Murdim
2011-09-17, 09:27 AM
Feint
As a melee attack that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, you may attempt to feint your opponent.
The outcome is resolved by an opposed check. You can use your Bluff modifier or your modified attack bonus (BAB + Charisma bonus + relevant modifiers), whichever is higher. Similarly, your target uses their Sense Motive modifier or their modified attack bonus (BAB + Wisdom bonus + relevant modifiers).
If you beat the defender, your next attack against the target is done with a +2 bonus to the attack and damage rolls and does not allow them to use their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). This attack must be made on or before your next turn.
Relevant modifiers for the purpose of those modified attack bonuses include iterative attack penalties, flanking bonuses, circumstance bonuses, and any bonus due to spells, feats, and other similar effects. They do not include Strength bonuses, size modifiers, or weapon enhancement.
When feinting in this way against a creature of a different type, you take a -4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take an additional -4 penalty. Against a nonintelligent creature, it’s impossible. Creatures of animal Intelligence and nonintelligent creatures cannot feint.
The new and improved Feint, which (hopefully) feels more like a feint than its predecessor. Making it an attack action, like disarming and sundering, probably goes a long way towards this goal.
The opposed check is heavily inspired from Pathfinder's version, with the most notable difference being that proficient fighters can now feint just as well as they can defend from a feint, assuming that their Wisdom and Charisma scores are equal. Maxing-out Bluff is still the way to go in order to maximize the use of Feint, especially for roguish types, but high-BAB classes are now able to hold their own without further training. As they should.
The -4 penalty for different types now apply to everyone rather than just humanoids. Also, you need to be sapient in order to feint.
The bonus to attack and damage is the icing on the cake, as well as a slight balance tweak in order to make Feint more effective than Distraction for Bluff-trained melee characters even at lower levels.
Distraction
As a standard action, you may attempt to distract an opponent. The target must be able to see or hear you. This action provokes attack of opportunities from threatening opponents other than your target.
The outcome is resolved by an opposed check. Use your Bluff modifier for the check. Your target can use their Sense Motive modifier or their modified attack bonus (BAB + Wisdom bonus + relevant modifiers), whichever is higher.
If you beat the defender, they lose their Dexterity bonus to AC against the next attack directed against them. This attack must be made on or before your next turn.
When making a distraction against a creature of a different type, you take a -4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take an additional -4 penalty. Against a nonintelligent creature, it’s impossible. Creatures of animal Intelligence and nonintelligent creatures cannot be distracted.
Make a distraction as a Move Action
With the Improved Feint feat, you can attempt a distraction as a move action instead of as a standard action.
The old, fighter-unfriendly version of Feint is its own separate maneuver. Not much to say on this one, except that the next attack needn't come from you, and you can target anyone that has you in their hearing or sight range. The latter is actually a letdown from the borked D20 and PF versions, which don't specify any kind of range limitation.
Oh, and by the way, the Group Fake-out skill trick now applies to Distraction rather than Feint. Timely Misdirection applies to both Feint and Distraction.
Improved Feint [General]
Prerequisites
Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit
Once per round, before taking a full attack action, you can make an extra feint attempt. Each subsequent attack you make in that round takes a -2 penalty.
Additionally, you can make a distraction as a move action.
Normal
Making a distraction in combat is a standard action.
A fighter may select Improved Feint as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Since the Feint and Distraction maneuvers are so closely related, I figured that I could keep them both in the same feat, instead of making an Improved Distraction feat with the exact same prerequisites that almost nobody would take anyway. There is no way (bar breaking the action economy, that is) to use both a feint and a distraction in the same round, feinting is pretty much always more interesting than distracting for melee characters, and those rare characters concepts who would actually make an use of distraction wouldn't want to be in melee range of anyone.
The Feint part of the feat is very similar to Rapid Shot : one gateway feat as a prerequisite, one additional attack action in your full attack at the cost of a -2 penalty on all attacks. As a more restricted melee variant of a powerful-but-not-broken archery feat, I guess it is balanced of its own, but could still allow an additional perk.
As might be expected, the Distraction part is the equivalent of the old version of the feat. I thought about giving it for free, but decided against it because the types of characters with move actions to spare are precisely those who generally do not need any new options.
