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View Full Version : [D&D 3.5 (SRD)] Conan's Combat Moves



Altair_the_Vexed
2009-10-06, 03:24 AM
Here's a list of special combat moves, largely taken from the OGL Conan d20 game. I've done some conversion to make them apply to normal d20 games like D&D.
I think they're really cool and make the game more exciting. They're not for use with splatbooks and Tome of Battle, as I always work from the SRD and homebrew.

The concept behind them is that - as well as the basic combat moves that everyone can do - there are more advanced combat moves that one can access once you meet certain requirements and conditions. For example: if you have the Dodge Feat, and the Uncanny Dodge feature "Can't be flanked", then you can duck out from between two flanking opponents and make them hit each other.

The practical upshot of these moves would be that fighter types become more powerful and exciting to play, as combat become more dynamic.

Let me know what you think. Thanks!

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Bull’s Charge
A low charge can get you under your enemy’s guard to stab deep into his belly. However, doing so renders you very vulnerable to a counterattack.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack.
Circumstance: Charging. Declare you are using this move before making the attack.
Effect: You gain a +2 bonus on your damage roll when charging but you provoke an attack of opportunity from your target before you can make your attack roll.

Cat’s Parry
You parry your opponent’s wrist, rather than his blade.
Prerequisite: Combat Expertise, Base attack bonus +4.
Circumstance: You are being attacked in melee while using the Combat Expertise feat. Declare you are using this move before the attack is made.
Effect: Your attacker gains a +4 circumstance bonus to his attack roll but if he misses, you may immediately make an attack of opportunity against him.

Dance Aside
You shift out of the reach of incompetent opponents.
Prerequisite: Dodge
Circumstance: Your opponent misses you by half your total AC, and there is at least one unoccupied adjacent square.
Effect: You take a 5 foot step as a free action into any empty square.

Decapitating Slash
You take advantage of an opponent’s dropped defences to slice his head clean off. This leaves you open to counterattack and so is usually only done if you are only fighting one opponent.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +10, Int 11.
Circumstance: Your opponent provokes an attack of opportunity from you. The opponent must be vulnerable to critical hits and massive damage effects.
Effect: You attempt a particularly devastating attack of opportunity. If you score a critical hit against your opponent, he must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 5 + total damage dealt, after taking into account damage reduction) or be instantly killed, his head severed. You suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to your Defence for the one round immediately following your attack of opportunity.

Devastating Sweep
You can swing your weapon around, forcing your foes back to clear sufficient space for you to flee.
Prerequisite: Whirlwind Attack.
Circumstance: You must be wielding a slashing weapon, either one-handed or two-handed. At least five of the squares adjacent to you must be occupied. You must not be attacking with finesse.
Effect: As a standard action, you may swing your weapon in a sweep around you. Any characters within 5 feet of you have the option of immediately taking a 5-foot step away from you as a free action, so as to be out of range. You gain an attack against any characters that do not choose to move away, at your highest base attack bonus.

Fling Aside
If you are sufficiently strong, you can simply pick up your enemy one-handed and hurl him aside.
Prerequisite: Str 15, Improved Grapple, Improved Trip.
Circumstance: You must have one hand free.
Effect: Make a melee touch attack to grab your opponent, then a grapple check against his Grapple Defence, just as though you were starting a grapple. If the grapple check succeeds, you throw your opponent to the ground. You are not grappling him but the impact with the ground deals damage to him as though you had hit him with an unarmed strike and he is prone as though you had tripped him.

Force Back
Your powerful attack forces an opponent to move 5ft back or take extra damage.
Prerequisite: Power Attack, BAB +4
Circumstance: You are fighting in melee with a foe of equal or smaller size.
Effect: As as standard action, you make a Power Attack with an additional -4 penalty to the attack role. If the attack hits, your opponent may choose to move five feet back away from you (not as a five foot step, so provoking any attacks of opportunity as normal), or take double your Power Attack bonus (remember that doubling a 2x multiplier results in a 3x multiplier). You may follow your retreating opponent (if he moves) without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Human Shield
You swing your distracted enemy around so as to attempt to parry another enemy’s attack with the body.
Prerequisite: Strength 13, Improved Grapple.
Circumstance: Earlier this round you have dealt damage to your opponent while grappling him, and are now being attacked by another character while still grappling the first.
Effect: If you succeed in a grapple check, you may use your grappled opponent to block an attack, just as though he were a shield. Your attacker must beat grapple check -2 to hit you, or you block the attack with the grappled foe. If you successfully parry the second opponent’s attack, full damage from that attack is dealt to the opponent you are grappling.

