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View Full Version : Collection of fun, action movie-esque feats [3.5]



Cespenar
2009-08-21, 03:23 PM
Mainly an idea when I saw the infamous Dungeoncrasher feature, this collection will hopefully hold most of my thoughts of fun to use, movie-like feats of some realism and mostly overblownness. Regardless, it would be nice if they aren't "broken" but "really useful" at most, so PEACH, but more importantly, add your own ideas of similar vein.

There's many to come, but let's start with a batch of five.


Blood Spray
Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, Improved Critical
Benefit: Whenever you successfully deliver a critical hit against an enemy with a discernible anatomy, blood (or similar liquids, in other cases) gushes from the hit, threatening to blind all creatures for 1d4 rounds in a 5 foot range if they fail a Reflex save with a DC 10 + half the blow's final damage.

Wolf Pounce
Prerequisites: Improved Grapple
Benefit: If you initiate a grapple attack at the end of a charge, not only you gain a +2 bonus on the opposed grapple check, but you also end up pinning your opponent if the grapple succeeds.

Stunt Dodge
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Tumble 8 ranks, Dodge
Benefit: Once per encounter, when you are struck in melee by an opponent you designated as part of the Dodge feat, you may roll a Tumble check. Subtract half that result from your opponent's damage, rounded down, but you end up thrown back 5 foot for every 10 points of the check, and fall prone.

Exploding Leap
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Tumble 8 ranks, Jump 8 ranks, Dodge, Stunt Dodge
Benefit: Once per round, when you are affected by a burst spell with Fire or Force descriptor which allows a Reflex save, you may roll a Jump check in addition. Add +4 to this check for each die of damage the spell would normally deal. The resulting Jump check works as a normal jump, counts as having a 10 foot running start, but the direction of the jump must either be upwards (vertical jump) or directly away from the center of the spell's effect, and you fall prone at the end of this jump.
Special: This feat doesn't affect the damage you receive from the spell.

Slide
Prerequisites: Balance 5 ranks
Benefit: For each 15 feet you move in a straight line on a hard surface, you may opt to move an additional 5 foot in the same direction. While this doesn't work when moving upwards or moving on a rough surface (which doesn't allow charging, for example), its benefits increase to a 5 foot per 5 foot basis when moving downwards on a slope. This bonus movement doesn't count against your overall move limit in a round.

Dust
2009-08-21, 04:25 PM
Stunt Dodge and Exploding Leap are awesome. AWESOME. I may have to steal them both.

Cespenar
2009-08-21, 04:29 PM
Hah, thanks. :smallbiggrin: It would be nice to see it being used in an actual game.

Dragon Elite
2009-08-21, 07:12 PM
I love them :smallbiggrin: What if you use two feats at once?

Cespenar
2009-08-22, 04:00 AM
I love them :smallbiggrin: What if you use two feats at once?

Which two?

blazinghand
2009-08-23, 05:47 AM
Exploding Leap
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Tumble 8 ranks, Jump 8 ranks, Dodge, Stunt Dodge
Benefit: Once per round, when you are affected by a burst spell with Fire or Force descriptor which allows a Reflex save, you may roll a Jump check in addition. Add +4 to this check for each die of damage the spell would normally deal. The resulting Jump check works as a normal jump, counts as having a 10 foot running start, but the direction of the jump must either be upwards (vertical jump) or directly away from the center of the spell's effect. Like Stunt Dodge, you forfeit a move action from your next turn with this attempt.


You do this instead of a save, but what happens to the damage from the spell? Do you still take full damage?

Cespenar
2009-08-23, 05:49 AM
This is not just a mere bump, no dear sirs! I bring forth four new feats for you to ignore:


Dead Grip
Prerequisites: Improved Grapple, Endurance, Diehard
Benefit: If, while in a grapple, you become incapacitated in any way (dropping below 0 hitpoints, becoming paralyzed, stunned, etc.), you don't automatically break the grapple, but your opponent has to overcome your last grapple check to escape it. Furthermore, you also gain a +2 bonus to all grapple checks, which stacks with any similar bonuses.

Focus on the Pain
Prerequisites: Iron Will
Benefit: Anytime you roll a Will saving throw against a spell or ability, you may as an immediate action make a melee attack against yourself. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity. It automatically hits, and you add half the final damage, rounded down, to your Will save for 1 round. You may prefer to deal nonlethal damage with that attack, but then you add one fourth of the final damage (rounded down) instead.

Antagonistic Defense
Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Combat Reflexes
Benefit: Once per round, when someone attacks you in melee, you may attempt to parry it with your own weapon. Make an opposed attack roll, if it equals or overcomes the attacker's roll, you successfully parry the attack. In addition, both the you and the attacker must roll the damage as if they were a successful hit, and deal this damage to each other's weapons. Normal hardness rules apply, and this counts as an attack of opportunity.
Special: If a body part is used by either side as part of this action, the damage is dealt as hit point damage to that creature.

