Combat Expertise thingies.

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Now also carry a tower shield... which is similiar to fighting defensively, and stacks.

No thanks - the -10 penalty all the time to my attack rolls would be ridiculous.

Besides, I've got a self-made mithril buckler. I ain't givin' that up.

 

[The Souljourner]

The way I see this is that Combat Expertise is a more advanced version of Fighting Defensively. That if an ability or skill gave you bonus to the lesser version it would give you the bonus on the one you are better trained in.

Except... not.

Fighting defensively has similar effects to Combat Expertise, but no where do they even imply that they are the same thing. Nothing says bonuses to one apply to the other, so they don't.

Doesn't matter how similar they seem, if the rules don't say they're the same, they're not.

-The Souljourner

 

[radferth]

I am confused. I though that FD and CE could not stack, as Fight Defensive is standard action, and CE only works with the Attack or Full Attack standard actions. Am I wrong in thinking Fight Defensively is a standard action?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

IAm I wrong in thinking Fight Defensively is a standard action?

Yes. FD is a choice you may make whenever you take the attack or full-attack action.

 

[Whimsical]

Maybe you are thinking of Total Defense? (which is a standard action)

 

[Ranger REG]

Maybe you are thinking of Total Defense? (which is a standard action)

Total Defense is a defensive option you can take only as a standard action. It's a common mistake among gamers that Fighting Defensively is an option for standard [attack] action only, when you can ALSO use it for full-attack action.

 

[DM-Rocco]

What really gets me is that fighting defensively and Combat Expertise give you better bonuses than total defense and you can't combine the two

 

[frankthedm]

Total defence is for the mooks.

 

[Ranger REG]

What really gets me is that fighting defensively and Combat Expertise give you better bonuses than total defense and you can't combine the two

That's because CE have a trade-off, to increase your AC bonus you gotta give up some or all of your BAB so to feel that effect of the penalty, you must either make a standard attack or a full attack.

It can be abusive at higher level, especially if one has Superior Expertise feat. A 10th-level fighter can pretty much stroll around in battle without fear of getting hit by lesser opponents if TD and CE stack. He can manuever himself to bypass them and attack the big boss.

 

[Stalker0]

That's the reason they wisely capped expertise in the first place, but noooooo someone HAD to have their superior version of it