Legendary Fighter Perseverance

Perseverance options are defensive abilities that allow a legendary fighter to withstand hostile challenges through raw determination and toughness.

Fighting isn’t just about landing blows on the enemy; it’s also about being able take punishment and struggle through whatever obstacles get thrown in the way.

One class feature of the fighter which many see as underwhelming is the bravery class feature. That said, fighters certainly should be able to gain effective abilities which allow them to deal with the adversities of battle. Fighters have a reputation for being tough as nails, able to withstand immense physical punishment and endure extreme mental hardship in order to succeed, both on or off the battlefield, and be the last one standing. Perseverance options are defensive resilience abilities that are reasonably powerful and usually scale with level.

Unless indicated, a fighter cannot select an option more than once.

Battle Clarity (Ex)

The fighter gains immunity to the dazed condition. At 10th level, if the fighter is staggered then addition to taking a single move action or standard action, he can also take a move action to move but can only move up to half his speed during this action. The fighter cannot combine this additional move action with a standard action to perform a full-round action.

At 14th level, the fighter gains immunity to stunning.

Bravery (Ex)

A fighter gains a +2 bonus on Will saves against fear and the DC of Intimidate checks to demoralize him increases by the same amount. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 6th.

If the fighter is affected by a fear effect, he reduces the severity of the effect. If a fighter is panicked, he treats this as if he were frightened. If the fighter gains the frightened condition, he may treat this as if he were both shaken and staggered. If the fighter gains the shaken condition, he halves the penalties he receives from this condition.

Dauntless (Ex)

The fighter applies his bonus from the bravery perseverance option to all Will saving throws. In addition, the DC of Intimidate checks to demoralize him increases by an amount equal to twice his bonus from the bravery perseverance option. The fighter must have the bravery perseverance option to select this option.

Dogged Obstinacy (Ex)

The fighter gains a +1 morale bonus when repeating an attack roll, ability check, skill check, or saving throw he performed in the previous round. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 6th. This bonus applies to the following rolls made in the current round, starting from the start of the fighter’s turn, if the fighter attempted the same type of roll in the previous round, as listed below:

• Saving throws made against the same effect and saving throws of the same type (Fort, Reflex, or Will) against the same creature or situation. For example, a fighter who had to make a Reflex save against a sorcerer’s lightning bolt in the previous round would gain the bonus when making a Reflex save against the same sorcerer’s burning hands spell in this round.
• Attack rolls (except combat maneuver checks) made against the same creature with the same type of weapon (longsword etc.)
• Combat maneuver checks of the same type (trip, sunder, etc.) made against the same creature.
• Skill or ability checks of the same type (Acrobatics, Strength, etc.) that require at least a move action to perform. Opposed checks only gain the bonus if performed against the same creature.

This morale bonus also increases by an additional +1 for the first time it applies in the current round if the fighter failed the same attack roll, check, or saving throw in the previous round. The fighter can also apply his dogged obstinacy bonus to an activity that takes place over a longer period of time that requires checks or saves and involves the continually doing the same thing, even though the fighter may not be making rolls each round. These include Swim checks to swim for hours, Fortitude saves made against the effects of a forced march, and so on.

Fearless Zeal (Ex)

The fighter becomes immune to fear. If the fighter is subject to a fear effect, he gains a morale bonus equal to his bravery bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage, and saving throws against the source of this fear effect or the creature which produced this fear effect for 1 minute. The fighter must have the bravery perseverance option to select this option.

Focused Resolve (Ex)

The fighter can use focused resolve three times per day. At 10th level and every 4 levels thereafter, this number increases by one (to a maximum of 6 times per day at 18th level). As an immediate action, before attempting a saving throw, the fighter can expend one daily use of focused resolve to roll twice and take the better result. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw. At 10th level, as a standard action, the fighter can expend a daily use of this ability to focus his mind and will. Once during the next minute, he can choose to roll an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw three times and take the best result. He must decide to use this ability before the roll is made. The fighter cannot use both of these options on the same saving throw.

Hard-Bitten (Ex)

The fighter gains a +1 bonus on saving throws and to his CMD to resist effects triggered by a critical hit, including critical feats. These bonuses increase by +1 for every four levels beyond 6th. Whenever the fighter is struck by a critical hit, he only takes half of the extra damage caused by the critical hit. For example, an arrow trap (1d8+1/x3) deals a critical hit to a fighter with this ability. The damage rolls are 4 from the arrow’s regular damage and 5 + 7 from the additional dice rolled take a move action without further injuring himself, but if he performs any standard action (or any other action deemed as strenuous, including some swift actions, such as casting a quickened spell) he takes 1 point of damage after completing the act. If the fighter takes damage from any source, including taking damage from taking a strenuous action or from failing to stabilize on his turn, then he gains the helpless condition unless he spends a use of his undying ability.

