Tatsel_Ganav
2010-09-11, 03:43 AM
Burning Heart Ace
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121211155026/blazblue/images/f/fb/Bang_Shishigami_(Chronophantasma,_Character_Select _Artwork).png
"To defeat evil, I will become... the HAMMER OF JUSTICE!!!"
~Bang Shishigami
Some heroes have a burning, passionate spirit and a drive to win that surpasses everything else, including their other abilities. Indeed, sometimes their indomitable nature is all these warriors have in a fight, but somehow reality manages to warp around their near-delusional confidence and grant victory after victory. They are the hot-blooded heroes, the champions of love and justice, the loud-mouthed rebels against a tyrannical regime who survive through the apparent miracle of their audacity and will.
Abilities: A Burning Heart Ace is a melee fighter, so Strength will help to for accuracy and damage as always. Dexterity and Constitution are also important as you are limited to light armor, but your d12 hit die, Burning Heart and Refuge in Audacity help with defense as well.
Role: You stand at the front lines against the tide of evil, fighting opponents in melee combat with your spirit and chosen weapon. You are the world's proof that willpower and man-made blade are all it takes to defeat even the greatest forces of terror and villainy.
Background: You have probably always been a hot-blooded individual, blowing against established trends and forging your own path as you saw fit. You may or may not have drawn power from this before now, but you have always had the infinite strength of will to face down the multiverse itself in pursuit of a destiny of your own choosing.
Organization: While there is no Burning Heart Ace organization, these charismatic individuals to tend to start up small bands around themselves. Notable among these is the legend of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, which sprung up around the legendary Kamina, one of the great Aces to ever live. The stories of his legacy and the exploits of his day are so over-the-top that few believe them, but his lesson remains in the hearts, minds and souls of all Aces; to do the impossible and never give up, to rise to ever-greater heights as new challenges arise.
Alignment: Most Burning Heart Aces are chaotic good, but there is no reason why the same intense strength of will could not exist in an individual of any moral and ethical disposition.
Races: The short-lived humans form the majority of Aces, but races without any real place to feel at home are also common. However, members of all races occasionally join this class.
Religion: Most Aces are too focused on determining their own destiny and defying the cosmos to pay much heed to gods as anything other than potential allies or obstacles. Yes, their egos are that big, almost always.
Hit Die: d12
Starting Gold: 4d4x5, plus one martial weapon or chain shirt
Table 1: BURNING HEART ACE
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
AC Bonus
Maneuvers Known
Maneuvers Readied
Stances Known
1st
+1
+2
+0
+2
Heroic Speech, Refuge in Audacity
+0
5
3
1
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+3
Burning Heart, Earth Gate
+0
6
3
1
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+3
Righteous Blow 1/day
+0
7
3
1
4th
+4
+4
+1
+4
Weapon Master I
+0
7
4
1
5th
+5
+4
+1
+4
Signature Move
+1
8
4
2
6th
+6
+5
+2
+5
Earth Gate
+1
8
4
2
7th
+7
+5
+2
+5
Heroic Speech
+1
9
4
2
8th
+8
+6
+2
+6
Weapon Master II
+1
9
5
2
9th
+9
+6
+3
+6
Righteous Blow 2/day
+1
10
5
3
10th
+10
+7
+3
+7
Earth Gate
+2
10
5
3
11th
+11
+7
+3
+7
Signature Move
+2
11
5
3
12th
+12
+8
+4
+8
Weapon Master III
+2
12
6
4
13th
+13
+8
+4
+8
Heroic Speech
+2
12
6
4
14th
+14
+9
+4
+9
Earth Gate
+2
12
6
4
15th
+15
+9
+5
+9
Righteous Blow 3/day
+3
13
6
4
16th
+16
+10
+5
+10
Weapon Master IV
+3
13
7
4
17th
+17
+10
+5
+10
Signature Move
+3
14
7
5
18th
+18
+11
+6
+11
Heaven's Gate
+3
14
7
5
19th
+19
+11
+6
+11
Heroic Speech
+3
15
7
5
20th
+20
+12
+6
+12
Eternal Champion, Weapon Master V
+4
15
8
5
Skills (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9333436&postcount=4) (4 + Int mod skill points/level): Acrobatics, climb, craft, diplomacy, intimidate, knowledge (history), listen, perform (oratory), profession, ride, sense motive, survival.
I intend for this class to be tier 2-3.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: You are proficient with all simple weapons, martial melee weapons, and light armor (but not shields).
Armor Limitation: The Burning Heart, Refuge in Audacity, Righteous Blow and Signature Move abilities will not function when wearing armor heavier than light.
Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of five martial maneuvers. Choose four of the following disciplines to have access to: Army of One (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5710173), Coin's Edge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75548), Desert Wind, Devil Tiger (http://sorcererstudios.com/showthread.php?186-Devil-Tiger-%28v2%29-%28ALPHA%29), Golden Saint (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76150), Iron Heart, Scarlet Bravura (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5569037), Silver Crane (http://sorcererstudios.com/showthread.php?7-Silver-Crane-%28BETA%29), Stone Dragon (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b4T_SzUloCtGUdBnUwy6tpoKtZf43OZ5BFef5p44DO4/edit?hl=en&pli=1), Tiger Claw, and White Raven.
I will be doing this for all of the ToB classes, allowing selection from a range of disciplines rather than a set list.
BANG Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use
it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a burning heart ace 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.
BANG You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as show on the above table. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3-1, page 39 of Tome of Battle, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.
BANG Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered initiator level after that, 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 observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. You must meet the prerequisite of the maneuver you wish to swap for. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready 4 of the 5 maneuvers you know at first level. You ready maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain ready until you decide to exercise again. You do not need sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers. Any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers.
BANG 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 maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
BANG You can recover all expended maneuvers by spending a full-round action ranting. You can make a Heroic Speech while ranting. Ranting provokes an attack of opportunity.
Heroic Speech: When you perform a heroic speech, you can grant an additional benefit to yourself or a single ally within 20 feet of you. You can gain this extra benefit a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. At level 1 you know only one type of speech; you learn additional monologue variants at levels 7, 13 and 19. Ranting, Burning Heart, Signature Moves and Righteous Blow offer additional opportunities to give a heroic speech. Giving a Heroic Speech is always a swift action and thus makes the Ace incapable of using boosts and counters for that round, or possibly moving in the case of Righteous Blow. Note: You do not need to use this extra benefit to recover maneuvers.
Badass Boast: Target gets (your Charisma modifier + half your initiator level, rounded down) temporary hit points that last until the end of their next turn.
Glory Unfettered: Target adds (your Charisma modifier) as a morale bonus to their next attack made before the end of their next turn.
Inspiring Confidence: Target adds (your Charisma modifier) as a morale bonus to a single skill check made within 10 rounds.
Spark of Hope: A number of targets equal to (your Charisma modifier) make a new saving throw against a single ongoing internal (dominate person is ok, wall of fire is not) effect that affects them of their choice, against the original save DC. If they succeed, the effect is lessened or eliminated as it would be if they had passed the save originally. They may add your Charisma modifier to their saving throw bonus against the effect.
Refuge in Audacity (AC Bonus): You add your Charisma modifier along with a bonus based on your class level (see AC Bonus in table, above) as a Deflection bonus to AC. The maximum total bonus from this ability cannot exceed half your class level, rounded down, plus one (so +1 at level 1 and +11 at level 20).
Burning Heart: While you are using the total defense action, an opponent failing to hit you with an attempted melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity. If you are attacked at all while using the total defense action you can make a heroic speech; doing so is not ranting, so it does not restore any maneuvers.
BANG You may use a Strike that would normally require a standard action for your attack of opportunity. If your attack of opportunity hits, you open a single Heart Gate. You have four Heart Gates; when they are all open you can spend a standard action to activate the Earth Gate ability. Only one Heart Gate can be opened per round, no matter how many successful attacks of opportunity you make. All of your heart gates close at the end of the encounter.
Earth Gate: When all four of your Heart Gates are open, you can activate the Earth Gate as a free action. At level 2 you know one of four activations, and you learn a new one at levels 6, 10 and 14. Each of these gates gives a set of benefits to you for as long as it is active; you can change which gate you have active as a move action if you know more than one. The Earth Gate remains active for the duration of the encounter.
Earth Gates
Forest: You gain fast healing and a bonus to attack rolls against the last opponent you hit with a melee attack. In addition, once per round you can re-roll a failed saving throw.
Forest Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Fast healing|
3|
6|
9|
12
Attack bonus|
+2|
+3|
+4|
+5[/table]
Mountain: You gain DR/-, a percentage chance to be immune to any sneak attacks or critical hits dealt to you and a bonus to your Combat Maneuver defense. In addition, whenever a grapple attempt is made against you, you can make a melee attack as an attack of opportunity; you gain a bonus to your combat maneuver defense to resist the grapple equal to the damage you dealt.
Mountain Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Damage reduction|
2|
4|
6|
8
Immunity chance|
25%|
50%|
75%|
100%
Combat maneuver defense|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10[/table]
Fire: As a swift action you can move an amount equal to a multiplier based on your class level times your base land speed, your combat maneuver bonus increases and the attacks you make as part of a charge get an additional bonus. In addition, once per round you can make a single unarmed or natural attack with any body part as a free action.
