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sirpercival
2017-07-24, 06:47 PM
PROXIMATE ZENITH

Image! (http://img10.deviantart.net/a105/i/2010/284/7/7/space_ninja_by_ijur-d30j20q.jpg)

Stolen wholesale from TheDementedOne:

Epic Martial Disciplines

Epic martial disciplines are the fighting styles of the most powerful warriors and swordsmen in all creation. Powerful secret techniques wielded by gods, archfiends, and epic heroes, they represent the absolute pinnacle of the Sublime Way.

Learning Epic Martial Disciplines
Every epic discipline has an epic feat associated with it, called an initiation feat. Once an epic character has taken the initiation feat of a discipline, he gains the ability to learn the maneuvers of that epic discipline. Unlike normal maneuvers, epic maneuvers must be learned individually–each one has a unique XP cost and training time to learn. Learning even a single epic maneuver is an arduous quest for the mightiest of heroes, as they must seek out a master of the discipline to learn it from. Such beings include deities, demon princes, and things far more strange. Without such a mentor, the training time required to learn an epic maneuver is doubled–and even then, the pinnacle maneuver of an epic discipline can never be learned without a mentor. As with normal martial maneuvers, a martial adept must meet certain prerequisite number of maneuvers known from the same discipline to learn epic maneuvers. Each discipline has a single “pinnacle” maneuver, one that requires all other maneuvers of the discipline to be learned before it can be mastered.

Using Epic Maneuvers
Epic maneuvers are readied and initiated differently than normal maneuvers. Whenever a martial adept readies his maneuvers, he may choose a single epic martial discipline to ready for that day. Doing so readies all epic maneuvers of that discipline that he has learned. They do not count towards his normal maneuvers readied. Each readied epic maneuver can be initiated once per encounter–they cannot be recovered by any means. The martial adept may enter epic stances of his readied discipline as if they were normal martial stances, save that no ability or effect can ever allow him to gain the benefits of any other or second stance at the same time as he gains the benefits of an epic stance. Epic maneuvers do not have a level, but are treated as being of 10th level for all purposes. The saving throw against an epic maneuver has a DC of 20 + the listed ability modifier, although many epic maneuvers list ways in which their DC can be increased. All epic maneuvers are extraordinary abilities, unless otherwise listed.

Flavor text TBD...

Key Skill: Knowledge (Geography)
Discipline Weapons: Cutlass, Polearms, Spear, Jovar

Cosmic Abyss [Epic, Initiation]
You have looked into the deep void between worlds, and found a home there.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (Geography) 24 ranks, Martial Lore 24 ranks, must be capable of initiating 9th-level maneuvers from any one discipline.
Benefit: You no longer need to breathe, and therefore are immune to drowning, suffocation, and attacks that require inhalation (such as some types of poison). You also suffer no penalties to attacks or skill checks due to the Heavy or Light Gravity traits, and automatically succeed on the Wisdom check to to change the direction of gravity in regions with the Subjective Gravitational Gravity trait. In addition, you take no falling damage due to the Reverse Gravity spell, or similar effects which alter gravity. Finally, you may learn maneuvers from the Proximate Zenith discipline.

Maneuvers:
All of these maneuvers are supernatural abilities unless indicated otherwise.

Embrace the Void
Proximate Zenith (Strike)
Initiation Action: Full-round action
Range: Melee attack
Target: Attacked creature(s)
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 20,000 XP
Training Time: 10 days

You become as empty and vast as the space between worlds. When you initiate this maneuver, make a full attack against one or more enemies. For this full attack, your height is multiplied by 4 and your weight by 64, increasing your size by 4 categories, and altering your space, reach, and size bonus to AC and attacks as normal. You also gain a +32 bonus to Strength, a -6 penalty to Dexterity, and a +12 bonus to Constitution for the duration of the full attack, and your equipment changes in size with you (increasing the base damage die size of your weapons as normal).

Any creatures occupying the squares into which you expand can choose either to be automatically overrun (ending up prone inside your space), or automatically bull-rushed in a straight line away from you to a new square adjacent to your enlarged space. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity due to this effect from such opponents in any case, and do not need to make a Strength check to bull-rush or overrun them.

