House Rules for a more kungfuy game of 3.5/pathfinder
I'm not sure where to put House Rules here on the weave. If this is the wrong place let me know. But here's something I just started writing up. I've had this on my mind for some time now, and a game currently in the game planning thread sparked my interest to finally start writing these things down...
It's a few feats I came up with plus a potential adaptation of several psionic feats to make 3.5/pathfinder much better for a martial arts/kung fu type of setting:
Martial Artist [Martial]
You are no mere brawler; your mastery of a particular style of martial arts sets you apart from the average combatant. Just as a master painter is able to use their aptitude in painting and a fine brush to bring their imagination and creativity into the world, so too can you use your body and knowledge of the arts to gracefully and effortlessly bring change to the chaotic world of battle around you.
Benefit: While martially focused, you may spend a move action to enter a martial stance. Once you are in a martial stance, you remain in this stance until you willingly end your stance (a move action), change your martial stance, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance, in cases such as elves). In addition, if you lose martial focus, you lose the benefit of your martial stance at the start of your next turn.
When you first take this feat, you must choose a particular combination of specific types of weapons, armor, and/or shield. For example, a character taking this feat could choose a longsword, a heavy shield, and platemail, or two short swords and leather armor. You do not have to choose each category when you take this feat, for example choosing to take no shield or armor, but once made, this choice is permanent. This choice becomes the basis of one of your martial stances.
While in this martial stance, you are treated as if you are wearing the chosen armor and shield and wielding the chosen weapons when making attacks, regardless of any items actually worn or weapons used. You count as armed when making unarmed attacks and you gain all features and penalties associated with using these items while in your martial stance, including armor and shield bonuses to AC, armor check penalties, weapon damage and critical threat range, properties such as reach or tripping, penalties for using weapons you are not proficient in, etc. In addition, the complex body movements required for a martial stance means that both your hands are considered full for the purposes of somatic spell components.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time, choose a different combination of items and a different martial stance.
Martial Caster [Martial]
You have mastered both the martial arts and the arts of complex spellcasting and are able to interweave the two together, paths divergent in focus to many but not to you.
Preqrequisites: Martial Artist, any spellcaster
Benefit: While in a martial stance, you may ignore the somatic component requirements for any spell you cast with a range of touch or personal.
In addition, you may spend a move action or expend your martial focus as a free action to ignore the somatic component requirements for the next spell you cast this round.
Advanced Martial Caster [Martial]
cast touch spells as part of an attack etc
Mystic Style [Martial]
Through your knowledge of martial arts, you have developed a harmonious relationship with the world and have tapped into something blah blah blah
Preqrequisites: Level 3, Martial Artist
Benefit: While in a martial stance, the martial artist's weapons improve as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the weapons gain a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that may may be spent on an actual enhancement bonuses or on weapon special abilities. The martial artist's level determines
the maximum enhancement bonus (Table). The martial artist may apply any special ability from the table below instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as the martial artist meets the level requirements. A martial artist can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the martial artist’s level, but must assign at least a +1 enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities.
Maximum Enhancement Bonus
Level 3 - +1
Level 6 - +2
Level 9 - +3
Level 12 - +4
Level 15 - +5
Table
+1 Defending
+1 Distance
+1 Flaming
+1 Frost
+1 Ghost touch
+1 Keen
+1 Merciful
+1 Mighty cleaving
+1 Shock
+1 Vicious
+2 Anarchic
+2 Axiomatic
+2 Flaming burst
+2 Frost burst
+2 Holy
+2 Shocking burst
+2 Unholy
+2 Wounding
+4 Brilliant energy
Aligned Attack [Martial]
Your attacks overcomes your opponent’s alignment-based damage reduction and deals additional damage.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +6
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose either chaos, good, evil or law. (Your choice must match one of your alignment components.) Once you’ve made this alignment choice, it cannot be changed.
As long as you maintain martial focus, your attacks are treated as either a good, evil, chaotic, or lawful attack (depending on your original choice) for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
You may choose to expend your martial focus when making an attack to power this feat’s secondary ability. When you make a successful melee or ranged attack in this fashion, you deal an extra 2d6 points of damage of the type you originally selected if your target is of the opposed alignment. This attack is still treated as the appropriate alignment type. You must decide whether or not to use this ability prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your martial focus.
Deep Impact [Martial]
You can strike your foe with a melee weapon as if making a touch attack.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Martial Weapon, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your martial focus as part of a melee attack. You can resolve that attack with a melee weapon as a touch attack. You must decide whether or not to use this feat prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your martial focus. Abilities that do not work on touch attacks similarly do not work with this feat.
