Halfling Fighter Build Help

[Lasher Dragon]

Yeah those can be a pain - I took Undead as my 2nd favored enemy though, and that counters some of it. I plan on getting Undead Bane on my bow or maybe another bow entirely.

I hardly ever face constructs, but when I do, looks like I will be running LOL

 

[was]

It looks good to me.....

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

There was a very clever Halfling build posted on these boards based on Weapon Finesse + Power Attack + Spiked Chain. In a nutshell, the idea was that the bonus to hit for size and an excellent Dex more than compensated for a modest Str and weapon size penalties when using Power Attack with a 2-handed weapon. Average damage per round was slightly higher than a comparable Human using common stat point buy ranges. Quite surprising considering that getting the 13 Str prereq for PA for a Halfling as well as a good Dex is not a small cost.

Now we are not talking about best damage machine in the world and you are not going to succeed with many Trips, but you already knew that if your heart was set on a melee Halfling. I have to say, a pint-sized fighter with Reach is an image that warms my heart. The long-term potential for even a straight Fighter build looks very promising...

I thought it might be fun to play a Swashbuckler/Fighter variant of this build.

 

[Anax]

Make sure to have a way to deal with opponents that grapple--this is a *very* painful thing for small characters. My halfling rogue/monk with high dex and maxed out escape artist skill didn't start being able to get out of grapples reliably until she bought a Vest of Escape. (Note: She does not have Improved Grapple, so no +4 bonus to offset the -4 size penalty. With that and a 10 strength, well... grapply monsters grapple pretty much every time, so the only option is the escape artist to get away after that.)

The best way is probably to just avoid being in melee range of things that can grapple on a succesful melee attack. But... well, it's not always an option.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

If you go with the spiked chain route Combat Reflexes and Close Quarter Fighting make obvious feats to eventually get. Hold the Line, too; Large critters will be tempted to Bull Rush you...

 

[Shadeus]

You might consider invisible blade. It might require a level of rogue thrown in there to get the Bluff pre-req, but it might give you a little more bang getting sneak attack damage. It's a good class for kukri-wielders. You might not get too much use out of the Int bonus to AC, but the other abilities are good (plus a good BAB).

 

[Pbartender]

Others have mentioned it, but...
If you can use the Compete Warrior, take a look at the following options:

The Swashbuckler core class. It doesn't make much of a difference to you (unless you swap the 14 Str/14 Int for 12 Str/16 Int), but for most halflings, thier Intelligence bonus is typically higher than thier Strength bonus. Getting enough Swashbuckler levels to use your Int modifier for melee damage, can be a big help.

The Invisible Blade prestige class. It's a rogueish fighter PrC that specializes in fighting with daggers, kukris or punch daggers. They get knife-specific sneak attack damage, and can eventually make feint attempts as a free action.

The Master Thrower prestige class. Great if you want some extra oomph out of thrown weapons. Eventually, you can make touch attacks with thrown weapons.

Strongheart Halflings are the best halfling subrace to pick with thier bonus feat, but they are Forgotten Realms specific; you won't find them in the MM or SRD. Deep halflings are another strong pick, as they get Darkvision, instead of a few skill bonuses.

Also... Don't be afraid to fight dirty and pick up a few multiclass levels of Rogue. Sneak Attack damage really helps small characters deal significant damage.

Finally, I wouldn't bother worrying about Improved Criticals, especially with a small character using a light weapon. The difference between 1d3+2 and 2d3+4 is minimal and occasional. Focus on increasing your bonus damage instead. Get Weapon Specialization ASAP. Doing an extra 2 points of damage on every attack, is much better then doing an extra 4 points (on average) every 4th time (if you're lucky). With that in mind, you might consider using short swords (which deal a little more damage), or daggers (which can be thrown in an emergency) instead of kukris.

 

[Aries_Omega]

Feat Idea - name of feat

One of my players used a feat from the Dragonstar players guide...the first one. I don't know what it is called right now but basicly it allowed you to take a 5 ft. step anytime someone did in combat on their turn to a max of once per turn. So say you have a guy with a bow take a 5 ft. step to avoid getting mollywhopped by the halfling fighter with paired shortswords and shoot him with his bow. He takes the 5 ft. step. The halfling has this feat and is allowed to take an immediate 5 ft. step towards the archer in question. Archer is screwed and has a 3 ft. tall blender attacking him.

Aries

 

[Thanee]

Strongheart Halflings are the best halfling subrace to pick with thier bonus feat, but they are Forgotten Realms specific; you won't find them in the MM or SRD. Deep halflings are another strong pick, as they get Darkvision, instead of a few skill bonuses.

I thought Whisper Gnome was the best halfling subrace...

Bye
Thanee

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

If you have Unearthed Arcana, you might consider taking a few Halfling Paragon levels. All 3 will get you +2 damage with thrown weapons.

EDIT: If you're going to use fairly light armor, you definately want invisible blade and tempest levels. 2 levels of Invisible blade will get you +2 AC, and all 5 of tempest gets you +3 when wielding 2 weapons.