Combat Expertise is one of the most reviled feats in 3.X. It's not quite as pants-on-head as something like Elephant Stomp, but it's still mediocre at best and on top of that it's a gatekeeper feat for anybody who wants to use maneuvers. The fixes for it that I've found generally involve either getting rid of it and replacing it with a combat mode available to anyone, or making it work off of a stat other than intelligence. Maneuver feats are often calved off from it entirely. None of these things are bad ideas, but they're sort of thematically unsatisfying for me. "Expertise" implies some kind of systematic knowledge, and I like the idea that fighting "smarter" would manifest as being hard to hit and good at tricky maneuvers. These feats are my first stab at my own fix for CE and INT-based fighting. They're for Pathfinder, because that's what I play right now. They also assume that the "improved" tier of combat maneuver feats has been condensed into two feats called "Deft Maneuvers" and "Powerful Maneuvers" that don't require CE as a tax. Credit for this houserule goes
here.
Design goals:
- This should be a fairly short feat tree, based on CE, which gives INT value in melee combat.
- These feats should come online early. Someone "fighting smarter" should have this as a shtick from level 1 or 2, and should be able to pick up a new trick around 4-6.
- There should be a reason that an enemy would target a character using CE, because otherwise the investment in defenses is wasted.
- Fighting "smart" should feel different from fighting "strong" or "fast." Thematically, that means a setup and then a takedown. Functionally, that means the worst stuff happens on the opponent's round, as they blunder into a cleverly-laid trap. Mechanically, I want that to mean that the character imposes bad choices on his opponents that invariably blow up in their faces.
Here are the first three feats:
Combat Expertise Prerequisite: Int 13
Benefits: When you use the attack action or the full attack action in melee, you can take a penalty of as much as –5 on your attack roll and add the same number (+5 or less) as a dodge bonus to your Armor Class and CMD. This number may not exceed your base attack bonus. These changes last until your next turn. In addition, you gain a permanent insight bonus equal to your AC bonus on any knowledge checks against enemies that you attack or that attack you while you are using combat expertise.
One Step Ahead Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, ?
Benefits: If you are using Combat Expertise, you can use a standard action to make a single melee touch attack. If this attack hits, you deal half damage and also subject your target to a penalty depending on what his next action is: If he attacks you, he provokes an attack of opportunity from any of your allies that threaten him. If your enemy does anything other than attack you, he takes a penalty to CMD equal to your Expertise bonus until the start of his next turn and provokes an attack of opportunity from you. This attack of opportunity is resolved immediately, and if it makes the action that provoked it impossible—such as disarming an enemy trying to attack an ally—that action automatically fails and is wasted.
Combat Mastery Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, any two combat maneuver feats, BAB +?
Benefits: You gain a competence bonus to AC, CMD and CMB equal to your intelligence modifier.
An alternate version of One Step Ahead:
One Step Ahead Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, ?
Benefits: If you are using Combat Expertise, any time you attack an enemy (you do not have to hit), you subject your target to a penalty depending on what his next action is: If he attacks you, he provokes an attack of opportunity from any of your allies that threaten him. If your enemy does anything other than attack you, he takes a penalty to CMD equal to your Expertise bonus until the start of his next turn and provokes an attack of opportunity from you. This attack of opportunity is resolved immediately, and if it makes the action that provoked it impossible—such as disarming an enemy trying to attack an ally—that action automatically fails and is wasted.
So, thoughts?
