Ashtagon
2019-02-17, 04:28 PM
Overall Goals:
1) Create a series of "martial arts styles". For this purpose, a martial arts style is a "weapon" that a character can attack with, similar to the unarmed strike attack in that it does not require a specific manufactured tool to use. Their basic balance point should be along the lines of a "properly balanced" Exotic Weapon Proficiency, or to the 1st level monk's strike, which should be thought as in this model as simply one of many martial arts strikes.
2) Monk characters in effect, rather than get the RAW monk strike, get a free EWP feat in any one martial arts style.
3) As part of this scheme, there will be a series of feats, which represent advanced martial arts techniques. These feats may have prerequisites common to feats generally (e.g., skill ranks or BAB). In addition, they may require that the character be proficient (=have an EWP) in a martial arts style that has one or more of the tags listed below.
4) It is not intended that players be free to design martial arts styles. Instead, the GM should design (or re-fluff ones designed by others) those that will be available in their campaign, and the players should then be able to choose from a menu of pre-designed martial arts styles.
5) Non-monks should be able to choose a martial arts style as an EWP. However, the class features of the monk should interact with these martial arts styles in a way that synergises martial arts styles and monk levels. In particular, where the RAW monk class would get increased damage from their monk strike, they should instead get an increased damage die with any martial arts style they use.
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I'm considering a points-based approach for D&D 3.x similar to that presented in RPG Object's Blood and Fists.
We can consider the basic "unarmed strike" to be 1d3 bludgeoning damage with Non-Lethal (cannot inflict lethal damage), Finesse (interacts with Weapon Finesse feat), and Non-Threatening (treated as unarmed for purposes of threat ranges and attacks of opportunity) tags.
Important question: Would you allow a non-monk PC to kick (unarmed strike) if for some reason their arms were missing ("It's only a flesh wound!"), bound, or they simply wanted to TWF with a great sword and kicking for some mad reason? That is, would you consider the basic unarmed strike to have the "Any Limb" weapon quality?
The 1st level "monk strike" is 1d6 bludgeoning damage with Flexible Lethality (can choose lethal or non-lethal damage with no penalty), Finesse, and Any Limb (your monk strike can be used with any available limb).
Potentially, other tags available to the martial arts style (with points costs) would be as follows. These would modify the basic "monk strike" martial arts style.
Limb Choice
Any Limb (0): You may attack with your martial arts style as long as any one limb (arm or leg) is available to strike with.
Fist Only (-1): You may only strike with your hands. If your only available weapon is your feet (kicking), you may make unarmed strikes, but you are considered unarmed for purposes of attack of opportunity and threatened areas.
Kick Only (-1): You may only strike if you have both legs free and unrestricted. This means, for example, you can't attack with your martial arts style if you are prone or one of your legs is otherwise restrained. If your legs are restrained and you do not have a manufactured weapon in hand, you are considered unarmed for purposes of attack of opportunity and threatened areas.
Lethality
Flexible Lethality (0): You may choose to inflict lethal or non-lethal damage as you wish, with no penalty to the attack roll.
Non-Lethal (-1): Your martial arts style can only inflict non-lethal damage.
Ability Score
Non-Finesse (-1): You use Strength or Dexterity as the modifier for your attack rolls. This choice is made when the martial arts style is designed.
Finesse (0): If you have the Weapon Finesse feat, you may choose to use either your Strength or Dexterity modifier for your attack rolls.
Alternate Ability Score (1): You use Wisdom or Charisma as the modifier for your attack rolls. This choice is made when the martial arts style is designed.
Claw Strike (1): You may choose to inflict Bludgeoning, Slashing, or Piercing damage with your unarmed strike, as you choose.
Disarm (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to disarm if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice.
Grapple (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to grapple if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice. (n.b., this is not compatible with the Kick Only option.)
Trip (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to trip if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice.
Dodge (1): You gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against melee attacks while using your martial arts style. This can be taken multiple times.
Hard Strike (1): Your damage die goes up one step (e.g., from 1d6 to 1d8). This can be taken multiple times.
Vital Strike (1): You threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19-20 instead of 20. This can be taken twice (to threaten on 18-20).
(I considered adding Feint to the martial arts style options, but the RAW version of feint is very much designed to interact with sneak attack, so is a bit of a red herring when designing a martial arts style, even for those styles that do feature misdirection. Although B&F has skills as integral parts of its martial arts design system, since those aren't things used directly in a "weapon", they feel inappropriate as integral parts of the 'weapon' part of the martial art; rather, they would be things a character dedicated to the martial art would study in addition to the martial art itself.)
Is this worth developing further?
