A sword&board dwarf fighter

[comareddin]

What would be an optimum 3rd level sword&board dwarf fighter with feats, stats etc...

Com

 

[dagger]

Since you are going fighter(and will have extra feats), you should take a look at the Heavy Armor Optimization feats in Races of stone.

 

[Parlan]

What would be an optimum 3rd level sword&board dwarf fighter with feats, stats etc...

Com

Dude, you need to give us a little more info if you want detailed responses.

What stats do you have? Is it point buy?

Do you want to be a damge dealer? A tank who can take it all day?

 

[Jeff Wilder]

By going sword-and-board, you've already chosen defense over offense. (A solid choice for a dwarf.) Don't back away from that now. Use a flail as your primary weapon. It allows you to make trip attacks. (It might also be worthwhile to petition your DM to allow you to use a modified dwarven waraxe that allows trip attempts at +2, at the cost of an exotic weapon proficiency.)

Combat Expertise. Improved Trip. (Touch attacks are relatively easy to make, even when you're at -3 for Expertise. Then you get an attack on the prone guy at a net +1. And if you fail to trip, you're very difficult to trip in return.) Weapon Focus or EWP or Improved Unarmed Strike (to attack to trip even if you don't have a weapon that allows tripping). Iron Will or Improved Toughness.

You might even want to go with a tower shield, accepting further penalties to hit in exchange for being nigh-untouchable in most melee situations.

 

[Shallown]

I have a higher level sword and board fighter that went for two weapon fighting, shield bash and oversized two weapon fighting. lets me shield bash and wack with my longsword. I eventually got a bashing shield and used it as my primary weapon. I knew I was gonna take penalties so I went for as many attacks aas I could to make up for it. It is feat intensive which is fine for a fighter and his High Ac lets him hang in to whittle away at opponents since he doesn't inflict huge amounts of damage. He is a solid tank though.

later

 

[SelcSilverhand]

If you're using 3.5 and your DM allows you to use the Lords of Madness book, there is a feat in there called Parrying Shield that lets you apply your shield + it's enhancement bonus to your Touch AC. I plan on using it on my NPC's to counter a touch-specialized warlock in my campaign.

 

[Legildur]

Since you are going fighter(and will have extra feats), you should take a look at the Heavy Armor Optimization feats in Races of stone.

Need BAB +4 for the lesser feat, but a good solid feat for a dwarf nonetheless.

Titan Fighting from the same book is also pretty useful for large size opponents.

Jeff Wilder's idea about tripping with the dwarven waraxe is achievable with the Exotic Weapon Master PrC from Complete Warrior using the Trip Attack exotic weapon stunt. But that wouldn't be available until 7th level.

Jeff also suggested a tower shield, which is pretty useful for defense.

An impenetrable (relatively) dwarf fighter 3 might have Dodge, Titan Fighting, Combat Expertise, and Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe). Equipment would be full plate, tower shield, dwarven waraxe and light crossbow. Primary abilities would be Strength and Constitution, with a minimum Intelligence of 13 (to qualify for Combat Expertise) and Dexterity of 13 (to qualify for Dodge).

Usual AC would be 23 (10 base + 8 armor + 1 dodge + 4 shield) and 26 against size large or larger opponents. Throw in Combat Expertise and you can add a +3 dodge bonus to both of those figures. Okay, so your mobility, swimming checks and attack bonus sucks, but you could swap Wpn Focus for Goad and soak up the attacks while your buddies wail on the bad guy.

Progression could include Heavy Armor Optimization (4th level) and Greater Heavy Armor Optimization (8th), Improved Combat Expertise, and possibly the dwarf ftr8 racial subsitution level from Races of Stone.

A defending weapon would be useful at some point and the usual magical items.

 

[Parlan]

Combat Expertise. Improved Trip. (Touch attacks are relatively easy to make, even when you're at -3 for Expertise. Then you get an attack on the prone guy at a net +1. And if you fail to trip, you're very difficult to trip in return.)

If you have Imp Trip then you cannot be tripped in return when you fail your trip attempt.

 

[JimAde]

If you have Imp Trip then you cannot be tripped in return when you fail your trip attempt.

I don't think this is right. Some weapons let you avoid being tripped in response (by dropping the weapon) but as far as I know the feat just lets you avoid the AoO. Some monsters have an ability that lets them do what you describe but I don't think the feat does.

 

[moritheil]

If you have Imp Trip then you cannot be tripped in return when you fail your trip attempt.

Improved Trip [General]

Prerequisites

Int 13, Combat Expertise.

Benefit

You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.

If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.

Normal

Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed.

Can you supply a source for that assertion, Parlan?