At the start of his turn, when the fighter is conscious but has the helpless condition from being on negative hit points, he can spend a use of his undying ability to remove this helpless condition and if the fighter is dying and takes damage from failing to stabilize this round then he doesn’t gain the helpless condition from taking that damage.

At 10th level, the fighter no longer loses 1 hit point when he acts while at 0 or fewer hit points. The fighter can spend a use of his undying ability to remove the staggered condition gained from being at 0 or fewer hit points for 1 round.

At 14th level, if the fighter has at least two uses of his undying ability remaining, he can spend all of his daily uses of this ability to avoid death. Regardless of the source of the attack that would have killed him, he is left alive, at –1 hit points (or lower if he was already below –1), unconscious, and stable.

Heroic Defiance (Ex)

The fighter gains Heroic Defiance as a bonus feat, he doesn’t have to meet the prerequisites for this feat. In addition, he may use this feat one additional time per day for every four levels after 10th (to a maximum of 3 times per day at 18th level). The fighter must be 10th level to select this perseverance option.

Heroic Recovery (Ex)

The fighter gains Heroic Recovery as a bonus feat, he doesn’t have to meet the prerequisites for this feat. In addition, he may use this feat one additional time per day for every four levels after 6th (to a maximum of 4 times per day at 18th level).

Indefatigable (Ex)

The fighter becomes immune to fatigue.

At 10th level, he also becomes immune to exhaustion.

Internal Hardiness (Ex)

The fighter gains immunity to the sickened condition. At 10th level, he also gains immunity to the nauseated condition.

Persistent Tenacity (Ex)

If the fighter fails a Fortitude or Will save against an ongoing harmful affliction, including instantaneous and permanent ones, he can attempt it again at the start of his next turn. If he succeeds on this saving throw, it has the same effect as if he had made the original save. This only gives the fighter one extra chance to succeed on his saving throw. However, this ability has no effect on hit point damage, ability damage, or ability for the critical hit. The fighter only takes half of the points of damage from the critical hit (6 damage), taking a total of 10 points of damage from the arrow.

At 10th level, the fighter lessens any additional effects caused by a critical hit on him. Any extra damage caused by these abilities is minimized (treat all damage dice as if they had rolled their minimum number). Examples include the extra fire damage from a flaming burst weapon or the bleed damage from the Bleeding Critical feat. All durations of these additional effects are also minimized.

At 14th level, whenever a fighter successfully saves against an additional effect caused by a critical hit he instead avoids the effect entirely. If the fighter also has the stalwart resolve perseverance option and successfully saves against a critical hit’s additional effect, he also gains a morale bonus equal to his hard-bitten bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage, and saving throws against the target which scored the critical hit on him for a number of rounds equal to the damage multiplier of the critical hit.

At 18th level, the fighter is struck by a critical hit, he can make a Fortitude save with DC equal to 10 + the BAB of the attacker who dealt the critical hit or the total attack bonus of the attack if the attack doesn’t have a BAB (such as a trap). The fighter gains his hard-bitten bonus on this save and If he succeeds on the save then effects that only trigger on a critical hit do not trigger.

Hard to Kill (Ex)

The fighter doesn’t die from hit point damage until his total number of negative hit points is greater than or equal to the total of his Constitution score plus his fighter level. He also only falls unconscious from nonlethal damage when this damage exceeds his current hit points plus Constitution score plus fighter level. He gains a bonus equal to half his fighter level on Constitution checks to stabilize when dying or to start healing naturally when attempting to recover without help (see Stable Characters and Recovery in the Combat section of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).

The fighter can remain conscious when on negative hit points, but he still gains the helpless condition unless he uses an ability, such as the Diehard feat or the undying ability (see below), that allows him to act while on negative hit points. Whenever the fighter gains the helpless condition from being on negative hit points, he can choose to fall unconscious instead. The fighter still takes 1 damage each round while dying until he stabilizes.

