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Edge
2011-04-29, 10:08 AM
Penitent Martyr Discipline
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/SoullessEnigma/PenitentMartyrDiscipline.jpg
"I fight so others must not suffer. I suffer because my penance is due."

The Penitent Martyr discipline is not widely spoken of among martial adepts because Reshar never learned it. Reshar certainly tried, but was denied by the masters who taught the style – the celestials of the upper planes. Far from finding his skill wanting, the celestials denied Reshar for two reasons: his sin was not great enough, and he did not come to them in a state of repentance. For the Penitent Martyr style is reserved only for those souls on who the Celestial Hosts perceive the stains of the vilest evil, and only for those of them who have truly repented of their ways and seek forgiveness.

Because of these stringent restrictions, noteworthy practitioners of the discipline are hard to name – though delve deep enough and one can find the names Kailend Hathen, The Poet in Grey, Action-with-Forethought-Anew and Quoivendus of the Chorum Encaged whispered of in obscure histories and annals.

Practically, the discipline focuses on endurance, self-mastery and restraint, and putting the self before others in a very literal manner. A true Penitent Martyr puts them self in harm’s way instead of others, and then proceeds to care very little for the injury received. The discipline's favoured skill is Survival, as the practitioner must be able to weather all tribulations that come their way. The associated weapons of the discipline are the longsword, the light flail, the heavy flail, the bastard sword and the spiked chain.

Because the Penitent Martyr discipline was never taught widely at the Temple of the Nine Swords or any similar centre of training, most martial adepts do not know any maneuvers from it, or even know it exists. Any martial adept can learn maneuvers from the Penitent Martyr discipline. There are two ways to master the discipline. The first is to have been endowed with the knowledge of the discipline by celestials prior to further training in the Sublime Way. If you choose this approach, you simply replace one discipline that adept could normally learn maneuvers from with the Penitent Martyr discipline.

The other way is to seek to repent of truly vile sins at the feet of a celestial, change your alignment to Good, and accept the celestial’s teachings on the discipline. You must train for a month under the celestial, and spend 1,000 xp at the end of the month. You gain the ability to learn maneuvers from the Penitent Martyr discipline. In addition, you may exchange your maneuvers known for maneuvers of the Penitent Martyr discipline. You may exchange one maneuver of each level, and the new maneuvers you learn must be of the same level as the exchanged maneuvers, unlike normal.

No creature with an Evil alignment may learn or use maneuvers from the Penitent Martyr discipline, though a non-evil creature with the Evil subtype may. Any Good or morally Neutral celestial may endow the discipline, though a celestial that has fallen beyond Neutrality and into Evil may not.

Maneuvers

1st Level
Forgiveness Needs Dedication Form: Stance – enemies you threaten may only move via 5ft-step.
Innocence Maintaining Posture: Stance – you and allies gain bonuses if they avoiding causing hp damage.
Not One Drop: Counter – ally struck by melee attack, move to ally’s space, take damage for them.
Self-Sufferance Method: Boost – recall own atrocities to make current ones seem trivial, gain DR briefly.
Well-Practised Wounding Atemi: Strike – attack deals minor damage to Str or Dex, target may be left bleeding.

2nd Level
Good Men Do Something Kata: Strike – attack opponent, reduce their attack bonus or save DCs.
Guilt Leaves You Open: Strike – bonus to attack and damage against Evil, Neutral targets.
Heart Isn’t In It Realisation: Counter – demonstrate superior resolve to opponent, opponent must win opposed Will save or miss.
Self-Inflicted Martyr-Gift: Boost – wound self with weapon, heal ally an equal amount.

3rd Level
Hate is Only Weakness: Strike – attack and taunt a foe, impose effects of rage without Str, Con bonus.
Marred-Not Technique: Boost – gain fast healing, more for each ally unharmed since your last turn.
Suffer Them No Threat Stance: Stance – use only touch AC, allies gain DR, energy resistance.
Studious Messiah Retort: Counter – Expend own hp to grant ally temporary hp to cushion an attack.

