Playing Like Celebrim - The Fighter

Celebrim

Legend
When I first saw the 3.0 Fighter I was in love with the simplicity elegance of the class. And at low levels, the class proved to be about the strongest in the game, dominating opposing monsters with its early advantages in AC, combat manuevers and attack bonuses. Unfortunately, these advantages don't really last and by 7th level, the Fighter has really seen its heyday and you can start to foresee the relative pointlessness of the class played at above 11th level. It's basic problem is that that elegance means linearity. My first few revisions were equally elegant, but still suffered from the same problem. Eventually I decided some of the elegance would have to go. However, I wanted the class to stay true to its roots as a simple elegant class where you did ordinary things with extraordinary ability and not turn the fighter into a spellcaster in disguise as so many many others have done.

Below is the Fighter as it currently exists in my game. As such, it's going to be very hard to judge outside of the context of my game and all the baggage that brings with it. To that end, I'm going to try to collect some of my homebrew feats together to give a feel for what the class is capable of. Of course, I'm not the actual author on all of these feats. Some of them are WotC feats or class abilities that I've modified or repurposed. Some are from the netbook of feats. Others are or are inspired by third party material. Quite a few are mine, including some that predate me finding similar ones in other products (and obviously all the ones that reference my unique rules are mine). I've lost track of what comes from where, but I'd happily add citation if anyone wants to claim something.
 
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Celebrim

Legend
Fighter
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10
Requirement: Strength 9
Class Skills: The fighter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Leadership (Cha), Porter(Str), Ride (Dex), Run (Str), Swim (Str), and Tactics (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The fighter is proficient in the use of all simple and martial weapons and all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields.

Code:
[B]Table: The Fighter[/B]Level	
[B]Base Attack Bonus	Fort 	Ref 	Will 	Special[/B]
                             Save           Save       Save
1st	+1	          +2	+0	+0	Bonus feat
2nd	+2	          +3	+0	+0	Bonus feat
3rd	+3	          +3	+1	+1	Veteren’s Composure
4th	+4	          +4	+1	+1	Bonus feat
5th	+5	          +4	+1	+1	Bonus feat
6th	+6/+1	          +5	+2	+2	Captain-at-Arms +3, Weapon Mastery
7th	+7/+2	          +5	+2	+2	Bonus feat
8th	+8/+3	          +6	+2	+2	Bonus feat
9th	+9/+4	          +6	+3	+3	Hero’s Mettle
10th	+10/+5	          +7	+3	+3	Bonus feat
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+3	Bonus feat
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Warrior’s Will, Weapon Mastery
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Bonus feat
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+4	Bonus feat
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Captain-at-Arms +6
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5	Bonus feat
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Bonus feat
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Bonus feat, Weapon Mastery
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Bonus feat, Bonus feat
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Bonus feat, Bonus feat

Bonus Feats: The fighter gains bonus feats in addition to any general feats that they would normally be eligible for. These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list: Ambidexterity, All-Out Attack, Armored Grace, Armored Speed, Beatdown, Blind-Fight, Boxer, Brawler, Close Quarters Fighting, Combat Intution (The Right Place at the Right Time, Uncanny Reflexes), Combat Leadership, Combat Reflexes (Counter Attack, Defensive Throw, Hold the Line, Improved Combat Reflexes, One Man Gang, Press the Attack, Reflex Set, Riposte, Roll With the Punches), Counter Moves, Dead Aim, Death Blow, Dodge (Defensive Strike, Mobility, Sidestep, Spring Attack, Tornado Attack, Turn your Strength to my Advantage), Distance Keeping, Duelist, Exotic Weapon Proficiency*, Combat Expertise (Canny Defence, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Shield Mastery, Whirlwind Attack), Expert Tactician (Perceive Weakness, Wary), Fighting Withdraw, Full Fisted, Heavy Infantry, Hoplite, Infighting, Improved Clinch, Improved Critical*, Improved Flail, Improved Initiative (Combat Surge, Grace), Improved Feint, Improved Flail, Improved Parry (Superior Parry), Follow Up Attack, Improved Precision, Improved Unarmed Strike (Circle Kick, Deflect Arrows, Flying Kick, Great Throw, Lethal Weapon, Roundabout Kick, Size Is No Obstacle, Stunning Fist, Superior Unarmed Strike), Inspiring Leadership, Loyal Defender, Lunge, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Mounted Dodge, Mounted Focus, Mounted Tactician, Tall in the Saddle, Trample, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, One Shot One Kill, Precise Shot, Shot on the Run), Near and Far (Up and Down), Power Attack (Avalanche Attack, Cleave, Cleave Asunder, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun (Charge Through), Sunder, Superior Cleave, Overwhelming Attack, Power Lunge), Quick Draw, Rank Fighting, Rapid Reload, Secret Technique, Shield Focus (Covering Defence), Skirmisher, Stand Firm, Supporting Tactics, Swarming, Teamwork, The Joy of Battle, The Hand is Mightier than the Blade, The Riddle of Steel, The Red Haze of Battle, Two-Weapon Fighting (Double Strike, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Off-hand Parry, Superior Two-Weapon Fighting), Weapon Finesse* (Fencing Stance), Weapon Focus* (Greater Weapon Focus), Weapon Mastery, Weapon Specialization* (Greater Weapon Specialization), Wrestler.

