These feats are meant to add flavour to any large-scale battles in which the PC's are engaged. Also, they can be used as a way of giving extra power to low CR monsters that are engaging a group of high-level PC's.
NOTE ON FORMATION FEATS
At least five persons have to stand together, with no person being further away than five feet, for the Formation Feats to have effect. All persons in the group must have the Formation Feat to gain the benefit. For example, a group consisting of four fighters with the Formation: Shield Wall are standing together with two persons without the feat. Since there are not enough persons with the feat, the group as whole doesn’t get the benefit of the Formation feat. Another example, a group of six knights are charging using the Formation: Charging V feat. Alongside them is a mounted wizard that doesn’t have the feat. The charging knights will gain the benefit of the feat, whereas the wizard won’t.
All the persons participating in the formation have to move at the same speed, otherwise the formation is considered broken. It takes one round for a formation to be formed, if all of the participating persons are close enough to eachother. When a Formation is formed, one person is chosen as a leader (often the person with the highest Knowledge (Tactics) score). This is done amongst the formation (in case of a military unit, it is often chosen in advance). In a group of adventurers, a person must be decided as being the leader within the group.
Should the formation fail to obey to commands of the leader, the formation is considered broken.
Formation: Archery Box (General)
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot
The persons who form an Archery Box are able of distracting and confusing their enemies with the pure amount of arrows they can release.
Special: Any person that is attacked by archers forming an Archery Box can become subject of so many attacks all occurring simultaneously, that he has difficulties avoiding them all. A person that is subject to ranged attacks from archers forming the Archery Box formation can only dodge a number of attacks equal to his dexterity bonus. Thus, a person with a dexterity of 16 (+3) would only be able of dodging three attacks. All other ranged attacks against him in the same round from the Archery Box denies him his Dodge bonus to his AC. Thus, the same character mentioned above would have full AC against three attacks, after which his AC would be three points lower for the remainder of the round, when receiving attacks from the Archery Box. This formation even counters a monk’s Sixth Sense bonus to his AC.
Formation: Charging V (General)
Prerequisite: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack
Those that attack using the Charging V formation are able of not only effectively running over their enemies, they can also ruin and disrupt their formations.
Special: Anyone participating in a Charging V formation receives a +1 bonus to hit when charging with a mount. Any leader in command of a formation which is hit by a cavalry unit using the Charging V formation has to roll a Knowledge (Tactics) roll against a DC equal to the number of riders attacking in the Charging V formation. If he fails, his units formation is broken and needs two rounds to be re-assembled.
Formation: Shield Wall (General)
Prerequisite: Shield Focus
Any people using the Shield Wall formation are able of creating a veritable wall that block most incoming missile attacks.
Special: Any persons in the Shield Wall gain triple their shields AC bonus against ranged attacks. They also gain double their shields AC bonus against melee attacks. Unlike normal Shield Focus, they still retain their higher AC bonus against ranged weapons when fighting in melee. Magical bonuses on the shield aren’t doubled or tripled when this feat is used.
Formation: Wall of Spears (General)
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus with any weapon with reach
The warriors that form a Wall of Spears are able of defending themselves viciously against anyone trying to storm or charge them.
Special: When a Wall of Spears is formed, all its participating soldiers can gain greater benefits from their reach weapons. Anyone that moves within the threat area of a Wall of Spears receive an attack from anyone with the wall that has readied an attack. For each consecutive attack the intruder receives, his attacker gets a cumulative +1 bonus to hit. Thus, if a Knight charged into a formation of pikemen forming a Wall of Spear, the first attack would be done with no bonus to the pikemans attack roll. The next attack in that round would be done with a +1 bonus and the next again would be done with a +2 bonus, etc. The cumulative bonus to the formations attack roll resets in the beginning a new round.
Formation: Goblin Horde (General)
Prerequisite: Must be Goblinoid
The Goblin Horde formation is one that is often used by large groups of goblins and orcs. Even though their formation looks random and haphazard at a distance, it is actually a well-conceived battle-plan being executed.
Special: The Goblin Horde formation is often one that is ridiculed by military academies and institution. Yet, few that have faced a Goblin Horde will deny that it is effective.
Anyone trying to fire an arrow at one specific person within a Goblin Horde has a –4 penalty to his attack roll, since the members of the Horde are constantly moving along their own ranks, instead of staying in a fixed formation in the manner that is most common amongst civilised races.
Once someone is fighting inside the Goblin Horde, they are subject to the will and fury of the Horde. For each member of the Horde that is attacking an opponent, they receive a +1 bonus to AC and attack rolls.
