User:Tavis McCricket/Fighter, Variant (3.5e Class)

Fighter
Supposedly, the meaty dude who two-hands a claymore is the same as the lithe elf who wields a thinblade one handed (or twin wields, for those with panche). Apparently, two archetypal, yet conflicting, warriors types are both reflected in the good ol' fighter. I suggest that this notion is quite wrong, and offer this variant fighter as a solution. Not only does the fighter below get stronger faster, he isn't penalized for choosing dexterity over strength (both in the literal and figurative sense).

Now a fighter can pick agility or brute force, defense or offense, without sacraficing the one thing that set him apart from the pack: feats.

Making a Fighter
"The questing knight, the conquering overlord, the king’s champion, the elite foot soldier, the hardened mercenary, and the bandit king— all are fighters."

A fighter does what his name implies: he fights. Seeing as the function and the name of the class are already in sync with each other, it's somewhat suprising that fighters are on the lower end of things good at fighting. Part of the reason is that no matter what goal you had in mind for your fighter (career archer, consummate swordsman, armor-plated battle scourge), the class is still the same: 11 feats, no flavor.

This is the case no longer.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the fighter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).

Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. A fighter that picks one path may not later multiclass into the other path.


 * Strong Fighter: You're strong. You know it, and your enemies do too once you've knocked them around once or twice.  When wielding a melee weapon weapon you receive half-again your strength bonus on damage rolls (1.5x one handed, and 2x two handed).  Also, your Fortitude save becomes your "good" save.
 * Agile Fighter: You're fast.  So fast it hurts.  You use Dexterity rather than Strength on to hit and damage rolls with melee weapons (this does not grant extra damage when two handing).  Also, your Reflex save becomes your "good" save.

 (Ex): Fighters may be easier to influence with spells and magic than others, but they don't scare easy. At 1st level, a fighter may elect to substitute his good save (see Path in Life) for a Will save against fear effects. Any time he passes a save against a fear effect, he receives a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage for the duration of combat. Apparently, he gets a kick outta stuff like that (when it doesn't scare the piss outta 'em). This bonus starts as a +1, and increases every fifth level (5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th). The fighter does not get this bonus if no save is made (if he was immune to the effect, then no bonus is granted). True Grit may be used to resist an intimidation check, but will confer no bonus (unless it is during combat).

Starting at 1st level, a fighter displays more aptitude than most while wearing armor, reducing his armor check by one, and increasing his max dexterity bonus by one as well. This ability starts at a modifier of +1, and increases by one every fifth level (5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th).

The fighter gains an additional bonus feat at 2nd level and every two fighter levels thereafter (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th). These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as fighter bonus feats. A fighter must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. A fighter is not limited to the list of fighter bonus feats when choosing these feats.

The bonus from Combat Mastery (CM) starts as a +1, and increases every 4th level (7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th).


 * Melee Mastery: You hit harder and more often than your peers. You gain your Combat Mastery on all damage and critical confirmation rolls in melee.  You also gain it as a bonus to resist combat maneuvers executed against you in melee.
 * Ranged Mastery: You aim is truer and reach longer. You gain your Combat Mastery on all damage and critical confirmation rolls at range.  Your ranged attack also have their increments increased by 10ft x CM bonus.  Thrown weapons only get 5ft x CM bonus.  The bonus to range is applied before multipliers (like Far Shot or weapons of distance).
 * Defensive Mastery: You are the rock upon which the tide breaks. And very manly (or girly, if indeed you are a woman).  You gain your Combat Mastery bonus as an enhancement bonus to your AC (this stacks with any worn armor), and you gain DR */-, where * is your CM bonus (this DR stack with all other untyped DR).  You also gain it as a bonus to resist combat maneuvers executed against you.

At 5th level, a fighter treats his armor as being one step lighter for all purposes. Furthermore, the weight of the armor is not factored in to his max encumbrance while he wears it. At 10th, he treats his armor as two steps lighter.

Starting at 5th level, a fighter gains a new ability based on his path and mastery. He gains a new ability ever fourth level (9th, 13th, and 17th).


 * Kunst des Fechtens (Strong/Melee):
 * (5th): When grappled, you may wield a one handed weapon as though it were a light weapon. If you wield a light weapon when grappled, you take no penalty to attack.
 * (9th): You gain a 5% chance per point of Strength modifier that you deal partial damage (25% of total physical damage dealt) to a foe adjacent to your intended target. This ability only triggers on a successful hit, and does not convey any precision or elemental damage from the weapon.  You cannot deal damage to more than two opponents by virtue of this ability.
 * (13th): You now gain bonus attack as though you had the feat Cleave. If you have the feat Cleave, you may now cleave unlimited times per round.  If you have Great Cleave, you may now take a five foot step as a free action in between cleave attempts (and do so multiple times, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed).  Lastly, you now deal 33% of total physical damage dealt to foes adjacent to your intended target.
 * (17th): As a standard action, you can execute a single melee attack that deals double damage. If this attack threatens and then confirms a critical, increase the critical multiplier by 1.  You cannot critically fail an attack roll.  You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.  Lastly, you now deal 50% of total physical damage dealt to foes adjacent to your intended target.


