User:Spazalicious Chaos/The Book of Frenzied Warfare (3.5e Sourcebook)/FIGHT!

FIGHT!

D&D is fantasy combat, and should look awesome, but for some reason a lot of the way combat is set up leaves it feeling like this, which I believe sucks ass.

Defense and Attack

Several references to "target" will be made in this section. Your target is the thing you attacked last, and is very much a facing rule. While you take no attack penalties when attacking multiple targets, only the last target counts as your target. If it is a space due to an area effect, your target is a space. This also goes for non-attack actions; a lock is your target while picking it, your friend is your target while healing him, etc. Attacks from things that are not your target result in a -2 penalty to defense, while attacks that come from directly opposite your target always target your Surprise Defense.

Making an attack is resolved normally. Absolutely no changes here. Sorry for the let down, but I'm finding nothing wrong with attacks. A few additions have been made to melee attacks to get people moving: every melee attack allows the character to take a five foot step. This will be important in regards to defense. This is for a main (single at full BAB) attack.

Under this system iterative attacks (all attacks past the first one) are taken as a single move action. If you have multiple iterative attacks, all of them count as one move action. In this combat system, iterative attacks represent desperate flurries and sucker punches, intended to deal damage quickly in a short space of time.

Armor Class will be expanded with Dodge and Parry, as detailed below. Each entry has a Standard, Defensive, and Evasive form, representing regular armor class, fighting defensively, and total defense respectively. These rules supersede those in the PHB. Each entry finishes with a Near Miss threshold. A Near Miss often has a partial effect on the target. Attacks that fall below even a Near Miss fail entirely, and may threaten the surrounding environment.

Parry Defense

Parry defenses involve the interception of a blocking object between the defender and the attack, and operates on the following levels:

• Standard Parry uses an intercepting weapon or shield of the defender's choice, forcing the attacker to strike the weapon on a near miss. If a natural weapon intercepts, the defender takes the attacker's Strength modifier in damage, which is reduced by the defender's Constitution modifier in addition to any other DR.
• Defensive Parry doubles the shield bonus to armor class. If the defender lacks a shield, he instead gains +2 shield bonus to armor class. However, this comes with a -4 penalty to attack rolls that round.
• Evasive Parry duplicates the effects of a Defensive Parry as a full round action, but does not suffer penalties for attacks that do not come from your target, though attacks that come from behind still target your Surprise Defense.

NOTE: Parry Defense is ineffective against projectile ranged attacks, and is halved in regards to those attacks if they originate outside your melee reach. Touch attacks also halve a Parry defense, regardless of origin.

Near Miss: 10+Armor+Shield+Natural Armor+universal defense mods

Dodge Defense

Dodge defenses involve maneuvering away from an attack, and operates on the following levels:

• Standard Dodge forces a 5ft step on a near miss that provokes an attack of opportunity, but never from your target.
• Defensive Dodge doubles Dodge bonuses at the cost of -4 to attacks that round, or a +2 Dodge bonus to AC if the defender has no Dodge bonus. A near miss forces a five foot step that forces an attack of opportunity, but never from your target. You may still attack, but at -4 penalty.
• Evasive Dodge duplicates the effects of Defensive Dodge as a full round action, but on a near miss you may take a five foot step that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

NOTE: Dodge is useless if you cannot take a five foot step. If this is not possible, then a near miss is counted as a hit.

Near Miss: 10+Dex+Dodge+universal defense mods-Armor Check Penalty

Uncanny Dodge Rewrite: Whenever subject to an attack that would normally target your Surprise Defense, you may instead Dodge, though all the restrictions for Dodge still apply, including the 5 foot step.

Surprise Defense

Surprise uses the following formula: 10+Armor+Natural Armor+Universal defense mods. Unlike damage that was dealt by blasting through other forms of defense, Surprise is when you are unaware of an attack and the attacker is free to work around your armor, utilizing the chinks and flaws. Any condition that leaves you flat-footed reduces you to your Surprise Defense. The only exception is touch attacks, which still target your Surprise Defense but without any of the Armor or Natural Armor bonuses. Yeah, it would suck to be you...

Unlike the other defenses, there is no Defensive and Evasive form for Surprise Defense.

Near Miss: 10-Dex penalty only-Armor Check Penalty

Minor Sneak Attack Rewrite: Whenever an attack would target Surprise Defense, you deal extra damage. That's it.

Universal Defense Bonuses

These apply to all your Defense traits: Circumstantial, Deflection, Sacred, Profane, Size, Cover, and Insight. Racial and Alchemical bonuses are gone and change into one of the other types, probably natural armor or insight...

Parry, Dodge, and Combat Expertise

Some may have noticed that Combat Expertise has become kind of useless in the face of Dodge and Parry, but it is not. Combat Expertise still has the exact same written effects, but they now stack as an Insight bonus along with the written effects of the defenses except Surprise Defense, which has no Defensive or Evasive form. In addition, Combat Expertise halves the attack penalty for Defensive form (-2).

