Some Sublime Feats (3.5, PEACH)

[Zaydos]

Felt like making a few quick and easy Sublime (ToB) feats so here goes:

Sublime Skill Focus
Entering a martial stance you put your mind into the methods of that discipline, gaining an aptitude for its associated skill.
Prerequisite: 1 Martial Stance.
Benefit: While in a martial stance you gain a +3 bonus to the skill associated with that stance's discipline.

Shifting Stance Style:
When you shift between stances, you gain an edge to your defense or offense against foes.
Prerequisites: 2 Martial Stances.
Benefit: Whenever you shift from one stance to another you gain either a +1 Luck bonus to AC and a +2 Luck bonus to Saving Throws or a +1 Luck bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage for 1 round; you may make this choice each time you change stances. The duration of this benefit is increased by 1 round per 6 Initiator Levels you possess and it is possible to get both benefits simultaneously by shifting stances again before the duration fades.

Flowing Stance Style:
You are able to shift between stances more quickly and fluidly than most martial initiators.
Prerequisites: Shifting Stance Style.
Benefit: You may change stances as a free action 1/round; you may still change stances as a swift action if you choose (potentially changing stances multiple times in a round).

Discipline Mastery
You are a master of a specific discipline gaining bonuses when you use maneuvers from it.
Prerequisites: 4 maneuvers from the chosen discipline, 12 ranks in its associated skill, 6 ranks in Martial Lore, Skill Focus in associated skill or Sublime Skill Focus.
Benefit: When you take this feat select a single discipline you fulfill the prerequisites for. This feat grants a number of benefits with that discipline.
Whenever you use a Strike from the chosen discipline using one of its discipline weapons you deal additional damage equal to the highest level maneuver you know from that discipline; if the maneuver allows for multiple attacks you must choose one before making the attack roll to this bonus damage.
Whenever you use a Boost from the chosen discipline you gain a bonus to saves and AC equal to 1 + 1/3rd the level of the boost used for 1 round.
Whenever you use a Counter from the chosen discipline you may use a single Boost from the chosen discipline as a free action on your next turn.
Whenever you use a Dash from the chosen discipline you gain a +10-ft increase to your movement speed until the end of your turn.
Whenever you are in a stance of the chosen discipline and begin your turn with no maneuvers unexpended you may recover one maneuver of your chosen discipline that you have not used since the start of your previous turn as a free action.
You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made as part of strikes of the chosen discipline, and a +2 to saving throws against maneuvers of the chosen discipline.
Special: You may not take this feat more than once, the devotion to a single discipline required is too strong to allow that.

Discipline Study
Your devotion and study of your chosen discipline grants you a familiarity with all of its basic techniques.
Prerequisites: Discipline Mastery.
Benefit: You add all level 3 or lower disciplines from the discipline chosen for discipline mastery to your maneuvers known. You may not trade maneuvers gained this way for other maneuvers from level up or other purposes, but if you already knew a maneuver that is granted by this feat you may trade the version not granted by this feat as normal and will retain knowledge due to this feat if you do so; you do not immediately trade all low level maneuvers from the selected discipline for other maneuvers when you gain this feat.
In addition you gain a bonus maneuver readied which must be from your chosen discipline, and may spend a free action 1/encounter to replace an unexpended maneuver you have readied with a maneuver you know of the chosen discipline readying it in its place.

Discipline Grand Mastery
You are a true and absolute master of your chosen discipline.
Prerequisites: Discipline Mastery, Discipline Study, the 9th level maneuver of your chosen discipline, 20 ranks in the associated skill, 12 ranks in Martial Lore.
Benefit: You automatically succeed on saving throws against maneuvers of your chosen discipline, and gain a +4 dodge bonus to your AC against maneuvers of the chosen discipline. You gain a +4 bonus to Initiator Level with your chosen discipline, and a +2 bonus to attack rolls made as part of strikes of your chosen discipline. Whenever you use a maneuver of your chosen discipline you may refresh one maneuver of a lower level from it (in the case of a crusader this maneuver is immediately granted).
In addition you gain an additional bonus when using the 9th level maneuver of your chosen discipline.

