Counterfeint (3.5e Skill Trick)

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Author: Luigifan18 (talk)
Date Created: October 30, 2012
Status: Complete
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Counterfeint (Interaction) Oh, great. Another lobbyist trying to bribe you. You deal with him like you've dealt with all his predecessors - you take the money he gives you, then completely ignore his client's requests and watch the sucker crash and burn. When will these people learn that dishonesty doesn't pay off...?!?Prerequisites: Bluff 10 ranks, Sense Motive 10 ranks, Diplomacy 4 ranks, Gather Information 4 ranks, Spot 4 ranks, Listen 4 ranksBenefit: When you succeed on a Sense Motive or Spot check against any Bluff, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, or similar check made against you, you may immediately make a Bluff check against the bluffer. If you succeed, you pretend to have fallen for your target's bluff, leaving them completely unaware that you've seen through their ruse, and reverse it back upon them.

If using the Tome of Prowess skill rules, possessing this skill trick enables you to always treat an opponent's failed Bluff checks as though they had failed by 6 or more (getting the worst possible result). Example: A guard with Counterfeint notices an assassin trying to slip past him, disguised as one of his liege's advisors. The guard pretends not to notice, and the assassin proceeds to the king's chambers, only to be stabbed in the back by the guard he thought he fooled. (This works just like a Bluff check to create a distraction failing by 6 or more in Tome of Prowess, only this skill trick allows it to happen using standard D&D 3.5e rules.)

Another, more concrete example is somebody trying to feint against you in combat. If you have Counterfeint and see through their feint, you can feint the opponent as an immediate reaction (this does not use up an attack of opportunity, immediate action, or other limited action you can take when it isn't your turn). If you succeed, the opponent who tried to feint you is the one who winds up flat-footed.Normal: Without this trick, your efforts to counter a bluff with a bluff of your own are a little stiff. Experienced con men will realize that you're on to them, and back off before you can cause trouble for them. You can't automatically react to a failed bluff with a counterbluff without this skill trick; you have to bluff manually, using the appropriate action to do so.

To incorporate this skill trick into the Tome of Prowess system, change the prerequisites to the following: Bluff 7 ranks, Psychology 7 ranks, Affability 3 ranks, Perception 3 ranks. (A single skill point is far more valuable in the Tome of Prowess than it is in core D&D, due to the removal of bonus skill points for a high Intelligence score. Furthermore, several skills were consolidated or removed, and Bluff and Psychology themselves do a lot of what Counterfeint would do in the standard system. Thus, the total number of ranks required for this skill trick (and the minimum level) had to be reduced.)


Back to Main Page3.5e HomebrewCharacter OptionsSkill Tricks

Luigifan18's Homebrew (383 Articles)
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Article BalanceModerate +
AuthorLuigifan18 +
Identifier3.5e Skill Trick +
PrerequisiteBluff 10 ranks +, Sense Motive 10 ranks +, Diplomacy 4 ranks +, Gather Information 4 ranks +, Spot 4 ranks + and Listen 4 ranks +
RatingUnrated +
SummaryYou can trick tricksters and con conmen, and turn their dirty tricks right back upon them. +
TitleCounterfeint +
TypeInteraction +