Phalanx Combat (3.5e Feat)

Phalanx Combat [General]

You are skilled at using your shield to create defensive formations--you can use your shield to defend your allies as well as yourself.

Prerequisite: Shield Proficiency with your chosen shield and BAB +5 or higher.

Benefit: If you are carrying any shield larger than a buckler, you may enter "Phalanx Stance" as a move action. You may exit Phalanx Stance as a free action, but not during the same round as you entered the stance.

While in Phalanx Stance:

• You may not shield bash, unless you have the Improved Shield Bash feat.
• You may not use any skills that are affected by armor check penalties, even if you are using a shield that incurs none.
• You receive a -4 penalty on attack rolls with slashing and bludgeoning melee weapons, and a -2 on attack rolls with ranged and piercing weapons.
• Any allies adjacent to you but not in front of where you are facing may add your shield bonus to their AC against attacks coming from the direction you are facing. If they have a shield of their own, the bonuses stack. However, they must incur a -2 penalty on all attack rolls with slashing and bludgeoning melee weapons and a -1 penalty on all attack rolls with ranged and piercing weapons to do this. If you are using a tower shield, your allies also gain a cover bonus when choosing to add your shield bonus. You receive no penalty to your own shield bonus.

You may not benefit allies who are larger than you in terms of size category.

Phalanx Stance is automatically disabled if you are rendered prone or forced to use a skill that is affected by armor check penalties. Phalanx Stance is also disabled if you are hit with a successful bull rush or overrun attack or if you are forced to make a Reflex save (for any reason), but in these instances you can maintain your Phalanx Stance with a DC 15 Concentration check.

If both you and an ally have the Phalanx Combat feat and are standing adjacent to one another, you both receive each others' Shield bonuses. If you are standing in the middle of two allies who both have the Phalanx Combat feat, you can gain shield bonuses from both of them (normal Phalanx Combat restrictions still apply of course). You can receive the shield bonuses of up to three allies.

Likewise, the penalties stack as well. If both you and an ally have the Phalanx Combat feat and are covering one another, the normal attack roll penalties stack for a total of -4 with slashing and bludgeoning melee weapons and -2 with ranged and piercing weapons. If you are standing in the middle of two allies who both have the Phalanx Combat feat, you can gain shield bonuses from both of them, but you will also receive attack roll penalties from both. You can receive the shield bonuses of up to three allies, in which case you will receive attack roll penalties from all three.

Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his fighter bonus feats.

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