[Base Class] The Dancer (WIP)

[Phosphate]

So here, I wanted to make a class that relied on special combat mechanics, especially by making the full attack more interesting. It bears slight similarity with a martial initiator, with slightly lower customizability but slightly higher accent on options and choices you must take every round.

Also, using multiclass restrictions to prevent dipping. Always a fun idea.

The Dancer

http://heroes.ag.ru/h5/races/sylvan/jpg/HeroesV_Sylvan_02u_War_Dancer.jpg

You could bash his head repeatedly...or you could actually try to do something impressive. They're goners either way, but show some class, will you? - Yrasse, dancer, to her partner Grod

Organization: Dancers usually train in schools, although they're more rivals than a cohesive community, and it shows. A dancer will never think twice about sparing a life just because that life belongs to another dancer.

Race: Any, although more bulky races (races with con bonuses) are less likely and lean races (with dex bonuses) are more likely to succeed in their careers as dancers. Surprisingly, the most dancers, despite their moderate physique, are human.

Alignment: Any, although the intense discipline instilled when becoming a masterful dancer makes them lean towards Lawful. Also, spending long hours every day perfecting your routine and always making sure your body is at its optimum is pretty much the antithesis of altruism, so evil and neutral dancers are much more common than good ones.

Ability Scores: Strength is very important for a melee combatant as the dancer. Also, since he will be likely wearing light armor, the high Dex cap, in addition to several class features, will likely lead him to boost his dexterity. None of the other stats are really necessary, or are, just depending on the chosen dances known.

Multiclass restrictions: If a dancer has levels in classes other than dancer, he instantly loses the Pounce and Sharp Strike class features. He regains them when he reaches level 10 (in dancer).

Starting Age: simple
Starting Gold: as rogue


{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Dances Known|
Steps Known/Class

1st|+1|+0|+2|+0|Perseverance, Sharp Strike (1)|
1|
1/H

2nd|+2|+0|+3|+0|Pounce|
1|
2/E

3rd|+3|+1|+3|+1||
1|
3/E

4th|+4|+1|+4|+1|Unwilling Partner|
1|
3/E

5th|+5|+1|+4|+1|Flow|
2|
4/E

6th|+6/+1|+2|+5|+2||
2|
5/D

7th|+7/+2|+2|+5|+2|Pair Coordination|
2|
5/D

8th|+8/+3|+2|+6|+2|Sharp Strike (2)|
2|
6/D

9th|+9/+4|+3|+6|+3||
3|
7/C

10th|+10/+5|+3|+7|+3|Fine Strike|
3|
7/C

11th|+11/+6/+1|+3|+7|+3|Inertia|
3|
8/C

12th|+12/+7/+2|+4|+8|+4||
3|
9/B

13th|+13/+8/+3|+4|+8|+4|Able-Jointed|
4|
10/B

14th|+14/+9/+4|+4|+9|+4|Style Switch|
4|
10/B

15th|+15/+10/+5|+5|+9|+5||
4|
11/A

16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+5|+10|+5|Sharp Strike (3)|
4|
12/A

17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+5|Shambling Dance|
5|
12/A

18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+6||
5|
13/S

19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+6|Impossible Legwork|
5|
14/S

20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+6|Everdancer|
5|
14/S

[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d10

Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Choose 1 niche when you gain 1st level:

- Latino: A dancer is proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons, light armor, and no shields.
- Standard: A dancer is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and all shields, except tower shields.

You can only learn Enhanced Dances from your chosen niche, and it also affects some class features.


Perseverance: A dancer must train every day for 1 hour to keep fit. If he skips training during a day, he loses his Pounce and Sharp Strike class features until he trains again for 1 hour per day 2 days in a row.

Sharp Strike (Ex): A dancer can land additional melee hits during a full attack. These hits are quick, albeit rather light. Also, a dancer is always able to make a full attack, even if his BaB is under 6 (since he has 2 attacks already: his normal attack and his first sharp strike).

At level 1, a dancer can make an additional attack at his highest BaB during a full attack, provided all his attacks are melee.
At level 8, a dancer can make an additional attack at his second highest BaB during a full attack, provided all his attacks are melee.
At level 16, a dancer can make an additional attack at his third highest BaB during a full attack, provided all his attacks are melee.

When rolling damage for sharp strikes, do not add your strength modifier.

