Pechvarry
2011-07-13, 07:32 PM
Not something I've seen much of, and I feel there's a lot of room for it. So I've made a decent chunk of new maneuvers for a few different disciplines. I'm riding high on intuition for my maneuver levels, so please PEACH and give me suggestions for what levels they SHOULD be or how to tweak them to what levels I have them posted as. You'll also notice a distinct lack of maneuver requirements. I figured I'd add them later. Feel free to mention if you feel some maneuvers should have more/less than typical for their level.
One final note: I hate naming stuff. Feel free to give suggestions, especially on the tiger claw maneuvers (Dire Wolf Fang Strike is a joke, but is better than its old name -- Wolf Fang Strike +1).
Desert Wind
Desert Snake
Desert Wind (Boost)
level: swordsage 2
Duration: End of turn
You do not provoke attacks of opportunity for movement while this boost is active.
Soul Searing
Desert Wind (Boost)
level: swordsage 3
Duration: 1 round, see text
Choose a target you threaten and make a tumble check DC 20. If successful, the target’s fire resistance is lowered by 10. If the target is immune to fire, they instead take half damage from fire attacks. For every 10 points you beat the DC, their fire resistance lowers by another 5. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn. However, if they take fire damage from any source before the start of your next turn, the effect is extended another full round. This can be extended indefinitely as long as they take fire damage at least once each round.
Salamander Dodge
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 4
Whenever subject to a Reflex save in response to an area effect attack, you may choose to initiate this maneuver instead of rolling the save. You move to the nearest unaffected square. If your normal move speed is lower than the distance required to evade the effect, you cannot initiate this maneuver.
Fire Eater
Desert Wind (Stance)
level: swordsage 5
Any time anyone - friend or foe - takes fire damage within 30 feet of you, you are healed of half the fire damage they take (round down, minimum 0). This effect never activates when you take fire damage personally.
Punishing Winds
Desert Wind (Strike)
level: swordsage 5
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
You funnel your ki into fierce winds around you, which you deftly and subtly manipulate as you attack.
As part of this maneuver, you charge a selected creature. If your attack is successful, you may continue through their space and move up to the rest of your (double) movement. The opponent is subject to a special bull rush effect, with their strength check opposed by your Tumble check (you do not get to add any size modifiers to this check). You select a line of horizontal movement to one of your sides, and they continue moving as far as the check dictates, despite you not traveling with them. The winds are considered Medium size for dictating what size of creatures can be launched with this maneuver.
Wind’s Friend
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 6
When subject to a ranged attack or any other effect which Entropic Shield would protect against, you may initiate this maneuver to gain 50% miss chance against the attack. If the attack fails to hit you (due to miss chance or otherwise), you may redirect the attack against a single creature within 30 feet. Use the original attack roll to determine whether the new target is struck.
Dancing Flame
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 7
You may elect to make a Tumble check in place of any one save. If you possess the Evasion special quality, then a successful Tumble check results in completely nullifying any secondary effects, regardless of the save typically required.
Disaster Charge
Desert Wind (Strike)
level: swordsage 8
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
As part of this maneuver, you may move up to double your movement speed. You are unimpeded by difficult terrain, and gain a single attack against any creature whose square you pass through. This attack is considered a charge attack, with appropriate benefits and penalties. You provoke an attack of opportunity for moving into threatened squares as normal. If your attack is successful, the opponent takes normal melee damage in addition to +5d6 fire damage and is subject to a special bull rush effect (see Punishing Winds). The winds are considered a Huge size creature for determining what size of creatures can be launched with this maneuver.
Heart of Blaze
Desert Wind (Stance)
level: swordsage 9
While in this stance, you gain many traits of a fire elemental -- you possess all of their immunities, you gain Darkvision 60 feet, do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, gain immunity to fire but also gain cold vulnerability. You also gain the Burn special attack, but the DC is maneuver-based (19+WIS) and can be used with melee weapons. As a final benefit, the first 10 points of fire damage you deal to an opponent from any source ignores any resistance they may possess.
