Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
What's the best soldier build? As in, the best race/class/feat combination for a person whose profession is fighting wars?
After reading Band of Brothers I've determined that it'd be fun to play a soldier. A capable combatant who is good at dishing damage to others while avoiding it himself. Someone who is cautious (he's no hero; he wants to live to fight another day--or go home) but effective.
I'm thinking crossbow use is a must. You can hit the deck (effective +4 AC vs incoming ranged attacks) and still be able to shoot. Drop behind a bush, and you have concealment. Drop behind a log or rock or corpse, and you have another +4 AC from cover. That's +8 AC and 20% miss chance all from the free action "drop prone", and you're still firing. Sounds like a good start for a soldier, so far. After shooting and assessing the enemy threat, I want this guy to be able to deliver an effective charge/be able to mix it up in melee.
The latest Dragon has expanded crossbows and ammunition, including rules for a double crossbow (still a simple weapon, but take one attack at -2 for both bolts to hit--apply sneak or crits just once) and rules for splintering bolts (crossbow attack that is a 30' cone for 1d6--or 2d6 if two bolts fired from double crossbow). The article also has rules for making steel crossbows (add 300 to cost), which lets you use your crossbow as a mace at no penalty in melee, and allows you to threaten. So, obviously I'm thinking a steel double crossbow with a mix of bolt types is the way to go. Add a relatively compact and effective melee weapon with out-of-combat utility, like a battleaxe, for in-your-face contact with the enemy. And a shortspear (short enough to be carried in an across-the-back sheath) for when you know you'll be facing a charge. Carry a tower shield in one hand (+4 AC, instant cover!) and a loaded crossbow in the other (fire one-handed at -2, or loose the shield as a move action/during a move and then fire at no penalty).
Other equipment: knife, a shovel for digging foxholes (that +4 cover bonus is significant), lantern and oil, rope, spikes, sunrods, smokesticks, thunderstones, and other infantry gear.
Race, class, and feats
I'm thinking Warforged. The immunity to fatique and disease is just too good to pass up. For classes, it's hard to go wrong with Fighter. This character will need to be good at range and in melee AND have survivability feats, so he needs those bonus feat slots.
For feats I'm thinking Adamantine Body, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload, Improved Damage Reduction, Crossbow Sniper, WF and WS: double crossbow (bonus applies to melee and ranged), and the archery feat that deals double damage vs chargers.
Any other ideas/tweaks/concepts for a soldier?
-z
PS: this character in his foxhole behind a bush is +12 AC vs ranged (prone, cover, tower shield) with 20% miss chance. Coupled with a base AC of 18 and DR from adamantine body, that's pretty good protection.
After reading Band of Brothers I've determined that it'd be fun to play a soldier. A capable combatant who is good at dishing damage to others while avoiding it himself. Someone who is cautious (he's no hero; he wants to live to fight another day--or go home) but effective.
I'm thinking crossbow use is a must. You can hit the deck (effective +4 AC vs incoming ranged attacks) and still be able to shoot. Drop behind a bush, and you have concealment. Drop behind a log or rock or corpse, and you have another +4 AC from cover. That's +8 AC and 20% miss chance all from the free action "drop prone", and you're still firing. Sounds like a good start for a soldier, so far. After shooting and assessing the enemy threat, I want this guy to be able to deliver an effective charge/be able to mix it up in melee.
The latest Dragon has expanded crossbows and ammunition, including rules for a double crossbow (still a simple weapon, but take one attack at -2 for both bolts to hit--apply sneak or crits just once) and rules for splintering bolts (crossbow attack that is a 30' cone for 1d6--or 2d6 if two bolts fired from double crossbow). The article also has rules for making steel crossbows (add 300 to cost), which lets you use your crossbow as a mace at no penalty in melee, and allows you to threaten. So, obviously I'm thinking a steel double crossbow with a mix of bolt types is the way to go. Add a relatively compact and effective melee weapon with out-of-combat utility, like a battleaxe, for in-your-face contact with the enemy. And a shortspear (short enough to be carried in an across-the-back sheath) for when you know you'll be facing a charge. Carry a tower shield in one hand (+4 AC, instant cover!) and a loaded crossbow in the other (fire one-handed at -2, or loose the shield as a move action/during a move and then fire at no penalty).
Other equipment: knife, a shovel for digging foxholes (that +4 cover bonus is significant), lantern and oil, rope, spikes, sunrods, smokesticks, thunderstones, and other infantry gear.
Race, class, and feats
I'm thinking Warforged. The immunity to fatique and disease is just too good to pass up. For classes, it's hard to go wrong with Fighter. This character will need to be good at range and in melee AND have survivability feats, so he needs those bonus feat slots.
For feats I'm thinking Adamantine Body, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload, Improved Damage Reduction, Crossbow Sniper, WF and WS: double crossbow (bonus applies to melee and ranged), and the archery feat that deals double damage vs chargers.
Any other ideas/tweaks/concepts for a soldier?
-z
PS: this character in his foxhole behind a bush is +12 AC vs ranged (prone, cover, tower shield) with 20% miss chance. Coupled with a base AC of 18 and DR from adamantine body, that's pretty good protection.
