Wildwood Knight (Fey themed martial initiator Base Class, PEACH)

[Zaydos]

Wildwood Knight

This was actually one of my first homebrew classes, but I was never satisfied with it, and it got Dex to damage too late, so I've decided to rework it and repost it and see what people have to say about it now. So it's a bit of my baby, so please be extra cruel :smallbiggrin:

A flash of light, our swords are drawn.
The clap of thunder as our swords clash.
A parry, a feint, we rain blows down towards each other.
I dodge left, his blade missing me by a nymph's lock.
My sword stabs deep between the plates of his armor.
The flash of dream was instant but I knew how this battle would go. We drew, we clashed, and just as the dream said he was too slow.

Wildwood knights were originally highly trained warrior fey who served as elite soldiers and protectors for the Knight of the Iron Rose. They trained in heavy armor till it became like a 2nd skin, as well as a mark of station and power. The closed in helm gave these knights anonymity and a certain dread aura as they went about their work for their Unseelie liege. The Knight of the Iron Rose failed in his attempt to impose his will over the fey, but his warriors remained. They became mercenaries, selling their skills to the highest bidder. For a time it was not uncommon to see one, looming as a dark spot behind the throne, even in the court of a Seelie lord or lady. Since this period they have fallen in popularity within the fey courts and are no longer a fashionable decoration.

Over time their secret battle techniques were leaked to other races. Some by rogue members who wandered human lands, some by mercenaries who sold their knowledge, some were taught it by friends of elven kind, and some stole these arts from the fey with iron and blood.


Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
Maneuvers Known
Maneuvers Readied
Stances


+1
+1
+0
+2
+2
Agile Armor +2, Seasonal Skill
4
3
1


+2
+2
+0
+3
+3
Weapon Finesse, Armor Mastery (Medium)
5
3
1


3
+3
+1
+3
+3
Agile Weapon Mastery, Blood Dreams 1/day
6
3
1


4
+4
+1
+4
+4
Evasion
6
4
1


5
+5
+1
+4
+4
Agile Armor +4
7
4
2


6
+6/+1
+2
+5
+5
Armor Mastery (Heavy), Fast Movement +10-ft
7
4
2


7
+7/+2
+2
+5
+5
Blood Dreams 2/day
8
4
2


8
+8/+3
+2
+6
+6
Stand in Court
8
4
2


9
+9/+4
+3
+6
+6
Agile Armor (no maximum Dex or ACP)
9
4
3


10
+10/+5
+3
+7
+7
Healing Dreams 1/day
9
5
3


11
+11/+6/+1
+3
+7
+7
Blood Dreams 3/day
10
5
3


12
+12/+7/+2
+4
+8
+8
Fast Movement +20-ft
10
5
3


13
+13/+8/+3
+4
+8
+8
Improved Evasion
11
5
4


14
+14/+9/+4
+4
+9
+9
Red Dreams
11
5
4


15
+15/+10/+5
+5
+9
+9
Blood Dreams 4/day
12
6
4


16
+16/+11/+6/+1
+5
+10
+10
Dream of the Moon
12
6
4


17
+17/+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+10
-
13
6
5


18
+18/+13/+8/+3
+6
+11
+11
Healing Dreams 2/day, Fast Movement +30-ft
13
6
5


19
+19/+14/+9/+4
+6
+11
+11
Blood Dreams 5/day
14
6
5


20
+20/+15/+10/+5
+6
+12
+12
Champion of the Fey Court, Blood Surge
14
7
5



HD type: d8.

Class Skills (6 + Int/level): Autohypnosis, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animals, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty), Martial Lore, Ride, Sense Motive, Survival, Swim, Tumble.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A wildwood knight is proficient in all simple and martial melee weapons, shortbow, longbow, composite shortbow, composite longbow, elven lightblade, elven thinblade, and elven courtblade. They are proficient in light, medium, and heavy armor and shields (except tower shields).

Martial Disciplines available: Diamond Mind, Star Dream (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?401767-Star-Dream-%28Fey-themed-Discipline-PEACH%29), White Raven, and either Crushing Avalanche (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?401600-Crushing-Avalanche-%28Cold-themed-Martial-Discipline%29) or Flashing Lightning (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?401420-Flashing-Lightning-%28Electricity-themed-Martial-Discipline%29). If a maneuver requires a save you may replace the ability score used to determine the save DC with your Charisma. (Note many homebrew disciplines allow for a character to swap disciplines for them, which disciplines would be available to them this way is left to the DM.)

