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Dark.Revenant
2013-08-22, 09:24 PM
Foreword: This system is pulled out of a much larger houserule document and therefore it references some things that won't appear here. I have put notes where appropriate to explain what these things are. Also, please note that under this system, Power Attack and Deadly Aim are both removed as feats, as this system allows them to be used without feat expenditure. The Furious Focus feat is removed entirely for balance reasons. Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization are also discouraged as feat selections due to their inclusion in the Weapon Proficiency system.

Weapon Proficiency

Depending on your class, you begin with one or more weapon groups of varying proficiency level, replacing the simple/martial/exotic proficiency system in the standard Pathfinder RPG. If a weapon appears in one of your weapon groups, you are proficient with it. Otherwise, you are nonproficient with it.

Proficiency in a weapon group costs 1 point. Expertise in a weapon group costs 2 points. Mastery of a weapon group costs 3 points. These costs do not stack; upgrading from Expertise to Mastery costs 1 point.

The weapon groups are: Ancient, Axes, Basic, Bows, Close, Crossbows, Druid, Firearms, Flails, Hammers, Heavy Blades, Light Blades, Monk, Ninja, Polearms, Siege Engines, Spears, and Thrown. [Note: My houserules include a rewritten armory with all of the weapons categorized into various groups. A cheap method of doing this in your own campaign is looking at the Fighter weapon groups.]

Mundane
Barbarian: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Cavalier: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Fighter: Basic, plus 4 points + ½ point per level
Gunslinger: Basic and Firearms, plus 3 points + ½ point per level
Monk: Monk [Expert] + ⅙ point per level
Ninja: Basic and Ninja, plus 1 point + ¼ point per level
Rogue: Basic, plus 2 points + ¼ point per level
Samurai: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level

Magic
Alchemist: Basic and Thrown + ⅙ point per level
Antipaladin: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Bard: Basic, plus 2 points + ¼ point per level
Inquisitor: Basic, and Bows or Crossbows or Firearms, plus 1 point + deity’s favored weapon (increases proficiency level by one step) + ¼ point per level
Magus: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Paladin: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Ranger: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Summoner: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level

High Magic
Cleric: Basic, plus 1 point + deity’s favored weapon (increases proficiency level by one step) + ⅙ point per level
Druid: Basic and Druid + ⅙ point per level
Oracle: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level
Sorcerer: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level
Witch: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level
Wizard: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅛ point per level

Psionic
Aegis: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Cryptic: Basic, plus 2 points + ¼ point per level
Dread: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Marksman: Basic and Thrown, plus 2 points + ⅓ point per level
Psychic Warrior: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Soulknife: Basic and Mind Arms, plus 3 points + ¼ point per level

High Psionic
Psion: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅛ point per level
Tactician: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Vitalist: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level
Wilder: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level

Pathfinder NPC
Aristocrat: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level
Augur: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅛ point per level
Commoner: 1 point + ⅛ point per level
Expert: Basic, plus 1 point + ⅙ point per level
Warrior: Basic, plus 3 points + ⅓ point per level

Feats that normally affect a single weapon (such as Weapon Focus) instead affect an entire weapon group. So rather than Weapon Focus (Greatsword) you would get Weapon Focus (Heavy Blades). This applies to some class features as well, when appropriate.

Natural attacks form their own group (i.e. Weapon Focus (Natural)) for the purposes of feats. Unarmed strike is included in the Close, Monk, and Natural groups for the purposes of feats and other effects. Rays and other non-mundane effects form yet another group (i.e. Weapon Focus (Supernatural)) for feat purposes. Improvised weapons are under their own group (i.e. Weapon Focus (Improvised)). A Soulblade’s Mind Blade/Bolt/Arrow/Shield forms another group (i.e. Weapon Focus (Mind Arms)). Proficiency in the a weapon group is required in place of proficiency in a selected weapon for feats, prestige classes, etc. Exceptions to this rule include feats that are normally restricted to only a few weapon types, such as Rapid Reload, which is still applicable for only a single chosen weapon.

