Martial Contingency; What If

[TheMADMonk]

What if we gave martial characters like the monk a contingency like ability. Something to set up an instinctual martial reaction for example. A summoned monster appears before you, you immediately make a full attack action against this suddenly appearance. Of course the way to bypasses so you do not punch out a parties summon is alert them and simply state if a sudden unknown summon appears the martial character reacts.

Think this would be out there and to strong for martial characters?

[ryu]

What if we gave martial characters like the monk a contingency like ability. Something to set up an instinctual martial reaction for example. A summoned monster appears before you, you immediately make a full attack action against this suddenly appearance. Of course the way to bypasses so you do not punch out a parties summon is alert them and simply state if a sudden unknown summon appears the martial character reacts.

Think this would be out there and to strong for martial characters?

Not really. Contingency isn't just powerful as a type of effect because action economy. It's also powerful because spells X actions = Scary. Contingent full attack compares to say... contingent orbs of force for a similar purpose effect that's more versatile and harder to no-sell. These comparisons are much the same for many other scenarios.

[Inevitability]

If you get infinite actions on a martial character (which is about as good as contingency can get) you are still a martial character. Infinite free attacks with your fists are nice, but still lose if you are fighting a spellcaster who decided to polymorph into an Ocean Giant. Infinite move actions sure are fun, but they don't beat a contingent Greater Teleport. You may be able to make infinite grapple checks, but a single 4th-level spell already defeats any purpose it may have.

In fact, I'd doubt it if this got martial characters (not counting any martial adepts) above tier 3.

[TheMADMonk]

Infinite attacks could in theory kill anything just due to endless attacks.

I was just curious if it would be overpowered according to you all once a wizard gets to like level 5 might as well just rip your sheet in half and just watch em go.

EDIT: And what if this was thrown on the Martial Adepts?

[Mato]

What if we gave martial characters like the monk a contingency like ability.It's called robilar's gambit?

The summon monster hits you for a paltery amount of damage, as a monk you hit once to kill it and snap kick anything else that happens to be nearby.

Contingency is just powerful as a type of effect because action economy. It takes place prior to your opponent's actions. Like in the example above, robilar's states the retaliation is done after resolving your opponent's attack but a ready action, true aoo, or contingency effect would happen before instantly killing the creature before it actually attacked you. Even a move action set up to trigger when a trap springs would allow you to run out of the prior to the trap resolving it's actions even through it still gets set off. While your actions are still not on par with a spellcaster, the ability to dodge and avoid entire attack regimens (such as a caster casting a spell triggers a charge, concentrate through that!) is uncanny.

But you still can't summon djinn and wish for more wishes, which is all the rest of the people replying to this thread care about.

[Perpetr8r]

I think it would give Martials the ability to at least put their foot against fighting spellcasters. Like you said above a Wizard would have a harder time if he had to worry about a martial having a contingency when he casts a spell to be charged, pounced, or something that could seriously muck with his day.

[rockdeworld]

I think it would give Martials the ability to at least put their foot against fighting spellcasters. Like you said above a Wizard would have a harder time if he had to worry about a martial having a contingency when he casts a spell to be charged, pounced, or something that could seriously muck with his day.
Nah, because wizards have contingencies too. Besides a pounce isn't nearly as threatening when you can Abrupt Jaunt/Celerity/Greater Mirror Image/etc.

Well, "harder time" I'll grant. "Hard time" still up for debate IMO.

Back to the OP: You mean like this (http://www.dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Rogue_2.0_%283.5e_Class%29#Ingrain_Muscle_Memory)? I'd say it's very class dependent. A rogue 2.0 (the class that link points to) or martial character could make much more use out of it than any of the mundanes in the core rulebook. In almost every case it's probably no stronger than the Contingency spell though.

[Extra Anchovies]

Well, it would be possible to set up a Contingent IHS, so you could have it remove any of the number of "conditions" that prevent you from taking the standard action necessary to use IHS. Makes it a much, much stronger ability. Paralyzed? Nope. Stunned? Nope. Asleep? Nope. Panicked? Nope. Dominated or Charmed? Nope and nope.