4th Level
Body As Bread Invitation: Counter – enemy attacks ally, must save or forgo attack and move to you instead.
Cultivated Crippling Atemi: Strike – attack deals serious damage to Str or Dex, target may be left bleeding heavily.
See Not, Hear Not Parry: Counter – transform self into enlightened spiritual state, avoid attack through incorporeality.

5th Level
Guilt is Not Enough Stance: Stance – use only your touch AC, strike your foes’ touch AC too.
Evil Men Falter Kata: Strike – attack opponent, cripple their attack bonus or save DCs.
Unless My Own: Counter – ally struck by melee attack, move to ally’s space, gain DR, take damage for them.

6th Level
Better Than This Kata: Strike – drop foe, regain hp based on their HD.
Self-Imposed Messiah-Gift: Boost – wound self with weapon, heal ally a multiple thereof.
Tarnished-Not Technique: Boost – gain fast healing, much more for each ally unharmed since your last turn.

7th Level
Evil Men Do Nothing Kata: Boost – foes wounded by you must save or be held as hold monster.
I Have Done Worse Atemi: Strike – attack foe, deal grievous wound, foes within range must save or be shaken.
Martyr’s Stigmatic Assault: Strike – wound self with weapon, foe in range takes damage a multiple thereof.

8th Level
Blood As Wine Invitation: Counter – enemy attacks ally, all nearby foes must save or move towards you.
Guilt-As-Armour Stance: Stance – use Will save modifier in place of armour bonus to AC.
Rehearsed Ravaging Atemi: Strike – attack deals major damage to Str and Dex, target may be left bleeding profusely.

9th Level
Death Precedes Forgiveness Atemi: Strike – instantly fall to -1 hp, all foes in range must save or die.

Edge
2011-04-29, 10:09 AM
Maneuver Descriptions

1st LevelForgiveness Needs Dedication Form
Penitent Martyr (Stance)
Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

The Penitent Martyr knows that forgiveness does not come easily or quickly – repentance is something that requires dedication. This threatening stance forces a Martyr’s foes to finish what they start. Whilst in this stance, any foe you threaten may not take a move action to move up to their speed. They may still take 5ft steps and move greater distances through the use of magic, psionics or similar abilities.

Innocence Maintaining Posture
Penitent Martyr (Stance)
Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 30ft radius, centred on you
Target: Allies within range
Duration: Stance

For the Penitent Martyr, maintaining the innocence of others is its own reward. Whilst in this stance, you and each ally within range gain a stacking +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls (to a maximum of +5) at the start of each of your turns, provided no ally within range has caused hp damage since the end of your last turn.

Not One Drop
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Equal to double your speed
Target: One ally within range hit by a melee attack

The Penitent Martyr will suffer no harm to the innocent on their road to redemption. Upon initiating this counter, you move to the space of an ally within range who has just been hit by a melee attack, before the attack’s damage is rolled. The target ally is moved into any unoccupied space adjacent to their current space, which you then occupy. The attack’s damage is then rolled, and dealt to you rather than your ally.

Self-Sufferance Method
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Start of next turn

The Penitent Martyr is, by nature, not a creature of innocence. No matter what horrors they may see on a battlefield, they have likely seen (and inflicted) worse. Recalling those sins makes those before them seem trivial, easily endured. For the duration of this maneuver, you gain DR 2/- per 4 initiator levels.

Well-Practiced Wounding Atemi
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

Before they began walking their path, the Penitent Martyr was well-practiced in inflicted vicious wounds. Now they turn that talent against those who deserve it. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits and deals damage, you also deal 1 point of damage to the target’s Strength or Dexterity score. Furthermore, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 11 + your Strength modifier) or take 1 damage per round for the next two rounds, or until they are healed (whichever comes first) due to the horrible nature of the wound.

2nd LevelGood Men Do Something Kata
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 2, Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous/end of encounter (see text)

Sometimes, all it takes for evil to falter is for good to act. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits and deals damage, your target takes a -2 morale penalty to either attack rolls or the save DCs of their special attacks until the end of the encounter. You choose whether the target takes the attack penalty or the DC penalty.

