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Topics - Garryl

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Miscellaneous Tome of Battle Alternative Class Features
On a whim (about a decade ago), I jotted up three ACFs for each of the three ToB base classes in the 1001 homebrew ideas thread. I got inspired again and added another three per class this week.



Crusader
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Swordsage
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Warblade
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Change Log
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In Progress, Deprecated, and Removed
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Homebrew and House Rules (D&D) / Base Class - The Twilight Adept
« on: May 23, 2022, 01:21:50 PM »
Twilight Adept base class
In the time before the fall of the Temple of the Nine Swords, the House of the Fallen Sun was nothing more than an underworld information network. The organization's services, like those of many others, were purchased in service of the Shadow Tiger horde. After the horde's disastrous assault on the Temple of the Nine Swords, many of the martial adepts that fought within its ranks found themselves bereft of purpose. Turning to any sense of the familiar, some of them found themselves in the employ of the very groups that they had purchased the services of just months prior, including the House of the Fallen Sun. The information network was more than willing to bring these skilled assassins, infiltrators, and warriors under its sway. Over time, these martial adepts adapted the techniques they had learned under the tutelage of Reshar and his students to better suit their new activities. These new twilight adepts combined their knowledge of the nine martial disciplines with the mundane and magical techniques employed by other agents of the House.

Hit Die: d6

Table: The Twilight Adept


Level
Base
Attack
Bonus

Fort
Save

Ref
Save

Will
Save


Special

Maneuvers
Known

Maneuvers
Readied

Stances
Known
1+0+0+2+2Elusive Strike +1d6/-0, Trapfinding431
2+1+0+3+3Elusive Dodge 10%532
3+2+1+3+3Elusive Strike +1d6/-1632
4+3+1+4+4Swift Stealth632
5+3+1+4+4Elusive Strike +2d6/-1742
6+4+2+5+5Uncanny Dodge743
7+5+2+5+5Elusive Strike +2d6/-2843
8+6/+1+2+6+6Elusive Dodge 15%, Elusive Evasion843
9+6/+1+3+6+6Elusive Strike +3d6/-2943
10+7/+2+3+7+7Camouflage953
11+8/+3+++7+7Elusive Strike +3d6/-31053
12+9/+4+4+8+8Elusive Mind1053
13+9/+4+4+8+8Elusive Strike +4d6/-31154
14+10/+5+4+9+9Elusive Dodge 20%1154
15+11/+6/+1+5+9+9Elusive Strike +4d6/-41264
16+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Improved Evasion1264
17+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Elusive Strike +5d6/-41364
18+13/+8/+3+6+11+11Hide in Plain Sight1364
19+14/+9/+4+6+11+11Elusive Strike +5d6/-51464
20+15/+10/+5+6+12+12Elusive Dodge 25%1475

Class skills (8 + Int modifier per level): Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history, local), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tumble, and Use Rope.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a twilight adept, you are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword, and with light armor.

Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of four martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Diamond Mind, Phantom Battlefield, Revealing Light, Setting Sun, and Shadow Hand.

Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a twilight adept is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one.

You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the table above. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3-1 (TOB 39), to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.

Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered twilight adept level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.

Maneuvers Readied: You can ready three of the four maneuvers you know at 1st level, and as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you are able to ready more, but you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by meditating and exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to meditate again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in meditation, you can change your readied maneuvers.

You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).

You can recover all expended maneuvers with a single swift action, which must be immediately followed in the same round with a withdraw action or a total defense action. You cannot initiate a maneuver or change your stance while you are recovering your expended maneuvers, but you can remain in a stance in which you began your turn.

Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one stance from any discipline open to twilight adepts. At 2nd, 6th, 13th, and 20th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description.

Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.

Elusive Strike (Ex): As a twilight adept, you learn to notice and seize upon even the smallest opening an opponent gives you. When you attack a foe that has left such an opening, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

Attacks you make with strike maneuvers against open opponents deal an additional 1d6 points of damage at 1st level. This extra damage increases by 1d6 every 4 levels thereafter. Like all bonus damage dice, should you score a critical hit, the extra damage is not multiplied. If you perform multiple attacks with the same strike, you deal with bonus damage only once to each open opponent with the first hit you score against them.

A creature is open to you if it would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not). Whenever a creature attempts to attack you or target you with an ability but either fails due to concealment or due to accidentally targeting an illusion of you instead, it also leaves itself open to you for 1 round as your deception manipulates it into leaving itself vulnerable.

Ranged attacks can count as elusive strikes only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage, such as a sap (blackjack) or unarmed strike, you can make an elusive strike that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. You cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in an elusive strike, not even with the usual -4 penalty.

The bonus damage from elusive strike is a form of precision damage, just like a rogue's sneak attack. You can elusive strike only living creatures with discernible anatomies - undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to elusive strikes. You must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. You cannot elusive strike while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Abilities and effects that modify a rogue's sneak attack can be applied to elusive strike, instead.

Starting at 3rd level, open opponents also suffer a -1 penalty on their saves against your strike maneuvers. This penalty increases by 1 every 4 levels thereafter. Any creature not subject to the bonus damage from elusive strike likewise is not subject to the save penalty.

Trapfinding (Ex): At 1st level, you gain trapfinding, as per the rogue's trapfinding ability.

Elusive Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, your evasive maneuvers and deceptive combat style cause all attacks and targeted effects to have a chance to fail against you. Any attack against you has a 10% miss chance, and any effect targeting you against which you are not willing has a 10% chance to fail to target you. This is different from concealment and produces a separate, independently-rolled chance for attacks against you to miss. This miss chance and targeting failure chance improves by 5% for every 6 levels beyond 2nd, to a maximum of 25% at 20th level.

Whenever a creature misses you or fails to target you as a result of elusive dodge, it leaves itself open to you for 1 round, allowing you to perform elusive strikes against it.

Elusive dodge does not function against creatures that are flanking you or against which you would be denied your Dexterity bonus to AC (whether you actually have a Dexterity bonus or not), nor does it apply while you are immobilized, helpless, or unaware of the attack or effect directed against you.

Elusive dodge only applies against attacks and effects that specifically target you. Area effects (such as a color spray spell) ignore its protection, although it does protect against effects that specify multiple individual targets within an area (such as a chain lightning spell).

Swift Stealth (Ex): Starting at 4th level, you no longer take the normal -5 penalty on Hide and Move Silently checks for moving at your normal speed.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Beginning at 6th level, you gain uncanny dodge, as per the barbarian's uncanny dodge ability.

Elusive Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, you gain evasion, as per the rogue's evasion ability.

Additionally, whenever you succeed on a Reflex save against an effect that allows for a saving throw for reduced effect and negate that effect entirely due to evasion, the creature that produced the effect leaves itself open to you for 1 round, allowing you to perform elusive strikes against it.

Camouflage (Ex): Starting at 10th level, you can use the Hide skill as long as you are within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, allowing you to hide yourself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. You cannot, however, hide in your own shadow.

Elusive Mind (Ex): Beginning at 12th level, you gain slippery mind, as per the rogue's slippery mind special ability. Additionally, whenever you succeed on your normal Will save against an effect that slippery mind could grant a second save against, the creature that produced the effect leaves itself open to you for 1 round, allowing you to perform elusive strikes against it.

Improved Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 16th level, you gain improved evasion, as per the rogue's improved evasion special ability.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): Starting at 18th level, you can use the Hide skill even while being observed.



Change Log
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3
Revealing Light martial discipline
Revealing Light shows the truth in all things. Darkness is but a thin disguise, easily torn away. Disciples of the martial discipline learn not just to observe, but to investigate and understand their opponents.

Discipline Access
Seekers and twilight adepts have access to Revealing Light, allowing them to learn and use its maneuvers. Like all martial disciplines, any character can dabble in its techniques with the Martial Study and Martial Stance feats.

Discipline Key Skill: Search

Discipline Favored Weapons: Club, dagger, glaive, quarterstaff, and rapier.

Sidebar: Mindfire Damage
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Maneuvers by Level
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Awareness Beyond Sight Alone
Revealing Light (Stance)
Level: Seeker 1, Twilight Adept 1
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, you become intuitively aware of any sudden or hidden threats. You gain a +2 insight bonus on initiative checks and you don't lose your Dex bonus to AC as a result of being flat-footed.

Additionally, you gain the ability to find traps, as per the rogue's trapfinding ability, and you automatically gain a free Search check whenever you come within 10 feet of a trap as if you were actively searching. Unlike the trapfinding ability, this does not grant you any special ability to disarm magic traps.



Burning Questions
Revealing Light (Strike) [Fire, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 8, Twilight Adept 8
Prerequisite: Three Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. The attack deals an additional 10d6 points of mindfire damage. Further, if it hits, the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 18 + your Int modifier). On a failed saving throw, you can ask the creature one question and it is compelled to answer as honestly and as completely as it can within 1 round. A successful saving throw prevents the creature from being compelled to answer and negates the mind-affecting side of the mindfire damage (although the non-mind-affecting fire damage side of the amalgam damage still applies).

You can also use this maneuver to force a creature to answer your question without inflicting damage. If you do, you make a touch attack and your attack deals no damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an enchantment (compulsion) effect.



Enemy Known
Revealing Light (Boost)
Level: Seeker 6, Twilight Adept 6
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 30 ft.
Target: One creature or object
Duration: 1 round
At a glance, the sum total of a creature or object's existence reveals itself to you. You learn a great deal about the subject and any effects affecting it in a short moment.

