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Closet_Skeleton
2009-12-31, 10:39 PM
Petty one-up manship? Me? Never. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134459)

The Union of Wind and Water is an discipline focused around perfecting and melding two of the purest forms of ki as well as combining together lesser disciplines into their true perfect form. The goal of those who study this path is to focus one's concentration until one no longer needs concentration and can fight as though one's mind and sometimes even body do not exist. A master of the Union of Wind and Water does not swing his blade with the intent to cut his enemy or dodge with the intent to survive, he simply allows these things to happen just as the movement of the water and the air need no provocation.

It is whispered that the mysterious founder of this discipline had the intent of eventually creating a discipline that combined all four elements but either died or found himself incapable of the task, yet others whisper instead that upon achieving full mastery of his own discipline he saw the need to never attack or defend again and faded into obscurity.

The associated weapons of the Union of Wind and Water discipline are the longsword, the scimitar, and the quarter staff.

All is one in the flow[Epic, Initiation]
You have achieved the balance of elemental ki required for the Union of Wind and Water Discipline.
Prerequisites: Martial Lore 24 ranks, knowledge of one 9th level maneuver with an air or wind theme and another 9th level maneuver with a water theme.
Benefits:You may add your wisdom modifier in place of your constitution modifer to determine bonus hp, fortitude saves and your concentration skill bonus. Upon taking this feat you must whether choose to recalculate your current hit points using your new modifier.
If you have the intuitive attack feat, you may apply its benefit to any weapon you have weapon focus with, rather than just simple weapons.
Characters with this feat may learn maneuvers from the Union of Wind and Water discipline.

Mercurial Strike
Union of Wind and Water (Strike)
Initiation Action: One standard action
Range: Melee Attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 20,000 XP
Training Time: 10 days
The crudest art of the Union of Wind and Water style allows its master to put the weight of the oceans and the fury of the storms behind their blows so that their bladework appears to flow like liquid before hardening into ice as they strike.
You make a single melee attack. If you hit, your attack bypasses all forms of damage reduction (including x/-) and always does lethal damage regardless of abilities such as regeneration. In addition, choose a wisdom based skill (not including from profession but including concentration due to the All is one in the flow feat) and make a check against a DC equal to your opponent's HD, with a cumulative -5 penalty for every elemental subtype your opponent possesses. If you suceed then your attack deals an additional 1d6 damage for every one of the opponent's HD.

Turning Swallow cut
Union of Wind and Water (Counter)
Prequisite: 1 Union of Wind and Water maneuver
Initiation Action: One immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days
You can strike quickly enough to cut a turning swallow in flight.
You may initiate this maneuver whenever you fail on an attack roll or miss due to miss chance. You automatically reroll your failed attack roll and may treat your opponent as flat-footed and ignore their dexterity, insight and dodge bonuses to armour class (unless your opponent has total levels in classes that grant uncanny dodge equal to four higher than your initiator level) and ignore any miss chance.

Eye of the Typhoon
Union of Wind and Water (Boost) [Air, Water]
Prequisite: 1 Union of Wind and Water maneuver
Initiation Action: Full round action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Concentration
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 10 days
By perfectly blending two equally erratic elements, you can always find a moment of perfect calm. As long as you maintain this boost, you can take 20 on all saving throws and concentration checks you are forced or decide to make. A natural 20 granted by this maneuver is not a natural success. If a natural success would be required to pass a saving throw or concentration check (eg the DC is higher than your highest save bonus + 20 + possible bonuses from abilities such as action points), then you may choose to automatically end this stance and ignore the effect completely.

Eye of Harmony
Union of Wind and Water (Boost) [Air, Water]
Prequisite: 1 Union of Wind and Water maneuver
Initiation Action: One swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Encounter
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days
You can feel the presense of every air and water molecule around you. For the rest of the encounter you have 120 ft. blindsense, your attacks ignore all miss chances and completely negate concealment. You also gain the benefit of the true seeing spell.
This maneuver automatically ends if the initiator is exposed to an environment completely lacking in air flow or humidity or if they fail a saving throw against an effect with the [fire] or [earth] descriptor.