Some of the bonus feats available to a fighter cannot be acquired until the fighter has gained one or more prerequisite feats. A fighter can select feats marked with an asterisk (*) more than once, but it must be for a different weapon each time. A fighter must still meet all prerequisites for a feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

Veteren’s Composure: On achieving 3rd level, the fighter has become somewhat annealed to the horrors of war and takes a +4 bonus on Horror saves related to violence or its aftermath. The fighter may be deeply and emotionally affected by these things, but they don’t shake his composure.
Captain-at-Arms: On achieving 6th level, the fighter becomes accustomed to giving commands to other fighting men, and adds a +3 bonus to any Leadership skill check with respect to characters with at least one level of fighter. On achieving 15th level, this bonus increases to +6.
Weapon Mastery: At 6th level and again every 6 levels thereafter (12th, 18th), the fighter receives Weapon Mastery as a bonus feat.
Hero’s Mettle: Beginning at 9th level, versus any spell which offers as a saving throw type, ‘Fortitude Partial’, if the Fighter succeeds in his saving throw, he suffers no effect.
Warrior’s Will: Beginning at 12th level, versus any spell which offers as a saving throw type, ‘Will Partial’, if the Fighter succeeds in his saving throw, he suffers no effect.
 
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Alexander123

First Post
Good effort Celebrim, I'm not sure if this will fix the fighter class though.

The reason being that the fighter becomes less capable of comparing with the higher tier classes due to the disparity between casters and non-casters.

I think that the fix to some extent for non-caster classes came out of the Tome of Battle although I don't own the supplement myself, I have heard great things about it.

My suggestion is to either leave the fighter for lower level play or simply keep it for dipping.

In a magical world, no mundane class will be able to compete so I don't think those who try to provide some support for making the martial classes viable at the higher levels should be derided as turning the figher into a "spellcaster in disguise".
 

Celebrim

Legend
ALL-OUT ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You fight savagely.
Benefit: When taking the offensive fighting special maneuver, you receive a +2 bonus to damage on all your melee attacks that round.
Normal: You receive only a +2 bonus to hit and not a +2 bonus to damage on your melee attacks when using the offensive fighting maneuver.

ARMORED GRACE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are at ease in armor.
Prerequisite: Dex 11, Armor Proficiency (Light)
Benefit: The armor check penalty of armor you wear is reduced by up to 3 with respect to the balance skill and with respect to fast mounting or dismounting a horse using the ride skill. The arcane spell failure chance is reduced by 15%.

ARMORED SPEED [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are not hampered by your armor.
Prerequisite: Dex 11, Str 11, Armored Grace, Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Armor Proficiency (Heavy)
Benefit: You may move at your full speed while wearing medium or heavy armor. Your speed may still be reduced for other reasons, such as if you are carrying a medium or heavy load.

AVALANCHE ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Str 13, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Cleave, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Superior Cleave, base attack bonus +11
Benefit: You may combine a full attack action with a charge attack, provided you make at least a 5’ step between each of your iterative attacks. You no longer have to stop a charge when you move adjacent to your target. This movement draws attacks of opportunity as normal. You may combine this maneuver with a flailing attack or offensive fighting stance, but not with a defensive fighting stance or combat expertise.

BATTLE COORDINATOR [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your advice and assistance in a battle is almost invaluable.
Prerequisite: Int 11, 5 ranks in Tactics
Benefit: Whenever you successfully aid an ally with the aid other action, you can extend the same bonus to either every ally that is adjacent to you, or every ally which is engaged with an enemy you are adjacent to (your choice). In order to be eligible to receive this bonus, the ally must be capable of communicating with you in some manner.

BEAT DOWN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
When you score a solid hit, you use the moment of shock and pain in your opponent to follow up with an immediate attack into the same opening.
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, BAB +6
Benefit: When you score a critical hit on a target, if your next attack in the same round on the same target hits, it automatically threatens a critical hit.

BOXER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can take a punch.
Prerequisite: Con 13, Toughness
Benefit: You reduce the amount of nonlethal damage you take from each physical attack that inflicts nonlethal damage by an amount equal to your Con bonus.

BRAWLER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can throw quite a punch.
Prerequisite: STR 13+, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit: You are treated as one size class larger for the purpose of determining your unarmed strike damage. This stacks with other effects that increase your unarmed strike damage.

CANNY DEFENSE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your shrewdness protects you from attack.
Prerequisite: Int 13, base attack bonus +2, Combat Expertise
Benefit: With respect to melee attacks, you gain a dodge bonus to your armor class equal to your intelligence bonus, if you are wielding a melee weapon and wearing light or no armor and have no more than light encumbrance. The bonus granted by this feat cannot exceed half your base attack bonus.

CHARGE THROUGH [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can overrun enemies when charging.
Prerequisites: Str 13, Improved Overrun, Power Attack, base attack bonus +2.
Benefit: When making a charge, you can attempt to overrun one creature in the path of the charge as a free action. If you successfully overrun that creature, you can complete the charge. If the overrun is unsuccessful, the charge ends in the space directly in front of that creature.
Normal: You must have a clear path toward the target of your charge.

CHINK IN THE ARMOR [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can find weaknesses in your opponent’s defences.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Combat Expertise, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: As a standard action, you may make a single attack on an opponent. This attack ignores up to half the armor bonus of the target.

CIRCLE KICK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can kick two attackers at the same time.
Prerequisite: Dex 15, base attack bonus +3, improved unarmed strike
Benefit: As a full round action you may make an unarmed attack on any opponent in your threat range. If your attack succeeds, you may add one and a half times your normal strength modifier to the damage and you may immediately make a second attack with the same attack modifier on any other opponent within your threat range at the time of the first attack. If this attack succeeds, you also add one and a half times your normal strength modifier to the damage you do.

CLEAVE ASUNDER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are trained in following through when you break an opponent's weapon or shield
Prerequisite: Cleave, Improved Sunder
Benefit: When attacking an opponent's weapon, shield or other held object, if the object is broken, you can immediately make another attack at the same attack bonus against the same opponent or another object he or she holds. You can use this ability only once per round.

