Zaydos
2015-03-18, 07:31 PM
Adamant Eagle
The Adamant Eagle was a discipline never taught in the Temple of Nine Swords, despite a long and prestigious history. In the time of the Temple the Adamant Eagle, then known as the Adamant Vanguard, was a collection of martial techniques developed by the Emperor's Guard of a powerful dwarven empire. These maneuvers were taught to none outside of the royal guard, and even Reshar himself could not gain knowledge of these secret techniques. Since the fall of the Temple the dwarven empire fell into ruins itself, and the honor guard was scattered to the four winds. Desperate to keep the line of succession of these techniques alive the dwarven honor guard loosened their requirements on students and slowly the techniques spread. When the core techniques of the Adamant Vanguard were coupled with fledgling human martial disciplines they morphed and changed, becoming the Adamant Eagle as it is today.
The Adamant Eagle is a discipline dedicated to the protection of others. Invented by a dwarven honor guard, it remains to this day a collection of techniques designed for use by bodyguards. It maneuvers allow for the practitioner to interpose themselves in the path of attacks, to halt enemies, and to parry blows coming towards their allies. The practitioners favor reach weapons which allow them to watch over large areas, and pin down foes with the strength of their steel.
Associated Skill: Spot.
Discipline Weapons: Dwarven War-Pike, Glaive, Guisarme, Longspear, Ranseur, Shields, Spiked Chain, and Trident. While in an Adamant Eagle stance you may use discipline weapons with the reach quality against adjacent foes.
Gaining the Adamant Eagle Discipline: An argent blade, crusader, morphic claw, swordsage, or warblade may trade access to any discipline they possess to gain the Adamant Eagle in its place, adding Spot to their class skill list if it was not already there. A wildwood knight may trade access to any discipline other than Star Dream to gain the Adamant Eagle in its place, adding Spot to their class skill list.
Maneuvers List
Covering Strike: 1st, Strike. Target can't make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Hold the Pass: 1st, Stance. Creatures can't move through your square, resist forced movement.
Intercepting Steel: 1st, Stance. Allies in your reach gain a bonus to AC.
Pressing Attack: 1st, Strike. Attack pushes target 5-ft.
Guardian's Last Surge: 2nd, Counter. Act for 1 round despite impediments.
Intercept Blow: 2nd, Counter. Swap places with ally, taking a blow intended for them.
Steeling Strike: 2nd, Strike. Attack target and gain temp hp equal to twice your IL for 1 round.
Adamant Retribution: 3rd, Stance. Gain +2 to hit and +2d6 damage against targets which have damaged allies.
Foe-Locking Strike: 3rd, Strike. +2d6 damage and you and target cannot move.
Interposing Shield: 3rd, Counter. Make attack roll to parry attack against a target in your melee reach.
Interposing Step: 3rd, Counter. Move half your speed to block way towards an ally.
Interrupting Jab: 4th, Counter. Make a feinting strike to stop a target's movement.
Plunging Talon: 4th, Strike. Deal +4d6 damage and the target is rendered flat-footed for 1 round.
Adamant Presence: 5th, Boost. Terrify foes into immobility.
Darting Guardian Talons: 5th, Stance. Make attack of opportunity on creatures that strike your allies.
Parrying Talon: 5th, Counter. Gain +8 dodge bonus against specific foe for 1 round.
Force Back: 6th, Strike. +5d6 damage, drive the target back.
Hindering Attack: 6th, Counter. Make an attack against an attacking creature, deal 1/2 damage and inflict a penalty on their attack roll equal to that amount.
Clear the Path: 7th, Strike. Charge forward striking each creature you pass by, pushing them 5-ft back.
Force Enmity: 7th, Strike. Attack deals +7d6 damage, and the target may not attack unless it is attacking you for 1 round.
Claim Attention: 8th, Strike. Attack all foes within range, forcing them to attack you if they fail their Will save.
Rearguard's Watch: 8th, Stance. Attacks reduce target's speed to 5-ft.
Spirit of Adamant: 9th, Boost. +30 to AC and saves for 1 round.
