User:Sergejsvk/sandbox1

The goal is to get the core melee classes to tier 3 by applying ToB maneuvres, with minimal/simple changes to the class itself. I tried to retain a unique feel to the new abilities.

Material i use:    

Initiate of the Endless Hunt, Ranger variant:
(I needed to give the ranger ranged strikes. Plain old magic traded in for blade magic. The rest of the ranger suckiness can be countered with other acfs, or "the feat + other class". TWF sucks still, but maybe a little bit less)

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you lose the Combat Style at 2nd, Improved Combat Style at 6th, Combat Style Mastery at 11th, and Ranger Spellcasting at 4th level.

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, initiator level progression, and Recovery of a Swordsage. You gain access to the Diamond Mind, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and White Raven disciplines. Add Martial Lore to the ranger's skill list.

Furthermore you gain Combat Tradition at 1st level.


 * Combat Tradition (Ex): At 1st level, the ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat.

Archery - You gain access to the Desert Wind discipline. Strike maneuvers may be used with projectile weapons that fire arrows (such as a longbow, or a shortbow) and thrown weapons (such as daggers, javelins, throwing axes aso.), instead of a melee weapon. The strike must be one gained from the ranger alternative class feature. A strike that was gained through a different class, or Martial Study feat, cannot be used with a ranged weapon.
 * If the ranger selects archery, he is treated as having the Rapid Shot feat at 2nd, Manyshot at 6th, and Improved Precise Shot at 11th level, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.

Two-weapon combat - You gain access to the Tiger Claw discipline. Each time you initiate a melee strike maneuver, you may opt to take a -2 penalty on each attack roll, and make an aditional off hand attack at your highest attack bonus as part of the mauever.
 * If the ranger selects two-weapon combat, he is treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat at 2nd, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting at 6th, and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting at 11th level, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.


 * A ranger who selects this path can no longer use scrolls, wands, or other magic items that require access to a spell list, unless he has another spellcasting class that grants access to the appropriate spells.


 * One level in this variant class qualifies the ranger for any feat with a swordsage class prerequisite, the ranger must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.

Initiate of Steel, Fighter variant:
(Fighter needed a crutch, the maneuvers are that crutch, he has to pay the steep price of the 1st level feat :O. When you look at the warblade weapon aptitude, it says that he is like a fighter, so i retrofitted it that the warblades stole the fighter's aptitude and stance techniques and itegrated it into their style :D. So the shameles copying of the abilitis is totaly justified! Fighters had it FIRST! Or blame it on lack of inspiration im not a factotum.)

Replaces: Replaces 1st and 20th level Fighter Bonus Feat.

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, initiator level progression, and Recovery of a Warblade. You gain access to the Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Setting Sun, Stone Dragon, and White Raven disciplines. Add Concentration and Martial Lore to the fighter's skill list.

Furthermore, you gain Weapon Aptitude at 1st level and Stance Mastery at 20th level.


 * Weapon Aptitude (Ex): Each morning, you can spend 1 hour in weapon practice to change the designated weapon for any feat you have that applies only to a single weapon (such as Weapon Focus). You must have the newly designated weapon available during your practice session to make this change. For example, if you wish to change the designated weapon for your Weapon Focus feat from greatsword to longsword, you must have a longsword available to practice with during your practice session. You can adjust any number of your feats in this way, and you don’t have to adjust them all in the same way. However, you can’t change the weapon choices in such a way that you no longer meet the prerequisite for some other feat you possess. For instance, if you have both Weapon Focus (longsword) and Weapon Specialization (longsword), you can’t change the designated weapon for Weapon Focus unless you also change the weapon for Weapon Specialization in the same way.


 * Stance Mastery (Ex): At 20th level, you can have two stances active simultaneously. When you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you can initiate or change one or both stances.

Add Blade Meditation, Clarion Commander, Distant Horizon, Falling Sun Attack, Ironheart Aura, Perfect Clarity of Mind and Body, Shards of Granite, Stone Power, Stormguard Warrior, Unnerving Calm, White Raven Defense to your fighter bonus feat list.


 * One level in this variant class qualifies the fighter for any feat with a warblade class prerequisite, the fighter must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.

Initiate of the Savage Path, Barbarian variant:
(How to make it not 2 levels long like the fighter? Maneuvers ofc. Yet again the only "grand" idea i had is to, somehow use rage to do something special. So he can do adaptive style sheningand fueled by rage, which is limited but faster, when he feels he needs a quick change of tactics. "Why you NO DIE! GRAAA!!")

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you lose Trap Sense class feature at 3rd and Damage Reduction class feature at 7th level.

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, initiator level progression, and Recovery of a Crusader. You gain access to the Iron Heart, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw disciplines. Add Martial Lore to the barbarian's skill list.

Furthermore you gain Channeled Fury at 7th level.


 * Channeled Fury (Ex): at 7th level, you may as a swift action spend one of your daily uses of rage, to change your readied maneuvers. Your current granted maneuvers are lost and you gain all the new readied maneuvers granted. (Solutions brought to you by Your Rage!™)


 * One level in this variant class qualifies a barbarian for any feat with a crusader class prerequisite, the barbarian must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.

Initiate of the Ardent Heart, Paladin variant:
(Paladins were like bland porridge with one piece of chocolate in it. You ate the chocolate at level 5 and all the 15 levels of bland porridge were still there. So maneuvers + got rid of the once per milenium stuff and improved the strike + smiting a bit. Like a good Divine deitie's Champion he got some bomus feats couse the last levels looked soo hollow)

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you lose Smite Evil class feature at 1st, Remove Disease class feature at 6th level, and Paladin Spellcasting at 4th.

