Improved Combat Expertise No0b Question

[Yawgnor]

Nope, I'm not really new, but this time around is the first I've picked Improved Combat Expertise, never having the extra feat slots before (knockdown being bugged to the point of near uselessness, and another RCR later bought me the extra slots). So my question is, how is Combat Expertise and Improved Combat Expertise most effectively used?

[DM Nilbog]

Most use it when they start getting hit by foes easily or Boss fights with High BAB

[Tsidkenu]

Basically you want to have your AC higher than 19+ monsters highest AB.

So if you're fighting, say, hill giants you want 19+28 = 47 AC. If you had only 38 AC, then it would be well worth turning it on so that the giants could only hit you on a roll of 16+, whereas without it they'd hit you on a roll of 10+

Of course it also means you will hit them less often too, but that's the balance to be made.

Consider your role in your party. If you're just the aggro gatherer while the rest of your team does DPS then you will want Expertise mode on so that you survive longer. If your role is DPS, then turn it off (and pray the mobs aggro someone else!!).

[Yawgnor]

Thank you

[Thorsson]

In general ICE is great if you start off with a highish AB and you need extra AC. Don't forget you can just turn on CE as well, so if you only need 1-3 extra AC, don't turn on ICE, turn on CE.

[NegInfinity]

Nope, I'm not really new, but this time around is the first I've picked Improved Combat Expertise, never having the extra feat slots before (knockdown being bugged to the point of near uselessness, and another RCR later bought me the extra slots). So my question is, how is Combat Expertise and Improved Combat Expertise most effectively used?

You play a warlock or a caster. And get free 3..6 points of ac by enabling this mode.

For a meleer it works well as emergency defense mode when surrounded. Or to move your ac to safe values.

Basically you want to have your AC higher than 19+ monsters highest AB.

No, you move your ac to at least 21 + monsters ab. Because this way critical hits will not confirm. If you're flanked, make it 23 + monster's ab.

Hits always connect on roll on natural 20, but critical hits do not automatically confirm on natural 20.

Because random number generator hates you, even if opponent has 1/20 chance of ever landing a hit AND 1/20 chance of ever confirming it, you can get 5 of those in a row easily.

To put it in perspective, you can get hit for 150 damage on a critical hit in minotaur dungeon.

[Deathgrowl]

knockdown being bugged to the point of near uselessness

What? I don't understand this.

[mrm3ntalist]

knockdown being bugged to the point of near uselessness

What? I don't understand this.

I guess he means the timers that bug every now and then.

[Deathgrowl]

But it's so easy to get around...?

[Yawgnor]

I've tried on numerous times the right-click work around, with no success. Plus, sometimes in the heat of battle, especially for a old feller like me that doesn't have the young man's reflexes, by the time I figure out that knockdown didn't fire because of the timer bug, it's way too late to get the cursor on the critter to use the work around.

And the timer doesn't bug "now and then"; for me, it happened nearly all the time.

[Styxwash]

I've tried on numerous times the right-click work around, with no success. Plus, sometimes in the heat of battle, especially for a old feller like me that doesn't have the young man's reflexes, by the time I figure out that knockdown didn't fire because of the timer bug, it's way too late to get the cursor on the critter to use the work around.

And the timer doesn't bug "now and then"; for me, it happened nearly all the time.

It's odd it would happen so often for you and then not even work with the dropdown menu :/.

[Grimcheese]

The bug is the reason that I try to remember to rest my KD toons when I log them in. It resets the timer, to my experience.

[Tsidkenu]

I get that knockdown bug on my dwarf all the time. A few times I managed to get it to reset by using the right-click menu, but most of the time that doesn't work.

Resting does fix it, until you walk into a transition when it goes back on timer again. And I really really can't be bothered waiting 16451 seconds for that to happen, yeah.