Desert Wind Notes
I put some focus on the "Wind" half of the name. A lot of this is in the evasion-flavored defenses, the bull rush maneuvers (with Disaster Charge as sort of a culmination of different Desert Wind maneuvers meshed together), and the low-level AoO-avoidance device. I think the standard take on overcoming fire immunity for desert wind is to give them a stance that ignores fire resistance. That's swell and all, but I wanted something a bit more interesting, hence Soul Searing. The largest problem I have with the maneuver is its inability to affect multiple targets, despite the discipline's multi-target focus. It remains a perfect boss killer that you could use Adaptive Style to prepare on the fly. I may make a higher level version at some point. In the meantime, there's a stance for ignoring fire resistance, but I put it way up there -- as a status quo-breaking 9th level stance.
Finally, I made Fire Eater because it's a) a really neat build concept to me and b) encourages players to go all-out fire based, even using the Dragon Magic feats that convert Sneak attack and power attack into fire damage. Hmm, feat idea...
Devoted Spirit
Champion’s Presence
Devoted Spirit (Stance)
level: crusader 5
Enemies tend to fixate on you. All enemies within 60 feet who can see you perceive you as a dire threat and can’t ignore you. All allies ( you are not considered your own ally) have concealment relative to any affected foes and suffer a 20% miss chance. In any round in which you perform a Strike maneuver, enemies are aware of the motion and go into high alert; allies instead enjoy total concealment (50% miss chance, though the opponents know what square allies are in) until the start of your next turn. Your divine link resonates across the battlefield, and even creatures who lack eyes become anxious. Creatures with Blindsight or other ways of ignoring concealment via non-visual senses still suffer the effects of this stance, but get an extra attack against the miss chance, as if they possessed the blind-fight feat. This miss chance applies to anything which requires an attack roll, as well as effects that specify a target (such as magic missile or slow). However, effects which target squares, such as emanations and burst effects, do not suffer this miss chance.
Sentinel’s Rebuke
Devoted Spirit (Boost)
level: crusader 5
duration: 3 rounds
As part of this maneuver, you keep tabs on your allies, analyze your foes, and change your footing to best take advantage of the battlefield.
Any time an ally is attacked by a foe you threaten within the next 3 rounds, you are entitled to an attack of opportunity against them. Threatened enemies are aware of their plight.
Devoted Spirit notes Champion's Presence helps facilitate a tank who needn't rely on reach and AoOs, an avenue I'd like to push for more in the future.
Sentinel's Rebuke, on the other hand, embraces AoOs whole-heartedly. As a high level version of Defensive Rebuke, lasting 3 rounds, it could very feasibly be alternated with Defensive Rebuke for nearly full time frustation-induction. My future desires for Devoted Spirit:
a) ally save boosting would be nice.
b) effects which increase area threatened or make what area you do have more valuable (I've done some of this in Stone Dragon, see below).
c) Things which rely more heavily on shields and armor. The shield block/counter maneuvers are a good start. I think we can do better.
Stone Dragon
Close the Gap
Stone Dragon (counter)
level: crusader 2, swordsage 2, warblade 2
Originally a dwarven technique, you often make the suicidal decision to ride an attack back to its source.
You may initiate this maneuver whenever you’re attacked by an opponent with reach but before knowing the result of their attack. Using the maneuver lowers your AC for this attack by 4. Regardless of the result of their attack, you move to the closest adjacent square to the attacker after the attack is resolved.
Giant’s Folly
Stone Dragon (counter)
level: crusader 4, swordsage 4, warblade 4
Whether through clever feinting or anticipating when a giant limb will swing your way, you get a grip on what you can to stay with your foe.