Being nonproficient in a weapon does not confer a penalty to attack. Instead, if you lack proficiency in a weapon, each time you roll an attack, you must roll twice and take the lower number.

Aside from basic proficiency, points can be spent to have expertise or mastery in a particular weapon group. The benefits are as follows:

Proficient (1 point)

Proficiency with all weapons in the weapon group, except for Exotic and Exotic Double weapons


Expert (2 points)

All benefits of Proficient
Proficiency with all Exotic weapons in the weapon group
Weapon Focus for the weapon group as a bonus feat
Requires BAB +3 or Fighter 2 to invest a point


Master (3 points)

All benefits of Proficient and Expert
Proficiency with all Exotic Double weapons in the weapon group
Weapon Specialization for the weapon group as a bonus feat
Weapon Mastery for the weapon group as a bonus feat [Note: This feat doesn't exist outside of my houserules, so you can ignore it.]
Requires BAB +6 to invest a point


Any given weapon cannot gain simultaneous benefit of multiple separate groups. For example, a dwarven longhammer can be used as either a hammer or as a polearm, but can only gain the benefit of hammer proficiency/expertise/mastery OR polearm proficiency/expertise/mastery, not both. This choice is made individually for each weapon and can be changed as a full round action to switch stances. This separation also applies to Weapon Techniques, such as the Utility line of techniques; multiple Utility techniques cannot be combined on the same weapon

One point of weapon proficiency may be gained through the use of a feat. Alternatively, the point progression granted by your class can be used to add or upgrade existing proficiencies. Proficiency points may also be taken for the Natural, Supernatural, Improvised, and Mind Arms groups for the purposes of gaining expertise or mastery bonuses. For the purposes of proficiency, unarmed strike is raised in proficiency by one step as a result of taking Improved Unarmed Strike and otherwise uses the highest proficiency level out of the following: Close, Monk, Natural.



Weapon Techniques

Special techniques are available to characters with expertise in their weapons. Depending on proficiency level, some techniques may be available and some may be too difficult to attempt. The DM is encouraged to allow the players to make up techniques, preferably citing historical fighting methods to do so. Weapon Techniques must be purely martial in nature and can, with enough training, strength, and dexterity, be performed by someone in the true world.

All Weapon Techniques that a character qualifies for are available for use. Unless otherwise specified, or if the physical mechanics of the technique would make it impossible (such as half-swording a pommel strike), multiple Weapon Techniques can be used at the same time.

Half-Sword [Proficient]
Weapon Groups: Heavy Blades, Light Blades (cannot be a reach weapon)
Description: This common technique involves gripping the blade of a sword with your off-hand and using it to guide accurate stabs into an opponent. Half-swording is used primarily to defeat heavily-armored opponents by stabbing between armor plates and in other vulnerable areas. Hand protection is required.
Effect: You must choose to use the half-swording technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While half-swording, you deal damage as if using your offhand (half strength bonus) and the weapon’s damage die is reduced by one size category, but you gain a +4 bonus to attack. While half-swording, slashing weapons deal piercing damage and also ignore half of any target’s DR/bludgeoning. Piercing weapons used for half-swording instead ignore all DR/bludgeoning. Reach cannot be applied while half-swording; all half-swording attacks must be made within your natural melee range. You must be wielding your weapon with two hands to use this technique.

Momentum Swing [Proficient]
Weapon Groups: Axes, Flails, Hammers, Polearms (cannot be a light weapon)
Description: This common technique involves going a step beyond a simple power attack by making use of the high mass or length of certain weapons. By exploiting gravity and momentum, a momentum swing powers through many types of defenses. However, a momentum swing tends to be wider and longer than a typical attack; this attack-telegraphing causes it to be more easily dodged and leaves you open to counterattack.
Effect: You must choose to use the momentum swing technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While momentum swinging, you take a -4 penalty to attack and AC, but your attacks cannot be parried. While momentum swinging, you deal bludgeoning damage in addition to your weapon’s normal damage types. In addition, you deal 50% extra damage on any sunder attempt (before hardness is calculated) against an object, and your opponent gains no benefit from the Guard Combat Action against your sunder attempts.

