Shalewind
First Post
Here are some new rules I was cooking up. Opinions are welcome as are balance concerns and anything else.
New Status Conditions:
Imperiled
An imperiled character is off-balance, wounded, and subject to special attacks. Characters are imperiled when they have 20% or less of their maximum hit points remaining or if they are below 10 hit points (whichever happens first). Characters whose maximum hit points are less than or equal to 10 are imperiled whenever they are not at their maximum hit point total. Nonlethal damage counts toward this condition. An imperiled character is not subject to any specific penalties, merely open to a new set of special attacks that can put the character in further danger.
Captured
A captured character is being held hostage or is otherwise in a position of extreme danger at the mercy of another. It is possible for more than one foe to hold a character in the captured condition. Captured characters are not restricted in their actions, however, they are best advised to do as their attacker wishes or be subject to a coup de grace. Captured characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat suffers only half the usual penalty on opposed initiative checks while captured. Creatures with animal intelligence must make a Wisdom check DC 10 to realize they are in danger from a capture attempt. Non-intelligent creatures never recognize the captured condition.
New Combat Options
Capture
You can make a capture attempt as a standard action (an attack) or as a move-equivalent immediately following a disarm action. You may only attempt to capture a helpless, stunned, pinned, or imperiled opponent to which you are adjacent. Capture attempts against helpless opponents are automatically successful. Creatures that are immune to critical hits can be captured, but unless you are using a deadly method (see below) the opponent may suffer no ill effects from being captured.
To execute a capture, chose a weapon and perform an attack roll as normal. The weapon must be capable of harming the opponent or be a deadly method of harm (such as a grenade weapon, vial of contact poison, or a creature's specific weakness). Attempting a capture attempt with a ranged weapon is possible, but you still must be adjacent to the enemy. If the attack is successful, roll damage as normal but do not apply it to the opponent's hit points. Instead, your opponent must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + potential damage dealt) or be captured. Include critical damage and sneak attack damage, if any, to the DC. If your opponent is without a weapon, considered unarmed, and you threaten him, the DC is increased by +4. If you successfully capture an opponent you move into their square with them.
You can attempt a capture in a grapple, but you still require a weapon or deadly method and you must have two actions available in the round, one for pinning the opponent and one for the capture attempt (typically with a light weapon at a -4 penalty). All capture attempts during a grapple suffer an additional -5 penalty.
Maintaining a capture requires a standard action every round. This allows you to only make one move action per round as long as you maintain the capture. Instead of maintaining your capture you can initiate a coup de grace on your opponent. You cannot run or otherwise move into a precarious position and still maintain a capture. You threaten no squares while maintaining a capture.
Your captured opponent can attempt other actions other than following your orders or try to escape. If this happens, you can roll an opposed initiative check to move first and make a coup de grace against him, even if you have already acted in the round. The opposed check is only needed if you have already acted and your opponent moves against orders on your initiative.
I'm also working on a Deathblow (basically a Coup De Grace against Imperiled characters - full round action, only with a save of 5 + damage rather than 10).
New Status Conditions:
Imperiled
An imperiled character is off-balance, wounded, and subject to special attacks. Characters are imperiled when they have 20% or less of their maximum hit points remaining or if they are below 10 hit points (whichever happens first). Characters whose maximum hit points are less than or equal to 10 are imperiled whenever they are not at their maximum hit point total. Nonlethal damage counts toward this condition. An imperiled character is not subject to any specific penalties, merely open to a new set of special attacks that can put the character in further danger.
Captured
A captured character is being held hostage or is otherwise in a position of extreme danger at the mercy of another. It is possible for more than one foe to hold a character in the captured condition. Captured characters are not restricted in their actions, however, they are best advised to do as their attacker wishes or be subject to a coup de grace. Captured characters with the Improved Unarmed Strike feat suffers only half the usual penalty on opposed initiative checks while captured. Creatures with animal intelligence must make a Wisdom check DC 10 to realize they are in danger from a capture attempt. Non-intelligent creatures never recognize the captured condition.
New Combat Options
Capture
You can make a capture attempt as a standard action (an attack) or as a move-equivalent immediately following a disarm action. You may only attempt to capture a helpless, stunned, pinned, or imperiled opponent to which you are adjacent. Capture attempts against helpless opponents are automatically successful. Creatures that are immune to critical hits can be captured, but unless you are using a deadly method (see below) the opponent may suffer no ill effects from being captured.
To execute a capture, chose a weapon and perform an attack roll as normal. The weapon must be capable of harming the opponent or be a deadly method of harm (such as a grenade weapon, vial of contact poison, or a creature's specific weakness). Attempting a capture attempt with a ranged weapon is possible, but you still must be adjacent to the enemy. If the attack is successful, roll damage as normal but do not apply it to the opponent's hit points. Instead, your opponent must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + potential damage dealt) or be captured. Include critical damage and sneak attack damage, if any, to the DC. If your opponent is without a weapon, considered unarmed, and you threaten him, the DC is increased by +4. If you successfully capture an opponent you move into their square with them.
You can attempt a capture in a grapple, but you still require a weapon or deadly method and you must have two actions available in the round, one for pinning the opponent and one for the capture attempt (typically with a light weapon at a -4 penalty). All capture attempts during a grapple suffer an additional -5 penalty.
Maintaining a capture requires a standard action every round. This allows you to only make one move action per round as long as you maintain the capture. Instead of maintaining your capture you can initiate a coup de grace on your opponent. You cannot run or otherwise move into a precarious position and still maintain a capture. You threaten no squares while maintaining a capture.
Your captured opponent can attempt other actions other than following your orders or try to escape. If this happens, you can roll an opposed initiative check to move first and make a coup de grace against him, even if you have already acted in the round. The opposed check is only needed if you have already acted and your opponent moves against orders on your initiative.
I'm also working on a Deathblow (basically a Coup De Grace against Imperiled characters - full round action, only with a save of 5 + damage rather than 10).
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