With the release of Combat Vigor and it's related chain of feats, the combat orientated character has more options for healing than relying on the combat caster and/or quaffing a healing potion in mid-combat. These feats came out of the recently release Healers Handbook.
The basic mechanics of the feat trea are fairly easy to get. You get a vigor pool, based off your constitution bonus along with an additional point for each vigor feat you get beyond the basic Combat Vigor feat. As a standard action, a character can spen 1 point per 3 HD, and get 1d6 healing as well as being fatigued for 1 minute afterwards. Of course for an intimate glance that isnt' too good. 1d6 hp of healing in exchange for fatigued for 1 minute/10 rounds seems like a pretty crappy trade off. However it can be the bit of 'omph' needed to buy you time till the healer can get back into range if you are the reckless charge ahead type of fighter in a party.
There are a few feats that COULD add to the fun and crunch of the feat. Fey Foundling seems like a shoe in but it doesn't implicitly state that you're magically healing yourself with Combat Vigor. Ditto for the other healing feat from the Healer's Handbook: Lifebound. Both definitely fall into the 'results (and GMs) might very' school. The language in Combat Vigor says you 'regain' hp when using vigor points to heal. So check with your GM and expect it to NOT pay off the way you'd help.
So my assumption is going to go with no for my buil, or rather builds. This one is a bit more open than other builds in that you only have a handful of feats you need to get at certain levels, which lets you build a fighter of your own type. Basically you need Combat Vigor at 1st or 2nd, then the others as they come up and given that you can get these feets as fighter bonus feats the feat tax isn't quite as high and you have plenty of slots you can fill with other feats as things go on.
For my build, I'm going to go with another Silvermane family member, so my PC will be Varisian and from the local areas of Korvosa like her sisters. Like most of the family, Madgna Silvermane is a silver-haired Varisian with tattoos speaking of her clan affiliations and has in past times run afoul of the attentions of the Grey Maidens during the rule of Queen Illesosa Arabasi (See Curse of the Crimson Throne). The family's known skill with the bastard sword and martial outlook was well known, as well as their family history of being clan protectors and caravan guards.
Madgna Silvermane @ 1st Level
Human (Varisian) fighter (unbreakable) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 49)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 14 (1d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +1
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee bastard sword +3 (1d10+2/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 14
Feats Combat Vigor, Diehard, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword)
Traits draconic destiny, observant
Skills Acrobatics -4 (-8 to jump), Linguistics +2, Perception +6, Profession (soldier) +5
Languages Common, Kelish, Shoanti, Varisian
Other Gear scale mail, heavy steel shield, bastard sword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit[UE], pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 36 gp
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Special Abilities
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Combat Vigor (max 1 points/rd) As a standard action, heal 1d6 hp/point spent, then fatigued 1 min.
Diehard You are stable and can choose how to act when at negative Hp.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Notes: As you can see I went with Combat Vigor and EWP: Bastard Sword as her key feats at 1st level. Part of it is for flavor, she's a Silvermane so she's a bastard sword wielded. She's not as hard hitting as either of her sisters with only a 14 strength and she's not as hard to hit given her (relatively) low dex of 13, which along with her 13 Int, are just high enough to qualify for combat feats as needed. I went with Unbreakable rather than plain fighter to make her the most resilient of the three sisters as she can take a HUGE amount of damage and keep coming compared to them. If you want to make her even more durable toss in to ughness or the Grey Maiden Intiate feat from Adventurer's Guide if it becomes PFS legal (I have reservation after the emasculation of Tribal Scars but that is neither here nor there, but it does add even more backstory to the common tale of the sisters being pulled into the organization in it's last days)
Margna @ 4th level:
Female human (Varisian) fighter (unbreakable) 4 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 49)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 48 (4d10+20)
Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +2 (+1 vs. mind-affecting effects); +2 bonus vs. effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion
Defensive Abilities unflinching +1
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee bastard sword +6 (1d10+2/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 17
Feats Combat Vigor, Diehard, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Fortuitous Vigor, Power Attack, Vim And Vigor
Traits draconic destiny, observant
Skills Acrobatics -1 (-5 to jump), Climb +1, Linguistics +5, Perception +9, Profession (soldier) +6, Survival +5, Swim +1
Languages Common, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Skald, Tien, Varisian
SQ armor training 1
Other Gear scale mail, heavy steel shield, bastard sword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit[UE], pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 36 gp
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Special Abilities
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Armor Training 1 (Ex) Worn armor -1 check penalty, +1 max DEX.