Power Attack [Proficient]
Weapon Groups: Any
Description: This common technique is simply the practice of directing additional strength into an attack, at the cost of accuracy. Power attacking is useful in lethal fights where finesse is not a concern.
Effect: You must choose to use the power attack technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While power attacking, you convert some amount of your Strength modifier from an attack bonus to a damage bonus, at a 1:2 ratio. For example, if Rex has 16 Strength, he may power attack for up to a -3 penalty to attack and likewise up to a +6 bonus to damage for his attacks. The power attack technique functions only for attacks that use Strength for the damage modifier, though even ranged weapons with a strength component to damage (such as composite bows) may be used.

Deadly Aim [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Any
Description: This technique involves making more difficult attacks by aiming for your opponent’s vulnerable areas, with the downside of a greater chance of missing. Deadly aim is useful for combatants that prefer to use their skill and control to add lethality to their attacks.
Effect: You must choose to use the deadly aim technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While deadly aiming, you convert some amount of your Dexterity modifier from an attack bonus to a damage bonus, at a 1:2 ratio. For example, if Severa has 16 Dexterity, she may deadly aim for up to a -3 penalty to attack and likewise up to a +6 bonus to damage for her attacks. The deadly aim technique functions only for attacks that use Dexterity for the attack modifier. Deadly aim and power attack can be used on the same attack if Dexterity is used for attack and Strength is used for damage. If you are able to use your Wisdom modifier for attack rolls, you may substitute your Wisdom for your Dexterity for the purposes of the deadly aim technique.

Fencing Style [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Light Blades
Description: This technique involves a heightened focus on footwork and finesse using lightweight bladed weapons, particularly swords. Fencing is typically used for sport, but its principles can be applied to combat. Fencing performs the best against an opponent who is also wielding a light sword.
Effect: You must choose to use the fencing style technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While fencing, you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against opponents wielding light blades, but you suffer a -4 penalty to AC against all other types of attacks. While fencing, you gain a number of optional secondary abilities:

Circle Parry: Gain a +4 bonus to parrying attacks with the Parry, Riposte, and Counter Combat Actions, but suffer a -4 penalty to ripostes with those Combat Actions. [Note: Parrying, in my houserules, works similarly to the Duelist prestige class, but allows some greater flexibility.]
Disengage: As a standard action, make a bluff check to feint and make a single attack against your opponent. If the feint is successful, your opponent is flat-footed and loses the benefits of the Guard Combat Action (if any) against your attack, unless that opponent attempts to parry your attack with Circle Parry activated. [Note: The Guard Combat Action trades attacks in a full attack for greater AC. The rules are slightly too long to list here, so if you aren't using that system, you can skip it.] This attack cannot be parried unless your opponent is using Circle Parry.
Lunge: If you take a five-foot step directly toward your opponent (if there is enough space to do so), you gain a +2 bonus to attack against that opponent.
Remise: If your attack is successfully parried, the opponent parrying your attack provokes an attack of opportunity from you. This attack of opportunity is made at a -4 penalty.
Sidestep: Take an additional five-foot step, but you cannot make any attacks of opportunity.

Haft Attack [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Polearms, Spears (cannot be a reach weapon)
Description: This technique is, simply put, hitting your opponent with the haft of a hafted weapon. Particularly useful with spears and certain polearms, using the weapon’s haft to attack catches inexperienced combatants off-guard and extends your reach to a closer range, improving your defenses.
Effect: You must choose to use the haft attack technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While haft attacking, the weapon’s damage die is reduced by one size category and its critical multiplier becomes ×2, but you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC. While haft attacking, you deal bludgeoning damage, regardless of which weapon you are using. You may make a feint attempt as an immediate action when declaring a haft attack.

