What's the conventional wisdom on CV's version of Expert Tactician?

[Feldspar]

I'm the party's tank and I'm focused on using Tripping and reach weapons for battlefield control. Its a core campaign, feats and PRC's from the Complete books have to be vetted by the DM and group to be used.

I'm looking at Expert Tactician (the Complete Adventurer version) for my next feat, but before I bring it up to the DM, I was hoping to find out if there's a general consensus on this feat as to whether it was overpowered or not. When answering, it would be useful to include whether you consider yourself conservative or liberal with regards to evaluating feats. IE: "its overpowered (like most of the rest of CV), but then again your Improved Trip which is overpowered too!" or "I think its fine, but I pretty much allow everything."

Thanks!

 

[Saeviomagy]

That's the one that gives bonuses to hit anyone that you hit with an AoO, right?

No problems with it. +2 to hit isn't that big a bonus compared with getting the AoO in the first place - especially for a trip-monkey.

 

[Feldspar]

That's the one that gives bonuses to hit anyone that you hit with an AoO, right?

No problems with it. +2 to hit isn't that big a bonus compared with getting the AoO in the first place - especially for a trip-monkey.

+2 to hit AND damage. And your allies get the bonus as well.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Not a big deal, really. If the DM gets sick of AoO - he can just throw in characters who don't need to provoke AoO - fanatics who are going to die fighting anyway ... for example.

In fact, if I've any complaint about this feat is that it is one feat that the DM can make useless just be their choice of combat selection. If they never use enemies that provoke AoO ... this feat is useless!

So, it does give your DM a few options as to control the use of the feat.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Useful--not overpowered. Useful, that is, if you are a character who can create your own AoOs. Trip fighters who usually fight things they can trip, reach fighters who fight things without reach and that can't autotumble, and rogues with opportunist are the characters that get a reasonable amount of use out of the feat. As you get higher in level, it gets less useful because, absent opportunist and Otto's Irresistable Dance, you start getting a lot fewer AoOs. Opponents tend to be bigger and stronger and tripping them is difficult and they tend to have reach themselves or are good enough at tumbling that they don't need to roll.

 

[the Jester]

Good feat. The 3.0 version was broken; the 3.5 fix is great- it puts ET in line with other feats with about the same level of prerequisites.

I vet everything carefully before letting it into my game and tend to be a balance nazi.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Tac-fighting is one of those things that is highly highly useful early in the game, but becomes highly situational later in the game.

I once built a dwarven character around TWF with Sword and Waraxe with an eye toward High Sword, Low Axe; that style feat from CW that lets you get a free trip and additional attack if you hit with both TWF attacks.

He could go through humanoid enemies like feed through a goose ... and got stomped flat as a pancake by an Elder Earth Elemental when he couldn't trip it ... and without Power Attack, he really couldn't get enough damage built up to put anything really meaningful past its DR.

Flying creatures and sturdy creatures also gave him a bit of a run for his money. By the later levels, only about 1 in 6 enemies were really prime for getting taken out that way. Was a little disheartening, really, as I'd put a whole BUNCH of feats into that weapon style and got the benefits about two levels before they were all but useless.

So, no, I don't think it's overpowered. It'll be useless soon enough.

--fje

 

[Li Shenron]

+2 to hit AND damage. And your allies get the bonus as well.

I can't believe this is the new Expert Tactician. What the hell has this to do with the original Expert Tactician? It's a completely different feat... why not calling it with a different name? Or is WotC using the same name only to bury the old feat forever?

 

[Feldspar]

Tac-fighting is one of those things that is highly highly useful early in the game, but becomes highly situational later in the game.

I once built a dwarven character around TWF with Sword and Waraxe with an eye toward High Sword, Low Axe; that style feat from CW that lets you get a free trip and additional attack if you hit with both TWF attacks.

He could go through humanoid enemies like feed through a goose ... and got stomped flat as a pancake by an Elder Earth Elemental when he couldn't trip it ... and without Power Attack, he really couldn't get enough damage built up to put anything really meaningful past its DR.

Flying creatures and sturdy creatures also gave him a bit of a run for his money. By the later levels, only about 1 in 6 enemies were really prime for getting taken out that way. Was a little disheartening, really, as I'd put a whole BUNCH of feats into that weapon style and got the benefits about two levels before they were all but useless.

So, no, I don't think it's overpowered. It'll be useless soon enough.

Hmmm, I think (and hope) I'll get more mileage out of trip than you seemed to get. Part of the problem seems to be inherent in running a TWF build - as you say you had to throw feats into that and might have had to sacrifice some Str or Con to boost your Dex.

I DO have Power Attack and two handed weapons to make it pay off I generally use a Guisarme or a Halberd.

Also, I've just taken my first level in Dragon Disciple (Ftr2/Brb2/Src1). The big win with going for this PRC is the +8 Str bonus. Enlarge Person is, of course, one of my spells and the other is True Strike (which has no Somatic component). By the time I exit the PRC (15th level) my base Str will be 26. Add in +6 Belt of Giant Strength, Rage and Enlarge Person and I'll be strutting a Str of 38 and have a total bonus of +22 to the opposed trip roll.

Hmmm, a lot of Huge creatures have comparable Str - I don't want to risk too many 50/50 roll offs so I'll to look around for a few tricks to boost trip roll.

Anyway, the Dragon Disciple gives me a few other nifty things like d12 hit die, +4 natural armor, blindsense, spot and listen as class skills and flight. Even when I can't trip, I think I'll still be a pretty good tank.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Hmmm, I think (and hope) I'll get more mileage out of trip than you seemed to get. Part of the problem seems to be inherent in running a TWF build - as you say you had to throw feats into that and might have had to sacrifice some Str or Con to boost your Dex.

I DO have Power Attack and two handed weapons to make it pay off I generally use a Guisarme or a Halberd.

Also, I've just taken my first level in Dragon Disciple (Ftr2/Brb2/Src1). The big win with going for this PRC is the +8 Str bonus. Enlarge Person is, of course, one of my spells and the other is True Strike (which has no Somatic component). By the time I exit the PRC (15th level) my base Str will be 26. Add in +6 Belt of Giant Strength, Rage and Enlarge Person and I'll be strutting a Str of 38 and have a total bonus of +22 to the opposed trip roll.

Hmmm, a lot of Huge creatures have comparable Str - I don't want to risk too many 50/50 roll offs so I'll to look around for a few tricks to boost trip roll.

Anyway, the Dragon Disciple gives me a few other nifty things like d12 hit die, +4 natural armor, blindsense, spot and listen as class skills and flight. Even when I can't trip, I think I'll still be a pretty good tank.

If you like Enlarge Person, don't take the last level of your PrC