I have some other Formation Feats planned, some for the different combat tactics a group of enemies might use.
NOTE ON FORMATION FEATS
At least five persons have to stand together, with no person being further away than five feet, for the Formation Feats to have effect. All persons in the group must have the Formation Feat to gain the benefit. For example, a group consisting of four fighters with the Formation: Shield Wall are standing together with two persons without the feat. Since there are not enough persons with the feat, the group as whole doesn’t get the benefit of the Formation feat. Another example, a group of six knights are charging using the Formation: Charging V feat. Alongside them is a mounted wizard that doesn’t have the feat. The charging knights will gain the benefit of the feat, whereas the wizard won’t.
All the persons participating in the formation have to move at the same speed, otherwise the formation is considered broken. It takes one round for a formation to be formed, if all of the participating persons are close enough to eachother. When a Formation is formed, one person is chosen as a leader (often the person with the highest Knowledge (Tactics) score). This is done amongst the formation (in case of a military unit, it is often chosen in advance). In a group of adventurers, a person must be decided as being the leader within the group.
Should the formation fail to obey to commands of the leader, the formation is considered broken.
Formation: Archery Box (General)
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot
The persons who form an Archery Box are able of distracting and confusing their enemies with the pure amount of arrows they can release.
Special: Any person that is attacked by archers forming an Archery Box can become subject of so many attacks all occurring simultaneously, that he has difficulties avoiding them all. A person that is subject to ranged attacks from archers forming the Archery Box formation can only dodge a number of attacks equal to his dexterity bonus. Thus, a person with a dexterity of 16 (+3) would only be able of dodging three attacks. All other ranged attacks against him in the same round from the Archery Box denies him his Dodge bonus to his AC. Thus, the same character mentioned above would have full AC against three attacks, after which his AC would be three points lower for the remainder of the round, when receiving attacks from the Archery Box. This formation even counters a monk’s Sixth Sense bonus to his AC.
Formation: Charging V (General)
Prerequisite: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack
Those that attack using the Charging V formation are able of not only effectively running over their enemies, they can also ruin and disrupt their formations.
Special: Anyone participating in a Charging V formation receives a +1 bonus to hit when charging with a mount. Any leader in command of a formation which is hit by a cavalry unit using the Charging V formation has to roll a Knowledge (Tactics) roll against a DC equal to the number of riders attacking in the Charging V formation. If he fails, his units formation is broken and needs two rounds to be re-assembled.
Formation: Shield Wall (General)
Prerequisite: Shield Focus
Any people using the Shield Wall formation are able of creating a veritable wall that block most incoming missile attacks.
Special: Any persons in the Shield Wall gain triple their shields AC bonus against ranged attacks. They also gain double their shields AC bonus against melee attacks. Unlike normal Shield Focus, they still retain their higher AC bonus against ranged weapons when fighting in melee. Magical bonuses on the shield aren’t doubled or tripled when this feat is used.
Formation: Wall of Spears (General)
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus with any weapon with reach
The warriors that form a Wall of Spears are able of defending themselves viciously against anyone trying to storm or charge them.
Special: When a Wall of Spears is formed, all its participating soldiers can gain greater benefits from their reach weapons. Anyone that moves within the threat area of a Wall of Spears receive an attack from anyone with the wall that has readied an attack. For each consecutive attack the intruder receives, his attacker gets a cumulative +1 bonus to hit. Thus, if a Knight charged into a formation of pikemen forming a Wall of Spear, the first attack would be done with no bonus to the pikemans attack roll. The next attack in that round would be done with a +1 bonus and the next again would be done with a +2 bonus, etc. The cumulative bonus to the formations attack roll resets in the beginning a new round.
Formation: Goblin Horde (General)
Prerequisite: Must be Goblinoid
The Goblin Horde formation is one that is often used by large groups of goblins and orcs. Even though their formation looks random and haphazard at a distance, it is actually a well-conceived battle-plan being executed.
Special: The Goblin Horde formation is often one that is ridiculed by military academies and institution. Yet, few that have faced a Goblin Horde will deny that it is effective.
Anyone trying to fire an arrow at one specific person within a Goblin Horde has a –4 penalty to his attack roll, since the members of the Horde are constantly moving along their own ranks, instead of staying in a fixed formation in the manner that is most common amongst civilised races.
Once someone is fighting inside the Goblin Horde, they are subject to the will and fury of the Horde. For each member of the Horde that is attacking an opponent, they receive a +1 bonus to AC and attack rolls.
I have some other Formation Feats planned, some for the different combat tactics a group of enemies might use.
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