If insufficient room is available for your desired growth, you attain the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using your increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If the Strength check fails, you are constrained without harm by the materials enclosing you.

After you complete the full attack, your size returns to normal, but any creatures whom you overran or bull-rushed remain in their new positions.

Harnessed Wormhole
Proximate Zenith (Boost) [Teleportation]
Prerequisite: 1 Proximate Zenith maneuver
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days

You open a portal in front of you, bridging the intervening space between you and your enemies. Until the beginning of your next turn, you can treat any 5’ square at any range as if it is in your threatened area, allowing you to make melee attacks (and possibly attacks of opportunity) against creatures in that square, if any. You need not have line of sight or line of effect to a space to target it, but if you cannot see the square, you suffer a miss chance to attack any creatures in it, as normal. You can change the target square as a free action during your turn at any time, which allows you to (for example) spread multiple attacks in a full attack action between any target squares. You can change target squares when it is not your turn, but you must spend an immediate action to do so. Any effects you produce which affect an area can be centered on any square you target with this ability, but you are automatically included in the effect’s area.

At any time during this effect, you can discharge it as an immediate action to teleport to the current target square. You suffer any effects of teleporting into that space (such as falling damage if it cannot support your weight) as normal, and if the space is occupied, you are shunted to the nearest open space instead, and suffer 1d6 damage for every 5 feet that you have been shunted.

Mutable Gravity
Proximate Zenith (Stance)
Prerequisite: 1 Proximate Zenith maneuver
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days

When you enter this stance, you gain unparalleled control of gravity as it applies to you. This grants you a fly speed of 150 feet, with perfect maneuverability. In addition, while in this stance, you can spend an immediate action at any time to redirect a ranged attack made against you at another target within 90 feet, using the same attack roll. If the attack is successful, resolve it against the new target as normal, and you gain an additional immediate action, which can only be used to redirect another ranged attack with this stance; even if you do not use any additional immediate actions granted by this stance, you still lose your swift action on your next turn as normal. If instead the redirected attack misses the new target, the attack fails, and you gain no additional immediate actions.

Sudden Horizon
Proximate Zenith (Counter) [Transmutation]
Prerequisite: 1 Proximate Zenith maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: 5 ft
Target: You and one attacking creature adjacent to you
Duration: See text.
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days

In response to an attacker, you increase your density beyond reason, warping gravity (and the laws of nature). Initiate this maneuver in response to a melee attack against you. You pull the attacking opponent into your space, and you and the target are instantly grappling (negating the attack, though the target may use any additional attacks it has in the round to attempt to escape the grapple). You do not provoke an attack of opportunity and need not make a check to initiate a grapple, but a creature affected by Freedom of Movement or similar effects may make a Reflex save (DC 20 + your key ability modifier) to avoid being grappled; if successful, resolve their original attack as normal.

The duration of this maneuver ends as soon as the grapple does. You gain a bonus to any grapple checks made while this maneuver is in effect equal to your initiator level. In addition, each round that you pin your opponent, you automatically deal 3d8 bludgeoning damage (for a Medium creature - increase or decrease this as if it were a natural weapon if you are a different size category) to the opponent.

Vacuum Shock
Proximate Zenith (Strike)
Prerequisite: 1 Proximate Zenith maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: Attacked creature
Duration: 3 rounds; see text
XP Cost: 30,000 XP
Training Time: 15 days

