Evasive Action
Hello everyone and welcome to another fantastic edition of Extraordinary Feats, where we provide a selection of new feats each week meant to dazzle and amaze. This week I’ve decided to create some feats to enhance combat and make it more interesting. No, I don’t just mean new crazy martial arts maneuvers (although those are always fun), but feats which enhance the experience of combat and encourage combatants to think tactically to take full advantage of all their options, from the simple charge, to ducking for cover, and even running away. Today’s feats are all geared towards the thinking man.
Defensive Retreat (Combat)
When you back out of combat, you sacrifice speed for defense.
Prerequisites: Dodge, base attack bonus +1.
Benefits: Whenever you use the withdraw action to move no more than your normal speed, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC and a +2 bonus to Reflex saving throws for 1 round.
Greater Charge (Combat)
You charge down your foes like a comet screaming from the sky.
Prerequisites: Improved Bull Rush or Improved Overrun, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully use the charge action, if your attack hits, you may make either a bull rush or overrun combat maneuver (with a +2 bonus to your CMB granted by the charge) against the target as a free action. You may not move more than twice your movement speed (including the distance moved as part of the charge) when using this ability. The bull rush or overrun combat maneuver is otherwise resolved normally.
Obtrusive Combatant (Combat)
Firing a ranged attack into a melee is tough as it is, but you are nearly impossible to hit under these conditions.
Benefit: The penalty to making a ranged attack against you while you are engaged in melee combat is doubled (from -4 to -8). Additionally, even characters with the Precise Shot feat suffer a -2 penalty to ranged attack rolls made against you while you are engaged in melee combat.
Seize the High Ground (Combat)
He who controls the high ground controls the fight, and you are a master of taking advantage of the higher ground.
Benefit: You gain an additional +1 bonus to attack when you have higher ground. Additionally, you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC for attacks made by creatures that you have higher ground than.
Strategic Run (Combat)
You don’t run as fast as others, but you make fewer errors in your running.
Benefit: Whenever you use the run action, you may choose to move 1 less times the speed you would ordinarily move (thus a character with the Run feat could choose to move four times his normal speed, while a character in full plate could choose to run at twice his normal speed). If you do, you do not suffer the normal penalties to AC caused by using the run action. Additionally, if you have the Run feat, you gain a + 1 dodge bonus to AC while running in this fashion.
Take Cover (Combat)
You are a cautious individual and know how to make the most out of taking cover.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, base attack bonus +1.
Benefits: Whenever you gain the benefit of cover, the bonuses to AC and Reflex saves that you gain as a result is increased by +1. These bonuses are doubled if you are benefiting from improved cover, and you still gain the bonus to Reflex saves even when benefiting from soft cover.