Tome of Battle stuff

[Satyr]

Yeah, I know, not the fanciest title...

This thread will work as a collective index to the various Tome of Battle homebrews I have produced in the last years, and which I have recently rediscovered.
The purpose of this thread is mostly tha of an index to find the various classes and ideas.

[Satyr]

Prestige Classes

It's interesting what you find when you look up all the old stuff on your hard drive. I, for example, have found roughly half a dozen Tome of Battle Prestige classes I wrote before I strated to seriously work on Serpents and Sewers.

I have translated these classes yesterday, and updated them a bit, but really, they are in their core two or three years old. For me, it's somewhat interesting how a few ideas which were later copied in S&S appeared here for the first time. Seriously, these include my first step in homebrewing for D&D.

Now, these are Prestige Classes how I like them: focused on beating people up, and actually quite competent in this field of expertise. If you ask me, the overwhelming majority of prestige classes for the already underrepresented melee fighters are much too weak, especially when compared to *any* prestige class with full caster level progression. Therefore, they might appear a bit powerful when compared to other fighter -specific prestige classes.

Many of these classes uses an unsual form of maneuver developments which does not follow the standard form found in the Tome of Battle itself. This was a conscious design decission.
I think that a maneuver progression based on the core class is a better alternative than the standard approach for Tome of Battle classes; it would stiull acknowledge the difference in the readying progress and the different learning speed which is, for example, the one advantage of the Swordsage. This is insofar relevant since - as far as I know - the characters keep their readying mechanisms.

In the case of the Mercury Duelist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146505), for example, a warblade-oriented maneuver progression would be no issue for a warblade, but would cut down a swordsage's progression by half, vice versa, it would doulbe a warblade's progression when it follows a more swordsage-oriented model, and with a class that well might be interesting for both classes (Diamond Mind is on both's discipline's lists), this way is just a bit fairer, as it comes closer to treat each class according to its strengths and quirks.

Crusader-based:

The Devout Bodyguard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146495)

The devout bodyguard is an expansion for the Crusader who expands the class closer to the topic of a holy warrior or paladin.
The Devout Commander (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146498)

The devout commander is a heroic leader of men, who leads his men from the front through the example of excellence.
The White Raven Halberdier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146521)

The White Raven Halberdier is a tactitian and a specialist of polearm fighting and battlefield control.


Swordsage specific

The Mercury Duelist (Sublime Duelist) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146505)

The Duelist was one of the first prestige classes published for D&D 3.5, but it always had a few significant weaknesses, from a mechanical point of view. The Mercury Duelist is an upgraded version of the basic prestige class, using the Tome of Battle maneuvers.
The Phoenix Fist Initiate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146511)

Who doesn't like a pyromaniac monk who can throuw orbs of raw power?
Shadow Veil Assassin (Sublime Assassin) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146532)

The Shadow Veil Assassin takes the best from the DMG's Assassin, Shadow Dancer and the Shadow Hand discipline and combines it into a deadly yet agile force of ambusihing and backstabbing.
The Sword of the Elements (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146517)

The Sword of the Elements is a class that combines the fighting techniques of a swordsage with limited yet powerful elemental magic.


Warblade-based:

The Mercury Duelist (Sublime Duelist) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146505).

The duelist works just as well for Warblades, perhaps even better.
The Titan Warrior (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146510)

The Titan Warrior is a barbarian berserker who combines the ability to rage with the more feral mertail arts of the Tiger Claw school.

The Vanguard Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146500)

A very solid and competent fighter conecetrating more on the basics of fighting than on fancy maneuvers.
The White Raven Halberdier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146521)

The White Raven Halberdier is a tactitian and a specialist of polearm fighting and battlefield control.




New Prestige Classes to come:

The Caller in the Wild (basically a Prestige Ranger using maneuvers and stances in combination with Ranger spells)
The Curseslinger (basically a prestige Hexblade with maneuvers)
The Devout Exorcist (specialist for fighting against undeads, including incorporeal ones)
The Husar (Thundering Charge (new discipline) specialist of mounted combat)
The Imortal (The immortal will not die. Toughness (no, not the feat) focused combattant)
The Myrmidon (Black Tortoise (new discipline) focused warrior in the style of homeric Epics; for everyone who ever wanted to play Achilles or Hector)
The Snake Charmer (Viper Dance (new discipline) specific class, with bard music progression and a snake companion)
The Stormblade (an Ironheart/Tiger Claw specialist for TWF)
Wandering Swordsmen (travelling warrior with the mystical ability to appear in the right place to the right time)
The Witch Hunter General (based on the occult hunter, but a true nemesis of spellcasters, makes heavy use of the Witch Hammer Discipline (new discipline))

[Satyr]

Alternative Class Features and Substitution Levels

coming soon!

[Satyr]

New Maneuvers

(For old Disciplines)

New Maneuver Type: Kata
A Kata is a sequel of several moves in a follow-up structure which have to be applied in a certain order to prepare the combatant and its victim for a final attack that ends the kata.
Katas somewhat blur the difference between stances and maneuvers, but are useable just like strikes. A combattant using a kata sacrifices adaptability for a certain extra power. Katas are performed over several turns.
In addition to any specific maneuver criteria (usually hitting an enemy), a kata requires a swift action every turn to be kept up. Therefore, a combattant using a kata cannot initiate a new stance at the same time or use a boost. Most katas allow the use of strikes, though.

