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View Full Version : Verdant Majesty (Martial Discipline, WIP, PEACH and repost)



Agrippa
2012-12-09, 11:41 PM
I'm reposting because I neglected my original thread for too long. So here it is again, Vedant Majesty.

Verdant Majesty

The path of Verdant Majesty is an ancient one, originating from the drayds, treants and great elder arboreal creatures. They could use their natural affinity and kinship with plant life as a dealy weapon against the myriad of fiends, abberations and humanoid marauders who threatened to despoil their forrests and glades. As the centuries passed the art of Verdant Majesty was improved upon and perfected into the form it is today. At the same time the practice of this discipline has expanded from the sapient plants and fae of the wild to their favored champions, all taught to use mystical means to emulate the vegetal powers needed to master this discipline.

The Verdant Majesty discipline's key skill is Knowledge (nature). Weapons associated with the Verdant Majesty discipline include the sickle, falchion, flail, whip, net, billhook, machete, scythe and unarmed.

The Verdant Majesty discipline can be substituted for the Desert Wind or Shadow Hand disciplines. In addition all maneuvers from Verdant Majesty are supernatural abilities.

Maneuver list
1
Entangling Roots: Strike - Entangles enemies in 40 ft.
Razor Leaf Barrage: Strike - Deal xd6+y points of damage in a cone at 30 ft.
2
Blood of Poison Sap: Counter - Your blood becomes toxic to others.
Throttling Vines: (Strike) -
Weaponry of Flora: Boost - Craft weapon of wood or other plant matter. Lasts three rounds plus one round per three levels.
3
4
Lethal Dance of Petals: Stance - Inflict 4d6 points of damage in a 40 ft. line and gain both cover and concealment.
5
Life-Swelling Sap: Strike - Make a normal attack and inflict an additional 8d6 points of damage as plant grows inside victim's wound. Undead harmed further by the plant's vital power.
6
7
8
9

Agrippa
2012-12-09, 11:44 PM
1st level
Entangling Roots
Verdant Majesty (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Plants in a 40-ft.-radius spread
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Reflex partial; see text

You tap the sole of your foot to the earth and release a measure of power into it. A flat surface within range suddenly explodes with a flurry of vines and roots, forcing those touching that surface, within the area of the maneuver, to make a Reflex save or be Entangled until they move out of the effected area, or until the maneuver ends, whichever comes first. You may exempt your allies, if you so choose.

At the beginning of their turn, any creature Entangled by your roots takes your Wisdom modifier in points of bludgeoning damage.

The area of your Entangling Roots maneuver is considered "heavy vegetation" for the purposes of any other Verdant Majesty maneuvers.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

Razor Leaf Barrage
Verdant Majesty (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: 30 ft.
Area: Cone
Duration: Instant

You call to yourself, or in some cases shed, a large volume of leaves. Then with a thought you gather together these leaves and cacade them towards your target(s) with enough force to strip flesh from bone. Make a single ranged attack against all enemies in a 30 ft. long cone. Anyone hit suffers 1d6 points of slashing damage per every two levels plus +1 point of damage per level as the leafy flechette flays them.

This maneuver is a Supernatural ability.
2nd level
Floral Weapon
Verdant Majesty (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 2
Initiation Action: Swift
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute

With a flourish of your hand, you weaponize the will of nature to fight back against those that would trespass against it. Vines and leaves sprout from your outstretched arm, twisting and forming either one two-handed weapon, or, at your choice, one or two light or one-handed weapons. You must be proficient with the type of weapon you create, and each time you create a weapon with this maneuver, it may be of a different kind.

Weapons you create are always masterwork in quality. At initiator level 5, you may select a single magical enhancement for your floral weapon that is equivalent to a "+1". At 8th level, you may choose enhancements totaling up to "+2" (such as a +1 Keen Rapier or an Unholy Scythe). At 11th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th level, the total amount of effective bonus your weapon can have increases to +3, +4, +5, +6, +7, and +8, respectively. The kind of bonuses you choose may be different every time you activate this maneuver. However, you may not activate this maneuver if the duration of a previous use of Floral Weapon has not yet elapsed.

Furthermore, if you are in a place with heavy vegetation, such as a grassland, plains, forest, jungle, savannah, or similar, the natural magic of the world bolsters your maneuver. Such an improved floral weapon cannot be sundered, instantly healing all damage, up to and including its own destruction, and can never leave your hand without your consent, effectively becoming immune to being disarmed.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.

Strangling Vines
Verdant Majesty (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2
Initiation Action: Standard
Range: Close (25 ft. +5 ft./2 levels)
Duration: Instant plus concentration (max. half your initiator level in rounds)

From your outstretched hand streams whips of vine that strangle and crush bones.
Using the raw elemental life essence of the woods, you shape into being three green vines with the crushing strength of a python. The vines fly from your hand at a blinding speed constricting your foe. On a successful ranged attack roll the three vines constrict their victim 3d6+10 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage/2 initiator levels and +1 point of damage per level. You can also start a ranged grapple roll replacing your Strength score with your Wisdom score. You can inflict 1d6+ your Wisdom modifier per round this way, up to half your initiator level, provided you keep passing your grappling checks.

3rd level
Blood of Poison Sap
Verdant Majesty (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 3
Initiation Action: free action
Range: Personal
Duration: until your next turn
Save: Fortitude negates, see below

You learned how to mimic the toxic nature of the plants you immitate. Every sharp melee strike you suffer posions your enemy as well as harms you. Even wielders of blunt weapons are not safe. All enemies at melee range who make a successful attack against you with a slashing or piercing weapon must make a Fortitude saving throw at a DC of 10+half initatiator level+Wisdom modifier or suffer 1d4 points of Strength, Dexterity or Consitution damage immediately and then again one minute later, per every successful edged weapon attack against you. In addition you can spit your now poisonous blood at an enemy as free action for every bludgeoning attack you withstand. Youy toxicity improves with level.