Regaining Maneuvers: A wildwood knight relies on their subconscious mind and the insight of harmony with the natural world around them. When they pause and do not use the powers of the fey they allow their awareness to expand and regain maneuvers as the fey dream speaks to them. If they don’t use a maneuver during a round they regain 1 martial maneuver, if they do not use a maneuver for 2 consecutive rounds they regain all martial maneuvers that they have expended.

Agile Armor (Ex): Add the number to the maximum Dexterity bonus of light armor you wear, also reduce the ACP of any light armor you wear by the listed amount.

Seasonal Skill: At 1st level select either Summer or Winter. If you select Summer add Heal to your Wildwood Knight class skill list. If you select Winter add Sleight of Hand to your class skill list.

Armor Mastery (Ex): You may treat armor of the listed type as both its normal type and light armor whichever is more beneficial for a specific effect; you also ignore the reduction to speed when wearing armor of this type.

Weapon Finesse (Ex): You gain Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat (or if you already have it another feat of your choice you qualify for). If your Strength modifier is equal to or higher than your Dexterity modifier you gain a +1 bonus to hit with finessable weapons.

Agile Weapon Mastery (Ex): Add your Dexterity modifier to damage when using weapons that are valid targets for Weapon Finesse, this does not stack with Shadow Blade.

Evasion (Ex): You gain Evasion as the Rogue ability.

Fast Movement (Ex): You gain the listed bonus to your land speed.

Blood Dreams (Ex): When their life is gravely threatened, and their blood flowing freely, a wildwood knight's fey dream speaks to him. When at 1/4th or less hp a Wildwood Knight may regain all their martial maneuvers as a swift action. They may only do so 1/day at Lv 3, gaining an additional use every 4 levels thereafter at Lv 7, Lv 11, Lv 15, and Lv 19.

Stand in Court (Ex): At 8th level a wildwood knight learns more of the secret combat techniques of the Fairie Courts. When you gain this ability choose Summer or Winter. This choice does not have to be the same as for your Seasonal Skill, although it can be. If you select Summer you gain Battlefield Agility, if you select Winter you gain Presence of Menace. Although the two techniques were originally developed by the Summer and Winter Courts respectively due to shifting loyalties among the fey the techniques of the rival court are far from secret to members of the other court, or from courtless knights.


Battlefield Agility (Ex): 3 times per day you may move up to half your speed as part of a full attack action.
Presence of Menace (Ex): 3 times per day you may attempt to instill fear into the heart of a foe with a glance. You may only use this ability on the first round of combat in which both you and your target both engage, and this ability requires an immediate action to activate but may be used when flat-footed, you must use this ability at the moment of engagement usually before initiative is rolled. The target must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Cha modifier), if they fail they are Shaken for 1 minute and suffer an additional -2 penalty to Initiative checks, if they succeed they suffer a -2 penalty to their initiative check.


Healing Dreams (Su): At 10th level a wildwood knight learns to commune with his fey dream entering a restful meditation in which even mortal wounds close seamlessly. 1/day A Wildwood Knight may meditate for 10 minutes to regain 10 hit points per class level, heal all nonlethal damage they are suffering, instantly removes any or all ability damage, ability drain, and negative levels they are suffering from and ends the following adverse conditions blinded, confused, dazed, dazzled, deafened, diseased, exhausted, fatigued, feebleminded, insanity, nauseated, sickened, stunned, and poisoned. At 18th level a wildwood knight may use this ability 2/day.

Improved Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 13th level a wildwood knight’s evasion improves to improved evasion.

Red Dreams Beginning at Lv 14 a wildwood knight gains an additional benefit when use your Blood Dreams ability. This ability is in theory based upon their natural towards a court, but in practice while Vital Dreams is more common in the Summer Court and Dreams of Vengeance is more common in the Winter Court they are far from isolated to either court.


