(Yet another) Try at fixing the Fighter

[Arkhandus]

I'll offer a little more constructive criticism or analysis later, but one thing I use to help lightly-armored fighters is this custom feat, which I added to the Fighter's list of selectable bonus feats:

Unfettered Agility (General)
Your experience in using heavy armor has improved your defensive agility when unarmored, or even moderately armored. This is a new feat.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Dodge, Str 13+, Dex 13+.
Benefit: You receive a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class when wearing no armor, and carrying no more than a light load. You instead receive a +1 dodge bonus to AC if wearing light or medium armor, and carrying no more than a medium load. This feat's dodge bonus increases by +1 for every six character levels you possess, to a maximum total bonus (from this feat) equal to your combined Dexterity and Strength modifiers. The dodge bonus from Unfettered Agility is lost whenever you are immobilized or denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (even if your Dexterity modifier is not positive).

 

[green slime]

I allow PC fighters to switch out their Medium and Heavy Armour proficiencies for other feats, if they so desire. I also allow them to do the same for their Shield feats.

I really see no need to penalise the poor player more for trying to create an interesting PC.

I also grant fighters a fighter feat every level, instead just every second level.

 

[Celebrim]

Personally, I'm not sure why people think that unarmored fighters need some sort of extra bonus or benefit to pull them level with armored fighters.

Not wearing armor is a huge bonus in and of itself. Armor is a major hinderance pretty much everywhere but tournaments and set peice battles. Adventurers practically cannot survive in heavy armor even using the RAW assuming that their adventures take them anywhere but smooth stone courtyards and level fields of short grass. Caving in heavy armor is extremely difficult. Climbing steep sided ravines in heavy armor is extremely difficult. Falling into a pool of deep water in heavy armor is life threatening, as is for that matter hastily descending or ascending spiral staircases. Charging across broken terrain or up or down slopes in heavy armor will almost certainly end up being comical (at best).

Every fighter (heck, every cleric) in every group I've ever been in has either gone the light armor route, or made acquisition of mithral armor a top priority. Every player I've seen playing a heavy armor character has deliberately chosen the heaviest armor of a lighter than heavy class in order to avoid the penalties of encumbrance that come with wearing heavy armor. The armor check penalty of full plate is -6, plus it reduces your movement rate so that you are unable to retreat, are less likely to be in position to full attack, etc. And you better be darn strong, balanced, and can swim like a fish if you want to wear full plate adventuring.

Wearing a lighter armor only sacrifices a point or three of AC. It's not that big of a sacrifice. Seeing as everyone I've played with has willingly forgone the maximum protection for the sake of mobility and other sorts of survivability, I can't imagine why anyone would wear heavy armor at all if you could easily obtain additional benefits from foregoing it.

 

[green slime]

Personally, I'm not sure why people think that unarmored fighters need some sort of extra bonus or benefit to pull them level with armored fighters.

I can't imagine why anyone would wear heavy armor at all if you could easily obtain additional benefits from foregoing it.

Because I can't see any reason to force a PC to have the knowledge of a feat, that their character has no intention of ever using. Given the flexibility of the D20 system, I see no need to force the issue.

It is actually very table dependant, just how often the encumbrance comes into play: whether balance checks, swim, or whatever.

 

[Walking Dad]

And some of the rules (for using stairs) are pretty hillarious. A adventurer trained in his armor should fear monsters and traps more than stairs.

 

[Celebrim]

A adventurer trained in his armor should fear monsters and traps more than stairs.

That may be true, but if it is true in your campaign, then it is a design decision that mundane hazards should present no threat to heros. And one of the consequences of that design decision is that wearing heavy armor presents no difficulty to heros, and hense, players who don't envision there character walking around like a medieval tank feel slighted because suddenly - under the rules - they are giving up something and getting nothing in return.

For my part, I note that medieval military engineers, not being so scornful of the hazards presented by a staircase to a man trying to hustle while wearing 60 lbs. of steel, took rather great pains to enhance and maximize the lethality of stairs to would be attackers.

 

[green slime]

For my part, I note that medieval military engineers, not being so scornful of the hazards presented by a staircase to a man trying to hustle while wearing 60 lbs. of steel, took rather great pains to enhance and maximize the lethality of stairs to would be attackers.

To the extent that said stairs would be hazardous to the armoured defender as well? Are you suggesting that the defenders should remain unarmoured? That the stairs themselves provide a near lethal barrier to any armoured person, whether they are defended or not?

For my part, I doubt most armoured knights had difficulty negotiating undefended stair wells.

 

[Celebrim]

For my part, I doubt most armoured knights had difficulty negotiating undefended stair wells.

Quite. They are under no pressure, can take their time, and so can 10 on their skill checks.

To the extent that said stairs would be hazardous to the armoured defender as well?

To the extent that, defenders, since they are providing defence, neither necessarily need move nor choose defend a position that they are uncomfortable in. It is the attacker that must traverse obstacles and fight at the point of the defender's choosing.

 

[Walking Dad]

Can someone please post this video of the guy doing cartwheels in armor??

About the rules about stairs in d20:

Stairs

The usual way to connect different levels of a dungeon is with stairs. Straight stairways, spiral staircases, or stairwells with multiple landings between flights of stairs are all common in dungeons, as are ramps (sometimes with an incline so slight that it can be difficult to notice; Spot DC 15). Stairs are important accessways, and are sometimes guarded or trapped. Traps on stairs often cause intruders to slide or fall down to the bottom, where a pit, spikes, a pool of acid, or some other danger awaits.
Gradual Stairs

Stairs that rise less than 5 feet for every 5 feet of horizontal distance they cover don’t affect movement, but characters who attack a foe below them gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls from being on higher ground. Most stairs in dungeons are gradual, except for spiral stairs (see below).
Steep Stairs

Characters moving up steep stairs (which rise at a 45-degree angle or steeper) must spend 2 squares of movement to enter each square of stairs. Characters running or charging down steep stairs must succeed on a DC 10 Balance check upon entering the first steep stairs square. Characters who fail stumble and must end their movement 1d2×5 feet later. Characters who fail by 5 or more take 1d6 points of damage and fall prone in the square where they end their movement. Steep stairs increase the DC of Tumble checks by 5.
Spiral Stairs

This form of steep stairs is designed to make defending a fortress easier. Characters gain cover against foes below them on spiral stairs because they can easily duck around the staircase’s central support.
Railings and Low Walls

Stairs that are open to large rooms often have railings or low walls. They function as described for ledges.

And yes, I think able to wear armor is better than not. Or wizards/Sorcerers wouldn't need spells to imitate it.

 

[green slime]

Quite. They are under no pressure, can take their time, and so can 10 on their skill checks.

take ten isn't going to cut it when you are facing a -8 to your balance check (-6 for full plate, -2 for heavy steel shield). The unrushed defender is going to fail their balance check 40% of the time! Gotta suck if want to actually force the action and fight your through the attackers. Especially as Balancing negates any Dex bonus to AC in the first place.

To the extent that, defenders, since they are providing defence, neither necessarily need move nor choose defend a position that they are uncomfortable in. It is the attacker that must traverse obstacles and fight at the point of the defender's choosing.

No, its pretty simple really: the stairs were merely spiralled in such a way that the shield of the attacker couldn't be brought to bear effectively in the stair well. But that sort of presupposes that the defence is occuring as planned (stairs spiralling clockwise up). The stairs weren't the hazard you are making them out to be. Yes, they provided the defender with a small advantage; no, they weren't as difficult to negotiate as the core rules would have us believe, with defender and attacker alike stumbling around dangerously.