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View Full Version : Weapon Focus Trees [D&D 3.5, Spycraft 2.0 Inspired]



Ziegander
2013-03-09, 07:27 PM
Weapon Focus
Prerequisites: Proficiency in at least one weapon group (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/weaponGroupFeats.htm).
Benefit: Choose a weapon group you are proficient with. You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and to Bull Rush, Disarm, Feint, Sunder, and Trip actions with any weapon from the chosen weapon group. You also gain the following maneuver and stance* based on your choice of weapon group.


Axe Focus
Chop! (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group with a bonus to the attack and damage roll equal to your Constitution modifier. If this attack hits, then the struck creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Con modifier) or be knocked prone. If the attack is a critical threat (even if the threat is not confirmed), then the DC to resist this effect increases by 5.

Eroding Strikes (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, you gain an additional +1 bonus to Sunder actions taken with a weapon from the Axe weapon group, and each time you hit a creature with a weapon from the Axe weapon group that creature suffers a -1 penalty to DR and to Will saves. This penalty stacks with itself and lasts until the end of the encounter.
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Bow Focus
Accurate Pull (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make an attack with a weapon from the Bow weapon group. Against this attack your target receives only half its normal cover or size bonuses to AC and only half its normal concealment miss chance.

Close Shot (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, whenever you make an attack with a weapon from the Bow weapon group against a creature within 30ft, you neither provoke attacks of opportunity nor suffer the standard -4 penalty for attacking a creature that is engaged in melee.
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Crossbow Focus
Bolt Slinger (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, you deal extra damage with all weapons from the Crossbow weapon group equal to your Dexterity modifier and may reload any such weapon, once per round, as a free action.

Piercing Shot (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make an attack with a weapon from the Crossbow weapon group against a creature that is within your weapon's first range increment. If your attack hits and deals at least 1 point of damage you may make an additional attack at a -4 penalty. This attack must be made against a creature that is behind the first creature and that is also within your weapon's first range increment.
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Flexible Weapons Focus†
Momentum Beat (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, each time you hit a creature with a weapon from the Flexible Weapons weapon group you deal 1 additional damage for each consecutive, prior attack you've made against that creature this encounter (whether successful or not).

Whirling Recovery (Maneuver) - During your turn, when you miss with a melee attack using a weapon from the Flexible Weapons weapon group you may spend a swift action to make another attack against the same creature, using the same weapon.

†(The Flexible Weapons weapon group includes the chain-and-dagger, the light flail, the heavy flail, the scourge, the spiked chain, the three-section-staff, the whip, and the whipdagger.)
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Heavy Blades Focus
Hack! (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Heavy Blades weapon group. For this attack your reach is increased by 5ft and the critical threat range of your weapon is doubled. If the attack hits, rather than adding your Str modifier to damage normally you add double your Str modifier to damage if you're using a one-handed Heavy Blade, or triple your Str modifier if you're using a two-handed Heavy Blade.

Heavy Mettle (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, as long as you move no more than half your speed on your turn and wield a weapon from the Heavy Blades weapon group you gain a bonus equal to your Strength modifier to AC against melee attacks and to checks made to resist Bull Rush, Grapple, Overrun, and Trip attempts.
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Light Blades Focus
Flash of Blades (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, you may draw (or sheath) any weapon (or combination of weapons) from the Light Blades weapon group as a free action and gain an additional +1 bonus when using Feint or Disarm actions while wielding a weapon from the Light Blades weapon group. Finally, you may Sneak Attack (as a Rogue) when attacking with a weapon from the Light Blades weapon group to deal 1d6 extra damage.

Stab! (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Light Blades weapon group. If the attack hits, your target suffers 1 extra damage for each point that your attack roll exceeded its AC.
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Maces & Clubs Focus
Blunt Trauma (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, you suffer no penalty for converting lethal damage to non-lethal damage when making an attack with a weapon from the Maces & Clubs weapon group. Further, when you use an improvised weapon as a Club you also suffer no penalty to your attack roll. Finally, each time you hit a creature with a weapon from the Maces & Clubs weapon group you deal 2 additional non-lethal damage.

Grand Slam (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Maces & Clubs weapon group. If the attack hits, you may also make a Bull Rush attempt against your target and though you may not move with the target you may push it more than 5ft. Both your attack and any associated Bull Rush attempt gains a +2 bonus.
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Picks & Hammers Focus
Crush! (Maneuver) - As a standard action (or at the end of a charge), make a melee attack with a weapon from the Picks & Hammers weapon group. You suffer a -2 penalty to AC for 1 round but gain a +2 bonus to your attack roll and deal additional damage equal to your level +5 (these bonuses and penalties stack with those associated with charging).

