Alternative system to ToB - Expanding Tactical Feats

[jseah]

After reading the first three pages of the ToB Flavour thread, I note one interesting objection to ToB, in that it is basically like spells but not magic.

Well, I don't mind ToB (but people familiar with me will know I don't mind a lot of things) but an alternative occurred to me.

Give melee a set of... moves. Or heck, call it maneuvers since ToB use obsoletes this.
Each move allows a special set of actions, but has specific environmental requirements. All of them can be used at will. Make learning require BaB or a martial-type feat, and learn it off a martial scroll/book.

Basically, these would give physical attackers more combat options and yet keep the flavour of no-supernatural.
They aren't very powerful, but they are still more powerful than basic charges, balanced by them being situational, making physical combat more about achieving a situational advantage than dps.

Eg.
Fencer's Advance
Learning: Improved Disarm
Environment: You are weilding a bladed weapon suitable for weapon finesse, target enemy is within 1 move action, no more than 1 size category different from you and wielding a bladed weapon that can be disarmed.
Action: Move + Standard
Description:
You step into your enemy's reach and lock blades for a second before throwing his away and pushing him back.

Move into your enemy's square without provoking AoOs, then make a disarm attempt at +4 bonus. If you succeed, your enemy drops one bladed weapon of your choice in an adjacent (or this) square of your choice and moves back 5ft in the opposite direction that you last moved in.

Leap Off Walls
Learning: BaB +1
Environment: You are adjacent to a wall or solid barrier that you can push off, you are not fatigued/exhausted and you are weilding a weapon suitable for power attack, target object is within 1 move action
Action: Standard
Description:
You push off the wall behind you in a powerful leap and land a blow on your enemy.

Make a jump check to jump to a square rom which that you will have reach to your target, only your starting square provokes attacks of opportunity for moving. You count as having a running start for this check.
Make one attack at the end of that jump, the first 4 points of power attack incur no penalty. (the limit is still your BaB)

[Frosty]

So they're sort of like Tactical Feats.

[Amiria]

Interesting idea, but not original.

It seems very similar to the Combat Maneuvres in the Conan D20 RPG. The Combat Maneuvres have prerequisites like BAB, aiblity scores, feats and class features (not all, sometimes only one, like BAB +1). Some are very easy to get like Aim, Dance Aside, and Force Back; others are more advanced like Decapitating Slash, Kip Up and Pantherish Twist.

Maybe they have similar stuff in Iron Heroes or Pathfinder ? I don't know.

[jseah]

So they're sort of like Tactical Feats.

Tactical Feats?

*Googles*

Hmm, looks like someone else already had my idea. XD

Perhaps then the feats could be expanded more? Especially since I don't see much of it involving the environment.

**************

Sigh, this is what I get for not reading my books, I have Complete Warrior. Imagine that. >.<

[Nero24200]

I've toyed with an idea like this, making manuevers avaliable to all martial classes equally. It would certinaly work better to integrate manuevers into a game. However, how it applies can always add complication.

Having said that, it does have a degree of merit. I'd go for a slightly simpiler approach though...and say...give 1 manuever every time you have an odd BAB (so 1 manuever at 1st level for martial chaarcters, then another at 3rd, anotehr at 5th etc).

Admittidly, this could cause other problems. For instance, one personal gripe I have with TOB manuevers is, unlike abilities like tripping/disarming, they can't be used at all unless you know it. I liked that, even if not specialised in tripping/disarming, you can still attempt them anyway. To this end, I might make certain manuevers (like your jumping off the wall idea) avaliable to all, but simply much less effective/harder to pull off without the appropraite ability.

[jseah]

To this end, I might make certain manuevers (like your jumping off the wall idea) avaliable to all, but simply much less effective/harder to pull off without the appropraite ability.

You could remove the numerical bonuses. Like attempting fencer's disarm without having learnt it would not give the +4 disarm, but would allow the other bits like no AoOs and push back.

The idea also came from my thinking about how to adjudicate what a particular player in my 4E group last year kept doing.
He liked climbing into a tree and leaping out of it. It would be easy to adjudicate in this system by making another maneuver... say:

Height Advantage
Learning: None
Requirement: You are at least your reach+5ft above your target's height, you are on a plane with normal or stronger gravity, you attack with a melee weapon
Description:
You leap down from your position and hit your target with a heavy blow, knocking them back.

Drop from your position towards your enemy's square, making a normal jump check to reach it if needed. You take falling damage if applicable, your target also takes this damage regardless of whether your attack hits. You get a bonus to hit and deal bonus damage equal to your weight (including equiment) in pounds divided by 20.
Your enemy is moved out of your square and both of you fall prone.