THAT is how you slice a skeleton in two [3.5, Feat, PEACH]

[Sgt. Cookie]

Cut deep, cut well[Fighter]
Prerequisites: Strength 18, Power Attack
Benefit: Upon taking this feat a few new attack options are open to you:

By halving the damage you will deal (Minimum 1 point), you can bypass regeneration of creatures and deal the damage as lethal.

When a creature is damaged to 0hp or less, it is slain instantly. This ability requires the weapon in question to be, at least, one size category smaller than the creature in question. *

If you take a -5 penalty to the attack roll, you can leave a wound (If slashing/piercing) or severe knock (If bludgeoning) that can't heal on its own. All the damage dealt cannot be healed by non-magical means including fast healing/regeneration (If the damage was lethal). Supernatural fast healing/regeneration are considered non-magical.

You can score a critical on enemies that would normaly be immune. However, if an ability states "This cannot be used on an enemy that is immune to critical hits", you are still unable to affect them with that ability.


*A medium longsword could instantly slay any foe that is large or smaller. A two handed weapon sized for you is considered one size category larger than it is. I.e, a great sword can instantly slay huge or smaller foes.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Meh. Apart from finishing things with regeneration, like trolls, it's not really that useful from a mechanical point-of-view. I'd much rather just allow a player with a two-handed weapon to describe the kill as ripping the corpse in half than force them to take a feat to do so.

[Sodalite]

Given the thread title, perhaps something like bypassing immunity to death from massive damage would also be in order?

[AugustNights]

There is little gain in killing a target on the condition that it is "dropped."
Perhaps this could be something less expensive than a feat, like a Trait?
Something like this.

Brutal Killer
You tend to leave your opponents in bloody piles.

Benefit
When an opponent is suffers from one of your attacks to fall unconscious, become disabled, or dying from hit point damage, they must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+ 1/2 your level, + your strength modifier), or instead be rendered dead or destroyed (as appropriate.) This death (or destruction) is horrific in nature, and leaves the remains in a state that is most certainly not "whole (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/raiseDead.htm)."

Drawback
You suffer a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks, as that you are generally spattered with blood, or other vital liquids.

Stronger than most Traits?
Kind of, but like I said, killing an already dropped opponent isn't that big of a deal.

[Frog Dragon]

Meh. Apart from finishing things with regeneration, like trolls, it's not really that useful from a mechanical point-of-view. I'd much rather just allow a player with a two-handed weapon to describe the kill as ripping the corpse in half than force them to take a feat to do so.
It actually wouldn't even be very useful for that, since most creatures with regeneration will be larger than you.

[Sgt. Cookie]

The feat has been rewriten. Utterly.

[Grod_The_Giant]

My biggest worry with the new feat is that it does too many different things, although none of them are too overpowered. It should probably be an extraordinary ability, though.

[Sodalite]

I doesn't do to much more than any tactical feat, at least in terms of the number of options.

[Ziegander]

By halving the damage you will deal (Minimum 1 point), you can bypass regeneration of creatures and deal the damage as lethal. This is a supernatural ability.

There is no reason for this to be supernatural. It should be extraordinary.


When a creature is damaged to 0hp or less, it is slain instantly. This ability requires the weapon in question to be, at least, one size category smaller than the creature in question. *

Why exactly do you have to use a weapon that is smaller than the creature? If anything I would expect that your weapon need be of the same size as the creature in question or larger. Why can't a medium dagger instantly slay a Small creature? Why then can it instantly slay a Colossal creature? To me, this makes no sense.


If you take a -10 penalty to the attack roll, you can leave a wound (If slashing/piercing) or severe knock (If bludgeoning) that can't heal on its own. Half the damage dealt cannot be healed by non-magical means including fast healing/regeneration (If the damage was lethal). Supernatural fast healing/regeneration are considered non-magical.

Wow. A -10 penalty, huh? For a -50% reduction in accuracy I would like to receive a MUCH larger pay off. Like instant death even to normally immune targets.


You can kill any enemy with massive damage, even if it would normally be immune.

This is good, but, not to be unnecessarily contrary, and maybe it's just me, do DMs ever actually use the massive damage rule? I don't because I don't want crits to carry a save-or-die from low level nor do I want every high level melee attack to always be a save-or-die. I've never played in a game where the DM used the massive damage rule...

[Sgt. Cookie]

There is no reason for this to be supernatural. It should be extraordinary.

Ok, I'll change that.


Why exactly do you have to use a weapon that is smaller than the creature? If anything I would expect that your weapon need be of the same size as the creature in question or larger. Why can't a medium dagger instantly slay a Small creature? Why then can it instantly slay a Colossal creature? To me, this makes no sense.


*A medium longsword could instantly slay any foe that is large or smaller. A two handed weapon sized for you is considered one size category larger than it is. I.e, a great sword can instantly slay huge or smaller foes.

Remember to take 20 on your spot check next time. :smalltongue:


Wow. A -10 penalty, huh? For a -50% reduction in accuracy I would like to receive a MUCH larger pay off. Like instant death even to normally immune targets.

Drop it to -5 and have all the damage not be heal able?


This is good, but, not to be unnecessarily contrary, and maybe it's just me, do DMs ever actually use the massive damage rule? I don't because I don't want crits to carry a save-or-die from low level nor do I want every high level melee attack to always be a save-or-die. I've never played in a game where the DM used the massive damage rule...

Perhaps change it to all enemies can be crited?

[Zeofar]

This ability requires the weapon in question to be, at least, one size category smaller than the creature in question.

This ability requires the weapon in question to be, at most, one size category smaller than the creature in question.