Inertia Swing [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Axes, Flails, Hammers, Heavy Blades, Spears (cannot be a light weapon, must be a slashing and/or bludgeoning attack)
Description: This technique involves swinging your weapon repeatedly in a full-circle arc, building rotational inertia for a devastating assault. This technique allows you to maintain momentum and gain a rhythm in combat. While powerful, this also leaves you highly vulnerable to counterattack.
Effect: You must choose to use the inertia swing technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While inertia swinging, you suffer a -4 penalty to AC and cannot perform attacks of opportunity. However, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage for each consecutive turn spent inertia swinging (including the first), to a maximum of a +4 bonus.

Pommel Strike [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Heavy Blades
Description: This technique involves using the blade of your sword as your grip and swinging at your opponent to hit them with the weapon’s pommel. Pommel Strikes are used primarily to defeat heavily-armored opponents by causing axe-like pressure on their head or shoulders. Heavy hand protection is required. The weapon must have a heavy, spiked pommel.
Effect: You must choose to use the pommel strike technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. Declaring the pommel strike technique provokes an attack of opportunity. While pommel striking, your attacks suffer a -4 penalty, but you deal bludgeoning and piercing damage regardless of which weapon you are using, and the critical threat and multiplier of the weapon becomes 20/×3. Your weapon also gains the powerful weapon property while you are using the pommel strike technique [Note: The powerful property is used with the Combat Action system and my rewritten armory; it can be otherwise ignored].

Spin-Up [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Flails
Description: This technique involves twirling your flail, causing the business-end to rapidly gain kinetic energy in preparation for a devastating strike. While this technique requires time spent in preparation for an attack, the additional impact damage and difficulty in avoidance is often worth the investment.
Effect: In place of an attack, you may instead use the spin-up technique. Your weapon remains spun-up as a free action as long as you do not drop or sheathe it. Your next attack with a spun-up weapon gains a +2 bonus to attack and deals double the usual bonus damage from a high Strength modifier. After making one attack with a spun-up weapon, it is no longer spun-up, even if the attack was unsuccessful.

Training: Bow Expertise [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Bows
Description: This technique involves specialized training for the purpose of rapidly nocking arrows and firing them at the enemy.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Rapid Shot feat for all bows (but not other weapons). You are counted as having Rapid Shot for the purposes of prerequisites.

Training: Crossbow Expertise [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Crossbows
Description: This technique involves expert training for the purpose of swiftly loading bolts into crossbows for rapid shooting and reloading.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Rapid Reload feat for all crossbows. You are counted as having Rapid Reload for the purposes of prerequisites.

Training: Firearm Expertise [Expert]
Weapon Groups: Firearms
Description: This technique involves drilled training for the purpose of quickly disposing of and replacing magazines, loading chambers, and clearing barrels.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Rapid Reload feat for all firearms. You are counted as having Rapid Reload for the purposes of prerequisites.

Close Quarters Mastery [Master]
Weapon Groups: Close, Monk (must be a light weapon)
Description: This advanced technique allows certain weapons to be used for close quarters combat and unarmed techniques, in place of freehand striking. While difficult, this fighting style allows you to rapidly switch between tactics without dropping your weapons.
Effect: Close quarters mastery allows you to use any qualifying weapon rather than your bare hands for the purposes of effects and feats applying to unarmed strikes, such as flurry of blows, improved unarmed strike, or Unarmed Techniques. Do not apply your unarmed strike attack modifier, unarmed strike damage, or unarmed strike enhancement bonus or enchantments; these things are still supplied by the weapon. When using the close quarters mastery technique, you take a -2 penalty to attack (typically canceling out the bonus from improved unarmed strike).