Combat Vigor (max 1 points/rd) As a standard action, heal 1d6 hp/point spent, then fatigued 1 min.
Diehard You are stable and can choose how to act when at negative Hp.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Fortuitous Vigor Can use vigor pool as a swift action when roll threat or nat 20 on ability check/skill/save.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Unflinching +1 (Ex) Gain +1 bonus to Will saves vs. mind-affecting effects
Vim and Vigor After using vigor pool, fatigued only 3 rds. +2 to save vs. fatigue/exhaustion effects.
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Notes: By now she's got a bit more zip, coming at a 48 HP and 2 more points in her vigor pool. Now she only suffers 3 rounds of fatigue for using Combat Vigor instead of a full minute. Typically by now she'll either be upgrading her medium armor (to keep her move and/or encumbarnace down or moving up to heavier armor in anticipation of getting full movement @ 7th level.
Another option could be a belt to up her con or strength. A 16 would up her to hit a good bit, along with a good MW or magic bastard sword. Thanks to Vim & Vigor, she now has an additional bonus to her save vs fatigue/exhaustion conditions. A condition set she needs to figure how to handle. Truthfully though either of the 4th level feats can be chosen first as both are extremely conditional. Fortuitous lets you roll your vigor heal as a swift action on any Nat 20 roll for attack or ability/skill or saving thrown. The other lets you do it as a swift as a part of an AoO. I went with Fortitous because it has more options for the swift action
Madgna @ 7th Level
Female human (Varisian) fighter (unbreakable) 7 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 49)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +12
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 88 (7d10+42)
Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +3 (+2 vs. mind-affecting effects); +2 bonus vs. effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion
Defensive Abilities unflinching +2
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee bastard sword +9/+4 (1d10+2/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +7; CMB +9; CMD 20
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Vigor, Diehard, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Fortuitous Vigor, Heroic Recovery[APG], Power Attack, Take A Breather, Toughness, Vim And Vigor
Traits draconic destiny, observant
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Climb +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Linguistics +8, Perception +12, Profession (soldier) +7, Sense Motive +3, Survival +6, Swim +2
Languages Common, Hallit, Kelish, Osiriani, Polyglot, Shoanti, Skald, Tien, Varisian, Vudrani
SQ armor training 2
Other Gear scale mail, heavy steel shield, bastard sword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit[UE], pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 36 gp
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Special Abilities
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Armor Training 2 (Ex) Worn armor -2 check penalty, +2 max DEX.
Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Combat Vigor (max 2 points/rd) As a standard action, heal 1d6 hp/point spent, then fatigued 1 min.
Diehard You are stable and can choose how to act when at negative Hp.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Fortuitous Vigor Can use vigor pool as a swift action when roll threat or nat 20 on ability check/skill/save.
Heroic Recovery (1/day) Can attempt an extra Fort save against a harmful condition or affliction.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Take a Breather Can use vigor pool as a swift action when foe provokes AoO instead of taking attack.
Unflinching +2 (Ex) Gain +2 bonus to Will saves vs. mind-affecting effects
Vim and Vigor After using vigor pool, fatigued only 3 rds. +2 to save vs. fatigue/exhaustion effects.
