Metamartial Feats (For 3.5e)

John98GR

Villager
I might be late to the party, but this is my interpretation of the metamartial maneuvers of the same name in Craig Cochrane's Immortals Handbook: Ascension.
The general idea was to expand on their sub-epic level uses for my table's needs, but the concept remains the same.
This does not mean that they do not extend to the epic levels, merely providing more tools for low-to-mid level martials.
They are designed to give an incentive for (SRD) martial characters to actually exist on the Level 10+ battlefield, without resorting to Tome of Battle (or even supplementing it in some cases).
I have also provided a dedicated section on how and why I decided certain things, to preemptively answer possible questions.

Regardless, I hope this homebrew might provide something useful or needed to your table, have fun with it.
 

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Having read over the document now in a bit more detail I have to say I like some of the later Meta-Martial Feats you added there - at least one of which will influence something in God Rules. ;)
 

I might be late to the party, but this is my interpretation of the metamartial maneuvers of the same name in Craig Cochrane's Immortals Handbook: Ascension.
The general idea was to expand on their sub-epic level uses for my table's needs, but the concept remains the same.
This does not mean that they do not extend to the epic levels, merely providing more tools for low-to-mid level martials.
They are designed to give an incentive for (SRD) martial characters to actually exist on the Level 10+ battlefield, without resorting to Tome of Battle (or even supplementing it in some cases).
I have also provided a dedicated section on how and why I decided certain things, to preemptively answer possible questions.

Regardless, I hope this homebrew might provide something useful or needed to your table, have fun with it.
I have read some of them and while generally they are ok, some of them are too powerful for the level you obtain them imo (like daze and death attack) while other are a direct no for me (Rippling Attack in primis). But still a good work John98GR. I will absolutly use some of them
 

I have read some of them and while generally they are ok, some of them are too powerful for the level you obtain them imo (like daze and death attack) while other are a direct no for me (Rippling Attack in primis). But still a good work John98GR. I will absolutly use some of them
Death Attack is available at the level a Cleric gets Slay Living.
Although a spell, Slay Living is a Standard Action and a Touch Attack as well.
Death Attack is a full-round action and has a -10 penalty on the hit.
It is at-will, but you have to sacrifice your turn doing nothing else, and your hit might miss entirely (without accounting for the fortitude save).

I can say the same about Daze Attack.
It is available, for a Fighter, at Level 6.
A CR 6 Monster (Let's assume Ettin) has 18 AC and +9 Fortitude.
The Fighter's Daze Attack (STR 18, +1 Weapon) will be made with an attack bonus of +6 (+6 BAB, +4 STR, +1 WPN, -5 Penalty).
With an average roll of ~11, the attack misses.
Even if it hits, the Fortitude Save (DC 16, 10 +BAB) can be passed with a measly 7 from the Ettin's part.

Rippling Attack is available at Level 15 (BAB +15).
A Level 15 Fighter has... (21 STR +6 from Item for a total of 27 STR and a +3 Weapon) a +26 on an ordinary sword blow.
A full attack would be somewhere along the lines of +11/+6/+1.
A Marut (CR 15) has 34 AC, or 10 against touch attack.
This allows the fighter to 'guarantee' one hit, then a hit that will most likely hit, and then a final hit with a slight chance to miss.
He has wasted his BAB on Rippling, so he cannot use Power Attack (although I have not explicitly stated this in the doc however). At Level 15, he cannot pull the "Shock Trooper" cheese because he cannot technically sacrifice 5 BAB for the power attack.
He will surely deal 4d6 +30, and maybe one more 2d6 +15 (assuming greatsword).
That's, if all goes well, 6d6 +45 (~63).
If his weapon is not Chaotic (or a spellcaster is not there to handhold him with more buffs), and he cannot combine Piercing (because again, no 'BAB' left to sacrifice), that ~63 is reduced to 18.
So the Rippling Fighter deals 18 or 63, depending on the condition, if all goes well.
He has to spend his entire round for this.

A Level 15 Wizard casts a 6th-Level Spell, an average spell with a slot that he can spare. He has to bypass SR 25 (requires an average roll of ~11, so about 50-50, not accounting for feats). Let's assume Chain Lightning, a basic spell. The DC is 16 + INT Modifier (21 +6 from Item => 27), so DC 24.
The Marut has a Reflex Save bonus of +6. It must roll 18.
So the Wizard casts the spell with no metamagic for now. It is a 50-50. If it passes, he deals 15d6 electricity damage... or ~45.
The Marut has no special resistance against electricity (that I am aware of), so that ~45 remains as-is.
He has a swift action remaining for a Quickened Spell.
He can arguably do a lot more with metamagic and an 8th-Level spell, which he can cast.

So yeah... I do not agree with your assessment. These feats do not allow the Fighter to do what a Wizard or Cleric cannot already do, with equal or better results. I would totally agree, if not for the fact I accounted for their "at-will" nature by making them fail about half of the time they are used (or worse) at their intended levels.

Edit: And they are feats, which are fixed and cannot be switched in or out (like spells), unless you allow retraining rules (which cost money). The Daze or Blinding Attack will most likely occupy a feat slot 'for life', even when the majority of your enemies just flat-out ignore the save.
 
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