1) Create a series of "martial arts styles". For this purpose, a martial arts style is a "weapon" that a character can attack with, similar to the unarmed strike attack in that it does not require a specific manufactured tool to use. Their basic balance point should be along the lines of a "properly balanced" Exotic Weapon Proficiency, or to the 1st level monk's strike, which should be thought as in this model as simply one of many martial arts strikes.
2) Monk characters in effect, rather than get the RAW monk strike, get a free EWP feat in any one martial arts style.
3) As part of this scheme, there will be a series of feats, which represent advanced martial arts techniques. These feats may have prerequisites common to feats generally (e.g., skill ranks or BAB). In addition, they may require that the character be proficient (=have an EWP) in a martial arts style that has one or more of the tags listed below.
4) It is not intended that players be free to design martial arts styles. Instead, the GM should design (or re-fluff ones designed by others) those that will be available in their campaign, and the players should then be able to choose from a menu of pre-designed martial arts styles.
5) Non-monks should be able to choose a martial arts style as an EWP. However, the class features of the monk should interact with these martial arts styles in a way that synergises martial arts styles and monk levels. In particular, where the RAW monk class would get increased damage from their monk strike, they should instead get an increased damage die with any martial arts style they use.
----
I'm considering a points-based approach for D&D 3.x similar to that presented in RPG Object's Blood and Fists.
We can consider the basic "unarmed strike" to be 1d3 bludgeoning damage with Non-Lethal (cannot inflict lethal damage), Finesse (interacts with Weapon Finesse feat), and Non-Threatening (treated as unarmed for purposes of threat ranges and attacks of opportunity) tags.
Important question: Would you allow a non-monk PC to kick (unarmed strike) if for some reason their arms were missing ("It's only a flesh wound!"), bound, or they simply wanted to TWF with a great sword and kicking for some mad reason? That is, would you consider the basic unarmed strike to have the "Any Limb" weapon quality?
The 1st level "monk strike" is 1d6 bludgeoning damage with Flexible Lethality (can choose lethal or non-lethal damage with no penalty), Finesse, and Any Limb (your monk strike can be used with any available limb).
Potentially, other tags available to the martial arts style (with points costs) would be as follows. These would modify the basic "monk strike" martial arts style.
Limb Choice
Any Limb (0): You may attack with your martial arts style as long as any one limb (arm or leg) is available to strike with.
Fist Only (-1): You may only strike with your hands. If your only available weapon is your feet (kicking), you may make unarmed strikes, but you are considered unarmed for purposes of attack of opportunity and threatened areas.
Kick Only (-1): You may only strike if you have both legs free and unrestricted. This means, for example, you can't attack with your martial arts style if you are prone or one of your legs is otherwise restrained. If your legs are restrained and you do not have a manufactured weapon in hand, you are considered unarmed for purposes of attack of opportunity and threatened areas.
Lethality
Flexible Lethality (0): You may choose to inflict lethal or non-lethal damage as you wish, with no penalty to the attack roll.
Non-Lethal (-1): Your martial arts style can only inflict non-lethal damage.
Ability Score
Non-Finesse (-1): You use Strength or Dexterity as the modifier for your attack rolls. This choice is made when the martial arts style is designed.
Finesse (0): If you have the Weapon Finesse feat, you may choose to use either your Strength or Dexterity modifier for your attack rolls.
Alternate Ability Score (1): You use Wisdom or Charisma as the modifier for your attack rolls. This choice is made when the martial arts style is designed.
Claw Strike (1): You may choose to inflict Bludgeoning, Slashing, or Piercing damage with your unarmed strike, as you choose.
Disarm (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to disarm if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice.
Grapple (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to grapple if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice. (n.b., this is not compatible with the Kick Only option.)
Trip (1): You get a +2 bonus on attempts to trip if you are able to use your martial arts style. This can be taken twice.
Dodge (1): You gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against melee attacks while using your martial arts style. This can be taken multiple times.
Hard Strike (1): Your damage die goes up one step (e.g., from 1d6 to 1d8). This can be taken multiple times.
Vital Strike (1): You threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19-20 instead of 20. This can be taken twice (to threaten on 18-20).
(I considered adding Feint to the martial arts style options, but the RAW version of feint is very much designed to interact with sneak attack, so is a bit of a red herring when designing a martial arts style, even for those styles that do feature misdirection. Although B&F has skills as integral parts of its martial arts design system, since those aren't things used directly in a "weapon", they feel inappropriate as integral parts of the 'weapon' part of the martial art; rather, they would be things a character dedicated to the martial art would study in addition to the martial art itself.)
Is this worth developing further?