Burrowowl

I’ve been playing a Bodger (an Iron Kingdoms-specific character class). Bodgers excel at working with all things mechanical. They’re able repairmen, are skilled an improvising tools for whatever occasion may arise, but aren’t the most capable death-dealers in the world. I intended for this character to use a variety of tools and clockwork widgets to help an adventuring party overcome the sorts of problems normally tackled by a traditional D&D Rogue.

My Bodger has been adventuring with three Fighters, so combat has been especially challenging for me. As the party is Fighters get an excellent BAB, and tend to emphasize dealing copious amounts of damage with the single swipe of an over-sized blade or hammer of some sort. After a few sessions of flailing around, I found the following to be good tactical approaches to a violent situation:

• Manipulating initiative: this is vital when playing a character that doesn’t have a lot of magical abilities. When you do something can be just as important as what you do. By readying an action until a teammate or opponent is in position, you can accomplish much more, faster.
• Flanking: with a low-BAB character type, fighting a high-AC opponent can be frustrating. An extra +2 attack bonus can be of great assistance in actually delivering a little damage to the enemy. This is especially important for Rogues, who can deal additional Sneak Attack damage when flanking his target. Initiative manipulation is very important here, as you want to set up your flanking situation to optimal benefit; if your Fighter is probably going to hit even without the flank, let him move in first, then move the Rogue into position for the Sneak Attack. If the weaker melee combatant isn’t likely to land a blow even with the bonus, and especially if the stronger melee combatant is having trouble hitting, get the weak character into position first. Even if you feel you are doomed to miss, you can provide your teammates with a bonus this way.
• Attacks of Opportunity: especially useful against spellcasters and opponents with good ranged capabilities, attacks of opportunity are wonderful. If you cannot get to an enemy Wizard with a Charge action (move twice your movement rate in a straight line, followed by a single attack at +2 to hit), run up next to him anyway, hoping for a free attack on his action, possibly interrupting whatever he was doing.
• Readied Actions:Once you’re in close, ready an action to perform a Partial Charge on a spellcaster or ranged combatant’s initiative, hoping to force a Concentration check. This prevents a clever opponent from simply taking a five-foot adjustment and casting spells from outside your reach. Readying a partial charge limits your character to a single attack, which is somewhat of a disincentive at higher levels, but against a difficult opponent this tactic can turn the tide of a battle.
• Communication: if you’re moving somewhere just to set up a flank, or readying an action for later, let the other players know why. Team tactics require teamwork, and teamwork requires communication.

Note that this doesn’t just apply for Bodgers. Other characters with low BAB progressions, such as Sorcerers, Wizards, and Arcane Mechaniks can make a substantial contribution when they’re out of spells through these means.