CLOSE QUARTERS FIGHTING [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are skilled in defending yourself from grapple attacks.
Prerequisites: Base combat bonus +3.
Benefit: Whenever an opponent attempts a grapple with you, you may add the damage you do as the result of a successful attack of opportunity to your AC to resist the grapple. Furthermore, you gain an attack of opportunity even if your opponent has improved grab.

COMBAT INSIGHT [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are particularly good at seeing how you can make a difference in a fight.
Prerequisites: Int 13, base attack bonus +3, Tactics 1 rank
Benefit: Whenever you successfully take an aid other action to assist an ally in melee combat, that ally gets a +4 circumstance bonus to hit on all attacks for that round.
Normal: Whenever you successfully take an aid other action to assist an ally in combat, the ally gets a +2 circumstance bonus to hit on all attacks for that round.

COMBAT IMPROVISATION [GENERAL, EXPLORER]
You can make almost anything into a weapon.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +2
Benefit: When making an attack with a weapon you are not proficient with, or with a weapon in which no proficiency is possible, you receive only a -2 penalty to attack.
Normal: You receive a -4 penalty for lacking proficiency in a weapon.

COMBAT INTUITION [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have an almost supernatural ability to sense when danger is coming.
Prerequisites: Wis 13
Benefit: You may add your wisdom bonus to initiative checks.
Special: Combat Intuition can be used in place of Improved Initiative for all feats that have Improved Initiative as a prerequisite.

COMBAT LEADERSHIP [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can share your tactical acumen with your allies.
Prerequisites: Tactics 4 ranks, Leadership 4 ranks, at least one eligible feat
Benefit: Once per round, with a successful DC 15 leadership check, you may grant an ally for one round a bonus feat, provided you already have the feat and it is one of the following eligible feats: chink in the armor, combat surge, expert tactician, fighting withdraw, heedless charge, hold the line, make the most of it, press the attack, stand firm, teamwork, and wait for the moment. With a successful DC 25 leadership check, you may grant a bonus feat to every ally within 30’. Each ally must receive the same bonus feat, and you may only attempt to grant feats once per round. In order to use this feat, you must be able to communicate effectively with your ally.

COUNTER-ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know how to take advantage of openings in your opponent’s defense.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise
Benefit: If an enemy's attack misses and their melee attack roll against you is a natural 2 or less, you may make an immediate attack of opportunity on your opponent.

COUNTER-MOVES [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know how to counter combat maneuvers.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1, Combat Reflexes
Benefit: If an opponent attempts to bullrush you, circle you, clinch with you, disarm you, overrun you, sunder your weapon, trip you, or grapple you, or attempts to feint or distract you, then you have a +4 bonus to the opposed roll to resist their maneuver. The DC of a tumble check to pass through a square you threaten without drawing an attack of opportunity is increased by 4.

COVERING DEFENSE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are skilled at protecting yourself and your allies with your shield.
Prerequisites: Shield Focus, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When you use the total defense action while using a light, heavy, or tower shield, you can provide a full cover against all ranged or reach attacks to an adjacent ally your size or smaller if those attacks pass through your square.
Normal: You normally provide half cover against ranged or reach attacks that pass through your square.

DEAD AIM [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
If you take your time, you rarely miss.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Point Blank Shot, Far Shot.
Benefit: Before making a ranged attack, the character may take a full-round action to line up your shot. This grants the character a +2 circumstance bonus on his or her next attack roll. Once the character begins aiming, he or she can't move, even to take a 5-foot step, until after the character makes his or her next attack or the benefit of the feat is lost. Likewise, if the character's concentration is disrupted or the character is attacked before his or her next action, the character loses the benefit of aiming.

DEAD EYE [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
You throw weapons with exceptional accuracy.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, weapon proficiency in at least 3 throwing weapons
Benefit: The critical multiplier of any weapon you throw is increased by 1 (x2 becomes x3, x3 becomes x4, and so on). This stacks with any other benefits that increase the critical multiplier of a weapon.

DEFENSIVE STRIKE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your counter attack is particularly effective.
Prerequisites: Dex 13+, Int 13+, Dodge, Combat Expertise
Benefit: If an opponent attacks you while you are taking the full defensive action, if all of that opponent’s attacks miss, then you gain a +4 bonus to hit on all of your attacks in the following round.

DEFLECT ARROWS [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Benefit: Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted. If you deflect the attack with a weapon or shield, you must have the appropriate proficiency. If you deflect the attack with an unarmed strike, you must have at least one hand free.
Attempting to deflect a ranged weapon doesn’t count as an action. Thrown weapons larger than your size class, missile weapons of more than three size classes larger than your size class (such as siege weapons or a bow fired by a huge creature), and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be deflected.

DEFENSIVE THROW [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use your opponent's weight, strength and momentum against him, deflecting his attack and throwing him to the ground.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Benefit: If the opponent you have chosen to use your Dodge feat against attacks you and misses, you may if you desire make an immediate trip attack against the opponent. This attempt counts against your allowed attacks of opportunity in the round.

DISTANCE KEEPING [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are an expert with long weapons.
Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise
Benefit: You gain an additional +2 dodge bonus to your AC when you parry an attack if your weapon is of a larger size class than your opponent’s.

DUELIST [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are especially skilled at facing foes when the odds are equal.
Prerequisite: base attack bonus +1
Benefit: Whenever you face a foe which is armed with the same melee weapons that you are armed with, you receive a +1 bonus to hit that foe in melee combat, and a +1 dodge bonus with respect to melee attacks from that foe.

EXPERT TACTICIAN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use your intelligence to your best advantage.
Prerequisite: Int 13+, base attack bonus 3+
Benefit: Whenever any adjacent opponent is deprived of their dodge bonus, you may make an extra attack on that opponent at your full BAB. You may only take one extra attack per round, even if more than one opponent is deprived of their dodge bonus.