More converted psionic feats
they do the same thing etc
It's a few feats I came up with plus a potential adaptation of several psionic feats to make 3.5/pathfinder much better for a martial arts/kung fu type of setting:
Martial Artist [Martial]
You are no mere brawler; your mastery of a particular style of martial arts sets you apart from the average combatant. Just as a master painter is able to use their aptitude in painting and a fine brush to bring their imagination and creativity into the world, so too can you use your body and knowledge of the arts to gracefully and effortlessly bring change to the chaotic world of battle around you.
Benefit: While martially focused, you may spend a move action to enter a martial stance. Once you are in a martial stance, you remain in this stance until you willingly end your stance (a move action), change your martial stance, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance, in cases such as elves). In addition, if you lose martial focus, you lose the benefit of your martial stance at the start of your next turn.
When you first take this feat, you must choose a particular combination of specific types of weapons, armor, and/or shield. For example, a character taking this feat could choose a longsword, a heavy shield, and platemail, or two short swords and leather armor. You do not have to choose each category when you take this feat, for example choosing to take no shield or armor, but once made, this choice is permanent. This choice becomes the basis of one of your martial stances.
While in this martial stance, you are treated as if you are wearing the chosen armor and shield and wielding the chosen weapons when making attacks, regardless of any items actually worn or weapons used. You count as armed when making unarmed attacks and you gain all features and penalties associated with using these items while in your martial stance, including armor and shield bonuses to AC, armor check penalties, weapon damage and critical threat range, properties such as reach or tripping, penalties for using weapons you are not proficient in, etc. In addition, the complex body movements required for a martial stance means that both your hands are considered full for the purposes of somatic spell components.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time, choose a different combination of items and a different martial stance.
Martial Caster [Martial]
You have mastered both the martial arts and the arts of complex spellcasting and are able to interweave the two together, paths divergent in focus to many but not to you.
Preqrequisites: Martial Artist, any spellcaster
Benefit: While in a martial stance, you may ignore the somatic component requirements for any spell you cast with a range of touch or personal.
In addition, you may spend a move action or expend your martial focus as a free action to ignore the somatic component requirements for the next spell you cast this round.
Advanced Martial Caster [Martial]
cast touch spells as part of an attack etc
Mystic Style [Martial]
Through your knowledge of martial arts, you have developed a harmonious relationship with the world and have tapped into something blah blah blah
Preqrequisites: Level 3, Martial Artist
Benefit: While in a martial stance, the martial artist's weapons improve as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the weapons gain a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that may may be spent on an actual enhancement bonuses or on weapon special abilities. The martial artist's level determines
the maximum enhancement bonus (Table). The martial artist may apply any special ability from the table below instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as the martial artist meets the level requirements. A martial artist can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the martial artist’s level, but must assign at least a +1 enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities.
Maximum Enhancement Bonus
Level 3 - +1
Level 6 - +2
Level 9 - +3
Level 12 - +4
Level 15 - +5
Table
+1 Defending
+1 Distance
+1 Flaming
+1 Frost
+1 Ghost touch
+1 Keen
+1 Merciful
+1 Mighty cleaving
+1 Shock
+1 Vicious
+2 Anarchic
+2 Axiomatic
+2 Flaming burst
+2 Frost burst
+2 Holy
+2 Shocking burst
+2 Unholy
+2 Wounding
+4 Brilliant energy
Aligned Attack [Martial]
Your attacks overcomes your opponent’s alignment-based damage reduction and deals additional damage.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +6
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose either chaos, good, evil or law. (Your choice must match one of your alignment components.) Once you’ve made this alignment choice, it cannot be changed.
As long as you maintain martial focus, your attacks are treated as either a good, evil, chaotic, or lawful attack (depending on your original choice) for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
You may choose to expend your martial focus when making an attack to power this feat’s secondary ability. When you make a successful melee or ranged attack in this fashion, you deal an extra 2d6 points of damage of the type you originally selected if your target is of the opposed alignment. This attack is still treated as the appropriate alignment type. You must decide whether or not to use this ability prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your martial focus.
Deep Impact [Martial]
You can strike your foe with a melee weapon as if making a touch attack.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Martial Weapon, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your martial focus as part of a melee attack. You can resolve that attack with a melee weapon as a touch attack. You must decide whether or not to use this feat prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your martial focus. Abilities that do not work on touch attacks similarly do not work with this feat.
More converted psionic feats
they do the same thing etc