Adamant Eagle Feats:
Adamant Guard's Defense
To defend others one must not fall, even as your eagle eye turns towards their protection you act to shield and guard yourself.
Prerequisites: Spot 4 ranks, one Adamant Eagle stance.
Benefit: While in an Adamant Eagle stance you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC.
Shielding Wings
A practitioner of the Adamant Eagle learns how to shield others as well as themselves with the dance of steel.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Spot 4 ranks, one Adamant Eagle maneuver.
Benefit: You may use Combat Expertise when using a martial Strike. In addition if wielding an Adamant Eagle discipline weapon or wearing a shield when you use Combat Expertise allies within your melee reach gain half the bonus to AC.
Feather Vanguard [Tactical]
The Adamant Vanguard stood alongside the Emperor at the front of the dwarven army, their skills allowing him to stand amidst the heaviest fighting without the least concern. They formed an iron wall, channeling foes away, and cutting through enemy formations to make a path through any force that sought to crush his life. While the style has evolved its practitioners still learn to channel the flow of battle, beating foes away from their companions and locking their foes into single combat with them and them alone.
Prerequisites: Shielding Wings, Base Attack Bonus +6, two Adamant Eagle maneuvers.
Benefit: The Talon Vanguard feat enables the use of three tactical options.
Guardian's Talon: To use this option you must make an Adamant Eagle strike against an opponent which attacked an ally of yours (other than yourself) and take a penalty to the attack with the Combat Expertise feat. If you hit you gain a bonus to damage equal to twice the penalty you took from Combat Expertise.
Battering Wings: To use this option you must have taken a -5 penalty to attack rolls from Combat Expertise within the last round and make an attack with an Adamant Eagle discipline weapon without using Combat Expertise. If you hit you may move the target of the attack 5-ft; you may only use this option once per round.
Shepherding Screech: To use this option you must attack a foe which attacked you within the last round and take a penalty to the attack with the Combat Expertise feat. If you hit, until the end of your next turn that target suffers a penalty to attack rolls against creatures other than you equal to the penalty you took from the Combat Expertise feat.
The Adamant Eagle was a discipline never taught in the Temple of Nine Swords, despite a long and prestigious history. In the time of the Temple the Adamant Eagle, then known as the Adamant Vanguard, was a collection of martial techniques developed by the Emperor's Guard of a powerful dwarven empire. These maneuvers were taught to none outside of the royal guard, and even Reshar himself could not gain knowledge of these secret techniques. Since the fall of the Temple the dwarven empire fell into ruins itself, and the honor guard was scattered to the four winds. Desperate to keep the line of succession of these techniques alive the dwarven honor guard loosened their requirements on students and slowly the techniques spread. When the core techniques of the Adamant Vanguard were coupled with fledgling human martial disciplines they morphed and changed, becoming the Adamant Eagle as it is today.
The Adamant Eagle is a discipline dedicated to the protection of others. Invented by a dwarven honor guard, it remains to this day a collection of techniques designed for use by bodyguards. It maneuvers allow for the practitioner to interpose themselves in the path of attacks, to halt enemies, and to parry blows coming towards their allies. The practitioners favor reach weapons which allow them to watch over large areas, and pin down foes with the strength of their steel.
Associated Skill: Spot.
Discipline Weapons: Dwarven War-Pike, Glaive, Guisarme, Longspear, Ranseur, Shields, Spiked Chain, and Trident. While in an Adamant Eagle stance you may use discipline weapons with the reach quality against adjacent foes.
Gaining the Adamant Eagle Discipline: An argent blade, crusader, morphic claw, swordsage, or warblade may trade access to any discipline they possess to gain the Adamant Eagle in its place, adding Spot to their class skill list if it was not already there. A wildwood knight may trade access to any discipline other than Star Dream to gain the Adamant Eagle in its place, adding Spot to their class skill list.
Maneuvers List
Covering Strike: 1st, Strike. Target can't make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Hold the Pass: 1st, Stance. Creatures can't move through your square, resist forced movement.
Intercepting Steel: 1st, Stance. Allies in your reach gain a bonus to AC.