Dances: A dancer, through his training, learns a series of particular dances. He starts with 1 dance that MUST be from his niche, and can have up to 5 dances at level 20. At levels 5, 9, 13, and 17, he must choose to either learn one additional dance, or learn the enhanced version of a niche dance he already knows.

Dances are used thusly: whenever you make a full attack, declare that you are entering a specific dance of yours. Dances offer passive benefits, pretty much like stances, but only as long as you can make a full attack per round, continuously. If you spend a round without making a full attack, you lose the benefits of your current dance, and cannot enter another dance next round (you can, however, enter a dance after 2 rounds).

Some dances make steps available, others simply grant steps above the number of steps known, while others don't grant either, but are noticeably stronger in effect.

Normally, the only way to stop a dance and begin another one is by skipping a full attack, waiting another round, and then full attacking again while entering a different dance.

Steps: Steps are special, extraordinary unless noted otherwise abilities that are activated by giving up a number of attacks when performing a full attack. As a rule, you can make multiple steps during the same full attack if you have sufficient attacks to give up, but you cannot make the same step twice in the same round.

You start play with 1 Hobby step and gain another step whenever it is shown in the table. Also, once every 3 levels, you may unlearn one step to learn 2 steps of the immediately lower class, one step of the same class, or one step of the immediately higher class. The order is Hobby - E - D - C - B - A - S.

Some steps specifically require a niche, some give special benefits to members of a certain niche, while others are fully universal.

Pounce: As the feat. From level 2 onward, on a charge you may make a full attack.

Unwilling Partner (Ex): A level 4 dancer can masterfully approach his enemies in such a way that they act as being surrounded. He gains the benefit of flaking against all opponents that are the same size category as him.

Flow (Ex): For every 2 points of dexterity modifier, a dancer of level 5 or more adds 5 feet both to his base speed and the distance he covers with his 5 foot step action. This benefit only applies when the dancer is wearing light or no armor.

Pair Coordination (Ex): A level 7 dancer can use Aid Another as a free action, but only once per round.

Fine Strike (Ex): A level 10 dancer adds his dexterity modifier to the damage dealt by his Sharp Strikes.

Inertia (Ex): A level 11 dancer keeps the passive benefits of the dance he's currently in 1 round after he should have lost them.

Able-Jointed (Ex): A level 13 dancer ignores the dexterity mod limit of his armor, but only if it is light.

Style Switch (Ex): A level 14 dancer can, while being in a dance, make a full attack and instantly enter a different one.

Shambling Dance (Ex): A level 17 dancer, while being in a dance, does not become staggered at 0 hit points and does not become unconscious at negative hit points. Instead, he is perfectly functional and stable until he reaches -10 hp, and then he drops dead. Also, he does not become unconscious or staggered from receiving a very high amount of nonlethal damage.

Impossible Legwork (Ex): A level 19 dancer can benefit from two dances at the same time. However, he cannot enter both dances in the same round, and cannot switch them both at the same time.

Everdancer (Ex): A level 20 dancer no longer ages, and all penalties he received from aging are removed. He continues to accrue the benefits, and he still dies at his maximum age. Also, while he is in a dance, he does not die regardless how low his hit points are (however, when the dance ends, if he is at -10 hit points or lower, he dies).

[Phosphate]

Dances

Here are the available dances.

Name: name of the dance
Action Benefit: A benefit gained when entering the dance during a full attack.
Passive Benefit: A benefit gained from simply knowing the dance. Some dances don't have any.
Steps: Steps granted (G) or permitted (P) by the dance. If a granted step is of higher class than you, you will be able to use it when you reach the appropriate class.

Standard




Name: International Tango
Action Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to the opposed roll against being tripped, bull rushed, or overrun, that stacks with the one from the passive benefit.
Passive Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to the opposed roll against being tripped, bull rushed, or overrun.
Steps: Back Corte (G)

Name: [Enhanced] International Tango
Action Benefit: As International Tango.
Passive Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to the opposed roll against being tripped, bull rushed, or overrun, stacking with the passive benefit from International Tango.
Steps: Passo Domini (P)

Name: Viennese Waltz
Action Benefit: When making a full attack, every successful strike adds +2 to the damage rolls of the others until the end of the round, and every missed strike adds +2 to the attack rolls of the others until the end of the round.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: N/A