Your attack removes all the air from your opponent's surroundings (and lungs). As part of initiating this maneuver, make a single melee attack against your opponent; if successful, the attack deals +6d6 bludgeoning damage, and all the air in your target's space is immediately expelled. The vacuum travels with the target (even if it teleports away, or moves in some other manner), and lasts for 3 rounds. This has several effects; the target suffers from any which apply:
The target is deafened for the duration. Since this is an effect of the surrounding atmosphere instead of a change in the target itself, this affects creatures with a natural or extraordinary immunity to deafness; however, targets who are immune to being deafened due to a supernatural ability or spell effect are immune to the deafness caused by this maneuver.
The target is affected by silence, as the spell. In addition to the normal effects of silence, the target cannot cast any spells or use any spell-like or supernatural abilities with the [Air] descriptor.
If the target is a creature with the [Air] subtype, it must make a Fortitude save (DC equal to half the damage dealt) or immediately die.
If the target breathes, it must make a Fortitude save at the same DC or begin to suffocate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#suffocation). The target may make an additional Fortitude save during each further round of the duration, at the same DC, to end the suffocation and return to consciousness, in which case it returns to half its normal maximum hit points or however many hit points it had before the suffocation, whichever is less. A breathing creature who fails all three Fortitude saves dies due to suffocation at the end of the duration.
If the target does not need to breathe, it does not suffocate, but must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + your key ability modifier) or be stunned for 1 round, or dazed for 1 round on a successful save.

In addition, while affected by the vacuum, a creature wearing armor and/or carrying items (such as weapons or a shield) which are significantly made of metal, or a creature whose surface is significantly made of metal, is affected by vacuum-welding. A target whose external surface (such as skin or worn armor) is made significantly of metal is entangled. Any held items significantly made of metal stick to each other, making them impossible to use effectively, and the target's metallic surface (if applicable), making them impossible to drop or put down. A creature affected by Freedom of Movement or a similar effect gains a Reflex save (DC 20 + your key ability modifier) to avoid being affected by vacuum-welding, which otherwise lasts for 1d4+3 rounds.

Rampant Nova
Proximate Zenith [Light]
Prerequisite: 2 Proximate Zenith maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: See text
Target: See text
Area: See text
Duration: 5 rounds; see text
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days

Light from you vanishes, then spills from you in an increasing flood. You become invisible, as per the greater invisibility spell, for the duration, and any creature which attempts to see you with see invisibility, true seeing, or similar effects must make a caster level check opposed by your initiator level check to do so.

In addition, on each subsequent round, the effect increases. Starting at the beginning of your turn in the second round, any creature which sees the square you occupy must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + your key ability modifier) or be permanently blinded, as per the blindness/deafness spell. Starting at the beginning of your turn on the third round, all melee attacks you make deal +4d6 damage, or +8d6 damage against undead, fungi, mold, oozes, slimes, and any other creature which is particularly vulnerable to bright light, for the duration.

Starting at the beginning of your turn on the fourth round, something happens...

During the 5th round, any creature within 10 feet per initiator level, or who approaches to within that distance, takes 25d6 damage, or double damage to undead, fungi, mold, oozes, slimes, and any other creature which is particularly vulnerable to bright light; affected creatures can make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + your key ability modifier) for half damage.

TBD
Proximate Zenith (Counter)
Prerequisite: 2 Proximate Zenith maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action action
Range: TBD
Target: TBD
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days

TBD

TBD
Proximate Zenith (Rush)
Prerequisite: 2 Proximate Zenith maneuvers
Initiation Action: Move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
XP Cost: 45,000 XP
Training Time: 20 days

TBD

TBD
Proximate Zenith (Strike) [Pinnacle]
Prerequisite: 8 Proximate Zenith maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: TBD
Target: TBD
Duration: TBD
XP Cost: 100,000 XP
Training Time: 50 days

TBD

sirpercival
2017-07-24, 06:48 PM
Reserved just in case. Still need the 4th-round ability for Rampant Nova, as well as 3 more maneuvers. Ideas?

Hugh Mann
2017-12-18, 02:33 AM
How about a strike that lets you change a target's direction of gravity? So that they suddenly start falling into the sky or into trees.
Sure falling rules don't do that much damage at this level, but it can have a lot of utility. You could make it so that one would be able to use massive creatures or objects as projectiles.

It would have to be a temporary effect, and there would have to be some clause that hinders people that are flying (perhaps that they anyone without a perfect fly speed get disoriented by the sudden change and they keep falling until they make a balance or tumble check as a standard action)