Fire Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Movement|
0.5x|
1x|
1.5x|
2x
Combat maneuver bonus|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10
Charge bonus|
+1|
+2|
+3|
+4[/table]
Wind Gate: You get a bonus to Acrobatics and Jump checks, a dodge bonus to AC and a percentage chance for ranged attacks to miss you. In addition,you can make an extra 5-ft. step each round.
Wind Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Skill bonus|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10
Dodge bonus|
+2|
+3|
+4|
+5
Miss chance|
20%|
30%|
40%|
50%[/table]
Note: You can avoid provoking an attack of opportunity with the Fire gate's free unarmed strike by simply wearing gauntlets or greaves (would work just like gauntlets, but for your feet).
Righteous Blow: As a swift action you can add a number of benefits to your next attack. After using this ability, you can make a heroic speech as a move action in the same round. Doing so does not restore an expended maneuvers.
Add your Charisma modifier to the attack roll.
Add an amount of fire damage equal to twice your class level.
Weapon Master: Choose a single weapon. You gain the following benefits, based on the level of mastery you have attained. All bonuses gained from Weapon Master are untyped.
I: +1 to attack rolls.
II: +1 to attack rolls, +2 damage.
III: +1 to attack rolls, +2 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
IV: +2 to attack rolls, +2 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
V: +2 to attack rolls, +4 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
Signature Move: At levels 5, 11 and 17 you learn a signature move. This is an extraordinary ability that can be used at will. If a signature move has any prerequisites, you must know them all to learn it. You can make a heroic speech as a free action during the round you use a signature move, and doing so does not count against your normal daily limit of heroic speeches (doing this does not restore maneuvers, as you are not ranting). If you are not making a heroic speech during the use of your signature move, once per encounter you can unlock one of your heart gates by hitting an opponent with the attack granted by the signature move.
Signature Move listHeavy Attack
Excellency of Form: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack. This attack ignores damage reduction and doubles the damage bonus you gain from your Strength modifier. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Badass Boast heroic speech.
Hungry Tiger Technique: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack with a +5 bonus. If you hit, you get a free sunder attempt against any armor worn by your opponent. If you miss, you get a free sunder attempt against a weapon or shield the target is holding. These sunder attempts do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Prerequisite: Excellency of Form.
Fire and Stones Strike: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack. If you hit, you threaten a critical hit. If you miss, you instead hit and deal half damage, though any extra effects that require you to hit your target (such as poison) do not activate (in effect, dodging your attack dealt damage... somehow).
Prerequisites: Excellency of Form, and Hungry Tiger Technique.
Many Attacks
Peony Blossom Attack: When making a full attack, you can make an additional attack at your full base attack bonus. If you do, you take a -2 penalty to all attacks made in that round. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Glory Unfettered heroic speech.
One Weapon, Two Blows: As a full attack action, you can make two attacks at your full base attack bonus with an extra +4 bonus. Doing so gives you a +6 bonus to your Initiative check next round.
Prerequisite: Peony Blossom Attack.
Invincible Fury of the Dawn: As a full-round action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against each opponent within your reach.
Prerequisites: Peony Blossom Attack, and One Weapon, Two Blows.
Ranged Attack
Iron Raptor Technique: As a full-round action you can throw your weapon out to a range of 10 feet per class level. This attack deal normal damage for your melee attack and the attack roll is made as though the weapon was designed for throwing. Additionally, your weapon deals +1 divine damage per two class levels. After the attack is made, regardless of the result, your weapon returns to your hand unerringly. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Spark of Hope heroic speech.
Blazing Solar Bolt: As a full-round action you can release a blast of holy energy out to a range of 60 feet. This is made as a ranged touch attack that deals normal damage for your melee weapon attack (including your strength modifier, power attack, and all other modifiers). Damage dealt by this attack is divine damage (surpassing damage reduction and energy resistance).
Prerequisite: Iron Raptor Technique.
Hour of Judgment: As a full-round action you can call upon the raw power of your own will to release a burst of energy that deals 1d8 divine damage per two class levels to enemies (not allies) within a 60-ft. radius burst around you (Will save DC 10 + half your class level + your Cha mod for half).
Prerequisites: Iron Raptor Technique, and Blazing Solar Bolt.
Counter-Attack
Ready in Eight Directions: As a full-round action negate all benefits gained against you from flanking and you count as flanking all enemies within your reach until your next round. During this time, attacking you with a melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity (resolved at the same time as the provoking attack) and you gain a number of extra attacks of opportunity equal to your class level/5 (rounded down). During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of an Inspiring Confidence heroic speech.