Breaking Down the Round

To make combat a bit more uncertain, exciting, and less like my first sample of boring combat, have actions in a round break down this way:

1. Initiative: either roll initiative round by round or have any actions that change initiative order be declared at the beginning of the round, then record the order.
2. Actions: everyone declares and performs their actions, but under no circumstances let the final results be known yet. If they hit, tell them so but don't roll damage yet; if an area effect is used, pick the target space but don't reveal actual area of effect or damage, and so on.
3. Total: final effects are revealed, including new circumstances. This is where people record their total damage taken for the round, saves are rolled, and effects that alter the field of battle are set.

Maneuvers

This section will introduce major rewrites to existing actions as well as some new actions. The below action type is added:

• Simultaneous Actions are reactions to a stimulus and can only be applied to that particular set of stimuli. These represent reactions (attack of opportunity), or side by side actions (the free attack gained on a successful trip). Unless stated otherwise, a simultaneous action may only be taken once per turn and is essentially a swift action. Once a simultaneous action is taken, another one can not be taken until the next round.

Special: Ready Action: At the start of the round, you can change your initiative by readying an action. How this works: you choose any move or standard action and a stimulus. The stimulus triggers the readied action as a simultaneous action, activated directly after the action that matched the stimulus. The stimulus must be fairly specific and must be observable by your character; while you can ready an attack to shoot the first person who moves (ie takes a move action), you can not ready an action that follows after the first person to sneeze anywhere in the world. Once this simultaneous action is taken, your place in the initiative becomes one lower than the target that set off the stimulus (ie the targets initiative result -1). However, there are drawbacks - you may not act in a round or move faster than half your speed until A) your stimulus conditions are met, or B) you take a standard action to cancel the readied action and reroll initiative. Also, if the stimulus is met but you do not want to follow through with it (like if you readied an attack to shoot the first thing that rounds the corner and that "thing" turns out to be an ally), you must succeed on a DC 20 Will save or continue through with the action.

Each maneuver listed is made as a substitution of an attack unless stated otherwise, and unless stated otherwise uses the attack bonus of the attack you sacrificed to use the maneuver. Keep in mind your first attack is always a standard action, and all iterative attacks are taken together as a move action. Also keep in mind that most of these maneuvers substitute an attack, so it is perfectly feasible for a 16th level fighter's attacks to look like this - Trip (followed by free attack, which is made into a Grapple)/Pin/Heavy Assault/Move.

Attack

The attack is pretty straightforward - you strike at your opponent and either deal damage or don't. However, we can make things fun with unlockable options like these:

Power Attack - Heavy Assault

By taking Power Attack and shifting accuracy for damage, your attacks become Heavy Assaults. Aside from increased damage, you can send opponents flying. If damage done to a target no more than one size larger than you equals or exceeds the creatures Strength, he gains the Airborne condition and is sent back a number of feet equal to the amount of damage dealt − his Strength. If this would sent him flying into a hard surface, he takes and deals damage to the object equal to the remainder of the feet he should have flown.

Combat Expertise - Counter Attack

By taking Combat Expertise and using it to fight defensively, you can set up your foe, gaining a bonus to attack rolls on your target equal to the amount he misses your Dodge or Parry Defense, up to a maximum of the amount of attack you currently have placed in Defense.

Weapon Finesse - Finesse Attack

Taking this feat allows you a special combat option - by purposely including your foe's DR into his current Defense against your attacks, you may ignore the related Damage Reduction on a hit.

Disarm

If this maneuver is used, it can provoke an attack of opportunity on a miss. If the attack hits, you deal no damage, but the opponent's currently employed weapon is on the ground in your space. If the target has multiple items in his hands, the character must choose one, and the target gains a +2 to his defense if he is holding the item in both hands. If you have a free hand, you may use another attack to grab it as per a moving object. Alternatively, you may cause the weapon to fly a number of feet in a direction of your choice equal to the amount your attack exceeded your target's defense. If this flight would cause the weapon to hit a potential target, the object attacks with an effective roll equal to the amount you attack exceeded your original target's defense.

Natural and unarmed strikes can not be disarmed.

Feint

This maneuver substitutes your attack roll with a Bluff check, which must hit either your defender's Defense or, on an aware target, his Sense Motive bonus +10, whichever is higher. A hit does not deal damage, but instead causes the next attack to target him to use his Surprise Defense. This maneuver does provoke an attack of opportunity on a failure.

You take a -10 penalty on Feints against creature of animal (2 or lower) Intelligence, as these creatures effectively have no brain or thought process to disrupt.