Name: [Enhanced] Viennese Waltz
Action Benefit: Same as Viennese Waltz
Passive Benefit: +2 to all reflex saves
Steps: Whirlpool of the Night (G)

Name: Slow Waltz
Action Benefit: Ignore the armor check penalty of your shield.
Passive Benefit: Wis-based skills gain +3 bonuses from synergy instead of +2.
Steps: Whisk (P), Impetus (P)

Name: [Enhanced] Slow Waltz
Action Benefit: Ignore the armor check penalty of your shield. Also, you may ready or loose it as a swift action instead of a move action.
Passive Benefit: Int-based skills gain +3 bonuses from synergy instead of +2.
Steps: Wing Astralis (G)

Name: Quick Step
Action Benefit: N/A
Passive Benefit: You ignore terrain speed reduction from slopes.
Steps: Zig-Zag (P)

Name: [Enhanced] Quick Step
Action Benefit: Whenever an attack misses you, you may make a 5 foot step.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: Distorter Performance (G)

Name: Slow Foxtrot
Action Benefit: N/A
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: Feather Step (G)

Name: [Enhanced] Slow Foxtrot
Action Benefit: N/A
Passive Benefit: Feather Step has its cost reduced by 1.
Steps: Feather Finale (G)


Latino


Name: Argentinian Tango
Action Benefit: You instantly succeed all non-epic Balance checks without rolling if you would have beaten the DC on a roll of 15.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: N/A

Name: [Enhanced] Argentinian Tango
Action Benefit: You instantly succeed all non-epic Balance checks without rolling. Also, you may charge through the space of an ally.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: Five Step (G)

Name: Jive
Action Benefit: +2 Dex, -3 to AC
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: Link (G)

Name: [Enhanced] Jive
Action Benefit: +4 Dex, -4 to AC
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: Wingmill (P)

Name: Cha-cha-cha
Action Benefit: N/A
Passive Benefit: +2 bonus to all Str-based checks and skill checks
Steps: New York (G), Hand to Hand (P)

Name: [Enhanced] Cha-cha-cha
Action Benefit: After you deal damage with a melee weapon to an opponent, he cannot make AoOs against you for 1 round.
Passive Benefit: Once per day, you can Haste yourself for a number of rounds equal to half your dexterity modifier.
Steps: Force Spiral (G)

Name: Passo-Doble
Action Benefit: No direct benefit, but you must enter Passo-Doble to utilize the steps it permits.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: The Huit (P), Grand Circle (P), Banderillas (P), Flamengo Taps (P), Farol (P)

Name: [Enhanced] Passo-Doble
Action Benefit: N/A
Passive Benefit: You can utilize Passo-Doble permitted steps without entering it.
Steps: Coup de Pique (G)

Name: Samba
Action Benefit: You may treat yourself as having Powerful or Slight Build (chosen when you enter the dance).
Passive Benefit: +2 to AC against touch attacks (melee/ranged) only
Steps: Corta Jaca (G)

Name: [Enhanced] Samba
Action Benefit: As Samba. Additionally, you are treated as having Improved Evasion.
Passive Benefit: +2 to AC against touch attacks (melee/ranged) only
Steps: Cruzados (G)

Name: Rumba
Action Benefit: You can make 5 foot steps between the Steps or attacks of a full attack. Flow doesn't apply.
Passive Benefit: N/A
Steps: New York (P), Hand to Hand (G)

Name: [Enhanced] Rumba
Action Benefit: As Rumba, except Flow applies.
Passive Benefit: You ignore effects that would slow you down (but not effects that would stop you).
Steps: N/A


Steps

Here are the available steps.

Name: name of the step
Cost: The number of attacks from a full attack that you must expend to use the step.
Class: Class of the step.
Type: Self/AC/DC. Self steps succeed instantly. AC steps succeed if you make a certain roll that beats your opponent's AC. DC steps succeed if your opponent fails a reflex save against a DC equal to 10+dancer level/2+dex mod+proficiency modifier. The proficiency modifier is equal to the number of classes you are higher than the step (if you are class S and the step is class H, you gain +6 to DC, if you are class C and the step is class C, you gain +0 to DC, if you are class B and the step is class D, you gain +2 to DC). If the proficiency modifier is negative, you cannot perform the step. Unlike spells, where higher spells have higher save DCs, steps actually are harder to resist when they are simple and mastered.
Effect: self-explanatory
Niche: The required niche is written here (if any), or special benefits for the niches (if any).

