Last night I talked about some common character builds for Fighters and broke things down by the numbers to help you decide which type of Fighter you think you would most like to play. Today, we're going to get a bit more in-depth with special techniques. The builds examined here are specialists, meaning they do one thing very well, but if they are denied their chance to use this ability, they are only an average fighter.
Chain Fighter
This has to be my favorite low-level Fighter build. The idea behind this build is tripping the opponent. To play this build effectively, you need to become familiar with the rules for tripping. The quickest way to achieve this build is to play a human and put at least a 15 in your dexterity (the higher the better). Your first level feat choice is Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Spiked Chain. Your Fighter bonus feat will be Combat Reflexes, and if you go with a human, your human bonus feat will be either Weapon Finesse: Spiked Chain or Weapon Focus: Spiked Chain.
So, what does this build do? Well, first of all, a spiked chain has a 10ft reach, but it also lets you attack adjacent opponents. It can also be used as a double weapon. It has a base damage of 2d4, so an average damage of 5. It is a two-handed weapon, so attacks with your primary end will get 150% of your strength bonus. You will need the exotic proficiency for this build. Combat Reflexes will allow you to capitalize on your high dexterity by getting extra attacks of opportunity. Weapon Finesse will let you use that dexterity to boost your attack bonus. At level 2, you should use your Fighter bonus feat to take either Weapon Finesse or Weapon Focus, whichever you didn't take at level 1. With your 3rd level feat, you will want Combat Expertise if you have a high enough intelligence, or maybe consider two-weapon fighting. Your level 4 Fighter bonus feat should be Weapon Specialization: Spiked Chain, and your 6th level feat will be Improved Trip and your Fighter bonus feat will be Improved Two-Weapon Fighting.
This build gives you a few options of good feats you can take depending on if you want to focus on building up your damage faster, number of attacks faster, or trip success rate faster.
Combat Reflexes let you make attacks of opportunity against multiple opponents. You can declare trip attempts with your chain instead of a normal attack. Getting up while within an opponent's threatened area provokes attacks of opportunity. You threaten all spaces your weapon can attack into. So, right off the bat, as a level 1 character with exotic proficiency and combat reflexes and assuming a dexterity bonus of +2, you threaten twice as much ground as other level 1 characters, you can make AoO against up to 3 opponents each round. Right off the bat, this means that after you are no longer flat-footed, opponents can't charge you without getting attacked, and anyone you trip will give you a free attack on their turn. If the rest of your party is smart, they will move into melee with tripped opponents so the opponent provokes from multiple characters at once.
Pros: The vast majority of opponents in D&D are humanoids, who are vulnerable to tripping.
Cons: This strategy doesn't work against larger creatures and monsters with four or more legs.
The Bulldozer
What is more effective: charging an opponent to swing for 2d6 damage with your greatsword, or charging that opponent and pushing them back over a cliff? Many opponents are effectively removed from combat if they are pushed over a cliff, and that is what the bulldozer is shooting for.
To build a bulldozer, you need Power Attack and Improved Bull Rush. A level 1 Fighter can take both starting out.
Pros: 1- Even if you aren't in a situation where you can push an opponent out of the fight, the prerequisites for your feats include Power Attack, which also leads you to the most effective damage-dealing melee build discussed last night. 2- Improved Bull Rush is the only feat you really need, after that your other feats can work towards melee combat, such as Cleave, Improved Toughness, Dodge, etc.
Cons: 1- Ineffective against non-humanoids or larger humanoids or dwarves. 2- If your attempt fails, you have effectively wasted your turn this round.
Spiked Shield
For this build, you will need a spiked shield and a one-handed weapon. A shield's spike is considered a weapon, and is technically a separate weapon from the shield, so you could potentially get a +2 Arrow Catching shield with a +2 Holy spike. For this build, you will want Improved Shield Bash and Two-Weapon Fighting. Improved Shield Bash will let you retain your shield's AC bonus when attacking with your spike, and Two-Weapon Fighting will reduce your penalty for attacking with your sword and shield.
One of my friends wanted to try this build with the Two-Weapon Defense feat, which says your off-hand weapon grants a +1 shield bonus to AC. However, after considering it, I realized that shields grant a shield bonus, the feat grants a shield bonus, and as we all know from the Dungeonmaster's Guide, like bonuses don't stack! So, taking Two-Weapon Defense while using a spiked shield is pointless, however the other Two-Weapon feats are still perfectly applicable, and by using a shield and Improved Shield Bash, you don't have to worry about the Two-Weapon Defense feat, and you can still enjoy the defensive abilities of magic shields without sacrificing your offensive power.
There are plenty of other options available for fighter specialists. These are just some of the fun choices you can make using only the Player's Handbook. Let me encourage you to break the mold, try something new, and experiment. If you usually play power-attacking heavy weapon fighters, try a chain fighter or even a bulldozer since the build isn't too different it'll be somewhat familiar. Above all, have fun with whatever choice you make.
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