Heavenly Guardian Defense: As an immediate action you can select a single opponent within a distance equal to twice your land speed, and a single ally (you can choose yourself). If that opponent targets the ally or the area the ally is within with an attack of any sort before your next round (spells, offensive extraordinary abilities and other similar effects count as attacks for this purpose), you can immediately move adjacent to that enemy (as long as there is a straight line of movement to the enemy or you can tumble around obstacles with an Acrobatics check) and make a single melee attack against them with a +4 bonus to the attack roll. If the attack hits, the enemy must make a Concentration check (DC equals the damage you dealt) or be unable to complete the action that provoked your attack. During your next turn you may do nothing except take a 5-ft. step and rant.
Prerequisite: Ready in Eight Directions.
Protection of Celestial Bliss: As a full-round action you can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to twice your class level, increase your reach by twice your base land speed, and your attacks deal divine damage instead of their normal damage type. You cannot move or make attacks other than attacks of opportunity by any means while these benefits are active. These benefits end at the beginning of your next round. During this time, attacking you with a melee or ranged attack provokes an attack of opportunity (resolved at the same time as the provoking attack) and you gain a number of extra attacks of opportunity equal to your class level/5 (rounded down) plus 2.
Prerequisites: Ready in Eight Directions, and Heavenly Guardian Defense.
Heaven Gate: When you activate the Earth Gate ability, select two gates instead of one. You gain all benefits of both. You can change a Gate to another, inactive Gate you know as a swift action instead of a move action. You can only have two gates open at any time.
Eternal Champion: This ability is a work-in-progress. It is likely going to be a way to self-resurrect, but really all I care for is that it is some sort of anti-death ability to help them survive at high and epic-levels. Another ability that is just really, really cool would also work, though. Why is Heaven Gate not the capstone? Simple, I want them to have that around when the mages get 9th-level casting.
A large part of this class is that it thinks it is more awesome than it really is, just like the heroes it is supposed to represent. As much as we may love them, they can be really ineffective sometimes. Looking cool wearing little to no armor is great, but even with their deflection bonus their AC is likely not going to be quite as good as it should be because pretty much everyone gets a deflection bonus. Using the heroic speeches is great, but the buffs are minor and it takes a full round of doing basically nothing except yelling. Preparing to unleash your full power with the Earth Gate means fighting poorly or not at all for at least four rounds, probably more - the fight is likely to be over by then unless it is a climactic boss battle. Even Righteous Blow falls flat, as it deals fire damage and prohibits the use of other boosts. This is not to say that the class is underpowered, I do intend it to be tier 2-3, but it certainly would "like" to be more powerful than it truly is. This is also part of the fun of the class: you are actively encouraged to fight at less than your full power via burning heart and spend time ranting heroically instead of fighting and you remain somewhat useful while doing so. And when you are dealing with a powerful enemy and you have time to prepare you Earth Gate and use your whole set of powers, you get to be exceedingly awesome.
V 1.1: Changed skill points to 4 base, clarified Heaven Gate.
V 1.2: Clarified Refuge in Audacity and Weapon Master's relation to class table, changed Burning Heart to require total defense but allow for Strikes with the attack of opportunity.
V 1.3: Weakened maneuver recovery by changing Heroic Speech uses to per-day. Clarified Burning Heart. Finished Signature Moves.
V 1.4: Weakened Righteous Blow (does not ignore DR), Weapon Mastery (many bonuses removed including table bonus). Weakened maneuver recovery; you can only recovery and change a total number of maneuvers equal to the heroic speeches you know with a full-round action/ Note: class cannot take Adaptive Style.
V 1.5: Eliminated ability to change maneuvers by ranting. Changing maneuvers mid-battle is now swordsage-only.
V 1.6: Removed ability to trade in light armor proficiency, my games have an option for this to all characters, Aces get no special benefit. Weakened Heroic Speeches, limited to one target. Removed maneuver recovery from Burning Heart. Reduced Badass Boast duration to 1 round.
V 1.7: Lowered maneuvers readied total by 1 at all levels, clarified AC Bonus.
V 1.8: Eliminated the ability to restore martial maneuvers during a signature move. Heroic speech during signature move does not count toward daily limit. Heart gate release via signature move limited to 1/encounter. Heroic Speeches are swift actions.
V 1.9: Add +1 to the Refuge in Audacity cap to improve the utility of the ability for a lower-leveled character.
V 2.0: Clarified maneuver refresh and terminology for Heroic Speeches. Weakened Inspire Confidence. Some slight changes to Signature Moves.
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121211155026/blazblue/images/f/fb/Bang_Shishigami_(Chronophantasma,_Character_Select _Artwork).png
"To defeat evil, I will become... the HAMMER OF JUSTICE!!!"
