Stock Human fighter feats

[NewJeffCT]

I am trying to now come up with a stock human fighter type who would be used as a member of a kingdom's army.

What would be a good feat chain for them, as they get up to sergeants, lieutenant, captain, etc. Top officers are well trained, so I think Leadership would be appropriate for sixth level, as not many are that high a level.

These guys will be heavy infantry, so the DEX based chain is not appropriate. 85-90% are first level, but in case I need some in authority, what would be good:

First level: Weapon Focus Longsword or Pike; Improved Initiative; _________
Second level: Power Attack?
Third Level: Cleave?
Fourth Level: _________
(Fifth: - I forgot if you get a feat at 5...)
Sixth: Leadership
Seventh through 10th:______ ________ ___________

Thanks!

 

[Sammael]

I'd go for the following feat combo:
Ftr 1: Endurance (forced marches, sleaping in armor, etc.), Toughness or Improved Toughness (only tough soldiers are going to make it to higher levels)
Ftr 2: Either Mounted Combat, Power Attack, or Point Blank Shot
Ftr 3: Weapon Focus (probably longsword, longspear, or longbow)
Ftr 4: Weapon Specialization (same weapon as Focus)
Ftr 6: Leadership, either Ride-By Attack, Cleave, or Far Shot
Ftr 8: Greater Weapon Focus
Ftr 9: Improved Critical
Ftr 10: Either Spirited Charge, Great Cleave, or Rapid Shot

 

[Sejs]

1st level
Fighter Feat: Weapon Focus
Character Feat: Improved Toughness
Bonus Racial Feat: Endurance

2nd level
Fighter Feat: Combat Reflexes

3rd level
Character Feat: Hold the Line

4th level
Fighter Feat: Weapon Specialization

6th level
Fighter Feat: Formation Expert (tactical)
Character Feat: Leadership

8th level
Fighter Feat: Phalanx Fighting

9th level
Character Feat: Improved Critical

10th level
Fighter Feat: Greater Weapon Focus

 

[Majere]

I actually wrote up a whole list of officers by rank (though it was for 3.0) for a campeign I wrote:

Private : War (1) - Endurace
LCporal : Ftr (1) - Weapon focus (Longsword), Endurance, Toughness
Corporal: Ftr (2) - LCporal + Leadership
Sergeant: Ftr (4) - Corporal + Weapon Specialisation (Longwsword)+Pwr Attk
Color Sgt: Ftr (5) - Sergeant
CSM : Ftr (6) - Sergeant+ Expertise+ Iron Will
RSM : Ftr (8) - CSM + Improved critical

The officers were all spell casters.
Worked quite well, and was relatively simple to run.

Majere

 

[Liquidsabre]

I take it Warriors make up the majority of the army forces and Fighters being the more elite trained groups of soldiers. I'd make the warrior track capable of taking about any kind of armament and making good use of it.

The fighter tracks should be specialized based on their weapon/unit. For heavy infantry with swords:

Fighter
[1st] Toughness
[1st] Phalanx Fighting
[1st] Wpn Focus: Longsword

Fighter
[2nd] Power Attack

Fighter
[3rd] Cleave

Fighter
[4th] Weapon Specialization: Longsword

Fighter
[6th] Formation Expert
[6th] Leadership

 

[Sejs]

Maybe change the longsword foc/spec to shortsword? You don't get the Phalanx Fighting benefits unless your weapon is light. Maybe base 'em off the Legions - Breastplate, Tower Shield, Longspear and Shortsword.

I like Phalanx Fighting and Formation Expert. A single soldier doesn't win a battle. Discipline, teamwork and coordiantion win battles.

 

[Kalendraf]

First level: Weapon Focus Longsword or Pike; Improved Initiative;

Enlisted men forming the ranks of an army are likely to gain some training with a variety of weapons, and not likely to specialize in any particular one. Also, Improved Initiative doesn't seem likely for a typical guard. They're actually more likely to react to situation and wait to follow commands, meaning their init's should be later, not earlier.

