eftexar
2012-05-04, 11:59 PM
Disciple of War (3.5)
Forward:
I was looking at ToB and was thinking of what a great system it was. Still it has a few things that I don't like and I thought I would see what would happen if I played with the system.
So the problems I have within this superbly built system are:
They scale even worse than spells do, with set saves and damage per each level of maneuver.
And for the sake of Boccob, why did they use 'levels.' They aren't spells, so why was this necessary. The warlock has a much better system (the only reason it has spell levels is because it needed to be comparable with spells in the 'simplist' way possible) with its invocations split into four ranks. But couldn't we just add a caster level check clause to dispel them based off of class levels (maybe the lowest class level they can be learned, I don't know)?
Why aren't there move-action maneuvers?
Why are strikes that don't actually involve a weapon still called strikes? Are they not entirely different techniques in and of themselves?
Their save DCs scale pretty much the same as spells (though I guess instead of a formula they are built into the maneuvers). The best scaling DC is 10 + 1/2 whatever + whatever's modifier like most spell-like abilities. And I'm sorry but the way spell DCs scale is just stupid.
A few maneuvers are broken, particularly dealing more damage with a 9th level maneuver on a critical than a spell could ever deal (and in my opinion most spells over 7th level are broken anyway).
I don't understand why the disciplines don't affect the characters actual physical capabilities.
The schools are split into 3 classes making it difficult to combine certain disciplines. Each class is pretty generic, so there really isn't any flavor to support this. Alright maybe the crusader does a little bit.
Maneuvers are too powerful for the warblade to yell "I remember all my maneuvers again and still get to attack in the same turn".
Skip this:
Abilities:
Organization:
Alignment:
Religion:
Background:
Races:
Other Classes:
Role:
I am a practitioner of Glorious Soul, don't lump me in with those other fools. ~ quote by a practitioner of the Glorious Soul fighting school, in reply to someone calling him a Disciple of War.
Class Features
Hit Die: see martial training
Starting Gold: As Fighter
Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), and Martial Lore (Int).
Skill Points: see martial training
{table=head]Level|Special|Techniques Known (Prepared)|Forms
1st|Martial Training, Techniques (Apprentice)|4(2)|-
2nd|Forms, Armor Bonus|5(3)|1
3rd|Bonus Feat|5(4)|2
4th||6(4)|2
5th|Diverse Studies|6(4)|2
6th|Techniques (Initiate)|7(4)|3
7th|Bonus Feat|7(4)|3
8th||8(5)|3
9th|Diverse Studies|8(5)|3
10th||9(5)|4
11th|Techniques (Adept)|9(5)|4
12th|Bonus Feat|10(5)|4
13th|Diverse Studies|10(5)|4
14th||11(6)|4
15th|Adaptive Form|11(6)|5
16th|Techniques (Master)|12(6)|5
17th|Diverse Studies, Bonus Feat|12(6)|5
18th||13(6)|5
19th|Twin Augmentation|13(6)|5
20th||14(7)|5
[/table]
Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: see martial training
Class Abilities
Techniques Known
Select three schools of war that you qualify for, upon gaining your first level in the disciple class. Once these choices are made they may not be changed.
You start your journey with 4 techniques, but learn further techniques as you gain further levels. You may only select techniques of rank you have access to (apprentice, initiate, adept, or master) and who's school is available to you. Once you know a technique you must prepare it before you can use it (see Techniques Prepared). The save DC for any technique is equal to 10 + 1/2 your disciple level + the schools relevant modifier.
There are five types of techniques, detailed in the techniques section, that you can learn: Talent, Blitz, Augment, Strike, and Reversal.
Techniques Prepared
With 15 minutes of meditation you may prepare your techniques (or change which techniques you have prepared and/or re-prepare techniques from Diverse Studies).
Choose a number of different techniques, from those you know, equal to that listed on the table. You may use these techniques at will.