Vital Dreams: When you use your Blood Dreams ability you add your Charisma modifier as a dodge bonus to AC for 1 round and gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier these temporary hit points last for 1 hour.
Dreams of Vengeance: When you use your Blood Dreams ability you enemies within 30-ft take damage equal to your Charisma modifier; this is a supernatural mind-affecting ability.



Dream of the Moon: When you are at one-fourth or less health you may add your Charisma modifier if positive to all Fortitude and Will saves you make.

Blood Surge: Starting at 20th level when you use your Blood Dreams ability you may also activate one boost. This boost is regained along with your other maneuvers.

Champion of the Fey Court (Ex): At 20th level a Wildwood Knight chooses either to become a champion of the Seelie or the Unseelie court gaining either the Champion of Summer (Seelie) or Champion of Winter (Unseelie) ability depending upon his choice. Regardless of your choice you gain DR 5/cold iron and you no longer suffer penalties for aging although you still die when your time comes.


Champion of Summer (Su): As long as you are in a martial stance you gain Fast Healing 5 and immunity to Strength damage, Dexterity damage, Constitution damage, and all death spells, death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects.
Champion of Winter (Su): Whenever you initiate a martial strike you may choose to add twice your charisma modifier in negative energy damage and 2 point of Constitution damage to the first successful attack made as part of the strike. Finally the saving throw DC of all martial maneuvers you initiate is increased by 1.

[herrhauptmann]

I haven't looked at your martial maneuvers yet.

Fluff: What is the fey dream? I don't see any 'dread aura' in the abilities.

Armor Mastery. What is that? Is it just treating medium (and heavy) armor as light armor? Or 1 category lighter? Given that the character already gets all armor proficiencies, the only real benefit seems to be the reduced movement penalties. Unless this ability is intended specifically to support a gestalt character of some sort?
Agile weapon mastery. Seems straight forward, another form of Shadowblade.
Agile armor. Seems a very dippable ability. +2, then +4. Then nothing.
Regaining Maneuvers process is odd. It seems even more forced than the Crusader. There's no requirements to it beyond "don't use a maneuver." Swordsages meditate wtih a fullround action to regain one maneuver. Warblades spend a swift action making a standard attack (or a flourish as a standard) to recover all maneuvers. Given that the wildwood can use all his actions via spells/attacks and still regain maneuvers, it seems much more powerful than the standard.
Forgot to bold the Healing Dreams entry.
Champion of Summer/Winter. I assume you envision the courts at war? In that case, the Champion of Summer is significantly more powerful than the Champion of Winter. He's specifically immune to everything the Champion of Winter can do.
--Champ of Winter probably needs to be beefed up in what they can do. Or they get an exception that lets them match the champ of summer. Even a 50/50 chance.

I do think the summer/winter should be chosen earlier in the class. Perhaps minor abilities throughout the 20 levels to illustrate the difference. Or some of the Star Dream maneuvers have different effects depending on what court the knight serves.

[Zaydos]

Fluff: What is the fey dream? I don't see any 'dread aura' in the abilities.

I think when I originally wrote it the italicized bit was actually describing a duel of wills as described in new uses for Concentration intimidate (I associate it with Concentration due to the Diamond Mind feat) in Tome of Battle, but some sort of dread aura might be a good ability. As for what the Fey Dream is I... should re-write the fluff when I re-write the mechanics because it feels like bad teenage writing looking at it... I mean I think it was supposed to be the sense of and harmony with the flow of nature which speaks to their subconscious mind becoming second instinct to them.


Armor Mastery. What is that? Is it just treating medium (and heavy) armor as light armor? Or 1 category lighter? Given that the character already gets all armor proficiencies, the only real benefit seems to be the reduced movement penalties. Unless this ability is intended specifically to support a gestalt character of some sort?

The primary use is allowing for full speed and the use of Evasion (which is normally turned off in medium armor) in heavy armor. It was also intended to allow for the use of feats and help with multiclassing (2 level swordsage dip, or barbarian). Gestalt wasn't considered. It's actually cribbed from Knight (PHBII).


Agile weapon mastery. Seems straight forward, another form of Shadowblade.

Yes.


Agile armor. Seems a very dippable ability. +2, then +4. Then nothing.

