[Combat Action and Feat] Parry... and riposte! - Version 2

[Bryn]

I'm sure it's been done. Many times, in all probability. Chances are, it's in a WotC book and I'm not aware of it. Still, I thought I'd have a go at my own rules for parries and ripostes for my upcoming swashbuckling campaign. And... yes, I have just been fencing, why do you ask?

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Z-Axis's Parry and Riposte Rules... Version 2

The Parry Action
As an immediate action, you may attempt to block an opponent's attack with your own weapon. After the opponent has rolled their attack roll, but before the result of the attack is known, you may declare an attempt to parry. Roll an attack at your highest attack bonus, taking a -4 penalty. If it is equal to or greater than your opponent's attack, you successfully parry the blow and it does not hit.

You take an additional -2 on the roll if your opponent's weapon is two-handed, and another -2 for each size category the opponent's weapon is larger than yours.

If you fight defensively, you gain a +2 bonus on your parry attempt. If you take the total defence action, you gain a +4 bonus on your parry attempt.
If you successfully parry an attack from a foe you threaten, the foe provokes an attack of opportunity that you can take as normal if you have any attacks of opportunity remaining.

You may not parry with a whip.

You may not parry if you are denied your dexterity bonus to armour class.

You may not parry an attack of opportunity that you have provoked.

Feat: Improved Parry
You are skilled at blocking your enemies' attacks, and you are able to hold them open so your allies also have a chance to attack.
Prerequisites:
Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Effect:
You no longer take a -4 penalty on parry attempts. In addition, a foe whose attack is parried by you provokes attacks of opportunity from everyone who threatens him.
Normal:
You take a -4 penalty on parry attempts. Nobody except the person who parried is able to take an attack of opportunity.
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Original version

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Z-Axis's Rules for Parries and Ripostes

The Parry Action
If you are going to be hit by a melee attack from a light or one-handed weapon and you are yourself wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon, you may attempt to parry the blow. Roll a single melee attack; if it is equal to or greater than the attack roll that was going to hit you then this attack does not hit and you have successfully parried it.

An opponent whom you threaten that attacks and is parried by you provokes an attack of opportunity that you may take if you still have any attacks of opportunity remaining, as normal.

You may not parry with a whip.

Feat: Improved Parry
Effect
You gain a +4 bonus on rolls to parry an opponent. In addition, any allies who also threaten an opponent you parry may also take an attack of opportunity.
Normal
You do not get a bonus on rolls to rolls to parry. An opponent whose attack is parried only provokes an attack of opportunity from the person who parries.

In the original version of this, you took a penalty on rolls to parry, which would be negated by the feat. I was advised to change it to reflect most other 'improved' feats.

Should the feat have any prerequisites, such as Combat Expertise or Combat Reflexes? Also, should parrying be an immediate action?

Is there anything that should be added? Replaced? Removed? Rephrased? Modified? Adjusted? Otherwise changed? Is it over/underpowered? Feedback and critique is very much appreciated.

[blue_fenix]

Parrying needs to be an immediate action, at least. Otherwise, when I get attacked 4-6 times in a round, I'll just parry all of them and get 4-6 free attacks. Improved parry definitely needs combat expertise as a prereq, especially since it is mainly a defensive maneuver. Also, state that you cannot parry an attack of opportunity.

Note that in terms of balance this will make melee classes somewhat more powerfull.

[Nawyria]

I have a proposition, make it a standard thing you can do. You may spend a move action to ready for a parry, meaning a low level character will use a standard attack action to attack and a move action to ready for a parry. As part of a full-attack action, you may sacrifice iterative attacks to parry incoming attacks. That menas you could use your +20 and +15 attack for offence at level 20, and then use your +10 and +5 attack to parry twice.

When somebody attacks you, you may declare your attempt to parry the attack. Then both you and your opponent make an opposed attack roll (both at your highest base attack bonus) and if your attack roll exceeds your opponents attack roll, and beats a DC of 15, the attack is considered blocked. If the initial attack was a critical hit, you have to beat the opponent's check by 5, and beat a DC of 25 aswell.

If you have Combat Expertise as a feat, you're entitled an Attack of Opportunity against an opponent you just parried.

I would suggest allowing people to use 2-handed weapons to parry aswell, it makes no sense you could parry using a Bastard Sword in one hand, but be unable to parry with it using that same Bastards Sword in two hands. Additionally, characters using a light weapon suffer a -2 penalty to their opposed attack roll, an attacking character using a two-handed weapon gains a +2 bonus to his or her opposed attack roll.