Calm the hurricane
Union of Wind and Water (Counter) [Air, Su, Water]
Prequisite: 1 Union of Wind and Water maneuver
Initiation Action: One immediate action
Range: Sight
Target: One spell or effect
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days
You can focus your ki to absorb and dissipate natural energy. You may initiate this maneuver when a [air] or [water] spell or effect appears or originates within range. Roll a d20 and add 10 + your initiator level while the originator of the effect rolls a d20 and adds their caster/manifester/initiator level (for spells/powers/maneuvers) or HD (for Sp, Su or Ex abilities). If your total roll equals or exceeds that of your opponent, then the spell or effect is completely countered/negated/dispeled.

Molecular Razor
Union of Wind and Water (boost) [Air, Water]
Prequisite: 2 Union of Wind and Water maneuvers
Initiation Action: One swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: encounter
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days
Through perfect concetration and ki control, a master of the Union of Wind and Water can focus the elements around her blade so that it can slice through diamond without the edge even making contact.
Until the end of the encounter, your attacks bypass all form of damage reduction (even x/-) and always deal lethal damage regardless of abilities such as regeneration. Any weapon you wield while this maneuver is active may be counted as either an Icy Blast, Lightning blast or Sonic Blast weapon and you may choose which as a free action at any point during your turn.
This maneuver automatically ends if the initiator is exposed to an environment completely lacking in air flow or humidity or if they fail a saving throw against an effect with the [fire] or [earth] descriptor.

Sublime dodge
Union of Wind and Water (counter) [Air, Su, Water]
Prequisite: 2 Union of Wind and Water maneuvers
Initiation Action: One immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days
One who has truly mastered the air and water ki within their body can evade attacks by dissolving into the air itself.
You may initiate this maneuver when targeted by any kind of attack. Until the begining of your next turn you are ethereal and have a 50% miss chance against force effects.

Live within the flow
Union of Wind and Water (stance) [Air, Water]
Prequisite: 2 Union of Wind and Water maneuvers
Initiation Action: One swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Encounter
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days
You may draw an almost infinite amount of ki from your natural surroundings. While in this stance, you gain DR 10/Epic, regeneration 50, immunity to negative spells and effects with the [air] or [water] descriptor and both the air and water subtypes with swim and fly speeds equal to double your land speed.
This maneuver automatically ends if the initiator is exposed to an environment completely lacking in air flow or humidity or if they fail a saving throw against an effect with the [fire] or [earth] descriptor.

Bend with the flow
Union of Wind and Water (counter) [Air, Pinnacle, Water]
Prequisite: 8 Union of Wind and Water maneuvers
Initiation Action: One immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 100,000 XP
Training Time: 50 days
The true master of the union of wind and water understands that the winds and the waves never repel attacks through force.
You may initiate this maneuver when targeted by any kind of attack, spell or effect. You are completely unaffected, but the attack or effect goes ahead, retargetting itself against its origin, even if they would normally be immune to the effect of their own ability (but not if they are immune to such effects altogether). The attack, spell or effect is completely redirected, with its origin counting as both the target and the originator. In the case of area effects, you are completely immune and the area is centered on the originator.

Flickerdart
2009-12-31, 11:00 PM
The "training time" bit sort of goes against the very common cliche of learning an ability in a few days because we're heroes damn it. Have incredibly risky ways to bypass the training time.

The Demented One
2009-12-31, 11:06 PM
The "training time" bit sort of goes against the very common cliche of learning an ability in a few days because we're heroes damn it. Have incredibly risky ways to bypass the training time.
Nope! That would be dumb. Training times are there so you can't just blow the XP and learn these mid-combat.

The Tygre
2010-01-01, 12:47 AM
Nope! That would be dumb. Training times are there so you can't just blow the XP and learn these mid-combat.

Also training montages. You forgot training montages.

On that note; Cool system! I'm enjoying these epic disciplines. Hope to see more around the forums.

Milskidasith
2010-01-01, 03:47 AM
These have the same problem with other epic things, in that it really isn't worth 50k EXP to get an improved spell turning effect.

Flickerdart
2010-01-01, 01:29 PM
Nope! That would be dumb. Training times are there so you can't just blow the XP and learn these mid-combat.
I said "in a few days". Though the mid-combat thing has also seen its share of use.