Where are all the good TANK fighter PrC's??

[Krafen]

I appriciate all the suggestions. Perhaps I should have elaborated a bit more on my own personal deffinition of 'Tank'. My own view is the guy (or gal) who can deal and receive great amounts of punishment. As an anology....something like the German Tiger or Panzer tanks used in WWII. Both were able to withstand great amounts of punishment (because of armor), both were incredibly leathal to the Allies tanks (because of the heavy guns), and both were able to perform the Blitz when needed.

I'm looking for a 'pure fighter'-like PrC. No spellcasting, and nothing overtly supernatural in its assets and or origins. Dwarven Defender is perhaps the best example of this, but its primary strength is in defense, not in taking the fight to the enemy. Not to mention it is only good if you are a dwarf.

I'm looking into modifying the Dwarven Defender into fitting into something more along these concepts. However, since my DM is only allowing 'certified' Wotc PrC's, it is a wasted effort. I was simply hoping that the great and magical Wotc had already worked on such a basic idea.

Something to consider here is the Dwarven Defender is, in many ways, a defensive version of the Barbarian. Defensive Stance is essentially defensive rage and they both recieve DR and Uncanny Dodge. Perhaps the Barbarian (with or without a prestige class) would meet your requirements.

Also, it kinda sounds like you want the best of both worlds. Excellent defense AND excellent offence. The Barbarian and Dwarven Defender are the two extremes. Barbarian sacrifices defense for offence and mobility while Dwarven Defender sacrifices mobility and offence (opportunity cost-wise) for defense. The Fighter is somewhere in between, depending on your feat selection.

The dwarven race requirement of the Dwarven Defender prestige class is not a balancing factor, it is flavor only. I wouldn't hesitate to allow a player to take the class with a different race unless, perhaps, I had incorporated a strong Dwarven Defender tradition into the dwarven nation of my world. How strict is your DM's "certified"-only policy? Would he/she consider this minor change? You would, of course, change the name. Perhaps Supreme Defender or Defender of ???(nation, race, location). I think the Dwarven defender would do a decent job of meeting your goals. Granted, the class abilities are focused on defense rather than offence, but you retain full BAB progression and you still have a number of Fighter feats to spend before taking the class.

Another option to consider is the Warforged Juggernaut in the Eberron Setting book. I don't remember all the details, but it has d12 HD and both offensive and defensive abilities. Your character becomes much closer to a true construct which gives you a number of defenses and immunites. As a trade-off, you are no longer affected by [healing] spells and you cannot use potions. You would need either an Artificer or someone with access to the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list in your party for this to be a viable class.

 

[Felix]

--Green Star Adept in Complete Adv is fairly tankish, what with the Damage reduction and eventually many of the construct immunities.
--Devoted Defender
--Templar
--Warpriest (buffed, this guy can tank and heal)
--Bear Warrior
--Occult Slayer (though mainly an anti-magi, he's still very much a martial guy)
--Cavalier
--Purple Dragon Knight
--Dwarven Defender
--Gnomish Portal Guard (or something like that)
--Tempest
--Duelist

I don't know where you've been looking, but you've missed quite a lot of tankish PrCs. Just because it doesn't say "Damage Taking Guy PrC" doesn't mean it can't fill that role.


Then you have to ask: do you really need a PrC to tank?

--Fighter
--Barbarian
--Cleric
--Paladin

All those guys can tank fairly easily.

 

[AuraSeer]

Perhaps I should have elaborated a bit more on my own personal deffinition of 'Tank'. My own view is the guy (or gal) who can deal and receive great amounts of punishment.

I don't know if you will ever find a D&D class to fit that definition, because most PrCs focus on one trick or the other. A character who specializes in one will always be better in that area than someone who splits his effort.

To extend your tank analogy: guns and armor are both very heavy, and even a tank chassis has limited strength. The bigger the cannon, the less armor the vehicle can carry, and vice versa. There is always a tradeoff, and nobody is the best at everything.

(If the WWII Panzer were in all aspects the "best" tank of its era, that would just mean it had more character levels than everybody else. )

 

[Saeviomagy]

Might I suggest:
Tactical fighter (IIRC) from the MHB - extra flanking squares, some interesting responses to opponents attacks and the like.

Outcast champion from races of destiny - full bab, up to +5 to your will save and those within 30ft, a sort of revenge strike which can add 5d6 to your attacks, and if you get reduced to half HP or less you (and later on, all alllies within 30ft) get +2 to all physical stats.

Looks pretty tankish to me. And the only prereq is half-orc or half-elf and either diplomacy or intimidate 8.

 

[Trainz]

I would also say that the Barbarian is close to the perfect Tank. d12 hp, constitution boosting rage, damage reduction... hard to beat.

Epic-wise, a fighter is the best damage taking option. If you pile up on the damage reduction feat, you can soon shrug off many attacks. By 30th level, the fighter would have accumulated about 10 epic feats. If these are all Dmagae Reduction feats, he will then have a DR of 30/-.

Impressive.

 

[HellHound]

Not WOTC authorized, but the Gallowglass (I think that was the name) is the ultimate tank fighter, as found in the Advanced Player's Guide from S&SS.

 

[Andor]

The Unfailing from Hollowfaust make a wonderfull tank. d12 hp and you gradually gain DR, immunity to crits and even the ability to zombie yourself at the point of death and keep right on truckin. Till the end of the fight anyway, try to keep a potion of cause serious wounds on you.

If you're limited to WoTC classes. Fighter, the Devoted Defender (although he seems not to have made it to 3.5), Knight Protector.

A Psi warrior doesn't have the BAB or hitpoints of the fighter, but they can get some really impressive damage output, plus DR and self healing can make them tougher in the long run.

-Andor

 

[azmodean]

I think one reason for the scarcity of tank type PrCs is that the fighter is so good at it already. The character concepts that need "help" to be viable are the light-armor agility-based types.

If you want to be the ultimate tank, grab your full plate, your tower shield, and your weapon(s) of choice. Acquire lots of str and con bonuses, Improved Toughness, expertise if possible, and get to slaying.

 

[Hopeless Prodigy]

Could you give me a rundown of what the Gallowglass gets Hellhound? It's such an odd name for a Fighter PrC.

 

[IcyCool]

Could you give me a rundown of what the Gallowglass gets Hellhound? It's such an odd name for a Fighter PrC.

Definition:
Gallowglass - An armed retainer or mercenary in the service of an Irish chieftain.

FYI