Heavy Fighters v. Light Fighters: An equal fight?

[Jeff Wilder]

Exactly - Barbarians have all the speed and manouveability of light infantry (not much behind cavlry even) with all the power of heavy infantry

- their the perfect skirmishers and will bet a heavy infantry fighter in a proper fight (proper meaning one where terrain etc is a factor)

I dunno about that. In bad terrain, they're going to trade blows. In a typical situation, a fighter is going to have a vastly better AC than a barbarian ... the barabrian will occasionally miss. Meanwhile, the fighter is going to be using loads of Power Attack, and is still going to hit the barbarian. When each rounds results in trading 15 damage for 25 (or 45 for 75, with Improved Critical), the barabarian's superior hit points aren't going to last very long.

Ignoring the fighter's repetoire of other tricks -- Sundering, Disarming, Combat Expertise, whatever -- it's at best a close match. Throwing in those other tricks, and give me the fighter every day of the week.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Like others have said it's terrain dependent. If the light fighter can stand 1000 feet away from the heavy fighter and just pummel the heavy fighter with arrows till he closes with him he'll definitley win.
And while a barbarian can make good heavy infantry or light infantry it's difficult to be both with one character.

 

[green slime]

Like others have said it's terrain dependent. If the light fighter can stand 1000 feet away from the heavy fighter and just pummel the heavy fighter with arrows till he closes with him he'll definitley win.

While the Heavy is behind a Tower Shield? Do tell...

 

[Bryan898]

It'd depend on the situation as always, and the build of the fighters (which makes which books are allowed a factor). This is almost always the case in D&D which is why the classes and builds are balanced for the most part. The times a class seems unbalanced is when it shines in more situations than the other.

I think the most effective fighter build would look something like this: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Combat Reflexes, Hold the Line (AoO vs charging opponents), Combat Expertise, Elusive Target (negates power attacks of the person you target your dodge with), Improved Combat Expertise, Close Quarters Fighting, & Improved Trip. At later levels I'd start picking up weapon focus & specializations to keep up with damage.

He/She wields a longspear or similar reach weapon, uses spring attack to hit them and run. Most opponents would be forced to charge him to respond, which would allow him an AoO (free attack). If needed to play tank, he can easily hold off foes with Improved Combat Expertise, while his allies pepper them from a distance. If surrounded he can use Whirlwind attack and Combat Expertise rather effectively, while causing the big bad guy in the group to hit his own with Elusive Target (when two opponents flank you, the one you designate your Dodge bonus too automatically misses on the first attack and instead attacks his ally). IMO this is a powerful fighter capable of handling many threats, and can adapt to many types of combat. Most heavy fighters would fall to him in a tactical environment. However in your standard 20 x 20' room, the tank would win. If you include the tank having a mount and spirited charge, the tank wins. There's plenty of situations where the tank wins, but I think the more versatile fighter is the better fighter.

 

[Victim]

Of course, it's largely irrelevant whether heavy or light fighters win in one versus one fights. I'd say that whichever type is more useful in a group of characters is more important than who wins in a one versus one fight. Ammend that to mixed group; a player can't control what his friends play.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Victims' point is an excellent one. In my campaign the party came up against a mature red dragon. The rogue moved into a flanking position, the party tank sprang attack in and out (he'd had bad experiences going toe to toe with dragons and giants at much lower levels).

Rogue looks at dragon, dragon looks at rogue. Rogue curses fighter from afterlife.

Sometimes if you are the party tank, Spring Attack is another way of leaving your mates in the lurch!