~Bang Shishigami
Some heroes have a burning, passionate spirit and a drive to win that surpasses everything else, including their other abilities. Indeed, sometimes their indomitable nature is all these warriors have in a fight, but somehow reality manages to warp around their near-delusional confidence and grant victory after victory. They are the hot-blooded heroes, the champions of love and justice, the loud-mouthed rebels against a tyrannical regime who survive through the apparent miracle of their audacity and will.
Abilities: A Burning Heart Ace is a melee fighter, so Strength will help to for accuracy and damage as always. Dexterity and Constitution are also important as you are limited to light armor, but your d12 hit die, Burning Heart and Refuge in Audacity help with defense as well.
Role: You stand at the front lines against the tide of evil, fighting opponents in melee combat with your spirit and chosen weapon. You are the world's proof that willpower and man-made blade are all it takes to defeat even the greatest forces of terror and villainy.
Background: You have probably always been a hot-blooded individual, blowing against established trends and forging your own path as you saw fit. You may or may not have drawn power from this before now, but you have always had the infinite strength of will to face down the multiverse itself in pursuit of a destiny of your own choosing.
Organization: While there is no Burning Heart Ace organization, these charismatic individuals to tend to start up small bands around themselves. Notable among these is the legend of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, which sprung up around the legendary Kamina, one of the great Aces to ever live. The stories of his legacy and the exploits of his day are so over-the-top that few believe them, but his lesson remains in the hearts, minds and souls of all Aces; to do the impossible and never give up, to rise to ever-greater heights as new challenges arise.
Alignment: Most Burning Heart Aces are chaotic good, but there is no reason why the same intense strength of will could not exist in an individual of any moral and ethical disposition.
Races: The short-lived humans form the majority of Aces, but races without any real place to feel at home are also common. However, members of all races occasionally join this class.
Religion: Most Aces are too focused on determining their own destiny and defying the cosmos to pay much heed to gods as anything other than potential allies or obstacles. Yes, their egos are that big, almost always.
Hit Die: d12
Starting Gold: 4d4x5, plus one martial weapon or chain shirt
Table 1: BURNING HEART ACE
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
AC Bonus
Maneuvers Known
Maneuvers Readied
Stances Known
1st
+1
+2
+0
+2
Heroic Speech, Refuge in Audacity
+0
5
3
1
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+3
Burning Heart, Earth Gate
+0
6
3
1
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+3
Righteous Blow 1/day
+0
7
3
1
4th
+4
+4
+1
+4
Weapon Master I
+0
7
4
1
5th
+5
+4
+1
+4
Signature Move
+1
8
4
2
6th
+6
+5
+2
+5
Earth Gate
+1
8
4
2
7th
+7
+5
+2
+5
Heroic Speech
+1
9
4
2
8th
+8
+6
+2
+6
Weapon Master II
+1
9
5
2
9th
+9
+6
+3
+6
Righteous Blow 2/day
+1
10
5
3
10th
+10
+7
+3
+7
Earth Gate
+2
10
5
3
11th
+11
+7
+3
+7
Signature Move
+2
11
5
3
12th
+12
+8
+4
+8
Weapon Master III
+2
12
6
4
13th
+13
+8
+4
+8
Heroic Speech
+2
12
6
4
14th
+14
+9
+4
+9
Earth Gate
+2
12
6
4
15th
+15
+9
+5
+9
Righteous Blow 3/day
+3
13
6
4
16th
+16
+10
+5
+10
Weapon Master IV
+3
13
7
4
17th
+17
+10
+5
+10
Signature Move
+3
14
7
5
18th
+18
+11
+6
+11
Heaven's Gate
+3
14
7
5
19th
+19
+11
+6
+11
Heroic Speech
+3
15
7
5
20th
+20
+12
+6
+12
Eternal Champion, Weapon Master V
+4
15
8
5
Skills (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9333436&postcount=4) (4 + Int mod skill points/level): Acrobatics, climb, craft, diplomacy, intimidate, knowledge (history), listen, perform (oratory), profession, ride, sense motive, survival.
I intend for this class to be tier 2-3.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: You are proficient with all simple weapons, martial melee weapons, and light armor (but not shields).
Armor Limitation: The Burning Heart, Refuge in Audacity, Righteous Blow and Signature Move abilities will not function when wearing armor heavier than light.
Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of five martial maneuvers. Choose four of the following disciplines to have access to: Army of One (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5710173), Coin's Edge (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75548), Desert Wind, Devil Tiger (http://sorcererstudios.com/showthread.php?186-Devil-Tiger-%28v2%29-%28ALPHA%29), Golden Saint (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76150), Iron Heart, Scarlet Bravura (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5569037), Silver Crane (http://sorcererstudios.com/showthread.php?7-Silver-Crane-%28BETA%29), Stone Dragon (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b4T_SzUloCtGUdBnUwy6tpoKtZf43OZ5BFef5p44DO4/edit?hl=en&pli=1), Tiger Claw, and White Raven.
I will be doing this for all of the ToB classes, allowing selection from a range of disciplines rather than a set list.
BANG Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use
it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a burning heart ace 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.
BANG You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as show on the above table. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3-1, page 39 of Tome of Battle, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn.
BANG Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered initiator level after that, 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 observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. You must meet the prerequisite of the maneuver you wish to swap for. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready 4 of the 5 maneuvers you know at first level. You ready maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain ready until you decide to exercise again. You do not need sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers. Any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers.
BANG 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 maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
BANG You can recover all expended maneuvers by spending a full-round action ranting. You can make a Heroic Speech while ranting. Ranting provokes an attack of opportunity.
Heroic Speech: When you perform a heroic speech, you can grant an additional benefit to yourself or a single ally within 20 feet of you. You can gain this extra benefit a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. At level 1 you know only one type of speech; you learn additional monologue variants at levels 7, 13 and 19. Ranting, Burning Heart, Signature Moves and Righteous Blow offer additional opportunities to give a heroic speech. Giving a Heroic Speech is always a swift action and thus makes the Ace incapable of using boosts and counters for that round, or possibly moving in the case of Righteous Blow. Note: You do not need to use this extra benefit to recover maneuvers.
Badass Boast: Target gets (your Charisma modifier + half your initiator level, rounded down) temporary hit points that last until the end of their next turn.
Glory Unfettered: Target adds (your Charisma modifier) as a morale bonus to their next attack made before the end of their next turn.
Inspiring Confidence: Target adds (your Charisma modifier) as a morale bonus to a single skill check made within 10 rounds.
Spark of Hope: A number of targets equal to (your Charisma modifier) make a new saving throw against a single ongoing internal (dominate person is ok, wall of fire is not) effect that affects them of their choice, against the original save DC. If they succeed, the effect is lessened or eliminated as it would be if they had passed the save originally. They may add your Charisma modifier to their saving throw bonus against the effect.
Refuge in Audacity (AC Bonus): You add your Charisma modifier along with a bonus based on your class level (see AC Bonus in table, above) as a Deflection bonus to AC. The maximum total bonus from this ability cannot exceed half your class level, rounded down, plus one (so +1 at level 1 and +11 at level 20).
Burning Heart: While you are using the total defense action, an opponent failing to hit you with an attempted melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity. If you are attacked at all while using the total defense action you can make a heroic speech; doing so is not ranting, so it does not restore any maneuvers.
BANG You may use a Strike that would normally require a standard action for your attack of opportunity. If your attack of opportunity hits, you open a single Heart Gate. You have four Heart Gates; when they are all open you can spend a standard action to activate the Earth Gate ability. Only one Heart Gate can be opened per round, no matter how many successful attacks of opportunity you make. All of your heart gates close at the end of the encounter.
Earth Gate: When all four of your Heart Gates are open, you can activate the Earth Gate as a free action. At level 2 you know one of four activations, and you learn a new one at levels 6, 10 and 14. Each of these gates gives a set of benefits to you for as long as it is active; you can change which gate you have active as a move action if you know more than one. The Earth Gate remains active for the duration of the encounter.
Earth Gates
Forest: You gain fast healing and a bonus to attack rolls against the last opponent you hit with a melee attack. In addition, once per round you can re-roll a failed saving throw.
Forest Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Fast healing|
3|
6|
9|
12
Attack bonus|
+2|
+3|
+4|
+5[/table]
Mountain: You gain DR/-, a percentage chance to be immune to any sneak attacks or critical hits dealt to you and a bonus to your Combat Maneuver defense. In addition, whenever a grapple attempt is made against you, you can make a melee attack as an attack of opportunity; you gain a bonus to your combat maneuver defense to resist the grapple equal to the damage you dealt.
Mountain Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Damage reduction|
2|
4|
6|
8
Immunity chance|
25%|
50%|
75%|
100%
Combat maneuver defense|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10[/table]
Fire: As a swift action you can move an amount equal to a multiplier based on your class level times your base land speed, your combat maneuver bonus increases and the attacks you make as part of a charge get an additional bonus. In addition, once per round you can make a single unarmed or natural attack with any body part as a free action.