FENCING STANCE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You defend well with a single light weapon.
Prerequisite: Weapon Finesse
Benefit: When employing a single melee weapon for which you have Weapon Finesse in one hand, and using the other hand for balance only, your defensive stance improves, granting you a +2 Dodge bonus to Armor Class with respect to melee attacks. You lose this bonus whenever you lose your Dex bonus or are flanked.

FIGHTING WITHDRAW [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know how to get yourself out of trouble.
Prerequisite: WIS 13, BAB +1
Benefit: Whenever you take the Withdraw action, you may take the Total Defence action as a free action.
Normal: The Total Defence action is a standard action.

FLYING KICK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, 4 ranks of jump
Benefit: You may make an unarmed charge attack on any opponent within range of your jump (if you fail to jump far enough, the attack is wasted.) If the attack succeeds, you may do unarmed damage as if you were two size classes larger than normal, and you may add twice your normal strength modifier to the damage you inflict.

FOLLOW UP ATTACK [GENERAL, EXPLORER, FIGHTER]
You move fluidly between attacks
Prerequisite: Base Attack Bonus +6, 5 ranks Run
Benefit: You may take a single 5' step in between the attacks you make as part of a full attack action. This counts as your 5' step for the round.

FULL FISTED [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
You can hurl several tiny throwing weapons at once.
Prerequisite: DEX 15+, BAB +2
Benefit: Whenever you make an thrown weapon attack with a weapon two size classes smaller than you and which you are proficient with, you may elect to throw an additional such weapon at the same target with the same attack action. For instance, you may throw two daggers or four shuriken. If you do so, you must take a -2 penalty on all attacks that round.

FULL MOUNTED ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride by Attack, base attack bonus 6+, Ride 1 rank.
Benefit: You may take the full attack action even if your mount makes more than a 5’ step, however, your mount must make at least a 5’ step between each of your attacks and your mount can make no attacks except overrun and trample.

GRACE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your movements in combat are as graceful as they are deadly.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: You gain an additional +2 bonus on initiative checks provided you wear light or no armor. This is cumulative with your bonus from dexterity and the improved initiative feat.

GREATER POWERFUL CHARGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Powerful charge, Medium-sized or larger, base attack bonus +4
Benefit: As powerful charge but treat yourself as being one size larger.

HEAVY INFANTRY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are trained to perform as heavy infanty.
Prerequisite: Tactics 4 Ranks, Base attack bonus +1
Benefits: You are capable of performing the following tactics.
Legionaire: When formed in a shield wall, you gain a +2 bonus on reflex saves against spells or spell-like effects, and you are treated as possessing evasion. (If exposed to any effect which allows a reflex save for half damage, on a successful save the character takes no damage.)
Professional: You can take 10 on a tactics skill checks to fight in Close Formation, Fight in Ranks, Form a Phalanx, or Form a Shield Wall regardless of distractions.
Weight of the Formation: You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to hit for each rank of heavy infantry formed up behind you, to a maximum of a +3 bonus.

HEEDLESS CHARGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: When you conduct a charge, you may take a -4 penalty to your AC to gain a +4 bonus to hit on your attack.
Normal: When you conduct a charge you take a -2 penalty to your AC and gain a +2 bonus to hit on your attack.

HOLD THE LINE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes
Benefit: You may make an attack of opportunity against any opponent that makes a charge attack into an area you threaten.

HOPLITE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have trained in the use of a two-handed spear and shield together
Prerequisite: Shield Proficiency, Proficiency with the appropriate weapon
Benefit: Provided you are proficient in the weapon, you can use a either a half spear, short spear, long spear or pike two-handed and still get the full advantage of a large shield.

IMPROVED CIRCLE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are master of positioning your opponent where you desire.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Tactics 1 Rank
Benefit: You have a +2 bonus on circle maneuver checks. If you fail a circle maneuver check, you do not draw an attack of opportunity.
Normal: When you initiate a circle maneuver and fail, you draw an attack of opportunity.

IMPROVED CLINCH [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have mastered the art of fighting at very close quarters.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +3, Dodge
Benefit: When you clinch an opponent, you have a base +4 dodge bonus to AC, and a base +4 circumstance bonus to attack rolls against the opponent in addition to any benefits you have due to size.
Normal: When clinched, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC and a +2 circumstance bonus to attack rolls against the opponent you closed in on.

IMPROVED COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are exceptionally quick and alert in combat.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, base attack bonus +11
Benefit: You may make an attack of opportunity against a foe every time he makes an action which would draw an attack of opportunity up to your maximum number of attacks of opportunity in a round even if you have already made an attack of opportunity against that foe.
Normal: You may only make one attack of opportunity against a foe each round.

IMPROVED PARRY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are better at defending yourself by warding off attacks.
Benefit: Whenever you attempt to parry an attack, you get a +4 bonus to your AC. You can parry attacks even if you are not currently fighting defensively.
Normal: Whenever you attempt to parry an attack, you get a +2 bonus to your AC. In order to parry an attack, you must be fighting defensively.

IMPROVED PRECISION [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
You make very accurate strikes.
Benefit: Whenever you make an attack and threaten a critical hit, you may add your base Reflex saving throw bonus to the roll to confirm the critical hit.

IN FIGHTING [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to hit with light weapons while grappling.

INSPIRING LEADERSHIP [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You inspire others to utilize untapped reserves they didn’t know they had.
Prerequisites: Chr 13, Leadership 5 ranks
Benefit: You gain the following three abilities.
Don't Die on Me!: You gain an additional leadership ability. As a standard action requiring a DC 15 leadership check, you grant an ally a bonus on their fortitude save to remain conscious equal to your charisma bonus. This ability is subject to the normal modifiers for making leadership checks.
Move! Move! Move!!!: You may add your charisma bonus to the circumstance bonus you grant when using aid other to assist someone's strength or strength based skill check, or you may with a successful aid other check grant them a number of ranks in the run or porter skill equal to your charisma bonus for 1 round. You must be able to successfully communicate with the target you are aiding to use this skill.
Watch yourself!: Once per round, you may make a leadership check as a swift action.