This maneuver can be activated any time an opponent is moving (such as a move action or being bull rushed past). If you are in their reach at any point during their movement, you turn it against them and ride the opponent towards their destination. Once they complete their move action, choose any legal square adjacent to the target to occupy. If there are none, you “fall off” in the last legal square the opponent left. While Crusaders tend to use this maneuver to stay with their opponents, Swordsages and even Warblades tend to prize this maneuver for the tactical positioning available to them at the maneuver’s conclusion.
Stone Dragon notes
These ended up being pleasantly multi-functional, but their main purpose was tank assistance. Using your foe's reach to get close is a fun concept for me. I fear Giant's Folly is a bit hard to understand how it works. I also realize it should have a stipulation about your size relative to your opponent's. As-written, a halfling with a longspear could sprint past you, and you would grab hold of his spear and let him haul you 'til the end of his movement. I SHOULD correct this, but it makes me chuckle, and it's not like D&D hasn't suspended our disbelief in similar ways many times over... Ok, I'll fix it eventually.
I had thought I made more Stone Dragon maneuvers than this. I seem to remember writing a Boost which gave Greater Rage benefits/drawbacks for 1-3 rounds. Meh.
All Stone Dragon has is strikes/stances, and I'd like to populate the discipline with a handful of boosts/counters (not that I'm implying the disciplines need be completely homogeneous). I would also like to add a method of de-flying opponents. Perhaps as a Ranged attack?
Tiger Claw
Berserk Stance
Tiger Claw (Stance)
level: swordsage 2, warblade 2
duration: encounter (see text)
You enter into a primal rage, identical to a Barbarian’s Rage except as noted. Your bonuses to Strength and Constitution are +2 each and +1 morale bonus to Will saves. All other stipulations and restrictions of the Rage class feature apply. Berserk Stance has a special restriction: you may only enter it during an encounter (as defined by the DM). Thus, you cannot maintain the stance all day, nor are you considered to be in the stance at the start of combat. The duration is until the end of the encounter. If the stance is dismissed early, it may not be resumed until after the current encounter, and you are fatigued until one or more maneuvers have been refreshed. If you are Granted maneuvers instead, you are fatigued until your maneuvers granted reset.
A special benefit of this stance is that it allows you to qualify for anything that simply requires “Rage class feature” (though any rage-related abilities qualified for through this maneuver only work while in this stance). It does not work with feats or abilities that expend a rage use (such as channeled rage), but it does work with effects that augment them. Whenever you get an ability that improves Rage (such as Greater Rage) and you use it with this stance, lower any strength and constitution bonuses by 2 (to a minimum of +2) and the bonus to Will saves by +1 (to a mimimum of +1).
If the ability in question expressly changes the rage benefits such that you no longer get a bonus to strength, constitution, or will saves, then may your DM help you.
Primal Awareness
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 3, warblade 3
duration: 1 round
When you activate this boost, your critical hit range increases by 2 until the end of the turn. This increase is factored after the improved critical feat, and is thus not doubled. The effects of this maneuver do not stack with Keen weapons or other effects generated from magic or magic items. While effects which increase your attack bonus for Critical Confirmation rolls still apply, you may not gain the benefit of any effect which allows automatic confirmation of criticals while electing to gain the benefit of this maneuver.
Dire Wolf Fang Strike
Tiger Claw (Strike)
level: swordsage 4, warblade 4
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
In order to execute this maneuver, you must have ready and use 2 weapons (an unarmed strike or natural attack can be substituted for one or both weapons). As part of this maneuver, make a full attack action. You may make an extra attack with your offhand weapon as if you possessed the Two Weapon Fighting feat, as well as an iterative attack with your offhand weapon for every iterative attack you have with your main hand.
Rending Talons
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 4, warblade 4
duration: 1 round
Whenever wielding two weapons (and you must be taking two weapon fighting penalties or using the wolf fang strike maneuver), you may initiate this boost. You gain +2d6 damage on all attacks made for the duration of the effect.
