D&D 4E List of Potential New Martial Practices

Dude, you just have to start working on HoML, this sort of stuff is SO much easier. Admittedly, there's the question of 'practice vs boon' but in practice its not that hard to decide between them. A boon always adds new options, like a power, or grants some definite mechanical benefit or enhancement. A practice (by which I include the whole range of rituals and etc) adds a 'plot device', an option to explain how you were able to bring a specific skill to bear on a given challenge.

Its a LOT less clunky, but there's no equivalent of CB. OTOH it would be a lot easier to write one...

AbdulAlhazred said:

Dude, you just have to start working on HoML, this sort of stuff is SO much easier. Admittedly, there's the question of 'practice vs boon' but in practice its not that hard to decide between them. A boon always adds new options, like a power, or grants some definite mechanical benefit or enhancement. A practice (by which I include the whole range of rituals and etc) adds a 'plot device', an option to explain how you were able to bring a specific skill to bear on a given challenge.

Its a LOT less clunky, but there's no equivalent of CB. OTOH it would be a lot easier to write one...

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I will say I am realizing Martial Power III is really a huge task.

AbdulAlhazred said:

Dude, you just have to start working on HoML

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For that I would require a more complete context and well defined set of numbers etc ... ie HoML is still pretty nebulous.

Garthanos said:

There is a theme that includes Alchemy so that is something of a precident.

The blood-line feats usually provide a power along side more passive effects.

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Thought of a good power..
I have been tossing around a new power for forcing the enemy to "kneel before you" an act of intimidation and regal awe causes the enemy to stumble or is that kneel before you. Mechanically could just be a knock down assault like move with psychic damage... appropriate for those with the mark of kings (or even for control style warlords) this could have a short range on it instead of being at the end of a charge of course.

Garthanos said:

For that I would require a more complete context and well defined set of numbers etc ... ie HoML is still pretty nebulous.

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It isn't so much nebulous as it is sort of hung in a series of revisions. Its all one, relatively coherent, document, but over time since 2014 or so I've reached various conclusions about how to approach things, and then incorporated material that reflects those conclusions. That doesn't mean I've necessarily revisited all the OLD material in every case! Its not really a PROBLEM, per-se. I'm sure there are examples of formatting and maybe even a few rules texts that are slightly at odds with the 'current' state of the game. Its just more that I'd probably want to revisit a lot of that stuff, and then there's SO MUCH more stuff that needs to be added.

I mean, you can 'roll up' a level 1 PC quite easily, I even have a halfway decent spreadsheet you can use. You can even build a higher level PC in some degree, but there aren't, for example, any magic items suitable for a 10th level PC. You don't NEED items, and with the boon system you can literally call any boon an 'item' if you want. Still, its a lack. Likewise there really aren't powers and generally a range of boons available. Probably 50% of the classes are not fully baked either, though enough are to make a lot of iconic characters.

AbdulAlhazred said:

Its a LOT less clunky, but there's no equivalent of CB. OTOH it would be a lot easier to write one...

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i could be part of such a project but I have an obsession to complete ie MP III.

Animal Tongues and Skillful Guide (Insert Skill Here)

I am adding animal tongues as a martial practice (The Dwarves in the Hobbit could do it and the D&D Monk also could do it - The Ranger can do it). AND the clincher there is a ritual to do it. So Animal tongues makes the list.

While examining what might be the effect of animal tongues that might make a little more broad sense than interrogation ie seeing the effect of Hunters Beast empathy. I realized/remembered that the hunters knacks seem to actually be things which should be encompassed as martial practices.

I am thinking Mountaineering Guide and Ambush Expertise can be a practice but wondering also if we can generalize their effect as Skillful Guide.

Skillful Guide
time 1 minute (spending a healing surge to both reduce time cost and time to perform activity)
duration 1 encounter (or up to 10 minutes)
Taking a bit longer at a protracted skill use you are trained in to precisely and adroitly describe/demonstrate what you are doing and guide any allies who wish to do the same , your guidance will help and perhaps speed the way for even those not less practiced than yourself (some allies with high skill may still accuse you of insulting their intelligence) such as climbing or navigating tough terrain (see parkour).

This allows you to aid others ( full party ) instead of just a single ally attempting the same activity for an encounter.

Additionally A healing surge may be spent (or additional skill check can be performed by each party member a success ) to halves the time to finish the activity.

Question running through my mind is what other protracted skill use might be used beyond just Climbing (and other skilled movement) ? How about engaging in a search in that library (History)? --> I know not very martial eh

So this gives two elements which can be described as methods for enhancing Aid Other or Aid Attack/Defense: Skillful Guide, and the Battle Speech.

I am collapsing Martial mastery into Sensei - both are basically just being able to design and train people in techniques that emulate items/magic items . And the words even mean the same thing Sensei == a Martial Master - basic skill should be Insight which is perfect for a teacher.

However offering a cheaper Oath Binding which has the right flavor for the blood-line rites and more magical flavored Grandmaster trainings and could be accessible without getting the martial artist flavor with limits of only the non-weapon/armor etc magic items as normal grandmaster trainings - This can have a base skill of Intimidation.

It seems to me you are basically recreating a skill system, although a somewhat idiosyncratic one...