As a melee attack that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, you may attempt to feint your opponent.
The outcome is resolved by an opposed check. You can use your Bluff modifier or your modified attack bonus (BAB + Charisma bonus + relevant modifiers), whichever is higher. Similarly, your target uses their Sense Motive modifier or their modified attack bonus (BAB + Wisdom bonus + relevant modifiers).
If you beat the defender, your next attack against the target is done with a +2 bonus to the attack and damage rolls and does not allow them to use their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). This attack must be made on or before your next turn.
Relevant modifiers for the purpose of those modified attack bonuses include iterative attack penalties, flanking bonuses, circumstance bonuses, and any bonus due to spells, feats, and other similar effects. They do not include Strength bonuses, size modifiers, or weapon enhancement.
When feinting in this way against a creature of a different type, you take a -4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take an additional -4 penalty. Against a nonintelligent creature, it’s impossible. Creatures of animal Intelligence and nonintelligent creatures cannot feint.
The new and improved Feint, which (hopefully) feels more like a feint than its predecessor. Making it an attack action, like disarming and sundering, probably goes a long way towards this goal.
The opposed check is heavily inspired from Pathfinder's version, with the most notable difference being that proficient fighters can now feint just as well as they can defend from a feint, assuming that their Wisdom and Charisma scores are equal. Maxing-out Bluff is still the way to go in order to maximize the use of Feint, especially for roguish types, but high-BAB classes are now able to hold their own without further training. As they should.
The -4 penalty for different types now apply to everyone rather than just humanoids. Also, you need to be sapient in order to feint.
The bonus to attack and damage is the icing on the cake, as well as a slight balance tweak in order to make Feint more effective than Distraction for Bluff-trained melee characters even at lower levels.
Distraction
As a standard action, you may attempt to distract an opponent. The target must be able to see or hear you. This action provokes attack of opportunities from threatening opponents other than your target.
The outcome is resolved by an opposed check. Use your Bluff modifier for the check. Your target can use their Sense Motive modifier or their modified attack bonus (BAB + Wisdom bonus + relevant modifiers), whichever is higher.
If you beat the defender, they lose their Dexterity bonus to AC against the next attack directed against them. This attack must be made on or before your next turn.
When making a distraction against a creature of a different type, you take a -4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take an additional -4 penalty. Against a nonintelligent creature, it’s impossible. Creatures of animal Intelligence and nonintelligent creatures cannot be distracted.
Make a distraction as a Move Action
With the Improved Feint feat, you can attempt a distraction as a move action instead of as a standard action.
The old, fighter-unfriendly version of Feint is its own separate maneuver. Not much to say on this one, except that the next attack needn't come from you, and you can target anyone that has you in their hearing or sight range. The latter is actually a letdown from the borked D20 and PF versions, which don't specify any kind of range limitation.
Oh, and by the way, the Group Fake-out skill trick now applies to Distraction rather than Feint. Timely Misdirection applies to both Feint and Distraction.
Improved Feint [General]
Prerequisites
Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit
Once per round, before taking a full attack action, you can make an extra feint attempt. Each subsequent attack you make in that round takes a -2 penalty.
Additionally, you can make a distraction as a move action.
Normal
Making a distraction in combat is a standard action.
A fighter may select Improved Feint as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Since the Feint and Distraction maneuvers are so closely related, I figured that I could keep them both in the same feat, instead of making an Improved Distraction feat with the exact same prerequisites that almost nobody would take anyway. There is no way (bar breaking the action economy, that is) to use both a feint and a distraction in the same round, feinting is pretty much always more interesting than distracting for melee characters, and those rare characters concepts who would actually make an use of distraction wouldn't want to be in melee range of anyone.
The Feint part of the feat is very similar to Rapid Shot : one gateway feat as a prerequisite, one additional attack action in your full attack at the cost of a -2 penalty on all attacks. As a more restricted melee variant of a powerful-but-not-broken archery feat, I guess it is balanced of its own, but could still allow an additional perk.
As might be expected, the Distraction part is the equivalent of the old version of the feat. I thought about giving it for free, but decided against it because the types of characters with move actions to spare are precisely those who generally do not need any new options.