Dualstrike Stance
Tiger Claw (Stance)
level: swordsage 5, warblade 5
While in this stance, you’re considered to possess Two Weapon Fighting. Whenever you make a melee attack as part of a Strike maneuver, you can make an offhand attack as part of the maneuver. You take normal two weapon fighting penalties on both attacks.
Feral Ravage
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 6, warblade 6
duration: 1 round
Whenever wielding two weapons (and you must be taking two weapon fighting penalties or using the wolf fang strike maneuver), you may initiate this boost. You gain +6d6 damage on all attacks made for the duration of the effect. However, this aggressive attack leaves you off balance. At the start of your next turn, you fall out of any stance you are currently in and cannot resume the stance ended for 1 full round.
Hunter of the Pack
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 7, warblade 7
duration: 1 round
For every foe that threatens you when you activate this maneuver, you gain +1 critical threat range. This effect does not stack with Keen effects generated from magic or magic items, but does stack with Improved Critical (but is figured after said feat’s doubling effect). While effects which increase your attack bonus for Critical Confirmation rolls still apply, you may not gain the benefit of any effect which allows automatic confirmation of criticals while electing to gain the benefit of this maneuver.
You also gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC for every foe that threatens you.
Tiger Claw notes Berserk Stance is a can of worms. Pure and simple. But people always compare Warblades and Barbarians, or build Martial Barbarians, and I feel this may be a good way to do it. Still, if you choose 1 of the maneuvers listed here to hate most, it'll most likely be this one.
I have a couple crit-fisher maneuvers. Fits with TWF, fits with many of the Tiger Claw strikes, fits with Blood in the Water. I realize Hunter of the Pack could become outrageous. I'm not sure it's a bad thing, considering the hurt you're setting yourself up for. Obviously, works very well with Adamantine Hurricane and friends.
Some of this stuff (Dire wolf, dualstrike stance) is intended to give TWF stuff to people who don't want to sink the feats into it. This helps create a more cinematic hero, only occasionally dual-wielding. To that end, Feral Ravage is a nice chunk of D6s for TWFers to take advantage of, but is built to encourage the player to assume a new tactic (burns your stance -- perhaps the one allowing you to TWF in the first place). I'm considering giving Dualstrike benefits for people who DO have the feats. Probably just +1 feat chaining (TWF counts as Improved TWF while in stance, Improved counts as Greater).
White Raven
Commander’s Sabre
White Raven (strike)
level: crusader 3, warblade 3
Once a tactician has ran a war, the approach to personal combat tends to change. You force every small advantage to snowball into a large one.
As part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If successful, you gain 3 additional attacks of opportunity for use against the struck foe. These are “floating” attacks of opportunity, to be used against the target after your normal round’s usage of attacks of opportunity have been used up.
For example, you could strike an orc with this maneuver in round 1. His kobald buddy tries to race past you, and you spend your normal round’s attack of opportunity to splatter him. The opportunistic orc then attempts to bull rush you, expecting no resistance. However, you spend your floating Attack of Opportunity to punish him as well, all the while grinning like an idiot.
If you use this maneuver multiple times, you take the higher number of AoOs. Even if you use this maneuver multiple times in a single combat, you may only gain these additional AoOs against a single opponent at a time.
Warlord Tactics
White Raven (boost)
level: crusader 6, warblade 6
duration: 1 round / end of encounter (see text)
You gain a pool of “floating” attacks of opportunity (see Commander’s Sabre). You may use these attacks only against enemies you successfully attack in the round in which you use this boost. The amount of “floaters” is ½ your Initiator Level. If you use this maneuver again in the same combat, the floating AoOs do not stack; you take the higher number. However, you maintain the old list of valid targets for these AoOs, in addition to any new targets struck via further use.
White Raven notes More AoOs for those lacking DEX (i.e. everyone who would actually have use for AoOs)! These maneuvers could stand to have their wording more clear. Tell me if it makes sense.