INTERCEPTING ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can make lightning fast attacks.
Prequisite: Base reflex save +6, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: As a standard action, you may make a single melee attack on a target. This attack ignores up to half the dodge bonus to the target’s AC.

LETHAL WEAPON [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know longer need to carry a weapon; you are a weapon.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +6, Combat Reflexes, Improved Unarmed Strike, Superior Unarmed Strike
Benefit: By learning the science of attacking with your whole body, you have become a true master of unarmed combat. While making only unarmed attacks, carrying nothing in your hands, and having no armor check penalities, you may act as if you had the following virtual bonus feats even if you do not meet the requirements for them: power attack, improved flail, improved trip, superior cleave, and improved parry.

LOYAL DEFENDER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are capable of taking advantage of the drop in an opponent’s defenses when they attack your friends.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Combat Intuition, Combat Reflexes, The Right Place at the Right Time, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: If a foe you are adjacent to attacks an ally that you are also adjacent to, that foe draws an attack of opportunity from you. You may only make one such attack on each foe per turn, regardless of the number of attacks of opportunity you have.

MARK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know how to focus your attention on a single foe.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge, Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: If you draw an attack of opportunity from the foe you’ve designated with your dodge feat, you do 1d4 bonus damage if the attack succeeds. Additionally, you draw an attack of opportunity if that opponent is adjacent to you and takes the Withdraw action.

MASTER TACTICIAN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are adept at reacting to changing circumstances.
Prerequisite: BAB +2, Int 13, Tactics 5 Ranks
Benefit: Whenever you take the Ready action, you may ready two separate actions each with its own trigger.

MOUNTED DODGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You may avoid attacks to yourself or your mount.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge, Mounted Combat, Ride 1 rank.
Benefit: You can choose to use the Mounted Combat feat to evade attacks against yourself as well as those against your mount. Either use counts against the limitation on how often Mounted Combat can be used.

MOUNTED TACTICIAN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can move your mount to your best advantage.
Prerequisite: Int 13+, Canny Defense, Combat Expertise, Expert Tactician, Mounted Combat, Ride by Attack, base attack bonus +6, Ride 1 rank
Benefit: Provided your mount moves no more than its normal move, you may negate a number of attacks against your mount using your ride skill each turn equal to 1 plus your intelligence bonus. Furthermore, when you make a normal attack action while mounted, you may make the attack at any point in your move, and your mount may move both before and after the attack in any direction provided the total distance moved is no greater than the mounts normal movement.

MUGGER [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
You can make a follow up attack when you initiate a grapple.
Prerequisite: Str 13, base attack +1
Benefit: When you successfully initiate a grapple, you may follow up with an immediate attack action just as if you had not used your attack action to initiate a grapple.

NEAR AND FAR [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your skill with long weapons is extraordinary.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1, proficiency with a reach weapon
Benefit: When using a weapon with reach that you are proficient in, you may attack adjacent foes as well as those within the reach of your weapon. You still do not threaten adjacent squares, and you may not attack an opponent in an adjacent square that has successfully used the Clinch combat maneuver and which is currently benefiting from same.

OFF-HAND PARRY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are especially good at using your off-hand to ward off attacks.
Prerequisite: Improved Parry, Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +3
Benefit: When fighting with a two weapon style, you may hold any number of attacks with your off hand and instead use them to parry any attacks made against you before your next turn. If you do, you do not expend an attack of opportunity.
Normal: Parry attempts expend one of your attacks of opportunity.
Special: If you also have the shield proficiency feat, you may make a parry with a small shield or buckler.

ONE MAN GANG [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are especially skilled when fighting multiple opponents.
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Countermoves, Lunge, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: You may use this feat whenever you take a full attack action and there are multiple enemies in your threat zone. For the next round, you negate the bonus granted to any opponent by an aid ally action to assist in attacking you. For the next round, your opponents receive ½ the normal bonus to attack for flanking you. For the next round, attempts to initiate a grapple with you have a -4 penalty. If you make a melee attack on a foe – whether or not the attack is successful - that foe has a -2 circumstance penalty to hit you for one round so long as you also made an attack on a different foe during the same round.

ONE SHOT, ONE KILL [GENERAL, FIGHTER, HUNTER]
You have devastatingly precise aim.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Dead Aim, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: Whenever you would take a full attack action with a missile weapon, you may forgo all your attacks but the first one. If you do, on a successful hit you do 1d8 bonus damage for each attack that you forgo.

ONE TWO PUNCH [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have lighting fast fists.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit: Whenever you are eligible for an attack of opportunity, you may make one additional attack provided all the attacks you make are unarmed strikes.

OVERWHELMING ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You smash through your foes defenses.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack
Benefit: Your weapon counts as being one size class larger for the purpose of determining whether a foe may parry your attack. Whenever an opponent fights defensively, your attacks ignore up to half the armor class bonus that they receive for doing so.

PERCEIVE WEAKNESS [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can exploit the vulnerabilities in your opponent’s fighting style.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Expert Tactician
Benefit: Chose a single opponent. If you are engaged in melee combat with that opponent for three straight rounds in which you fight defensively for each round, thereafter you gain a +2 insight bonus to AC with respect to attacks from that opponent and a +2 insight bonus to attacks on that opponent for the remainder of the encounter.