Fire Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Movement|
0.5x|
1x|
1.5x|
2x
Combat maneuver bonus|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10
Charge bonus|
+1|
+2|
+3|
+4[/table]
Wind Gate: You get a bonus to Acrobatics and Jump checks, a dodge bonus to AC and a percentage chance for ranged attacks to miss you. In addition,you can make an extra 5-ft. step each round.
Wind Gate
{TABLE=head]Class Level|
2|
6|
10|
14
Skill bonus|
+4|
+6|
+8|
+10
Dodge bonus|
+2|
+3|
+4|
+5
Miss chance|
20%|
30%|
40%|
50%[/table]
Note: You can avoid provoking an attack of opportunity with the Fire gate's free unarmed strike by simply wearing gauntlets or greaves (would work just like gauntlets, but for your feet).
Righteous Blow: As a swift action you can add a number of benefits to your next attack. After using this ability, you can make a heroic speech as a move action in the same round. Doing so does not restore an expended maneuvers.
Add your Charisma modifier to the attack roll.
Add an amount of fire damage equal to twice your class level.
Weapon Master: Choose a single weapon. You gain the following benefits, based on the level of mastery you have attained. All bonuses gained from Weapon Master are untyped.
I: +1 to attack rolls.
II: +1 to attack rolls, +2 damage.
III: +1 to attack rolls, +2 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
IV: +2 to attack rolls, +2 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
V: +2 to attack rolls, +4 damage, +4 bonus to rolls made to confirm critical hits.
Signature Move: At levels 5, 11 and 17 you learn a signature move. This is an extraordinary ability that can be used at will. If a signature move has any prerequisites, you must know them all to learn it. You can make a heroic speech as a free action during the round you use a signature move, and doing so does not count against your normal daily limit of heroic speeches (doing this does not restore maneuvers, as you are not ranting). If you are not making a heroic speech during the use of your signature move, once per encounter you can unlock one of your heart gates by hitting an opponent with the attack granted by the signature move.
Signature Move listHeavy Attack
Excellency of Form: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack. This attack ignores damage reduction and doubles the damage bonus you gain from your Strength modifier. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Badass Boast heroic speech.
Hungry Tiger Technique: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack with a +5 bonus. If you hit, you get a free sunder attempt against any armor worn by your opponent. If you miss, you get a free sunder attempt against a weapon or shield the target is holding. These sunder attempts do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Prerequisite: Excellency of Form.
Fire and Stones Strike: As a full-round action, make a single melee attack. If you hit, you threaten a critical hit. If you miss, you instead hit and deal half damage, though any extra effects that require you to hit your target (such as poison) do not activate (in effect, dodging your attack dealt damage... somehow).
Prerequisites: Excellency of Form, and Hungry Tiger Technique.
Many Attacks
Peony Blossom Attack: When making a full attack, you can make an additional attack at your full base attack bonus. If you do, you take a -2 penalty to all attacks made in that round. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Glory Unfettered heroic speech.
One Weapon, Two Blows: As a full attack action, you can make two attacks at your full base attack bonus with an extra +4 bonus. Doing so gives you a +6 bonus to your Initiative check next round.
Prerequisite: Peony Blossom Attack.
Invincible Fury of the Dawn: As a full-round action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against each opponent within your reach.
Prerequisites: Peony Blossom Attack, and One Weapon, Two Blows.
Ranged Attack
Iron Raptor Technique: As a full-round action you can throw your weapon out to a range of 10 feet per class level. This attack deal normal damage for your melee attack and the attack roll is made as though the weapon was designed for throwing. Additionally, your weapon deals +1 divine damage per two class levels. After the attack is made, regardless of the result, your weapon returns to your hand unerringly. During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of a Spark of Hope heroic speech.
Blazing Solar Bolt: As a full-round action you can release a blast of holy energy out to a range of 60 feet. This is made as a ranged touch attack that deals normal damage for your melee weapon attack (including your strength modifier, power attack, and all other modifiers). Damage dealt by this attack is divine damage (surpassing damage reduction and energy resistance).
Prerequisite: Iron Raptor Technique.
Hour of Judgment: As a full-round action you can call upon the raw power of your own will to release a burst of energy that deals 1d8 divine damage per two class levels to enemies (not allies) within a 60-ft. radius burst around you (Will save DC 10 + half your class level + your Cha mod for half).
Prerequisites: Iron Raptor Technique, and Blazing Solar Bolt.
Counter-Attack
Ready in Eight Directions: As a full-round action negate all benefits gained against you from flanking and you count as flanking all enemies within your reach until your next round. During this time, attacking you with a melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity (resolved at the same time as the provoking attack) and you gain a number of extra attacks of opportunity equal to your class level/5 (rounded down). During a round you use this ability or any signature move with it as a prerequisite, your Charisma modifier counts as 4 points higher for the purposes of an Inspiring Confidence heroic speech.
