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jjordan
2019-10-14, 05:39 PM
Self-scrubbing for reasons.

GalacticAxekick
2019-10-14, 06:15 PM
Let's say they possess a feature similar to the Abjurer's Arcane Ward. Whenever the martial artist uses its action to Dash, Disengage or Dodge, it can use its bonus action to replenish a pool of hit points equal to its Strength or Dexterity modifier + two times its level/hit dice.

Whenever the artist is hit by an attack or is damaged by an effect that demands a Dexterity saving throw, they can choose for the pool to take the damage instead. When the pool is reduced to 0 hot points, the artist takes any remaining damage.

Advanced artists can use this pool to defend nearby targets.

More advanced practitioners can use it to end certain conditions (Grappled, Restrained, Stunned)

And the most advanced can take this bonus action after any action, allowing them to attack or cast spells while defending.

sandmote
2019-10-15, 07:29 PM
Galactic's description matches my (limited) understanding of aikido fairly well, but the description of the fight between A and B looks much closer to Judo to me.

I'd maybe make a subclass that gets bonus reactions or a number equal to their wisdom modifier whenever they use the dodge action. When a creature makes a melee attack roll and misses, the character can use one of their bonus reactions in response, dealing damage equal to half the damage dice of the attack (rounded up). That's 1d4 against someone wielding a club, but more against PCs and giants.

LibraryOgre
2019-10-16, 12:54 PM
I would go with a feat.

Something like

Fantasy Aikido
When taking the Dodge action, you gain two benefits
1) You may add your Wisdom bonus to your AC for the duration of the dodge. This does not stack for Monks.
2) If the attack against you is made with disadvantage, and both dice miss, you may make a free unarmed attack (or with this small list of weapons that is appropriate) against your attacker.

This is probably a bit weak for a feat, so maybe make it a half feat and throw in a +1 to Wisdom.

jjordan
2019-10-16, 01:54 PM
I would go with a feat.What's your reasoning on using a feat? I'm curious.

LibraryOgre
2019-10-16, 04:27 PM
What's your reasoning on using a feat? I'm curious.

It's an expansion on a standard action available to everyone... i.e. "Everyone can dodge; these folks have some special bonuses if they do dodge." As a feat, it is available to everyone; you might make it a racial ability, instead. I wouldn't go so far as to make it a background feature.

An alternate to my suggestion of the Wisdom bonus? Add the proficiency bonus. It would make it still wholly useful for monks, and might qualify as a full feat, then.

sandmote
2019-10-16, 05:03 PM
Still brainstorming. Liking these suggestions.

Dodge is the basis and is the proficient level:
All attacks at disadvantage IF the defender can see them.
All dexterity saving throws at advantage.

My 'fantasy aikido' experts would also be able to:
Allow melee attackers to do minor injury to themselves as a reaction

Maybe use a mechanism where the expert has to make a skill check where the DC equals the attack roll in order to allow the damage to be inflicted? I saw that mechanism elsewhere and liked it.

Damage amounts? Just keep it simple with a 1d4 rather than trying to scale? Allow the expert to trip instead? Trip also? Am I stepping on an existing feat here? Battlemaster? The skill check looks like a good idea, just so the damage isn't automatic. Adding advantage of dex saves also looks reasonable.

My concern is allowing all of these abilities at once, for the same reason the college of satire hasn't been officially published.


What's your reasoning on using a feat? I'm curious. I mean, you've got three options: a race, a subclass, or a feat. I don't think you want an entire race for this, just so it's tied a society specifically. So you can either have most of the society able to do this via a feat, or you can make the effect significantly strong via a subclass.

sandmote
2019-10-16, 08:42 PM
I'm thinking skill so I can have two tiers. BUT.... that's not really the 5e model.

With a skill model I could do something like:

EDIT - My oldest child, the rules lawyer, savaged my first draft of this post. But he suggested changes.


Fantasy Aikido (Really need a better name. The Willow's Way? Water Mind?)

