DracoDei
2010-01-30, 03:07 PM
Stance of the Puffer-Fish
Tiger Claw (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1 (plus homebrew classes that get Tiger Claw of course)
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: 1 Swift Action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance
"EAT ME (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EatMe)!" - Agent K
A minor benefit of this stance is that you gain Acid Resistance equal to your initiator level while in it.
When a creature with the "Swallow Whole" (or equivalent) ability attempts an attack which could activate that ability, you may elect to go with it (usually leaping down its throat). You forgo all miss chances, to hit rolls and all other means of avoiding the attack. In exchange you may make a Jump check opposed by its attack roll. If you succeed you take no ill effects from the attack, OTHER than being swallowed (so no bite damage, no associated fang venoms, no energy drain from a bite attack, etc). You are still subject to the effects of the stomach/craw/whatever as usual.
When attacking a creature that currently has you swallowed whole you may attack with any weapons you have (natural or manufactured) rather than being limited in which weapons you can attack with, although bludgeoning damage does not count towards the amount to cut your way out of the stomach (in either direction). In addition select one of three options, the option must be picked as soon as you are swallowed(or alternatively as soon as you change to this stance if it wasn't active when you were swallowed (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KillItThroughItsStomach)):
"Gaping Hole": Your exit wound is especially messy. If you succeed in cutting your way out your way out, the creature must make a fortitude save against 10+ the amount of damage you dealt in the last round of attacks to cut yourself out (you may elect to finish a full attack rather than exit immediately if you select this option, in which case you exit at the start of your next turn). If they fail the fortitude save, the hole does NOT close behind you until the next time the creature is returned to full hitpoints, and any creature swallowed whole may use it to escape from the larger creature as a swift action.
"Thrashing Puffer-Fish Technique": Your attacks from inside the creature gain +5 to hit, and when making a full attack, you take advantage of the fact that you are literally surrounded by your foe to hit on your back-swings as well. You get an additional attack, at your highest attack bonus, with every weapon you attack with, HOWEVER the damage from these extra attacks does NOT count towards the amount needed to cut yourself free. This extra attack DOES stack with Speed weapons, the Haste spell, etc although it does NOT allow such things to stack with each other. You may elect to remain within a creature you have been swallowed whole by to continue dealing damage to it. You make this decision at that start of each of your turns. However if you elect to stay, rather than exit when you could have, the creature receives a fortitude save against 10 + 1/2 your IL + your Strength modifier to vomit you out each round right before your turn. This save may be voluntarily failed as usual.
"From the Depths of Thee I Stab at Thee!": You may elect to tunnel towards a vital organ, rather than trying to cut your way free of the creature. First you must deal an amount of non-bludgeoning damage equal to the amount needed to cut your way out. After this you may continue to attack, but if you do, the creature gets a Fortitude save at the start of each of its turns against 10 + 1/2 your IL + your Strength modifier for the internal pressure of its organs to force you back into the stomach where you are immediately vomited forth. It receives a bonus to its fortitude save equal to 1/10 the damage that you dealt it last turn. In exchange, all your attacks after escaping the stomach to the intra-organ space have their critical threat range doubled (This DOES stack with Improved Critical, Keen, Etc, and, in fact, in such cases Quadruples, rather than triples the threat range) and receive +5 to hit.
Belly Slasher
Tiger Claw (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1 (plus homebrew classes that get Tiger Claw of course)
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: 1 Standard or Full-Round Action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
"Give him BACK!"
As part of this maneuver make either a standard attack (as a standard action) or a full-attack (as a full round action) against a creature. The slashing and/or piercing damage you inflict with with the attack or attacks* counts toward the damage necessary for one randomly selected creature your target has swallowed needs to inflict to cut its way free. If you exceed the amount necessary to free a creature and have attacks left, that creature exits immediately. You then continue your full-attack, and may elect to apply your damage to another creatures escape efforts (chosen randomly from those that remain), or just be damage to the creature in the usual way.
*Bludgeoning damage (such as if you are duel-wielding a club and a dagger) is merely applied to the target in the usual way, rather than also counting towards freeing a creature.
EDIT 2012: Consider making the Strike a continuous effect while in the stance instead of something taken separately. This reduces the situationalness of it. For something that doesn't let other Strikes be combined with Belly Slasher, allow unlimited use of the Strike while in the Stance.