One level gets you +2 AC in armor if your Dex is high enough, meaning it's roughly the equivalent of mithral. Without Armor Mastery it only does something if you have really high Dex, with it you can use it with +4 or +5 Dex to get a small bonus to AC. The second tier is typically outside of dip range (5 levels), and the third tier means I need to re-write the description a bit, but makes high Dex + non-mithral Full Plate viable, or at least that's the intent.


Regaining Maneuvers process is odd. It seems even more forced than the Crusader. There's no requirements to it beyond "don't use a maneuver." Swordsages meditate wtih a fullround action to regain one maneuver. Warblades spend a swift action making a standard attack (or a flourish as a standard) to recover all maneuvers. Given that the wildwood can use all his actions via spells/attacks and still regain maneuvers, it seems much more powerful than the standard.

There's argument over whether warblades can full-attack or not, but since it never occurred to me to read it that way when I first made it that's not the most relevant (I've only played with standard action attacks). I based it off of Crusaders' method swapping the random factor, because it was an annoyance during games, to the requirement not to use maneuvers since it means going a round without using a counter, a boost, and most likely just making standard attacks. In gestalt it gets better than intended since you can have active abilities from your other class to use. I mostly wanted something unique and different from the other three, and went with inactivity as the requirement because it was the only thing I could come up with and I kept it because people had liked it on the original version.


Forgot to bold the Healing Dreams entry.

Will fix.



Champion of Summer/Winter. I assume you envision the courts at war? In that case, the Champion of Summer is significantly more powerful than the Champion of Winter. He's specifically immune to everything the Champion of Winter can do.
--Champ of Winter probably needs to be beefed up in what they can do. Or they get an exception that lets them match the champ of summer. Even a 50/50 chance.

For the setting this was originally made for there was a single fey lord (the Knight of the Iron Rose, 2nd most powerful in the Winter Court) who wanted war between the courts, but for the most part things were friendly and there were arch-fey who did switch between the two courts (there was a stigma attached to this but it was not unheard of). Typically I go with the approach that while the fey courts occasionally war it's mostly a game to them, or at least the leaders of the courts, and almost a ritual of the cycle between summer and winter. Might remove the Fast Healing from Summer so that both abilities are mostly meaningless against each other, though really I'm not happy with Champion of Winter so I might look for a way to rework it to work better.


I do think the summer/winter should be chosen earlier in the class. Perhaps minor abilities throughout the 20 levels to illustrate the difference. Or some of the Star Dream maneuvers have different effects depending on what court the knight serves.

Mostly went with the potential for fluid loyalties so a character could serve one court then another similar to how in legends while certain species were more associated with the seelie or unseelie courts for others it was a matter of "Do I want to mess with humans right now?"

I do however like the idea of adding lower level choices to tie you with one court or the other. What comes to mind are mostly minor abilities (skill bonuses). I think at 1st level Summer could get Heal as an additional class skill and maybe Winter could get... Sleight of Hand? Most of what comes to mind are on that kind of scale, skill bonuses and the like, but I might replace Battlefield Agility (a last moment addition I'm not certain of) with one, and I might split make Vital Dreams a Summer ability with a Winter equivalent that focuses on offense over defense.

Thanks for the critique, it's got me thinking about how to try and do some things better.

[herrhauptmann]

I think when I originally wrote it the italicized bit was actually describing a duel of wills as described in new uses for Concentration intimidate (I associate it with Concentration due to the Diamond Mind feat) in Tome of Battle, but some sort of dread aura might be a good ability. As for what the Fey Dream is I... should re-write the fluff when I re-write the mechanics because it feels like bad teenage writing looking at it... I mean I think it was supposed to be the sense of and harmony with the flow of nature which speaks to their subconscious mind becoming second instinct to them.
My sig has a fear handbook which might prove useful if you go the intimidate route. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389244-Caedrus-Art-of-War-vol-1-Fear-Handbook




The primary use is allowing for full speed and the use of Evasion (which is normally turned off in medium armor) in heavy armor. It was also intended to allow for the use of feats and help with multiclassing (2 level swordsage dip, or barbarian). Gestalt wasn't considered. It's actually cribbed from Knight (PHBII).

Gotchya. Never actually played a Knight, so didn't remember.