POWER LUNGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use your whole body to develop power for an attack.
Prerequisites: Str 13, Lunge, Power attack
Benefit: Prior to engaging in a charge attack, you may declare you are using this feat. If you do so, you draw an attack of opportunity from the creature you charge, but if your attack is successful you may double your usual strength modifier for the purpose of calculating the damage you do.

POWERFUL CHARGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Medium-sized or larger, base attack bonus +1
Benefit: If you make a charge attack, the first attack you make at the end of your charge does bonus damage as determined by the following table.

Size Bonus Damage
Medium-Sized +1d8
Large +2d6
Huge +3d6
Gargantuan +4d6
Colossal +6d6

PRESS THE ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You aren’t easy to get away from.
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: Whenever an adjacent opponent takes a 5’ step out of your threat zone such that you are no longer in their threat zone, you may at your option enter into the square that the opponent just vacated. You do not draw an attack of opportunity for this movement from that opponent if you do so, though the movement may draw attacks of opportunity from any of the opponent’s allies.

RANK FIGHTING [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are trained to strike past friends using reach weapons
Prerequisite: Weapon proficiency with a reach weapon, base attack bonus +1
Benefit: You can ignore the normal 50% cover provided by a friend in between you and your opponent when striking with a reach weapon. You make such attacks with no penalty.
Normal: A friend in the way of a reach weapon attack provides 50% cover, and thus gives a +4 bonus to the target's AC.

RAPID RETALIATION [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can quickly take advantage of lapses in your opponent’s defenses, even while concentrating on your own defense.
Prerequisite: Reflex save +3
Benefit: When you are fighting on the defensive or using the combat expertise feat, you may ignore the penalty to hit on attacks resulting thereby when making attacks of opportunity.

REFLEX SET [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have honed your reflexes to the point where it is second nature for you to set your weapon against a charging enemy
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Hold the Line
Benefit: When making an attack of opportunity against a charging foe with a weapon which may be set against a charge, you may treat your weapon as if it were set to receive a charge without taking a ready action.

RIPOSTE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know how to take advantage of openings in your opponent’s defense.
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Countermoves, Improved Parry, base attack bonus +3
Benefit: If you successfully parry an attack (if your opponent’s attack roll failed by less than the dodge bonus you gained by parrying), you may immediately make an attack of opportunity on the attacker provided you have an attack of opportunity remaining.

ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use your reflexes to reduce the damage of blows.
Prerequisite: DEX 13, Dodge, Combat Reflexes
Benefit: When fighting defensively, if you are not flanked or denied your DEX bonus to AC, you reduce the amount of damage you take from any melee attack by 1. Furthermore, provided you are not flanked or denied your DEX bonus to AC, you may reduce the amount of non-lethal damage you take from an attack doing non-lethal damage by an amount equal to your DEX bonus.

SECRET TECHNIQUE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You have mastered a secret advanced combat style which gives you an enormous advantage in some circumstances.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +13, At least one qualifying feat
Benefit: Select a feat which you already have from the following list: Cleave (including Great Cleave and Superior Cleave), Cleave Asunder, Close Quarters Fighting, Counterattack, Expert Tactician, Flashy Attack, Hold the Line, Improved Trip, Loyal Defender, Mugger, Power Lunge, Riposte, or Round About Kick. Whenever you make an attack using the chosen feat, every hit you make automatically threatens a critical hit.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Each time you do, it applies to a new feat.

SHIELD FOCUS [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You’ve spent considerable effort training in the use of a shield.
Prerequisites: Shield Proficiency
Your shield’s armor bonus increases by 1. You lose this effect if you are flanked or whenever you would lose your dexterity bonus.

SHIELD MASTERY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use a shield to a maximum effect.
Prerequisites: Shield Proficiency, base attack bonus +1
If you are wielding a small shield, it grants a base +2 armor bonus rather than its normal +1 bonus. If you are using a large shield, it grants a base +4 armor bonus rather than its normal +2 bonus. If you are using a tower shield, it grants an additional +2 armor bonus which does not penalize your attacks. You lose this effect if you are flanked or whenever you would lose your dexterity bonus.

SIDESTEP [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility
Benefit: If the opponent that you’ve designated from your dodge feat charges you, the opponent’s gains only one half the usual attack bonus for a charge. However, you may not use this feat and ready a weapon against a charge in the same round.
When you are the target of a bullrush attack, your opponent gains no advantage due to superior size. If you successfully defend against the bullrush attack you may choose to move the attacker either into the space they moved out of or into the opposite space adjacent to you and directly in their line of travel.
When you are the target of an overrun attack, you have a +4 competence bonus on the check to resist the overrun if you resist with a dexterity check.

SIZE IS NO OBSTACLE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are a master at using the proper leverage.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Dex 13, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Throw, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +9
Benefit: For the purpose of throws, you are treated as being one size class larger than you are, and have a +4 circumstance bonus to effective Strength. This will reduce the distance you can be thrown, increase the distance you can throw, and increase the maximum size of object you may throw.

SKIRMISHER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are trained to fight in the open.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Dodge, Tactics 1 Rank, Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: Provided your armor check penalty does not exceed -2, you can use the following tactics.
Peltast: If you have a throwing weapon in hand at the beginning of a charge action, you may throw the throwing weapon as a free action before the charge at your full base attack bonus.
Pull Back: Whenever you take the withdraw action, you may move an additional 10’.
Skirmish Line: Once per round, when the opponent you designated with your dodge feat enters your threat zone, you may make a 5’ step provided this would bring you adjacent to your opponent. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the designated opponent.

STUNNING FIST [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Wis 13, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +8.
Benefit: You must declare that you are using this feat before you make your attack roll (thus, a failed attack roll ruins the attempt). Stunning Fist forces a foe damaged by your unarmed attack to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Wis modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is stunned for 1 round (until just before your next action). A stunned character can’t act, loses any Dexterity bonus to AC, and takes a –2 penalty to AC. You may attempt a stunning attack once per day for every four levels you have attained (but see Special), and no more than once per round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be stunned.