Desert Wind: Fire damage as part of this maneuver ignores fire resistance and deals 1/2 damage to creatures immune to fire, or the radius is increased by 50% (chosen when used).
Devoted Spirit: Deal +8d6 damage.
Diamond Mind: You suffer only a -3 to hit per previous attack in a full attack, instead of -5, while using Time Stands Still (20/17/14/11 with BAB 20, 15/12/9 with BAB 15)
Iron Heart: Your critical threat range is doubled for the attack; this stacks with Keen or Improved Critical to triple your threat range.
Setting Sun: You gain a +2 to trip checks made as part of this maneuver (in addition to the bonus for movement) and throw targets an additional 10-ft (dealing an additional 2d6 damage).
Shadow Hand: You may add or subtract 5 from the roll to determine where the creeping shadow strikes.
Stone Dragon: You deal 2d6 Strength damage as well.
Tiger Claw: A creature which survives this attack must make a second Fortitude save (same DC) or be stunned for 1 round.
White Raven: Charges made as part of this maneuver may pass through difficult terrain without being slowed or halted.
Adamant Eagle: Enemies which can see you suffer a -4 penalty to attacks and to the save DC of their abilities against other creatures for 1 round.
Crone's Hex: Target is shaken for 1 minute on a successful save (in addition to panicked for 1 round).
Crushing Avalanche: Creatures adjacent to the target take 50 Cold damage (Fortitude halves), you may choose not to have this effect take place.
Darting Viper: Inflicts 2d6 negative levels instead of 2d4.
Edge of Apocalypse: Select one creature within the area, you may make two attacks against it, but your second attack only gains +5d6 damage.
Eldritch Rain: You gain a 7th, indigo, reflected beam. This beam deals 1d6 untyped damage per Initiator Level and a struck target must make a Fortitude save (same DC) or be Paralyzed for 1 round.
Feral Hunger: Foes which fail their saves are panicked for 1 round regardless of their hit dice before the normal effects.
Flashing Lightning: You may call down 2 additional bolts of lightning at the end of your full attack.
Hewn Tree: Your melee reach increases by an additional 5-ft for this maneuver.
Jeering Monkey: You may make a Sleight of Hand check to pick the pocket of each creature you attack as part of this maneuver as a free action at no penalty.
Lunar Spirit: The penalty received is increased by 2 (-12 on a hit, -7 on a miss) and damage dealt is increased by 3d6 (+13d6 on a hit, 13d6 on a miss).
Protean Hunter: The penalty to ability scores on a successful save is increased to -6 (instead of -4).
Star Dream: This maneuver is no longer considered mind-affecting, its duration is increased by 1 round, and it deals +8 additional damage.

[RoyVG]

I really like the idea of more generalized Sublime feats, instead of all those specific ones from ToB.

I have a couple of ideas for the missing Discipline Grand Mastery:

Maybe for Time Stands Still a reduced penalty for each iterative attack in those two full attacks? Something similar to Multiattack (so -2 instead of -5), but you still make the same amount of attacks as you normally would. Or give them one additionl attack at their highest base attack bonus similar to and stacking with Haste or similar effects?
For Tornado Throw, increase the distance thrown by an additional 10 ft for each target and increasing damage accordingly, or move up to triple your movement instead of double.

Sublime Skill Focus gives the same kind of bonus as 'regular' Skill Focus, but only when you are in a stance and you can only get it for a couple of skills depending on the stance and therefore discipline. It's basically a very limited version than Skill focus :smallconfused:. It's flavorful, but it should have at least some reason to take it over Skill focus, besides that fact it may stack with regular Skill focus. Heck, by RAW, Discipline Mastery doesn't use it as a prerequisite, instead requiring the regular Skill focus :smalltongue: (or is there a rule that it does because they have the same name?). At least add a line that it may count as Skill Focus for prerequisite purposes (like Desert Wind Dodge, Shadow Blade and Stone Power do for Dodge, Weapon Finesse and Power Attack resp.).