Forms Known
You have access to special abilities called forms, which represent the basics of fighting. You may only have one form active at a time, but may change it each time you prepare your techniques. In addition to granting a minor benefit, forms sometimes modify the use of certain techniques.
Forms are learned as detailed above (see table), but you may not choose a form from any school you do not have access to.
Lv1 > Martial Training:
You gain the dodge, power attack, and combat expertise feats for free. Additionally your disciple levels qualify as a fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats and prestige classes.
Furthermore your statistics are based on the schools the disciple class has granted access to:
You are proficient with all weapons, armor, and shields favored by all of your available schools.
You're bab is equal to progression of the second highest associated attack bonus listed among your schools. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
All of your saves are bad saves unless all of your schools have the same associated save(s). Any associated save present in all these schools grants you a good save(s).
You are trained in any associated skills present in your schools, in addition to your base skills.
You're hit die is equal to the second highest listed among your schools. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
You're skill points are equal to the second highest listed among your schools, with the addition of your intelligence modifier as normal. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
Lv2 > Armor Bonus:
You gain a deflection bonus to your AC, as long as you aren't immobilized or unconscious, equal to the number of forms you know, to a maximum of half your disciple level rounded up.
Lv3, 7, 12, 17 > Bonus Feat:
At each indicated level you gain a single fighter/combat feat that you qualify for.
Lv5, 9, 13, 17 > Diverse Studies:
You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls. Furthermore you may select a technique from a single school that isn't available to you at each indicated level. For each time you prepare your techniques you may use each of these techniques once.
Alternatively, you may instead choose to gain a single disciple feat that you qualify for. You still gain the +1 bonus to attack and damage if you do.
Special: You may choose the same technique more than once, gaining extra uses, but may not use the same technique again, since it was last used, for 1d4 rounds.
Lv15 > Adaptive Form:
You may select two forms when you prepare your techniques. You may still only have one form active at a time, but you may switch between these forms as a swift action.
Lv19 > Duel Augmentation:
You may activate two augment's as part of a single action, using the longer activation of the two actions if there are any discrepancies.
Forward:
I was looking at ToB and was thinking of what a great system it was. Still it has a few things that I don't like and I thought I would see what would happen if I played with the system.
So the problems I have within this superbly built system are:
They scale even worse than spells do, with set saves and damage per each level of maneuver.
And for the sake of Boccob, why did they use 'levels.' They aren't spells, so why was this necessary. The warlock has a much better system (the only reason it has spell levels is because it needed to be comparable with spells in the 'simplist' way possible) with its invocations split into four ranks. But couldn't we just add a caster level check clause to dispel them based off of class levels (maybe the lowest class level they can be learned, I don't know)?
Why aren't there move-action maneuvers?
Why are strikes that don't actually involve a weapon still called strikes? Are they not entirely different techniques in and of themselves?
Their save DCs scale pretty much the same as spells (though I guess instead of a formula they are built into the maneuvers). The best scaling DC is 10 + 1/2 whatever + whatever's modifier like most spell-like abilities. And I'm sorry but the way spell DCs scale is just stupid.
A few maneuvers are broken, particularly dealing more damage with a 9th level maneuver on a critical than a spell could ever deal (and in my opinion most spells over 7th level are broken anyway).
I don't understand why the disciplines don't affect the characters actual physical capabilities.
The schools are split into 3 classes making it difficult to combine certain disciplines. Each class is pretty generic, so there really isn't any flavor to support this. Alright maybe the crusader does a little bit.
Maneuvers are too powerful for the warblade to yell "I remember all my maneuvers again and still get to attack in the same turn".
Skip this:
Abilities:
Organization:
Alignment:
Religion:
Background:
Races:
Other Classes:
Role:
I am a practitioner of Glorious Soul, don't lump me in with those other fools. ~ quote by a practitioner of the Glorious Soul fighting school, in reply to someone calling him a Disciple of War.
Class Features
Hit Die: see martial training
Starting Gold: As Fighter
Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), and Martial Lore (Int).
