User:Jota/Generic Discipline & Spontaneous Initiating

Author: Jota (talk) Date Created: 25 February, 2015 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Chassis

The basic idea works like this: in any direct competition, (or more) competing individuals each paint a mental picture of the course of events that will occur when the two clash. Each typically chooses a course of action they believe will be successful based on their own capabilities and those of their opponents. Usually the loser is the one who misjudges some value of his opponent, whether is be speed, strength, or skill. There are some adjustments that can be made on the fly, but some choices are scripted or made to elicit a specific response. These concepts form the core elements of spontaneous initiation.

The spontaneous initiator has a given number of maneuvers known, but no maneuvers readied. Instead, each round at the top of the initiative count, the adept may call two of his known maneuvers, which he treats as readied for that round of combat. At the end of the round, the maneuvers go on cooldown, as if they had been used (regardless of whether or not they were).

Furthermore, unlike traditional maneuvers, these called maneuvers are variable in level. When the maneuvers is called, the initiator also dictates what level it is called at, though some maneuvers have a minimum level. The maximum level of maneuver that can be called is based on the initiator’s level, and given per Table X-Y on page Z of the Tome of Battle. Furthermore, the total level of maneuvers an initiator may call in a single round is equal to his chosen mental ability modifier or his class level, whichever is greater.

Unlike strikes, boosts, counters, and rushes, stances are not called. The initiator knows a number of stances according to the class table and may enter any of them as a swift action.

I want to do maneuver recovery by some universally-shared mechanism expanded by the Muse system I used for the Cunning Assassin, which will allow each adept to differentiate themselves as they level and find their own combat niche.

Maneuvers

Boosts

• Kip Up
  • Return to standing from prone as a swift action. You must designate three contiguous squares that are adjacent to you. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity except from creatures in those squares.
• Shove
  • Move target ally within reach 5’ to an unoccupied square opposite your position from them. Only works on creatures your size or smaller. Particular combinations of pusher and pushee may not work at DM's discretion.

Counters

• Covering Fire
  • Target ally uses your attack roll in place of their Armor Class.
    • Credit Frank and K.
• Defensive Roll
  • Make a Reflex save (10 + key ability modifier + ½ BAB) against an attack. If you succeed, you take no damage and can reposition yourself up to 10’ without provoking attacks of opportunity.
    • If the square of your original position and your new position flank your opponent, you (and only you) may treat them as flat-footed for the first attack of your next turn.
• Defilade
  • Initiate this maneuver when you have to make a Reflex save for reduced damage. You may move up to half your base land speed into a space that gives you cover from the target of the effect forcing you to save.
    • The distance moved as part of this maneuver is subtracted from your base land speed during your next turn.
• Desant
  • Latch onto a larger ally, sharing their space. You move as they move. The target ally may suffer up to a -4 penalty to its Dexterity at the DM’s discretion based on size difference and the ergonomics of weight distribution. The smaller creature has soft cover. Let go as a free action usable out of turn (Reflex save / Balance check / Jump check).
    • Special: Can be used as a swift action as well.
• Press The Advantage
  • When an enemy who is adjacent to you takes a 5’ step, you may move 5’ into the space they vacated. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the moving creature, but may provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures.
• Redirection
  • Redirect an attack against you to a different target in melee range. A successful Reflex save by the attacker cancels the attack.
• Stand Still
  • Activate this maneuver when you deal damage to an opponent with an attack of opportunity provoked for moving through area you threaten. Your opponent must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + key ability modifier + ½ initiator level) or be unable to move until their next turn.
• Suppressing Fire
  • Initiate this maneuver in response to an ally provoking an attack of opportunity. A single target creature is denied the ability to take attacks of opportunity against them until your next turn.
    • Scale up to more opponents as you level up?
• Target Analysis
  • Initiator level check (vs. 10 + CR) reveals single targets HP.
    • Result of failure?
    • Analyze CR as well?
    • Allow multiple targets based on called level

Rushes

• Extraction
  • Take a double move, target ally of your size or smaller that you pass within reach of is dragged along behind you. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity.