The Shifting Stance feats are quite nice at first glance, but having to switch every turn to get the effects maybe be bothersome for some characters, especially those that usually don't switch stances that often (Lockdown Crusaders with Thicket of Blades, Assansins Stance for sneak attack prereq-shenanigans). It's also hell on the action economy for ANY ToB class that rely a lot of boosts and counters, because those can't switch stances and thus lose the effect of the feats. They will have to choose; get the effects of this feat, or use a boost. I think it is obvious what most characters would do. Maybe add some sort of 'reward' if you change stance within the same discipline like having it last one round longer that way?

The recovery mechanic from Discipline Grand Master combined with a Crusader, does it also grant those maneuvers upon refreshing them? I know it's a small tidbit, but every other feat or effect that refreshes them in ToB says so if it did, so I thought I'd ask.

I really like Discipline Study, it's flavorful and pretty powerful, but surely not game breaking. Luckily you made it so Discipline Mastery can only be taken once, a Swordsage having Discipline Study twice will give a maaaad amount of maneuvers :smallbiggrin: if you trade in as many lower level maneuvers as possible by that time.

Anyway those are my 2 cp, keep up the good work.

[Xerlith]

Felt like making a few quick and easy Sublime (ToB) feats so here goes:

Sublime Skill Focus
Entering a martial stance you put your mind into the methods of that discipline, gaining an aptitude for its associated skill.
Prerequisite: 1 Martial Stance.
Benefit: While in a martial stance you gain a +3 bonus to the skill associated with that stance's discipline.
Skill Focus gives a +3 always. This only situationally. Skill focus is perceived as a very, very weak feat. This feat is worse than Skill Focus. I'd never take it over SF - and I'd hardly have a reason to take Skill Focus. If you changed it to "1/2 Initiator Level bonus to the skill associated" and let it count as Skill Focus in the relevant skill for purposes of prerequisites - then maybe. For a White Raven bardsader, most probably though.



Shifting Stance Defense:
When you shift between stances, you gain a modicum of defenses against the attacks of your foes.
Prerequisites: 2 Martial Stances.
Benefit: Whenever you shift from one stance to another you gain a +1 Luck bonus to AC and a +2 Luck bonus to Saving Throws for 1 round. It's... Meh. A low-level (3rd?) Initiator woud be happy with it, but since it doesn't scale and doesn't give any new options, it ties with Luck of Heroes (which doesn't need any actions to benefit from) and since you also need to shift to a different stance, it doesn't, for example, benefit a Crusader that much. Also, it doesn't scale.



Shifting Stance Offense:
When you shift between stances, you gain a slight edge in combat, striking harder and faster momentarily.
Prerequisites: 2 Martial Stances.
Benefit: Whenever you shift from one stance to another you gain a +1 Luck bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage.
That's a bit better than the above, but still weak-ish. I know it's basically two feats (Weapon Focus/Specialisation) but those are weak feats.

You know what would make these two feats better? Merging them into one. Call it Shifting Stance Style and allow the initiator to choose between Offense/Defense whenever they change their stance. And maybe make them scale.



