A sword&board dwarf fighter

[Thanee]

Str 14+ Dex 12+ Con 14(+2)+ Int 13+

1st Level: Combat Expertise
1st Fighter Level Bonus: Improved Trip
2nd Fighter Level Bonus: Power Attack
3rd Level: Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe)

Bye
Thanee

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Str 14+ Dex 12+ Con 14(+2)+ Int 13+

1st Level: Combat Expertise
1st Fighter Level Bonus: Improved Trip
2nd Fighter Level Bonus: Power Attack
3rd Level: Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe)

The problem with this is that a standard Dwarven waraxe is not a weapon with which one can trip.

You're also taking two opposed feats, forcing the character to split his focus (and his BAB) between offense and defense.

Change Power Attack to Improved Unarmed Strike, and you've got something. (IUS can be used even with hands full. Trip with IUS, clobber with waraxe. If you want a special effect for it, call it a "knockdown.")

 

[Parlan]

Can you supply a source for that assertion, Parlan?

Nope. Just my poor memory confusing the benefits of the feat with those of "tripping weapons".

My bad.

We now return you to your previously scheduled program.

 

[Endur]

Racial Substitution levels from Races of Stone if your DM will allow it.

Sword + Board = Axe and Shield or Hammer and Shield (Don't pay any attention to other weapons)

Highly recommend "Hammer of Moradin" PRC if you get that high of level or "Dwarven Defender" PRC.

Feat Chains to think about:
Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave
Various Two Weapon Fighting and Shield Bashing Feats
Weapon Focus, Specialization, etc.
Armor and Shield Profiency/Specialization Feats from Races of Stone

 

[sfedi]

You may even try, at higher levels, Dodge and Mobility.
Thus, fighting defensively, maxing Combat Expertise and using a Tower Shield, you can move as you like through the battlefield to approach enemies behind the lines (or can provoke AoO so that other party members can take advantage of that).

The Power Attack Feat is nice because with just one Feat, you have th eoption of becoming a damage dealing machine.

 

[Thanee]

The problem with this is that a standard Dwarven waraxe is not a weapon with which one can trip.

You don't need such a weapon, you can trip unarmed.

You're also taking two opposed feats, forcing the character to split his focus (and his BAB) between offense and defense.

Well, that's a matter of philosophy...

I believe, that it's a good thing to have multiple options, not just one, if you have the means to pursuit them all in a decent enough fashion. A fighter surely has enough feats, there is no need to specialize in only one direction.

And while CE and PA normally cannot (reasonably) be used together, there are often situations, where one is good, but not the other. Having both, gives you the right option in every such situation, not just half of them. You can then choose to switch between an offensive and a defensive stance, so to say. Even within a single combat both can (and often are IME) useful.

Also Improved Trip (which has Combat Expertise as prerequisite) has a high synergy with Power Attack; being able to make touch attacks with the penalty from PA is very helpful, and then gaining a +4 attack bonus (well -4 AC for the target; effectively the same thing) for the actual attack (follow-up attack) isn't bad either.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Jeff Wilder]

You don't need [a tripping] weapon, you can trip unarmed.

Not without provoking an attack of opportunity. (Of course, if you succeed in getting your AC high enough, who cares about provoking an AoO?) Also, you wouldn't be able to trip as an AoO.

IMO, you want either a tripping weapon or IUS.

Well, that's a matter of philosophy...

Sure.

A fighter surely has enough feats, there is no need to specialize in only one direction.

Eventually that's true. I'd be all for eventually getting Power Attack.

But the main benefit of going sword-and-board is "defense." If you dilute that benefit, you're diluting your effectiveness. That dilution makes a lot more difference at 3rd level, when you only have the four feats, than it does at 15th, when you potentially have upteen-gajillion feats.

(As an aside, and please read this as gently as possible, you have a serious problem with comma-splicing. Quite often your posts read as if you've sprinkled commas throughout them randomly. I realize that you may very well be English-as-Second-Language; if so, your English is great. But whether or not you're ESL, consider the comma-splice to be offered purely constructively.)

 

[Erik Johannesson]

I thought that one of the advantages of improved trip was that you don't receive an AoO when tripping unarmed. To me the text of the feat is quite clear on that.

 

[Thanee]

Not without provoking an attack of opportunity.

IMPROVED TRIP [GENERAL]

Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.

Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.

If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.

But the main benefit of going sword-and-board is "defense." If you dilute that benefit, you're diluting your effectiveness. That dilution makes a lot more difference at 3rd level, when you only have the four feats, than it does at 15th, when you potentially have upteen-gajillion feats.

Well, I wouldn't always use the shield, just depending on the situation. That single feat allows the fighter to get an effective offense by using the weapon two-handed (or even one-handed with shield it's not bad) in many situations.

(As an aside, and please read this as gently as possible, you have a serious problem with comma-splicing. Quite often your posts read as if you've sprinkled commas throughout them randomly. I realize that you may very well be English-as-Second-Language; if so, your English is great. But whether or not you're ESL, consider the comma-splice to be offered purely constructively.)

English is my 3rd language (though, I don't really speak my 2nd one, and I'm pretty bad in my 4th ).

The additional commas probably are a result of german grammar, which uses A LOT more commas than english usually does.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

OT: commas:

[SBLOCK]The underlined part is clearly wrong... no idea why I placed a comma there, it makes no sense...

Any others, which are wrong?

There are also a few, which are not needed, but AFAIK optional (i.e. not wrong)... in german these are always non-optional (i.e. required).

I believe, that it's a good thing to have multiple options, not just one, if you have the means to pursuit them all in a decent enough fashion. A fighter surely has enough feats, there is no need to specialize in only one direction.

And while CE and PA normally cannot (reasonably) be used together, there are often situations, where one is good, but not the other. Having both, gives you the right option in every such situation, not just half of them. You can then choose to switch between an offensive and a defensive stance, so to say. Even within a single combat both can (and often are IME) useful.

Also Improved Trip (which has Combat Expertise as prerequisite) has a high synergy with Power Attack; being able to make touch attacks with the penalty from PA is very helpful, and then gaining a +4 attack bonus (well -4 AC for the target; effectively the same thing) for the actual attack (follow-up attack) isn't bad either.

[/SBLOCK]

Bye
Thanee