 * Fior di Battaglia (Agile/Melee):
 * (5th): The first five feet (first square) of any move action is not subject to attacks of opportunity (those provoked by leaving a threatened square). This does not affect withdrawing or five foot steps.
 * (9th): Any time an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity, you may elect to instead take a five foot step as an immediate action. This movement is resolved before the foes action (which could potentially ruin the foes action).  If you have exhausted all of your attacks of opportunity for the round, you may not use this ability.
 * (13th): You gain a bonus to your AC when provoking attacks of opporunity as though you had the feat Mobility. If you have Mobility, you may now move before and after an attack as though you had the feat Spring Attack.  If you have the feat Spring Attack, you may move up to twice your speed before and after an attack.  You may also take an additional five foot step each turn.
 * (17th): You cannot critically fail an attack roll. You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.


 * Northmanorum (Strong/Ranged):
 * (5th): You do not provoke an attack of opportunity by throwing a ranged weapon. You may also take attacks of opportunity with a thrown weapon.
 * (9th): Your thrown ranged attacks also receive 1.5x Strength bonus to damage.  You may now also substitue Strength for Dexterity on ranged to hit rolls with thrown weapons.
 * (13th): You now ignore penalties for firing into melee as though you had the feat Precise Shot. If you have Precise Shot, you now ignore the AC bonus granted to targets by anything less than total cover, and the miss chance granted to targets by anything less than total concealment, as though you had the feat Improved Precise Shot.  If you have Improved Precise Shot, you may now roll concealment twice and take the more favorable roll.  You may now also throw a weapon up to ten increments, rather than five.
 * (17th): When you drop a foe with a thrown weapon, as a free action you may immediately make a second attack roll on a foe within the same range increment located in the same 5 foot line as the first foe. The second attack uses the same attack bonus as the first one.  This ability can only trigger once per attack.  Precision based and elemental damage only apply to the first target.  You cannot critically fail an attack roll.  You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.  Lastly, you now threaten all targets within 30ft, or one range increment of your weapon, whichever is less.


 * Kyūdōka (Agile/Ranged):
 * (5th): You do not provoke an attack of opportunity by firing a ranged weapon. You may also take atttacks of opportunity with a ranged weapon.
 * (9th): Your ranged attacks ignore a portion of your enemies DR equal to your Dexterity modifier (this does not increase damage, so much as negate a potential penalty).
 * (13th): You now ignore penalties for firing into melee as though you had the feat Precise Shot.  If you have Precise Shot, you now ignore the AC bonus granted to targets by anything less than total cover, and the miss chance granted to targets by anything less than total concealment, as though you had the feat Improved Precise Shot.  If you have Improved Precise Shot, you may now roll concealment twice and take the more favorable roll.  All penalties for firing a a range beyond the first increment are now halved.
 * (17th): When you drop a foe with a ranged weapon, as a free action you may immediately make a second attack roll on a foe within the same range increment located in the same 5 foot line as the first foe.  The second attack uses the same attack bonus as the first one.  This ability can only trigger once per attack.  Precision based and elemental damage only apply to the first target.  You cannot critically fail an attack roll.  You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.  Lastly, you now threaten all targets within 60ft, or one range increment of your weapon, whichever is less.


 * Hoplite (Strong/Defensive):
 * (5th): When grappled, you may wield a one handed weapon as though it were a light weapon. If you wield a light weapon when grappled, you take no penalty to attack.  You also gain mettle as a class feature.
 * (9th): Adjacent allies receive a deflection bonus to their AC equal to your shields armor bonus or Combat Mastery modifier, whichever is higher. Also, while using a tower shield for total cover, you may attack adjacent foes (you cannot take a full attack action while using the tower shield for total cover).
 * (13th): All allies adjacent to you have full concealment. This cannot be bypassed by any means, as it represents your active efforts to disrupt and interdict enemy attacks.  This ability does not benefit your allies if you are incapcitated.  Also, you may use a heavy shield to grant yourself total cover, as though it were a tower shield.   You cannot move while doing so, other than a five foot step.
 * (17th): Whenever you are subject to an attack in melee and missed by a margin of four or more, you may immediately make an attack of opportunity against your attacker. You cannot critically fail a saving throw.  You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.


 * Ekdromos (Agile/Defensive):
 * (5th): The first five feet (first square) of any move action is not subject to attacks of opportunity (those provoked by leaving a threatened square). This does not affect withdrawing or five foot steps.  You gain evasion as a class feature (unlike normal evasion, this functions normally in medium or heavy armor).
 * (9th): Any time during the round (excluding your turn), you may take a five foot step as an immediate action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Also, while using a tower shield for total cover, you may attack adjacent foes (you cannot take a full attack action while using the tower shield for total cover).
 * (13th): You gain a bonus to your AC when provoking attacks of opporunity as though you had the feat Mobility. If you have Mobility, you may now move before and after an attack as though you had the feat Spring Attack.  If you have the feat Spring Attack, you may move up to twice your speed before and after an attack. Also, you may use a heavy shield to grant yourself total cover, as though it were a tower shield. You cannot move while doing so, other than a five foot step.
 * (17th): Whenever you are subject to an attack in melee and missed by a margin of four or more, you may immediately make an attack of opportunity against your attacker. You cannot critically fail a saving throw.  You treat a natural one as a normal roll, not an automatic failure.