Discipline Mastery
You are a master of a specific discipline gaining bonuses when you use maneuvers from it.
Prerequisites: 4 maneuvers from the chosen discipline, 12 ranks in its associated skill, 6 ranks in Martial Lore, Skill Focus in associated skill, Weapon Focus in one of its Discipline Weapons.
Benefit: When you take this feat select a single discipline you fulfill the prerequisites for. This feat grants a number of benefits with that discipline.
Whenever you use a Strike from the chosen discipline you deal additional damage equal to its level; if the maneuver allows for multiple attacks you must choose one before making the attack roll to this bonus damage.
Whenever you use a Boost from the chosen discipline you gain a bonus to saves and AC equal to 1 + 1/3rd the level of the boost used for 1 round.
Whenever you use a Counter from the chosen discipline you may use a single Boost from the chosen discipline as a free action on your next turn.
Whenever you are in a stance of the chosen discipline and begin your turn with no maneuvers unexpended you may recover one maneuver of your chosen discipline that you have not used since the start of your previous turn as a free action.
You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made as part of strikes of the chosen discipline, and a +2 to saving throws against maneuvers of the chosen discipline.
Special: You may not take this feat more than once, the devotion to a single discipline required is too strong to allow that.
Now, that's a feat I can say I really like. It has bit too steep prerequisites (Skill focus or Weapon Focus, choose one - really, martials, even Martial Initiators, need these precious feat slots), but the benefits are great. I'm on the fence if scalling with Initiator Level wouldn't be better - as it is, Martial Initiators already have little use of the low-level maneuvers, which is a bit sad. A good yardstick as for what a feat should be able to do, actually.



Discipline Study
Your devotion and study of your chosen discipline grants you a familiarity with all of its basic techniques.
Prerequisites: Discipline Mastery.
Benefit: You add all level 3 or lower disciplines from the discipline chosen for discipline mastery to your maneuvers known. You may not trade maneuvers gained this way for other maneuvers from level up or other purposes, but if you already knew a maneuver that is granted by this feat you may trade the version not granted by this feat as normal and will retain knowledge due to this feat if you do so; you do not immediately trade all low level maneuvers from the selected discipline for other maneuvers when you gain this feat.
In addition you gain a bonus maneuver readied which must be from your chosen discipline, and may spend a free action 1/encounter to replace an unexpended maneuver you have readied with a maneuver you know of the chosen discipline readying it in its place.
Definitely make Discipline Mastery scale with Initiator Level. These low-level maneuvers, when you can get the feat (12th level) have mostly (except all-around goodies like WRT or IHS) lost their flair so the big thing here is that this feat is equal to a couple Martial Studies AND an Extra Readied Maneuver AND grants a minor flexibility bonus. Well. I think it's okay as it is. It'd be immensely more powerful if it allowed for swapping the maneuvers upon taking it, though.



Discipline Grand Mastery
You are a true and absolute master of your chosen discipline.
Prerequisites: Discipline Mastery, Discipline Study, the 9th level maneuver of your chosen discipline, 20 ranks in the associated skill, 12 ranks in Martial Lore.
Benefit: You automatically succeed on saving throws against maneuvers of your chosen discipline. You gain a +4 bonus to Initiator Level with your chosen discipline. Whenever you use a maneuver of your chosen discipline you may refresh one maneuver of a lower level from it.
In addition you gain an additional bonus when using the 9th level maneuver of your chosen discipline (WiP)

Desert Wind: Fire damage as part of this maneuver ignores fire resistance and deals 1/2 damage to creatures immune to fire, or the radius is increased by 50% (chosen when used).
Devoted Spirit: Deal +8d6 damage.
Diamond Mind:
Iron Heart: Your critical threat range is doubled for the attack; this stacks with Keen or Improved Critical to triple your threat range.
Setting Sun:
Shadow Hand: You may add or subtract 5 from the roll to determine where the creeping shadow stries.
Stone Dragon: You deal 2d6 Strength damage as well.
Tiger Claw: A creature which survives this attack must make a second Fortitude save (same DC) or be stunned for 1 round.
White Raven: Charges made as part of this maneuver may pass through difficult terrain without being slowed or halted.
Adamant Eagle: Enemies which can see you suffer a -4 penalty to attacks and to the save DC of their abilities against other creatures for 1 round.
Crone's Hex: Target is shaken for 1 minute on a successful save (in addition to panicked for 1 round).
To be continued


I'd rather it applied to ALL the discipline maneuvers, scalling with the maneuver's level. I mean, it's THE feat chain capstone, you sacrificed five of your seven feats to do it, make it big. Especially Desert Wind needs that love.