Stances

• Bully
  • Each successful attack you make adds a token to your target. Each successful martial strike adds two tokens, to a maximum of four tokens. Creatures bearing tokens take a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls when not attacking you. Each successful attack against you removes one token from the attacker and one from a nearby (15’) ally of the attacker.
    • If you switch out of this stance, all tokens are removed? Or would it be better to leave them?
• Overwhelming Might
  • Each time you deal damage to an opponent whose CR is two or more less than yours, the damaged creature must make a Will save or gain one stack of fear. You may only add one stack of fear to a particular creature during your turn, but can add multiple stacks per round with attacks of opportunity.
• Seize The Moment
  • Each time someone you threaten is inflicted with a status effect, you may make an attack of opportunity against them.

Strikes

• Breakout
  • If this attack deals damage against an opponent who was flanking you, you may move up to your base land speed without provoking attacks of opportunity from targets who were flanking you. You may still provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, however.
• Breakthrough
  • Move up to base land speed next to an opponent and make a melee attack. If you connect with this attack, move (without provoking attacks of opportunity) up to your base land speed into a space that would offering flanking of the target from the position of your initial attack.
• Comedy of Errors
  • This strike does 5 damage for each negative status effect an opponent is under if they are suffering from two or less status effects. At three status effects this number double to 10 damage each, and against at five effects to 20, and so on.
    • Could be OPAF, need to check numbers and ease of status infliction.
• Double Envelopment
  • If this strike hits the targets provokes attacks of opportunity from all who threaten him.
  • There is no counterplay, but knowing this maneuver exists creates the counterplay. Speaking of this, should Martial Lore or Target Analysis allow knowledge of maneuvers known?
• Edge Lever / Executioner's Swing
  • If it hits, this attack deals an additional 1d6 + 1 damage per initiator level, to a maximum of 1d6 + 20. If the target is prone this attack deals an additional 4 damage per initiator level.
• Fall From Grace
  • If successful, this strike does an additional 1d6 + 1 per initiator level, to a maximum of 1d6 + 20. An opponent may increase his AC by any number up to his BAB against this attack, but he takes the same number as a penalty to his AC until the beginning of his next turn.
• Formbreaker
  • An opponent his by this attack is flat-footed until the beginning of their next turn.
• Frontal Assault
  • Make a full attack as a standard action.
• Highlight Weakness
  • Make a melee touch attack against an opponent -- if successful all attacks made against this creature until the beginning of their next turn are made at +2 to hit and deal maximum damage per die.
    • Also potentially OP, makes it scale with level.
• Hit and Run
  • As spring attack.
• Horizontal Slash
  • Make an attack as a swift action. An opponent who succeeds on a Reflex save (DC 10 + key ability modifier + ½ initiator level) may avoid this damage by stepping back 5’ as an immediate action. An opponent who fails this save or does not have an immediate action may still avoid this damage by falling prone.
• Heedless Charge
  • You may make a charge as part of a full-round actions. Opponents may dive aside (5’ of movement out of your path, does not provoke AoOs) as an immediate action, proning them and leaving them shaken until the beginning (end?) of their next turn . If your attack hits you deal maximum damage per die and an additional X damage. If your attack misses you fall prone. If you reach the end of your charge without making an attack (unchallenged), you gain a +4 bonus on attack and damage rolls until the end of your next turn.
• Interdiction
  • Reduce target’s base land speed to zero until the end of their next turn.
• Shepherding Strike
  • You may take 10 on this attack. Your opponent may dodge this attack by moving 5’ into an unoccupied square of your choice. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
    • Take 10 clause may need to be moved to a generic mechanic utilized against opponents suffering from status afflictions (perhaps even a new one or tie into the Edge).
• Shock and Awe
  • If this strike slays its target, all enemies within close range with equal or less HD must save or be shaken. Creatures receive a penalty or bonus to their save based on the difference of their HD from the slain creatures.
• Sweeping Strike
  • You make a single melee attack that strikes at two targets that are both adjacent to one another and adjacent to you. Make a single attack roll and compare it separately against each target’s AC.
• Unbalancing Assault (3.5e Maneuver)
• Whirlwind Slash
  • You make a single melee attack against all targets within reach. Make a single attack roll and compare it separately against each target’s AC.
    • Maybe: You must designate a beginning square. Each two squares after the first, the attack roll takes a cumulative -1 penalty.

In Translation

• Cleave
  • Great Cleave