Dance-specific Steps



Name: Back Corte
Cost: 1
Class: E
Type: Self
Effect: After using Back Corte, which does nothing in itself, you must make a normal attack (thus, the attack you expend to use the step cannot be the last one). If that attack hits, the opponent is stunned for 1 round.
Niche: Standard required

Name: Passo Domini
Cost: 3
Class: A
Type: AC
Effect: Supernatural. Make a Perform (Dance) check using dex instead of cha mod against the target's AC. If you succeed, the target moves either 30 feet or its base speed (whichever is higher) in a straight line with the direction chosen by you. If there is anyone at the end of or in the line, it may make an AoO against the target, and then the target will make a single melee attack against the creature. If there is no one at the end of or in the line, the target simply falls prone at the end of the movement.
Niche: Standard required

Name: Whirpool of the Night
Cost: 4
Class: S
Type: AC
Effect: Make a single melee attack against the target at your second highest BaB. If it hits, calculate total damage, then multiply by 5.
Niche: Standard required

Name: Whisk
Cost: 1
Class: D
Type: DC
Effect: Push the target 10 feet away if he fails the save. Add 5 feet for every size category he is smaller than you, subtract 5 for every size category he is larger (if he is 2 size categories larger Whisk cannot be used). If he enters a threatened space by being pushed, he receives a -2 penalty to AC.
Niche: If you have Standard as niche, you can choose to move together with the target. If you do so, neither of you can be AoO'd.

Name: Impetus
Cost: 1
Class: E
Type: DC
Effect: Switch position with the target. Cannot be used with targets that are below Tiny or above Large.
Niche: If you have Standard as niche, you can switch with Huge targets too.

Name: Wing Astralis
Cost: 3
Class: B
Type: DC
Effect: Roll weapon damage, then add dex mod. Apply the damage to everyone in a 30 feet burst that failed the save. For every target that fails its save, gain +2 to AC for 1 round against ranged attacks only.
Niche: Standard required

Name: Zig-Zag
Cost: see effect
Class: Hobby
Type: AC
Effect: Attack an opponent normally, expending 1 attack per hit until either you miss for the first time, you have no attacks left, or the target's nonlethal damage surpasses his hit points. Until that happens, all attacks you make deal nonlethal damage. If, as a result of this, the opponent has more nonlethal damage than hit points, you may make an extra attack this round.
Niche: -

Name: Distorter Performance
Cost: 2
Class: C
Type: Self
Effect: You gain 9/10 concealment (40% miss chance). Every attack that hits you reduces it by 20%. If you are not attacked, the concealment disappears in one minute.
Niche: Standard required

Name: Feather Step
Cost: 2
Class: D
Type: Self
Effect: You gain the benefit of striking as an invisible attacker for 1 round, even against targets that see invisibility.
Niche: If you have Standard as niche, Feather Step lasts 2 rounds.

Name: Feather Finale
Cost: all, minimum 5
Class: S
Type: Self
Effect: Move up to 6 times your base speed. You can attack every single target you pass up to once, at your highest BaB. If you are attacked through an AoO during this time, which beats your AC, your round ends immediately.
Niche: Standard Required

Name: Five Step
Cost: 2
Class: A
Type: Self
Effect: Move up to 5 times your base speed. You instantly succeed even epic Balance checks and do not provoke any AoOs. Also, you do not trigger any traps either.
Niche: Latino Required

Name: Link
Cost: 2
Class: Hobby
Type: DC
Effect: Start a grapple if the opponent fails the save.
Niche: If you have Latino as niche, you also deal twice your unarmed damage (nonlethal).

