Improved Charge Feat Chain

[the Jester]

Been mulling lately that fighters need more choices at high levels. There aren't really that many truly high-level feats (short of epic ones) and that's exactly what fighters need to stay sexy. This lack of good feats tends to make fighters sweep up chains they otherwise might not.

So I've been working on tons of feats.

Here's one of the feat chains I thought would be interesting. I'm not sure how balanced they are; I'd appreciate feedback.

IMPROVED CHARGE (General, Fighter)
You are extraordinarily accurate when you charge.
Prerequisites: Base attack +1
Benefit: When you charge you get a +1 competence bonus to hit. (This stacks with the normal bonus from charging.)

MASTERFUL CHARGE (General, Fighter)
Your charges are incredibly powerful.
Prerequisites: Base attack +4, Improved Charge, Run
Benefits: When you charge, you can move three times your normal speed. Your threat range increases by one (this stacks with all other threat range increasing feats and effects).

SUPREME CHARGE (General, Fighter)
You can attack those near the line of your charge.
Prerequisites: Base attack +10, Improved Charge, Masterful Charge, Run
Benefit: Whenever you charge you may take an attack of opportunity on any one enemy within reach at any point before the last 10’ of your charge. All your charge bonuses apply to this attack of opportunity.

 

[LazerPointer]

those are really cool. I think I'd stop the list after masterful charge, but all in all these are feats I'd enjoy taking.

 

[Aaron2]

SUPREME CHARGE (General, Fighter)
You can attack those near the line of your charge.
Prerequisites: Base attack +10, Improved Charge, Masterful Charge, Run
Benefit: Whenever you charge you may take an attack of opportunity on any one enemy within reach at any point before the last 10’ of your charge. All your charge bonuses apply to this attack of opportunity.

I wouldn't call this free attack an "attack of opportunity". Just call it a free bonus attack.

CLEAVING CHARGE (General, Fighter)
Your charge can cut a whole into the enemy.
Prerequisites: Base attack +10, Great Cleave
Benefit: Whenever you charge an opponent and deal enough damage to make it drop, you can continue to move forward and charge any opponent behind it. You can continue the charge until you run out of movement or you fail to drop an opponent. All the movement must be in the same direction as the initial charge.


Aaron

 

[azmodean]

I like the general idea, but some of the benefits are a bit much, masterfull charge seems a bit iffy, though the run prerequisite helps. Supreme charge and cleaving charge, however, are just broken. Supreme charge gives you an attack when normally you would be provoking one, whose attack occurs first, the AoO, or the special charge attack?
Cleaving charge works similarly to supreme cleave but is much better as it allows more movement(supreme cleave only allows a 5' step). Considering the fact that supreme cleave is a PrC special ability that it is somewhat difficult to acquire, I think it's quite overpowered to give something better as a general feat. On the other hand, perhaps if Supreme cleave was one of the prerequisites it'd be a nice feat for very high level fighters to add to their abilities(I'd probably make it epic IMC).

However, how about these:
OVERRUN CHARGE(General, Fighter)
You can attempt to overrun while charging.
Prerequisites: Base Attack +10, Impproved Overrun.
Normal: Without this feat you cannot attempt an overrun while charging.

CAUTIOUS CHARGE(General, Fighter)
You use great care while charging, without sacrificing hitting power.
Prerequisites: Base Attack +5.
Benefit: You do not suffer the -2 AC penalty when charging.

 

[Shallown]

Also along the charge feat chain you can add feats that make charging easier like a feat that allows you to ignore one terrain obstacle to charging. So you can charge over broken ground but not also through a friendly square. or vice versa.

Also You can add agile charge featthat allows you to turn up to 90 degrees while charging.

I had a charge specialized fighter in my last game and as long as charging doesn't become more useful tahn a full attack you can make powerful charge feats since they seldom are used more than once a combat.

You could also allow feats that work together like a charge that on a successful attack also allows you to bullrush them back etc. Just an idea not sure about the balance on that. could make the prereqs kind of stiff.

Later

 

[FireLance]

I like these feats. Here's my contribution:

CHARGE-BY ATTACK [GENERAL]
You are trained to move and strike swiftly and powerfully in combat.
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When using the charge action, you can move both before and after you attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than twice your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack. You cannot use this feat if you are in heavy armor or if you are mounted. All your movement for the round must be in a straight line.
Special: A fighter may select Charge-By Attack as a one of his bonus feat.
Even if you have the ability to make multiple attacks on a charge, you may only make a single attack with a charge-by attack.

 

[FireLance]

Also You can add agile charge featthat allows you to turn up to 90 degrees while charging.

There is a feat called Fleet of Foot in Complete Warrior that allows you to do this.

 

[Aaron2]

Cleaving charge works similarly to supreme cleave but is much better as it allows more movement(supreme cleave only allows a 5' step). Considering the fact that supreme cleave is a PrC special ability that it is somewhat difficult to acquire, I think it's quite overpowered to give something better as a general feat. On the other hand, perhaps if Supreme cleave was one of the prerequisites it'd be a nice feat for very high level fighters to add to their abilities(I'd probably make it epic IMC).

Supreme Cleave lets you take a 5' step in any direction and then Cleave in any direction (possibly afterwards cleaving multiple creatures). Cleaving Charge only lets you move in one direction and only lets you attack creatures that lie along that direct path and only works after a charge (which has its own limits). Plus, the character using a Cleaving Charge will be drawing AoOs from every foe bypassed. Obviously, I don't see it as overpowed at all.


Aaron

 

[comrade raoul]

MASTERFUL CHARGE (General, Fighter)
Your charges are incredibly powerful.
Prerequisites: Base attack +4, Improved Charge, Run
Benefits: When you charge, you can move three times your normal speed. Your threat range increases by one (this stacks with all other threat range increasing feats and effects).

Okay. As one might guess from my .sig, critical hit rules are sort of a sore point for me. All constant increases to threat range favor high-multiplier weapons. A +1 to threat range is just as good as improved critical if you're using an axe or a pick or somesuch, but much worse if you're not. Did you design the feat in order to implicitly favor wielders of such weapons, perhaps to represent the thought that axes are for some reason better for charging attacks than swords are? If not, I'd suggest that you provide a stackable doubling instead, or a bonus to confirmation rolls, or some other advantage unrelated to critical hits.

 

[the Jester]

Did you design the feat in order to implicitly favor wielders of such weapons, perhaps to represent the thought that axes are for some reason better for charging attacks than swords are? If not, I'd suggest that you provide a stackable doubling instead, or a bonus to confirmation rolls, or some other advantage unrelated to critical hits.

Spears were what I had in mind, actually.

I'm aware of the effects of increasing the threat range by one, and I'm aware of the potential design consequences for characters and this feat. But if more people want to play chargers with spears, that makes sense to me.

Maybe I'll change it so that it only increases the threat range for piercing weapons...