New Skill Idea

[DungeonMaester]

Weapon use (WIS; TRAINED ONLY)
Parry, thrust, strike, block, and so on. This skill allows you to use weapons for more then just striking your enemies. This skill allows you to master a weapon of your choice by understanding proper technique and studying your enemy to fight them rather then rushing in head long.

Skill check Action Required Difficulty check Effect
Block Ready Action Equal to your AC +2 block bonus to ac on 1 attack
Thrust Bab +6/+1* 10+Attack Bonus +2 on one damage roll
Parry Immediate Action equal to your AC Enemies’s miss provokes AoO
Counter Immediate Action 10+Attack Bonus One attack on enemy who hits you
Feinting** Full Round action 10+Attack Bonus -4 enemies attacks/1 standard action
Gap Strike Standard action Enemy AC+10 Next attack on one enemy is touch

Description
Block: By reading your self for a attack, you can better defend your self. Using a Hold action and making a DC equal to that of your current armor class, you use your weapon as a shield to ward a single attack. This bonus is unnamed, and adds to your touch armor class.

Thrust: With a sudden jolt of speed and power you strike deals more damage. This requires a Base attack bonus of +6/+1. The first attack is used for gaining momentum in the swing, while the second is used for the attack its self. *Monks can use their Flurry of blows rather then a Base attack bonus of +6/+1

Parry: Learning how to deflect attacks to leave the enemy open, and then use this opportunity to strike. Reading a action, you make a DC equal to your AC. You use this as a immediate action when a attack declared on your character that misses. You bat away the attack leaving your enemy open to a AoO, but does not provoke a AoO

Counter: Being willing to take a hit enables a opportune moment where the opponent is left wide open to strike. Readying a action to use, make a DC equal to 10+ your attack bonus. (Highest attack bonus) On a successful check, declare a enemy you wish to use it on. If that enemy hits you, then you can make a attack against him at a +4 to hit. This happens in a manner of seconds, and does not provoke a AoO.

Feinting: You preform a demonstration of your abilities with a weapon, making it hard for enemies to read you to get a good attack. As a full round action, make a DC of 10+ your highest Attack Bonus. All attacks made on you in till your next turn suffer a -4 penitly to the attack roll. On your next turn, you suffer from being fatigued in till the turn after and can only take a single standard action. **Feinting Provokes a AoO.

Gap Strike: Fighting a enemy gives you a good idea where the weakness in his armor is, allowing you to strike them more effectively. As a standard action, you can make a DC equal to a single target’s normal AC+10. Doing so allows your next attack against them at their touch AC rather then there normal AC.



This idea is to add flavor to combat with out having to burn up feat slots. These are the top of my list, although I had thought of a ton of things to do with this, but none of them have been tired yet. So balanace is till a issue.

A few side notes:

1) When you take this it applies to a single type of weapon.
2) You can take this skill multiple times, adding a new weapon each time.
3) This can only be taken with melee weapons that you are proficient with.
4) As the above, you can take this kill with natural attacks, slams or unarmed stikes.
5) None of these provoke a AoO execpt where noted.

---Rusty

 

[Starglim]

Why Wisdom? Most of the feats that enhance these actions build off Combat Expertise, which would suggest that the key ability is Intelligence.

 

[Comicguy68]

Ability Score

I think that I agree with DungeonMaester with having Wisdom as the key ability score. Since this skill seems to cover a lot of different options, it's not what you know (Intelligence) but which option you choose for what situation (Wisdom). Sorta makes sense to me.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Interesting idea.. altho I have some issues with the implementation:

First, basing on Wis pushes the melee power more into the Monk's realm...possibly not a bad thing.

Second, the cost of this is too high, not only burning skill points for each weapon but often requireing a readied action for a +2 benefit? Easier to fight defensively.

I would suggest using another cost instead of skills/readied actions. In another thread on spicing up combat >>here<<, the suggested mechanic is burning AoO's and Action points {AP}.

Perhaps using that paradigm your rules would look like:

Skill check             Cost                             Effect
Block                   AoO+AP                        Gain your BAB to AC vs one attack
                                     must be declared before the attack roll results are known
Thrust                  AoO+AP                        Gain Wis modifer to damage for one attack
                                     may be declared after the attack roll results are known
Parry                   AoO+AP                        Gain Wis Modifer to AC vs one attack
                                     must be declared before the attack roll results are known
Riposte {Counter}       AoO + Successful Parry       Gain an immediate attack at your full BAB against the opponent whose attack you parried
Display of Prowess  Special**                      Opponents with whose BAB+Wis bonus is less than your
                                     BAB+Wis bonus suffer a -4 morale penalty to attacks against you until
                                     they land a successful blow. 
                                     This is a Fear effect, beings immune to Fear effects ignore this.
Gap Strike             Standard Action+AP         Perform one melee attack against an opponent as a touch attack

** Display of Prowess {replaces 'feinting' above'} is a full round action and requires a skill check vs DC 20. THe skill uses is normally Intimidate, altho Bluff can be used.

By using AP's you limit the number of times these special abilities get used, making them truely 'special'. Also you cut down on dice rolls in combat. Most characters only have one AoO each round, this mechanic makes Combat Reflexes a much more interesting choice.

 

[Arkhandus]

.....I'm afraid this skill is in awful, terrible need of re-wording, clarification, and revision, just to make it 1) understandable, and 2) at least a little bit useful. As it stands, the skill is worthless and makes little sense. Nearly every use of the skill is completely pointless compared to normal combat actions that any character can take, or far superior feats that handle the tasks better.

I'd rather Fight Defensively or take a Total Defense action than use some of this skill's options. I'd rather take the Karmic Strike feat from Oriental Adventures than use this skill's Counter option. I'd rather take Dodge and then use Fighting Defensively or Total Defense than use this skill's Feinting option. Etc. Completely worthless skill.

Sorry, but it needed to be said. This skill is worthless as-is, and its wording is all messed up and unclear on several points.

What's more, even if this skill were revised to actually be functional and useful, then every character who uses a combat-oriented class (except possibly Monks, since the skill doesn't specify if unarmed strike is a viable weapon) is going to invest full ranks into the skill. Then it may as well just be a class feature for every class that isn't a primary spellcaster or manifester.