[Zaydos]

The thing about Sublime Skill Focus is that you don't choose one Stance/Discipline, it works for any discipline you have a feat for (that's why it doesn't count as Skill Focus). So if you have stances from 3 disciplines, it is 3 situational Skill Focus feats. Now it has downsides, you need a stance from a discipline you want, you need stances from 2 or 3 disciplines for it to ever be worth it, but on the right character this is Skill Focus (Hide), Skill Focus (Jump), and Skill Focus (Tumble). I originally had it at a larger bonus, because I agree Skill Focus is too weak, but reduced it to where it wasn't strictly better than Skill Focus because it felt jarring to have it be strictly better (was originally going to be +4).

As for the shifting stance feats I think I need to either make them scale (because what you're trading i.e. a boost/counter gets better with level) or add an additional benefit if used multiple times in a row or a combination where the bonus increases for every X martial initiator levels you possess, or possibly just have them scale in duration (1 round + 1 round/4 IL); even then they'd not be great feats (one of them is Weapon Focus + Weapon Spec). I do like Xerlith's suggestion of merging the two feats.

Discipline Mastery had Skill Focus and Weapon Focus because it was 3 AM and I wanted to make it require a prereq feat, and Weapon Focus, and Weapon Focus didn't work as the prereq feat because Swordsages get it as an automatic bonus (technically they get the benefit, I'm just so used to ruling it as fulfilling prereqs I forgot that it's technically not 100% clear if it does); not saying it was a good reason (3 AM), but I'll drop Weapon Focus (but make the strike benefit only apply with discipline weapons). Sublime Skill Focus doesn't work because you don't pick a specific skill. I might still do it, though. I do think I'll change it to where it adds damage equal to the level of your highest level strike in that discipline because low level strikes are already rather weak, there are exceptions (Diamond Mind's tend to level well, while not keeping up with Full Attack, Emerald Razor + PA is worthwhile at high levels on a move if you aren't a charger, as can be Concentration check to damage/2x damage) but they aren't common enough to change that.

Discipline Study I didn't have allow swapping maneuvers immediately when taken because it does weird things to your power scaling. As a player I'd be woohoo. As someone who tends to DM I'd be leery allowing it if it did. It'll be best for Boost/Counter heavy disciplines, since those are much less likely to go out of style (Invisibility as a swift action doesn't work on all enemies but is great when it does, Concentration in place of save, Jump as swift action, etc). I might give it an additional benefit with 1st level strikes of the chosen discipline, since as a general rule those are completely outdated by that point (use them at-will is a possibility).

Discipline Grand Mastery... Desert Wind really just needs a feat that gives Searing Spell style effect. I do think I'll use RoyVG's suggestion, or a modified form of it, for Diamond Mind and potentially Setting Sun (have to read over Setting Sun's Lv 9 again, SS has always been my least favorite discipline for some reason).

[RoyVG]

The thing about Sublime Skill Focus is that you don't choose one Stance/Discipline, it works for any discipline you have a feat for (that's why it doesn't count as Skill Focus). So if you have stances from 3 disciplines, it is 3 situational Skill Focus feats. Now it has downsides, you need a stance from a discipline you want, you need stances from 2 or 3 disciplines for it to ever be worth it, but on the right character this is Skill Focus (Hide), Skill Focus (Jump), and Skill Focus (Tumble). I originally had it at a larger bonus, because I agree Skill Focus is too weak, but reduced it to where it wasn't strictly better than Skill Focus because it felt jarring to have it be strictly better (was originally going to be +4).

Wow, how did I read that so wrong... Probably due to the Discipline feats that require choosing a disipline ^^'.

Alright that makes the feat a bit better, having a +3 that moves around depending on your stances can be pretty good, depending on which stances of course. Desert Wind and Diamond Mind instantly spring to mind as their associated skills are pretty good skills themselves (Tumble) or have good synergy with the discipline (Concentration).