If you target a creature, you learn its name, challenge rating, level, character classes (if any), race, and type. You also learn all of the following the targeted creature possesses: damage reduction, fast healing, immunities, miss chance, chance to ignore damage (such as from incorporeality), chance to ignore crit damage (such as from light fortification), regeneration, resistance to energy, spell resistance, and turn resistance. The DM lists only the types, not the amounts. For example, the DM would tell you a monster has fast healing, fire resistance, and spell resistance, not that it has fast healing 23, fire resistance 10, and spell resistance 35.

If you target an object, you learn its name, caster level (or equivalent), functions (both mundane and magical), how to activate its functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if it uses charges).

You also learn of each ongoing effect affecting the targeted creature or object, including the effect's name, effect, and caster level (or equivalent).

Additionally, this surge of knowledge gives you momentary insight into the best way to fight the subject. For 1 round, you gain a +2 insight bonus on attacks rolls, saving throws, and to your Armor Class against the subject and effects it produces.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a divination effect.



Expose Vulnerability
Revealing Light (Strike)
Level: Seeker 6, Twilight Adept 6
Prerequisite: Three Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If the attack hits, the creature struck gains vulnerability to all damage for 1 round. It takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from any attack or effect, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure. This vulnerability also applies to the damage dealt by the attack from this maneuver.



Faerie Strike
Revealing Light (Strike) [Light]
Level: Seeker 4, Twilight Adept 4
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
As part of this maneuver, make a Search check with a DC equal to the target's Armor Class and a single melee attack. If your Search check succeeds, your attack ignores any miss chances caused by concealment or invisibility and deals an extra 4d6 points of damage. A creature struck this way is also outlined in mystical lights for 1 round, as per the faerie fire spell.

If your check fails, you can still attack, but you do not ignore miss chances, deal extra damage, or produce any faerie fire.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Find the Hidden Opening
Revealing Light (Strike)
Level: Seeker 7, Twilight Adept 7
Prerequisite: Three Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
As part of this maneuver, make a full attack. For each attack you make as part of the full attack, make a Search check with a DC equal to your target's Armor Class. If the attack hits and the Search check succeeds, the attack deals one-and-a-half times its normal damage. If the Search check succeeds but the attack misses, the attack nonetheless counts as a hit, but deals half its normal damage.



Flash of Truth
Revealing Light (Counter) [Light]
Level: Seeker 2, Twilight Adept 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 30 ft.
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
When you are attacked, you can initiate this maneuver to momentarily blind your attacker with a burst of light, potentially disrupting their attack. Your attacker resolves the attack as though they were blinded, granting you the benefits of total concealment against the attack. While the blinding imposes a 50% miss chance on the attack, it does not prevent your attacker from successfully targeting you entirely. You must initiate this maneuver after the attack is declared, but before your attacker has checked for concealment or made her attack roll.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Liar's Punishment
Revealing Light (Strike)
Level: Seeker 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If the attack hits, it deals an additional 2d6 points of damage and the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 13 + your Int modifier) or be rendered unable to speak for 1 round. A successful saving throw negates the silencing but not the extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Light Come Forth
Revealing Light (Boost) [Light]
Level: Seeker 5, Twilight Adept 5
Prerequisite: Two Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: End of turn
For the rest of your turn, any weapon you wield gains a modified version of the brilliant energy property. This causes your attacks to most ignore nonliving matter, bypassing most armor and shield bonuses to Armor Class, but leaves them still able to harm nonliving creatures such as constructs and undead.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Mirrored Soul
Revealing Light (Counter)
Level: Seeker 7, Twilight Adept 7
Prerequisite: Three Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
You can use this maneuver when you are subject to an effect that allows a saving throw. The effect must be a gaze attack or a spell that targets you. This maneuver does not protect you from area spells that simply include you in their area, nor does it protect you from effect spells (including rays) or touch spells.

Make a Search check in place of your save and use the check's result to determine the save's success. If your save is successful, you are not affected by the effect and instead it is reflected back to its source, targeting its originator instead of you. If the spell or effect requires multiple saving throws, this maneuver only applies to the first saving throw you make; the full effect is reflected if you succeed, and you roll any subsequent saves normally if you fail. If the spell or effect is subsequently reflected back to you, it is instead negated.

You must use this maneuver before you attempt the saving throw. A result of a natural 1 on your Search check is not an automatic failure.



Moment of Truth
Revealing Light (Counter)
Level: Seeker 8, Twilight Adept 8
Prerequisite: Three Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
Sometimes, when the stakes are highest and the risk of failure is at its greatest, the universe shares a mote of hidden knowledge to guide you to victory. You can initiate this maneuver to reroll a failed roll you just made. You gain an additional +10 insight bonus on the reroll. This can be an attack roll you missed, a saving throw you failed, or a skill check you failed. The universe will only share so much knowledge so quickly, however. No matter how many times you initiate this maneuver, you can only reroll a roll of a given type (attack roll, saving throw, or skill check) once per day, each.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Pyre of Falsehoods
Revealing Light (Strike) [Fire, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 4, Twilight Adept 4
Prerequisite: Two Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 3 rounds
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. The attack deals an additional 4d6 points of mindfire damage. Further, if it hits, the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 14 + your Int modifier) or catch fire. The fires that engulf the creature are mystical, not just physical, and are fueled by untruths as much as by flammable materials. While the creature burns, it takes mindfire damage instead of normal fire damage from being on fire and it cannot knowingly lie. The mystical fire created by this maneuver does not spread from the creature, so nearby flammable materials and flammable objects the creature is wearing or holding are not at risk of catching fire (although they may still be damaged by contact with the flames). A successful saving throw prevents the creature from catching fire and negates the mind-affecting side of the mindfire damage (although the non-mind-affecting fire damage side of the amalgam damage still applies).

As normal for catching on fire, a creature ignited by this maneuver immediately takes an additional 1d6 points of damage and is allowed a Reflex save (DC 14 + your Int modifier) each round to put itself out, taking 1d6 points of damage if it fails. As noted above, however, this is mindfire damage instead of the normal fire damage. The mystical flames burn for up to 3 rounds.

You can also use this maneuver to force a creature's truthfulness without inflicting damage. If you do, you make a touch attack, and your attack deals no damage. The mystical flames that burn on the creature also deal no damage, create no heat, do not damage or destroy anything they come in contact with, and are not at risk of spreading to other flammable materials.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an enchantment (compulsion) effect.



Revelation Strike
Revealing Light (Strike) [Light]
Level: Seeker 6, Twilight Adept 6
Prerequisite: Two Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Area: 30-ft. radius burst; see text
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
As part of this maneuver, make a Search check with a DC equal to the target's Armor Class and a single melee attack. If your Search check succeeds, your attack ignores any miss chances caused by concealment or invisibility and deals an extra 8d6 points of damage. A creature struck this way is also outlined in mystical lights for 1 round, as per the faerie fire spell.

If your Search check succeeded and your attack hit, the faerie fire surges outward from the point of impact. All of your opponents within a 30-foot radius burst with Armor Class less than or equal to your Search check result take 5d6 points of damage and become outlined in the faerie fire for 1 round

If your check fails, you can still attack, but you do not ignore miss chances, deal extra damage, or produce any faerie fire.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Seeker's Strike
Revealing Light (Strike)
Level: Seeker 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Saving Throw: None
As part of this maneuver, make a Search check with a DC equal to the target's Armor Class and a single melee attack. If your Search check succeeds, your attack ignores any miss chances caused by concealment or invisibility and, if it hits, deals an extra 1d6 points of damage.

If your check fails, you can still attack, but you do not ignore miss chances or deal extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Shadows Hide the False Path
Revealing Light (Counter) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 4, Twilight Adept 4
Prerequisite: Two Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
You can initiate this maneuver after a creature misses you with an attack. You make a melee touch attack against that creature. If your attack hits, it deals no damage, but the creature must make a Will save (DC 14 + your Int modifier) or become confused until the end of its next turn. This does not interfere with the remainder of any action it is in the middle of performing. This attack does not induce the creature to attack you, although subsequent attacks you might perform will, as normal.



Shadows Parted
Revealing Light (Stance)
Level: Seeker 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, your senses intensify. If you have 4 or more ranks in Search, you gain low-light vision while you are in this stance, or the range of your existing low-light vision doubles if you already have it. If you have 9 or more ranks in Search, you gain darkvision out to 60 feet while you are in this stance, or the range of your existing darkvision increases by 60 feet if you already have it. If you have 14 or more ranks in Search, you gain blindsense out to 30 feet while you are in this stance. If you have 19 or more ranks in Search, you gain blindsight out to 15 feet.

Search RanksSenses
4+Low-light vision
9+Darkvision 60 ft.
14+Blindsense 30 ft.
19+Blindsight 15 ft.

This stance is a supernatural ability.



Seek the Final Answer
Revealing Light (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 9, Twilight Adept 9
Prerequisite: Four Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. The attack deals an additional 5d6 points of damage. Further, if it hits, the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 19 + your Int modifier). On a failed Will save, the creature is rendered catatonic, its mind filled with visions showing it answers to all that it could ever ask about, and more. The creature is unable to react to its environment, its attention consumed with the visions. It will not take any actions, even to protect itself from imminent death. Without care from others, the creature will eventually die of thirst or starvation.

