Several folks on this board have asked me to post the material that was trimmed out of the Swashbucklers article in issue #301. Well, I've gotten the okay from Jesse Decker, so here it is:
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Innuendo
While normally it is used for sending and receiving hidden messages, swashbucklers often use the Innuendo skill to hurl witty insults at one another during a fight.
Insult: The Innuendo skill can be used to come up with a variety of creative insults, especially ones which are specifically meant to baffle their target until much later. The precise DC depends upon how elaborate or inventive the PC wishes to be, but 15 is a good number for a fairly complex and moderately witty insult. An insulted character’s reaction to the PC always worsens by one step, and at the DM’s discretion an Innuendo check result of 20 or higher might enrage the target, causing him to suffer a –2 morale penalty to attack rolls.
In retrospect, the -2 morale penalty is probably excessive. A better way to do that would have been to make it a -1 penalty for DC 25, with an additional -1 penalty per 10 above 25.
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Pole Vault: If you have a suitably long (about 15-20 feet), flexible wooden pole, you can use it to attempt to pole vault over an obstacle. You can only pole vault while attempting a running jump or a running high jump, and for every 10 feet you run before the jump, you get a +2 circumstance bonus to your Jump check, and your maximum jump distance is doubled.
This was snipped from the Jump skill uses.
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Outflank
You know how to circle around your opponent, striking from an unexpected direction.
Prerequisites: Dodge, Mobility, Dex 13+.
Benefit: If you move to the opposite side of your opponent (in other words, to the square an ally would have to be in to grant you a flanking bonus) before you attack, you gain a +2 bonus to your attack. If you can move and still get multiple attacks, this bonus only applies to the first one. Note that you still provoke an attack of opportunity for moving through an opponent’s threatened area.
Looking back, this feat is somewhat vaguely worded, and I can see why it was cut. The intent for the feat was to convey the classic "jump over an enemy and put a dagger in his back" stunt.
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Knockout Blow
You know where to strike a foe to knock him unconscious with one blow.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +3 or higher.
Benefit: If you attack an opponent who is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, you may attempt to knock him unconscious. You must make an attack that deals subdual damage (either by using a weapon that inflicts subdual damage or by taking a –4 penalty to deal subdual damage with a normal weapon). If you hit, your opponent must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or be knocked unconscious for 1d4 minutes. If you use a weapon specifically designed to deal subdual damage, you may add your sneak attack damage (if any).
I wrote this feat because, particularly at higher levels, knocking an opponent unconcious can be a long, tedious process.
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Pin Weapon
You know how to pin an opponent’s weapon and hold it immobile.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +4, Power Attack.
Benefit: This feat can only be used against an opponent who is within one size category of you. Make an attack against an opponent’s weapon using the normal rules for striking a weapon (see the Player’s Handbook, Chapter 8). If your attack roll is successful, instead of dealing damage, you momentarily pin your opponent’s weapon, causing him to lose his next attack (note that if your opponent has multiple attacks per round, he only loses the first one). Unfortunately, you cannot attack with the weapon you pinned your opponent with—though if you have an off-hand weapon that is light, you may attack with it at the normal two-weapon fighting penalties. Similarly, if your opponent has a light off-hand weapon, he may attack with it. If you move away from your opponent before his action, the pin is broken and he does not lose his attack.
Just another feat to create a little swashbuckling style--a good excuse to toss off a witty one-liner.
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Sweeping Defense
You have been specially trained to parry thrusting weapons.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6 or higher, Expertise, either Single Blade Style or Twin Sword Style (from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting), Int 13+.
Benefit: You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against any attacks made against you by piercing weapons. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed to receive this bonus. This bonus only functions against purely piercing weapons; if a weapon’s type is listed as Piercing and Slashing or Bludgeoning and Piercing, the bonus does not apply.
Because of their lightly armored style, swashbucklers tend to have low ACs. This feat was meant to help correct that.
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Keep Them Down
You make it almost impossible for an opponent to stand up.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +4, Dirty Fighting, Kick Them While They’re Down.
Benefit: Once per round, if you make a successful attack of opportunity against an opponent trying to stand up from prone, you may force that opponent to make a Reflex save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or be unable to stand. Unlike the rest of the feats in this section, you can use this feat in medium and heavy armor.
A secondary feat in the Kick Them While They're Down chain. Perhaps a little bit more kung fu than swashbuckling.
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Weapon-breaker: A weapon-breaker looks like a blunt sword with numerous teeth, like those of a comb, along one edge. Each tine has a varying amount of space between itself and its neighbors, to accommodate anything from a sword blade to a morningstar’s haft. These tines can be used to trap an opponent’s weapon, either disarming her or snapping the weapon in two. Both medium and small weapon-breakers grant a +2 bonus on your opposed attack rolls when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if you fail to disarm your opponent). In addition, small weapon-breakers allow you to add 1.5 times your Strength modifier to damage when striking an opponent’s weapon (or any object that would fit between the tines), and medium weapon-breakers allow you to add double your Strength modifier. These weapons are not intended to be used against living targets—when used against anything other than weapons or objects that fit between the tines, small weapon-breakers deal 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage, and medium weapon-breakers deal 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage.
A classic swashbuckling weapon, which was replaced by the weapon grip. A Small weapon breaker deals 1d6 damage (x2 crit), weighs 3 lbs, and costs 15 gp. A Medium-size weapon breaker deals 1d8 damage (x3 crit), weighs 6 lbs, and costs 25 gp. Both deal Slashing damage.
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Strength of Steel
The Strength of Steel style teaches that true skill comes from raw power. Practitioners of this style often use heavy weapons like longswords or broadswords to give them an edge.
Prerequisites: Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Sunder, Weapon Focus (any one- or two-handed sword).
Benefit: When using your chosen sword (the one you have Weapon Focus in), you may add 1.5 times your Strength modifier to damage (double your Strength mod if you wield it two-handed).
Master Style
Master Style is the ultimate pinnacle of swordsmanship—only the truly gifted ever learn this style.
Prerequisites: Any two other fencing styles, base attack bonus +15 or higher.
Benefit: Choose one of the following benefits when you achieve the prerequisites for Master Style. For every two fencing styles you master beyond the first two, you may choose another Master Style benefit.
· You gain an extra +1 to hit and +2 to damage with a single weapon. These bonuses stack with those granted by Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, if any.
· You may take an extra melee attack at your highest base attack bonus when using the full attack action. All of your attacks until your next turn suffer a –2 penalty.
· When using the Expertise feat, you are doubly effective—for every –1 penalty to attack you take, you gain a +2 bonus to AC.
· When using the Power Attack feat, you are doubly effective—for every –1 penalty to attack you take, you gain a +2 bonus to damage.
· When you are allowed a 5-foot step, you may choose to move 10 feet instead. This follows all the normal rules for 5-foot steps, including when you may choose to take one and the provocation of attacks of opportunity, except that you move twice as far. (ORIENTAL ADVENTURES presents rules for accomplishing this with a Tumble check; however, if you have this Master Style benefit, no check is necessary).
The two missing fencing styles.
That's pretty much it--there were a few other sidebars removed, including a list of swashbuckling feats from various D&D books, swashbuckling prestige classes, and notes on big and little swashbucklers. None of it was crunchy, though, and this post is already far too long as it is. Enjoy!
