Finessed phalanx with rapiers, Combat Reflexes and Improved Criticals

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Most people would prefer heavily plated dwarven defenders with huge axes and Great Cleave anytime.

Dexterous, finessed and lightly armoured warriors are typically supposed to make use of Tumble, Mobility, Spring Attack and the like. This typically means hunting down mages, priests, leaders and the like.

However, I've noticed an interesting defensive possibility with DEX-based builds.

First, with Finesse, DEX is both your AB class and AC stat. Understandably, it becomes the sole most important stat of all. Consequently, your AC tends to become uber.

2H sword is obviously not your way. But you're a fighter so you don't have to walk around with a crappy dagger. What do you take? Rapier, of course. 18-20 threat range. Improved Criticals just beg for taking. It's 15-20 now, which means 25% chance.

Combat Reflexes feat allows a number of attacks of opportunity equal to DEX bonus. In case of Finessed warriors this is quite a lot.

The idea is placing several such guys within 5' distance from one another in a line protecting your archers, casters and the like. Whatever tries to get through contracts attack of opportunity on both sides with a flanking bonus +2 on top of the DEX-based AB which is typically higher than STR-based AB (as it benefits your AC and AB both, you just bump one stat instead of two or three). As Strength isn't those guys' strength , they probably have 12 at best. Not much damage. However, 25% chance of scoring threat that will most likely be confirmed does wonders. There's a 50% chance of one critical happening and 6.75% of two. And these are free attacks like those from Cleave or Great Cleave. You can still get your full attack.

 

The raging half-orc Barbarians (or maybe even better yet, dwarf Barbarian) easily takes these boys down. If we're talking about the Fighters having Improved Critical, then the Barbarians are likely to have a better rage and DR X/-. You can inflict all the damage you want, but you're not going to be able to take down the powerhouse that is the Barbarian with the unimpressive damage of something like 1d6+4. You may find that the Barbarian is surprisingly good at being a big ol' meat shield (Uncanny Dodge is cool). An added plus is if you make these Barbarians ogres or, worse, trolls.

Barring that, you can take them down with a nice area of effect spell (preferrably one requiring a Will save). Fighters don't have the best Reflex and Will saving throws.

Or just be an evil Cleric and throw a lot of undead at them. Or a Cleric with an elemental domain and throw a lot of elementals at them. Whatever.

One benefit for the phalanx idea, though: arm them with Keen weapons. Threat range increases to 12-20. Not that the damage multiplier increases.

[ May 01, 2004, 04:51: Message edited by: Oaz ]

 

This Build has some flaws, but the superior dexterity keeps it relativly safe, even from a raging barbarian.
Low saving throws can be boosted with the right choice of feats.

I don't like the weapon selection. I would burn a feat for an Exotic Proficency. Either Elven Thinblade (same stats as the rapier, except a 1W8-Damage) or even better: the Spiked Chain. Not very useful in a phalanx, but I would scrap this particular idea right now. You need a shield for that, which hampers your movement.

The chain is finessable and with combat expertise you can choose Improved Trip an Improved Disarm later on. A raging barbarian is not so powerful without a weapon or lying on the ground. Same with undead. Elementals could be a problem, but chance is that you get the caster before or while he's summoning them.

 

The spiked chain, while a nice defensive weapon, deals an abysmal amount of damage for an exotic weapon with no critical hit bonus.

Giants, large undead, and other large creatures make this benefit of little use, since it's difficult to trip something bigger and stronger than you. And the 10-foot reach doesn't help. Or you could go to the Druid with Natural Spell. Wild Shape into an Eagle, and go all-out summoning: dire wolves, dire bears, dire wolverines, any meat-bag that can't be disarmed or tripped. And if that doesn't work, start trying out the Flame Strikes.

The other problem with the Spiked Chain is that you need a bunch of feats to make it worthwhie: Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, etc., etc. With that much space, you don't get a lot of room to improve on saving throws (with are still pretty bad compared to the AoE spells by the Improved Critical level).

Fighter 9 with 14 Wisdom and Iron Will: Will save +7.

Sorcerer 9 with 18 Charisma and Spell Focus casting Fear: DC 19. The spell affects over half of those Fighters.

 

Agreed.
But I wouldn't use a group of dexterous fighters in a defensive position except in an emergency.
The couldn't withstand a charge anyway.

Just give those heavely armored Dwarven Defenders. Or a real phalanx with longspears.

 

Actually, it sounds as if Chev's talking about a picket line rather than a phalanx. Perhaps two or three rows deep though he spoke of just one, but lines rather than a wedge. Obviously, this wouldn't work against critical immune foes, but against all others it could be devastating.

As fighters specially trained for this, they'd most likely have Weapon Specialization so the damage would be along the lines of d6 + 2 (STR) + 2 (SPC) = 5 - 10 (10 - 20, w/ crit). A creature trying to move between two defenders would be open to 2 attacks from each( 6th - 10th level defenders), plus an AoO attack from each, for a total of 6 attacks. That comes out to about 4 regular attacks and 2 criticals for 40 - 80 points of damage with regular rapiers. Enhanced weapons can, of course, do more damage. Throw a second line 5' behind the first and not many would want to make that run, I think.

Oh and BTW, a critical threat range of 15-20 makes it 30% likely, not 25%. Giving them keen rapiers would increase it to a 45% threat.

 

Even then, Improved Initiative and a big ol' longspear bears serious consideration when you consider that spears deal double damage when readied against a charge.

(1d10 + 3 (Str) + 2 (W. Spec)) x2 = 21 damage on average. Plus you get the benefits of heavy armor, and you can still make good use of your spear due to its extra reach.

 

Who would use a wedge in a defense anyway?


Concerning the level of these fighters: Obviously we are speaking about highly trained and specialized veterans here, which are not that numerous in any army. No sane general would burn them for a task like this if he had a choice.

A picket line would probably hold a while...as long as the enemy chooses melee. I would cover the line with arrows and artillery: ballistae, mages and the like. Or at least mass my troops for one, two or three concentrated assaults to breach the line with heavy infantry with axes to hack the pickets away and swarm the cavalry in behind. Your rapiermen had to draw together just to defend the breaches, so that the rest of the line would be weakened.

 

From Chev's original post:

The rapier defenders provide protection for the casters and/or archers and vice versa. These guys may not be the first line of defense, but just make a wall around the ranged/non- combatants instead. I'd think that any general who did not protect this resource would be the one who needs his sanity checked.

 

@ BigStick: I overread this part.

But it changes nothing. The rapiermen could not hold a charge.