Heavenly Guardian Defense: As an immediate action you can select a single opponent within a distance equal to twice your land speed, and a single ally (you can choose yourself). If that opponent targets the ally or the area the ally is within with an attack of any sort before your next round (spells, offensive extraordinary abilities and other similar effects count as attacks for this purpose), you can immediately move adjacent to that enemy (as long as there is a straight line of movement to the enemy or you can tumble around obstacles with an Acrobatics check) and make a single melee attack against them with a +4 bonus to the attack roll. If the attack hits, the enemy must make a Concentration check (DC equals the damage you dealt) or be unable to complete the action that provoked your attack. During your next turn you may do nothing except take a 5-ft. step and rant.
Prerequisite: Ready in Eight Directions.
Protection of Celestial Bliss: As a full-round action you can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to twice your class level, increase your reach by twice your base land speed, and your attacks deal divine damage instead of their normal damage type. You cannot move or make attacks other than attacks of opportunity by any means while these benefits are active. These benefits end at the beginning of your next round. During this time, attacking you with a melee or ranged attack provokes an attack of opportunity (resolved at the same time as the provoking attack) and you gain a number of extra attacks of opportunity equal to your class level/5 (rounded down) plus 2.
Prerequisites: Ready in Eight Directions, and Heavenly Guardian Defense.
Heaven Gate: When you activate the Earth Gate ability, select two gates instead of one. You gain all benefits of both. You can change a Gate to another, inactive Gate you know as a swift action instead of a move action. You can only have two gates open at any time.
Eternal Champion: This ability is a work-in-progress. It is likely going to be a way to self-resurrect, but really all I care for is that it is some sort of anti-death ability to help them survive at high and epic-levels. Another ability that is just really, really cool would also work, though. Why is Heaven Gate not the capstone? Simple, I want them to have that around when the mages get 9th-level casting.
A large part of this class is that it thinks it is more awesome than it really is, just like the heroes it is supposed to represent. As much as we may love them, they can be really ineffective sometimes. Looking cool wearing little to no armor is great, but even with their deflection bonus their AC is likely not going to be quite as good as it should be because pretty much everyone gets a deflection bonus. Using the heroic speeches is great, but the buffs are minor and it takes a full round of doing basically nothing except yelling. Preparing to unleash your full power with the Earth Gate means fighting poorly or not at all for at least four rounds, probably more - the fight is likely to be over by then unless it is a climactic boss battle. Even Righteous Blow falls flat, as it deals fire damage and prohibits the use of other boosts. This is not to say that the class is underpowered, I do intend it to be tier 2-3, but it certainly would "like" to be more powerful than it truly is. This is also part of the fun of the class: you are actively encouraged to fight at less than your full power via burning heart and spend time ranting heroically instead of fighting and you remain somewhat useful while doing so. And when you are dealing with a powerful enemy and you have time to prepare you Earth Gate and use your whole set of powers, you get to be exceedingly awesome.
V 1.1: Changed skill points to 4 base, clarified Heaven Gate.
V 1.2: Clarified Refuge in Audacity and Weapon Master's relation to class table, changed Burning Heart to require total defense but allow for Strikes with the attack of opportunity.
V 1.3: Weakened maneuver recovery by changing Heroic Speech uses to per-day. Clarified Burning Heart. Finished Signature Moves.
V 1.4: Weakened Righteous Blow (does not ignore DR), Weapon Mastery (many bonuses removed including table bonus). Weakened maneuver recovery; you can only recovery and change a total number of maneuvers equal to the heroic speeches you know with a full-round action/ Note: class cannot take Adaptive Style.
V 1.5: Eliminated ability to change maneuvers by ranting. Changing maneuvers mid-battle is now swordsage-only.
V 1.6: Removed ability to trade in light armor proficiency, my games have an option for this to all characters, Aces get no special benefit. Weakened Heroic Speeches, limited to one target. Removed maneuver recovery from Burning Heart. Reduced Badass Boast duration to 1 round.
V 1.7: Lowered maneuvers readied total by 1 at all levels, clarified AC Bonus.
V 1.8: Eliminated the ability to restore martial maneuvers during a signature move. Heroic speech during signature move does not count toward daily limit. Heart gate release via signature move limited to 1/encounter. Heroic Speeches are swift actions.
V 1.9: Add +1 to the Refuge in Audacity cap to improve the utility of the ability for a lower-leveled character.
V 2.0: Clarified maneuver refresh and terminology for Heroic Speeches. Weakened Inspire Confidence. Some slight changes to Signature Moves.