Working on a Brawler archetype...

[Ponderthought]

Hey playground, long time no see. Ill get straight to the point on this one. My group usually avoids the Advanced Class Guide, as a couple of us feel that while interesting, the classes therein are not particularly well put together. However, i've always had a soft sort for the Brawler, with it's opportunities to be an effective unarmed fighter without the monks spiritual focus. I just kind of hate Martial Flexibility. It's...well, it's boring. Steal a feat to use for a minute. Later, use more at the same time.

So I'm trying to think up an archetype that would replace Martial Flexibility with something abit more interesting, but im not particularly good at writing up crunch. So I figured i'd come ask you guys to help me design the Finishing (or Signature) Moves class feature, which is shamelessly inspired by the signature moves of professional wrestling.

What I'm thinking is, this ability should allow the player to create a signature move that requires a situational set-up to balance it. So, say, from a grapple, the character could preform something like a Ten Ton Suplex, that would exit the grapple and do a set amount of damage, or inflict some kind of unpleasant circumstance on the victim, possibly Intimidating any enemies that witnessed it or providing a morale bonus to the character or their allies. Similar variants could operate with other statuses, like some form of elbow drop on prone enemies.

So what do you guys think? Have any ideas about how we could build this?

[Sayt]

Are you familiar with Dreadfox Games' Swordsman 3pp class? The class has a mechanic where it learns a number of openers, sequiters and finishers which chain into each other. It might be a good place to harvest some inspiration.

[Ponderthought]

Oh really? I'll have to check that out, it sounds awesome.

[Aergoth]

Depending on how much you want to avoid gish-y-ness you could nab tricks from the qigong monk. On the other hand, what about rage powers?
You might also consider the style feats (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/Feats.aspx?Category=Style) (some of them are pretty cool) and the weapon mastery feats (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/Feats.aspx?Category=WeaponMastery) they released (not the requirements because those things are taxed so heavily you'd think they were cigarettes in new zealand)

[sengmeng]

I think that it would be kind of unique and flavorful to have a pain and rage fueled unarmed brawler who does not have improved unarmed strike, so he provokes attacks of opportunity, but the damage makes him stronger/fuels signature moves. I also made a martial discipline that had most of its moves linked to being done from the prone or ending in the prone, so they could be chained in creative ways. You could come up with some kind of stance system too, that has moves that can only be done from certain stances and some of the moves change your stance as part of the move, like the stupidly complicated characters in some fighting games.