Cunning Hare Defense Feat

[Roxxy]

This feat is designed for a more Victorian setting where armor is going out of fashion, because mass armies are expensive as it is and both melee and ranged weapon magics have outpaced defensive magics. Armor isn't gone or rare at the moment, and it's not liable to disappear anytime soon, but it's getting lighter (and cheaper), and some warriors are ditching it altogether. This feat is primarily intended for martial characters who are proficient in medium or heavy armor, and characters only proficient with light armor may not find the feat worthwhile. The fact that a halberdier can use this feat and a zweihander cannot was intentional. I meant active defense to be something where the non-reach polearm has an edge over the two handed sword or axe. Two handed swords and axes are pretty rare in my setting, anyway.

Defense bonus is a new type of bonus to Armor Class. It is lost when flat footed but can be used against touch attacks. An ability that adds a new stat modifier to Armor Class is usually typed as a defense bonus, and defense bonuses from different sources do not stack unless otherwise mentioned, so a Monk's Wisdom to Armor Class would not stack with Cunning Hare Defense, as they are both defense bonuses. Defense bonuses represent both evasion and blocking or parrying with a weapon (a ranged touch attack may be blocked by the haft of a halberd, for example).

Cunning Hare Defense

Prerequisites: Character Level 3rd, Light Armor Proficiency

Benefit: You get a defense bonus to Armor Class when not wearing armor or carrying a shield and not wielding a two handed weapon that is not a polearm, spear, or staff type weapon. The size of the defense bonus depends on your highest level of armor proficiency. Light armor proficiency gets a +2 bonus, medium armor proficiency gets a +4 bonus, and heavy armor proficiency gets a +6 bonus. At every 3 levels beyond 3rd, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum total increase of +5. The motions necessary for arcane spellcasting interfere with the motions necessary for this style of defense. If your unenhanced defence bonus is +2, you have a 20% arcane spell failure chance, +4 is 25%, and +6 is 35%. If you have the ability to ignore the arcane spell failure chance for an armor category, you may ignore the arcane spell failure chance while receiving the corresponding defense bonus for that armor category. The arcane armor feat chain can reduce these arcane spell failure chances. You may voluntarily accept a lower defense bonus than you qualify for in order to reduce your arcane spell failure chance. For example, a multiclassed Bard who is proficient with heavy armor may decide to only take the light armor proficiency defense bonus, so as to not have any arcane spell failure chance.

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So, how did I do?

[Almarck]

I think this is a "Dodge" bonus. It's basically the same thing as described, lost on flatfooted, applies to touch AC. Dodge bonuses stack infinitely, so there's no problem with having multiple dodge effects from say "nimble".

The feat looks good so far, quite interesting. It's handy for different settings, I might just adopt it as a general rule if I ran a campaign in this setting.

One thing, how to get "enchantments" from armor? That's not replaced by this feat.+

[Roxxy]

I think this is a "Dodge" bonus. It's basically the same thing as described, lost on flatfooted, applies to touch AC. Dodge bonuses stack infinitely, so there's no problem with having multiple dodge effects from say "nimble".

The feat looks good so far, quite interesting. It's handy for different settings, I might just adopt it as a general rule if I ran a campaign in this setting.

One thing, how to get "enchantments" from armor? That's not replaced by this feat.+Thanks. I might shift it over to Dodge and add in a line specifically stating that it can't stack with Monk's Wisdom to Armor Class. I use the Rogue Genius Talented Monk, and that version of the class is pretty good. Giving them this feat and Wisdom to Armor Class would get overpowered.

I think you are allowed to enchant Bracers of Armor with armor enchantments, which shouldn't conflict with this feat.

[Almarck]

Well, they specifically say that Bracers of armor do not provide any AC bonus if used to create enhancement effects, so I guess that's fine.

Also. I think that might be too specific to single out monks
Perhaps to make it rounded out classes that possess a scaling dodge or untyped bonus to their armor class (such as monk) may not use this feat, may not use this feat's features if they apply Armor Training that is above the norm for what their class would use. So Gunslingers cannot use this feat with heavy armor as well; without being a Gun Tank that is.