Greater Point Blank Shot
Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, base attack bonus +4
Benefit: This feat has two benefits. First, the damage dice of any ranged attack you make in either 30 feet range or the first range increment of your ranged weapon (whichever is lower) is automatically maximized. This doesn't cover bonus damages you may deal on top of your normal damage, however.
The second benefit of this feat is that you may use ranged weapons in melee range without provoking any attacks of opportunity.

*****

Edit:

You do this instead of a save, but what happens to the damage from the spell? Do you still take full damage?

Yes, the damage is dealt as normal (or halved/negated if you have the means). I should probably add that to clarify?

blazinghand
2009-08-23, 06:14 AM
I feel like Greater Point Blank Shot could be a bit strong. Perhaps give a bonus to damage instead of maximizing the damage dice (which vary from weapon to weapon). With a shortbow, you're maximizing a d6, which changes an average of 3.5 to 6. Not bad, right? but with a heavy crossbow, you're maximizing a d12, which changes an average 6.5 to a 12. That's a pretty large jump for a feat. Also, this feat doesn't help at all a halfling throwing a shuriken (just for example) and isn't very useful for dagger throwing and the like. I'd recommend giving +2 or +3 damage instead of maximizing the dice.

Edit: As a thought about exploding leap, perhaps it would be more mechanically easy to just have the character fall prone rather than subtracting a move action from his next turn. It adds a lot of bookkeeping to keep track of who has how many actions on the next turn, and having the character stand up from prone makes sense as well since he's being blown clear by the explosion.

Cespenar
2009-08-23, 06:56 AM
You're right about Exploding Leap again, I'll change that, but I don't think a damage boost from 6.5 to 12 is too strong (at level 4 too). It's the fault of things like Weapon Specialization and such that makes the bulk of the useless feats. If you compare this to the potential of, say, Leap Attack or Shock Trooper, then you'll see that it's hardly too strong. I daresay it would be actually weak if not for the second benefit of that feat.

And on your examples, I think it makes sense that a crossbow receives that much of a damage boost against a shuriken at point blank range.

charl
2009-08-23, 07:08 AM
You should probably specify that if the ranged weapon used with greater point blank shot gets damage bonuses apart from the ordinary weapon damage it won't get maximized. Otherwise a rogue with a greater crossbow with say flaming would deal (at level 6) 12 + 18 + 6 = 36 damage per attack. That is basically enough to kill anyone of equal level who isn't a fighter or barbarian.

But if it's just the weapon damage that is maximized I don't think it's too overpowered.

EDIT: Never mind, it's already there.

Cespenar
2009-08-24, 04:47 PM
I strike back with four new feats. How cheeky am I?

A point: how can I word the prerequisition of Impale better?


Loyal Subconscious
Prerequisites: Iron Will, any non-evil, non-chaotic alignment
Benefit: Even under charm, compulsion or other similar effects that bypass your free will, if you attack or do any action that is directly harmful to your allies, you are entitled to a new Will save for each such action. These saves are made against the effect's original DC, but you gain a +4 unnamed bonus on them.


Impale
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus [Any Piercing weapon], Weapon Specialization [Any Piercing weapon], Improved Critical [Any Piercing weapon]
Benefit: If you successfully make a critical hit against a creature with a piercing melee weapon, or if you successfully strike a creature with a piercing melee weapon at the end of a charge, you may start a grapple with a free action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.
Furthermore, not only you may use the weapon with which you initiated the grapple freely during the grapple (as if it were a light weapon), all such attacks are automatic hits.


Demolishing Blow
Prerequisites: Str 13, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, base attack bonus +6
Benefit: Every time you deal damage to your opponent with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon, you automatically deal that same damage to his armor as well(if he's wearing any).


Impossible Movement
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Improved Initiative, base Reflex save +7
Benefit: At the start of an encounter when the initiative checks are being made, deduct 25 from your roll. If the result is greater than 0, you get a second bonus turn at that initiative score, but you are only entitled to a swift action or a 5-foot step in that turn. Your first turn works normally at your original initiative score.

Delwugor
2009-08-24, 05:12 PM
Here is one that may not be necessarily dramatic, but is practical and I've seen similar in many movies.

You Shall Not Pass

Prerequisite: One of the following feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Unarmed Strike or Power Attack.

Benefit: Through skill in combat a character with this feat can stop someone from moving past an area that they guard. Initially the area is 5 feet around the character but increases to 10 ft at 10th level.
Anything attempting to pass through this area must make a successful opposed BAB check or they can not move past and must stay right at the "entry" edge of the area.
To use this feat the character must have a weapon ready and can not be flatfooted. Note this is not a grappling action and size modifiers are not taken into account, except for the usual size BAB.

Mulletmanalive
2009-08-24, 06:10 PM
I like them. Similar to the things you can do by saving up a little initiative in BESM.