A spell or effect that dispels ongoing effects will not end this maneuver, only suppress it for 1d4 rounds. A miracle, limited wish, wish, or other effect of similar power can end it. A microcosm power will also end this maneuver. An anti-magic field or mind blank effect will negate this maneuver for as long as they last, but the visions and their effects will return as soon as the effect lapses.

Despite the apparent importance of the visions, no information can be gleaned from them. Any creature freed from this maneuver's effects will feel as though they could have gleaned some truth from the visions had they seen them for but a few moments longer.

A successful saving throw or protection from mind-affecting or divination effects prevents the catatonia-inducing visions, but does not negate the additional damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a divination effect.



Strike of Truth
Revealing Light (Strike)
Level: Seeker 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. You gain a +20 insight bonus on your attack roll and your attack ignores any miss chances caused by concealment or invisibility.



Surprising Reactions
Revealing Light (Counter)
Level: Seeker 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
You can initiate this maneuver when you are attacked. If your attacker misses you, the suddenness of your reactions places them on the back foot, rendering them flat-footed against you (although not with respect to any other creatures) until they next act. You must decide whether or not to initiate this maneuver before determining whether the attack hits or misses you.

Being flat-footed does not prevent you from using the immediate action to initiate this maneuver. If you initiate this maneuver while flat-footed, you are not flat-footed against the attack. If you were flat-footed as a result of not yet acting during the current encounter, you cease to be flat-footed.



Thoughtful Radiance
Revealing Light (Stance) [Light]
Level: Seeker 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal; 30 ft.
Area: 30-ft. radius emanation
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, you radiate bright light, as per a daylight spell, in a 60-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 60 feet beyond that. Opponents within the area of bright light that can see it are dazzled (imposing a -1 penalty on their attack rolls, on Search checks, and Spot checks). You and allies within 30 feet that can see the bright light receive flashes of insight and guidance from the universe; each affected creature can choose to add a +1 insight bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check once per round, which must be chosen before making the roll.

This stance is a supernatural ability.



Torch of Secrets
Revealing Light (Strike) [Fire, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 2, Twilight Adept 2
Prerequisite: One Revealing Light maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. The attack deals an additional 2d6 points of mindfire damage. Further, if it hits, the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 12 + your Int modifier). On a failed Will save, you can read the creature's surface thoughts. A successful saving throw prevents you from learning he creature's thoughts and negates the mind-affecting side of the mindfire damage (although the non-mind-affecting fire damage side of the amalgam damage still applies).

You can also use this maneuver to read a creature's thoughts without inflicting damage. If you do, you make a touch attack, and your attack deals no damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a divination effect.



Truth Unseen and Undesired
Revealing Light (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Seeker 5, Twilight Adept 5
Prerequisite: Two Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If the attack hits, it deals an additional 2d6 points of damage and the creature struck must make a Will save (DC 15 + your Int modifier) or become confused for 1 round, its mind filled with answers to questions it never wished to know. This attack does not induce the creature to attack you, although subsequent attacks you might perform will, as normal.

A successful saving throw or protection from mind-affecting or divination effects prevents the confusion, but does not negate the additional damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a divination effect.



Unfettered Sight
Revealing Light (Stance)
Level: Seeker 7, Twilight Adept 7
Prerequisite: Four Revealing Light maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, you see beyond the physical and into the underlying truth of reality. You perceive things as they truly are, as per the true seeing spell. Additionally, you gain a +5 insight bonus on Search and Spot checks.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a divination effect.



Change Log
(click to show/hide)

4
Exo Gladiator base class
Cybernetic activator class. Focuses on modules that grant a variety of natural weapons. The fantasy for this class is lower tech than the others. Rather than sleek, hi-tech tools, these characters use rugged powered exoskeletons and grafted tech. Members of this class might have undergone procedures to make mechanized supersoldiers, been subjects of invasive technological experimentation, or allowed themselves to be "enhanced" to better provide bloodsport entertainment to the masses.

Alignment: Any.
Starting Gold: 2d4x10 (50 gp) and a free exograft (see Armored Exograft below)
Starting Age: As rogue.

Hit Die: d10

Table: The Exo Gladiator


Level
Base
Attack
Bonus

Fort
Save

Ref
Save

Will
Save


Special
Activating
Active
Modules1
Energy
Pool
Socket
Attachments
1+0+2+2+0Armored Exograft, Exograft Focus, Exograft Module1+110
2+1+3+3+0Exograft Socket (+1 capacity), Uncanny Dodge2+121
3+2+3+3+1Energized Exograft, Maintain Exograft2+121
4+3+4+4+1Protected Exograft3+131
5+3+4+4+1Least Socket Access3+131
6+4+5+5+2Customize Exograft, Improved Uncanny Dodge3+142
7+5+5+5+2Neural Override4+152
8+6/+1+6+6+2Rapidstrike4+152
9+6/+1+6+6+3Expanded Exograft, Lesser Socket Access4+162
10+7/+2+7+7+3--5+173
11+8/+3+7+7+3Extra Exograft Attachment5+183
12+9/+4+8+8+4Improved Exograft Critical5+193
13+9/+4+8+8+4--6+1103
14+10/+5+9+9+4Greater Socket Access6+1114
15+11/+6/+1+9+9+5Exograft Socket (+2 capacity), Improved Rapidstrike6+1124
16+12/+7/+2+10+10+5--7+1134
17+12/+7/+2+10+10+5Shielded Exograft7+1144
18+13/+8/+3+11+11+6Core Socket Access7+1165
19+14/+9/+4+11+11+6--8+1185
20+15/+10/+5+12+12+6Versatile Rapidstrike8+1205
1. In addition to the stated number of active modules, an exo gladiator can activate their exograft module as an integrated module. The "+1" in the entries on this table represents that module.

Class skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Bluff, Climb, Computer Use, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), Listen, Perform (weapon drill), Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, Tumble, and Use Rope.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As an exo gladiator, you are proficient with all simple weapons and with light and medium armor.

Activating: An exo gladiator's primary ability is activating modules, which are drawn from the exo gladiator module list. You know and can activate any module from this list.

An exo gladiator can activate only a certain number of modules at once. Your base concurrent allotment is given on the table above. You can also activate the module associated with your exograft (see the exograft module ability, below), represented by the "+1" in the entries on the table.

At 1st level, you gain access to a pool of energy, which can be allocated to your active modules to increase their effects. If you already have a pool of energy, combine the two to determine the total amount of energy available. Your character level determines the maximum amount of energy that can be allocated to any given module at one time, as indicated on Table: Energy Capacity by Level.

As a swift action, you may reallocate your energy allocations amongst your active modules.

Socket Attachments: Beginning at 2nd level, you can attach active modules to the sockets that you have available. The number of socket attachments that you can have in effect at any one time depends on your level (see the Socket Attachments column in the table above). At 2nd level, you gain access to your Exograft socket (see below), allowing you to attach modules to it. Beginning at 5th level, you gain access to your Least sockets. At 9th level, you gain access to your Lesser sockets. At 14th level, you gain access to your Greater sockets. At 18th level, you gain access to your Core socket.

Armored Exograft: As an exo gladiator, you are bonded with an armored exoskeleton called an exograft. In most ways, an exograft functions as an ordinary suit of armor. However, it cannot be easily donned and doffed. In order to properly use an exograft, it must be surgically grafted to your body and wired into your nervous system. This is a difficult process that much be performed by a trained professional. This is similar to applying or removing a graft; the procedure to attach or remove an exograft takes 8 hours and must be performed by a character with the Cybernetic Grafter feat or a similar ability. See the exograft description, below, for more details.

Several exo gladiator abilities rely on having an attached exograft. If your exograft is removed, you lose access to those abilities until such time as you attach a new one in its place.

If you are an exo gladiator at character creation, you can start with a masterwork sleek, light, medium, or heavy exograft with which you are proficient, associated with the module of your choice, already attached. This exograft is free and does not count against your starting wealth, although any further modifications to it must be paid for from your starting wealth. If you become an exo gladiator at a later level after beginning play, you must acquire and attach an exograft after you take your first level of exo gladiator in order to use your exo gladiator class features that rely on having an exograft.

Sidebar: Exografts
(click to show/hide)

Exograft Focus: You gain benefit of the Weapon Focus feat for natural weapons of the types granted by your exograft module. If your exograft module grants the benefits of the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, this also applies to unarmed strikes. If your exograft module only grants certain natural weapons while attached to a socket, you still gain the benefit of Weapon Focus with those natural weapons even if you can't yet access that socket.

You must have an attached exograft in order to use this ability. Without an attached exograft, you do not gain Weapon Focus with any natural weapons.

Exograft Module (IM): As an exo gladiator, the first skill you learn with regards to making use of your exograft is to activate its associated module. You can activate the module associated with your exograft as an integrated module using your normal activator level. As an integrated module, this does not count against the number of exo gladiator modules you can activate, and it cannot be suppressed or deactivated by abilities and effects that target individual modules (such as the dispel magic and disrupt modules spells).

Use your normal activator level for this module.

If you somehow have multiple exografts, you can only activate the module of one of them at a time with this ability.

You must have an attached exograft in order to use this ability. Without an attached exograft, the exograft module immediately deactivates.

Exograft Socket: At 2nd level, you gain access to a unique socket: the Exograft socket. This socket is not directly associated with any location on your body, although it has a strong connection to both your exograft and any natural weapons you may possess.

You grant a +1 enhancement bonus to the energy capacity of any energy receptacle attached to your Exograft socket. At 15th level, this bonus increases to +2.