As a very strong discipline already, the only things I intend to add to White Raven are those which make weaker roles (such as tanking) easier and better.
Sorry for the lack of formatting on a lot of these. I'm hoping to pretty these up as they shape up into usable maneuvers. Thanks for reading, folks.
One final note: I hate naming stuff. Feel free to give suggestions, especially on the tiger claw maneuvers (Dire Wolf Fang Strike is a joke, but is better than its old name -- Wolf Fang Strike +1).
Desert Wind
Desert Snake
Desert Wind (Boost)
level: swordsage 2
Duration: End of turn
You do not provoke attacks of opportunity for movement while this boost is active.
Soul Searing
Desert Wind (Boost)
level: swordsage 3
Duration: 1 round, see text
Choose a target you threaten and make a tumble check DC 20. If successful, the target’s fire resistance is lowered by 10. If the target is immune to fire, they instead take half damage from fire attacks. For every 10 points you beat the DC, their fire resistance lowers by another 5. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn. However, if they take fire damage from any source before the start of your next turn, the effect is extended another full round. This can be extended indefinitely as long as they take fire damage at least once each round.
Salamander Dodge
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 4
Whenever subject to a Reflex save in response to an area effect attack, you may choose to initiate this maneuver instead of rolling the save. You move to the nearest unaffected square. If your normal move speed is lower than the distance required to evade the effect, you cannot initiate this maneuver.
Fire Eater
Desert Wind (Stance)
level: swordsage 5
Any time anyone - friend or foe - takes fire damage within 30 feet of you, you are healed of half the fire damage they take (round down, minimum 0). This effect never activates when you take fire damage personally.
Punishing Winds
Desert Wind (Strike)
level: swordsage 5
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
You funnel your ki into fierce winds around you, which you deftly and subtly manipulate as you attack.
As part of this maneuver, you charge a selected creature. If your attack is successful, you may continue through their space and move up to the rest of your (double) movement. The opponent is subject to a special bull rush effect, with their strength check opposed by your Tumble check (you do not get to add any size modifiers to this check). You select a line of horizontal movement to one of your sides, and they continue moving as far as the check dictates, despite you not traveling with them. The winds are considered Medium size for dictating what size of creatures can be launched with this maneuver.
Wind’s Friend
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 6
When subject to a ranged attack or any other effect which Entropic Shield would protect against, you may initiate this maneuver to gain 50% miss chance against the attack. If the attack fails to hit you (due to miss chance or otherwise), you may redirect the attack against a single creature within 30 feet. Use the original attack roll to determine whether the new target is struck.
Dancing Flame
Desert Wind (Counter)
level: swordsage 7
You may elect to make a Tumble check in place of any one save. If you possess the Evasion special quality, then a successful Tumble check results in completely nullifying any secondary effects, regardless of the save typically required.
Disaster Charge
Desert Wind (Strike)
level: swordsage 8
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
As part of this maneuver, you may move up to double your movement speed. You are unimpeded by difficult terrain, and gain a single attack against any creature whose square you pass through. This attack is considered a charge attack, with appropriate benefits and penalties. You provoke an attack of opportunity for moving into threatened squares as normal. If your attack is successful, the opponent takes normal melee damage in addition to +5d6 fire damage and is subject to a special bull rush effect (see Punishing Winds). The winds are considered a Huge size creature for determining what size of creatures can be launched with this maneuver.
Heart of Blaze
Desert Wind (Stance)
level: swordsage 9
While in this stance, you gain many traits of a fire elemental -- you possess all of their immunities, you gain Darkvision 60 feet, do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, gain immunity to fire but also gain cold vulnerability. You also gain the Burn special attack, but the DC is maneuver-based (19+WIS) and can be used with melee weapons. As a final benefit, the first 10 points of fire damage you deal to an opponent from any source ignores any resistance they may possess.
