Anachronity
2013-12-31, 10:58 PM
This is a proposed homebrew combat mechanics system. The primary intention is to make more combat styles viable than are currently.
Ultimately this will be part of a hombrew which focuses on bridging the gap between casters and non-casters without resorting to the "everything is casters!" approach of ToB. While casters in general are being nerfed (especially control spells and save-or-else spells), I want the two playstyles to meet halfway. What I am doing here is trying to lay the groundwork for the martial half.
While two-handers and leap chargers are limited but functional, it is well-known that two-weapon melee fighters and other characters with a large number of melee attacks per round are essentially useless unless they can start their turn next to an opponent, gain bonus movement, or gain the pounce ability.
On the other hand, the number of attacks it is possible for a character to gain when optimizing two-weapon fighting or when delving into the world of natural attacks ranges from excessive to ludicrous. The objective is to make dual wielding more mobile by default but also to limit full attacks to a reasonable number.
The system should allow more than one attack to be made as a standard action (but not necessarily ALL of the attacks), and also limit the number of attacks that may be taken in a full attack action.
What I have thus far is the following.
New Attack Rules
The number of attacks a character can make in a single action is now a separate statistic called an attack routine (AR). It is independent from the number of different weapons, natural weapons, and weapon-wielding limbs possessed by the character, collectively referred to as available attacks (AA).
When attacking as a standard action or as part of a charge, the character may make a number of attacks equal to his attack routine. A character's attack routine is initially one attack and gains an additional attack for each 5 points by which the character's base attack bonus exceeds 1. (thus fighter's attack routine increases from 1 to 2 when leveling up from 5th to 6th level, just like in normal D&D).
When taking a full-attack action, the character's attack routine increases by 1 for that round.
Attacks made in this manner are selected from the character's available attacks. If a specific available attack is used more than once per round, each use after the first incurs a cumulative -3 penalty for the attack role. This attack system does not otherwise involve iterative penalties, so possessing many available attacks can allow a character to use his full attack bonus for a larger number of attacks.
Improving a character's attack routine for standard attacks would be difficult, with dual-wielding being by far the easiest means to increase it. Dual-wielding will require fewer feats to function, but will have more feats which give extra dual-wielding benefits or increase a character's attack routine.
While full attacks only give one additional attack by default, many more feats, items, and effects will exist which increase a character's attack routine or grant additional benefits only when making a full attack than will exist to do the same for standard attacks.
Available Attacks
A character's available attacks are the attacks that whatever equipped or natural weapons he has enable him to make. This means that any natural attacks possessed are simply a part of this list, rather than independent secondary attacks that are made during a full attack action.
The available attack includes characteristics of the attack such as range/reach, damage type, classifications of the attack (ranged, melee, main, secondary, natural, off-handed, two-handed, etc.), the attack bonus of the attack, the damage that the attack will deal on a successful hit, any effects that will apply on a hit, the critical threat range and multiplier of the attack, and so on.
When a character makes an attack through an attack action (standard or full), through an attack of opportunity, or through the effects of feats, spells, etc., he selects an appropriate attack from his available attacks. Some attacks can only be made with an available attack of a certain classification, such as how the extra attack gained from dual-wielding must be made with an off-hand weapon.
As mentioned above, a particular available attack receives a -3 penalty to the attack roll for each time it is used beyond the first in a given turn.
Some monsters with many natural attacks still possess extraordinary abilities which increase their attack routines, but the more rediculous examples (sword spiders, mariliths, fully grown dragons, etc.) are more limited by these new rules.
A new version of pounce might be the following:
Pounce (ex): When charging this creature adds two additional attacks to its attack routine which must be made with natural weapons.
Grappling
A character may, as a standard action, make a number of grapple checks equal to his attack routine, increasing as normal for a full attack action. Additional attacks which can only be made with a certain type of available attack (such as from dual-wielding or a monk's flurry of blows) can only be used to attempt to damage a grappled opponent with the appropriate attack, and may not be used to attempt other grapple actions.
Dual/Multi-wielding
A character who possesses one or more secondary natural attacks, who carries more than one manufactured weapon, or who is fighting unarmed may take a -4 penalty to all attacks made during his turn to add an attack to his attack routine which must be made with an off-hand or secondary weapon, or an unarmed attack. This penalty is in addition to the normal penalty for an off-hand/secondary attack. Both penalties can be reduced through the two-weapon fighting feat.
The typical unoptimized fighter will get more attacks in a full attack action with this system, but a fighter optimized for attacks per round will have far fewer.
I like the idea of more standard attacks versus more full attacks because it allows differentiation between a 'skirmisher' who focuses on speed and hit-and-run and a more badger-like character who slowly presses forward with a whirlwind of nasty attacks that enemies must back away from. The natural advantages of two-handed weapons in traditional Pathfinder will hopefully be balanced by the larger number of standard attacks that a dual-wielder can make in this homebrew version.
So then, what I am looking for is the following:
-revisions people think should be made
-potential improvements to the grappling rules, in particular
-reading improvements such as better terminology or clearer/more concise descriptions.
-balancing the different forms of combat (ranged, two-handed, and dual-wielding)
-some additional help with natural attacks and dual-wielding
-general opinions.