Skill - Dexterity
-Characters who are proficient may take the dodge action as a bonus action against melee attacks they can see.
-Characters who are expert may take the dodge action as a reaction against melee attacks they can see. The character may push/trip OR let the attacker inflict 1d4 points of damage upon their self if their attack is unsuccessful.

So, I've improved dodge against melee attacks by allowing it to be used as a bonus and a reaction. But only against melee attacks they can see.

This seems to do pretty much what I want. I'm not sure it balances, though. And I'm not sure the way I've structured it fits in with the rest of the mechanics of the game.

In this case, I'd make a "Deflection" skill, that can be used in combat by characters who aren't holding a two-handed weapon or an object in each hand ("has a hand free," allows two handed weapons).


Before a creature you can see makes an attack roll targeting you, you can make a contested roll vs the creature's initial attack roll to impose disadvantage on the roll (with the other creature rolling one additional die). If you succeed on the roll by 5 or more, you also trip the opponent or force them to take their weapon's damage (your choice)?

The downside is of course that every player will be making this roll at least once per round. However, it is much more likely to be useful when you have proficiency or expertise and can succeed against attacks rolls that weren't guaranteed to miss anyway.

If you want the effect to be that small it could also be a Fighting Style, just to stop every character from using this every round. Maybe then write a monk subclass that gets a fighting style at 3rd level and additional ideas reflecting aikido (like advantage to Dex saves when dodging, which monks can do as a bonus action). So you have fighters, rangers, paladins, and swords bards with this fighting style, and a second tier of monks with the additional abilities.

Anymage
2019-10-17, 05:32 AM
As a skill, it faces the fact that very few skills have combat application. You have Stealth (get surprise), Perception (don't get surprised), and maybe Investigation (don't let that trap surprise you) have some application, and notably the first two are top tier. Making it a skill complicates the matter slightly (who gets fantasy aikido on their skill list?), but makes it a must for free skill picks.

My thinking is that at low levels of the skill, it should be a negligible addition to combat potential. Fighters will still aim to grapple or disarm, casters will want to use nonlethal spells, and everybody would prefer to knock people out at 0HP over killing them. Your fighters and wizards spent most of their time learning class skills, not unarmed combat techniques.

People who have chosen to devote themselves to fantasy aikido would fall under the game's default heading for unarmed combatants, monks. A tradition feature that allows you to counterattack any creature who attacks and misses you while you're dodging doesn't sound too out of line. (Using your reaction at low levels, potentially actionless as your tradition capstone.) Again, remember that characters can chose to knock out an enemy instead of killing it at zero HP. Monks get to be supernaturally skilled as they level up, so doing unarmed attack damage is reasonable. (You can also allow these monks to do less than full damage if they want to, in order to teach someone a lesson without knocking them out. Pulling your punches is very much a minor ribbon.) It isn't a perfect match for RL aikido, but it's a decently simplified abstraction for ease of gameplay.

You do run into the dwarven defender problem here; being able to punish anyone who attacks you while you're in defensive stance is all well and good, but doesn't do much if the enemies will just walk around you to attack your allies. You'll need to devote your other features to being able to protect your allies as well.

LibraryOgre
2019-10-17, 11:43 AM
Fantasy Aikido (Really need a better name. The Willow's Way? Water Mind?)
Feat - Dexterity
Characters with this feat may, while not holding any weapons, take the dodge action as a reaction against melee attacks they can see. The character may make a contested dexterity roll vs the attacker's attack roll. If the character succeeds by three points or more they may shove/trip the attacker. If they succeed by five or more points they may also let the attacker inflict 1d4 points of damage upon their self.


I'm confused about the last sentence. As I read it, if the defense succeeds by 5 points... you get the option of taking 1d4 points of damage?

A reword of this, if you're making it an NPC Feature.

The Willow's Way*
Characters with this feat may, while not holding any weapons, take the dodge action as a reaction against a melee attack they can see. Additionally, the character may make a contested dexterity roll vs the attacker's attack roll. If the character succeeds by three points or more, they may shove/trip the attacker. If they succeed by five or more points, they may also make an unarmed strike against the attacker.

*I like this, because they bend like the willow... and have a chance of whipping them like a willow switch.