Do you remember the martial maneuvers from "Tome of Battle: Book of the nine Swords"? Yes, I understand the update of the martial classes, crusader, warblade and swordsage aren't easy but this doesn't mean to be totally impossible. On the other hand one of the fun parts of D&D is playtesting a homemade class. I guess WotC doesn't want to publish a sourcebook about new classes with special game mechanics because they worry this crunch would be only interesting for a smaller group of players. And could this be fixed? Here I have got some suggestion to allow this special crunch could be interesting for the rest of players.
A measure could be to create one-encounter-duration spells and magic items. For example a paladin reads a "martial script" to learn "crusader's strike" (when your attack hits you or your ally within 10 feet heals 1d6 hit points +1 each initiator level until max 5). Then the martial maneuver is activated in the encounter against the dungeon boss. Until the end of the encounter the paladin can uses this manuever all the times she wanted... but only if she uses some special action to reload.
The schools of devoted spirit and white raven could be useful for a potential future warlord class. (Maybe this is using some special magic banner). The keys are easy to be understood and not slowing down the fight with unnecessary complications
Crusader could be a paladin subclasss and warblade a fighter subclass. The swordsage could be replaced by the cultivator, a new class inspirated into xianxia fiction.
Other option could be using a pool of power points but this would be totally reloaded each new encounter, or the PC would need to earn "agro power points" with each sucessful attack. In the end of the fight all the agro points would disappear and in the next encounter the PC should start from zero to reload the agro power points.
If the design was right for a right power balance but also a fun and fast gamepley this could be playtested to update the incarnum soulmelds in the future.
The idea is the updated martial maneuvers should work like melee-attack spells. The main difference would be they aren't at-will but almost, simplely to spend an action to reload. It would be like in a videogame where you hold down the button to then launch a more powerful attack when you release it.
The martial maneuvers should be interesting for DMs because a boss with maneuvers could need more strategy to be defeated. For example there is an encounter with a hobgobling squad whose mini-boss would be a captain with "crusader's strike" and his two bodyguards carring tower-shields. After striking the captain would hide behind the bodyguards' tower-shields to reload. Other idea is a squad whose captain be accompanied by a musician and (magic) standard bearer. The musician would be like a magic reloader and the magic banner would work like a power battery.
Now let's imagine Sturm III the knight finds the martial script with the martial maneuver "Shocking grasp" (a cartrip from PH). The martial script was crafted for no-spellcasters. The "martial script" wouldn't be spent after the first attack but after the end of the encounter. No spent but "unloaded". Then in the next turn Sturm can spend an action to reload the maneuver, and this can be used and reloaded more times until the end of the encounter.
A nerferd version of Valkyrias could be summoned like monster allies. Reth Dekala could be also a summoned enemy. The half-blood offspring of the naityan rakshasa could be used to playtest. (Monsters from 3.5 Tome of Battle).
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Do you remember the martial maneuvers from "Tome of Battle: Book of the nine Swords"? Yes, I understand the update of the martial classes, crusader, warblade and swordsage aren't easy but this doesn't mean to be totally impossible. On the other hand one of the fun parts of D&D is playtesting a homemade class.
I guess WotC doesn't want to publish a sourcebook about new classes with special game mechanics because they worry this crunch would be only interesting for a smaller group of players. And could this be fixed? Here I have got some suggestion to allow this special crunch could be interesting for the rest of players.
A measure could be to create one-encounter-duration spells and magic items. For example a paladin reads a "martial script" to learn "crusader's strike" (when your attack hits you or your ally within 10 feet heals 1d6 hit points +1 each initiator level until max 5). Then the martial maneuver is activated in the encounter against the dungeon boss. Until the end of the encounter the paladin can uses this manuever all the times she wanted... but only if she uses some special action to reload.
The schools of devoted spirit and white raven could be useful for a potential future warlord class. (Maybe this is using some special magic banner). The keys are easy to be understood and not slowing down the fight with unnecessary complications
Crusader could be a paladin subclasss and warblade a fighter subclass. The swordsage could be replaced by the cultivator, a new class inspirated into xianxia fiction.
Other option could be using a pool of power points but this would be totally reloaded each new encounter, or the PC would need to earn "agro power points" with each sucessful attack. In the end of the fight all the agro points would disappear and in the next encounter the PC should start from zero to reload the agro power points.
If the design was right for a right power balance but also a fun and fast gamepley this could be playtested to update the incarnum soulmelds in the future.
The idea is the updated martial maneuvers should work like melee-attack spells. The main difference would be they aren't at-will but almost, simplely to spend an action to reload. It would be like in a videogame where you hold down the button to then launch a more powerful attack when you release it.
The martial maneuvers should be interesting for DMs because a boss with maneuvers could need more strategy to be defeated. For example there is an encounter with a hobgobling squad whose mini-boss would be a captain with "crusader's strike" and his two bodyguards carring tower-shields. After striking the captain would hide behind the bodyguards' tower-shields to reload. Other idea is a squad whose captain be accompanied by a musician and (magic) standard bearer. The musician would be like a magic reloader and the magic banner would work like a power battery.
Now let's imagine Sturm III the knight finds the martial script with the martial maneuver "Shocking grasp" (a cartrip from PH). The martial script was crafted for no-spellcasters. The "martial script" wouldn't be spent after the first attack but after the end of the encounter. No spent but "unloaded". Then in the next turn Sturm can spend an action to reload the maneuver, and this can be used and reloaded more times until the end of the encounter.
A nerferd version of Valkyrias could be summoned like monster allies. Reth Dekala could be also a summoned enemy. The half-blood offspring of the naityan rakshasa could be used to playtest. (Monsters from 3.5 Tome of Battle).