Anime Power Up Active!

[Metahuman1]

So, it's very common in a lot of Shonen/Action centric anime's for characters to preform a transformation/activation of a set of powers/power mode/start or mid combat power up that ups the pace and scale of the fight significantly, even more so when combined with special attacks.


What are some good ways to represent this in a 3.5 game?

For the record, I might actually use this at some point down the line in a real game. Though I would do my due diligence as a good player and make sure before bringing that character that the whole party is on-board with it and the DM want's or at least is ok with that kind of feel and/or theme in his game. Though given that right now the DM I'd likely do this under is running much more serious games, I'm expecting at some point he's gonna want to run or play in a slightly more light hearted over the top game. This is a sorta preparation for that.

Thanks!

[Big Fau]

This mechanic was more thoroughly explored in 4E, with their focus on the Bloodied condition, but there are a few effects that mimic it. Off the top of my head,


The Crusader's Furious Counterstrike class feature increases the Crusader's attacks/damage rolls every time he takes enough damage. Hitting him means he grows more powerful, albeit temporarily.
There's a Barbarian ACF in PH2 that replaces rage with a similar effect that only triggers if the character's HP drops below 1/2 his Barbarian-granted HP (so a multiclassed Barbarian 1/Fighter 4 with the starting level in Barbarian would be able to use this rage variant only when his HP drops by 6+1/2 his Con modifier). This particular ACF is regarded as fairly poor, as it encourages the player to take even less levels in Barbarian than the class originally encouraged (of course, so did the Lion Spirit Totem), and for being completely unreliable.

[CRtwenty]

Eberron has Action Points, and the L5R d20 system has "Void Points" that have a similar use. Basically a point pool each character has that they can add to their rolls in crucial moments that only gets refilled sporadically.

[Nettlekid]

You could probably cobble something together with Craft Contingent Spell, triggering at half-health or something. Though that would get pretty costly, since you'd need to pay for the new spells each time you activated them. But if this is for a BBEG, then it's quite perfect.

There's also a couple of feats from Savage Species, Pain Mastery and Involuntary Rage, both of which activate whenever you take 50 points of damage (Involuntary Rage activates when you take a full 50 points at once, but Pain Mastery seems to suggest that it activates at each 50 point mark. Maybe. Look it over.) Involuntary Rage throws you into a Barbarian rage for the rest of the encounter, while Pain Mastery gives you a stacking +2 Str for the rest of the encounter. While this isn't so much of a "mid-fight second form" kind of thing, I think it's a pretty good way to have the anime hero "You knock me down, but I'll get back up and with the faith of my allies supporting me, I'm stronger than ever!" That sort of thing. Especially if coupled with Delay Death and Beastland Ferocity, so you can take thousands of damage and not die. Find some way to restore yourself before you die, like using Vecna's Malevolent Whisper on yourself to bring you to -9.

[Metahuman1]

Ok, what about simulating the before battle power ups/transformation?

Bleach characters and there swords and hallow masks.

Naruto Characters with there demons and optical bloodlines and what ever else they got into.

Power Rangers Morphing.

DBZ characters going super sayian.

That kinda stuff?

[mattie_p]

You could probably cobble something together with Craft Contingent Spell, triggering at half-health or something. Though that would get pretty costly, since you'd need to pay for the new spells each time you activated them. But if this is for a BBEG, then it's quite perfect.

Emperor Tippy did something along those lines (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275381).

[Nettlekid]

That's much easier. Almost all spellcasters have sets of pre-battle buffs that they like to cast, like a melee Cleric casting Divine Power and Righteous Might (and has decided not to go the DMM: Persist route), or a Wizard casting Greater Blink and Draconic Polymorph. Even non-caster characters can do much the same if they have custom items of these round/level spells. I think the best class to do this with is the War Weaver, because you can set up four spells to trigger all at once as a move action. That's a Saiyan powerup if I've ever seen one, making a small motion and bursting into power. As an added bonus, all your allies can do the same.

Psionics is also pretty good for similar, because they're great at messing with the action economy, so you have more time to buff all at once.

What class(es) are you thinking about the most, so we have an idea what suggestions to give?

[Metahuman1]

Well, my usual go to's are the Tome of Battle Classes, with occasional Dips into Fighter, Barbarian, Factotum, Maybe exotic Weapons Master on a THW character, And maybe cleric if I really want Travel devotion or Knowledge Devotion or one of a couple of other tricks a dip there grants you.

I am however open to Binder, pretty much any spell caster, psionics as a whole, Incarnum (though I'm not familiar with it compared to other sub-systems.) And really anything else you guys wanna throw at me that can emulate those two particular features of that genera of anime.

Just a heads up, I'm probably not gonna be able to post much for the next 3 days or so. Gotta project that requires me to spend a lot of time in a house with no internet. I'm not abandoning the topic, just can't promise chiming in on it till Tuesday evening, but any help is appreciated!

[Nettlekid]

Hmm, let's see...

Well, as was mentioned above, the Crusader's Furious Counterstrike is a good way to hit harder when you've been hit hard. The Warblade has a lot of good moves for the whole "strikes with a flurry of slight blows and finishes with a KO shot" in the form of maneuvers such as Avalanche of Blades, and feats like Stormguard Warrior's Combat Rhythm option.

Also, again, not really a starting round explosion of power but more like a "I know I have a big battle coming, I'd better prepare" kind of thing, is what's called a Kata from one of the Rokugan books (I think the book is The Way of the Samurai. Beware, it's 3.0.) The way that Katas work is that you spend XP to learn them, a bit like learning an Epic spell (but far less powerful), and once you know it, you then spend a certain amount of time preparing that Kata. You can then use that Kata for another amount of time, after which you need to prepare it again. The coolest one is called The Victory of the River, which requires 45 minutes to prepare and lets you use it for an hour and a half. It makes every successful attack grant a +5 cumulative bonus on the rest of your attacks that round. Normally, this means that if you hit with every attack, a full attack is done at full BAB throughout. 20/15/10/5 becomes 20/15+5/10+10/5+15. Buuuuuuut, combine this with Avalanche of Blades, which gives you a cumulative -4 penalty on attacks and lets you keep attacking until you miss. Now, every attack gives you a +1, and you can keep going forever (until you get a Nat 1.) If you get a few rerolls and a means to hit on a Nat 2 (Wraithstrike perhaps) then you could get like, a hundred attacks in a single turn. And is really cool to imagine.

Another class that I've often thought feels like an anime character is the Swiftblade. As far as pre-battle Saiyan mode goes, you just need to cast the spell Haste. Which is automatically quickened for you. It counts as an Extraordinary effect on you (so no being dispelled, even AMF doesn't stop it) and it gives you extra speed, extra to-hit and damage, 50% miss chance, and you can even use it in higher level spell slots to make mini-Time Stop effects. The class is very Gishy, giving full BAB but losing 4 caster levels (so pre-Epic, barring special shenanigans, you don't get 9th level spells), but I'd say it's worth it because at 9th level you get an extra move or standard action every turn. Which is awesome. And great for being the lightning-fast swordsman who's like "I already cut you." by moving up, attacking, and moving away.

[Psyren]

The Wilder's Wild Surge ability is pretty much what an anime-style powerup for a caster would be. It shouldn't be too hard to make that, or something similar, a baseline ability for all casters in your setting. Just be careful about also allowing +CL items.