[Roxxy]

Yea, that would work. I should also probably allow this to be used with bows and two handed firearms.

It is funny worrying about the Monk getting OP, of all things, but Talented Monks are awesome, so they are the first thing I thought of outside Wizards when I thought of ways this could go wrong.

[Almarck]

I dunno, I've seen some utterly ludicrous Monks. Monks without 3rd party source material beyond certain race choices. Either way:

Personally though, as most of us lack the access to Talented Monk specifically, maybe you shouldn't consider 3rd party publishers too much. I like RGG just fine, but not every table accepts their stuff. It saves you the headache of having to factor-in the work of other people since there's so much material.

Wizards probably not bother taking this feat when the Bracers work more reliably though. After factoring the feat investments to make it worth while and even then poor synergy in casting.

[Roxxy]

I dunno, I've seen some utterly ludicrous Monks. Monks without 3rd party source material beyond certain race choices. Either way:

Personally though, as most of us lack the access to Talented Monk specifically, maybe you shouldn't consider 3rd party publishers too much. I like RGG just fine, but not every table accepts their stuff. It saves you the headache of having to factor-in the work of other people since there's so much material.I'll keep that in mind.


Wizards probably not bother taking this feat when the Bracers work more reliably though. After factoring the feat investments to make it worth while and even then poor synergy in casting.Yea, I wanted to go with arcane spell failure. Without it, a one level Fighter dip means a +6 AC bonus that increases with level and stacks with Bracers of Armor. That would have been problematic.

I may put in an exception to the two handed weapon rule for bastard swords and dwarven waraxes, just like pole type weapons. This is because I watch much anime (There are plenty of Japanese elements to my campaign setting, and anime and wuxia ideas have seeped in) and the unarmored katana warrior is a pretty common anime trope. I consider a katana to be a bastard sword, and bastard swords can be used two handed without needing Exotic Weapon Proficiency, so there you go. Dwarven waraxe is basically the bastard sword's brother, so it gets included in this. I could write up a trait that confers full proficiency so that burning a feat isn't required, given that the bastard sword isn't really worth a feat.

[Kamai]

Can you explain why you went with not allowing this feat for 2-handed weapons? Conceptually, this is supposed to replace armor, and it leaves a 2h user without a replacement at all (unless they use a reach weapon).

[Roxxy]

Can you explain why you went with not allowing this feat for 2-handed weapons? Conceptually, this is supposed to replace armor, and it leaves a 2h user without a replacement at all (unless they use a reach weapon).A fair number of polearms aren't reach weapons, and it was supposed to reflect that an unarmored halberdier should usually be better defensively than an unarmored two-handed swordsman, and to reflect part of why greatswords are rarely seen in the setting - they don't have an easy replacement for armor, and going unarmored leaves them vulnerable to counterattack. Those who do use a greatsword most likely still wear heavy armor, which, while rather uncommon, is available. Aside from some expert swordsmen, the average unarmored warrior is likely to be a duelist or somebody with a halberd or naginata or glaive, if not an archer, gunner, or gish.

The other thing is that, historically, greatsword type weapons in Europe were really only common for a relatively short time and for a type of warfare that isn't the norm of this world. If the average frontline soldier isn't wearing at least a breastplate and preferably more, the lack of defense gets dangerous, while the greatsword's power isn't advantageous enough to compensate. If you look over at Asia, those two handed swords aren't greatswords. The average armor of the footsoldier for this setting is leather or metal lamellar, padded, or unarmored, and it's not at all rare for an armored footsoldier to carry a shield. So, there is no real reason greatswords would be a particularly desirable weapon in the context of the setting, anyway. This also rubs up against other house rules that aren't the focus of this thread that are meant to buff sword and board or two weapon fighting, because as it stands greatsword dominates over them way too much.

On that note, the polearms tables are weird as to what has reach, now that I just looked at them. There are too many that can't be used in close quarters, which isn't really the case realistically. A lot of these weapons can go either way. Then again, some guy with what D&D calls a longsword shouldn't have any trouble at all striking an opponent 10 feet away. Now I have a headache. Realistic weapon design is too much trouble. Let's just say a polearm can be built with or without reach to represent that there isn't typically a fixed length that the pole has to be and leave it at that.

tl:dr - To encourage the use of the polearm over the greatsword. Greatswords are meant to be rare, and they have enough toys as it is.

