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Adamantrue
2011-06-04, 05:03 PM
I wanted to make a Fighter variant that was well suited for Two-Weapon Fighting, using the same method I have already used in my Spartan Fighter Variant (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188814).

This is like the Fighting Style variants for Monks, narrowing the choices the Fighter can take (lost Armor & Shield Proficiencies, effectively limiting the freedom of their Feat selection) in exchange for added benefits. However, I've extended this for virtually the whole progression, and do not mandate that every choice must be taken.

The only rule is that if you do not meet the prerequisite when you reach the appropriate level of Fighter, you cannot gain that benefit later, even if you eventually meet the requirements.

As a side note, this is titled the Twinned Blade, but this could be used just as well with Hammers, Clubs, or any weapons, really. Likewise, its also easily possible to use two different weapons, instead of a patching pair, and still benefit from the abilities of the class. Also, while this doesn't directly support a Two-Weapon Throwing style, it doesn't interfere with it either.

Sadly, I'm drawing a blank with the final 19th level ability. I'll come up with something eventually, but I some ideas would be nice.

Fighter Variant: The Twinned Blade
Insert some flavor text here.
Class: Fighter.
Level: 1st.
Prerequisite: Dexterity 15.
Replaces: You lose proficiency with Medium and Heavy Armors, Tower Shields, and your Bonus Feat at 1st Level.
Benefit: You gain Two-Weapon Fighting and Weapon Finesse as Bonus Feats.
As a standard action, you may make a single attack with your primary and off-hand weapons. These attacks are made with the standard penalties for fighting with two weapons.
Focused Strike [Ex]: When wielding weapons in both your primary and off-hand which you have Weapon Focus, you may ignore up to 3 points of the target’s Damage Reduction. This increases by 1 at 5th level, and every 4 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 7 at 17th level). This benefit cannot reduce the effective damage reduction to less than 0.
Focused strike stacks with Sense Weakness.

Practiced Weaponry
Requirements: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus.
Level: Fighter 5.
Benefit: When wielding weapons in both your primary and off-hand which you have Weapon Focus, you are treated as being 1 size category larger for the purpose of special combat maneuvers involving the chosen weapon (for example, disarm attempts with or against it).
This does not change the damage the weapons deal, your reach with the weapons, or the manner with which they are wielded (a light weapon still cannot be used with Power Attack, and still can be used with Weapon Finesse).
Twinned-Blade Pin [Ex]: Starting at 11th level, when you wield weapons in both your primary and off-hand which you have Weapon Focus, you may make a single free Disarm, Trip, or Sunder attack whenever you hit your opponent with both weapons during your turn. This does not generate any Attacks of Opportunity.
At 17th level, you may instead make a single free Disarm, Trip, or Sunder attack with each weapon instead of just one.

Specialized Sneak Attack
Requirements: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Specialization.
Level: Fighter 7.
Benefit: When wielding a weapon in both your primary and off-hand which you have Weapon Specialization, you gain the Sneak Attack ability, as the Rogue class feature. Your sneak attack deals +1d6 damage at 7th level, +2d6 at 13th level, and +3d6 at 19th level.

Improved Two-Weapon Pounce
Requirements: Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Pounce
Level: Fighter 11.
Benefit: When charging an opponent with a weapon in both your primary and off-hand, you may make a full attack at the end of the charge. The bonus to your attack rolls for charging applies to all of your attacks.
Charging Cleave [Ex]: Starting at 17th level, if you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop after making a charge, you may use an immediate action to charge an additional opponent and continue your attacks for that round. The distance traveled by this additional charge cannot exceed your remaining movement.
You can use this ability once per round.

Distracting Blade
Requirements: Melee Weapon Mastery, Two-Weapon Fighting
Level: Fighter 13.
Benefit: When wielding weapons in your primary and off-hand that correspond to your Melee Weapon Mastery choice, you may make a special Feint attempt as an attack action. You add one-half of the total attack bonus you would have for the attack to the Bluff check.
At 19th level, a successful Feint attempt denies your opponent his Dexterity to AC against your attacks until the beginning of his turn.

Flurry of Blades
Requirements: Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting
Level: Fighter 17.
Benefit: As part of a standard action, you can make an additional attack with your primary and off-hand weapons (two attacks total). These extra attacks are made at your highest attack bonus for each weapon, modified as normal by two-weapon fighting penalties.

Two Blades as One
Requirements: Two-Weapon Fighting
Level: Fighter 19.
Benefit: Experience with this fighting style has given you great prowess in battle, having taught you unique maneuvers.
Identical Twins: When wielding magic weapons in your primary & off-hand, treat each as though they had the highest enhancement bonus of the two, and the same properties in addition to its own. For example, if you wielded a flaming shortsword +5 and an adamantine flaming holy shortsword +2, they are both treated as adamantine flaming holy shortswords +5.
Strike Twice: When wielding a single light or one-handed weapon, you may choose to take the appropriate penalty to attacks you'd normally face when two-weapon fighting. If you do, you may forgo you last iterative attack for that hand, in order to switch which hand is holding the weapon. This allows you to attack again with the weapon in the new hand, and benefit from any Two-Weapon Fighting abilities with a single weapon.
Critical Strike (I'd like to rename this): When fighting with two weapons and you confirm a critical hit with one, the next successful attack in the same round with the other hand automatically threatens a critical hit.

Morph Bark
2011-06-04, 07:31 PM
The bit about "When wielding weapons in both your primary and off-hand which you have Weapon Focus, you may ignore up to 5 points of the target’s Damage Reduction" is too powerful, especially for a level 1 ability. Making it so it ignores 1 point of DR per 4 Fighter levels would make it more balanced. (You could even up it a little then.)

Adamantrue
2011-06-04, 07:45 PM
Sense Weakness from the Draconomicon provides the same benefit, and is something that could be picked up by 1st level.

With that said, some kind of sliding scale like you suggest may be a better way to go, though I might want to be a little more generous.

Adamantrue
2011-08-01, 01:46 PM
Digging up an old idea...

Two Blades as One
Requirements: Two-Weapon Fighting
Level: Fighter 19.
Benefit: Experience with this fighting style has given you great prowess in battle, having taught you unique maneuvers.
Identical Twins: When wielding magic weapons in your primary & off-hand, treat each as though they had the highest enhancement bonus of the two, and the same properties in addition to its own. For example, if you wielded a flaming shortsword +5 and an adamantine flaming holy shortsword +2, they are both treated as adamantine flaming holy shortswords +5.
Strike Twice: When wielding a single light or one-handed weapon, you may choose to take the appropriate penalty to attacks you'd normally face when two-weapon fighting. If you do, you may forgo you last iterative attack for that hand, in order to switch which hand is holding the weapon. This allows you to attack again with the weapon in the new hand, and benefit from any Two-Weapon Fighting abilities with a single weapon.
Critical Strike (I'd like to rename this): When fighting with two weapons and you confirm a critical hit with one, the next successful attack in the same round with the other hand automatically threatens a critical hit.

This feels about right, for what I want. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these abilities need to be tweaked, but I'd need to get some thoughts outside my own head.