Complete Warrior, anybody got it? What's in it?

[hong]

Would this work? Intimidate is a class skill for Fighters now (IIRC)

From the SRD:
Demoralize Opponent: You can also use Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s resolve in combat. To do so, make an Intimidate check opposed by the target’s modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

Well, there you go. Regardless, I still say this is something that shouldn't be exclusive to EW masters. There's nothing particularly exotic about scaring people in combat. Call it "Combat Presence" and make it a fighter feat, and away you go.

EDIT: In fact, I think I'll do that right now!

 

[Gez]

In my opinion, the Exotic Weapon Master should have been named the Weapon Poseur and be available for any weapon, not only exotic ones. And possibly rolled into one with the Kensai. Which should not have been named thus, since there was already the Kensei.

 

[MerricB]

In my opinion, the Exotic Weapon Master should have been named the Weapon Poseur and be available for any weapon, not only exotic ones. And possibly rolled into one with the Kensai. Which should not have been named thus, since there was already the Kensei.

Quite possibly.

However, even if so, this class is still inspiring hong to change things and do things based on it - a success, I would say.

Cheers!

 

[hong]

Well, there you go. Regardless, I still say this is something that shouldn't be exclusive to EW masters. There's nothing particularly exotic about scaring people in combat. Call it "Combat Presence" and make it a fighter feat, and away you go.

EDIT: In fact, I think I'll do that right now!

And here it is:

COMBAT PRESENCE [general, fighter, martial arts]

Your presence strikes fear on the battlefield.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, Cha 15+, Intimidate skill.

Benefit: As a move action, you can make an Intimidate check against all foes within 30 feet. Your Intimidate check is opposed by each target's modified level check (1d20 + character level/HD + Wisdom bonus [if any] + modifiers to saves against fear). If you beat a target's check result, that foe is shaken for 2d4 rounds. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only opponents that can see you.

Normal: As a standard action, you can make an Intimidate check against one target, opposed by their modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.



Changes from CW ability:
- You no longer add your BAB to your Intimidate check. Being able to consistently intimidate someone twice your level is silly.

- Affects all foes within 30', not just one foe.

- Takes a move action, not a standard action.

- Lasts 2d4 rounds.

Comments?

 

[Gez]

Bad timing...

 

[Plane Sailing]

From the SRD:
Demoralize Opponent: You can also use [/font]Intimidate to weaken an opponent’s resolve in combat. To do so, make an Intimidatecheck opposed by the target’s modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

(my bold emphasis)

You know, this demonstrates one of the design "features" of D&D that bugs me tremendously.

It lasts for 1 round. In other words you give up your attack(s) that round in order to give them a whooping -2 penalty on all their attacks. It is slightly worse than stunning fist (at least that makes them drop something).

The only possible benefit that I can imagine is that because the various fear conditions stack you could intimidate someone who is already shaken from some other cause and bring them to fear (or perhaps even panic), but it would take a pretty rare set of conditions to enable that to happen, I'd imagine.

Maybe they decided that 1r effects were balanced for "team play", but it makes them almost worthless tactics in one-to-one combat, and that is a shame.

In all our campaigns we changed the duration to "as long as you remain in combat with them" (we also allowed it to be opposed with an intimidation check of your own instead of a level check).

Cheers

 

[hong]

It lasts for 1 round. In other words you give up your attack(s) that round in order to give them a whooping -2 penalty on all their attacks.

"If you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." -- Tuco, _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_

Can we get back to whinging about CW now, as opposed to whinging about 3.5E?


Impressions about the prestige classes:

It looks like they've copied a lot of the flavour text verbatim from S&F and other previous sources. This is sometimes unfortunate.

The cavalier, for instance, is still described as the "quintessential knight in shining armour", but it's still just a guy on a horse. It's an uber guy on a horse, mind you, but only the most literal-minded would take that as the defining essence of the phrase "knight in shining armour".

At the other end of the spectrum vis-a-vis literal-mindedness, the order of the bow initiate is still concerned with Zen waffle about truth and whatnot. Although it's been toned down significantly, and they've majorly reworked the mechanics so that it's no longer just a souped-up machine-gun archer. The end result is that the flavour text now has some (barely discernible) relevance to the class, which is good.

The new OotBI is also severely nerfed compared to the S&F original. This is perhaps appropriate, since the original OotBI was by consensus one of the more broken classes around; however, IMO they went a bit too far. I can't think of many situations where ranged precision will be useful, and the Sharp-Shooter feat is rendered totally irrelevant by Improved Precise Shot.

The kensai is utterly dumb. The class isn't so bad in game balance terms, but for ghu's sake, what on earth does it have to do with a kensai? It's nothing like a 1E kensai, or a S&F/OA weapon master/kensai. Even the underlying schtick, that of a character devoted to a master or ideal, has precious little to do with historical/folkloric kens[e]i.

The ronin is also pretty dumb, albeit not as much as the kensai. Again, the mechanics aren't too bad, but it's basically just a fighter/rogue wearing heavy armour. I wonder who decided that the concept of a wandering, masterless adventurer working for pay was unique and flavourful enough to base a prestige class on. At a guess, I'd say 99% of PCs are wandering adventurers working for pay. It's completely pointless.

A great opportunity was lost when they declined to name the master thrower as the master tosser. Oh yes.

The new bladesinger looks pretty good though. It's a pity they needed three iterations before they finally got it right (T&B, errata'd T&B, this one). Some reckon that it's weaker than the DMG arcane knight, but I think it's a tossup.

 

[Darkness]

A great opportunity was lost when they declined to name the master thrower as the master tosser. Oh yes.

We should demand errata for that. If enough people complained, maybe they'd come to their senses.

 

[the Jester]

COMBAT PRESENCE [general, fighter, martial arts]

Your presence strikes fear on the battlefield.

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, Cha 15+, Intimidate skill.

Benefit: As a move action, you can make an Intimidate check against all foes within 30 feet. Your Intimidate check is opposed by each target's modified level check (1d20 + character level/HD + Wisdom bonus [if any] + modifiers to saves against fear). If you beat a target's check result, that foe is shaken for 2d4 rounds. A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You can intimidate only opponents that can see you.

Normal: As a standard action, you can make an Intimidate check against one target, opposed by their modified level check (see above). If you win, the target becomes shaken for 1 round. You can intimidate only an opponent that you threaten in melee combat and that can see you.

I think 2d4 rounds is too long. I'd go with 1d4. A -2 to most everything most all your enemies around you rolls is a pretty extreme penalty. I'd also make it a standard action.

As written, it's just about as good as a prayer spell, and of course it's usable at will. Abilities like this are exactly what I think prestige classes ought to have; the unique abilities that are require ultra-specialized training. Cuz after all, anyone can already try to intimidate an enemy in combat- this just makes it extremely effective.

It might be okay as-is at the top of a feat chain, though.

 

[hong]

We should demand errata for that. If enough people complained, maybe they'd come to their senses.

It's Darkness!!1!1! He has returned from the dead! Run for your lives!!11

Where have you been, Darkness? We Austrians gotta stick together, you know.