Grapple

To initiate a grapple, you must make a melee touch attack against your opponent, with a hit establishing the Held condition on both you and your opponent. This provokes an attack of opportunity. In addition to already existing maneuvers, new options open up:

Move

You forcibly move the thing you are holding or is holding you by beating its defense, moving the target a number of feet equal to the amount you beat the defense by. If decide to move the creature beyond your reach, you must let go or be let go by the thing holding you (free action). If either you or your foe refuses to let go, then move can not move the target beyond your reach unless your attack exceeds your target's defense +5. This attack deals normal damage if successful.

Pin

By succeeding on an attack against the thing you are bound to, you render your foe completely immobilized, unable to take any action other than an escape maneuver. This attack deals no damage, can only be performed on a target no more than one size larger than you, and disables you from taking any actions other than move actions or the move and attack maneuvers unless your target is two or fewer sizes than you. All attacks that target a pinned target use the target's Surprise Defense.

Escape

By beating your opponent's defense with either an attack roll or a Escape Artist check, you end the held condition on both you and your opponent. Escape provokes attacks of opportunity.

Trip

Using this attack provokes an attack of opportunity, and failure results in a simultaneous trip attack against you that does not carry the preceding risks. However, if the attack hits, your target becomes prone and you get a simultaneous free attack against your target. This attack deals normal weapon damage, plus an extra +1 damage for every two points your attack exceeded defense. This extra damage does not apply to the follow-up attack, only the trip attack itself.

Steal

Using this maneuver requires a free hand to use, provokes an attack of opportunity, and takes a penalty depending on the target object, but on a successful attack you take one item visible on your target's body, which is now in your free hand. Characters with 10 or more ranks in Slight of Hand leave the target unaware of the theft. Characters with 15 or more ranks in Slight of Hand immediately pocket the item as a free action, leaving the free hand open. Items in the target's hands can not be targeted with this maneuver; those are covered by Disarm.

• Free sitting item in character space (familiars (paralyzed or stuffed), ioun stones, etc.): -1
• Loosely worn items (necklaces, bracelets, crowns, hats, etc.): -2
• Closely worn or secured items (weapons in sheath, anything in a target's mouth, gloves, shoes, etc.) -4
• Tightly worn items (rings, bracers, chokers, panties, etc.): -6 and target must be pinned

Dirty Trick

This is a catch all for cheap tricks that deal no damage but inflict conditions on your target, like throwing mud in the eyes, pantsing foes, and sack taps. On a successful attack, any one of the following conditions are applied for one round: blind, deaf, dazed, sickened, entangled. Using this attack provokes an attack of opportunity and is subject to GM veto, though the GM must consider the environment and character capabilities; you can't really pants a dragon, but you could shit in your hand (move action) and fling it into his eye. (eww... XP)

Charge

This is a full round action that can only be taken if your target is more than 10 feet away but no farther than you can run in a single round. You close the distance by sprinting and make a single (standard) attack. On a hit, this attack deals extra damage equal to the distance you ran in feet divided by 5 and is a Heavy Assault (see above) for the purposes of extra effects.

Coup De Grace

If an attack beats your target's Defense by 10 or more, you can instead choose to have him covered. A covered target can take no action without provoking an immediate initiative check between the target and his assailant. If the target wins, the assailant deals normal weapon damage automatically. If the assailant wins, the target must succeed on a fortitude save at DC 15 + the assailants attack bonus, taking normal weapon damage without the benefit of DR, or die instantly.

Creatures immune to critical hits or lacking a constitution score can be covered, but are immune to coup de grace. If the assailant was fighting the target's Surprise Defense, he may cover upon exceeding Defense +5.

Lock Blades

On a successful attack roll that provokes an attack of opportunity, the character can lock blades with his target, inflicting the held condition on both himself and the target. This attack works by targeting a weapon with an attack, thus if the target has multiple weapons or attacks, he must choose which one to lock. The assailant's own weapon is also locked; thus, if he has multiple weapons or attacks, he must choose which one he is using to lock. A locked weapon can not be used to attack or parry, but otherwise, locking blades opens up the same maneuvers as grappling does.

Conditions

New additions to the list of possible conditions that could afflict your character.

Airborne

You are flying through the air with absolutely no control over flight path or rotation. All attacks target your Surprise Defense. Situations that inflict the Airborne condition in the SRD include (but are not limited to) falling and jumping.

Burning

You have caught fire, and are now taking damage as per catching fire. This damage is increased by +1 per die if you take a move or standard action. This condition may be removed by taking a move action to roll a reflex save. If you take a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, you roll twice and take the better result.

Held

You are in a hold of some kind, bound to what ever is holding you. This has the following effects:

• You may not move beyond your current position without succeeding on an opposed Strength check with whatever is holding you. Movement is cut in half while held unless the target is two or more sizes larger than you, in which case it is cut to 1/10. If bound to a thing that is smaller than you, you may move at full speed. Double moves and running are only possible if the thing you are bound to is two sizes smaller than you or less.
• You can only use light weapon without penalty, though a one handed weapon can be used at -4 penalty.
• You may not use Dodge Defense unless you are bound to something two sizes smaller than you or less.