Eye of the Mind [Master]
Weapon Groups: Any
Description: This advanced technique involves mental enhancement of attack patterns, aiming, and maneuvering. Whether through intuition and instinct or through experience-taught analysis and foresight, eye of the mind can turn the tide of a pitched battle. Eye of the mind is useful for combatants that prefer to use their mental prowess to dominate in battle.
Effect: You must choose to use the eye of the mind technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While using eye of the mind, you convert some amount of your Intelligence or Wisdom modifier (whichever is higher) from one attribute to another. Applicable unit conversions include 2 AC for 1 attack, 1 AC for 1 damage, and 1 attack for 2 damage. For example, if Eleron has 18 Intelligence, he may use eye of the mind for up to a -4 penalty to damage and likewise up to a +4 bonus to AC, or take a -8 penalty to damage to gain a +4 bonus to attack, etc.

Frightful Assault [Master]
Weapon Groups: Any melee
Description: This advanced technique involves attacking your opponent with extraneous movements, such as overswinging, creating sparks by hitting the floor or wall mid-swing, psych-out hand movements, aggressive footwork, and intimidating facial expressions. The ultimate purpose of such a risky technique is for intimidation, reducing your opponent’s effectiveness in combat or perhaps causing them to retreat.
Effect: You must choose to use the frightful assault technique before making an attack roll, and the effect persists until the start of your next turn. While making a frightful assault, your attack rolls, damage rolls, and AC suffer a -4 penalty, but you may make a free-action intimidate check against each opponent you attack in melee (maximum once per opponent per turn).

Snipe [Master]
Weapon Groups: Bows, Crossbows, Firearms
Description: This advanced technique involves a large number of constituent techniques such as wind-reading, compensating for gravity, and adjusting for the Coriolis Effect. Typically requiring a scope of some sort, sniping is used to dispatch opponents from extreme range.
Effect: Sniping requires one or more full round actions that provoke attacks of opportunity to prepare the shot, during which time you are also flat-footed. As long as the target is visible (or his location known), each turn spent preparing for the shot adds a +1 insight bonus to the attack roll, up to a maximum bonus equal to your Base Attack Bonus. As a full-round action that provokes attacks opportunity, you can fire the shot, adding additional bonuses to your attack roll as if you had used the Break Combat Action to its fullest [Note: For example, someone with BAB +15/+10/+5 would add +10 and +5 to the attack]. This attack may be performed as a called shot. If the attack is successful, make a Perception check (DC equal to 10 + the distance to the target / 50 (rounding down)) and a Dexterity check (DC equal to 10 + the number of range increments to the target); if both checks are successful, the attack is automatically a confirmed critical hit. You may fire up to 20 range increments away instead of 10 when sniping, and you only take a -1 penalty to attack per range increment instead of a -2 penalty. Sniping should be done while stationary relative to the target; otherwise, a -10 penalty is applied and no insight bonus is added to the attack roll.

[Note: Several of the Utility skills refer to weapon properties that only exist in my own houserules. Find an appropriate substitute if you are not using those rules.]

Training: Bow Mastery [Master]
Weapon Groups: Bows
Description: This advanced technique involves extensive training for the purpose of firing arrows at a very close range, particularly for hitting a close-range moving target.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Snap Shot feat for all bows (but not other weapons). You are counted as having Snap Shot for the purposes of prerequisites.

Training: Crossbow Mastery [Master]
Weapon Groups: Crossbows
Description: This advanced technique involves rigorous training for the purpose of reloading crossbows with the ease and speed necessary to continue firing under any conditions whatsoever.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Crossbow Mastery feat for all crossbows. You are counted as having Crossbow Mastery for the purposes of prerequisites.

Training: Firearm Mastery [Master]
Weapon Groups: Firearms
Description: This advanced technique involves specialized training for the purpose of shooting at a very close range, especially for hitting targets of opportunity.
Effect: You gain the benefits of the Snap Shot feat for all firearms (but not other weapons). You are counted as having Snap Shot for the purposes of prerequisites.

