Remove critical accuracy pre-req for kensei

[Cetus]

Hey devs, can anything be done to make critical accuracy actually beneficial for kensei? Confirming critical hits is nearly a non-existant issue with the to-hit that fighters already achieve. Spending 6 action points on 3 tiers of an enhancement that literally provides no benefit other than just satisfying a pre-requisite is a little painstaking to do for the longest time now.

My suggestion:

a) Reduce the ap cost to 1 ap per tier if you absolutely feel that we need it.
b) Turn the bonus into a +1 seeker type effect per tier, so we have the confirm and the dmg aspect of it (stacking with item based seeker items of course) in addition to incentive to grab the 4th tier as well- which, as of right now, nobody does.
c) Rework critical hit confirmation in the game, make them slightly harder to do, so it bears usefulness to have an even higher confirm for fighters versus other classes and even provides usefulness for the feat: Power critical.


As someone who has been a loyal fighter for the past 5 years, seeing AP's wasted is really terrible. I definitely think this particular enhancement is just an action point sink on an already incredibly AP tight class.

-Cetusss

[Cold_Stele]

b) Turn the bonus into a +1 seeker type effect per tier, so we have the confirm and the dmg aspect of it (stacking with item based seeker items of course) in addition to incentive to grab the 4th tier as well- which, as of right now, nobody does.

Agree 100% with this.

The previously useless Frenzied Berserker prereq (Damage Boost) got a very nice buff, it would be nice if Fighters got to share the love too.

The cynical part of me thinks this was just to sweeten the blow for the Barb PL feat fix, especially given the way the news was drip fed. Not that my Humes/HElves are complaining mind you.

[Vellrad]

Well, each PrE in game got something useless in pre req, that you woudn't take if you didn't had to.
Who should kensai be only exception?

[Cold_Stele]

Well, each PrE in game got something useless in pre req, that you woudn't take if you didn't had to.
Who should kensai be only exception?

1. What useless prereqs do Frenzied Berserkers have now?

2. Kensai actually have TWO useless prereqs they have to take to tier III. They also have to take Ftr Attack Boost III (though for some reason I've never understood Kensai Power Surge uses an Attack Boost 'charge' each time it's activated).

[Astraghal]

Fighters have just gotten worse and worse over the past few updates. They need something otherwise they will just become a weaker Barbarian. The developers never really decided what should be the Fighters main strength and stick with it. If it's going to be tactics, make them worthwhile and powerful (for Fighters only), if it's going to be critical hits, make the enhancments meaningful, if it's going to be AC then make it useful. Make up your minds Turbine and move in a fixed direction, as it stands the Fighter class isn't exceptional in any area.

[Ystradmynach]

/signed

Even if critical accuracy wasn't a kensai pre-req it should stand on its own as something at least some builds should find useful to take. But fighters gain so many bonuses to hit anyway, that it isn't reasonable to believe any real fighter build would have any issue confirming criticals, and even if they did the enhancement wouldn't be worth the arithmetic progression assigned to it. If the skill enhancements boosts were made one point each, I don't see why critical confirmation on a fighter should be any different.

[QuantumFX]

Allow racial weapon enhancements to substitute for it.

[alexp80]

1. What useless prereqs do Frenzied Berserkers have now?

ever seen wf fvs pre-req? tons of ap towards something long worse than crit accuracy

[Alternative]

Well, each PrE in game got something useless in pre req, that you woudn't take if you didn't had to.
Who should kensai be only exception?

Frenzied Berserker in u11 as already stated, also Pale Master, Savants, possibly more that I haven't played or don't remember.

Prestige enhancements already have their cost in AP, none should require to take other useless enhancements on top of that, kensai or not. Kotc paladin's +1/2/3 to saves against fear is garbage too.

[Alternative]

ever seen wf fvs pre-req? tons of ap towards something long worse than crit accuracy

what pre-reqs does a WF fvs have? do tell.

Or do you mean the AoV fvs which happen to be a caster PrE and requires the caster smiting line, which is too costly but by no means useless to a CASTER fvs.

