Cookie Cutter Melee "Beat Stick" Builds

Venator · Oct 10, 2006

Im looking to get a collection of some "standard" melee fighter-type builds that have their focus around dealing lots of damage. The more vanilla the better.

Specifically, I'd like to focus on characters that wield two-handed weapons and do not make massive use of Prestige Classes. I would also like to keep it limited to 3.5 WotC material that is not world specific, and i would love it if we could just forget about the Frenzied Berserker and trip oriented builds.

I have zero experience building a melee fighter type, but here is the way i think i would start...

Human Barbarian 1 / Fighter 4

(1st) Human - Dodge
(1st) Barb 1 - Extra Rage
(2nd) Fighter 1 - Power Attack
(3rd) Fighter 2 - Combat Expertise, Karmic Strike
(4th) Fighter 3
(5th) Fighter 4 - Cleave

From this point I would look into Combat Reflexes, and feats that build of that Karmic Strike combo (fresh my memory on this one).

Im not sure what PrC id look into, if any. From this point i might just continue taking levels in Fighter due to all the great feats. Maybe pick up a few more levels in Barbarian?

Anyways, cookie cutter builds, what are they?

Shazman · Oct 10, 2006

Basically, a barbarian with 4 levels of fighter work well. A half-orc for the str bonus works well for this.

Barbarian 1 Power Attack
Fighter 1 Cleave
Fighter 2 Weapon Focus (Two-handed melee weapon), Iron Will
Fighter 3
Fighter 4 Weapon Specialization
Barbarian 2 Dodge
Fighter 5
Fighter 6 Melee Weapon Mastery(slashing) from PHB II
Barbarian 3 Improved Critical

From here take barbarian all the way and go for feats such as improved toughness, close quarters combat, extra rage, quick draw, and improved initiative.

Zaruthustran · Oct 10, 2006

Venator said:
Im looking to get a collection of some "standard" melee fighter-type builds that have their focus around dealing lots of damage. The more vanilla the better.

I assume you're looking for NPC builds. In that case, go with feats that give static bonuses and don't require choices. Decide on a static Power Attack level and pre-compute all the modifiers.

Feats:
PA
Cleave
Weapon Focus
Weapon Spec
Improved Toughness
Iron Will
Diehard

Venator · Oct 10, 2006

Thanks for the help so far. Those suggestions are great.

I am actually looking for PC builds. Im aware that theres all kinds of crazy multiclassing divine gish type builds, but thats ust not my style. I like a much more vanilla character and i rarely see builds are that more or less "straight up."

Pbartender · Oct 10, 2006

Here's the first five levels of a straightforward fighter (excluding race), using SRD only...

1 Weapon Focus (greatsword), Power Attack
2 Fighter Bonus
3 Feat
4 Weapon Specialization (greatsword)
5
6 Feat, Fighter Bonus
7
8 Greater Weapon Focus (greatsword) or Improved Critical (greatsword)
9 Greater Weapon Focus (greatsword) or Improved Critical (greatsword)
10 Fighter Bonus
11
12 Greater Weapon Specialization (greatsword), Fighter Bonus

You've got plenty of extra feats floating around for fine-tuning your style. If the DM allows it, there are plenty of other feats in the Complete books and the PHB II for boosting your damage further. Plus, you can always multiclass into Barbarian to get a little extra boost from Raging.

Assuming you go with a 20 Str Half-orc, and sink all your ability boost into Str, you'll have a 23 (+6) Str at 12th level. Using a mudane greatsword and no other magic items...

Greatsword +20/+15 (2d6+13, 17-20/x2)

Power Attacking for the full +12 BAB gives you...

Greatsword +8/+3 (2d6+37, 17-20/x2)

HeapThaumaturgist · Oct 10, 2006

For Burst Damage I've got:

Barbarian1/ClericX (Strength/Destruction)

Take Extra Rage, take Extra Smite. Two-handed weapon and Power Attack.

I get most of my big damage from casting Spikes on my Greatclub (+ Caster Level in damage) and Smiting (+4/+Clr lvl) and power attacking. That's pretty much it. Straightforward. The rest of the slots are generally defensive spells focused on keeping me from getting neutralized ... Death Ward, FoMovement, etc.

