My Arm is My Brother's, My Sword is My Sister's [ToB Discipline, 3.5, PEACH]

[unosarta]

Fox’s Guile

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[1] (http://xi5.deviantart.com/art/The-Fox-51038790)

"My arm is my brother's, my heart is my lover's, my sword is my sister's, my faith is my father's, but my mind is my own."

~Harishul Charen, Fox of the Western Wastes, Outlaw Extraordinaire, Master of Thieves

The Fox’s Guile discipline was created by a group of Swordsages who sought to emulate the ideas and concepts of the White Raven style of fighting, with leadership and control of opponents, but with their own subtle blend of martial skill and exploitation of weaknesses instead of the over the top “charge in screaming” style of combat the White Raven discipline holds dearest. This group of Swordsages sought to emulate the ideals of a fencer, or a thief. By creating openings in their opponent’s defenses, they gave their allies a chance to attack. This style was, of course, created after the formation of the nine disciplines, and is not recognized as an official discipline, like so many of the lesser disciplines created after the formation by Reshar.

Their fighting style also caused some major problems with White Raven enthusiasts, who viewed the discipline as a minor offshoot of their own mighty discipline, and not worthy of Discipline status, a perfectly sensible conclusion given the circumstances. Of course, the Fox’s Guile Swordsages were hardly pleased with it, and left the Temple of the Nine Swords, in search of greater understanding abroad. They went out and taught their techniques to all who would listen, hoping to have their fame eclipse that of the White Raven discipline. They haven’t been altogether too successful as of yet, but they are working hard, and it has become relatively easy for a student to learn the Fox’s Guile style of fighting just about anywhere that has some form of martial arts teaching center.

The weapons associated with the Fox’s Guile discipline are the Kukri, Dagger, Punching Dagger, Rapier, Shortsword, Light Pick, and Sickle.

Related Skill: Bluff.

When swapping Disciplines, initiators who have this Discipline gain the Bluff skill as a class skill.


Maneuver List:

1st
Stance of Guile: Stance -- You gain a bonus to Flanking benefits.
Ninja’s Stance: Stance -- You gain Sneak Attack depending on your initiator level.
Fox’s Feint: Strike -- Allies can move up to 10 feet after you hit opponent.
Sly Strike: Strike -- Allies gain +2d4 damage against enemy struck.

2nd
Piercing Fang: Strike -- Strike and Hit opponent’s Touch AC, and bypass Damage Reduction.
Underhanded Blow: Strike -- Automatic feint attempt after hitting an opponent.

3rd
Cunning Footwork: Stance -- You are much more flexible in your Flanking positioning.
Cooperation: Boosts -- Boost to Flanking Benefits based on Bluff ranks.
Swiftness Conferred: Counter -- Replace ally’s Reflex save with your own.

4th
Machiavellian Ruse: Counter -- Feint attempt replaces Armor Class.
Canny Strike: Strike -- Allies gain +5d4 damage against enemy struck.

5th
United in Arms: Strike -- Strike, flanking allies also attack.
Confederation Stance: Stance -- Allies may make an additional attack each round against a flanked target at a -5 penalty.

6th
Take the Blow: Counter -- Redirect an enemies attack to yourself.
Fox’s Bluff: Strike -- Hit an opponent, and Allies can move up to 30 feet.
Alacrity of Mind: Boost -- Feint as a free action.

7th
Celerity Stride: Boost -- Movement speed bonus, spread full attacks throughout a move action.
Shrewd Strike: Strike -- Allies gain +8d4 damage against enemy struck.
Unified Defense: Boost -- Flanking bonus also applies to AC.

8th
Rapidity of Breath: Stance -- Instead of giving allies flanking bonuses, enemy takes penalty; any enemy that is adjacent automatically counts as flanked.
Crippling Blow: Strike -- You strike an enemy, deal bonus damage, and enemy is flat footed.

9th
Fox’s Strike: Strike -- Forego all attacks in the round, and all allies gain an additional standard action as long as it is used to attack or affect the target.

[unosarta]

Maneuver Descriptions

1st Level
Stance of Guile
Fox’s Guile (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1
Prerequisites: None
Initiation Action: Swift action

You become adroit, able to greater exploit the opportunities exposed by your allies, and expose more opportunities for your allies.

While you gain the benefits of this stance, the benefits you and the ally you flank with gain from Flanking increase by +1 (the Attack bonus becomes +3, for example). This stacks with all other boosts to Flanking bonuses.