Leaping Charge
You recklessly leap in to combat.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, 5 or more ranks in Jump skill
Effect: When you make a charge attack, you may make a second attack at your highest base attack bonus, though both attacks are at a -2 circumstance penalty. The circumstance penalty to your Defence for charging is increased from the usual -2 to -4.

Leave Them for Dead
You ignore lesser foes, trusting your attack to finish them.
Prerequisite: Cleave, BAB +6
Circumstance: You have just struck and damaged an opponent in melee, but not dropped them.
Effect: The opponent may make an attack of opportunity at +4 against you. You may make a Cleave attack on another opponent within range, as if you had downed the first opponent. You may use this technique with Great Cleave, but can only attack each opponent in range once.

Pantherish Twist
When two attackers attempt to flank you, you twist away at the last moment, forcing them to attack one another.
Prerequisite: Improved Uncanny Dodge, Dodge.
Effect: If two opponents move into positions which usually would allow them to flank you if you did not have Improved Uncanny Dodge, you can choose to force both of them to make opposed Dexterity checks with you. If one or both of them lose the opposed Dexterity check with you, he or they must attack the other enemy instead of attacking you. However, if one or both of them win the opposed Dexterity check, there is a +2 circumstance bonus on his or their attack and damage rolls against you. These effects only ever apply to the first attack each opponent makes.

Ranged Disarm
Taking careful aim, you shoot the weapon out of your enemy's hand.
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, BAB +4
Effect: As a standard action, you and the defender make opposed attack rolls. You take a -4 penalty, the defender takes the normal penalties and bonuses of the Disarm move. If you win, roll half damage against the defender. If the result is 1 or more after any damage reduction, the defender has dropped their weapon to the floor in their space.

Retreating Shot
Dodging out of reach, you take a shot as you retreat.
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot, BAB +4
Effect:As a full round action, you move up to your movement rate away from threatening melee opponent and take a ranged attack against him. You gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC with respect to the Attacks of Opportunity caused when moving away from that foe.

Riposte
When fighting defensively, you parry skillfully enough to open up your opponent’s defence.
Prerequisite: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, BAB +4
Circumstance: Using Combat Expertise
Effect: If your attacker misses you by more than half your defence, you may make an attack of opportunity against him.

Sniper's Sneak Attack
You can take advantage of your target's obliviousness even at long ranges.
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Sneak Attack
Effect: As a full round action, you carefully aim on a target who meets the criterea for Sneak Attack, regardless of range. If your attack hits, you may apply your Sneak Attack damage.
Normal: Usually you may only Sneak Attack targets within 30 feet.

Sundering Parry
Rather than simply setting aside your opponent’s weapon, you attempt to hack it through with your own.
Prerequisite: Improved Sunder, base attack bonus +5.
Circumstance: you are being attacked in melee and are not flat footed. Declare you are using this move before the attack is made.
Effect: You take a -2 circumstance penalty to your AC. However, if your opponent beats your touch AC, but not your full AC, you may immediately make a sunder attempt as a free action, with all the usual modifiers (including the +4 bonus for the Improved Sunder feat) and an additional -2 circumstance penalty to the attack roll.

Swap Places
Your coordinate with your ally to switch positions in combat.
Prerequisite: None
Circumstance: An ally is in an adjacent space, and you are able to take a five foot step this turn
Effect: You delay your actions until the initiative step of your ally, and then each use a five foot step to switch places, taking the rest of your turn's actions immediately before your ally.

To the Hilt
You take advantage of your enemy’s lack of armour to plunge your weapon deeper into his body, leaving it amidst his flesh.
Prerequisite: Power Attack, base attack bonus +4.
Circumstance: Must be attacking with a piercing or slashing weapon against an unarmoured opponent. Declare you are using this move before making the attack.
Effect: You gain a +1 circumstance modifier to your damage roll. However, if your damage rolled with the weapon (before any modifiers for Strength, sneak attacks and bonuses of any kind) is higher than your Strength modifier, your weapon sticks into your enemy, whether he is living or dead. You or another character, including the one with the weapon stuck in him if he is still alive, can remove a stuck weapon by taking a full-round action and making a Strength check (DC 10). Often characters will find it easier and quicker to draw or pick up an alternate weapon. A character with a weapon stuck in him sustains 1d4 damage every time he takes a move, standard or full-round action.