Guilt Leaves You Open
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 2, Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr can perceive the guilt of their foes and exploit it to their advantage. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. In addition, if your target is Lawful Neutral, Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil, you add your highest mental ability score modifier to your attack roll, and deal double damage if you hit.

Heart Isn’t In It Realisation
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 2, Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

The Penitent Martyr desires redemption above all else, and their resolve can shake the petty wills of all others. You can use this maneuver any time you are subject to a melee attack. You must declare your usage of this maneuver once the attack has been rolled, but before you know the result. With a quick glare to your attacker, you convey the full extent of your resolve – a resolve they will never have.

You and your attacker make opposed Will saves. If you score higher, your opponent’s attack misses, regardless of their attack roll. If your attacker scores higher, their attack is resolved normally, and you take a -1 morale penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

Self-Inflicted Martyr-Gift
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 2, Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal/30ft
Target: You/one ally within range (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr gives of himself to help others. As part of this maneuver, you deal the normal damage of your current weapon to yourself, and heal an ally within 30ft of an equal amount of damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

3rd LevelHate Is Only Weakness
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 3, Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous/start of next turn (see text)

The Penitent Martyr is now largely above hate, but still uses that of their foes when they must. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. In addition, the target must make a Will save (DC 13 + your Charisma modifier) or be subject to all the penalties of a rage (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/rage.htm) spell, though they gain none of the spell’s beneficial effects.

Marred-Not Technique
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 3, Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/4 initiator levels.

The Penitent Martyr can fight through any pain, but finds it easiest when their allies stand as living proof of their efforts. Upon initiating this maneuver, you gain fast healing 2. At the start of each of your turns whilst this boost is active, your fast healing increases by 1 for that turn per each one of your allies who have not taken hit point damage since the end of your last turn.

Suffer Them No Threat Stance
Penitent Martyr (Stance)
Level: Crusader 3, Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal/30ft emanation (see text)
Target: You/allies within range (see text)
Duration: Stance

The Penitent Martyr will do anything to spare others harm, even if the cost is exacted from their body. Upon entering this stance, the Martyr calls upon the celestial judges to watch their sacrifice, who then bless their allies in honour of their sacrifice.

Whilst in this stance, all incoming attacks made against you are made against your touch AC as you purposefully leave yourself open. However, all allies within 30ft of you gain DR/- equal to half your initiator level and energy resistance against one type of energy equal to half your initiator level plus your skill ranks in Survival. You may change the type of energy the stance grants resistance to at the start of each of your turns as a free action.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

Studious Messiah Retort
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 3, Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 30ft
Target: One ally hit by a melee attack

The Penitent Martyr gives all to save others. You may initiate this maneuver in response to an ally being hit by a melee attack. Before the attack’s damage is rolled, take 1d8 damage per 4 initiator levels yourself. The target ally gains an equal amount of temporary hit points, which vanish once the attack has been resolved.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

4th LevelBody As Bread Invitation
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft
Target: One creature making a melee attack
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr is willing to sacrifice of themselves to save others. You may initiate this maneuver when an enemy within 60ft declares a melee attack against an ally but before the attack roll is made. The target foe must make a Will save (DC 14 + your Charisma modifier) or immediately abandon the attack and take move action to move its full speed towards you in the most direct fashion possible instead of the attack action. If the creature still has a move action left this turn, it must also use that to move towards you.

Cultivated Crippling Atemi
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Initiation Action: 1standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr’s punishment of the wicked refines the skills of their former life. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits and deals damage, you also deal an extra 2d6 points of damage and 1d6 points of damage to the target’s Strength or Dexterity score. Furthermore, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 14 + your Strength modifier) or take 5 damage per round for the next five rounds, or until they are healed (whichever comes first) due to the nature of the wound.

See Not, Hear Not Parry
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

The Penitent Martyr grasps at any shred of redemption along their path to true forgiveness. Their celestial patrons would not see them perish before their penance is done, and so provide them with this slightest sliver of enlightenment to allow a fleeting moment of transcendental flesh.