Driving Blows (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, your attacks with weapons from the Picks & Hammers weapon group ignore the first 2 points of a target's DR and move struck targets 5ft away from you as long as your attack successfully deals at least 1 damage. When a target is moved away from you in this way you may move to occupy its previous square if you wish.
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Polearm Focus
Coiled Snake Stance (Stance) - While you remain in this stance, as long as you move no more than half your speed on your turn and wield a weapon from the Polearms weapon group you gain a +1 bonus to AC, you may attack adjacent creatures without suffering the standard -4 penalty, and the first creature each round who moves into a space within your reach provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

Swift Fangs (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make an attack with a weapon from the Polearms weapon group. For this attack your reach is increased by 5ft. If the attack hits, your target suffers 2 extra damage for each point that your attack roll exceeded its AC, but if the attack misses you are flat-footed for 1 round and must move 5ft closer to your target.
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Spears & Lances Focus
Glorious Charge (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a charge attack with a weapon from the Spears & Lances weapon group. For the purposes of this charge attack, unless you are mounted, you do not gain the +2 bonus to your attack roll; however, even if you are not mounted, if the attack is successful, then you deal double damage.

Spartan's Grip (Stance) - While you remain in this stance you gain an additional +1 bonus when using Bull Rush or Trip actions while wielding a weapon from the Spears & Lances weapon group and you may use two-handed weapons from the Spears & Lances weapon group as if they were one-handed weapons.


Weapon Specialization
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, Fighter level 4 or higher
Benefit: Choose a weapon group for which you have taken the Weapon Focus feat. You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with weapons from the chosen weapon group. Further, you may recover all of your expended maneuvers as a swift action at the end of any turn in which you did not expend any maneuvers. Finally, you gain the following maneuvers.


Axe Specialization
Axe Drag (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group. If your attack hits, you may exchange spaces with your target. Even if you don't, your target must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Str modifier) or fall prone.

Overhand Chop (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group. If your target didn't move on it's last turn, then it is flat-footed against your attack. If the attack hits, it deals 2d6 extra damage and the target must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Str modifier) or become flat-footed against all attacks for 1 round or until it moves from its current space (whichever is longer).

Sundering Strike (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group and choose an item you are aware of that is worn or held by your target. If this attack hits, your target must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Dex modifier) or the chosen item suffers damage as if you had struck it with an attack as well.
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Will fill in the rest of the styles soon!


Weapon Mastery
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Fighter level 8 or higher.
Benefit: Choose a weapon group for which you have taken the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats. You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, a +1 bonus to Bull Rush, Disarm, Feint, Sunder, and Trip actions, and a +2 bonus to damage rolls with weapons from the chosen weapon group. These bonuses stack with those granted by your Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats. Further, you gain an additional +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls when you make attacks of opportunity using weapons from the chosen weapon group. Finally, you gain the following maneuvers.



Axe Mastery
Menacing Blow (Maneuver) - As a standard action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group. If the attack hits, it deals 4d6 extra damage and causes the target to become Shaken for 1d4 rounds. If the target was already under the influence of a Fear effect, it suffers 8d6 extra damage instead and is entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Con modifier) to resist its Fear being escalated.

Bear Claw (Maneuver) As a standard action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group. For this attack you are considered to have the Improved Grab special ability though you may use this ability to grab creatures of any size category. If this attack hits, you gain a bonus to your initial grapple check equal to the damage dealt. If your grapple check succeeds, your target suffers your weapon damage again. Each time you deal weapon damage to the creature as a result of a successful grapple check made in this way, you gain a bonus to your next grapple check equal to the damage dealt.
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Will fill in the rest of the styles soon!



Weapon Supremacy
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, Weapon Mastery, Weapon Specialization, Fighter level 16 or higher.
Benefit: Choose a weapon group for which you have take the Weapon Focus, Weapon Mastery, and Weapon Specialization feats. You gain a +5 bonus to resist being Disarmed of weapons from the chosen weapon group, you may use weapons from the chosen weapon group in a grapple, with standard or full attacks, at no penalty, and you may "Take 10" with any attack roll made with a weapon from the chosen weapon group. When you "Take 10" with an attack roll and your attack hits, instead of rolling the damage, you deal maximum damage with that attack. You gain additional benefits as well as the following maneuver and a stance based on your choice of weapon group.


Axe Supremacy
Any weapon you wield from the Axe weapon group is considered to be a thrown weapon with a range of 10ft and 5 range increments. If you wield a weapon from the Axe weapon group that was already a thrown weapon, then it has doubled range for any attacks you make with it.

Cleave in Twain (Maneuver) - As a full-round action, make a melee attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group. If the attack hits, your target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Str modifier) or be slain instantly. The target gains either a bonus or a penalty to this saving throw equal to the difference between your level and its HD. If the target's HD are greater than your level, it gains a bonus to its saving throw. If the target's HD are fewer than your level, it suffers a penalty. Regardless, if the target passes its save, your attack still deals +12d6 extra damage.

Dark Justice (Stance) - Whenever you make an attack with a weapon from the Axe weapon group and the damage dealt exceeds the target's Constitution score, then that creature also suffers 1d4 damage to the highest of its Str, Con, or Dex scores, and its speed is reduced by 10ft (until healed, DC 20 Heal check). This effect is cumulative.
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Will fill in the rest of the styles soon!


*Maneuvers and Stances: A Rules Primer
Martial powers fall into two broad categories: maneuvers and stances. A maneuver is a discrete effect that is temporarily expended after use. A stance is never expended and is always available to you.

