Reports from the Battle Front. Improved X feats and tactical feats.

[Rashak Mani]

I was looking forward to reports from people whose groups have actually used these feats and have determined their usefullness in a more practical rather than theoretical way.

Anyone managed to use the Elusive Target yet ? Seems a pretty neat feat.

 

[MarauderX]

Improved trip is very worthwhile in 3.5 as you get an AoO for anyone standing up from prone. If you are successful you get to attack right after you trip, and with a +4 bonus for your target being laid out on the ground.

I am playing a mostly monk 7th level PC in one game that has the Great Throw feat from OA. Coupled with an Enlarge spell, his reach and size allow him to grab (just a touch attack) and toss enemies in a wider area. Granted it's more of a gimmick, but with Combat Reflexes he is getting to toss them again whenever they stand up to do his unarmed damage and can toss even more opponents if he does a full attack. Along with Mage Armor, he isn't afraid of wading into the thick of things any more and relies on it to boost his AC that was lost for becoming a large creature.

 

[nikolai]

I'd say Improved Trip is broken. An attack after a sucessful trip, an attack as an AoO for your opponent standing up, the prone +4 bonus (and the prone disadvantages), and your opponent having to take a standard action to stand up (losing a full attack), is just too much. It was already powerful in 3e, adding the AoO in 3.5e was a real mistake.

That said, if you can take it, it's a must. Coupled with two-weapon fighting, you can use your second (weak) attack for the touch-attack trip attempt, and then smack them with everything else when they're on the floor.

 

[Shadeus]

I had elusive target used against me. It was devastating because we had no clue he had the feat. So the rogue goes to flank him and sneak attacks the barbarian/ranger almost killing him. We could never tell who he was dodging so we ended up moving OUT of flank just so we couldn't get screwed by elusive target.

In that situation, we outnumbered our foe 6 vs. 2 so it was easy to get into flank. So it's an incredibly feat.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Improved Sunder, if used judiciously, is a great feat. Use it to destroy a mook's mundane weapon, rendering him ineffective in combat. Use it against annoying archers. If you take the tactical feat Combat Brute (from Complete Warrior), you get a cleave-effect after you sunder something. So you can destroy the archer's bow and also smack him.

Do not use Improved Sunder on the shiny magical sword you intend to take as your loot.

The combat action bull rush is not useless. For example, if a monster is threatening a spellcaster, a friendly fighter can bull rush the monster out of the way. Yeah, he provokes an AoO, but better the fighter than the spellcaster. (Of course if you have Improved Bull Rush you don't provoke the AoO.) You can also bull rush enemies into being flanked, bull rush them off cliffs, bull rush them into pools of lava, bull rush them into rough terrain where they move slower, etc.

If you're just standing on the battle grid hacking away, you are fighting dumb. Use tactics! Move around! Cooperate!

 

[The Souljourner]

Please note, the second effect of Elusive target is as follows:

"When flanked by your dodge target and another opponent, the first attack from your dodge target automatically misses you and the attack roll is instead applied to the flanker opposite him, who is considered flat flooted."

So you *always* get missed by the first attack of your dodge target. Elusive target is *by far* the best of the tactical feats. I wish the rest of them were as cool as elusive target. The only other one that looked nearly as cool was the GiantKiller one, where you get bonuses against opponents larger than you.

Sorry, no actual experience with any of them, but I'm definitely looking at taking Elusive target for my next mobile fighter

-The Souljourner

 

[nikolai]

What are the weapon style feats (from Complete Warrior) like? Net and trident, axe and dagger, etc...

 

[Shadeus]

You got it. There's several of them...I can't remember them all. Sword and axe, sword and dagger, axe and hammer, quarterstaff expert, halberd expert, club expert. There might be more.

Each has their own unique ability with very steep requirements.

I think sword/dagger is a free disarm attack.
Club expert = save or be daze with two successful hits.
Quarterstaff = +2 AC bonus when using combat expertise.
Sword/Axe = free trip attack (I think).
Axe/Hammer = stunned? dazed? for one round
Halberd = extra attack with butt of the weapon at -2

 

[youspoonybard]

Don't get me wrong, I *love* elusive combat.

But how do you explain to your group that your Dwarven rogue automatically misses the collosal dragon...and smacks the ranseur-using ranger on the other side? Farther than a full move action away from the rogue?

I am at a loss.

 

[James McMurray]

Easy: "combat is not as fixed as positions on a grid and a set intiative order would tend to indicate".