Also again, Neo, I really have a feeling that the mage gods are going to sweep this tournament. I don't *believe* your system does anything to rein in the insane cheese epic spellcasting is capable of, and even non-epic spells like Celerity and Time Stop are going to play havoc with the fighter-types.
I've been giving this quite a bit of thought lately and honestly this is part of the reason why I've been redesigning the martial maneuver system. Considering as how the tournament itself is going to be held on Alabaster's plane, he should gain some form of home-field advantage when the tournament is over and the victor challenges him. More than likely certain spells, particularly those involving the daylight or light spells would certainly cease to function in such a realm. As for the rest of the tournament certain spell combinations may also cease to function during the other fights, barring the use of normal anti-magic.
Also, I don't know if you're familiar with a feat from the book of the nine swords called martial study, that essentially allows non-adept classes to learn martial maneuvers. I made an epic version. Technically a 40th level fighter could qualify for this feat with skills/feats ivested properly, including the 9th level maneuver using martial study (the regular version), which fighters can take as a bonus feat iirc.
Epic Martial Study
Similar to normal Martial Study, but more Epic.
Pre-Requisites: Initiator Level 17+, Knowledge (Strategy & Tactics) 24 Ranks, Martial Lore 24 ranks, Able to initiate at least one 9th level maneuver.
Benefit When you take this feat you gain two new maneuvers known and two new maneuvers readied. You may choose a maneuver from any discipline for which you meet the pre-requisites.
Special You can only take this feat a maximum of six times.
This also leads back to my idea of redesigning the entirety of the Feanmerc & IH rules for epic martial maneuvers to work on a very similar system to the way my spells and psionic powers work.
Basically I had the idea of converting each Discipline into a "School" or "Form" in place of the "Seeds" from epic spells and powers. They would use a very similar table of factors and mitigating factors, which would end up determining their final martial lore DC to initiate, and thereby their level, much the same way spellcraft and psicraft checks are used with traditional FeanMerc rules. I'm also considering allowing the individual maneuvers and stances to be used as "seeds" with a martial lore DC equal to their appropriate level.
I did an example of what I'm talking about with the Desert Wind Discpline in the old thread.
Desert Wind Mastery
Pre-requisites At least 6 maneuvers known from the Desert Wind Discipline, at least one of which must be 9th level, Knowledge (Strategy & Tactics) 24 ranks, Martial Lore 24 ranks
Benefit You gain the ability to ready and initiate any 1st-9th level maneuver of the Desert Wind discipline for free as part of any other normal action. Maneuvers initiated this way do not count against your total maneuvers readied for a given encounter. This ability only applies to 1-st-9th level maneuvers of the chosen discipline only. Epic level maneuvers must still be readied and expended as normal. You also gain access to the following Epic Maneuver "Seed" or in this case, call it a "Form" since you have mastered every maneuver in this form, you have mastered the entire discipline.
Desert Wind
Martial Lore DC 30
Initiation Time 1 action
Range (see text) personal
Duration 1 round
Boosts Boosts made with the Desert Wind Form can grant a +1 morale bonus to whichever one of the following the initiator chooses:
[*]Any one Ability Score
[*]Any one Saving Throw
[*]AC
[*]Natural Armor/ Damage Reduction
For each additional +1 to this bonus increase the Martial Lore DC by +4
The Desert Wind Form can also be used to grant energy resistance to fire & dessication damage or two temporary hit points. For each point of energy resistances, or each two points of temporary HP increase the martial lore DC by +4
The Desert Wind Form has a base Martial Lore DC of 33 if it grants a +1 bonus for any type other than morale. For each additional +1 of the bonus increase the Martial Lore DC by +6. Normal rules for inherit bonuses still apply.
Strikes/Counters Strikes and counters made with the Desert Wind discipline can deal either Fire or Dessication damage. Initiators can use Fire and the Arid air of the Desert Winds to affect other areas as well, sometime creating walls or barriers of flame around themselves for protection. Damage dealt with this form starts at 10d6 points of the chosen energy damage and will almost always require the initiator to hit the target with some form of attack, or allow some form of saving throw to avoid or mitigate the damage, usually reflex saves for saving throws.For each additional d6 beyond 10d6 increase the Martial Lore DC by +2. To imbue another creature with the ability to use this energy at it's option or when a particular condition is met increase the Martial Lore DC by +25.
To make a maneuver a "counter" maneuver all you're really doing is just making it a strike that is contingent upon being attacked, to make a strike into a counter maneuver increase the Martial lore DC by +26.
Stances Stances made using the Desert Wind Form can add any of the following at the initiator's choosing:
[*]Fire or Dessication damage to the initiators' melee attacks (Base 1d6 +1 per initiator level)
[*]Resistance to fire or dessication damage 1 point
[*]Surround themselves in a protective veil of flame (base 5 damage per initiator level)
[*]Grant Temporary movement over a certain kind of terrain with no penalty, usually across air or fire
The only problem I'm having with this approach is determining the DC adjustments for the factors and mitigating factors charts and the fact that there are simply so many disciplines given that I allow most of the ones from the Giant in the Playground forums, and a few others into my campaign setting as well.
And since you changed how Alabaster's Godblight works, it isn't even a defense against them now. When it used to nullify Divine Bonus, at least their caster level, DCs, and spellcraft checks took a hit.
I might actually have to agree with you here, but I just didn't like the original ability because it kinda stank of absolution and their wasn't even a saving throw IIRC? Maybe you could pull it up but I don't think I have your original write-up of the class anymore.
I could be wrong, though, I haven't looked at FeanMerc's system in a long time. But, I just have a feeling we're going to see some ridiculous spells and spell combos in the course of the tournament.
We'll see, though.
Again, that's why I'm working with the martial system to at least give the fighter-based characters a fighting chance.