{table=head]Level|Poison Damage

5th-6th|
1d4 in Con, Dex or Str

7th-11th|
1d6 in Con, Dex or Str

12th-15th|
1d8 in Con, Dex or Str or 1d4 in two of them

16th-20th|
1d10 in Con, Dex or Str or 1d6 in two of them[/table]

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.
4th level
Lethal Dance of Petals
Verdant Majesty (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 4
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Area: personal and 20 to 40 ft. line
Save: reflex half

Slowly and delibrately you begin to bring delecate petals from nearby flowers to yourself on mass. Petals start to dance around you, becoming faster and faster almost blindingly so. This mass of petals spins around you obscuring the enemies sight of you. With effort of will you can command the this swarm of petals to lash out at your foes.

The swirling petals called by this maneuver grant you both cover and concealment. Each round you can make a ranged attack roll at all enemies in range at the cost of either a move action or your first attack in a full atack action. If struck by the razor thin flower petals they suffer 4d6 points of slashing damage, +1d6 points of damage per every three levels after 7, as the delicate flower petals tear at his or her flesh. On the otherhand any stricken enemy may make a Relfex save for half damage at a DC of 10+1/2 initiator level+Wis modifier.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.
5th level
Life-Swelling Sap
Verdant Majesty (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: melee
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant



6th level

7th level

8th level

9th level

Morph Bark
2012-12-10, 11:01 AM
I'm reposting because I neglected my original thread for too long.

No need to do that next time. In the homebrew forum, thread creators are allowed to bump their own homebrew threads indefinitely, without fear of reprisal for necroing. Effectively, it's not counted as necromancy.

Agrippa
2012-12-10, 04:21 PM
That's all right, I felt like making a new thread anyway.

Vaz
2012-12-11, 01:32 PM
This is my first critique; and I know its unfinished but I'm hoping these help with some pointers, and that I'm not unduly harsh or equally wishywashy.

Firstly; swordsage I would say I've not had the pleasure of playing; I don't like the look of its recovery mechanic; so that in retrospect may balance out some skills, especially as I'm not too sure either way.

I'd love to see the Scythe made available for the weapons; it is after all a traditional harvest implement that gets too often misappropriated. The unarmed strike, though? Where does that come in with regards to the Nature aspect?

Looking at the 1st level; first thing that hits me is Entangling Roots; a first level strike, with 440ft range, 80ft diameter area control lasting for 10 rounds that doesn't affect allies? The damage is nice, especially if you can buff it; but by the time you can make it anywhere near a decent score, the damage is rendered useless, imho, while at low levels, boosting your Wisdom to 18+ means that should you encounter basic mook foes with any sort of distance, fire off an entangling roots, and deal 4-5 damage a turn while the enemy is struggling through. Even foes which are then able to make a reflex save are then isolated, and easy meat for other characters to flank, and break.

Razor Leaf Barrage; interesting, 30ft range is extremely close which slightly balances I suppose. I like how it scales; but I'm not sure how much that may be overpowering; at 3rd level for example, what else can deal 2d6+3 damage 1/encounter for free? 11th level; 6d6+11 is a fair old amount even then; one I'm fairly sure other Disciplines cannot match for a 1st level maneuvre.

Floral Weapon; quite frankly a fairly ridiculous name. I am imagining being hit with a daffodil here. It is a long stretch, even in high fantasy to have a flower turn into a Keen Kukri, or Greatsword etc. With regards to the advancement; it went a little mental I think. Starting at 5th level of Initiator, and every 3rd level thereafter is a slightly better fix; it becomes the equivalent of a +6 weapon which is extremely decent. Not only is it decent, but you have the perfect weapon for the job. Most martial types have one magic weapon, and should they face a DR they aren't equipped with (my DM has my Keen Kukri Rogue frequently up against DR/bludgeoning); you essentially can pull any tool out of the bag you need. And as soon as you take Exotic Weapon Proficiency; Spiked Chain, it is all you'll ever want to use. Advice; limit weapon types to those you can realistically make out of wood anyway; spear, q/staff, whip, yes, even spiked chain, club, maybe even bow. While I like the tiein with heavy vegetation, I don't like its complete immunity. Particularly with the 80ft AoE lasting for 20 minutes/200 rounds by level 20.

Stangling Vines; I ; 25ft, sure, but 5d6+13 for concentration for a second level maneuvre? Really?

Poison Sap; I haven't come across poisons all that much, but that is a huge amount of dice there; Rolling -5 Con is 30HP gone off an enemy and only makes it easier for your poison to affect them. However, I don't like as a personal choice to take stuff that requires my character to take damage; particularly when the other stuff in the Discipline is about keeping the enemy at more than arms length with AoE control and Ranged Grapples.

Petal Dance; should not grant cover. Concealment, or possibly non-stacking Miss Chance yes. Cover; it is not a solid object you can hide behind, but concealment is confusing the opponents aim. Non stacking, because having Blur, Displacement and this up would be "broken". Also; not every maneuvre has to deal damage, you know.

So far;

1, I guess you like Pokemon
2, It has a lot of bases covered that mean only a small helping hand is required from other disciplines.
3, Even a 1 or 2 level dip in Swordsage for Entangle is worth it. 1/encounter 80ft diameter free battlefield control is more than worth it.
4; KISS; don't try too much. Start with one base effect and work your way up.