EDIT! 1/13/14 - Changed iterative attacks, changed terminology to shorten and clarify the post.
Ultimately this will be part of a hombrew which focuses on bridging the gap between casters and non-casters without resorting to the "everything is casters!" approach of ToB. While casters in general are being nerfed (especially control spells and save-or-else spells), I want the two playstyles to meet halfway. What I am doing here is trying to lay the groundwork for the martial half.
While two-handers and leap chargers are limited but functional, it is well-known that two-weapon melee fighters and other characters with a large number of melee attacks per round are essentially useless unless they can start their turn next to an opponent, gain bonus movement, or gain the pounce ability.
On the other hand, the number of attacks it is possible for a character to gain when optimizing two-weapon fighting or when delving into the world of natural attacks ranges from excessive to ludicrous. The objective is to make dual wielding more mobile by default but also to limit full attacks to a reasonable number.
The system should allow more than one attack to be made as a standard action (but not necessarily ALL of the attacks), and also limit the number of attacks that may be taken in a full attack action.
What I have thus far is the following.
New Attack Rules
The number of attacks a character can make in a single action is now a separate statistic called an attack routine (AR). It is independent from the number of different weapons, natural weapons, and weapon-wielding limbs possessed by the character, collectively referred to as available attacks (AA).
When attacking as a standard action or as part of a charge, the character may make a number of attacks equal to his attack routine. A character's attack routine is initially one attack and gains an additional attack for each 5 points by which the character's base attack bonus exceeds 1. (thus fighter's attack routine increases from 1 to 2 when leveling up from 5th to 6th level, just like in normal D&D).
When taking a full-attack action, the character's attack routine increases by 1 for that round.
Attacks made in this manner are selected from the character's available attacks. If a specific available attack is used more than once per round, each use after the first incurs a cumulative -3 penalty for the attack role. This attack system does not otherwise involve iterative penalties, so possessing many available attacks can allow a character to use his full attack bonus for a larger number of attacks.
Improving a character's attack routine for standard attacks would be difficult, with dual-wielding being by far the easiest means to increase it. Dual-wielding will require fewer feats to function, but will have more feats which give extra dual-wielding benefits or increase a character's attack routine.
While full attacks only give one additional attack by default, many more feats, items, and effects will exist which increase a character's attack routine or grant additional benefits only when making a full attack than will exist to do the same for standard attacks.
Available Attacks
A character's available attacks are the attacks that whatever equipped or natural weapons he has enable him to make. This means that any natural attacks possessed are simply a part of this list, rather than independent secondary attacks that are made during a full attack action.
The available attack includes characteristics of the attack such as range/reach, damage type, classifications of the attack (ranged, melee, main, secondary, natural, off-handed, two-handed, etc.), the attack bonus of the attack, the damage that the attack will deal on a successful hit, any effects that will apply on a hit, the critical threat range and multiplier of the attack, and so on.
When a character makes an attack through an attack action (standard or full), through an attack of opportunity, or through the effects of feats, spells, etc., he selects an appropriate attack from his available attacks. Some attacks can only be made with an available attack of a certain classification, such as how the extra attack gained from dual-wielding must be made with an off-hand weapon.
As mentioned above, a particular available attack receives a -3 penalty to the attack roll for each time it is used beyond the first in a given turn.
Some monsters with many natural attacks still possess extraordinary abilities which increase their attack routines, but the more rediculous examples (sword spiders, mariliths, fully grown dragons, etc.) are more limited by these new rules.
A new version of pounce might be the following:
Pounce (ex): When charging this creature adds two additional attacks to its attack routine which must be made with natural weapons.
Grappling
A character may, as a standard action, make a number of grapple checks equal to his attack routine, increasing as normal for a full attack action. Additional attacks which can only be made with a certain type of available attack (such as from dual-wielding or a monk's flurry of blows) can only be used to attempt to damage a grappled opponent with the appropriate attack, and may not be used to attempt other grapple actions.
Dual/Multi-wielding
A character who possesses one or more secondary natural attacks, who carries more than one manufactured weapon, or who is fighting unarmed may take a -4 penalty to all attacks made during his turn to add an attack to his attack routine which must be made with an off-hand or secondary weapon, or an unarmed attack. This penalty is in addition to the normal penalty for an off-hand/secondary attack. Both penalties can be reduced through the two-weapon fighting feat.
The typical unoptimized fighter will get more attacks in a full attack action with this system, but a fighter optimized for attacks per round will have far fewer.
I like the idea of more standard attacks versus more full attacks because it allows differentiation between a 'skirmisher' who focuses on speed and hit-and-run and a more badger-like character who slowly presses forward with a whirlwind of nasty attacks that enemies must back away from. The natural advantages of two-handed weapons in traditional Pathfinder will hopefully be balanced by the larger number of standard attacks that a dual-wielder can make in this homebrew version.
So then, what I am looking for is the following:
-revisions people think should be made
-potential improvements to the grappling rules, in particular
-reading improvements such as better terminology or clearer/more concise descriptions.
-balancing the different forms of combat (ranged, two-handed, and dual-wielding)
-some additional help with natural attacks and dual-wielding
-general opinions.
EDIT! 1/13/14 - Changed iterative attacks, changed terminology to shorten and clarify the post.