One level gets you +2 AC in armor if your Dex is high enough, meaning it's roughly the equivalent of mithral. Without Armor Mastery it only does something if you have really high Dex, with it you can use it with +4 or +5 Dex to get a small bonus to AC. The second tier is typically outside of dip range (5 levels), and the third tier means I need to re-write the description a bit, but makes high Dex + non-mithral Full Plate viable, or at least that's the intent.

Having heard this, I support this plan.



There's argument over whether warblades can full-attack or not, but since it never occurred to me to read it that way when I first made it that's not the most relevant (I've only played with standard action attacks). I based it off of Crusaders' method swapping the random factor, because it was an annoyance during games, to the requirement not to use maneuvers since it means going a round without using a counter, a boost, and most likely just making standard attacks. In gestalt it gets better than intended since you can have active abilities from your other class to use. I mostly wanted something unique and different from the other three, and went with inactivity as the requirement because it was the only thing I could come up with and I kept it because people had liked it on the original version.
I've never actually heard that argument about warblades. Fair enough on the other points. I was just confused on that.




For the setting this was originally made for there was a single fey lord (the Knight of the Iron Rose, 2nd most powerful in the Winter Court) who wanted war between the courts, but for the most part things were friendly and there were arch-fey who did switch between the two courts (there was a stigma attached to this but it was not unheard of). Typically I go with the approach that while the fey courts occasionally war it's mostly a game to them, or at least the leaders of the courts, and almost a ritual of the cycle between summer and winter. Might remove the Fast Healing from Summer so that both abilities are mostly meaningless against each other, though really I'm not happy with Champion of Winter so I might look for a way to rework it to work better.

With that setting knowledge, it make a bit more sense.
But when I think about it in general terms, some settings have Summer/Winter court, and the Wildfey. During active wars the wildfey would be actively recruited to one side or the other. (Like in Dresden Files) So keeping it open can make sense too, given that this is the Wildwood Knight.




I do however like the idea of adding lower level choices to tie you with one court or the other. What comes to mind are mostly minor abilities (skill bonuses). I think at 1st level Summer could get Heal as an additional class skill and maybe Winter could get... Sleight of Hand? Most of what comes to mind are on that kind of scale, skill bonuses and the like, but I might replace Battlefield Agility (a last moment addition I'm not certain of) with one, and I might split make Vital Dreams a Summer ability with a Winter equivalent that focuses on offense over defense.
It wouldn't balance properly against a summer court heal bonus, but what about that intimidate stuff from before? A big problem with intimidate as a skill is that it doesn't stack or escalate with most other forms of fear and it doesn't go past Shaken.
Maybe start with an intimidate bonus. Then intimidate as a swift (I'd put it at level 8-10). Intimidate skill can make someone frightened and not just shaken. Then later panicked. (I'm pretty sure Pan would've counted as a wild fey) Perhaps at the capstone Winter Court gets a fear aura like a dragon in addition to the other stuff you've got.
Most importantly, let this fear ability be an exception to the "Fey (and level 20 summer wildwoodknight) are immune to mind affecting abilities" but give them a bonus on their roll. +1 per 3HD maybe? (Maybe capstone includes the exception, but then you've got 20 levels of a bonus that can't be used against your enemy court)


Thanks for the critique, it's got me thinking about how to try and do some things better.
No problem.
I'm always worried when I critique someones homebrew. Some get really upset if a nonregular of the homebrew forums has something to say.

[Zaydos]

My sig has a fear handbook which might prove useful if you go the intimidate route. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389244-Caedrus-Art-of-War-vol-1-Fear-Handbook

I'll look it over.


Gotchya. Never actually played a Knight, so didn't remember.

I don't think I actually copied the wording; I think Knight's strictly just removed the movement penalty, but since I was giving them Evasion I made it a little better.



I've never actually heard that argument about warblades. Fair enough on the other points. I was just confused on that.

No problem.


With that setting knowledge, it make a bit more sense.
But when I think about it in general terms, some settings have Summer/Winter court, and the Wildfey. During active wars the wildfey would be actively recruited to one side or the other. (Like in Dresden Files) So keeping it open can make sense too, given that this is the Wildwood Knight.

Dresden Files is actually pretty close to what I was going with for my fey court in that game, and... at the time I'd only read Dead Beat and Fool Moon but my players were fans and that's why we ended up with Summer v Winter instead of just Seelie v Unseelie and why one of the nobles was named Mab.