Ninja’s Stance
Fox’s Guile (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1
Prerequisites: None
Initiation Action: Swift action

You are able to strike at the vulnerable parts of your opponents.

While you gain the benefits of this stance, you gain Sneak Attack, as the Rogue class feature, depending on your initiator level, as shown on the following table:

Initiator Level
Sneak Attack Dice


1-7
+1d6


8-15
+2d6


15-20
+3d6



This effect stacks with the Rogue ability.


Sly Strike
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1
Prerequisites: None
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 Round
Saving Throw: None

You strike at your opponent, and your allies can attack harder and stronger against that opponent.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, that target takes an additional 2d4 damage from any sources that originate from an ally for the next round. You count as your own ally.


Fox’s Feint
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1
Prerequisites: None
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature; all allies within 30 feet

You strike your opponent, and your allies take advantage of opportunity in order to move suddenly and swiftly.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, all allies within 30 feet may move up to 10 feet in any direction, without provoking attacks of opportunity.

2nd Level
Piercing Fang
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature

You strike in such a location that you ignore your enemies armor, bypassing their protections like the bite of a fox.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. It resolves as a touch attack, at a -4 penalty. If the attack hits, it ignores all damage reduction.


Underhanded Blow
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature

Using your formidable manipulating skills, you trick your foe into ignoring your attacks, after striking them.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, you may make a Feint attempt against the struck opponent as a free action. Your opponent may not add their Base Attack Bonus to the opposed Sense Motive check.


3rd Level
Cunning Footwork
Fox’s Guile (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 3
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Swift action

Your footwork is dexterous enough that most opponents have a hard time keeping up, which allows your allies to find weaknesses in their defenses even easier.

While you gain the benefits of this stance, you can flank an enemy from up to 10 feet away from that enemy, even if you don’t threaten them. In addition, you count as being up to 5 feet in any direction while adjacent to an opponent for the purposes of designating whether or not that opponent is being flanked by an ally.


Cooperation
Fox’s Guile (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 3
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 Round

Your innate ability to manipulate your foes allows you to easily outmaneuver them.

You and any flanking ally gain an increase to the bonus Flanking provides based on your ranks in Bluff while you benefit from this boost:

Ranks in Bluff
Bonus


1-7
+1


8-14
+2


15-21
+3


22+
+4




Swiftness Conferred
Fox’s Guile (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 3
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: 10 feet
Target: 1 Ally

You shout to your ally, and give them the reflexes needed to dodge some incoming danger.

You may, as part of this maneuver, replace one ally within 10 feet’s current Reflex save with your own until the end of the turn or the next Reflex save attempted, whichever comes first. Until the effect ends, you take a -4 penalty to all Reflex saves.

4th Level
Machiavellian Ruse
Fox’s Guile (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 4
Prerequisites: One Fox’s Guile maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You

You trick your opponent into not attacking you, mid strike.

You may, as a part of this maneuver, make a Feint attempt against an opponent who is currently attacking you. If you beat their opposed Sense Motive check, the attack misses. The opponent cannot use their Base Attack Bonus to modify the opposed check in this case.


Canny Strike
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 4
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
Duration: 2 Rounds

You strike a damaging blow to your enemy, and allow your allies to hit harder and stronger against that opponent.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, that target takes an extra 5d4 damage from any sources that originate from an ally for the next two rounds. You count as your own ally.

5th Level
United in Arms
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 5
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature

You strike, and your allies strike with you, as one.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. All allies who are flanking the target who you are attacking may make a single melee attack at the same time as you do, at their highest attack bonus, which all resolve at the same time.


Confederation Stance
Fox’s Guile (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 5
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Area: 60 foot spread

Your allies attack more swiftly against enemies that you work together to kill.

While you gain the benefits of this stance, your allies within 60 feet may make an additional attack each round at their highest attack bonus -5 against any target that you are flanking. This does not include yourself.

6th Level
Take the Blow
Fox’s Guile (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 6
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You

You redirect an opponent’s attack to yourself.

As a part of this maneuver, you may redirect the target of a single melee or ranged attack made against an ally within 10 feet, to yourself. This ability may be used against spells, but they must be weapon-like, touch, or ranged touch spells.


Fox’s Bluff
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 6
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature; Allies within 60 feet

You strike your opponent, and your allies take advantage of opportunity in order to move suddenly and swiftly..

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, all allies within 60 feet may move up to 30 feet in any direction, without provoking attacks of opportunity.