Utility: Axe Hook [Master]
Weapon Groups: Axes
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for axes, particularly those that exploit the curved, hook-like nature of an axe head to pull out your opponent’s weapons and ankles. Your mastery of axes has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all axes as having the disarm and trip weapon properties. Axes that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 bonus to disarm and/or trip attempts.

Utility: Close Mastery [Master]
Weapon Groups: Close
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for short-ranged weapons, particularly those that exploit their lack of reach to gain superior control, effectively using precise aim and dexterous movements to your advantage. Your mastery of short-ranged weapons has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all close-group weapons as having the duel, finesse, and precise weapon properties. Close-group weapons that already have the precise weapon property gain an additional +2 bonus to called shot attempts.

Utility: Flail Wrap [Master]
Weapon Groups: Flails
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for flails, particularly those that exploit their segmented, chained structure to wrap around your opponent’s weapons or limbs for easier tripping and disarmament. Your mastery of flails has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all flails as having the disarm and trip weapon properties. Flails that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 bonus to disarm and/or trip attempts.

Utility: Hammer Impact [Master]
Weapon Groups: Hammers
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for hammers, particularly those that exploit their high impact pressure to break objects, including suits of armor, shields, and the faces of knocked-over enemies. Your mastery of hammers has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all hammers as having the deadly and sunder weapon properties. Hammers that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 (per die) bonus to vital strike damage and/or a +2 bonus to sunder attempts.

Utility: Heavy Blade Precision [Master]
Weapon Groups: Heavy Blades
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for heavy blades, particularly those that exploit their long cutting edges or powerful piercing tips to precisely and effectively strike particular locations on your opponent’s body, especially the legs. Your mastery of heavy blades has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all heavy blades as having the precise and trip weapon properties. Heavy blades that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 bonus to called shots and/or trip attempts.

Utility: Light Blade Agility [Master]
Weapon Groups: Light Blades
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for light blades, particularly those that exploit their light weight and high maneuverability to effectively turn aside attacks and slip inside your opponent’s defense to deal deadly damage. Your mastery of light blades has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all light blades as having the duel, finesse, and parry weapon properties. Light blades that already have the parry weapon property gain an additional +2 bonus to parries.

Utility: Polearm Lethality [Master]
Weapon Groups: Polearms
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for polearms, particularly those that exploit their very long and powerful nature to bring out incredible force against your opponents. Your mastery of polearms has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all polearms as having the cleave and deadly weapon properties. Polearms that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 bonus to cleave attempts and/or a +2 (per die) bonus to vital strike damage.

Utility: Spear Speed [Master]
Weapon Groups: Spears
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for spears, particularly those that exploit their length, flexibility, and lightness to effectively protect against your opponent’s attacks while striking rapidly. Your mastery of spears has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all spears as having the double and parry weapon properties. Spears that already have the weapon property gain an additional +2 bonus to parries. Unlike most double weapons, spears use the same end of the weapon for all attacks; only one enchantment is required. In addition, you treat all spears as having the “P or S” damage type, but the spear’s weapon attack modifier becomes +0 when doing slashing damage
[Note: This is part of my houserules; if you aren't using them, ignore this rule]. Lastly, ranged spears may also be used as two-handed melee weapons without penalty.

Utility: Thrown Finesse [Master]
Weapon Groups: Thrown
Description: This advanced technique involves a number of exceptional and unusual uses for thrown weapons, particularly those that exploit their light weight and aerodynamics to better target particular vulnerable spots and skillfully engage your opponent in melee, when necessary. Your mastery of thrown weapons has granted you a measure of utility and control that sets you apart from other warriors.
Effect: You treat all thrown weapons as having the finesse and precise weapon properties. Thrown weapons that already have those weapon properties gain an additional +2 bonus to called shot attempts. In addition, ranged thrown weapons may also be used as melee weapons without penalty.