You must have an attached exograft in order to use this ability. Without an attached exograft, you lose access to your exograft socket.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you gain the uncanny dodge ability, as the barbarian ability. This allows you to retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) while flat-footed and against invisible attackers. If you already have uncanny dodge from another class, you gain improved uncanny dodge instead.

Energized Exograft (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, in addition to its normal benefits, your exograft module grants your exograft an enhancement bonus equal to the amount of energy allocated to it.

Maintain Exograft (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, you gain a +4 bonus on all Craft checks with respect to your exograft. You require half as much time and half as many raw materials as normal to repair your exograft. If your exograft is not masterwork, you can modify it into masterwork equipment as though you were crafting it that way originally, and you require half as much time as it would normally take to craft the masterwork component to do so. You can also modify your exograft to add gadgets without the increased cost and difficulty of retrofitting.

Protected Exograft (Ex): An exo gladiator's exografts are rugged devices, resistant to effects that would disrupt their function. At 4th level, your exograft, your exograft module, and any modules that are attached to your Exograft socket gain a resistance bonus equal to your Constitution modifier to their activator level to resist being suppressed. This ability counts as the protected modules ability for the purpose of feat prerequisites and other options. However, any such feats or options qualified for in this way only function with respect to your Exograft socket and the modules attached to it.

Customize Exograft (Ex): Starting at 6th level, you gain the benefits of the Craft Cybernetic Arms and Armor feat for the purpose of modifying your exograft. Modifying your exograft with crafting feats takes you half as much time as normal.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 6th level, you gain the improved uncanny dodge ability, as the barbarian ability. This protects you from being flanked. If you have uncanny dodge from another class, your class levels stack when determining whether or not a rogue is able flank you.

Neural Override (Ex): Beginning at 7th level, your exograft can supplant your brain's signals to your nervous system with its own, generated via a limited simulation of your decision-making, when you are mentally incapacitated. Using its connections to your nervous system, your exograft can transmit these signals almost directly into your muscles, allowing you to act in a manner vaguely approximating your normal self until you recover.

While you are rendered unable to act due to a mind-affecting effect or a condition caused by a mind-affecting effect, your exograft can take control of your body instead, allowing you to perform a single standard, move, or swift action each round, instead of being unable to act entirely, as long as that action is purely physical. In this state, you cannot use any Charisma-, Intelligence-, or Wisdom-based skills (except for Listen and Spot), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require concentration, that are tied to your mental state, or that have a mental component to their activation, such as casting spells, manifesting powers, and activating command-thought items. Because your exograft can interface directly with your cybernetics, you can still reallocate your energy and use the abilities of your modules, cybernetic feats, grafts, and the exograft itself, even if they are controlled mentally.

While you are able to act but your actions are not under your control due to a mind-affecting effect or a condition caused by a mind-affecting effect, your exograft instead attempts to counter any signals that your compromised brain would send. In this state, you are unable to take any physical actions. Your exograft still allows you to take actions that you would find preferable to taking no action at all. For example, if you were panicked by a dragon's frightful presence, you could still flee from the dragon if that was a better tactical choice than standing still.

You still suffer all other normal effects of the effect or condition; for example, if you were stunned by a psionic blast, you would be able to take a single action, but you would still be denied your Dexterity bonus to AC, suffer a -2 penalty to AC, and drop anything you tried to hold.

If you know you are about to be subjected to such an effect or condition, you can mentally ping your exograft to deactivate this protocol, preventing it from taking effect once you are incapacitated. Otherwise, this ability activates automatically and, as a security measure, cannot be deactivated until you return to your normal mental state.

You must have an attached exograft in order to use this ability.

Rapidstrike (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, whenever you make a full attack in which you make one or more primary natural weapon attacks, you can make an additional attack with one of those primary natural weapons. You have a -5 penalty on your attack roll for this extra attack. You only get one extra attack this way, even if you attack with multiple primary natural weapons.

Expanded Exograft (Ex): Starting at 9th level, your exograft module does not count against the number of modules you can attach to your exograft socket. This allows you to have up to two modules attached to your exograft socket at once, as long as one of them is your exograft module.

Extra Exograft Attachment (Ex): Starting at 11th level, your exograft module can be attached to up to 2 sockets at once, granting the benefits for each. Each additional attachment this way counts against your total socket attachments, as normal.

Improved Exograft Critical: From 12th lvel and onwards, you gain benefit of the Improved Critical feat for natural weapons of the types granted by your exograft module. If your exograft module grants the benefits of the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, this also applies to unarmed strikes. If your exograft module only grants certain natural weapons while attached to a socket, you still gain the benefit of Improved Critical with those natural weapons even if you can't yet access that socket.

You must have an attached exograft in order to use this ability. Without an attached exograft, you do not gain Improved Critical with any natural weapons.

Improved Rapidstrike (Ex): Beginning at 15th level, you can use rapidstrike to make a second extra attack. You have a -10 penalty on your attack roll for this second extra attack.

Shielded Exograft (Ex): Starting at 17th level, your exografts become so ruggedized as to even function inside an anti-magic field. You can attempt a DC 15 Will save each round to maintain the function of your exograft module and any active modules attached to your Exograft socket inside an anti-magic field, a dead magic zone, or a similar area wherein magic does not function. The save DC increases by +2 each round, and you may not make subsequent Will saves if you fail until your modules have been reactivated by leaving the field. Other magic items and supernatural abilities are still suppressed as normal.

Versatile Rapidstrike (Ex): Starting at 20th level, you can apply the benefits of rapidstrike to secondary natural attacks you make as well as primary natural attacks. Whenever you make a full attack in which you make one or more secondary natural weapon attacks, you can make an additional attack with each of those secondary natural weapons. You have a -5 penalty on your attack roll for these extra attacks, in addition to the normal -5 penalty for attacking with a secondary natural weapon.



Alternative Class Features
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Racial Subsitituion Levels
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Change Log
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5
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / ToB Campaign Idea
« on: June 22, 2021, 01:44:32 AM »
I've had a notion for a Tome of Battle-focused campaign floating around my head for a few years that I never really worked out. The idea would be to make heavy use of Tome of Battle's lore and mechanics by having the players be some of the last students of the Temple of the Nine Swords who are away from it for whatever reason, having left as the discord was rising but before the Shadow Master and Tiger Lord were banished, returning long enough after the Shadow Tiger Horde's invasion and the temple's fall for the horde and the temple's survivors to have dispersed and for the immediate aftermath to finish settling down. Maybe they were on an extended "graduating exam" mission/journey to prove their skill and worth to be considered masters? The idea is that it would be long enough for the battles to be long over, but also for new, less formalized martial schools to start forming without the omnipresent Temple of the Nine Swords looming over them.

Plotwise, I'm not sure where it would go, specifically. The beginning is clear to me, the players returning to the ransacked temple, finding it occupied not by their teachers and fellow students but by bandits, many of whom are remnants of the Shadow Tiger Horde, but some of whom are also disillusioned former fellows from the Temple. Clearing out the remains of the Temple would lead the players to a plot hook. Perhaps they would seek revenge on the Shadow Tiger Horde that destroyed their former home or on the students that betrayed their fellows to join it. Perhaps they would find some clue that some of their friends or teachers from the Temple are still alive somewhere and would decide to track them down. Either of those would result in a need for more information, which should push the players into seeking out the House of the Fallen Sun, a former minor player in the local criminal underworld focusing on information brokerage and subterfuge for hire, but which aided the Shadow Tiger Horde in their assault on the Temple of the Nine Swords and subsequently took in a number of their martial adepts after the Horde's dissolution. Ideally, this would then lead the players further out into the world, tracking down their target but also leading them into crossing paths with some of the other newly-forming martial disciplines along the way.

Mechanically, I want everyone to have a bit of ToB to their characters, even if they're not playing that archetype. I'm thinking of giving everyone gestalt at levels 1 and 4, as long as one side is a ToB class. For martial adept characters, this would represent skills learned from before they started studying the Sublime Way (a martial adept class and a non-martial adept class), cross-training learned in the Temple (2 martial adept classes), or perhaps the development of new, esoteric techniques from that long journey (mixing in a homebrew martial adept class). For non-martial adept characters who were not students of the Sublime Way, these two martial adept gestalt levels would represent skills picked up from hanging around the Temple and/or its students for several years.

While I want the campaign to start simple with mostly just the use of ToB material, I'd like it to expand as it continues to include the wide range of interesting ToB homebrew that's out there. Martial adept levels would be extremely common among NPCs and monsters throughout the campaign. However, the initial encounters would have them be exclusively from ToB. Later sections would include more and more homebrew classes and disciplines.

Some character background elements for the players to think about:
- Why did your character study the Sublime Way, or find themselves working with students of it so frequently?
- Who was someone your character had connection with from the temple? Where they a friend, a rival, a mentor?

Anyways, I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. It's mostly just to plop out notes and get the ideas out of my head and recorded somewhere.

Edit: What ToB homebrew do you think would work well in this era and should be included? I'm familiar with my own work, but it's been so long since I've really been part of the homebrew scene that I don't remember even a small fraction of the myriad homebrew disciplines, let alone the additional classes people have made.