Desert Wind Notes
I put some focus on the "Wind" half of the name. A lot of this is in the evasion-flavored defenses, the bull rush maneuvers (with Disaster Charge as sort of a culmination of different Desert Wind maneuvers meshed together), and the low-level AoO-avoidance device. I think the standard take on overcoming fire immunity for desert wind is to give them a stance that ignores fire resistance. That's swell and all, but I wanted something a bit more interesting, hence Soul Searing. The largest problem I have with the maneuver is its inability to affect multiple targets, despite the discipline's multi-target focus. It remains a perfect boss killer that you could use Adaptive Style to prepare on the fly. I may make a higher level version at some point. In the meantime, there's a stance for ignoring fire resistance, but I put it way up there -- as a status quo-breaking 9th level stance.
Finally, I made Fire Eater because it's a) a really neat build concept to me and b) encourages players to go all-out fire based, even using the Dragon Magic feats that convert Sneak attack and power attack into fire damage. Hmm, feat idea...
Devoted Spirit
Champion’s Presence
Devoted Spirit (Stance)
level: crusader 5
Enemies tend to fixate on you. All enemies within 60 feet who can see you perceive you as a dire threat and can’t ignore you. All allies ( you are not considered your own ally) have concealment relative to any affected foes and suffer a 20% miss chance. In any round in which you perform a Strike maneuver, enemies are aware of the motion and go into high alert; allies instead enjoy total concealment (50% miss chance, though the opponents know what square allies are in) until the start of your next turn. Your divine link resonates across the battlefield, and even creatures who lack eyes become anxious. Creatures with Blindsight or other ways of ignoring concealment via non-visual senses still suffer the effects of this stance, but get an extra attack against the miss chance, as if they possessed the blind-fight feat. This miss chance applies to anything which requires an attack roll, as well as effects that specify a target (such as magic missile or slow). However, effects which target squares, such as emanations and burst effects, do not suffer this miss chance.
Sentinel’s Rebuke
Devoted Spirit (Boost)
level: crusader 5
duration: 3 rounds
As part of this maneuver, you keep tabs on your allies, analyze your foes, and change your footing to best take advantage of the battlefield.
Any time an ally is attacked by a foe you threaten within the next 3 rounds, you are entitled to an attack of opportunity against them. Threatened enemies are aware of their plight.
Devoted Spirit notes Champion's Presence helps facilitate a tank who needn't rely on reach and AoOs, an avenue I'd like to push for more in the future.
Sentinel's Rebuke, on the other hand, embraces AoOs whole-heartedly. As a high level version of Defensive Rebuke, lasting 3 rounds, it could very feasibly be alternated with Defensive Rebuke for nearly full time frustation-induction. My future desires for Devoted Spirit:
a) ally save boosting would be nice.
b) effects which increase area threatened or make what area you do have more valuable (I've done some of this in Stone Dragon, see below).
c) Things which rely more heavily on shields and armor. The shield block/counter maneuvers are a good start. I think we can do better.
Stone Dragon
Close the Gap
Stone Dragon (counter)
level: crusader 2, swordsage 2, warblade 2
Originally a dwarven technique, you often make the suicidal decision to ride an attack back to its source.
You may initiate this maneuver whenever you’re attacked by an opponent with reach but before knowing the result of their attack. Using the maneuver lowers your AC for this attack by 4. Regardless of the result of their attack, you move to the closest adjacent square to the attacker after the attack is resolved.
Giant’s Folly
Stone Dragon (counter)
level: crusader 4, swordsage 4, warblade 4
Whether through clever feinting or anticipating when a giant limb will swing your way, you get a grip on what you can to stay with your foe.
This maneuver can be activated any time an opponent is moving (such as a move action or being bull rushed past). If you are in their reach at any point during their movement, you turn it against them and ride the opponent towards their destination. Once they complete their move action, choose any legal square adjacent to the target to occupy. If there are none, you “fall off” in the last legal square the opponent left. While Crusaders tend to use this maneuver to stay with their opponents, Swordsages and even Warblades tend to prize this maneuver for the tactical positioning available to them at the maneuver’s conclusion.
