This is my first post here - which makes me all the more ashamed about it being a house rule one (not a munchkin, promise!) - but after being exhorted by my DM, I figured I'd give it a shot. I'll preface with my reasoning / inspirations, but if you're only interested in the crunch, head straight to the Quote block. Also, construtive feedback is appreciated! =)
Having read the Path of the Enemy a couple times - and because we haven't been using the Advanced Combat Rules - it ocurred to be to create something to fill in the niche of a versatile / stratetic-minded warrior. Don't get me wrong: both other Fighter options are great, but they're too focused on either offense or defence, and it felt that Fighters could use some flair.
Now, there are other options created by the community to fill in the third slot (including the excelent Path of the Fist), but they seemed either incongruent or somewhat mechanically exclusive with preexisting Fighter Paths. I wanted something that felt similar to what already exists in the rules, but felt novel or engaging enough to merit choosing over / in tandem with currently existing options.
In comes D&D's Battlemaster (yup, sorry!). Now, if you've played any 5e, you know how how that archetype eschews raw power in favor of versatility - in the shape of various maneuvers and bonuses for discrete rolls. Having options to choose from when it comes to maneuvers felt counterintuitive with FBL's streamlined rules' system, but the superiority dice (d8s, a common occurrence in FBL's talents) felt like it would be right at home.
Rank 1:
Plenty of talents provide a static +1 skill die in every roll involving specific skills (+1 to parry / attack with swords from swordfighter, +1 to parry from defender etc), and rank 3 talents often give an extra d8 to the same checks, but they do so to every such roll. The idea of superiority dice is that you can use them in any close combat maneuver (and they're d8s to boot!) but to offset this versatility and extra early power - and to emphasize the importance of stratetic use - their use is limited to just one roll per round.
Rank 2:
Another thing that struck me is that, of all the fighting-centered-professions (Fighter, Hunter, Rider), Fighter was the only one lacking a self-heal option. Both Hunters and Riders have a very similar option in the second rank of their "pet" paths. Fighters are mostly self-reliant, so it makes sense they get a path in the requirement to have a mount / beast companion close by. The abilities function in the very same way otherwise.
Rank 3:
Finally, rank 3 gives another extra attack option - this time as a retaliatory strike, not unlike Path of the Companion's rank 1. Other "extra attack" options (Path of the Blade 2, Path of the Arrow 2, Path of the Companion 3) give a more proactive option to get said extra attack. It's my understanding that the all aforementioned talents allow for just one extra attack in any given combat round, depite how they're worded (which I attribute to an artifact of translation), so I also kept that limitation. Because Fighters alrady have one such option with PotB 2, to preserve synergies but to avoid exploits, this extra attack can only be executed in close combat, require somehow avoiding an incoming attack and can only be directed against the origin of such attack, provided other requirements such as range are met.
This rank is comparatively weaker to other rank 3 options, but if feels appropriate considering Fighters already have extra attack options and because Rank 2 of this Path is comparatively slightly stronger than its Hunter / Rider Counterparts.
TL;DR:
PATH OF THE SUPERIORITY
Your expertise in the battlefield means you’re versatile, resilient and quick to react. Where other fighters rely on strength or sturdy defences, your knowledge of the battlefield allows you to outmaneuver and outlast your opponents.
RANK 1 (Superiority): Once per round, you can use one extra mighty (d8) artifact die in any one single combat maneuver roll (SLASH, STABE, PUNCH, KICK, BITE, GRAPPLE, BREAK FREE, DODGE, PARRY, SHOVE, DISARM, RETREAT).
RANK 2 (Second Wind): You take a breath and steel yourself to resume fighting after becoming Broken (see page 107). Every WP you spend recovers one point of the attribute that has reached zero. You cannot use this effect when you are not Broken.
RANK 3 (Riposte): Once per round, if an opponent misses you, or if you parry or dodge a close combat attack, you can spend a Willpower Point to immediately make a close combat attack against him.