6
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Classes without Craft/Profession
« on: August 23, 2020, 01:24:48 PM »
The Craft and Profession skills are nearly omnipresent, but there are a few classes that don't get them as class skills. So far, I've seen the Crusader (missing Profession) and the Marshal (missing both Craft and Profession). Are there any other base classes that lack either of those skills? I'd imagine there are a few PrCs that do, since they can get a bit more specialized at times, but base classes tend to be more general and foundational.

PrCs without Craft
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7
Temple Raider base class (optionally, of Olidammara)
A divine "skillmonkey" class (by which I mean has decent skills supplemented or exceeded by the spells it also has access to). Think divine Beguiler, but with Divination and Abjuration rather than Illusion and Enchantment.

In the original concept, many common skillmonkey things would just get replaced by the appropriate spell, permanently active or usable at will. Find traps instead of trapfinding, dispel magic and shatter instead of Disable Device, knock instead of Open Lock, hunter's eye instead of sneak attack, freedom of movement instead of Escape Artist, mind blank (or at least protection from evil) instead of slippery mind. It wound up not feeling very good, so while the framework of that is still present in the first few levels, the higher levels wound up evolving into their own thing, with the lower level features merely aping the feel of common spells, rather than reproducing them exactly.

Creating a Temple Raider
(click to show/hide)

Hit Die: d6

Table: The Temple Raider

Level
Base
Attack Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save

Special
Spells Per Day
01st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
1+0+0+2+2Antiquarian, Dispel Wards, Find Traps53----------------
2+1+0+3+3Hunter's Eye +1d664----------------
3+2+1+3+3Protection From Traps +265----------------
4+3+1+4+4Advanced Learning663--------------
5+3+1+4+4Hunter's Eye +2d6664--------------
6+4+2+5+5Protection From Traps +36653------------
7+5+2+5+5Curse Sense6664------------
8+6/+1+2+6+6Advanced Learning, Hunter's Eye +3d666653----------
9+6/+1+3+6+6Protection From Traps +466664----------
10+7/+2+3+7+7Evasion666653--------
11+8/+3+3+7+7Hunter's Eye +4d6666664--------
12+9/+4+4+8+8Advanced Learning, Protection From Traps +56666653------
13+9/+4+4+8+8Persistent Detection6666664------
14+10/+5+4+9+9Hunter's Eye +4d666666653----
15+11/+6/+1+5+9+9Dispel Mastery, Protection From Traps +666666664----
16+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Advanced Learning666666653--
17+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Hunter's Eye +5d6666666664--
18+13/+8/+3+6+11+11Protection From Traps +76666666653
19+14/+9/+4+6+11+11Persistent Protection6666666664
20+15/+10/+5+6+12+12Advanced Learning, Hunter's Eye +6d6, Temple Raider's Grace6666666666

Class skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Appraise, Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, and Use Rope.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: As a temple raider, you are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the whip. You are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Antiquarian (Ex): As a temple raider, you learn a great deal about religious artifacts and relics of all sorts. You can make a Knowledge (religion) check in place of an Appraise check when examining an item with a divine or religious connection, and you can make an Appraise check in place of a Knowledge (religion) check to recall information about such an item. Regardless of whether you use Appraise or Knowledge (religion), you gain a bonus on the check equal to your Wisdom bonus (if any).

Dispel Wards (Sp): As a standard action, you can produce a dispelling effect to disable magical traps and wards. You can use dispel wards as a targeted effect or an area effect.

As a targeted effect, dispel wards targets a single object. You make a dispel check (1d20 + your caster level) against each abjuration spell upon the object (DC 11 + the spell's caster level). Each success dispels that spell, as per dispel magic. If the object is a magical trap or is warded by one, you also make a dispel check against the trap itself (DC 11 + the trap's caster level), with a success disabling it for 1 minute. If you succeed by 5 or more against the magical trap, you can instead choose to disable it permanently. This only disables the magical components of the trap. A trap that combines both magical and mundane components (for example, a trap that launches both a volley of darts and a fireball) must still have its mundane components be disabled manually using the Disable Device skill.

Alternatively, you can use dispel wards as an area effect to dispel a 5-foot cube. This allows you to make a dispel check (as described above) to dispel any abjurations whose areas include that space (even if they emanate from elsewhere). This does not affect abjurations whose effects are constrained to a specific creature or object in the area. Like with a targeted dispel wards, this can also disable a magical trap tied to the area, rather than to a specific object.

Unlike dispel magic, you do not automatically dispel your own spells with dispel wards.

Dispel wards has a range of 5 feet. It is the equivalent of a 0-level spell.

By repeatedly using dispel wards, you can take 20 on your dispel check.

Find Traps (Su): You gain intuitive insight into the workings of traps. You can use the Search skill to detect traps just as a rogue with trapfinding can. Note that unlike trapfinding, this ability grants no ability to disable the magical traps that you may find (but see dispel wards, above).

Spells: As a temple raider, you cast divine spells, which are drawn from the temple raider spell list. However, your alignment may restrict you from casting certain spells opposed to your moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells, below. As a temple raider, you cast your spells spontaneously, like a bard or a sorcerer, and need not choose and prepare your spells in advance.

To learn or cast a spell, you must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against your spell is 10 + the spell level + your Wisdom modifier. You automatically know all spells on your temple raider spell list.

Like other spellcasters, you can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Your base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, you receive bonus spells per day if you have a high Wisdom score.

As a temple raider, you meditate or pray for your spells like a cleric. Unlike a wizard or a cleric, you need not prepare your spells in advance. You can cast any spell you know at any time, assuming you have not yet used up your spells per day for that spell level. You do not have to decide ahead of time which spells you’ll cast.

Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: As a temple raider, you can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to your own or your deity’s (if you have one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.

Hunter's Eye (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you gain insight into the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of your enemies' defenses. This functions as the rogue's sneak attack ability. The extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, plus an additional 1d6 every 3 levels thereafter.

Hunter's eye does not stack with the hunter's eye spell.

Protection From Traps (Su): Starting at 3rd level, you are warded against traps. You gain a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. These bonuses increase by +1 every 3 levels thereafter. Both these bonuses apply only against attacks made by traps, spells and effects created by traps, and creatures summoned by traps.

Creatures summoned by traps are also prevented from making bodily contact with you. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching you. If you make an attack against or try to force yourself against the blocked creature, you lose the protection against contact by that summoned creatures for 10 minutes. Each time a creature with spell resistance comes up against this warding, make a level check (1d20 + your temple raider level) against a DC equal to the creature's spell resistance. If you succeed, the warding holds repulses the creature's contact, but if you fail the creature is able to bypass it and touch you. You still gain the deflection and resistance bonuses against their attacks, even if they bypass this additional protection.

You can suppress or resume this ability as a standard action.

Advanced Learning: At 4th and every 4 levels thereafter, you may choose a single spell of a level no greater than the highest level temple raider spell you know. This can come from the Bard, Cleric, or Sor/Wiz spell lists, but must be either a spell from the Abjuration or Divination schools. Add this spell to your temple raider spell list and your temple raider spells known. Once selected, this choice cannot be changed except through effects that allow you to change which spells you know. You do not gain additional spells known through advanced learning for classes and abilities that increase your effective temple raider level for spells known unless they also improve your effective temple raider level for this class feature. You may still be allowed to select higher level spells when you gain this ability due to your increased temple raider spellcaster level.

Curse Sense (Su): Beginning at 7th level, you become sensitive to the subtle magical signs of curses. Whenever you are subjected to a curse, you immediately become aware that you are cursed and of the nature of the curse's effects upon you.

Additionally, the first time you inspect or handle a cursed magic item, the DM secretly rolls a Spellcraft check on your behalf against a DC of 15 + the item's caster level. If you succeed, you automatically realize that the item is cursed. You only gain this one opportunity to detect the curse, no matter how many times you inspect the same item.

Evasion (Ex): At 10th level and higher, you receive flashes of insight that allow you to avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, you instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armor or no armor. You do not gain the benefit of evasion while helpless.

Persistent Detection (Ex): Beginning at 13th level, once per day, you can cast a single spell in such a way that its duration is 1 day. This can only be a divination spell of no higher level than 1st. The spell must have a personal range and target only you or must have a fixed range and have an emanation centered on or originating from you (including cone and line-shaped emanations). The spell may also have a range of touch, as long as it targets only a single creature and you target yourself and only yourself with it. The spell must have a timed duration or a duration of concentration (or a combination of the two). The spell may not be one whose effects are discharged.

You need not concentrate on spells with a normal duration of concentration. Spells whose effects depend on how long you have maintained concentration, such as detect magic or detect thoughts, act as though you have only concentrated for the current round while you are not actively concentrating on them. While you are concentrating on such a spell, the spell counts only the time since you most recently started to concentrate on it when determining its concentration time-related effects, not the total amount of time you have spent concentrating on the spell since you cast it. If your concentration is broken, such as by damage or incapacitation, you stop concentrating on the spell, but the spell does not end and you can start concentrating again on your next action. A spell whose normal duration is concentration is dismissible when modified by this ability, and can be dismissed as a free action.

Dispel Mastery (Ex): Starting at 15th level, you become so certain and practiced at breaking wards that you can do so reliably even under adverse circumstances. When making a dispel check or a caster level check to remove, dispel, or otherwise undo curses and other magical effects, you may take 10 even if stress and distractions would prevent you from doing so.

Persistent Protection (Ex): Beginning at 19th level, once per day, you can cast a single spell in such a way that its duration is 1 day. This functions just like persistent detection, except that it applies to abjuration spells instead of divination spells.