Stone Dragon notes
These ended up being pleasantly multi-functional, but their main purpose was tank assistance. Using your foe's reach to get close is a fun concept for me. I fear Giant's Folly is a bit hard to understand how it works. I also realize it should have a stipulation about your size relative to your opponent's. As-written, a halfling with a longspear could sprint past you, and you would grab hold of his spear and let him haul you 'til the end of his movement. I SHOULD correct this, but it makes me chuckle, and it's not like D&D hasn't suspended our disbelief in similar ways many times over... Ok, I'll fix it eventually.
I had thought I made more Stone Dragon maneuvers than this. I seem to remember writing a Boost which gave Greater Rage benefits/drawbacks for 1-3 rounds. Meh.
All Stone Dragon has is strikes/stances, and I'd like to populate the discipline with a handful of boosts/counters (not that I'm implying the disciplines need be completely homogeneous). I would also like to add a method of de-flying opponents. Perhaps as a Ranged attack?
Tiger Claw
Berserk Stance
Tiger Claw (Stance)
level: swordsage 2, warblade 2
duration: encounter (see text)
You enter into a primal rage, identical to a Barbarian’s Rage except as noted. Your bonuses to Strength and Constitution are +2 each and +1 morale bonus to Will saves. All other stipulations and restrictions of the Rage class feature apply. Berserk Stance has a special restriction: you may only enter it during an encounter (as defined by the DM). Thus, you cannot maintain the stance all day, nor are you considered to be in the stance at the start of combat. The duration is until the end of the encounter. If the stance is dismissed early, it may not be resumed until after the current encounter, and you are fatigued until one or more maneuvers have been refreshed. If you are Granted maneuvers instead, you are fatigued until your maneuvers granted reset.
A special benefit of this stance is that it allows you to qualify for anything that simply requires “Rage class feature” (though any rage-related abilities qualified for through this maneuver only work while in this stance). It does not work with feats or abilities that expend a rage use (such as channeled rage), but it does work with effects that augment them. Whenever you get an ability that improves Rage (such as Greater Rage) and you use it with this stance, lower any strength and constitution bonuses by 2 (to a minimum of +2) and the bonus to Will saves by +1 (to a mimimum of +1).
If the ability in question expressly changes the rage benefits such that you no longer get a bonus to strength, constitution, or will saves, then may your DM help you.
Primal Awareness
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 3, warblade 3
duration: 1 round
When you activate this boost, your critical hit range increases by 2 until the end of the turn. This increase is factored after the improved critical feat, and is thus not doubled. The effects of this maneuver do not stack with Keen weapons or other effects generated from magic or magic items. While effects which increase your attack bonus for Critical Confirmation rolls still apply, you may not gain the benefit of any effect which allows automatic confirmation of criticals while electing to gain the benefit of this maneuver.
Dire Wolf Fang Strike
Tiger Claw (Strike)
level: swordsage 4, warblade 4
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
In order to execute this maneuver, you must have ready and use 2 weapons (an unarmed strike or natural attack can be substituted for one or both weapons). As part of this maneuver, make a full attack action. You may make an extra attack with your offhand weapon as if you possessed the Two Weapon Fighting feat, as well as an iterative attack with your offhand weapon for every iterative attack you have with your main hand.
Rending Talons
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 4, warblade 4
duration: 1 round
Whenever wielding two weapons (and you must be taking two weapon fighting penalties or using the wolf fang strike maneuver), you may initiate this boost. You gain +2d6 damage on all attacks made for the duration of the effect.
Dualstrike Stance
Tiger Claw (Stance)
level: swordsage 5, warblade 5
While in this stance, you’re considered to possess Two Weapon Fighting. Whenever you make a melee attack as part of a Strike maneuver, you can make an offhand attack as part of the maneuver. You take normal two weapon fighting penalties on both attacks.
