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View Full Version : Pathfinder Kenshi & Void Hawk, a PoW based base class & martial discipline



ThatMoonGuy
2019-10-14, 11:15 AM
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Vagabond.jpg

"Think only about your art" - Musashi, from Vagabond


Link to the class and Discipline: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-tzwiRS7lyVBYR5G9bXi5UjZNSfvZ4GbfZv9R-Lqy4Q/edit?usp=sharing

I've always loved Tome of Battle and Path of War even more than it and have been playing with those subsystems for a few years now. I've made tons of characters (PC & NPC) using those rules but I've always felt like I was missing something. There was no Wisdom based full initiator with full BAB class save for an Archetype for the Warder. This struck me as odd. The image of the wandering warrior seeking the truth by way of the blade is perhaps one of the most classic ones in martial arts fiction and while Warlord does well in the 'duelist of fame' aspect, no class quite captures the feeling of the lone wandering master. Think someone like Zatoichi or Miyamoto Musashi in his late years - no longer a brash youn man seeking fame in wars, but the warrior philosopher who sought to reach the Void. Thus, after asking the developers if there was any particular reason for there being no class like that, I decided to take upon myself to write it.

As such, I began developing the class, which I called Kenshi, a few months ago and have been testing it in a few combat scenarios and in some lone adventures. The idea is for it to be a T3 striker class with some versatility.

My core goals in while designing the class were as follows:


To make an effective combat class focused on single, powerful strikes
To give it some level of out of combat utility
To make it customisable from the get go, even before feats, multiclassing and archetypes


From my standpoint, the class has at least somewhat reached a point of good balance although some specific builds may be (very) hard hitting even at low levels (Str. based builds with high crit multiplier weapons are rather strong, although I'm not sure if TOO strong).

Beyond the class, I've also inclued on the file the Void Hawk Martial Discipline which discipline leans heavily towards counters, attacks of oportunity and insight bonuses. I've designed Void Hawk with the image of zen style of combat in mind - waiting for the enemy to make a mistake and then severely punishing it for it. Damage output is intentionally lower than other disciplines, being well behind the big hitters like Primal Fury or Thrashing Dragon.

Finally, I've included a few feats related to the class and discipline which, I hope, complement them well enough. I'll keep making tests on my side but would really appreciate outside input. There's only so much one can do based on his own perception, after all.

P.S: Some of the wording for Maneuvers, Maneuvers Known and Stances were taken straight from PoW classes. I didn't intend to change them too much and hope this isn't an issue.