Desert Wind
1: Wyrmling Dance - Kata. Making several attacks against the same target, deal 1 point of fire damage cumultatively per attack to target.
3: Brass Dragon Dance - Kata. Make at least two Attacks in sequel, deal 1d6 fire damage to all foes you threaten for every following attack.
5: Golden Dragon Dance - Kata. Make at least three Attacks in sequence, deal 1d6 cumultative fire damage to all foes you threaten for every following attack and dazzle them.
7: Great Wyrm Dance - Kata. Make four attacks in sequel, deal 12d6 of damage against all foes you threaten on the fourth and set them on fire.



Devout Spirit:
2: Just Cause - Kata. You gain 1 cumultative temporary HP for every attack in Kata.
6: Rightous Wrath - Kata. Reduce target's armor or natural armor bonus with every strike.


Diamond Mind
2: Attack and Retreat - Kata. You gain a cumulative +1 dodge bonus against the target for every hit you score against it.
5: Circling Dodge - Kata. You gain a cumulative +1 dodge bonus for every succesful attack.



Iron Heart
1: Deep Thrust -Kata. Make two Attacks against the same target, the third deals double damage.
4: Extatic Blade Form -Kata. Gain a cumultative +1 bonus to attack rolls against the target with each attack in Kata.
6: Death of a thousand Cuts -Kata. Make an attack of opportunity for each hit you score against the target.


Setting Sun
1: The crocodile's tail - Kata. Hit with two attacks, make a free trip attempt.
3: The Mockingbird's Flurry- Kata. Make touch attacks against target. Deal 1 point of cumulative damage.
6: The Mockingbird's Flock - Kata. Make touch attacks against target, deal 1d6 points of cumulative damage.


Shadow Hand

3: The Mote in the Eye - Kata. Target is blinded after three succesful attacks and remains it as long as you keep hitting it.
5: The soundless Void- Kata. Target is blinded, deaf and voiceless after three succesful attacks and remains it as long as you keep hitting it.



Stone Dragon
1: Hammer Rythm - Kata. Making several attacks against the same target, deal 1 cumulative point of additional damage per attack to target.
4: Avalanche Form - Kata. Reduce target's Damage Reduction with every strike.
: Indomitable Slayer Form - Kata. Every Attack on target deals cumulatively 1d6 of additional damage.



Tiger Claw
1: The Grizzly's Attack -Kata. Free Grapple Attempt after a second succesful attack.
4: Rhino Blows- Kata. Every succesful attack pushes the target 5' away from you.



White Raven
1: Bring them Down - Kata. Every succesful attack grants an allies a cumulative +1 bonus to damage rolls against the target.
4: Mark the Weak Spots - Kata. Every succesful attack grants all allies a cumulative +1 bonus to damage and attack rolls against the target.




stay ready... more detailed descriptions will come soon....

[Satyr]

New Disciplines
[spoiler]Who said that melee combattants shouldn't get something nice from time to time? The following disciplines are a lot more specific than the usual ones, and have more specialised niches. In their specific field, they are very useful, but they lack the versatility of the nine standard disciplines. Characters gain access to a new discipline by taking an according feat, or by replacing one of their standard choices with one of the new disciplines available for their class.

Availability
{table=head]Class|Black Tortoise|Thundering Charge|Viper Dance|Witch Hammer

Crusader|
yes|
yes|
no|
yes

Swordsage|
no|
yes|
yes|
yes

Warblade|
yes|
no|
yes|
yes[/table]

Black Tortoise
This discipline is focused on the use of a shield, mostly for the defense, but also for offense moves. Black Tortoise is a somewhat slow fighting style focussing on using the shield in a very active way while not neglecting the main weapon. A typical Black Tortoise move includes a feint with the main weapon followed by a fast bash with the shield.

Thundering Charge
The discipline of mounted combat and fighting on horseback. An adept of the Thundering Charge discipline can intuitively command her mount, and is a deadly opponent as long as she stays in the saddle. The Thundering Charge discipline has its strong points in open battle with enough space for cavalry charges, but it significantly lacks options for fighting on foot or without the neccessary space to maneuver.

Viper Dance
This discipline is perhaps the most elegant and aesthetic, focussing on very fast movements and rythmic steps and body movement. The Viper Dance is a very quick combat style, focussing more on speed than strength, but is sometimes overtly elaborate and complicated in its maneuvers; typcial Viper Dance attacks require a longer sequel of maneuvers to be truly effective.

Witch Hammer
This discipline was developed to fight against spellcasters and nullify their powers and advantages. The Witch Hammer discipline is completely focused on these specific form of enemies, and excells in it, but the sometimes very complicated strikes are not more effective than normal attacks when not applied against spellcasters.

[LunarWolfPrime]

Um not to tell you how to post but I think you missed one of yours

The Titan Warrior (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146510)

An I hope to see those new styles soon.

[Satyr]

The Viper Dance and Black Tortoise styles are about completed, the Witch Hammer is mostly done, and for Thundering Charge, the core framework is completed.
There are also a few additional prestige classes - some neutral ones, some based on the new disciplines - in work, as well as an adjustment of several orriginal prestige classes to the ToB standards and an adjustment of the three ToB base classes with alternative features to make it easier to use them to replace the standard melee classes. and something like the Dead Levels adjustment (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20061013a) for these classes as well.