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Notes: Now at 7th level, less focus is needed on the Vigor feats (only 1 left) and you can start focusing on 'classic' fighter feats like Combat Expertise (opening up maneuvers to supplement your ability to his) and toughness (MOAR HP!) while getting the other 4th level Vigor feat at 5th level. I went with Combat Expertise and Tougness but pretty much anything you qualify for is good to go. If you didn't go with the Unbreakable Archetype, this would be the time you could get Endurance and/or Diehard. (And the idea of having weapon training might be more appealing to you._
Madgna @12th Level
Female human (Varisian) fighter (unbreakable) 12 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 49)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +17
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 160 (12d10+84)
Fort +13, Ref +5, Will +5 (+3 vs. mind-affecting effects); +2 bonus vs. effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion
Defensive Abilities unflinching +3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee bastard sword +14/+9/+4 (1d10+2/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +12; CMB +14 (+18 dirty trick, +16 disarm, +16 trip); CMD 25 (27 vs. dirty trick, 27 vs. disarm, 27 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Vigor, Diehard, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Fortuitous Vigor, Greater Dirty Trick[APG], Heroic Defiance[APG], Heroic Recovery[APG], Improved Dirty Trick[APG], Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Restorative Vigor, Take A Breather, Toughness, Vim And Vigor
Traits draconic destiny, observant
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Climb +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (engineering) +6, Knowledge (religion) +2, Linguistics +10, Perception +17, Profession (soldier) +10, Sense Motive +9, Survival +6, Swim +2
Languages Azlanti, Common, Elven, Hallit, Kelish, Osiriani, Polyglot, Shoanti, Skald, Tien, Varisian, Vudrani
SQ armor training 2, quick recovery
Other Gear scale mail, heavy steel shield, bastard sword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit[UE], pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 36 gp
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Special Abilities
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Armor Training 2 (Ex) Worn armor -2 check penalty, +2 max DEX.
Combat Expertise +/-4 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Combat Vigor (max 4 points/rd) As a standard action, heal 1d6 hp/point spent, then fatigued 1 min.
Diehard You are stable and can choose how to act when at negative Hp.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Fortuitous Vigor Can use vigor pool as a swift action when roll threat or nat 20 on ability check/skill/save.
Greater Dirty Trick Dirty Trick penalty lasts 1d4 rds, +1 per 5 over CMD and takes a standard action to remove.
Heroic Defiance (1/day) Delay the onset of a harmful affliction or condition until the end of your next turn.
Heroic Recovery (2/day) Can attempt an extra Fort save against a harmful condition or affliction.
Improved Dirty Trick You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when performing a dirty trick.
Improved Disarm You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when disarming.
Improved Trip You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when tripping.
Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Quick Recovery (Ex) At 11th level, an unbreakable needs only 15 minutes of rest or to be subject to a healing spell or effect to recover from the fatigued condition. This ability replaces armor training 3.
Restorative Vigor Vigor pool points can restore 1d3 ability dam to a physical attribute instead of healing dam.
Take a Breather Can use vigor pool as a swift action when foe provokes AoO instead of taking attack.
Unflinching +3 (Ex) Gain +3 bonus to Will saves vs. mind-affecting effects
Vim and Vigor After using vigor pool, fatigued only 3 rds. +2 to save vs. fatigue/exhaustion effects.
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Notes: Now at 12th level Madgna is so-so hitter (depending on your choices, I went with an eclectic mix of maneuvers where I could have gone with one maneuver set like I did with her sister Rhea (built on Dirty Trick, she's the nastiest thing a Bard can face. :D )
Now she can spend up to 4 Vigor in a round, has a HUGE fortsave (though she'd be wanting a good Cloak of Resistance or another bonus to her other saves. (One option is to buy into Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will to beef those saves up). The addition of Fortiutous Vigor means you can restore lost physical stats as well (though only d3 per point) as a standard action. Which can be very useful if you're fighting a stat sucking critter. Depending on what you pick you can have your style of fun, 2 'free fasts' in 6-7 and everything after 8th are personal choices. You can do a lot of that mean choices.
Other Build Options:
-Praise the Power of Atheism Spreading your skill points around differently, choosing to not to worship a god, and one or more choices of 'Godless healing' gains you: A) another source of healing, granted only at 1/2 HP or less and B) Access to the Pure Legion Enforcer, which makes among other things Godless Healing even better. (Up to 3d8+Character Level) in healing.
-I don't have time to bleed: Choosing to go with Stalwart/Improved Stalwart gives you the ability to trade in your AC bonus from Combat Experise/Fighting DEfensively and/or Full Defense for DR/- up to DR 10/-. Yes you too can be Boromir at the river riddled with arrows and still moving!
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