Alacrity of Mind
Fox’s Guile (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 6
Prerequisites: Two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 2 Rounds

Your mind is so swift that you can outmaneuver your opponents in less than a second.

For the duration of this boost, you may make Feint attempts as a free action. In addition, you gain a bonus to the Bluff check associated with Feinting equal to one half of your Initiator level, and you may Feint against non-Intelligent enemies, at a -12 penalty.

7th Level
Celerity Stride
Fox’s Guile (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 7
Prerequisites: Four Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 2 Rounds

You can move swiftly, and swing your blade while moving.

For the duration of this boost, you gain a +30 bonus to your Base Land Speed, and you may, as a full round action, make a full attack and move up to half of your Base Land Speed. You may spread your attacks throughout the move action.


Shrewd Strike
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 7
Prerequisites: Three Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
Duration: 3 Rounds

You strike at your opponent, and your allies can attack harder and stronger against that opponent.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If you hit, that target takes an extra 8d4 damage from any sources that originate from an ally for the next three rounds. You count as your own ally.


Unified Defense
Fox’s Guile (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 7
Prerequisites: Three Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 2 Rounds

When you and an ally gang up on an opponent, it becomes harder for that opponent to hit you.

For the duration of this boost, Flanking bonuses also apply to Armor Class and Reflex saves for all allies within 60 feet (For instance, if an two allies were flanking an opponent, they would gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class and Reflex saves. If someone with the Cooperation boost active and had 23 ranks in Bluff were to flank with an ally, they would instead gain a +6 bonus to Armor class).

8th Level
Rapidity of Breath
Fox’s Guile (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 8
Prerequisites: Three Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action

You can dance around your enemies, and when you and an ally gang up on an enemy, all of your allies benefit.

While you gain the benefits of this stance, any opponent that you threaten automatically counts as flanked. In addition, instead of granting a bonus to attack rolls, any enemy you flank takes a penalty to Armor Class equal to the bonus to attack rolls you would gain. This only applies to opponents you flank. This penalty to Armor Class is increased if an effect would increase the bonus Flanking provides to attack rolls.


Crippling Blow
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 8
Prerequisites: Three Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature
Duration: 3 Rounds
Saving Throw: Fort

You strike a mighty blow to your enemy, and they are dazed afterward, unable to react to your following blows.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack that deals a bonus +8d6 damage. If you hit, the opponent must make a Fortitude save (DC 18+Strength modifier) or be flatfooted for 3 rounds. Creatures immune to being flat-footed gain a +4 bonus to the save, but are not immune for the purposes of this ability.

9th Level
Fox’s Strike
Fox’s Guile (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 9
Prerequisites: Four Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee
Target: One creature; All Allies within 60 feet
Duration: Instantaneous

You refrain from striking your opponent, and all of your allies strike instead, as one.

As a part of this maneuver, make a melee attack, which resolves as a touch attack. It deals no damage. If you hit, all allies within 60 feet instantly gain a standard action which must be used immediately to in some way harm or detriment the enemy struck. Any non-attack roll variable components of those attacks are maximised. If they deal damage, they deal an extra +6d6 damage. If the Standard action is not used immediately, it fades and cannot be used.

[unosarta]

Tactical Feat
Insidious Mind, Alacritous Stride
The teachings of the Fox’s Guile discipline allow the user to pierce their opponent’s defenses more often when the opponent is distracted, make it easier for allies to hit the opponent, and to direct allies to attack fleeing enemies.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +6, Bluff 9 ranks, any two Fox’s Guile maneuvers
Benefits: Insidious Mind, Alacritous Stride gives you three new combat options.
Fox’s Reflexes: Whenever an opponent fails a saving throw or gets hit by a melee or ranged attack, they provoke an Attack of Opportunity from you. You may only make one attack of opportunity in this way per opponent per round.

Wily Strike: Whenever an opponent provokes an Attack of Opportunity, you may, instead of making a normal attack, make a touch attack. If you hit, the opponent takes a -3 penalty to Armor Class for two rounds. This effect does not stack.

Swift Leadership: Whenever a flanked opponent moves, you may, as an immediate action, allow one ally that is flanking that opponent (excluding yourself) to make an Attack of Opportunity against that target. If they hit, the attack deals double damage, and the opponent’s movement ends just outside of the attacking ally’s threatened range. Even if the ally doesn’t have any Attacks of Opportunity left, this ability can still be used, and they gain one Attack of Opportunity for the purposes of the attack.


Example Characters
{{To be finished}}