You can use a particular maneuver or stance as many times as you like in a single day, but each time you use a maneuver, you temporarily expend it—you lose a little of your mental focus, you exhaust some portion of your personal ki, or maybe you just finish the move out of position and can't immediately launch the same attack again. In any event, you can't use an expended maneuver again until you rest for a brief time (or for Initiator classes, until you perform a special action). As a result, you can normally use each of your maneuvers once per encounter, but sometimes you can recover one or more maneuvers and use them again. You never expend or use up your stances, so they are always available.

To initiate a maneuver or stance, you must be able to move freely. You need not be able to speak. You initiate a maneuver by taking the specified action. A maneuver might require a swift, move, standard, full-round, or immediate action to initiate. You may only choose to initiate a maneuver that is not expended. A stance on the other hand is always initiated as a swift action. An initiated stance remains in effect indefinitely and is not expended. You enjoy the benefits your stance confers until you change to another stance you know (as a swift) or until you exit all stances (a free action). You can remain in a stance outside of combat situations, and even enjoy its benefits while exploring or traveling.

You begin each encounter with all your maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, it is expended—you cannot use it again until you recover it. You can recover expended maneuvers in two ways: through special actions (for Initiator class; see Tome of Battle) or at the end of an encounter. You never expend a stance. When an encounter ends, you recover all expended maneuvers. Even a few moments out of combat is sufficient to refresh all maneuvers expended in a previous battle. In the case of a long, draw-out series of fights, or if when expending maneuvers you are out of combat entirely, assume that if you make no attacks of any kind, initiate no new maneuvers, and is not targeted by any attacks for 1 full minute, then you can recover all expended maneuvers. If you are unable to avoid attacking or being attacked for 1 minute, then you can't automatically recover your maneuvers in this way.

DMMike
2013-03-09, 09:30 PM
I'm all for weapon style feats. 3.5 core includes the beginnings of style feats, with focus, specialization, and the power attack and combat expertise trees.

If an element is "head and shoulders better," though, I'm immediately worried about game balance. For those players who find fighters underpowered, I guess that's not an issue.

Some interesting tradeoffs I'm seeing: sacrifice your full attack, gain extra damage or cumulative effects on the enemy and a sunder or trip effect.

I'm not convinced though. Don't the standard rules contain enough options (extra damage, trade ATT for damage, trade ATT for AC, alternative "attacks," improved feats, etc.) for players to make their own combos (especially after gaining a second attack per round)?

Ziegander
2013-03-10, 12:13 AM
I'm all for weapon style feats. 3.5 core includes the beginnings of style feats, with focus, specialization, and the power attack and combat expertise trees.

There is no such "style" however in the core versions of the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats. What the Spycraft game does better than D&D is not only that the benefits of its feats are more powerful, but that it makes different melee weapons feel different. A character that chooses to "focus" and "specialize" with an Axe in Spycraft actually fights differently, as in, is able to do different things, than a character that chooses to focus on Knife fighting.


If an element is "head and shoulders better," though, I'm immediately worried about game balance. For those players who find fighters underpowered, I guess that's not an issue.

I hope you're not worried that feats which are heads and shoulders better than core Weapon Focus are imbalanced. Fighters are underpowered. That's really not even a point of debate. The odd thing, to me, was finding a modern d20 RPG system that had more powerful, more versatile, and more fun melee weapon feats than the big name medieval fantasy d20 RPG.


I'm not convinced though. Don't the standard rules contain enough options (extra damage, trade ATT for damage, trade ATT for AC, alternative "attacks," improved feats, etc.) for players to make their own combos (especially after gaining a second attack per round)?

The major differences here are, you get special attacks that you can use once per encounter which combine those standard rules options (as well as unique effects not covered by the standard rules) into one, single attack. You don't have to have a second attack per round, you can make a melee attack and a bull rush as one attack at 1st level, once per encounter. You also don't have to connect with a less-accurate second attack in order to make your combo. Some combinations aren't actually effective, or possible if they must be split into multiple attacks.

Ziegander
2013-03-10, 07:43 PM
I know there's not much here yet guys, but does anyone else have any opinions on this batch of feats? DMMike, what do you think of them now that I've fully changed up the structure of them? You don't have to know anything about Spycraft to enjoy them, I promise! Does the maneuvers/stances system make sense for people? Do they feel powerful and entertaining enough?

DMMike
2013-03-12, 12:10 AM
I looked over a few more. Definitely fun. Kind of handy to use some as full round actions, and give characters a grab bag of benefits.

My newest concern is the cumulative damage and other bonus damage effects. Because from what I've seen, fighter types do damage like crazy. If your fighter doesn't do a ton of damage already, you've done something wrong in choosing his feats (and abilities).

I'd like to see maneuvers that add damage, add special effects/bend rules, or require a certain number on the 20 die:
Add damage: if maneuver is successful, add a multiplier to damage. OR, if successful, consider critical range one point larger.
Special effects/bend rules: Lunging Spear Charge allows a character to slide 10 feet before making an attack.
Require results: with 1 point in a maneuver, your maneuver is successful when you roll a 20 on the die (provided the attack hits). With 3 points in the maneuver, it's successful if you roll 18 or higher (provided the attack hits).