--fje

Zaruthustran · Oct 10, 2006

Oh, okay. In that case you probably want a little variety, maybe be able to make a few choices.

In that case I suggest you use this as a base:
Barbarian 1 Power Attack, Extra Rage
Fighter 1 Cleave
Fighter 2 Weapon Focus (weapon), Extended Rage

The weapon can be any one- or two-handed weapon. You can always use the one-handed weapon with two hands in order to get the bigger Str and Power Attack benefits, or use it in one hand in order to climb, carry a torch, use a shield, hold the reins of a horse, grab a disarmed weapon from the floor, or whatever.

The two rage feats will let you rage whenever you want, without having to worry about it being the right time. Take it at first level; you'll get a lot more use out of it than you will from Cleave.

From that base, you could go with more Fighter for Weapon Specialization, or get into other melee classes like ranger or a PRC. A lot depends on your ability scores and play style. I'd seriously consider sticking with Fighter, and picking up the Improved and Greater focus and specialization feats (and improved crit).

-z

Wish · Oct 11, 2006

For "standard" high damage output fighters, I see basically a few archetypes:

Every one of these must have Power Attack - no question.

Fighter 4/Barbarian X. Fighter levels for focus and spec.

Barbarian 1 or 2/Fighter X. Take Extra Rage. More bonus feats this way.

Barbarian 1 or 2/Fighter X/Exotic Weapon Master 1. Uncanny blow with a bastard sword (or, less commonly, with a dwarven waraxe or great scimitar).

Barbarian 1 or 2/Hexblade 4/Dragon Disciple X. (Season with Exotic Weapon Master or Fighter to taste.) Takes advantage of the high strength offered by Dragon Disciple. Best when used with Exotic Weapon Master. Alternate path is Fighter/Sorcerer or Fighter/Wizard instead of Hexblade.

All of these need to be using either a big two-handed weapon (falchion, greatsword, or greataxe) or a one-handed exotic weapon such as the bastard sword, if you're going the Exotic Weapon Master path. An alternate Exotic Weapon Master path uses a spiked chain and flurry of strikes instead of uncanny blow. That's a bit of a waste if you're not interested in trip based builds though.

Note that these are only base archetypes. With combinations of base classes and prestige classes, feats and abilities, you can come up with endless combinations of effective fighters.

Victim · Oct 11, 2006

While the Barbarian 1 or 2/Fighter X and Fighter 4/Barbarian X are common, I like Fighter 6 or 8 and then Barbarian X. Six fighter levels gains a bonus feat over +1 Trap Sense, DR +1, and an extra rage. And eight fighter levels means the character will have Greater Focus AND Greater Rage.

While you didn't want to rely extensively on PrCs, one level of Exotic Weapon Master makes weapons like the bastard far more deadly when used in 2 hands. Fighter 8/Barbarian 11/EWM 1 allows for Greater Rage and has extra feats to offset the cost of the exotic weapon at the cost of saves.

A single class Warblade from 9 swords could work out nicely as well.

MadJax · Oct 11, 2006

Dwarf Bbn/Ftr/EWM

class progression
1 Barbarian 12hp + rage
2 Dwarf fighter (racial substitution) d12 HD + weapon focus in all axes
3 fighter
4 fighter
5 fighter
6 fighter
7 EWM uncanny blow (PA 1:2 w/ d.waraxe)
8-20 fighter

feats can be taken in any order you wish but there are a few 'must haves'
1) power attack
2) weapon specialization
3) greater weapon focus
4) greater weapon spec
5) melee weapon mastery (slashing) PHBII (+2 to hit & damage, stacks with focus & spec)
6) improved crit (waraxe)

with this build you could take a couple of paths, both of them do really good damage.
path a) "two weapon expert" dual-wield regular sized waraxes
two-weapon fighting
oversized two-weapon fighting
imp 2-weapon fighting
slashing furry (phb2)

path b) "sword and board" really good AC and really good damage
shield ward phb2
shield specialization (heavy steel) phb2
armor specialization (full-plate) phb2
improved shield bash phb2
agile shield fighter phb2