Temple Raider's Grace (Su): Beginning at 20th level, you no longer trigger traps unless you wish to. Whenever you perform an action that would trigger a trap, you automatically become aware that a trap would have been triggered as a result of your action, although not what the trap's effects would have been, where the trap is, or how to disarm it.

Temple Raider Spell List
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8
General D&D Discussion / Estimating the Best of Two Rolls
« on: August 30, 2018, 12:54:21 PM »
So, for the longest time, I had it in my head that when rolling 2d20 and taking the better result (2d20b1), the average result was 15. I don't know where I got this number from (probably from extrapolating from the far more trivial case of 2d2b1, a pair of coins), but suffice it to say, it's wrong. Today I learned of my mistake and a better estimator.

As it turns out, a good estimator is that for rolling a d20 twice and taking the better result, the average result is actually 13.825. A good estimation for die-rolling (and the actual exact average result if working with a random number generator not restricted to whole numbers only) is that the average = (min + 2*max) / 3, or that average = min + (max - min)*2/3.

Now, I haven't double-checked my math, but I think that the generalized case of XdNb1 (rolling X N-sided dice and taking the best result) has an average of approximately (1 + X*N) / (X+1). Again, dice only give integer results, so this is only an estimate; with a random number generator that could give any result from A to B, not just whole numbers, the average would be exactly (A + X*B) / (X+1), assuming my napkin math is right. If anybody feels like double-checking me, I'd appreciate it.

9
For one reason or another, you find yourselves within Sumberton, the city of bridges (or the city of ale, depending on who you ask). The Valley of Obelisks, while peaceful, always has work of some sort or another. Sumberton, sitting on the Marrilach River in the middle of the valley, is a center of local trade. Trade routes from Kovakk to the north and Liir-Hra to the east meet in Sumberton, from which goods are shipped downriver to the Sivar Lowlands, Elsir Vale, and beyond the kingdom of Marrilach. It can be hard not to want a piece of those riches, and there is no shortage of scurrilous individuals seeking a share of the profit at blade point. A good sword hand is always in demand to keep not-so-good men honest and secure the coin in the purse it belongs to. A skilled hunter can make a solid living from the bounties posted on brigands and pirates, assuming he can catch more criminals than arrows.

For those that seek a little more excitement than the boredom of escorting caravans and river barges, the valley's wildlife can always keep life interesting. The Marrilach River's banks are filled with farmland, orchards, and pastures out to twenty miles. But the further one goes from the river, the wilder the land and its inhabitants get. Pick a forest, or a canyon, or a mountain range, and you'll find all of the adventure you could want as it swoops down on you with sharpened claws. There's always one outlying village or another that needs a hand with monsters expanding their hunting grounds onto their doorsteps, and they always ask for aid in Sumberton. Even if the royal army can't or won't lend assistance, there's always someone brave enough, greedy enough, or dumb enough to try.

And so you find yourselves (alone or together) approached by a young messenger wearing the insignia of the Chicane Guild, one of Sumberton's largest guilds of river merchants. His master is looking for hired hands to complete a task of some danger. You seem a capable sort to the youth's allegedly well-trained eye, and he assures you that you will be well paid for your efforts. You doubt he is quite as skilled at appraisal as he makes himself out to be, but the promise of good payment does match the guild's reputation. If you are interested, he tells you, head to the Chicane Guild offices, just south of Sumberton Keep on the east bank of the river, and ask for Vintra Marktunsel. It's first come, first served, so be sure to arrive promptly. Before you can ask any more questions, the messenger dashes off, disappearing into the crowd, likely seeking out your competition for the very job offer you just received.

You make your way over to the Chicane Guildhouse, pausing momentarily to admire the fine tapestries being unloaded from a wagon around the building's side. At your request, a clerk glances at your peace bonded weapons before directing you to wait outside master Marktunsel's offices on the third floor. Every so often, another sellsword or adventurer trickles in to wait with you in the hall. A hard-faced human man looks you up and down, evaluating your every motion, as his obvious subordinate fidgets uncomfortably, uncertain as to what he should be doing. Another man mills about, his confidence plainly written on his face and etched into his sharp grin, while a wispy dragon coils and scrambles up and down him. The aasimar sitting calmly, however, radiates a regal sense of ease. If your guess is correct, these are other applicants for the same position that you have been summoned for. You suspect you may wind up working with them, and possibly with others who have yet to arrive.

10
Phantom Battlefield martial discipline
In the time before the fall of the Temple of the Nine Swords, the House of the Fallen Sun was nothing more than an underworld information network. The organization's services, like those of many others, were purchased in service of the Shadow Tiger horde. After the horde's disastrous assault on the Temple of the Nine Swords, many of the martial adepts that fought within its ranks found themselves bereft of purpose. Turning to any sense of the familiar, some of them found themselves in the employ of the very groups that they had purchased the services of just months prior, including the House of the Fallen Sun. The information network was more than willing to bring these skilled assassins, infiltrators, and warriors under its sway. Over time, these martial adepts adapted the techniques they had learned under the tutelage of Reshar and his students to better suit their new activities. These new twilight adepts combined their knowledge of the nine martial disciplines with the mundane and magical techniques employed by other agents of the House.

Among the many results of this merger of disciplines was the Phantom Battlefield martial discipline. It combines the illusory magics of beguilers and illusionists with the stealth and deception of Shadow Hand and Setting Sun.

Discipline Access
Twilight adepts have access to Phantom Battlefield, allowing them to learn and use its maneuvers. Swordsages can train in the ways of Phantom Battlefield by selecting it in place of one of the Desert Wind, Stone Dragon, or Tiger Claw disciplines, allowing them to learn and use its maneuvers instead. Like all martial disciplines, any character can dabble in Phantom Battlefield's techniques with the Martial Study and Martial Stance feats.

Discipline Key Skill: Disguise

Discipline Favored Weapons: Dagger, falchion, guisarme, kukri, rapier, unarmed strike, and whip.

Sidebar: Mirror Images and Projected Images
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Maneuvers by Level
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Afterimage
Phantom Battlefield (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
When you enter this stance and whenever you begin your turn while in this stance, you create a mirror image in your space. This image lasts for 1 round. When you leave this stance, the image it has created disappears.

This stance is a supernatural ability. This stance is an illusion (figment) effect.



Apparent Defense
Phantom Battlefield (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, your mirror images gain a dodge bonus to their Armor Class equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum +1). Additionally, whenever you create a mirror image, the image's duration is increased by 1 round. This does not affect the duration of any other aspects of the effect that produced the image. A mirror image still disappears normally when it is struck, and some abilities impose other conditions upon which a mirror image may disappear, which continue to apply as normal.

This stance is a supernatural ability.



Blurred Motion
Phantom Battlefield (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 2, Twilight Adept 2
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
You gain concealment for 1 round. This imposes a 20% miss chance on attacks made against you and allows you to hide without anything to hide behind.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (glamer) effect.



Chains of Disbelief
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 4, Twilight Adept 4
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, you deal an extra 4d6 points of damage, and your opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 14 + your Int modifier) or become entangled for 1 round. During this time, your opponent automatically fails to disbelieve any illusion you produce, even when presented with incontrovertible proof. A successful save negates the entanglement and inability to disbelieve but not the extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting effect.



Clouded Visions
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will disbelief
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, you deal an extra 3d6 points of damage, and your opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 13 + your Int modifier) or suffer a 50% miss chance on all melee and ranged attacks for 1 round. A successful save negates the miss chance but not the extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting illusion (phantasm) effect.



Dancing Phantom Assault
Phantom Battlefield (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 8, Twilight Adept 8
Prerequisite: Three Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, in addition to dealing normal damage, you create seven mirror images in your space. These images separate from you and remain in a cluster, each within 5 feet of at least one other image or you. The images disappear after 1 round.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Deceptive Edge
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 2, Twilight Adept 2
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Saving Throw: Will disbelief
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If your opponent fails a Will save (DC 12 + your Int modifier), you gain a +4 bonus on your attack roll and the attack deals an additional 2d6 points of damage. Otherwise, it is just a normal melee attack.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting illusion (phantasm) effect.



Dextrous Attack
Phantom Battlefield (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, you gain a +2 bonus on all melee attack rolls, but you suffer a -2 penalty on all melee damage rolls.



False Keenness
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 7, Twilight Adept 7
Prerequisite: Three Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Saving Throw: Will disbelief
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If your opponent fails a Will save (DC 17 + your Int modifier), the attack automatically hits and is an automatic crit, regardless of the attack roll, and the attack's critical multiplier becomes x4.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting illusion (phantasm) effect.



Hall of Mirrors
Phantom Battlefield (Rush)
Level: Swordsage 6, Twilight Adept 6
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
As part of this maneuver, move up to your speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You create a mirror image in each space you move out of, which separates from you and remains in that space. If you have any movement remaining, another mirror image separates from you and continues up to the remainder of your movement, leaving mirror images in the spaces it moves through just like you would. The mirror images created by this maneuver disappear after 1 round.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Illusion Barrier
Phantom Battlefield (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 5, Twilight Adept 5
Prerequisite: Two Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 10 feet
Area: 10-ft.-radius emanation around you
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, you and all creatures within 10 feet of you are invisible, as per the invisibility spell. Those affected by this stance can see each other and themselves as if unaffected by the stance. Any affected creature moving out of the area becomes visible, and creatures moving into the area become invisible. Affected creatures (including you) who attack unaffected targets negate the invisibility for themselves for 1 round. Attacking creatures affected by this stance does not negate its invisibility.

