Advice on some feats?

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I'm playing Ulfgar the Half Orc/Half Elf Fighter.

He's just reached 12th level and is a Fighter 11: Exotic Weapon Master 1. Need to pick myself a new feat, at the same time I'm thinking about what direction I'd like him to head in from here.

My current plan is to become an Occult Slayer at 14th level - need another level to meet skill requirements and training. It's mostly because he's had some really bad experiences with meddling wizards!

If I do this and take another couple of fighter levels, then by 20th level I will have got 3 more general feats (including the one I'm trying to pick) and 2 more fighter bonus feats. One of these must be improved initiative if I want to be an occult slayer.

Role in the party is as one of the frontline fighters.

Short version - What 5 feats would you pick? Allowed sources - Players, Complete warrior/divine, book of exalted deeds. Others may be possible if I clear them with the GM.



Feats so far (including one from a flaw):
Weapon proficiency, Focus, Greater Focus - Bastard Sword.
Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Expertise, Whirlwind Attack.
Power Attack.
Iron Will, Improved Toughness.

Stats:
Str 21(23) Dex 16 Con 14(16) Wis 13 Int 14 Chr 7(!).

N.B. I'm happy with the number of feats I've got with the bastard sword - end up using too many different weapons for more focusing to be useful.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

You might consider picking up some grappling feats, since you're starting in on the higher levels where grapplers are more common.

For a strong defense vs. grappling by critters:
-Close Quarters Fighting (Complete Warrior)

For a strong grappling offense:
-Improved Unarmed Strike (PHB)
---Improved Grapple (PHB)

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I'd like to know why your GM allows you to play such a character, and which 1/2 is the template? Typically orcs can breed with anything other than elves and elves can only breed with humans and other elves.

 

[hong]

I'm playing Ulfgar the Half Orc/Half Elf Fighter.

Oh, my eyes.


Hong "so, is it the front or the back that's the orc half?" Ooi

 

[Darklone]

Kalamar has Tel-Amhothlan... elf-orc mixtures. Not sure though what you use.

5 feats? Lord Pendragon gave some nice examples for defence... If I were you, I see several possibilities depending on your equipment and the campaign:
- Rapid Shot, PBS and similar stuff... two feats should be enough though. This stuff is nice if you have to fight fast fliers often.
- Cleave. Can't do wrong.
- Tactical feats... combat brute? You already get twice your str bonus to twohanded bastard sword strikes... this boosts Power attack.
- Combat Reflexes + Hold the Line (get a polearm). Always nice to be able to make AoOs flat-footed.
- Improved Disarm. Against these sundering blackguards.

Some of these options can be nicely combined... and I really agree with Close Quarter Fighting.

Edit: No Improved critical, eh?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Lord Pendragon - grappling sounds like a very good idea - got easy access to enlarging magics, which would help. I guess it could also be useful as an attack option against the hated spellcasters?

Don't have complete warrior with me, but seem to recall Close Quaters fighting gives you an opportunity attack against grapplers - if you win you don't get grappled? Are there any prequisites for it?

I'd like to know why your GM allows you to play such a character, and which 1/2 is the template? Typically orcs can breed with anything other than elves and elves can only breed with humans and other elves.

It's only some descriptive flavor. From a mechanics standpoint the character is a straightforward half orc. Simply decided on an odd background - his father was an elven warrior who fell in love with an orc warrior woman. Love is blind, I guess.

He was bought up as part of the warrior caste of the elven nation... thinks of and refers to himself as an elf. The others think he's cracked in the head.

It's a homebrewed world and this didn't seem to break anything.

 

[Darklone]

Don't have complete warrior with me, but seem to recall Close Quaters fighting gives you an opportunity attack against grapplers - if you win you don't get grappled? Are there any prequisites for it?

Not sure about prerequs, but if you cause damage with your AoO, you get this damage as bonus to your grapple check to avoid being grappled... it's nearly as good as being immune to grappling IME.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Lord Pendragon - grappling sounds like a very good idea - got easy access to enlarging magics, which would help. I guess it could also be useful as an attack option against the hated spellcasters?

Well, Close Quarters fighting is defensive. But Improved Grapple is very much offensive, and very effective against spellcasters. In fact, I was going to mention them when I wrote my first post, but decided not to. With your strength bonus plus Improved Grapple, spellcasters won't be the only ones who need to worry about getting grappled by this guy.

Don't have complete warrior with me, but seem to recall Close Quaters fighting gives you an opportunity attack against grapplers - if you win you don't get grappled? Are there any prequisites for it?

Bab +3 prereq, and yes, it grants you an AoO if something tries to grapple you. If you hit and the grappler doesn't have Improved Grapple or Improved Grab, then the grapple is outright negated. If the grappler does have one of those two abilities, you get to add the damage you deal to your grapple check, which will be nearly as good as outright negation in most cases except things like Great Wyrm dragons and such.

Edit to add: On the Half-Orc/Elf thing, I like it. IMC, which is a cosmopolitan setting with a general mixture of PHB races, I allowed for Half-Dwarves, Half-Gnomes, etc. etc. I basically split the races into "the Bigguns" (humans, elves, orcs), "the Litt'luns" (gnomes and halfings), and dwarves. The Bigguns could only breed with other Bigguns, and the Litt'luns could only breed with other Litt'luns, though dwarves could breed with either. But the children invariably favored one parent or the other, so mechanically each (N)PC had one of the standard PHB races. But stylistically, they were a bit different.

I threw a Half-Dwarf at my party once who, though mechanically a human, I described as being as tall as a human, but as stocky as a dwarf. That, combined with the spiked chain, left a lasting impression.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Good stuff! I think Close Quaters Fighting to start with, I'd agree it's near good immunity to most grapples... If the AOO connects, even the base damage is good enough to make it a healthy bonus indeed

Improved initiative next (for the Occult Slayer).

Then I'll go for improved grapple. Improved unarmed never hurts to have in case of emergency... Combat Reflexes/Hold the Line is still in the running - even have my own polearm - but don't have to make a choice for a few levels. Combat Reflexes would fit neatly with Close Quaters Fighting...

Leave me with one spare - Cleave is in the running. Definitely check out Combat Brute - anyone know what that does? Don't have my books here with me.

Darklone - a uncannily accurate guess about which weapon trick I went for

Would consider the ranged feats, but I've got a minor case of the shakes, which makes ranged combat somewhat tricky (-2 penalty). The trip/disarm route could be good - but we have a swashbuckling whip expert who does a lot of this... wouldn't want to tread on his toes.


Lord Pendragon - that's very similar to what I had in my last homebrew. Had a thread about it ages ago and someone (pretty sure it was Buttercup?) came up with an idea that got called 'Borrowers' - Bigun and Littleun couples - mostly aranged halfling/human marriges - that couldn't breed, so tended to adopt half-X children. Group were suprised to find a proud halfling mother and her 4 half orc children

Half Dwarves are great - always liked them - ever since I saw the Mul from Dark Sun. I can imagine a spiked chain wielder left a lasting impression and perhaps a few scars?


And a little side question: You can use light weapons in a grapple... wonder if that includes the Sunblade?

 

[Darklone]

Combat Brute or something similar (shocktrooper?) gave a *3 multiplier for Power Attack on charges...

Ranged combat: Doesn't really matter, you should do a healthy damage with a bow already.