Feral Ravage
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 6, warblade 6
duration: 1 round
Whenever wielding two weapons (and you must be taking two weapon fighting penalties or using the wolf fang strike maneuver), you may initiate this boost. You gain +6d6 damage on all attacks made for the duration of the effect. However, this aggressive attack leaves you off balance. At the start of your next turn, you fall out of any stance you are currently in and cannot resume the stance ended for 1 full round.
Hunter of the Pack
Tiger Claw (Boost)
level: swordsage 7, warblade 7
duration: 1 round
For every foe that threatens you when you activate this maneuver, you gain +1 critical threat range. This effect does not stack with Keen effects generated from magic or magic items, but does stack with Improved Critical (but is figured after said feat’s doubling effect). While effects which increase your attack bonus for Critical Confirmation rolls still apply, you may not gain the benefit of any effect which allows automatic confirmation of criticals while electing to gain the benefit of this maneuver.
You also gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC for every foe that threatens you.
Tiger Claw notes Berserk Stance is a can of worms. Pure and simple. But people always compare Warblades and Barbarians, or build Martial Barbarians, and I feel this may be a good way to do it. Still, if you choose 1 of the maneuvers listed here to hate most, it'll most likely be this one.
I have a couple crit-fisher maneuvers. Fits with TWF, fits with many of the Tiger Claw strikes, fits with Blood in the Water. I realize Hunter of the Pack could become outrageous. I'm not sure it's a bad thing, considering the hurt you're setting yourself up for. Obviously, works very well with Adamantine Hurricane and friends.
Some of this stuff (Dire wolf, dualstrike stance) is intended to give TWF stuff to people who don't want to sink the feats into it. This helps create a more cinematic hero, only occasionally dual-wielding. To that end, Feral Ravage is a nice chunk of D6s for TWFers to take advantage of, but is built to encourage the player to assume a new tactic (burns your stance -- perhaps the one allowing you to TWF in the first place). I'm considering giving Dualstrike benefits for people who DO have the feats. Probably just +1 feat chaining (TWF counts as Improved TWF while in stance, Improved counts as Greater).
White Raven
Commander’s Sabre
White Raven (strike)
level: crusader 3, warblade 3
Once a tactician has ran a war, the approach to personal combat tends to change. You force every small advantage to snowball into a large one.
As part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If successful, you gain 3 additional attacks of opportunity for use against the struck foe. These are “floating” attacks of opportunity, to be used against the target after your normal round’s usage of attacks of opportunity have been used up.
For example, you could strike an orc with this maneuver in round 1. His kobald buddy tries to race past you, and you spend your normal round’s attack of opportunity to splatter him. The opportunistic orc then attempts to bull rush you, expecting no resistance. However, you spend your floating Attack of Opportunity to punish him as well, all the while grinning like an idiot.
If you use this maneuver multiple times, you take the higher number of AoOs. Even if you use this maneuver multiple times in a single combat, you may only gain these additional AoOs against a single opponent at a time.
Warlord Tactics
White Raven (boost)
level: crusader 6, warblade 6
duration: 1 round / end of encounter (see text)
You gain a pool of “floating” attacks of opportunity (see Commander’s Sabre). You may use these attacks only against enemies you successfully attack in the round in which you use this boost. The amount of “floaters” is ½ your Initiator Level. If you use this maneuver again in the same combat, the floating AoOs do not stack; you take the higher number. However, you maintain the old list of valid targets for these AoOs, in addition to any new targets struck via further use.
White Raven notes More AoOs for those lacking DEX (i.e. everyone who would actually have use for AoOs)! These maneuvers could stand to have their wording more clear. Tell me if it makes sense.
As a very strong discipline already, the only things I intend to add to White Raven are those which make weaker roles (such as tanking) easier and better.
Sorry for the lack of formatting on a lot of these. I'm hoping to pretty these up as they shape up into usable maneuvers. Thanks for reading, folks.