You may use the maneuver when targeted by a melee or ranged attack but before the attack roll is made. The moment before the attack hits, your body and equipment transforms into transcendental matter. For the purposes of this attack, you have the incorporeal subtype, but lose it once the attack is resolved.

5th LevelGuilt Is Not Enough Stance
Penitent Martyr (Stance)
Level: Crusader 5, Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

The Penitent Martyr is well-practiced in opening their guard to protect others, but sometimes it must be done to strike the wicked. Whilst in this stance, all incoming attacks are made against your touch AC. However, all melee attacks you make are made as touch attacks.

Evil Men Falter Kata
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 5, Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous/end of encounter (see text)

The good push forward with their actions, and evil crumble before them. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits, you deal an extra 2d6 damage and your target takes a -4 morale penalty to either attack rolls or the save DCs of their special attacks until the end of the encounter. You choose whether the target takes the attack penalty or the DC penalty.

Unless My Own
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 5, Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Equal to double your speed
Target: One ally within range hit by a melee attack

The Penitent Martyr will have no one harmed on their watch if they can help it, them self included. Upon initiating this counter, you move to the space of an ally within range who has just been hit by a melee attack, before the attack’s damage is rolled. The target ally is moved into any unoccupied space adjacent to their current space, which you then occupy. You gain DR 10/- until the attack is resolved. The attack’s damage is then rolled, and dealt to you rather than your ally.

6th LevelBetter Than This Kata
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 6, Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature/you (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous

Looking down on the morally bankrupt creatures they fight, the Penitent Martyr realises how far they have risen above them, inspiring them to continue their struggles. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If the attack is successful and drops its target, then you regain hit points equal to 4d8 + your initiator level.

Self-Imposed Messiah Gift
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 6, Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal/30ft
Target: You/one ally within range (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous

None shall fall while the Penitent Martyr can still give of them self. As part of this maneuver, you deal the normal damage of your current weapon to yourself. One ally within 30ft then heals 1d4 times that amount.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

Tarnished-Not Technique
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 6, Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Initiation Action:
Range:
Target:
Duration:

If the Penitent Martyr’s allies stand unscathed, then it only confirms what they now know – forgiveness is fast approaching. Upon initiating this maneuver, you gain fast healing 5. At the start of each of your turns whilst this boost is active, your fast healing increases by 5 for that turn per each one of your allies who have not taken hit point damage since the end of your last turn.

7th LevelEvil Men Do Nothing Kata
Penitent Martyr (Boost)
Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn

No evil can flourish in the face of the righteous or repentant. Upon activating this boost, any creature you damage with a melee attack before the end of your turn must make a Will save (DC 17 + your Strength modifier) or be affected as though by hold monster.

I Have Done Worse Atemi
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

No matter the evil facing them, the Penitent Martyr knows full well that they have done worse. And they still can. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits, you deal an extra 6d12 damage, and all enemies with line of sight to your target must make a Will save (DC 17 + your Strength modifier + your Charisma modifier) or be shaken until the end of the encounter or you are dropped, whichever comes first.

Martyr’s Stigmatic Assault
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 60ft
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr gladly gives of them self to save others, and is just as glad to give of them self to harm the wicked. Upon initiating this maneuver, you deal damage to yourself with your current weapon. You then select one enemy within range, who receives a more grievous copy of your injury, taking 1d3 times as much damage as you do.

8th LevelBlood As Wine Invitation
Penitent Martyr (Counter)
Level: Crusader 8, Swordsage 8, Warblade 8
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 60ft
Target: One creature making a melee attack
Duration: Instantaneous

The wicked find it hard to resist indulging the Penitent Martyr’s zeal. You may initiate this maneuver when an enemy within 60ft declares a melee attack against an ally but before the attack roll is made. The target foe must make a Will save (DC 18 + your Charisma modifier) or immediately abandon the attack and take move action to move its full speed towards you in the most direct fashion possible instead of the attack action. If the creature still has a move action left this turn, it must also use that to move towards you. In addition, any enemies within 30ft of the target’s initial position must move towards you in the same manner as the target, and must use a move action to close on you further if they have not had their turn yet this round.

