Combat Mechanic Tips and Details

Obscure details of EXACTLY how certain feats work or function when using multiple characters.

I'm writing this guide to save people the time and effort of testing to figure out what the confusing ability text actually means and how it works.

Vital Strike

Vital Strike BAB 6, Improved Vital Strike BAB 11, Greater Vital Strike BAB 16.

What is Vital Strike? Vital Strike is a standard action that replaces all your attacks. What does this mean? Basically:

Vital Strike hits a target with one BIG hit.

Anytime you would gain an extra attack via BAB, you instead add your weapons damage dice (excluding energy damage dice from magic effects) to the one attack. You will no longer attack the target more than once.

Pros:

• As a standard action, you can move first and then attack with Vital Strike, unlike normal where moving would lose your extra attacks. You only get extra attacks when attacking as a Full Round Action (basically you can't move). So you maintain damage potential.
  
• All your damage hits at once before DR/- anything.
  
• You only have to land ONE attack roll, and it uses your highest BAB, no -5 penalty for each extra attack since there aren't any extra attacks.
  
• With Mythic Vital Strike, all the damage via Vital Strike can crit, effectively negating the Con described below.

Cons:

• Only the first set of damage dice from Vital Strike can crit. (example will be shown below)
  
• Feat investment. Vital Strike BAB 6, Improved Vital Strike BAB 11, Greater Vital Strike BAB 16.
  
• With only ONE attack, you can only proc effects like precision damage from Sneak Attack once. Generally you won't go heavy on Sneak Attack with Vital Strike because Sneak Attack benefits from landing lots of hits to roll more often.

Tips:

• Use a weapon type with naturally high damage dice OR multiple damage dice. (1d12, 2d6 etc.)
  
• Use a weapon with a high crit range base.

Example:

You're a level 11 fighter. You have a BAB of 11 thus you have 3 attacks. You're wielding a scythe +2 b/c you like that 4x crit multiplier and it has 2d4 damage.

Non Vital Strike
BAB: +11, +6, +1
Damage: 2d4 + 2, 2d4 + 2, 2d4 + 2
3 attacks, each hit can hit/miss & crit w/ Sneak Attack (3 procs).

Vital Strike
BAB: +11
Damage: 6d4 + 6
1 attack, only 2d4 + 2 of the above damage may crit with only 1 Sneak Attack proc.
With Mythic Vital Strike, still 1 attack but now all 6d4 + 6 is multiplied on a crit. Still only 1 Sneak Attack proc.

Extra Details:

• Vital Strike cannot be used with Cleave, however it will work on Cleaving Finish which triggers automatically.
  
• An attack made using Vital Strike will only proc on the original attack not on effects like Wide Sweep which splash to nearby hostiles from the scythe weapon Wide Sweep.

Intimidation (Shaken)

What is 'shaken'?

Shaken is a status effect that causes -2 on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

Feats:

• Dazzling Display - Full Round Action, the prerequisite to the other feats. 30ft AoE shaken.
  
• Cornugon Smash - Free Action, on melee power attack hit, can intimidate check to apply 'shaken'.
  
• Shatter Defenses - Passive, targets who are 'shaken' are considered flat-footed.
  
• Dreadful Carnage - Free Action, reducing an enemy to 0 hp allows you to 30ft AoE intimidate check to apply 'shaken'.

One of the main reasons to invest into applying 'shaken' is 'flat-footed'. By inflicting 'shaken' a character with the feat Shatter Defenses will treat all 'shaken' foes as flat footed. This

Flat-footed causes targets to:

• Lose their dex bonus - Targets are significantly easier to hit.
  
• Lose the ability to perform attacks of opportunity.
  
• Be sneak attacked.

In PF: WotR sneak attacks need a target to be unaware OR flanked by a friendly target in melee OR be flat-footed.

Duration
When applying 'shaken' for every 5 you beat the enemy DC, you add 1 round to the duration. Applying 'shaken' to an already 'shaken' target extends the duration. To easily check this, I included a picture of the Demoralize (Persuasion) ability that all characters naturally possess.

Extra Details:

• When a character takes Shatter Defenses the text is kind of confusing. After some testing I have discovered that it's needlessly confusing. Basically when you take this feat, ANY target you hit who is 'shaken' PRIOR to you hitting them will be flat-footed. You don't have to hit them twice, you don't need someone who has the feat to apply 'shaken'. Anyone can apply 'shaken'. Though generally someone who has shatter defenses will also end up taking Dreadful Carnage for convenience of application.
  
• If you have Cornugon Smash, it applies 'shaken' AFTER the damage roll is made for the attack. Thus Shatter Defenses won't apply on the same hit Cornugon Smash applies 'shaken'.

Conditions[pathfinderkingmaker.fandom.com]

Combat Maneuvers (WIP, TBD)

Types:

• Bull Rush
  
• Dirty Trick
  
• Disarm
  
• Sunder Armor
  
• Trip

[Mikey]

https://pathfinderkingmaker.fandom.com/wiki/Condition

[Combat Wombat]

I do not know where that is, can I have a link/address?

[Mikey]

I can put them here but they're easily found on the PF:KM wiki.

[Combat Wombat]

There are a number of classes that get a mount as a class feature, such as the paladin. So Seleena can be used for that, as could a merc. I myself have not tried using anything other than basic attacks and charges. There is no description in the in-game readables for various conditions, such as sickened, fatigued and shaken. Do think it would be appropriate for it's own section here or in another guide?

[Mikey]

Yeah mounted combat I wasn't sure if it should be a CMB or it's own section. I also don't know if only the mount needs the feats or if both mount and unit need the feat.

[Combat Wombat]

Tiefling with the Oni-blood sub-race gets a 2 point bonus to both CMB and CMD. Add in fighter for all of the bonus feats and you can get a combat maneuver specialist. Must-have mercenary for me, unless I am playing it myself.

I have made so many characters that I might have beaten the game by now if I had stuck to just a single character. Gives me lots of early-game experience, but with no clue as to what mid-game is like.

Oh, charges could be considered a combat maneuver, there is an overrun combat maneuver mentioned in a few places, one of which is the description for the bully archetype for animal companions.

[Mikey]

Oh definitely on the combat maneuvers. I am currently going through my first PF:WotR playthrough. I don't have much experience with combat maneuvers so that is on my bucket list for my next playthrough. Although I may just make a merc to try out the maneuvers. Trip is insanely good. The Rogue archetype is I believe, the Thug. I haven't tried it out yet though. I am experimenting using a Fighter w/ a 2h weapon.

[Combat Wombat]

There is actually a rogue archetype that provides increased sneak-attack bonuses to the vital strike series, which it provides as bonus feats. iirc the description states that it adds 2d6 dice for each 1d6 sneak attack the character possesses. Or it does at one level, not sure about the others.

If you are fighting a hard-target (one with high ac for it's level) then putting everything into one big hit might be better damage-per-turn than missing on your subsequent hits. Definitely worth mentioning.

There is a Shaman hex that provides Dazzling Display as a bonus feat while removing the requirement for having a weapon. Some classes/archetypes can grant a similar functionally.

Good guide, definite potential. You have some combat maneuvers mentioned, any chance you might consider them as "not so easily understood?" It took me some trial-and-error to figure out how they worked.