Name: Wingmill
Cost: 3
Class: B
Type: AC
Effect: Attack up to 3 different targets that are next to you once each, adding your Dex mod to the attack roll instead of your Str mod. Until your next round, treat the area around you within a radius of 10 feet*number of successful attacks as difficult terrain.
Niche: Latino required

Name: New York
Cost: 2
Class: D
Type: DC
Effect: Can be used whenever an immediate action is utilized during your full attack. On a failed save the action fails.
Niche: Latino required

Name: Hand to Hand
Cost: 2
Class: D
Type: AC
Effect: Make an attack roll against the target's AC. If you beat it, you deal half damage, but you can move the target to any square in your vicinity. Cannot be used on targets that are 2 or more sizes larger.
Niche: Latino required

Name: Force Spiral
Cost: 3
Class: C
Type: AC/DC
Effect: Supernatural. Make an attack roll against the target's AC. If you beat it, the target receives normal damage as if from a melee attack, and everyone within the threat range of both you and him must make a ref save or be blown back 10 feet and fall prone.
Niche: Latino required

Name: Corta Jaca
Cost: 1
Class: D
Type: Self
Effect: You gain an untyped +2 bonus to AC for every attack that succeeds in hitting you for 1 round.
Niche: If you have Latino as niche, you also gain 10% miss chance for every attack that misses you.

Name: Cruzados
Cost: 4
Class: B
Type: DC/Self/AC
Effect: Move 100 feet in a straight line ignoring speed impairment, shoving everyone in your way by 5 feet if they fail the save and making one melee attack against everyone that makes an AoO against you and fails.
Niche: Latino Required

Name: The Huit
Cost: 1
Class: E
Type: DC
Effect: If the target fails the save on his next turn he can only move around you, unable to escape the zone where you have reach.

Name: Grand Circle
Cost: 2
Class: E
Type: AC
Effect: Make a Perform (Dance) check using dex instead of cha against the target's AC. If you beat it, not only must the target remain within your reach on his next turn, but he is forced to actually move at least 2 squares, triggering an AoO.
Niche: -

Name: Banderillas
Cost: 2
Class: E
Type: Self
Effect: Ranged attacks have a 50% chance to miss you for 1 round. If no ranged attack targeted you this round, all your attacks will deal +2 damage next round.
Niche: -

Name: Flamengo Taps
Cost: Any number
Class: E
Type: AC
Effect: Make a number of attack rolls against the target equal to the number of attacks you expended. All attacks are made at your full BaB +1 per attack. These attacks deal 3d6 blodgeoning damage each, bypassing the first 10 points of DR and Hardness. Do not add str/dex modifiers, do not roll to confirm criticals.
Niche: -

Name: Farol
Cost: 2
Class: D
Type: DC
Effect: Two characters that you threaten must make the save. If both succeed, nothing happens. If one fails, he must attack the other one in melee, and the other one gains a +4 bonus to AC. If both fail, you choose who attacks, and the other does not gain the AC bonus.
Niche: -

Name: Coup de Pique
Cost: 3
Class: S
Type: DC
Effect: If the target fails the DC you can then immediately perform a Coup de Grace that doesn't provoke AoOs.
Niche: Latino only

[Hanuman]

Interesting!

A social dancer themed baseclass, and what's more it's an HD10.

You're planning to make an entirely new mechanic based on the class, which I must say is quite bold and tricky to balance.

Until the step mechanic really has some examples to shoot off, I really can't say one thing or another about it, as each dance (at least to me) seems to alter how a FA functions for the class, what I assume is that the dances are meant to push, drag and generally allow the player more movement and micro battlefield control over a single (or at higher levels perhaps multiple) creatures.

Some complications I see is if "long", odd shaped, large, heavy, or creatures with more than 4 legs enter the equation it will be more difficult to manipulate them, grappling, tripping, bullrushing, overrun all take this into account and do factor in most of these factors but unfortunately without the CMB/CMD of pathfinder enabled I can't see this being elegant.

If you need any help with PEACHing this class let me know and I'd be happy to keep up the discussion, I'm currently working on another dancer class in it's 6th model of refinement (years of learning how to turn my incredibly vague whims into viable homebrew) and it should be moved to PEACH after it's got a few looks over from those interested.

[Doorhandle]

I think, that seeing as it's a dancer, that it should have the ablity to make one five-foot-step between each attack of a full attack, but for only 5ft/step and only to the maximum granted by the flow feature.

[Hanuman]

Well the dervish dance (complete warrior page 26) is the easiest way to accomplish this, but if I've got this read right "Dervish Dance" will simply become one of her known dances where as with the balance intended a 5'step might not be viable in some dances whether it be contextual or serves as more utility to disable.

[Phosphate]

Thanks for the comments, but I'm still a long way from finishing. I will struggle to add at least half the steps today.