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-22, 09:26 PM
Criticism of the system is appreciated, but I am also looking for ideas on appropriate Weapon Techniques to include. I will stat anything you suggest, so long as it's physically possible.

TuggyNE
2013-08-23, 03:53 AM
This is pretty great stuff. I don't have anything to correct, really, but it would be nice to have a few more weapon techniques, I think.

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-29, 02:12 AM
Added Close Quarters Mastery and made several changes.

I am still in need of suggestions; I need some historical techniques to stat!

Laughingmanlol
2013-08-29, 03:02 AM
For historical techniques, there could be fencing-style footwork for a single weapon, with benefits like increased reach after a 5-foot step or a bonus to attack after an enemy misses. For archery, you could have a Manyshot equivalent, or for crossbows and firearms with bayonnettes you could have a melee combo involving making a bayonnette attack which, if successful, allows yo to make a ranged attack against them with no attack of opportunity that auto-hits
Additionally, you could explore tactics involving multiple people, such as a shieldwall.
Your houserules and armoury sound interesting - if they're on the internet, could I have a link to them?

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-29, 03:40 AM
Manyshot is strictly fantastic; in real archery, there is no benefit to using multiple arrows. Rather, doing so is actually more likely to get you killed, or at the very least do nothing beneficial. Also, it would replace an archery feat that doesn't really need to be replaced. Power Attack and Deadly Aim are so universal that taking them out of the feat list doesn't matter that much, but the same can't be said for Manyshot.

Also, unless your setting is in the mid-1700s or later, bayonets block the muzzle, meaning that the gun cannot be fired. In fact, this is the case by RAW with the bayonet weapon in Pathfinder.

I like the fencing idea. I'm going to do some research on fencing style and techniques to see if I can adequately represent it.

My houserules are here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z93IuVEPzQR84PJX0X8mbQ7DybiXmuBX4OrU0z9hFPI/edit?usp=sharing
Keep in mind that they're tailored for a particular setting involving no magic classes. Some of the modules are inspired by works created by GITP users, also.

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-29, 10:23 PM
And now, Fencing Style is added!

Laughingmanlol
2013-08-30, 01:27 AM
I hadn't realised they were unrealistic, thanks for pointing it out, and also for the link. Would mounted combat be included in this? Also, it might be good if every weapon group got a unique technique - for the ones that don't have ones yet, axes could hook shields or pull people off-balance, flails could wrap around weapons or limbs to disarm or trip better at the cost of not being able to use them to attack, or recieve a bonus to damage if the wielder can start whirling them before an attack, and hammers might deal damage on a miss equal to the Strength modifier even if the attack is parried, due to the momentum of the swing, but that same momentum might cause the user to be easier to dodge, be hit or disarmed, or something like that

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-30, 09:51 PM
Indeed, more is needed.

Added Momentum Swing, Inertia Swing, Spin-Up, Utility: Axe Hook, and Utility: Flail Wrap. The list keeps growing!

TuggyNE
2013-08-31, 02:37 AM
This keeps getting better and better.

Couple minor points: I'd avoid using red text for notes, since it's reserved for moderator action. Also, Deadly Aim allows substituting "Dexterity for Wisdom", but it should be the other way around.

More generally, if I'm not mistaken a high-Wis archer with a composite bow could use Power Attack, Deadly Aim, and Eye of the Mind all together to transfer a whole lot of attack to damage. Not useful without a means of (almost) auto-hitting, but then combine Manyshot with Fell Shot, or just true strike, and you get something kind of horrific. At BAB 16, 30 Wis/20 Str, a +5 mighty +5 weapon, and Zen Archery/Manyshot/Point Blank Shot/Psionic Shot/Fell Shot, you could make a single ranged touch attack at +11 for 4d8+240 damage. Not, admittedly, as bad as a ShockBattleLeapSpiritedPouncebarian can pull off, but still pretty nasty, and very flexible. (I have no idea how Splitting would interact with that, but potentially very badly indeed.)