Additionally, the fighter gains the following ability and he can use this undying ability a number of times per day equal to half his fighter level. When the fighter is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but not slain, the can spend one use of his undying ability to avoid gaining the helpless condition. He is staggered, and can drain. For example, a fighter who fails his initial Fortitude save against a poison and takes the poison’s initial ability damage. On the fighter’s next turn he then succeeds on his save using this ability and is no longer affected by that dose of poison, even if the poison would require multiple consecutive saves to resist. This doesn’t remove the ability damage the fighter took from the poison from failing the initial save.

Physical Resilience (Ex)

If the fighter takes ability damage, ability drain, or a temporary penalty to an ability score, this damage, drain, or penalty is reduced by 2 points. This reduction improves by 1 at 10th level and for every four levels beyond that (to a maximum reduction of 5 at 18th level).

Robust Physique (Ex)

Whenever the fighter takes lethal damage, 1 point of this damage is converted to nonlethal damage. The amount of damage converted increases to 2 points of damage at 10th level, 3 points of damage at 14th level, and 4 points of damage at 18th level. This damage conversion has no effect on bleed damage or damage that is already nonlethal. Each round, at the start of the fighter’s turn, he reduces any bleed effects he is suffering by 1 point. At 14th level, this reduction improves to 2 points per round. This effect is cumulative; for example, at the start of his turn a 6th level fighter with this ability who currently is taking 4 points of bleed damage would reduce the bleed damage by 1, taking 3 points of bleed damage. At the start of his next turn, he would again reduce the bleed damage by 1, and so on. Whenever the fighter is below 0 hit points, he automatically stabilizes without needing to attempt a Constitution check. When the fighter is poisoned or diseased, he doubles the time between saving throws. For example, a fighter poisoned by large scorpion venom which normally has a frequency of 1/round for 6 rounds, would instead make a saving throw every second round over 12 rounds.

Stalwart Mettle (Ex)

A fighter can use physical and mental resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If she makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, he instead avoids the effect entirely. At 10th level, when the fighter makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw to recover from an ongoing effect, he may roll twice and choose the better roll.

Implementation

Adding these perseverance options at the similar class levels to the bravery class feature (6th, 10th, 14th, 18th), spreads out these abilities nicely and gives fighter characters good reasons to stay in the fighter class at higher levels. It also mirrors how fighters get 4 sets of weapon training and 4 sets of armor training and each gain a new iteration every 4 levels.

The dauntless perseverance option replaces the armed bravery advanced weapon training option in the, so only make one of these available. As a GM, if there are concerns about a fighter with the dauntless option gaining a Will save that is ‘too good’ (a total of +13 at 20th level), and that it can be further increased by feats (such as Courage in a Bottle) or magic items (such as the sash of the war champion). Consider making the bonus from determination overlap/not stack with the bonus from dauntless, or reduce the bravery bonus to +1 at 6th level.

Also weigh up how these Will save bonuses interact with the sensate archetype’s centered senses ability. We feel that even though dauntless is a strong option, bravery and dauntless are each, on average, roughly the same as taking the Iron Will feat.

Table: Perseverance Options

Name	Benefit
Battle Clarity	Immune to dazing, reduce staggered effects at 10th level, immune to stunning at 14th level.
Bravery	+1 bonus per 4 levels against fear. Reduce fear effects.
Dauntless	Apply bravery bonus on all Will saves. Increase Intimidate check DC to demoralize the fighter.
Dogged Obstinacy	+1 bonus per 4 levels when attempting the same action as previous round.
Fearless Zeal	Immune to fear and gain bonuses against sources of fear.
Focused Resolve	Roll multiple times on a save and take the best result (3/day, +1 per 4 levels)
Hard to Kill	Survive when grievously injured and continue to act on negative hit points.
Hard-bitten	Reduce the damage from critical hits and effects triggered by critical hits.
Heroic Defiance	Gain the Heroic Defiance feat.
Heroic Recovery	Gain the Heroic recovery feat.
Indefatigable	Immune to fatigue, immune to exhaustion at 10th level.
Internal Hardiness	Immune to sickened condition, immune to being nauseated at 10th level.
Persistent Tenacity	Make an extra Fort and Will save in the following round.
Physical Resilience	Reduce ability damage, drain, or penalties by 2 (+1 per 4 levels).
Robust Physique	Convert some damage to nonlethal. Reduce bleed effects. Automatically stabilize.
Stalwart Mettle	Avoid reduced effects on successful Fort or Will save. Roll twice against ongoing effects at 10th level.