Ways to Increase the number of attacks for a Fighter using 2-handed Weapons

Question

How can a 2-handed weapon fighter archetype increase their number of melee attacks per round?

I am only interested in increases through feats or abilities, not by magic items or spells. I already have "boots of haste."

Answer 1

Usually, full-attacks with a single melee weapon are capped at 5 (four from high BAB and one from haste or equivalent). Most ways of generating extra attacks with a big weapon rely on several Attacks of Opportunity, which would not get the bonus from the archetype.

However, there's one way to get more attacks: go ranged. Some high-level features of the archetype require melee attacks, but the doubled strength bonus does not. This means that, with a two-handed ranged weapon, you can gain the bonus attack from Rapid Shot. Bows however would be iffy due to their restrictions on adding Strength, so I would lean towards either thrown weapons (requiring the Two-Handed Thrower feat in order to full-attack) or the Halfling Sling Staff. (you could also theoretically get another pair of arms and dual-wield, but this is a lot harder to achieve)

Answer 2

Depending on the situation, Great Cleave can also work:

Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Power Attack, base attack bonus +4.

Benefit: As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus) against a foe that is adjacent to the previous foe and also within reach. If you hit, you can continue to make attacks against foes adjacent to the previous foe, so long as they are within your reach. You cannot attack an individual foe more than once during this attack action. When you use this feat, you take a –2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn.

Say you're completely surrounded, you can use a Great Cleave to attack all foes within reach at once (provided you hit them all), which may end up being more than 5 total attacks, even though they're at different targets. If your weapon has reach, then you may be able to hit even more enemies using Great Cleave as well, for even more attacks.

Answer 3

In general, above iterative attacks granted by high BAB, there are only two ways of adding additional attacks to Pathfinder PCs (and, in fact, monsters as well) - a haste-type effect, to add exactly one additional attack to your routine, or additional attacks with other sources (such as natural weapons, or attacks with weapons held in other hands). You already have access to the first method, so the second method is really the only other way you'll get extra attacks, but they likely won't work the way you want.

There are some effects that would allow you to wield 2-handed weapons in one hand, but none of these methods are likely to combine with the various damage increases offered by the Two Handed Fighter archetype. For instance, the various abilities of the Titan Mauler would allow the wielding of a pair of 2 handed weapons, but they would be treated as one handed weapons for most other purposes, defeating combination with Two Handed Fighter. Similarly, using the Magus's Spell Combat ability can reliably add an extra melee attack each round (when cast with a cantrip, such as Arcane Mark), but it only works with one-handed weapons.

There are also a number of abilities that add Natural Attacks which can be used in addition to your other attacks, but those are treated as secondary attacks, and so won't gain the full benefit of your Strength or Two Handed Fighter buffs.

About the only other way I can think of generating extra attacks would be via Attacks of Opportunity. Doing this reliably, without reach, is quite difficult and very situational, and without Combat Reflexes, will only give on additional attack per round. There is one teamwork feat that could make it happen more often - Circling Offense, but this also requires you to provoke AoOs to function. Another option might be Broken Wing Gambit, but that requires an ally to take bonuses to be hit and damaged to do, and the target can still choose not to do it.