Prestige Classes

TACTICAL SOLDIER

The tactical soldier is the master of teamwork in melee. She has trained in cooperative battle tactics and knows how to take advantage of position and timing to make herself and her teammates a deadly, unified force in battle. No other force compares to a group of melee-worthy combatants along with a tactical soldier in the wings, ready to multiply the total deadly effectiveness of the group by far more than their number alone would indicate. It takes a special kind of person to give up the limelight in favor of teamwork. Those with the necessary ability to think about the objective first and their own glory second make ideal tactical soldiers. Fighters, paladins, and rangers are the most common tactical soldiers, knowing just how to multiply the strengths and eradicate the weaknesses of battle-hardened combatants. NPC tactical soldiers make ideal cohorts or hirelings. What fighter wouldn?t want a tactical soldier backing him up, ready to step in and fight when the melee begins?

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a tactical soldier, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Sense Motive 2 ranks.

Feats: Cleave, Combat Reflexes.

Class Skills

The tactical soldier's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Tactical Soldier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the tactical soldier prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Tactical soldiers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Flanker (Ex): A tactical soldier can flank enemies from seemingly impossible angles. She can designate any adjacent square as the square from which flanking against an ally is determined (including the square where she stands, as normal). She may designate the square at the beginning of her turn or at any time during her turn. The designated square remains her effective square for flanking until she is no longer adjacent to it or until she chooses a different square (at the start of one of her turns). The character can even choose a square that is impassable or occupied.

Sidestep (Ex): At 2nd level, a tactical soldier gains Sidestep (described later in this chapter) as a bonus feat. If she already has the feat, she can choose a different one.

Interpose (Ex): A tactical soldier gains this ability, usable three times per day, at 3rd level. When an enemy threatens her in melee and makes a successful attack against an adjacent ally of hers, the tactical soldier may take the damage (and other effects) of the blow as if she had been hit instead.

Defensive Shield (Ex): Starting at 4th level, whenever a tactical soldier fights defensively, she provides up to two adjacent allies with a +2 dodge bonus to Armor Class, though their attack rolls do not take the normal ?4 penalty (but her attack rolls still do).

Offensive Strike (Ex): Starting at 5th level, in times of urgency a tactical soldier can lower all her defenses to make a very aggressive attack. When making an offensive strike, the tactical soldier gains a +4 bonus on melee attack rolls and damage rolls for 1 round. Until her next turn, however, she is wide open to physical and magical attacks. All successful attack rolls made against the tactical soldier are automatic threats, and all saving throws the tactical soldier makes against spells automatically fail.

Delayed Cleave (Ex): Starting at 7th level, if the last creature a tactical soldier hit in melee is dropped by someone other than her, and the tactical soldier still threatens that creature?s square, she may make a cleave attack as an attack of opportunity. All normal restrictions on cleave attempts and attacks of opportunity apply.

Unbalancing Blow (Ex): Starting at 8th level, a tactical soldier can use a full-round action to make a strategic melee attack against an enemy. If the attack succeeds, in addition to dealing regular damage, the blow unbalances the target so much that it provokes attacks of opportunity from creatures threatening its square. This ability works only on creatures up to one size category larger than the tactical soldier. Reciprocal Strike (Ex): A 10th-level tactical soldier can make an attack of opportunity (subject to normal restrictions) against a foe that successfully attacks an ally of the soldier and deals damage. She can use this ability three times per day.