To answer your question:




Impale
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus [Any Piercing weapon], Weapon Specialization [Any Piercing weapon], Improved Critical [Any Piercing weapon]
Benefit: If you successfully make a critical hit against a creature with a piercing melee weapon, or if you successfully strike a creature with a piercing melee weapon at the end of a charge, you may start a grapple with a free action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.
Furthermore, not only you may use the weapon with which you initiated the grapple freely during the grapple (as if it were a light weapon), all such attacks are automatic hits.

Cespenar
2009-08-24, 06:26 PM
Hmm, You Shall Not Pass is nice, but how would it interact with tumbling enemies?

@Mulletmanalive: Nice, thanks, changing it in a moment. Just wondering though, how's it like BESM? I've never played it, so I don't know much about it.

Mulletmanalive
2009-08-24, 06:30 PM
In BESM v3 there is an active initiative system so you can save up your actions until they're needed and then hog the spotlight like they do in anime.

Most of the things that you can do here can be achieved by keeping a couple of action points handy and hogging the spotlight before your foe's attack can connect.

It seems bizarre but it goes a long way to explain a lot of the stranger anime troupes. Halting your opponent's turn and injecting just enough actions to grab his hand and kick him is rather enjoyable.

This is how my friend runs it anyway; it's one of very few games i've not read, mostly because I prefer to use Wushu for more lighthearted things...

Cespenar
2009-08-24, 06:49 PM
Huh, that sounds nice. D&d has many flaws, but dumping it would be like dumping Microsoft Windows. I'm simply not ready for such a change. :smalltongue:

Delwugor
2009-08-25, 01:17 PM
Hmm, You Shall Not Pass is nice, but how would it interact with tumbling enemies.
Good point. And yeah I haven't play tested this one yet.
To me allowing a person with ranks in tumbling to substitute a tumble check instead of BAB could be reasonable.


Huh, that sounds nice. D&d has many flaws, but dumping it would be like dumping Microsoft Windows. I'm simply not ready for such a change. :smalltongue:
Join us on the side of light (http://www.ubuntu.com/) and your dark fears (of viruses, corrupt registries, inconsistent security ...) will vanish. Besides we also have cookies...

Cespenar
2009-08-25, 01:48 PM
Internet Explorer has cookies too, y'know (everyone, roll reflex save against bad pun damage).

imp_fireball
2009-08-25, 04:45 PM
1. Wolf Pounce
2. Stunt Dodge
3. Exploding Leap

1. This should have a strength prerequisite. The ability is pretty powerful as is.

2. This sounds an awful lot like defensive roll. The wording is confusing though.

3. Less prerequisites, please. How about lightning reflexes, skill focus (jump) and Dex 13? That way, you can still have underdogs making incredible leaps. The jump will also provoke AoO if you move into threatening areas anyway.
Finally, a 10ft. running jump has no affect unless you meant to say 20ft. (which gets rid of the penalties).

All in all, these seem like little fun physical perks than actual stuff warranting a feat. One of the faults of many feats, really. At one point, in fact, I actually had the idea of investing skill points into certain areas such as grappling to gain abilities and perhaps these could be included - the idea is that they would be tactical though, so only under very specific conditions could they be used and win the game.

The ultimate goal would be to give fighters a chance.

Cespenar
2009-08-25, 06:31 PM
1. 'Kay. How about a Str 13 prerequisite?

2. I don't understand how the wording can be confusing, but the ability is more or less a more fun defensive roll. Your opponent hits you, flinging you across the room, but you stand back up undamaged. Maybe I should add a Perform (acting) prerequisite? :smalltongue:

3. But I don't want to have underdogs have amazing leaps. It's not fun when you come up with moves that would really impress people and all of a sudden everyone is able to do it. With my prerequisites, any rogue or dex-fighter worth their salt can access this in 6th level, if they work on it.

Regardless, I see your point about them being too specific for feats. Maybe I ought to combine, say, three of them together to form a kind of a "tactical feat"? How would that be?

Mulletmanalive
2009-08-26, 07:18 AM
I like the idea of a Cinematic Tacitcal feat.

You could call it 'I Jackie Chan'

That's an actual quote from the man himself...after catching a fly with his hand twice in a row...

Altair_the_Vexed
2009-08-26, 11:23 AM
Nice work... but a often little underpowered to use up a feat slot.

I'd be strongly inclided to call many (not all) of these "Combat Moves", and ditch the need to take a feat. That way, you still need to meet the requirements, but you're not spending a feat on it. The Conan RPG does that (it's a d20 system), and it works brilliantly, making certain feats far more worthwhile in the long run.

Examples from Conan: Bull’s Charge
A low charge can get you under your enemy’s guard to stab deep into his belly. However, doing so renders you very vulnerable to a counterattack.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack.
Circumstance: You must be wielding a slashing or piercing weapon and charging.
Effect: You gain a +2 bonus on your damage roll when charging but you provoke an attack of opportunity from your target before you can make your attack roll.

Dance Aside
You shift out of the reach of incompetent opponents.
Prerequisite: Dodge
Circumstance: Your opponent misses you by half your total AC, and there is at least one unoccupied adjacent square.
Effect: You take a 5 foot step as a free action into any empty square.