This stance is a supernatural ability. This stance is an illusion (glamer) effect.



Illusive Stride
Phantom Battlefield (Boost)
Level: Swordsage 3, Twilight Adept 3
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: 50 ft.
Duration: 1 round
When you initiate this maneuver, you appear to teleport to a distant location, yet you secretly remain where you are. You create a single projected image in any space within 50 feet. The projected image remains in this space even if you move. The projected image lasts for 1 round or until either you make a successful attack or a successful attack is made against you. As normal, you are invisible while you have any projected images.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment, glamer) effect.



Mirror Dance
Phantom Battlefield (Counter) [Teleportation]
Level: Swordsage 8, Twilight Adept 8
Prerequisite: Four Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: 50 ft.
Target: A mirror image
As part of this maneuver, you swap places with one of your mirror images up to 50 feet away. You teleport to the image's space as it reappears seamlessly in your own. If you attempt to use this maneuver to move into an unoccupiable space, you do not move, and the maneuver is expended to no effect.

You can initiate this maneuver in response to an attack or effect directed at you or your image. An attack targeting you instead targets the image you swap potions with, and vice-versa. You may initiate this maneuver after the attack was declared and its target selected, but you must do so before any rolls are made.

If you use this maneuver to swap places with a mirror image occupying the same space as you, you do not move to a different space, although an attack directed at you is still redirected to the image you swap with.

As a secondary benefit, your seamless transition causes opponents to lose track of you. Unless they have a method of differentiating you from your mirror images, opponents that have previously determined which of your images is actually you no longer know which is real.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Mirror Walk
Phantom Battlefield (Rush) [Teleportation]
Level: Swordsage 2, Twilight Adept 2
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: 50 ft.
Target: You
As part of this maneuver, you teleport up to 50 feet away. Your destination must be within the space of or adjacent to one of your mirror images, or adjacent to a mirror or mirrored surface at least as larges as you. You must have line of sight and line of effect to your destination. If you attempt to use this maneuver to move into an unoccupiable space, you do not move, and the maneuver is expended to no effect.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Perceptive Inversion
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 6, Twilight Adept 6
Prerequisite: Two Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, you deal an extra 8d6 points of damage, and your opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 16 + your Int modifier) or believe you are only an illusion. For 1 round, nothing you or anyone does, not even incontrovertible proof, will convince your opponent that you are anything other than a figment of its imagination. The opponent even acts as though any memories he has of you are merely caused by his imagination. Your opponent is not helpless against your attacks, and will still instinctively attempt to defend himself from your attacks, even as he is consciously convinced that they are not real. A successful save negates this effect but not the extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



Phantasmal Death Blow
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 9, Twilight Adept 9
Prerequisite: Four Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Saving Throw: Will disbelief, then Fortitude partial
You strike at your foe in body and mind. What is in reality a minor nick seems as though it is a fatal wound as you push at your foe's thoughts to make that perception into truth.

As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, your opponent must make a Will save (DC 19 + your Int modifier). On a failed save, you deal an extra 20d6 points of damage and your foe must make a Fortitude save at the same DC or be instantly slain.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting illusion (phantasm) effect.



Phantom Attack
Phantom Battlefield (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, in addition to dealing normal damage, you create a single mirror image in your space. The image separates from you and remains within 5 feet of at least one other image or you. The image disappears after 1 round.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Phantom Decoy
Phantom Battlefield (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 5, Twilight Adept 5
Prerequisite: Two Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
You can initiate this maneuver whenever you would make a saving throw against an area effect. You must use this maneuver before rolling your saving throw. You gain a +4 bonus on your save. If you succeed, the following effects occur. You create a single projected image in your original space. You can move up to your speed to the nearest occupiable space outside of the effect's area. If no such space is available, you remain where you are. If your movement succeeds, you suffer no effects at all from the area effect that allowed the save, as though you weren't in its area. Regardless of the success or failure of your movement, the projected image remains in your original space. The projected image lasts for 1 round or until either you make a successful attack or a successful attack is made against you. As normal, you are invisible while you have any projected images.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment, glamer) effect.



Phantom Dodge
Phantom Battlefield (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 2, Twilight Adept 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous
This maneuver creates a single mirror image in your space, which instantly separates from you, dodging in another direction and possibly drawing your enemy's attack. You can initiate this maneuver in response to being targeted by an attack, before your attacker has checked for concealment or made her attack roll. Your attacker must newly select which of you or the new mirror image she is directing the attack at. Unless your attacker has some special senses that allow her to distinguish you from your mirror image or your mirror image is otherwise ineffective (for example, if your attacker cannot see you), she has a 50% chance to target the newly created mirror image instead of you. This may also be ineffective against attack forms that can affect multiple targets, such as a horrid wilting spell, as your attacker may simply be able to designate both you and the new image as targets regardless. Likewise, it offers no protection against area effects. You can initiate this maneuver against any form of targeted attack, including both weapons and spells. After resolving the attack, the mirror image disappears, regardless of if it was successfully struck or not.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Phantom Escape
Phantom Battlefield (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 7, Twilight Adept 7
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Duration: 1 round
This maneuver functions just like phantom dodge, except that after resolving the attack, you become invisible as a projected image appears in your space and separates from you. Both you and the projected image may make a 5-foot step (you and the image need not move into the same space). The projected image lasts for 1 round or until either you make a successful attack or a successful attack is made against you. As normal, you are invisible while you have any projected images.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment, glamer) effect.



Phantom Jaunt
Phantom Battlefield (Rush) [Teleportation]
Level: Swordsage 7, Twilight Adept 7
Prerequisite: One Phantom Battlefield maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: 50 ft.
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
As part of this maneuver, you create a projected image in your space and invisibly teleport up to 50 feet away. You must have line of sight and line of effect to your destination. If you attempt to use this maneuver to move into an unoccupiable space, you do not move. Regardless of the success or failure of your teleportation, you still create the projected image and the image remains in your original space. The projected image lasts until for 1 round or until either you make a successful attack or a successful attack is made against you. As normal, you are invisible while you have any projected images.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment, glamer) effect.



Phantom Shift
Phantom Battlefield (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 4, Twilight Adept 4
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
This maneuver functions just like phantom dodge, except that after resolving the attack, you may make a 5-foot step.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Shattered Mirrors
Phantom Battlefield (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 8, Twilight Adept 8
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance
While you are in this stance, whenever a creature successfully attacks one of your mirror images in melee and causes it to disappear, the image's magical energy violently discharges into the creature. This deals 2d6 points of damage to the creature that struck the image.

This stance is a supernatural ability.



Shifting Phantom Strike
Phantom Battlefield (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 5, Twilight Adept 5
Prerequisite: Two Phantom Battlefield maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, in addition to dealing normal damage, you create three mirror images in your space. These images separate from you and remain in a cluster, each within 5 feet of at least one other image or you. The images disappear after 1 round.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is an illusion (figment) effect.



Shrouded Visions
Phantom Battlefield (Strike) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Swordsage 1, Twilight Adept 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will disbelief
As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack. If it hits, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage, and your opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 11 + your Int modifier) or suffer a 20% miss chance on all melee and ranged attacks for 1 round. A successful save negates the miss chance but not the extra damage.

This maneuver is a supernatural ability. This maneuver is a mind-affecting illusion (phantasm) effect.



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11
Homebrew and House Rules (D&D) / Variant - Healing Surges
« on: July 07, 2017, 02:24:33 PM »
Healing Surges variant
I'm interested in the concept of healing surges. It's a nice idea, to free hit point recovery from the shackles of magic and seems to promote a more heroic play style (instead of taking days of bed rest or chewing on the CLW stick). 4E did and gave it the name (subsequently back-ported to 3.5 by several different homebrewers), and 3.5 itself was no slouch and tried something similar with UA's reserve points. Here's my shot at it.

In the end, what does this all mean? In the short term, it means that characters have a fair bit more stamina over the course of the day, or at least don't have to spend 750g on a wand of cure light wounds or lesser vigor. You should have enough healing surges to keep you going throughout one or two adventuring days, even at low levels (even first level characters will generally have between 2 and 6 healing surges, and are generally healing a greater proportion of their hit points due to rounding and the more favorable CL + Con formula). A character who goes down early in the fight (without dying, of course), will generally have most of his healing surges left, so he can be brought back easily with a DC 20 Heal check (not gravely wounded, just knocked out). Meanwhile, later on after multiple battles, that same hit point loss is a lot more serious, possibly requiring major surgery for the character to be brought back without magic or lots of bed rest.

That's the other thing. Healing surges replenish at a relatively slow rate, even though you can store up a fair number of them. You're still only getting back 1 healing surge per character per day when you're off adventuring (and only get 8 hours of rest), or 4 with someone who has invested ranks in Heal around and a full day's rest. For short adventures, characters will be full of vim and vigor, coming back easily even after hard fights. After a while, the battles will begin to take their toll, and characters won't bounce back quite as easily as their healing surges deplete faster than they are replenished.

Finally, surge feats bring a new resource mechanic to bear. Mundane characters can get some useful abilities, and even spellcasters can get in on the action (although generally not as well, since most spellcasters have poor Fort saves... Clerics/Druids excepted).