Guilt-As-Armour Stance
Penitent Martyr (Stance)
Level: Crusader 8, Swordsage 8, Warblade 8
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

The Penitent Martyr’s resolve can serve them better than any material protection. Whilst in this stance, you replace your armour bonus to AC with a value equal to your base Will save + your Wisdom bonus, if any.

Rehearsed Ravaging Atemi
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 8, Swordsage 8, Warblade 8
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr’s wrath towards wicked results in savage reprisal for their deeds. As part of this maneuver, you make a normal melee attack. If your attack hits and deals damage, you also deal an extra 6d6 points of damage and 2d6 points of damage to the target’s Strength or Dexterity score. Furthermore, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 18 + your Strength modifier) or take 10 damage per round for the next five rounds, or until they are healed (whichever comes first) due to the grievous nature of the wound.

9th LevelDeath Precedes Forgiveness Atemi
Penitent Martyr (Strike)
Level: Crusader 9, Swordsage 9, Warblade 9
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Personal/60ft burst
Target: You/all creatures in range
Duration: Instantaneous

The Penitent Martyr knows the last step on the road to forgiveness, but it is not yet quite time to make it.

Upon initiating this strike, you run yourself through with your weapon. The force behind this blow instantly reduces you to -1 hit points, but generates a shockwave of such terrible power that those struck by it find the natural rhythms of their body fatally disrupted – all creatures within a 60ft burst of you must make a Fortitude save (DC 19 + your Strength modifier) or die. A successful save results in the creature only taking 8d12 damage.

Edge
2011-04-29, 10:12 AM
A martial discipline I created for the PrC I'll be entering in the current PrC contest, because there was no martial discipline extant that had the thematics and mechanics I wanted to utilise, and they wouldn't all fit into the class as class features. So, here we go.

Edge
2011-05-30, 03:08 PM
And a bump to try and get some comments on this. Whilst I think this is pretty solid, I would like a second opinion.

SamBurke
2011-05-30, 03:19 PM
I really like this, actually... fits moderately well with a character I'm playing.

Questions:

Is this Pathfinder-usable, because it seems to be from 4e?

How hard would it be to convert to a PF class?

Would it be a PrC?

I'm playing a fallen paladin, who must seek atonement with a special quest (killing some person who worships an evil god)... is there any way that this could re-paladin me? Cause that would be really useful. REALLY useful.

Edge
2011-05-30, 03:32 PM
I really like this, actually... fits moderately well with a character I'm playing.

Questions:

Is this Pathfinder-usable, because it seems to be from 4e?

How hard would it be to convert to a PF class?

Would it be a PrC?

I'm playing a fallen paladin, who must seek atonement with a special quest (killing some person who worships an evil god)... is there any way that this could re-paladin me? Cause that would be really useful. REALLY useful.

This a discipline for use by martial initiator classes (the crusader, the swordsage and the warblade), as presented in the D&D 3.5 book Tome of Battle: the Book of Nine Swords. If you want to use it with you character, you could look into multiclassing into crusader, or picking up the Martial Study and Martial Stance feats a few times.

ScrambledBrains
2011-06-16, 04:29 PM
Just a question: None of the martial adepts normally have Survival as a class skill, so would someone learning this discipline gain it as a class skill?

Edge
2011-06-16, 04:40 PM
The general assumption with such things is that when you gain access to a new discipline for a initiating base class, you gain it's favoured skill as a class skill. If you swapped out another discipline for it at character creation, the dropped discipline's favoured skill is no longer considered a class skill for that class.

E.g. A swordsage could drop Shadow Hand for Penitent Martyr, losing access to Hide as a class skill, but adding Survival to their class skill list.

ScrambledBrains
2011-06-16, 05:07 PM
That's what I thought. :smallsmile: Thanks for clarifying.