Battle Trance (feat, 3.X) (PEACH)

[Solaris]

I remember seeing someone mention swapping flurry of blows for rage. This is what came of that train of thought. It's basically a sort of battle trance.


Battle Trance
You have studied philosophy and wedded that understanding to your combat skill, enabling you to transcend your normal limitations and achieve victory against dire odds.
Prerequisites: BAB +6, Concentration 6 ranks, Iron Will.
Effect: You can focus your mind on combat and enter into a battle trance. In this state, you gain a +4 morale bonus to Strength, and a +2 insight bonus to Armor Class. You may make an additional attack each attack or full attack action at your highest attack bonus, but doing so imposes a -2 penalty on all attacks until your next round.
While in the battle trance you are capable of using any abilities at your disposal. However, as the Spirit requires concentration, using any ability that forces you to stop concentrating (except raging) ends the battle trance. Similarly, spellcasting will end the battle trance.
The trance lasts a number of rounds equal to one-half the ranks you have in Concentration. You can enter the battle trance as a free action. Upon exiting the trance, whether by choice, by failing a Concentration check, or by the duration running out, you become fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity, can’t run or charge) for a number of rounds equal to the time spent in the battle trance. You may enter the trance at any time, but not when you are fatigued or exhausted.
You can enter the battle trance once per encounter. Entering the battle trance takes no time itself, but you can only do it during your action and not in response to someone else's action.
Special: A monk may select this as a bonus feat at 6th level regardless of whether or not he meets the prerequisites.

[Seerow]

Um... is it me or is this a Barbarian's Whirling Frenzy as a 1/encounter effect rather than x/day, as a feat with really low prerequisites?

If you wanted an ACF for flurry for monks that's one thing (a strong tradeoff, but one for the monk who is weak so whatever)... but this? No. Class defining abilities shouldn't be given via feats.

If you want a feat that represents a clarity of focus in combat, granting you bonuses, check out the combat form feats in PHB2, they fit the flavor perfectly and are pretty decent, getting better the more of them you take.

[Morph Bark]

Um... is it me or is this a Barbarian's Whirling Frenzy as a 1/encounter effect rather than x/day, as a feat with really low prerequisites?

Whirling Frenzy gives no Dex bonus IIRC, plus this doesn't gives its downsides, just giving other, lesser ones.

[Seerow]

Whirling Frenzy gives no Dex bonus IIRC, plus this doesn't gives its downsides, just giving other, lesser ones.

Just checked, and you're right. So this is actually in effect stronger than the whirling frenzy. The only downside is the requirement of making a concentration check, which ceases to be an issue by mid levels (sooner if you can get your hands on a concentration boosting item)

[Solaris]

Um... is it me or is this a Barbarian's Whirling Frenzy as a 1/encounter effect rather than x/day, as a feat with really low prerequisites?

Oi, I should have caught that. I upped rage and smite to be /encounter with my game and gave fighters actual class features.


Class defining abilities shouldn't be given via feats.

Why? I get the low prereqs being a problem, sure, but why are class-defining abilities as feats a problem (unless it's something absurd like spellcasting)?


If you want a feat that represents a clarity of focus in combat, granting you bonuses, check out the combat form feats in PHB2, they fit the flavor perfectly and are pretty decent, getting better the more of them you take.

These feats I already know of, thank you.

[Seerow]

Why? I get the low prereqs being a problem, sure, but why are class-defining abilities as feats a problem (unless it's something absurd like spellcasting)?


You just pointed it out yourself. Spellcasting as a feat is sacrosanct, but an at will rage is not? Rage is every bit as class defining to the barbarian as spellcasting is to a wizard. Why would you allow one as a feat but not the other? It's not so much about power level as unless you want to completely obsolete certain classes, don't do that.

[Solaris]

You just pointed it out yourself. Spellcasting as a feat is sacrosanct, but an at will rage is not? Rage is every bit as class defining to the barbarian as spellcasting is to a wizard. Why would you allow one as a feat but not the other? It's not so much about power level as unless you want to completely obsolete certain classes, don't do that.

Yes, because spellcasting brings a huge increase to power. Rage doesn't, it just makes you better at what you (presumably) already do: Hit things until they die. Some classes are already obsolete for all intents and purposes - the warrior classes courtesy of ToB, primarily.

[Seerow]

Yes, because spellcasting brings a huge increase to power. Rage doesn't, it just makes you better at what you (presumably) already do: Hit things until they die. Some classes are already obsolete for all intents and purposes - the warrior classes courtesy of ToB, primarily.

So your solution is to further obsolete the few classes that retain actual classfeatures by making better versions of their useful abilities available to anyone for a feat?

This is like making a feat that gives you eldritch blast scaling to your current HD, along with a few blast shapes and an invocation or three on the side, or a feat for full Warmage spellcasting (which is considered tier 4 level due to the lack of utility). This follows your example of not a huge power boost all things considered, but gives you the core features of a class that is very useful on its own.

The solution to most martial classes suck is not to just give away their best features for free.

[Solaris]

So your solution is to further obsolete the few classes that retain actual classfeatures by making better versions of their useful abilities available to anyone for a feat?

This is like making a feat that gives you eldritch blast scaling to your current HD, along with a few blast shapes and an invocation or three on the side, or a feat for full Warmage spellcasting (which is considered tier 4 level due to the lack of utility). This follows your example of not a huge power boost all things considered, but gives you the core features of a class that is very useful on its own.

The solution to most martial classes suck is not to just give away their best features for free.

So if we're assuming that obsoleting a class is not a problem for me or my players...
Hm. Lemme change up some wording on this so it can stack with rage. I'm sure you still loathe it, but it makes me happier with it.

[Seerow]

Hey, if you want to do that, it's your game. I am however opposed to the concept of just saying "These classes don't exist" especially when the class in question is actually one of the functioning melee classes, just a notch below the ToB classes.

[Solaris]

Nonetheless, you've been helpful.