells, powers, or effects of these sorts, if they already require concentration to maintain. The DC for these Concentration checks, which are separate from any others, is equal to 10 + the fighter's level in this class + the fighter's Intelligence modifier + the fighter's Dexterity modifier. This Concentration check is attempted before any others, and failing this check prevents the victim from using the relevant ability, spell, power, or item that round, but wastes the same kind of action, for this round only, that would've been used to successfully activate it otherwise.
The effects of each successful Agonizing Strike, if the victim failed their save, last for 1 minute (10 rounds), or 30 seconds (5 rounds) if the character failed their save by 5 points or less. The effects of each Agonizing Strike can also be negated by fully healing the damage dealt by that Agonizing Strike, through any means, even if it takes multiple effects or multiple rounds for the healing; in these cases, though, the effects of the Agonizing Strike only fade after its duration or after all the damage from it has healed. If the Agonizing Strike caused a bleeding wound, such as with a magic weapon with the wounding quality, that damage must also be healed before the Agonizing Strike's effect will fade; however, regardless of such additional damage, the Agonizing Strike effect still fades once its own duration has passed.
Warrior's Spirit (Ex): Fighters of 15th-level are quite experienced at resisting magical and psionic effects, and their significant degree of personal development rather than magical development has made them more resistant as well. The fighter gains +2 on saving throws against magical effects, and on saving throws against psionic effects.
Evade Rays (Ex): A fighter of 19th-level is experienced enough to notice the signs of a magical or psionic ray, and take proper measures to evade or deflect it. Whenever the fighter is subject to a magical or psionic ranged touch attack (including a magic or psionic weapon that is somehow being used for a ranged touch attack instead of a normal ranged attack), the fighter gains a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against that attack, or +4 if wearing magical or psionic armor. This increases by +2 if wielding a magical or psionic shield or melee weapon, as the figher has learned how to use such an item's infused magic to actually deflect a magical or psionic ray. Wielding multiple such items does not further increase the bonus. Armor, shields, or weaponry that is only temporarily magical or psionic does not help this ability of the fighter (though the dodge bonus does apply against any ranged touch attacks by weapons that are only temporarily magical or psionic).
---Aurelian Fighter Exclusive Feats---
Armor Familiarity: On achieving 4th-level or higher, as a feat the fighter may take Armor Familiarity. They must choose a particular type of armor when they take Armor Familiarity, such as studded leather, chain shirt, full plate, or scalemail. Armor Familiarity increases the maximum dexterity bonus of a chosen armor by up to 2 points when the fighter wears such armor. The armor check penalty of the chosen armor is also reduced by up to 2 points when the fighter wears it. Also, Armor Familiarity increases the armor bonus of the chosen armor by +1 when the fighter wears it, but only as long as the fighter is not being denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether or not their Dexterity modifier is positive), as the fighter knows how best to position himself before an attack and allow the thickest armor to take the blow. The fighter must have Dodge in order to gain Armor Familiarity. Armor Familiarity cannot be gained for shields. The fighter may take this feat as a bonus feat or as a regular one, and it may be taken multiple times, but for a different type of armor each time.
Shield Familiarity: On achieving 6th-level or higher, as a feat the fighter may take Shield Familiarity. Shield Familiarity grants the character a +1 dodge bonus to AC when using a shield, and this is cumulative if the character uses multiple shields at the same time. A character with Shield Familiarity also no longer loses the AC bonus from a shield when using it to attack in melee, nor do they lose a buckler's AC bonus when attacking with that arm. Also, a character with Shield Familiarity does not suffer a buckler's armor check penalty on attack rolls when attacking with that arm or any other arm, which may aid certain feats. The fighter must have Dodge in order to gain Shield Familiarity. Shield Familiarity may only be gained once.
Combat Versatility: After achieving at least 6th-level, as a feat the fighter may take Combat Versatility. Combat Versatility reduces the fighter's nonproficiency penalty with all weapons by 1 point. The fighter must have Weapon Focus with at least three different weapons in order to gain Combat Versatility, and those three weapons must differ in more than just size. One must be a ranged weapon, and one other must be a melee weapon. For instance, to qualify for this feat the fighter may have Weapon Focus in the longsword, composite longbow, and battleaxe, but could not qualify with simply Weapon Focus in the shortsword, greatsword, and scimitar. Generally, use a weapon's damage type and general shape as guidelines; for example, there are many kinds of swords, but rapiers and shortswords are used differently, while all maces are similar to morningstars and flails, but a flail is also used differently. The fighter may take this feat as a bonus feat or as a regular one. Combat Versatility may be gained up to three times, in total reducing nonproficiency penalties for weapons by 3, but each of those additional times, the fighter must possess another Weapon Focus feat, with another different weapon.
Weapon Expertise: On achieving 8th-level or higher, as a feat the fighter may take Weapon Expertise. Weapon Expertise grants the fighter a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class when wielding a chosen weapon. If he or she wields more than one weapon of that sort, they multiply this dodge bonus appropriately. If the chosen weapon is a double weapon and is being wielded as such, the fighter gains double the normal dodge bonus from it in this manner. The fighter must have Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with that weapon to take Weapon Expertise. The fighter may not gain Weapon Expertise with a projectile weapon, only with melee weapons and throwing weapons, as projectile weapons are not built durable enough for deflecting or blocking attacks. The fighter may take this feat as a bonus feat or as a regular one, and it may be taken multiple times, but for a different type of weapon each time.
Lethal Blow: On achieving 12th-level or higher, as a feat the fighter may take Lethal Blow. Lethal Blow increases the critical multiplier of a chosen weapon by 1. The fighter must have both Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with that weapon to take Lethal Blow. If the weapon is a ranged weapon, the critical multiplier increase only applies if the target is within 90 feet, because only at that range can the fighter strike precisely enough to hit more effectively. The fighter may take this feat as a bonus feat or as a regular one, and it may be taken multiple times, but for a different type of weapon each time.
Grandmaster: On achieving 14th-level or higher, as a feat the fighter may take Grandmaster. Grandmaster adds a +2 attack and damage bonus with a chosen weapon. The fighter must have Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Weapon Expertise with that weapon to take Grandmaster. If the weapon is a ranged weapon, the damage bonus only applies if the target is within 60 feet, because only at that range can the fighter strike precisely enough to hit more effectively. In addition, the fighter's Weapon Specialization damage bonus with that weapon becomes effective up to 60 feet as well. The fighter no longer automatically misses with the chosen weapon on a natural attack roll of 1. The fighter may take this feat as a bonus feat or as a regular one, and it may be taken multiple times, but for a different type of weapon each time.
thanks for that!