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, initiator level progression, and Recovery of a Crusader. You gain access to the Devoted Spirit, Stone Dragon, and White Raven disciplines. Add Martial Lore to the paladin's skill list.

Furthermore you gain Smite at 1st level, Bonus feat at 6th, and Reduke at 12th level.


 * Smite (Su): Starting at 1st level, once per day, you can concentrate all your anger, hatred, and determination into a single attack. On the next melee attack you make, you gain a bonus on your attack roll equal to your Charisma bonus (if any) and a bonus on damage equal to your paladin level. At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, you may smite one additional time per day.

Any Divine feat, Awesome Smite, Cleave, Devoted Bulwark, Extra Smiting, Extra Turning, Improved Smiting, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Stone Power, Trample, White Raven Defense. You must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat.
 * Bonus Feat (Ex): you can now select a bonus feat at 8th and 16th level. You can select any feat from the following list for which you meet the prerequisites:


 * Rebuke (Su): at 12th level, you gain a bonus equal to your Charisma bonus (if any) to the DCs of strike maneuvers when you smite.


 * A paladin who selects this path can no longer use scrolls, wands, or other magic items that require access to a spell list, unless he has another spellcasting class that grants access to the appropriate spells.


 * One level in this variant class qualifies a Paladin for any feat with a crusader class prerequisite, the paladin must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.

Monk of the sublime way:
(Well this expanded and then exploded. The monk as it was sucked hard. He had mobility but needed to do full attacks. A crutch was not enough, he got a complete exoskeleton with cybernetic implants and lazoooorrsss. I stole a homebrew feat from the site for him and ran with it.)

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you lose Flurry of Blows class feature at 1st, Ki Strike class feature at 4th, Abundant Step at 12th, Diamond Soul at 13th, Quivering Palm at 15th, Empty Body at 19th, and Perfect Self at 20th level,.

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, and initiator level progression of a Swordsage.


 * You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (unless you recover them, as described below).


 * You recover all expended maneuvers and can change your readied maneuvers by using a full round action to quickly mediate. Doing this provokes attacks of opportunity. You may cancel your mediation any time during the round to respond to an attack, such as using a counter or making a reflex save, though doing so will break your concentration. Conversely, you can opt to just take the hit and continue to mediate, though you must make a Concentration Check (DC 10 + damage taken) in order to maintain your mediation. If you successfully complete your mediation, all of your selected maneuvers are readied, renewed and available in the following round.


 * You select 6 out of all 9 martial disciplines. All special monk weapons are considered preferred weapons of your chosen disciplines. Add Martial Lore to the monk's skill list.

Furthermore you gain Maneuver Focus, Weapon Training at 1st, Ki strike enhancement (similar to a Soulknifes Mind Blade Enhancement) at 4th, and Perfect Strike at 20th level.


 * : At 1st level, a monk adds her Wisdom modifier, if positive, up to a maximum equal to her class level, as a bonus on damage rolls whenever she executes a strike. The monk adds the diference between her base attack bonus and initiator level, if positive, as a bonus on attack rolls when executing strikes, boosts and counters. This bonus applies to all attacks made while a boost is active.


 * : At 1st level, a monk learns to apply the same techniques which turn her normally feeble unarmed strike into a powerful blow that shatters bone, to all melee monk weapons. The melee monk weapons gain the damage of her unarmed strike, or the weapon's original damage, whichever is higher. Any special abilities that would be delivered through or modify an unarmed strike may now be used with her chosen weapon, such as the Stunning Fist feat. The effort needed to wield a weapon in combat does not change (For example, an 8th level monk deals 1d10 damage with a Quarterstaff, has a +2 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls, the quarterstaff is still considered a two handed or duble weapon).


 *  (Su): At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons with a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls that improves every four levels beyond 4th (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level).


 *  (Su): At 6th level, a monk gains the ability to enhance her ki strike. She can add any one DM aproved weapon special ability that has an enhancement bonus value of +1. She can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

At, every four levels beyond 6th (10th, 14th, and 18th) the value of the enhancement a monk can add to her ki strike improves to +2, +3, and +4, respectively. A monk can choose any combination of weapon special abilities that does not exceed the total allowed by the monk’s level.

A monk can reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her ki strike. To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in meditation. After that period, her fists are empowered with the new ability or abilities selected by the monk.

At 16th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.


 * : At 20th level, you can use two strike maneuvers simultaneously. After you initiate a strike maneuver, you can aditionaly initiate any other standard action strike maneuver (such as Five-Shadow Creeping Ice Enervation Strike) that you have readied as a swift action (e.g. you can initiate Time Stands Still folowed by a Ruby Nightmare Blade, but not the other way around). Both strikes you initiate are expended normally.


 * One level in this variant class qualifies the monk for any feat with a swordsage class prerequisite, the monk must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.

Shadow hand initiate, Rogue variant:
(Not sure it went right. Didn't want to touch the rogue at first. Well the maneuvers may balance out the cripled sneak attack. He can still assa stance for more seneaks and he gets more combat options and perhaps some more utility. Still Rogue 18/SSage 2 is for sneak attack galore, but less maneuvers.)

Replaces: If you select this class feature, your Sneak Attack progression is halved (1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th).

Benefit: At 1st level you gain the Maneuver, Stance, initiator level progression, and Recovery of a Warblade. You gain access to the Diamond Mind, Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw. disciplines. Add Concentration and Martial Lore to the rogue's skill list.


 * One level in this variant class qualifies the rogue for any feat with a warblade class prerequisite, the rogue must still meet all other prerequisites for the feat.