[Cold_Stele]

ever seen wf fvs pre-req? tons of ap towards something long worse than crit accuracy

AoV II only wastes 4AP on the faith enhancement (compared to 12AP Kensai wastes). The other differences are -

1. You certainly don't even need to take it (I only have AoV I on my WF FvS as does the original 'Soul Survivor').

2. It's a caster FvS PrE not a melee one. Whilst we all take it on our melee FvS right now (and get some benefit from it) it's not designed for us. The 6AP on Smiting III and Scion III aren't an issue for caster FvS.

[blkcat1028]

Well, each PrE in game got something useless in pre req, that you woudn't take if you didn't had to.
Who should kensai be only exception?

It shouldn't be the exception, but it would be a good place to start.

Like the OP I play a lot of fighter based toons. Critical accuracy is a waste of ap's as it stands.

[Vellrad]

also Pale Master

Energy of the scholar III

[Cetus]

Well, each PrE in game got something useless in pre req, that you woudn't take if you didn't had to.
Who should kensai be only exception?

Well, I absolutely agree that there are other classes that have unnecessary/useless pre reqs that they have to take (bards and their inspired bravery for instance) but as a proponant of fighters, this is the one thats kicking me in the jimmy the hardest, thus my creation of this thread- it is not to minimize the importance of reworking the PrE pre reqs on other classes as well.

Its not so much, "don't let fighters be an exception in an already handful of classes that are cheated" but "make fighters, as well as others, have more useful pre preqs that they should take to satisfy their PrE's."

I think that reworking the importance of critical hit confirmation would kill two birds with one stone as mentioned in the OP- give the enhancement line some appeal as well as the power critical feat.

[Varashad]

Just give us fighters a damage boost enhancement instead of attack and let that satisfy the Kensai requirement, and get rid of critical accuracy altogether and replace it with requiring one of the tactics enhancements that fighters have.

[jkm]

1. What useless prereqs do Frenzied Berserkers have now?

2. Kensai actually have TWO useless prereqs they have to take to tier III. They also have to take Ftr Attack Boost III (though for some reason I've never understood Kensai Power Surge uses an Attack Boost 'charge' each time it's activated).

Have you ever looked at the rogue PrEs?

[Chai]

1. What useless prereqs do Frenzied Berserkers have now?

Cleave.

[Kinerd]

Have you ever looked at the rogue PrEs?

Feel free to cite the rogue PrE that has 12 AP spent on useless enhancements.

[jkm]

Fighter Attack 3 isn't useless because you get it back via Power Surge which is +4 to hit +4 damage. Trading +4 to hit for 20 seconds for +4 to hit/damage for 1 minute is a great trade. Compare that to assassin which gets 1 minute of poisons that don't work. AWESOME!!

So critical accuracy = 6 APs

Assassin -> improved hide II, move silently II, Sneak attack accuracy 3 and 4 so that is 11 right there. The damage boost isn't as worthless but its still pretty bad

Mechanic -> Trap lore 1, disable 3, open lock 3, trap sense 2 (10)-> yep, all things you don't need

Acrobat -> Faster Sneaking 1, Balance 2, Tumble 2 (5) + Dex 3 depending on current dex score (6)

Please note, 2 levels of the last 2 no telling what the 3rd tier would require

[Kinerd]

Fighter Attack 3 isn't useless because you get it back via Power Surge which is +4 to hit +4 damage. Trading +4 to hit for 20 seconds for +4 to hit/damage for 1 minute is a great trade. Compare that to assassin which gets 1 minute of poisons that don't work. AWESOME!!

Power Surge could just as easily be coded as its own type of boost, or the PrE could only require Fighter Attack 1, or etc.

Assassin -> improved hide II, move silently II, Sneak attack accuracy 3 and 4 so that is 11 right there. The damage boost isn't as worthless but its still pretty bad

Hide and MS are generally useless, 4 AP.
Rogues have a much harder time with to-hit than fighters. Not useless.
Damage boost is a percentage multiplier of sneak attack damage. It is not in any way worthless.

Mechanic -> Trap lore 1, disable 3, open lock 3, trap sense 2 (10)-> yep, all things you don't need

Acrobat -> Faster Sneaking 1, Balance 2, Tumble 2 (5) + Dex 3 depending on current dex score (6)

Outside of Balance, the requirements are no more useless than the prestiges themselves.