This variant would also work better if death comes a little further than -10. Dying at -10 or -1/4 your max HP (whichever is better) would give some opportunity to actually use those second wind while unconscious rules. Going all the way down to -1/2 max HP, or even full -max HP would do so even more, while also reinforcing the idea that running out of hit points doesn't mean you're on the brink of death, but running out of healing surges does. Any character with 4 or more healing surges (most adventurers at least by level 6, since who takes a Con score less than 14?) has as many or more hit points stored up in healing surges as in actual hit points.



Healing Surges
Healing surges represent the depths of your stamina and your ability to recover from extreme exertion and injury. Healing surges are most commonly used with the second wind action, enabling you to heal damage you have suffered.

The maximum number of healing surges you can have at any one time is equal to your base Fortitude save bonus + your Constitution modifier, minimum 1 healing surge. If your maximum healing surges are reduced, such as through Constitution damage or negative levels, you lose any remaining healing surges in excess of your new maximum. You do not, however, gain additional healing surges when your maximum increases.

Although you cannot normally spend more healing surges than you have, some effects may reduce your remaining healing surges below 0. While at negative healing surges, you are fatigued. If your negative healing surges are in excess of your normal maximum healing surges, you are instead exhausted.

Creatures that do not heal naturally, such as most constructs and unintelligent undead, do not receive healing surges.

Rest and Recovery
Under this variant, you do not regain hit points normally through rest. Instead, you regain healing surges, which you can immediately spend to recover hit points through a second wind. Instead of the normal recover of 1 hit point per level and 1 point of damage to each ability score that you gain from 8 hours of rest, you recover 1 healing surge. Proportionately larger recoveries (such as for extended bed rest or with treatment and a successful Heal check) cause you to recover proportionately more healing surges. Any other benefits you may gain from rest apply normally.

Some effects and abilities cause you to recover from damage as though you had rested. This healing is likewise converted to healing surges, and enables you to take a second wind. (The druid's wild shape would be an example of this, except that this is a buff the ability doesn't need so it's been altered for this variant.)

Taking a second wind (see below) is normally a standard action. Whenever you regain a healing surge due to resting or effects that simulate the recuperative effects of rest, you can take a second wind. This does not take an action. If you regain multiple healing surges at once, you can take up to that many second winds. When you take a second wind in this way, you can only spend from the healing surges you were about to regain, and you spend those healing surges before considering whether they may be lost due to exceeding your maximum healing surges.

New Action: Second Wind
Taking a second wind is a standard action. You must spend 1 healing surge to take a second wind. Some effects allow you to take a second wind even if you don't have enough healing surges remaining, allowing you to spend healing surges you don't have, reducing your healing surges to a negative amount.

Taking a second wind immediately heals you for an amount of hit points equal to one quarter your maximum hit points, rounded up, or your character level + your Constitution bonus (if positive), whichever is greater. Like with magical healing, this also removes a like amount of nonlethal damage. In addition, you heal 1 point of damage to each of your ability scores.

New Action: Recuperate
While you are at 0 or fewer hit points, have nonlethal damage equal to or greater than your current hit points, or have one or more ability scores reduced to 0 through ability damage, and have been so for at least 1 minute, you can recuperate once per minute on your turn, even if you are unconscious or unable to act. Recuperating does not take an action.

Recuperating functions as a second wind. However, when you recuperate, the maximum healing you receive is limited. Recuperating will never provide more healing than is necessary to restore you to 1 hit point, nor will it remove more nonlethal damage than is necessary for your nonlethal damage to equal your hit point total - 1, nor will it heal more damage to any ability score than is necessary to restore that ability score to 1.

As with any healing, recuperating causes you to become stable and stop losing hit points if you were dying or disabled.

Negative Levels
Negative levels reduce your maximum healing surges. For each negative level you have, your maximum healing surges is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1 healing surge. Negative levels also reduce the number of hit points you recover with a second wind by 1 (this replaces any change due to your reduced maximum hit points and level).



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12
[D&D 3.5] Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde / Info Dump
« on: July 07, 2017, 10:05:45 AM »
Links:
  • Original interest check/recruiting thread on the temp boards.
  • New thread on the restored boards.
  • Our PbP board.
  • This site looks to have the player-public information regarding the module and the campaign site.
Game Rules
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13
Rolling thread, for all your die rolling needs.

Please make your die rolls and describe what they're for here (eg: Attack roll vs. doom monster of doomy doom), then link to them from the relevant posts in the IC thread.

14
Thread for enemy and NPC stats.

I'll try to post enemy defensive/reactive info here, so you can do any rolls and whatnot needed to fully resolve your actions without having to wait for me to respond every time.

15
D&D 5e / Is Passive Perception an Ability Check?
« on: July 04, 2017, 07:37:45 PM »
Is passive Perception an ability check? Stealth refers to a passive Perception score, which seems to have its own separate rules from an ability check and no actual direct connection to one. I ask because the blinded and deafened conditions cause you to automatically fail any checks based on sight and sound, respectively. However, if passive Perception isn't an ability check, that means you can still be aware of a sneaking opponent even while you can't see or hear.

16
Play By Post / [D&D 3.5 + Homebrew] Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde
« on: July 03, 2017, 09:48:28 PM »
Continued from the temp boards. Links may or may not get updated.

Our PbP board is up!

Having just finished my grad courses for the summer, I'm in the mood to try to run a PbP game. I'd like to do The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde, although I could also be convinced to give Red Hand of Doom a try. I ran Slaughtergarde for my tabletop group back when we were playing, and it was a nice, solid, enjoyable dungeon crawl. We were going to do RHoD, but the group kind of fell apart a couple of encounters in.

This site looks to have the player-public information regarding the module and the campaign site.

If anyone knows any good resources for showing the dungeon/battlefield online, that's something I could use a hand with.

Rule set: 3.5 edition Dungeons and Dragons
Players: 4 or 5
Starting level: 1st
Character creation: 32 PB, average hp for rolled HD (1st level is still maximized). Average starting gold for 1st level.
Optimization: Tier 3-ish.
Resources: Core + any splatbooks I can get the relevant parts of + lots of homebrew. My library is limited to Tome of Battle + Races of Destiny/Stone/Wild, so anything beyond that check with me first. Homebrew-wise, most of my own brew is in, and there are a ton of other great homebrewers on this forum.
Posting: I know games tend to stall out during combat. I had some ideas to help alleviate that. I don't know which will work, so I'm just throwing them out there.
  • I'll try to post the defenses (hp, AC, saves, etc.) for any monsters you're fighting. That way, when you attack or cast a spell, you can do all of the defensive rolls for them and figure out the results without having to wait for me to do it.
  • To keep things moving, one combat round will be at most one week. One week after the round starts, anybody who hasn't posted an action (either a final action or at least a tentative plan) for their character forfeits their turn and the game moves on. And if I'm the one who forgets to do anything, I guess the monsters will, too.
  • I'm not a huge fan of team initiative, game balance-wise, but it is an option.
House rules and generally-applied homebrew:
  • No xp penalties for multiclassing.
  • I've been dying to try out healing surges in a game, so that's in.
  • The Demolition and Endurance skills are in. Of the classes currently being looked at for play, Endurance is a class skill for the marshal, commander, and naturalist, and the commander's cohort will get a bonus to it with wild focus. I don't think anyone's playing a class that would get Demolition.
  • No flaws. If you really need them for your build, we can renegotiate.
  • Yes to PHB2 Retraining, although not full on rebuilding.
You can find a complete listing of my homebrew here. I'll be updating it with links as I get things reposted here. Let me know if you have any priority requests.

Pre-Approved Homebrew
Other Approved Homebrew
Disapproved Homebrew
I think that's it for game rules. Am I missing anything?

17
D&D 5e / Starting up, what's good?
« on: July 03, 2017, 11:01:20 AM »
My new tabletop group is meeting for the first time this Wednesday. We're trying out 5th edition, and we're all new to it. The first session is just going to be all of us learning the rules and trying it out with some premade characters. After that, we'll be continuing with the premades or making our own characters. I don't know how far we'll be going, what variants or optional rules we'll be using, etc.

So, I'm interested in knowing what's good, in a general sort of way. My first instinct after skimming the PHB was a half-elf bard, sorcerer, or warlock. Warlock seems particularly good in the first few levels, with its quick-recharging spellcasting being relatively front-loaded.

Also, an oddity popped up in my reading. A long rest recovers 1/2 your hit dice (which are now like 4th edition's healing surges that you spend to heal when resting... cool). But you're always rounding down. That means at 1st level, when you only have one HD, you don't recover any on a long rest. Did this get fixed with errata or anything?

18
Board Business / Insert Spoiler Icon Missing
« on: February 28, 2017, 01:43:20 PM »
I know this has been the case since around the beginning of these boards and I'm only bringing it up now at the end of the boards' lifespan.

The Insert Spoiler icon (http://www.minmaxboards.com/Themes/Thing/images/bbc/spoiler.gif) is missing. It's supposed to show up among the controls when you're making a post, right in between the Insert Quote and Insert Unordered List buttons. Since the image itself is missing, you just have a line of text ("Insert Spoiler") instead.

Going to the image's url gives a 404 page missing error from Bluehost. I think the icon file is just missing, or possibly misnamed. Not a big deal.

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Other Games / 1001 TCG Card Ideas
« on: December 06, 2016, 08:12:03 PM »
Just a bunch of card ideas for card games I've been playing or thinking about.

Magic: The Gathering
(click to show/hide)

Hearthstone
(click to show/hide)

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