Uncanny Initiative (Tactical Feat)

[Ferrum]

In a friend’s campaign I’m playing a dwarf-like Barbarian/Fighter, and having some real fun with him. He’s got all the good stand-by’s for feats, Weapon Focus/Spec: Greataxe, Power Attack, Blindfight, Cleave… but in going for the raging fury of damage and destruction I envision him, I’ve got all the rage, damage and destruction, but I’m not feeling the fury.

I wanted to add some speed to him, make him seem more break-neck in battle, and the only thing I saw to even come close to that is Improved Initiative, which is boring. I thought about it a bit and wondered why there was no feat tree based off of Imp Init, since trees did wonders for such yawners as Dodge, Imp Unarmed Strike and PB Shot.

My bundle of butt-whoop also has the Complete Warrior Tactical feat “Combat Brute” and having liked the way that was laid out, I thought I could try a Tactical feat along the same lines with Imp Init as a prereq. Here it is:

Uncanny Initiative (Tactical)

You employ exceptional speed and awareness in combat.
Prerequisites: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, BAB +6
Benefit: Uncanny Initiative enables the use of three combat maneuvers.

Pre-emptive Strike: If player did not initiate an attack during the previous round, he may make an attack of opportunity at his full attack bonus when he himself is attacked before his initiative. If he takes a full attack action on his initiative, this attack of opportunity counts as his first attack and he may only make second and subsequent attacks. He may take any other standard action on his initiative. Attacks of Opportunity do not count as initiated attacks.

Quick Attack: Once per encounter the player may trade his attack bonus 1-for-1 to improve his initiative, to act before one target opponent or ally. He cannot increase his initiative by a greater number than his BAB. If he has enough BAB, he moves to one number higher than the target's initiative. If he doesn't have enough BAB to pre-empt the target, he converts all his BAB, and ends up where the trade-off would put him in the initiative order.

Accelerated Reaction: Player may make a move action at the end of initiative during a surprise round.


I think it needs some tweeking, I don’t want to find out later that I can exploit it to some disgusting extent. I’d appreciate any Comments, suggestions or ideas.

 

[the Jester]

Nice idea, though I don't see Power Attack as an appropriate prereq- maybe Dash or Dodge or something.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Short comments:
Preemptive strike.. the double tracking of 'not attacked in the round before' and 'loses first attack in the next round' is weird. Perhaps just the latter, so he can still do Full Attack the turn after a Preemptive Strike but not get the highest attack bonus.
Perhaps word as "Gain the ability to ready a melee attack against a melee attack as a free action. Doing so expends your highest attack in next round, you still may use other iteritive attacks and other attacks from sources such as TWF."

Quick Attack:.. limit this to once per combat and have it cost a Move Action or scratch it. Any mechanic that allows a character to continually climb the cyclic initiative is bad. Perhaps instead of something like 'Gain +2 bonus to hit on any AoO or readied attacks." And yes, this would impact the above re-written Preemp Strike.

Accelerated Reaction: Instead of granting the Move action at the end of the surprise round, just grant the character a normal set of actions during the surprise round. This may seem overpowered at first, but then you have to be able to act in the surprise round in order to take advantage of it.

eh, I dont particularly like the feel of the whole thing, but I tend to avoid Tactical Feats anyway.

 

[RamYaz]

Uncanny Initiative

Intriguing idea...why not substitute the Power Attack pre. for Dodge (as the Jester said) and change the Quick Attack option for an extra Standard (non-Attack) or Move Action?

 

[Ferrum]

Short comments:
Preemptive strike.. the double tracking of 'not attacked in the round before' and 'loses first attack in the next round' is weird. Perhaps just the latter, so he can still do Full Attack the turn after a Preemptive Strike but not get the highest attack bonus.
Perhaps word as "Gain the ability to ready a melee attack against a melee attack as a free action. Doing so expends your highest attack in next round, you still may use other iteritive attacks and other attacks from sources such as TWF."

With preemptive strike I am essentially trying to give the player an always readied attack, so long as he's not already focused on combat. I suppose looking at it that way, it would probably be more balanced to say it's a readied standard action attack, instead of an AoO, and not allow a follow-up full attack remainder on his initiative. I want to keep the requirement of having not initiated an attack on the previous initiative, otherwise this could effectively result in the player always having the benefit of highest initiative in combat.

Quick Attack:.. limit this to once per combat and have it cost a Move Action or scratch it. Any mechanic that allows a character to continually climb the cyclic initiative is bad. Perhaps instead of something like 'Gain +2 bonus to hit on any AoO or readied attacks." And yes, this would impact the above re-written Preemp Strike.

I had to rewrite the post several times because the board kept eating it. The limit of once per encounter was part of Quick Attack originally, I must have just forgotten to write it down on my 4th try. I completely agree that allowing the player to continually up his initiative order would be broken. Editted original post to reflect the change.

Accelerated Reaction: Instead of granting the Move action at the end of the surprise round, just grant the character a normal set of actions during the surprise round. This may seem overpowered at first, but then you have to be able to act in the surprise round in order to take advantage of it.

I'll run that by my DM and see what he thinks.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Felon]

Accelerated Reaction sounds like its easily good enough to qualify as a feat unto itself. And it's not really tactical, as it doesn't require any special set-up on the part of the character (other than passively making a Spot or Listen check).

Accelerated Reaction: Instead of granting the Move action at the end of the surprise round, just grant the character a normal set of actions during the surprise round. This may seem overpowered at first, but then you have to be able to act in the surprise round in order to take advantage of it.

Getting a full-attack action during a surprise round is extremely powerful. This is on the level an epic-level feat.