Pressing Attack: 1st, Strike. Attack pushes target 5-ft.
Guardian's Last Surge: 2nd, Counter. Act for 1 round despite impediments.
Intercept Blow: 2nd, Counter. Swap places with ally, taking a blow intended for them.
Steeling Strike: 2nd, Strike. Attack target and gain temp hp equal to twice your IL for 1 round.
Adamant Retribution: 3rd, Stance. Gain +2 to hit and +2d6 damage against targets which have damaged allies.
Foe-Locking Strike: 3rd, Strike. +2d6 damage and you and target cannot move.
Interposing Shield: 3rd, Counter. Make attack roll to parry attack against a target in your melee reach.
Interposing Step: 3rd, Counter. Move half your speed to block way towards an ally.
Interrupting Jab: 4th, Counter. Make a feinting strike to stop a target's movement.
Plunging Talon: 4th, Strike. Deal +4d6 damage and the target is rendered flat-footed for 1 round.
Adamant Presence: 5th, Boost. Terrify foes into immobility.
Darting Guardian Talons: 5th, Stance. Make attack of opportunity on creatures that strike your allies.
Parrying Talon: 5th, Counter. Gain +8 dodge bonus against specific foe for 1 round.
Force Back: 6th, Strike. +5d6 damage, drive the target back.
Hindering Attack: 6th, Counter. Make an attack against an attacking creature, deal 1/2 damage and inflict a penalty on their attack roll equal to that amount.
Clear the Path: 7th, Strike. Charge forward striking each creature you pass by, pushing them 5-ft back.
Force Enmity: 7th, Strike. Attack deals +7d6 damage, and the target may not attack unless it is attacking you for 1 round.
Claim Attention: 8th, Strike. Attack all foes within range, forcing them to attack you if they fail their Will save.
Rearguard's Watch: 8th, Stance. Attacks reduce target's speed to 5-ft.
Spirit of Adamant: 9th, Boost. +30 to AC and saves for 1 round.
Adamant Eagle Feats:
Adamant Guard's Defense
To defend others one must not fall, even as your eagle eye turns towards their protection you act to shield and guard yourself.
Prerequisites: Spot 4 ranks, one Adamant Eagle stance.
Benefit: While in an Adamant Eagle stance you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC.
Shielding Wings
A practitioner of the Adamant Eagle learns how to shield others as well as themselves with the dance of steel.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, Spot 4 ranks, one Adamant Eagle maneuver.
Benefit: You may use Combat Expertise when using a martial Strike. In addition if wielding an Adamant Eagle discipline weapon or wearing a shield when you use Combat Expertise allies within your melee reach gain half the bonus to AC.
Feather Vanguard [Tactical]
The Adamant Vanguard stood alongside the Emperor at the front of the dwarven army, their skills allowing him to stand amidst the heaviest fighting without the least concern. They formed an iron wall, channeling foes away, and cutting through enemy formations to make a path through any force that sought to crush his life. While the style has evolved its practitioners still learn to channel the flow of battle, beating foes away from their companions and locking their foes into single combat with them and them alone.
Prerequisites: Shielding Wings, Base Attack Bonus +6, two Adamant Eagle maneuvers.
Benefit: The Talon Vanguard feat enables the use of three tactical options.
Guardian's Talon: To use this option you must make an Adamant Eagle strike against an opponent which attacked an ally of yours (other than yourself) and take a penalty to the attack with the Combat Expertise feat. If you hit you gain a bonus to damage equal to twice the penalty you took from Combat Expertise.
Battering Wings: To use this option you must have taken a -5 penalty to attack rolls from Combat Expertise within the last round and make an attack with an Adamant Eagle discipline weapon without using Combat Expertise. If you hit you may move the target of the attack 5-ft; you may only use this option once per round.
Shepherding Screech: To use this option you must attack a foe which attacked you within the last round and take a penalty to the attack with the Combat Expertise feat. If you hit, until the end of your next turn that target suffers a penalty to attack rolls against creatures other than you equal to the penalty you took from the Combat Expertise feat.