That's the way I'd probably do it. You could write more rules for weapon damage, such as when either the defender or the attacker rolls a natural 20 on the opposed attack roll, you get a free sunder attempt, or a free disarm attempt if you like.

On a sidenote: I took most of the inspiration for this from a supplement ruleset called Skills & Feats Martial Arts System.

[Matthew]

Hey, it must be the beginning of the month for we have another Opposed Roll Parry System! (Joking, but your suspicion is correct, this does seem to come up once every two months). Previous attempts:

Skjaldbakka's Parrying System
Talanic & Erk's Interception System
Tough Tonka's D20 Parrying System
Elliott20's Parrying System
Magic8Ball's Parrying Feats
Munchy's Parrying Fighter Feats
Senir's Parry Skill
Matthew's Active Defence

...and those are just the ones I know of. Anyway, do consider giving some of these a read, as they are full of helpful information and advice.

For the record, I have never seen this in a Wizards Book, with one exception. The Wall of Blades Manoeuvre from Tome of Battle. This was around in 2e, though

[Bryn]

blue_fenix: Good point about the immediate action, I'll update it to reflect that. Also, not being able to parry when you're flatfooted and not parrying an AoO were also meant to be included, but I forgot, thanks for reminding me.

I'll put Combat Expertise as a prequisite as well - it will reflect the other 'Improved' feats.

Nawyria: Um... as written, it is a standard thing you can do, and you can also use a feat to get better at it. Agreed about two-handed weapons parrying, I'll add that as well. I like the idea of different types of weapon adjusting the opposed attack roll for parrying.

As for needing to spend a move action to 'ready' a parry, I think that would harm the mobile nature of swashbuckling combat. If they're always spending their move actions to prepare to parry, they won't be leaping about, swing from ropes and chandeliers, and the other sort of swashbuckling activities that a player might want to do in the middle of a frenzied swordfight. In addition, in real life, being ready to parry would not reduce your ability to move about.

In addition, regarding needing combat expertise to riposte - I haven't fenced for two years and I can still hit back if I manage to parry.

Matthew: They do say great minds think alike (Which is odd, since minds are considered great when they think of something new... which means thinking differently...) Thanks for the links, though... I might 'borrow' some ideas from them. I like the elements of Tough_Tonka's especially.

New version:
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Z-Axis's Parry and Riposte Rules... Version 2

The Parry Action
As an immediate action, you may attempt to block an opponent's attack with your own weapon. After the opponent has rolled their attack roll, but before the result of the attack is known, you may declare an attempt to parry. Roll an attack at your highest attack bonus, taking a -4 penalty. If it is equal to or greater than your opponent's attack, you successfully parry the blow and it does not hit.

You take an additional -2 on the roll if your opponent's weapon is two-handed, and another -2 for each size category the opponent's weapon is larger than yours.

If you fight defensively, you gain a +2 bonus on your parry attempt. If you take the total defence action, you gain a +4 bonus on your parry attempt.
If you successfully parry an attack from a foe you threaten, the foe provokes an attack of opportunity that you can take as normal if you have any attacks of opportunity remaining.

You may not parry with a whip.

You may not parry if you are denied your dexterity bonus to armour class.

You may not parry an attack of opportunity that you have provoked.

Feat: Improved Parry
You are skilled at blocking your enemies' attacks, and you are able to hold them open so your allies also have a chance to attack.
Prerequisites:
Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Effect:
You no longer take a -4 penalty on parry attempts. In addition, a foe whose attack is parried by you provokes attacks of opportunity from everyone who threatens him.
Normal:
You take a -4 penalty on parry attempts. Nobody except the person who parried is able to take an attack of opportunity.
[hr]
Is that better or worse than version 1? Also, is there anything else that needs tweaking? What potential abuses are there for this?

[Mc. Lovin']

I think you should make it clerer when to apply the modifiers, for instance if I am fighting defensivly do I apply the +2 bonus and the -4 'bonus'?

[Bryn]

Yes, you do, meaning a total -2. I'll rephrase it somewhat.

[Matthew]

I think you need some special rules for Parrying with a Shield.

[Paragon Badger]

Shield Bash? :-P

If you have Neverwinter 1 (or maybe 2, I dunno), Parry is a skill. You could only parry as many attacks as you were capable of dishing out per round.

It was a very good rendition of parrying, in my opinion.

[Matthew]

If you check out the link to "Senir's Parry Skill", you'll find a Thread that considered inserting the NWN Parry Skill into D&D.