Skill Points: see martial training
{table=head]Level|Special|Techniques Known (Prepared)|Forms
1st|Martial Training, Techniques (Apprentice)|4(2)|-
2nd|Forms, Armor Bonus|5(3)|1
3rd|Bonus Feat|5(4)|2
4th||6(4)|2
5th|Diverse Studies|6(4)|2
6th|Techniques (Initiate)|7(4)|3
7th|Bonus Feat|7(4)|3
8th||8(5)|3
9th|Diverse Studies|8(5)|3
10th||9(5)|4
11th|Techniques (Adept)|9(5)|4
12th|Bonus Feat|10(5)|4
13th|Diverse Studies|10(5)|4
14th||11(6)|4
15th|Adaptive Form|11(6)|5
16th|Techniques (Master)|12(6)|5
17th|Diverse Studies, Bonus Feat|12(6)|5
18th||13(6)|5
19th|Twin Augmentation|13(6)|5
20th||14(7)|5
[/table]
Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: see martial training
Class Abilities
Techniques Known
Select three schools of war that you qualify for, upon gaining your first level in the disciple class. Once these choices are made they may not be changed.
You start your journey with 4 techniques, but learn further techniques as you gain further levels. You may only select techniques of rank you have access to (apprentice, initiate, adept, or master) and who's school is available to you. Once you know a technique you must prepare it before you can use it (see Techniques Prepared). The save DC for any technique is equal to 10 + 1/2 your disciple level + the schools relevant modifier.
There are five types of techniques, detailed in the techniques section, that you can learn: Talent, Blitz, Augment, Strike, and Reversal.
Techniques Prepared
With 15 minutes of meditation you may prepare your techniques (or change which techniques you have prepared and/or re-prepare techniques from Diverse Studies).
Choose a number of different techniques, from those you know, equal to that listed on the table. You may use these techniques at will.
Forms Known
You have access to special abilities called forms, which represent the basics of fighting. You may only have one form active at a time, but may change it each time you prepare your techniques. In addition to granting a minor benefit, forms sometimes modify the use of certain techniques.
Forms are learned as detailed above (see table), but you may not choose a form from any school you do not have access to.
Lv1 > Martial Training:
You gain the dodge, power attack, and combat expertise feats for free. Additionally your disciple levels qualify as a fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats and prestige classes.
Furthermore your statistics are based on the schools the disciple class has granted access to:
You are proficient with all weapons, armor, and shields favored by all of your available schools.
You're bab is equal to progression of the second highest associated attack bonus listed among your schools. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
All of your saves are bad saves unless all of your schools have the same associated save(s). Any associated save present in all these schools grants you a good save(s).
You are trained in any associated skills present in your schools, in addition to your base skills.
You're hit die is equal to the second highest listed among your schools. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
You're skill points are equal to the second highest listed among your schools, with the addition of your intelligence modifier as normal. If the two highest are tied, use that bonus.
Lv2 > Armor Bonus:
You gain a deflection bonus to your AC, as long as you aren't immobilized or unconscious, equal to the number of forms you know, to a maximum of half your disciple level rounded up.
Lv3, 7, 12, 17 > Bonus Feat:
At each indicated level you gain a single fighter/combat feat that you qualify for.
Lv5, 9, 13, 17 > Diverse Studies:
You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls. Furthermore you may select a technique from a single school that isn't available to you at each indicated level. For each time you prepare your techniques you may use each of these techniques once.
Alternatively, you may instead choose to gain a single disciple feat that you qualify for. You still gain the +1 bonus to attack and damage if you do.
Special: You may choose the same technique more than once, gaining extra uses, but may not use the same technique again, since it was last used, for 1d4 rounds.
Lv15 > Adaptive Form:
You may select two forms when you prepare your techniques. You may still only have one form active at a time, but you may switch between these forms as a swift action.
Lv19 > Duel Augmentation:
You may activate two augment's as part of a single action, using the longer activation of the two actions if there are any discrepancies.