Did I screw up? (fighter feat selction)

[Shard O'Glase]

If your sitting aoruns soaking up damage, lok into taking the dwarven defender pretige class, i can't remember the pre-reqs but it gives great DR a dodge bonus to AC and a rage like ability when you stand still and dish out damage which it seems you've been doing anyways.

 

[radferth]

I don't know how your DM runs, but I have heard archers tend to be way overpowered when the DM doesn't use maps or couters for the combat but just assumes someone with precise shot can shoot at whomever they want. When using figures or such, they end up having a shot roughly have the time.

The main "problem" is that you are tracking usefulness by damage inflicted, and you are the designated damage sponge. Damage sponge is an important role, as without you the archer and spellcasters are much less effective. But if you are in this role, you might want to concentrate on defense. Get the best armor and shield that you can, get the spellcasters to help your defense to save on healing later. Your feat selection is fine, as the option of using the shield for offense or defense gives you many options, but expertise will be invaluble if you have the 13 int. If you don't like being the meat shield, you need to work that out with the rest of the party, as everyone else sounds like they depend on having you there.

 

[Tetsuyama]

Some other things to check out to increase your damaging effectiveness: have an arcane spellcaster polymorph you (root through the MM to figure out what, but since dwarves are Medium and you say you're around 9th, Troll makes a nice choice as long as you're not near civilization); have the party's arcane spellcaster cast "Enlarge" on you at the start of combat, to get an additional +4 or +5 STR (and in our campaign, if you grow 80% or more, you gain a size category and thus possibly increased reach - talk to your DM about that).

Also, if you're taking lots of damage, I'd seriously consider taking Expertise and putting a couple of BAB into AC, and if you can't trade enough that way, figure out a way to get 5 ranks in tumble and start fighting defensively (-4 to hit, +3 AC if you have enough tumble). Polymorphing into a Troll will help some, since they get a bunch of natural armor, though the Dex hit may hurt some. We play a pretty low-powered campaign (32 points point buy from the book starting at 8 in all stats), so none of the melee fighters have more than 14 Dex anyways.

A word of caution about Improved Trip, which I saw suggested earlier: it's *really* hard to get this to be effective, unless you can get some of the Polymorph/Growth stuff described above. I played a Half-Dragon Psychic Warrior with a Spiked Chain in a campaign for a while, and even with his beefed up Strength, there was no way he was going to take down a horse, or drag a rider off a horse, or trip a Troll. Honestly I'd head down either the Expertise/Improved Disarm route or Power Attack/Sunder route (sounds like your DM doesn't give out much in the way of magical weapons, so Sundering probably won't cost you much) since they're generally more effective. The other thing to consider: picking up a weapon off the ground provokes an attack of opportunity; attacking bare-handed provokes an attack of opportunity; standing up from prone does not, and being prone gives ranged attackers to-hit penalties, thus lessening the effectiveness of the rest of your team.

 

[0-hr]

You know what would be perfect for your character? A wooden shield! Get the cleric to cast Spikes (from DoF) on it and you get a whopping +9 damage on every hit! Yowza, that should even things up.

And if that doesn't do it, buy yourself some Rhino Hide and/or aquire the Shield Charge feat. The only problem is that your axe will seem pretty wimpy in comparison.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

If you ask me, one of the reasons for the problem is that your group is using Monte Cook's Ranger--it's not exactly the world's most balanced core class. Improved Rapid Shot, I'm not familiar with, but given the general archer/melee comparison, I suspect that it is also a contributing factor.

So what should you do?

Play the multiclassing game as well. If you've already picked up 9th level as a fighter, pick up 10th level as a fighter (bonus feat), and then pick up 11th level as Monte Cook Ranger (bonus feat, extra saves, good skills, favored enemy) and then 12th as barbarian (make up for the hp difference, more fort save, rage, fast movement if you ever have to use light armor. Then find some spiffy prestige class and go from there. The single level of Monte Ranger and Barbarian won't hurt your feat progression or hit points at all but it will give you a lot more skills, better saves, a bunch of nifty abilities, and the ability to use magic wands.

As for the equipment, with a 17 dex, you can get just as much AC out of a chain shirt as you currently get out of your banded mail and talking the archer into letting you borrow his +2 studded leather would boost your AC by one--after all if he doesn't get into melee combat, he doesn't need it. This will also let you increase your movement (especially with the barbarian level) and boost your touch AC. An even better solution would be to switch to a non-magical chain shirt and convince the cleric to cast Magic Vestments on both your chain shirt and your shield. That should boost your AC by 7 points above where it usually is at the moment.

 

[0-hr]

Were it possible to go back in time, a single level or PHB Ranger would have done you well (to save some feats). You would have had to use a chain shirt until you got the money/opportunity to buy a mithril breastplate. With your Dex, that would give you a better AC than banded mail, and still count as light armor.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Exactly. PHB Ranger 1/Monte Ranger 1/Barbarian 1/Fighter 6 at level 9. (One of the reasons I think Monte's Ranger is broken).

Were it possible to go back in time, a single level or PHB Ranger would have done you well (to save some feats). You would have had to use a chain shirt until you got the money/opportunity to buy a mithril breastplate. With your Dex, that would give you a better AC than banded mail, and still count as light armor.

 

[celtonline]

Thank you all once again for your input. My main focus was concerning whether the two-weapon chain I was pursuing had been a complete waste of time and effort. I've come away with the idea that I haven't, that I'm just dealing with not having gear commensurate with experience and foes.

I am sorry if I've given you all an incopmplete picture of my DM and players. We are all long-time friends and gamers. I've suspected the issue is the actual combats we're in and foes we've met as well as the lack of gear but wanted to backstop.

 

[Emongnome]

If your DM does allow you more in the way of magical items, try to get Dwarven Plate (+3 dex max full plate which would give you +11 before your shield). I agree that your feat progression is fine and power attack is honestly more useful for taking out weaker foes more quickly, as (it seems is your case) opposed to few, tougher creatures, where every attack bonus counts. If hitting too few times is a problem, don't go this route. Ask the DM's advice on this, he/she may know what's down the road and be able to tell you whether it's worthwhile. Of course, a +5 keen, speed dwarven waraxe would be nice, too

[Edit: added a question.]
I don't get Dragon Mag, so what exactly does Improved Rapid Shot do?

 

[jonrog1]

The magic item balance is off, but I say: embrace the damage sponge.

I'm playing a dwarven Rnger7/Ftr4/Foe Hunter2 (the Foe Hunter's vs. undead, its incidental here but useful in my campaign). I fight with twin short swords. With Endurance from my cleric and the Dragon's Toughness feat (MotW), I clock in at 140 HP.

Yes, I get pummeled. Yes, I get grappled (my short swords are small weapons though, so they work in a grapple. Suck on that, huggy-worm). With weapon Focus and some potions of Heroism if you ca't get the GMW, I do just fine. And more than one opponent's been annoyed at why the dwarf just ... won't ... fall ... down! I just stand there and form the basis for endless Spring-attack Sneak Attacks by my rogue pals.

And that's without Power Attack. With Power Attack, you will notice a huge difference.

Step up and go toe-to-toe, that's what you play a dwarf for!