Please rate Large and in Charge

[smetzger]

Rate the usefulness/must have of Large and in Charge

Large and in Charge [General]
You can prevent opponents from closing inside your reach.
Prerequisites: Reach (Large size or larger), Str 17+
Benefit: When you make a successful attack of opportunity against an opponent who is moving inside your threatened area, you can force the opponent back to the square he was in before he provoked the attack. After you hit with your attack of opportunity, make an opposed strength check against your opponent. You gain a +4 bonus for each size category larger than your opponent you are, an an additional +1 for every 5 points of damage you dealt with your attack of opportunity. If you win the opposed check, your opponent is pushed back 5 feet into the square he just left.

 

[smetzger]

An average of 7.15 after 13 votes puts it up with Expert Tactician

10. None
9. None
8. None
7. Expert Tactician
6. Superior Expertise, Improved Sunder, Knock-Down
5. Close Quarters Fighting, Hold The LIne
4. Blindsight 5-foot radius, Fists of Iron, Death Blow
3. Feign Weakness, Extra Stunning Attacks, Dual Strike, Circle Kick, Eyes in the Back of Your Head
2. Eagle Claw Attack, Improved Overrun, Dirty Fighting
1. None

I think its a pretty decent feat and most any creature with a natural reach will be able to meet the strength requirement. Combined with Combat Reflexes and you only have to worry about those pesky Spring Attack folks.

 

[Archer]

This feat is arguably the most powerful non-epic feat in the entire game. With combat reflexes you are unapproachable in melee combat unless you manage to get surrounded to the point that you can't move away from your opponents. Deflect arrows limits your exposure to ranged combat and SR would limit your exposure to spells making you neigh invulnerable. If you happen to regenerate, you are invulnerable. An ogre mage with this feat effectively has its CR doubled.

 

[Madfox]

Why would this feat be overpowering? It is not as if an opponent will blindly charge a creature with reach. Looking at my games people either go for the 5 foot manouver or they try to tumble in. The only times they do risk the AoO is when they have got a high AC or the hit points to cope with a hit. Are my players particular careful? Even when hit the knockback result is not automatic. Since opponents with low strengths are not those risking AoO anyway in many cases it would not be a sure thing. So while I think it is a good feat, it certainly is not an overpowering feat.

 

[CRGreathouse]

This feat is arguably the most powerful non-epic feat in the entire game. With combat reflexes you are unapproachable in melee combat unless you manage to get surrounded to the point that you can't move away from your opponents. Deflect arrows limits your exposure to ranged combat and SR would limit your exposure to spells making you neigh invulnerable. If you happen to regenerate, you are invulnerable. An ogre mage with this feat effectively has its CR doubled.

Ditto.

 

[drnuncheon]

This feat is arguably the most powerful non-epic feat in the entire game. With combat reflexes you are unapproachable in melee combat unless you manage to get surrounded to the point that you can't move away from your opponents. Deflect arrows limits your exposure to ranged combat and SR would limit your exposure to spells making you neigh invulnerable. If you happen to regenerate, you are invulnerable. An ogre mage with this feat effectively has its CR doubled.

Just some things to consider:

• Deflect arrows works once/round - if you're facing two archers, or one archer with multiple attacks, you're still going to be shot.
• Spring Attack and Tumble (or other methods of avoiding AoO) will still work against you.
• Large and In Charge does nothing for you once someone gets into melee range. (If you let your opponents constantly force you to move, they will control the battlefield.)
• Reach weapons will still be effective against you.

The best way to deal with a creature using Large and In Charge is to not let him get an AoO. Move up to a point just inside his reach and use every defensive-fighting ability you have (Dodge, Total Defense, Expertise, Tumble, you name it). Then 5' step in (no AoO) and have at him. If you've got Mobility, just go all the way in and take a shot - you'll probably miss, but you're right on top of him and L&IC becomes useless.

J

 

[AuraSeer]

With combat reflexes you are unapproachable in melee combat[...]

...until the first time you miss your AoO or your Strength check, and fail to stop the attacker. Then he continues inside your threat range and proceeds to shove a longsword up your nose.

 

[Archer]

Reach weapons are only effective if the creature in question has only a short reach.

Picture a dragon with this feat or a giant. It isn't just limited to ogres and such. Dragons almost never miss and they do damage in the 40's when gargantuan or colossal.

I've considered taking dragon disciple just so I could take this feat. If you opponent doesn't have spring attack or tumble which are fairly rare in the overall scheme of things then they are greatly disadvantaged.

As levels increase, attacks start to only miss on a 1 so failing the AoO is unlikely. The damage and size modifier are going to be large enough that someone can push past, maybe 10% of the time. Spring attack away and repeat.

This feat has easy prereqs. There is no 1st tier feat that is even half the power of this one. Spring attack is tier 3, Whirlwind is tier 5. Expert Tactician is tier 2.

This feat easily combos with spring attack, combat reflexes, knockdown and the like.

 

[drnuncheon]

I've considered taking dragon disciple just so I could take this feat. If you opponent doesn't have spring attack or tumble which are fairly rare in the overall scheme of things then they are greatly disadvantaged.

Or mirror image (attack the wrong one and you wasted your AoO), or invisibility (can't AoO him if you can't see him), or displacement (all the +s in the world won't help you against a 50% miss chance), or blink, or a tanglefoot bag/alchemist's fire/acid/other alchemical stuff...

It's powerful, but Stand Still is better (and you only need 1 level of psychic warrior, instead of what, 8 levels of Dragon Disciple?) and there are plenty of ways around it.

J

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It's an excellent feat. There are ways around it but it makes the kind of monster who relies on reach, an incredible attack bonus, and large damage/round much more effective against melee warriors.

It has very good synergy with combat reflexes and reach weapons. A giant or ogre fighter using this and Improved Shield Bash or Knockdown could become well-nigh unapproachable (unless the AoO misses, of course). It also has very good synergy with Spring Attack (move 5 feet, attack, move away and then deny your foe the opportunity to hit you by keeping him from closing).

Sure, there are ways around it. A hasted, Blinking, Expertise Using Fighter/Wizard with Shield, Protection From Evil, Barkskin, a magic mithril chain shirt, and a magic shield may have a 40+ AC (and then a 50% miss chance if you manage to hit) but that doesn't mean the feat is useless any more than cleave's noted lack of efficiency against lone monsters or power attack's obvious inneffectiveness against high AC foes make them useless.