It wouldn't balance properly against a summer court heal bonus, but what about that intimidate stuff from before? A big problem with intimidate as a skill is that it doesn't stack or escalate with most other forms of fear and it doesn't go past Shaken.
Maybe start with an intimidate bonus. Then intimidate as a swift (I'd put it at level 8-10). Intimidate skill can make someone frightened and not just shaken. Then later panicked. (I'm pretty sure Pan would've counted as a wild fey) Perhaps at the capstone Winter Court gets a fear aura like a dragon in addition to the other stuff you've got.
Most importantly, let this fear ability be an exception to the "Fey (and level 20 summer wildwoodknight) are immune to mind affecting abilities" but give them a bonus on their roll. +1 per 3HD maybe? (Maybe capstone includes the exception, but then you've got 20 levels of a bonus that can't be used against your enemy court)

Fey actually have no special resistance to mind-affecting abilities in 3.5, which makes me sad at times. I was thinking something along the lines of making Battlefield Agility be X times per day Swift action move instead of what it is right now and giving an alternate option of a fear stare usable so many times per day which would serve as a ranged fear effect as an immediate action usable when you roll initiative. I'll think about the other, but I don't like building off of the demoralization rules too much because it's too easy to boost skill checks over save DCs. That and you run into Imperious Command. I mean swift is good (it's one of the great things about Zhentarim fighter), but typically Cowered is as good if not better than Panicked and either people will allow Imperious Command, in which case the escalation of demoralization is the equivalent of a specific bonus feat, or the DM will not allow Imperious Command, in which case it would likely get the class banned on the same principle.

And now I want to make a feat or ACF to allow a bard to scare people by playing the pan pipes.


No problem.
I'm always worried when I critique someones homebrew. Some get really upset if a nonregular of the homebrew forums has something to say.

It's a shame that they do. A steady influx of new voices is vastly more helpful than the same group just circulating the same ideas. Besides, how is someone supposed to become a regular if you drive them away?

[herrhauptmann]

I'll look it over.
Fey actually have no special resistance to mind-affecting abilities in 3.5, which makes me sad at times.
I could've sworn they did. But a quick reread seems to say otherwise.


I'll think about the other, but I don't like building off of the demoralization rules too much because it's too easy to boost skill checks over save DCs. That and you run into Imperious Command. I mean swift is good (it's one of the great things about Zhentarim fighter), but typically Cowered is as good if not better than Panicked and either people will allow Imperious Command, in which case the escalation of demoralization is the equivalent of a specific bonus feat, or the DM will not allow Imperious Command, in which case it would likely get the class banned on the same principle.
Fair enough.


And now I want to make a feat or ACF to allow a bard to scare people by playing the pan pipes.
http://www.giantitp.com/Images/GuestWeek2005/oots0306.gif



It's a shame that they do. A steady influx of new voices is vastly more helpful than the same group just circulating the same ideas. Besides, how is someone supposed to become a regular if you drive them away?
Granted, it was a while ago.
But after several bumps from page 3 or farther back, the only response to my first bit of homebrew was "You're showing off a class you made that gets to fly. Nothing you say can make me help you with this overpowered piece of s**t." Nevermind that it was 4 different sets of powers chosen at level 1; only one of which could fly.
Anyway, teh current incarnation of that class is already over 4 years old and I'm tired of trying to playtest it. It's impossible when one party member has read the God Wizard handbook a dozen times and another is a sword and board fighter with the Apparatus of Kwalish and the portable adamantine fortress.

[herrhauptmann]

Another quick critique for ya.

Found Blood dreams at level 17 for 3/day. Level 15 is 4/day and 19 is 5/day.
I assume you had a slower progression originally.

[Zaydos]

Another quick critique for ya.

Found Blood dreams at level 17 for 3/day. Level 15 is 4/day and 19 is 5/day.
I assume you had a slower progression originally.

Removed the level 17 reference.

Changed the Lv 8 ability so that you can choose either Battlefield Mobility (now a free action and usable 3/day) or Presence of Menace (immediate action fear effect usable at the beginning of combat). I intend to give a Summer/Winter choice at Vital Dreams still and possibly a small seasonal bonus at 17th.