[Roxxy]

Perhaps I could shorten the feat by going the other direction. Make the ineligibility for active defense abilities native to the greatsword and greataxe, not the feat.

Should create two more feats:

Hare's Reflex

Prerequisite: Cunning Hare Defense

Benefit: When unarmored and not carrying a two handed melee weapon or shield, you gain the benefit of evasion. If you already have the benefit of evasion, you gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Hare's Shield

Prerequisite: Cunning Hare Defense

Benefit: When unarmored and carrying a polearm, spear, or staff type weapon, you gain a +1 shield bonus to Armor Class, and can wield a polearm, spear, or staff type weapon enchanted as both a weapon and a shield, though the weapon and shield portions have to be enchanted separately. (If I don't house rule away the magic item system, it's straight gold for items to acquire or upgrade them, with no items as loot. So, it shouldn't be any different or expensive to acquire a shield naginata than to acquire a magic sword and a magic shield.)

And yes, you can shield bash with it, in which case it basically becomes a double weapon. While remaining a shield.

[Roxxy]

I revised the feat, and removed the whole bit about restricting weapon choice. I decided that if two handed swords aren't common anymore, the best and least complicated solution is to remove them from the setting's weapon list, rather than play nerf darts with the house rules.

A new weapon has been added to the weapon list:

Heavy Spear

Two Handed Martial

Range - 0ft

Damage - 2d6

Critical - 19-20/x2

Type - Piercing

Weight - 8 pounds

It's a big, heavy spear with a large point. Too heavy to be a good throwing weapon, but lethal in a fight. Takes more training than a regular spear, but it's not overly difficult to learn. Militaries use both short and long hafted versions quite often.



I will by implementing the idea that any polearm can be created or purchased with or without reach. It all depends on how long you want the haft. As a result, the longspear is no longer on the weapons list, because you can just build a spear with reach. A shortspear can be created with reach (totally needs a better name). It just has lower damage than a longspear because it's light enough to be held one handed, interfering with ability to hit hard.



Cunning Hare Defense

Prerequisites: Character Level 3rd, Light Armor Proficiency

Benefit: You get a dodge bonus to Armor Class when not wearing armor or carrying a shield. The size of the defense bonus depends on your highest level of armor proficiency. Light armor proficiency gets a +2 bonus, medium armor proficiency gets a +4 bonus, and heavy armor proficiency gets a +6 bonus. At every 3 levels beyond 3rd, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum total increase of +5. The motions necessary for arcane spellcasting interfere with the motions necessary for this style of defense. If your unenhanced defence bonus is +2, you have a 20% arcane spell failure chance, +4 is 25%, and +6 is 35%. If you have the ability to ignore the arcane spell failure chance for an armor category, you may ignore the arcane spell failure chance while receiving the corresponding defense bonus for that armor category. The arcane armor feat chain can reduce these arcane spell failure chances. You may voluntarily accept a lower defense bonus than you qualify for in order to reduce your arcane spell failure chance (For example, a multiclassed Bard who is proficient with heavy armor may decide to only take the light armor proficiency defense bonus, so as to not have any arcane spell failure chance.).



Hare's Shield

Prerequisite: Cunning Hare Defense

Benefit: When unarmored and carrying a polearm, spear, or staff type weapon, you gain a +1 shield bonus to Armor Class, and can wield a polearm, spear, or staff type weapon enchanted as both a weapon and a shield, though the weapon and shield portions have to be enchanted separately. If used to shield bash, the weapon counts as a double weapon, with the butt end doing damage as a light shield. (If I don't house rule away the magic item system, it's straight gold for items to acquire or upgrade them, with no items as loot. So, it shouldn't be any different or expensive to acquire a shield naginata than to acquire a magic sword and a magic shield.)



Hare's Reflex

Prerequisite: Cunning Hare Defense

Benefit: When unarmored and not carrying a two handed melee weapon or shield, you gain the benefit of evasion. If you already have the benefit of evasion, you gain the benefit of improved evasion.