SUPERIOR CLEAVE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Str 13, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Cleave, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, base attack bonus +8
Benefit: As Great Cleave, except that you may take a 5’ step between each extra attack up to the limits of your normal move.

SUPERIOR OVERRUN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can overrun multiple targets.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Con 17, Hard as Nails, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Toughness, Tough as Leather
Benefit: When using the Overrun combat maneuver, you may overrun any number of opponents in your movement path so long as you move in a straight path. In addition you may move twice your base movement rate by making the Overrun combat maneuver a full round action instead of a standard action. If you fail a contested maneuver check at any point, the maneuver ends as normal.

SUPERIOR PARRY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your skill in defending yourself from attacks is unequaled.
Prerequisite: Combat Reflexes, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Parry, Base attack bonus +11
Benefit: You may parry any number of melee attacks each round which come from the same opponent up to the limit of your attacks of opportunity for that round.
Normal: You may only parry one attack per attacker each round.

SUPPORTING TACTICS [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You make everyone around you better.
Prerequisite: Base Attack Bonus +1, Tactics 4 ranks
Benefit: Whenever you are eligible to make an attack of opportunity, you may forgo that attack and instead use aid other as an immediate action assisting any ally which is also in combat with the foe you were eligible to attack. This action counts against the number of attacks of opportunity you may make in a round, but does not count as an attack of opportunity against the foe. If the foe latter draws another attack of opportunity from you, you may respond to that opportunity either by activating the feat a second time to aid a different ally or making a normal attack of opportunity.

TALL IN THE SADDLE [GENERAL, ARISTOCRAT, FIGHTER]
Prerequisites: Mounted combat, Ride 4 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +4 circumstance bonus whenever you use your ride skill to negate an attack on your mount.

TEAMWORK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Benefit: You gain twice the usual bonus to hit from flanking whenever an opponent is flanked by another character that also has the teamwork feat.

THE JOY OF BATTLE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
A good fight clears your mind like nothing else.
Prerequisite: Proficiency with martial melee weapon, base attack bonus +10
Benefit: If you’ve made a melee attack in the last round, or if you’ve been the object of a melee attack in the last round, you have a +4 morale bonus to save against mind affecting spells and spell effects.

THE HAND IS MIGHTIER THAN THE BLADE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are yourself a weapon.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack, base attack bonus +16
Benefit: You ignore the first 10 points of DR when making any melee attack.

THE RED HAZE OF BATTLE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You fight better when you’ve been well blooded.
Prerequisite: Con 13, Courage, Proficiency in a martial melee weapon, base attack bonus +12
Benefit: If you have been reduced by an attack to 50% or less of your hit points, you receive a +2 dodge bonus to your AC, a +2 bonus to all your melee attacks, and may make one additional attack of opportunity each round for the remainder of the encounter.

THE RIDDLE OF STEEL [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You understand battle, and battle understands you.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Proficiency with a martial melee weapon, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: Any weapon which you attack with (including your unarmed attacks) gains a +1 enhancement bonus (maximum +10) per full +6 BAB you have, and any such weapon counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of overcoming DR. This bonus does not stack with the weapons existing enhancement bonus (if any).

THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
Your intuition lets you put yourself in a position to aid your friends.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Combat Intuition
Benefit: Once per round, if a foe you are adjacent to attacks an ally that you are also adjacent to, the foe receives a circumstance penalty to their attack roll equal to your wisdom bonus. You must specify which attack the penalty applies to before the roll is made.

TORNADO ATTACK [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can combine your whirlwind attack with a 5-foot step, moving and striking in a whirlwind of deadly blows.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Str 13, Cleave, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Power Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Base attack bonus +12.
Benefit: You can take a 5-foot step while making your Whirlwind Attack, allowing you to attack all opponents within range before and after your 5-foot movement. This requires a full-attack action, you can only strike at an individual opponent within range once and you are still limited to one 5-foot step per round. All restrictions and benefits to your 5-foot movement apply normally.

TURN YOUR STRENGTH TO MY ADVANTAGE [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You can use the momentum of your opponent against them.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Dodge
Benefit: When a foe makes a charge attack on you and you are not flat footed, they suffer a -4 penalty to AC until their next action rather than the usual -2 penalty.
Normal: A charging creature suffers a -2 penalty to its AC.

UNCANNY REFLEXES [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You sense danger before it happens.
Prerequisite: Wis 13, Combat Intuition
Benefit: You may add your wisdom bonus to your Reflex saving throws.
Special: You may use this feat in place of Lightning Reflexes as a prerequisite to any feat which has Lightning Reflexes as a prerequisite.

UP AND DOWN [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You exploit the mechanical leverage of your long weapons.
Prerequisite: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Near and Far, base attack bonus +2, proficiency with a reach weapon.
Benefit: When using a weapon with reach which you are proficient in, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all rolls when you make a trip attack. If you fail in your trip attempt your opponent may not make a trip in return.
Normal: When you fail in a trip attempt, your opponent may attempt to trip you in return.

WAIT FOR THE MOMENT [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You know just when to strike.
Prerequisite: Int 13
Benefit: Whenever you take the delay action, you gain a +2 competence bonus on your to hit rolls until the beginning of your next turn. You cannot activate this ability if you are already at the end of the initiative order.

WEAPON MASTERY [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are practiced with many weapons.
Prerequisites: base attack bonus +3
Benefit: Choose three related weapons (such a three bows, three axes, three two-handed weapons, three finesse weapons, etc.). For any feat you take which applies to one of these weapons, it automatically applies to the other weapons in the group.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat you can create a new group of three weapons or extend an existing group to include two new weapons.