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-31, 03:33 AM
More generally, if I'm not mistaken a high-Wis archer with a composite bow could use Power Attack, Deadly Aim, and Eye of the Mind all together to transfer a whole lot of attack to damage. Not useful without a means of (almost) auto-hitting, but then combine Manyshot with Fell Shot, or just true strike, and you get something kind of horrific. At BAB 16, 30 Wis/20 Str, a +5 mighty +5 weapon, and Zen Archery/Manyshot/Point Blank Shot/Psionic Shot/Fell Shot, you could make a single ranged touch attack at +11 for 4d8+240 damage. Not, admittedly, as bad as a ShockBattleLeapSpiritedPouncebarian can pull off, but still pretty nasty, and very flexible. (I have no idea how Splitting would interact with that, but potentially very badly indeed.)

One of the important design challenges for creating D&D content is balancing for the Likely Case rather than the Worst Case. Even with 4d8+240 damage it's still overshadowed by some of the broken things you can pull off with magic/psionics. Power gaming will break the game under any design circumstances.

Under the average case, a full Wis-based archer will still be doing some decent damage, but will have a meaningful choice of action. Go for more power or for a greater chance of hitting? The Combat Action System makes it yet more complex, considering you can give up your extra attacks to make the first one a surer shot.

By the way, your math seems off: +16(bab) +10(wis) +5(enhancement) +1(pbs) +1(focus) -5(pa) -10(da) -10(eotm) = +8 touch overall, from a base +33 when not boosting damage. This gets increased to +28 with true strike, or to +26 when using a full Break action, or even to +28 and a 11-20/x3 crit range if using a full Shatter action with true stike. 2d8+70 is the damage output from this unless you crit, in which case it's 6d8+210. Manyshot cannot be used on a flurry of blows.

Also: Fixed the red text and the Dexterity/Wisdom typo.

TuggyNE
2013-08-31, 04:47 AM
One of the important design challenges for creating D&D content is balancing for the Likely Case rather than the Worst Case. Even with 4d8+240 damage it's still overshadowed by some of the broken things you can pull off with magic/psionics. Power gaming will break the game under any design circumstances.

True to some extent; however, while most attention should be paid to theh likely cases, leaving out perfectly plausible (and fairly simple) optimizations is unwise. In this case, what's more, it only requires a few less-common feats.


By the way, your math seems off: +16(bab) +10(wis) +5(enhancement) +1(pbs) +1(focus) -5(pa) -10(da) -10(eotm) = +8 touch overall, from a base +33 when not boosting damage.

You're right; I forgot WF and the PA penalty, I think. (PBS range was not assumed, although it would have increased damage similarly by 4 points.)

Dark.Revenant
2013-08-31, 05:28 AM
True to some extent; however, while most attention should be paid to theh likely cases, leaving out perfectly plausible (and fairly simple) optimizations is unwise. In this case, what's more, it only requires a few less-common feats.

First, I forgot to include the -2 penalty from flurry, so it's really a +6 to attack with all of that stuff.

In this case I can't work out the math to be decisively better than the current PF archery. We're talking about 1 attack doing 80 damage (or 240 damage if it happens to crit, which is obviously not a guarantee) and using up a true strike, versus a full attack using the base pathfinder rules at +26/+26/+26/+21/+21/+16/+16/+11 for the same character, dealing 2d8+30 damage each. Assuming you're attacking a CR18 creature, which has an AC of 33 and an average touch AC of 20, the single-really-powerful-shot (plus a few throwaway shots that need nat-20s to hit) plan does 171 damage on average and uses up a true strike. The standard Zen Archer flurry does 148 damage on average. It's not that much of an improvement, considering all the feats you need, and uses up resources.

Dark.Revenant
2013-09-03, 06:40 PM
Even more stuff added. We're close to the finishing point here. Is anything still underrepresented?