Tiger Claw (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1 (plus homebrew classes that get Tiger Claw of course)
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: 1 Swift Action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance
"EAT ME (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EatMe)!" - Agent K
A minor benefit of this stance is that you gain Acid Resistance equal to your initiator level while in it.
When a creature with the "Swallow Whole" (or equivalent) ability attempts an attack which could activate that ability, you may elect to go with it (usually leaping down its throat). You forgo all miss chances, to hit rolls and all other means of avoiding the attack. In exchange you may make a Jump check opposed by its attack roll. If you succeed you take no ill effects from the attack, OTHER than being swallowed (so no bite damage, no associated fang venoms, no energy drain from a bite attack, etc). You are still subject to the effects of the stomach/craw/whatever as usual.
When attacking a creature that currently has you swallowed whole you may attack with any weapons you have (natural or manufactured) rather than being limited in which weapons you can attack with, although bludgeoning damage does not count towards the amount to cut your way out of the stomach (in either direction). In addition select one of three options, the option must be picked as soon as you are swallowed(or alternatively as soon as you change to this stance if it wasn't active when you were swallowed (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KillItThroughItsStomach)):
"Gaping Hole": Your exit wound is especially messy. If you succeed in cutting your way out your way out, the creature must make a fortitude save against 10+ the amount of damage you dealt in the last round of attacks to cut yourself out (you may elect to finish a full attack rather than exit immediately if you select this option, in which case you exit at the start of your next turn). If they fail the fortitude save, the hole does NOT close behind you until the next time the creature is returned to full hitpoints, and any creature swallowed whole may use it to escape from the larger creature as a swift action.
"Thrashing Puffer-Fish Technique": Your attacks from inside the creature gain +5 to hit, and when making a full attack, you take advantage of the fact that you are literally surrounded by your foe to hit on your back-swings as well. You get an additional attack, at your highest attack bonus, with every weapon you attack with, HOWEVER the damage from these extra attacks does NOT count towards the amount needed to cut yourself free. This extra attack DOES stack with Speed weapons, the Haste spell, etc although it does NOT allow such things to stack with each other. You may elect to remain within a creature you have been swallowed whole by to continue dealing damage to it. You make this decision at that start of each of your turns. However if you elect to stay, rather than exit when you could have, the creature receives a fortitude save against 10 + 1/2 your IL + your Strength modifier to vomit you out each round right before your turn. This save may be voluntarily failed as usual.
"From the Depths of Thee I Stab at Thee!": You may elect to tunnel towards a vital organ, rather than trying to cut your way free of the creature. First you must deal an amount of non-bludgeoning damage equal to the amount needed to cut your way out. After this you may continue to attack, but if you do, the creature gets a Fortitude save at the start of each of its turns against 10 + 1/2 your IL + your Strength modifier for the internal pressure of its organs to force you back into the stomach where you are immediately vomited forth. It receives a bonus to its fortitude save equal to 1/10 the damage that you dealt it last turn. In exchange, all your attacks after escaping the stomach to the intra-organ space have their critical threat range doubled (This DOES stack with Improved Critical, Keen, Etc, and, in fact, in such cases Quadruples, rather than triples the threat range) and receive +5 to hit.
Belly Slasher
Tiger Claw (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1 (plus homebrew classes that get Tiger Claw of course)
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: 1 Standard or Full-Round Action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
"Give him BACK!"
As part of this maneuver make either a standard attack (as a standard action) or a full-attack (as a full round action) against a creature. The slashing and/or piercing damage you inflict with with the attack or attacks* counts toward the damage necessary for one randomly selected creature your target has swallowed needs to inflict to cut its way free. If you exceed the amount necessary to free a creature and have attacks left, that creature exits immediately. You then continue your full-attack, and may elect to apply your damage to another creatures escape efforts (chosen randomly from those that remain), or just be damage to the creature in the usual way.
*Bludgeoning damage (such as if you are duel-wielding a club and a dagger) is merely applied to the target in the usual way, rather than also counting towards freeing a creature.
EDIT 2012: Consider making the Strike a continuous effect while in the stance instead of something taken separately. This reduces the situationalness of it. For something that doesn't let other Strikes be combined with Belly Slasher, allow unlimited use of the Strike while in the Stance.