WRESTLER [GENERAL, FIGHTER]
You are good in close.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to your grappling checks.
 

Celebrim

Legend
Good effort Celebrim, I'm not sure if this will fix the fighter class though.

Hold that thought a bit.

The reason being that the fighter becomes less capable of comparing with the higher tier classes due to the disparity between casters and non-casters.

It's my opinion that this disparity is at least in part artificial. I mean yes, when it comes to something like 'Wish', it's hard to find a mundane equivalent to that amount of narrative power. But, there are other ways to achieve narrative power and impose your will on the setting.

I think that the fix to some extent for non-caster classes came out of the Tome of Battle although I don't own the supplement myself, I have heard great things about it.

There are a lot fans of ToB, and I wish them the best with it. I think that you could have a great campaign with maybe nothing but the ToB classes. But, to me ToB (and to a lesser extent Iron Heroes) travel to far into the 'everyone is a spellcaster model'. They just don't feel like martial classes to me. They feel like spell casters with weapons for focuses.

In a magical world, no mundane class will be able to compete so I don't think those who try to provide some support for making the martial classes viable at the higher levels should be derided as turning the figher into a "spellcaster in disguise".

Let's be clear here; I'm providing some support for making the martial classes viable at the higher levels. Clearly I don't think every thing you do to make a martial class more powerful is 'spellcaster in disguise'. 'Spellcaster in disguise' refers to having game limitations like 'cooldowns' ('per encounter' or 'daily' included) on powers that don't have strong in world relationships to the actual ability. Blizzard kinda pioneered this stuff with Diablo II (compare with Diablo I) and World of Warcraft, and it can be a fun mechanic but it doesn't feel 'fighter-ish' to me.

You also have to keep in mind that I'm coming at this from both ends. Not only am I boosting the fighter and other martial classes up, but I'm pushing magic down a little. The goal isn't to make a high level fighter absolutely as powerful as a high level wizard or cleric, but simply to get them within a tier or two of each other. You might start reading with the meta-thread here.
 

ValhallaGH

Explorer
One idea I've been kicking around for the last few days is a Fighter feat to deal with Force effects.

Something like:
Spell Battler
Requires: Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Sunder, Improved Critical
Benefits: As a move action you can create an opening in Force effects, large enough to move yourself through (these close after your turn). As a standard action you can sunder a Force effect, effectively destroying it.


Still very rough, and intended to give Fighters an option against a few of the "You lose" spells. Needs adjustment and playtesting, but I thought it might be a useful starting point for you.
 

Rhun

First Post
I haven't read through all of your feats yet, but I like where you are going with the fighter. Anything to give them a higher level power bump is okay in my book.
 


Celebrim

Legend
I haven't read through all of your feats yet, but I like where you are going with the fighter. Anything to give them a higher level power bump is okay in my book.

A lot of people are voicing this sort of statement, and I know what you mean by it, but I want to beg your pardon for picking on you but what you literally said is as far from my intentions as can be.

It's the easiest thing in the world to give the fighter a power bump. For example, I could give the fighter Wish once per day per class level as a spell-like ability and that would in a single stroke solve the fighter's power issues. That goal isn't merely to give the fighter a power bump, laudable though that may be. In fact, to a certain extent that isn't even this rewrites principle design goal. To me, even more important than having your base classes be balanced, it's important that your base classes actually be base classes.

By that I mean that a base class should be sufficiently broad, that if you had a party of 6 adventurers, and all 6 were fighter classed, that there would be enough diversity available in the class that they did not feel they were necessarily stepping on each others toes. That is to say, there ought to be more than one build of a base class, and there ought to be ways particularly to play 'smart fighters', 'wise fighters', 'charismatic fighters', 'tough fighters' and so forth as well as simply obvious things 'strong fighters'.

To a certain extent, I've only hinted at that thus far, but I would like to think that by reading this you get some hints as to why I don't think my rules need a dedicated Swashbuckler class, or Marshall class, or even Monk class much less things like Knights and Samurii's and other mechanical variation for its own sake. And if you can't see that from what's going on, then understand this is just a slice of the feats available and some combat oriented feats aren't in the fighters bonus feat list but are intended to be the core of his general feat progression (if you decide to go that way).

The other very important thing when redesigning the fighter is that it maintains the core ideas of the class so that it feels like a 'fighter' and not something else in martial drag to replace the fighter. Specifically, the thing that is most attractive and distinctive about the original design of the 3rd edition fighter is that all of its class powers are customizable via selection of bonus feats. I've tried to maintain that design as much as possible, and in particular I've tried to avoid turning feats into spells with arbitrary limits like '1/encounter' or '1/day' as you might see in Monte Cook's 'Iron Might' or 4e D&D or Tome of battle.

One of my other goals that you can tease out from what I've given so far is to ensure that NPC fighters remain creditable threats to high level characters for reasons of world cohesion. One of the problems D&D has typically had is that the world described of castles and armies doesn't seem to match the mechanics of the world. It would seem that a wand of fireballs would obselete the entire notion of armies. It would also seem that ordinary elite soldiers of 3rd or 4th level are helpless against average adventures (to say nothing of the average town gaurd). One of my goals in the fighter class has been to make one of their distinctive traits - "Works well with other fighters" - so that the notion of gaurds and armies make some sense in the game world.
 

the Jester

Legend
Nice stuff here. If I was playing 3.x I would definitely steal some of your feats if nothing else.

I like your approach a lot; I don't want a fighter that's a caster in disguise either! And I absolutely agree with you when you say:

Celebrim said:
It's my opinion that this disparity is at least in part artificial. I mean yes, when it comes to something like 'Wish', it's hard to find a mundane equivalent to that amount of narrative power. But, there are other ways to achieve narrative power and impose your will on the setting.

Nice work!
 

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