I think the Endurance and Toughness combination is more likely to be a representative set of feats for a 1st level fighter than many of the other suggestions.

Once a guard shows promise and survives a few battles (i.e reaches 2nd level), they are likely to be given some specialized training, and at that point the weapon focus for melee weapons or point blank shot for ranged weapons makes the most sense. From there, they'll specialize in that type of combat most likely. Here are some progressions to consider:

Basic Soldier
F1: Endurance, Toughness

Melee Specialist
F2: Weapon Focus
F3: Power Attack
F4: Weapon Specialization
F6: Leadership, Formation Expert
F8: Greater Weapon Focus
F9: Improved Critical
F10: Blind Fight

Ranged Specialist
F2: Point Blank shot
F3: Weapon Focus
F4: Weapon Specialization
F6: Leadership, Rapid Shot
F8: Greater Weapon Focus
F9: Improved Critical
F10: Far Shot

 

[MerakSpielman]

I agree with Toughness at first level. Not so big for PCs, but with two opposing armies full of 1st level warriors or fighters, the side with Toughness is going to beat the other side. That's a big percentage of HP for first level people.

 

[NewJeffCT]

1st level
Fighter Feat: Weapon Focus
Character Feat: Improved Toughness
Bonus Racial Feat: Endurance

2nd level
Fighter Feat: Combat Reflexes

3rd level
Character Feat: Hold the Line

4th level
Fighter Feat: Weapon Specialization

6th level
Fighter Feat: Formation Expert (tactical)
Character Feat: Leadership

8th level
Fighter Feat: Phalanx Fighting

9th level
Character Feat: Improved Critical

10th level
Fighter Feat: Greater Weapon Focus

Which book has 'Hold the Line' & 'Formation Expert'? Their names sound good, but I have no idea if the name fits the description. Are they appropriate for the leader of a group of 1st level fighters & 1st level warriors who do not possess these feats?

For others, these soldiers are drilled repeatedly with their main weapon through the equivalent of boot camp. They are well equipped and well paid. So, I think Weapon Focus is appropriate at first level. They get training with other weapons, but not nearly to the extent of the Long Sword or Pike.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Which book has 'Hold the Line' & 'Formation Expert'? Their names sound good, but I have no idea if the name fits the description. Are they appropriate for the leader of a group of 1st level fighters & 1st level warriors who do not possess these feats?

For others, these soldiers are drilled repeatedly with their main weapon through the equivalent of boot camp. They are well equipped and well paid. So, I think Weapon Focus is appropriate at first level. They get training with other weapons, but not nearly to the extent of the Long Sword or Pike.

'Hold the Line' is a remnant feat (3.0) from Swords & Fists, and both 'Phalanx Fighting' and 'Formation Expert' are from Complete Warrior. Sejs is right though about Phalanx Fighting, the +1 AC only works when wielding a light weapoon (such as a shortsword), so perhaps not appropriate for this type of soldier (or maybe it is, shortswords at first for the advantage to AC protection and then longswords for out of formation).

Formation Expert allows the use of three tactical maneuvers on the part of the character: Lock Shields (+1 AC with locking shields with adjacent allies), Step into the Breach (may automatically make a move action to fill in a gap in the line), Wall of Polearms (+2 attack when wielding pike, etc. with adjacent allies). Formation expert is essentially the Feat for units of higher level elite soldiers, the kind of guys you want defending the kings castle and such.

Toughness for a bunch of 1st level soldiers could make the difference between winning and losing, a great deat and for obvious reasons is usually overlooked by PCs, except for those 1st level killer games where all the PCs want Toughness just to make it to 2nd.

edit - I'd definately check out the other Tactical Feats found in Complete Warrior. Cavalry Charger for elite units of cavalry, Combat Brute for higher level berzerker units, Shock Trooper for troops that rush in and break enemy formations. Great stuff.