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View Full Version : Clambering Wolverine [was Bulldog Tooth] (climbing-based ToB school)



dspeyer
2013-01-01, 11:52 PM
When a wolverine wants to eat a moose, it waits on a tall rock until the moose passes underneath. Then it jumps onto the moose's back, and digs into the moose's neck. While there, it is out of reach of the antlers and hooves. Dragons are more flexible than moose, and much smarter, which is why our skills begin where a wolverine's instincts leave off.

The Clambering Wolverine school specializes in climbing enemies. It was first developed by kobolds, but quickly spread to dwarves, gnomes and humans. Many a giant has mocked a puny kobold warblade, only to find himself completely unable to remove the stubborn creature from his face, or its pickaxe from his eye.

The Clambering Wolverine school is available to swordsages and warblades. Its key skill is climb. Its favored weapons are the bite, spiked gauntlet, dagger, shortsword, light pick, heavy pick, gnome hooked hammer and dwarven urgosh.

General Rules for Climbing Creatures

You can only climb creatures at least one size category larger than oneself. This includes briefly, such as the High Strike series of maneuvers.

You never suffer attacks of opportunity from a creature for climbing it.

This table should help determine DCs (though it is the DMs responsibility to handwave circumstance modifiers as needed):


Fur or other substance with many handholds15
Skin, such as on a human20
Scales25
Solid bone or exoskeleton30
Surface is sloped forward-5
Surface is overhung+5
Creature is actively trying to make climbing difficult+5
Creatures joints are close enough together that you can use them as primary handholds-10
Defensive Slime+5



A creature being climbed can attempt to shake the climber off. If the climber is on a limb that moves freely, this is an unarmed attack roll opposed by a climb check. If the climber is on the creature's torso or similar, it is a strength check opposed by a climb check. Either way is a standard action that affects all climbers on the creature. Note that shaking is not the only way to deal with climbers -- if the creature can reach, it is more likely to attack or grapple the climber.

Maneuver List

1
Climb like an Ape -- Stance -- Climb speed half normal
Drop Attack -- Boost -- Fall onto your enemy
High Strike -- Strike -- Swing up enemy to strike unexpectedly
2
Counter-Grapple -- Counter -- Climb limb which would grab you
Dropping Charge -- Strike -- Charge downward with increased power attack
Spring-Strike -- Strike -- Spring attack while climbing an enemy
3
Catch and Swing -- Counter -- Turn falling velocity sideways
Climb like a Dire Ape -- Stance -- Climb speed equal normal, only need one hand
High Critical Strike -- Strike -- Swing up enemy to strike unexpectedly at a vital area (double crit range)
4
Death from Above -- Boost -- Fall onto your enemy and do base weapon damage
Swinging Dodge -- Counter -- Avoid attack by climbing
5
Climb like an Ape of War -- Stance -- Climb speed equal normal, one hand or none while still, and +4 AC against climbee
Greater High Critical Strike -- Strike -- Swing up enemy to strike unexpectedly at an extremely vital area (double crit range and damage)
Jointlock -- Strike -- Wrestle a single limb
6
Eye-gouge -- Strike -- Blind an enemy
Raking Drop -- Boost -- Fall onto your enemy and do 2d6 damage per 10 ft fallen
7
Arterial Strike -- Strike -- Attack deals half damage ongoing
Esophagus Climb -- Counter -- Refuse to be swallowed whole
Tendon Strike -- Strike -- Incapacitate a limb
8
Bloody Raking Drop -- Boost -- Fall onto your enemy and do 2d6+1d6 ongoing damage per 10 ft fallen
Nerve Strike -- Strike -- Paralyze an enemy
9
Vital Strike -- Strike -- Automatic critical, then triple damage


Details

Climb like an Ape
Clambering Wolverine (Stance)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

You gain a climb speed equal to half your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. Furthermore, you can climb while holding a light pick in one hand (you can use it to help climb).


Drop Attack
Clambering Wolverine (Boost)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

Drop onto your enemy from a higher position. Make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage from the fall onto the enemy, and then fall again from the enemy to the ground and take normal damage from that.


High Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action

Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.


Counter-Grapple
Clambering Wolverine (Counter)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action

When a creature at least one size category larger than you attempts to initiate grapple, including through the use of improved grab, you can climb the limb it tries to do it with instead. Make a touch attack and a climb check (against the normal DC for the enemy's skin). If both succeed, you are climbing the limb instead of grappled.


Dropping Charge
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action

You charge straight downward at an enemy. Resolve this like a normal charge, except that it only requires a standard action. If you use power attack as part of the charge, increase the damage multiplier by one.

After resolving the attack, make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage, then fall again to the ground.


Spring-Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 full round action

Climb across your enemy, making a single normal attack at any point of the climb.


Catch and Swing
Clambering Wolverine (Counter)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action

When falling past something with handholds, you grab one and swing -- turning rather than canceling your velocity. You then fly off in a direction you choose. You can travel a horizontal distance this way up to the distance you fell, as well as traveling up or down by up to 5 ft. Make climb checks at -10 penalties both to perform the swing and to grab hold at the end of your horizontal movement.


Climb like a Dire Ape
Clambering Wolverine (Stance)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

You gain a climb speed equal to your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. In addition, you can climb while holding something (such as a weapon) in one hand.


High Critical Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere particularly vulnerable that it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. On the real attack, your critical threat range is doubled (this stacks with other crit-improving effects such as keen). Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.



Death from Above
Clambering Wolverine (Boost)
Level: 4
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

Drop onto your enemy from a higher position while holding a piercing weapon. The enemy takes damage equal to the weapon's base damage. Make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage, then fall again to the ground.



Swinging Dodge
Clambering Wolverine (Counter)
Level: 4
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

When the creature that you are climbing attacks you, you can use a climb check in place of AC.


Climb like an Ape of War
Clambering Wolverine (Stance)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

You gain a climb speed equal to your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. Furthermore, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to your AC against attacks from whatever you are climbing. In addition, you can climb while holding something (such as a weapon) in one hand and can hold on with no hands. Remember that you can carry (but not wield effectively) a two-handed weapon in one hand, and can shift to a proper grip as a free action.


Greater High Critical Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers


Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere particularly vulnerable that it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. On the real attack, your critical threat range is doubled (this stacks with other crit-improving effects such as keen) and your critical multiplier is increased by 1. Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.


Jointlock
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

Grapple a single limb of a creature you are climbing as if it were a creature in its own right. Adjust its size modifier appropriately, and decrease its effective strength by 8 for every size category smaller it is. You must be within reach of but not on the limb in order to do this.


Eye-gouge
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 6
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

When climbing an enemy and within reach of its eyes, make a single normal attack. If it hits, the creature is also blind until it receives magical healing.


Raking Drop
Clambering Wolverine (Boost)
Level: 6
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 2 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

Drop onto your enemy from above while holding a piercing weapon, then drive the weapon into the enemy's side and use the tearing action to slow your fall. Because of the velocity on arrival, you only need a touch attack to succeed. You then deal 2d6 damage for every 10 ft fallen. If your touch attack fails, you continue falling.


Arterial Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

When climbing an enemy and within reach of a major artery, you leave a wound that will bleed. Make a single attack normally. If it succeeds, deal half as much damage on the start of your turn until the creature dies, receives magical healing, or receives a dc 15 heal check.


Esophagus Climb
Clambering Wolverine (Counter)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Prerequisites: 1 Clambering Wolverine Maneuver

When an enemy swallows you whole, you climb back up the esophagus into the back of the mouth. This requires a dc 30 climb check. In the back of the mouth you are immune to bite attacks, but automatically fail saves against the mouth's breath weapon (if any). Furthermore, the enemy is flat-footed and denied any armor or natural armor bonus, and all successful hits are critical. On the creatures subsequent turns, it can try to swallow you (its str vs your climb) or spit you out (its str vs your str) as a swift action.


Tendon Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

Incapacitate a limb
When climbing an enemy and within reach of a tendon, you can try to sever it. Make a normal attack. If successful, the joint served by the tendon becomes inoperative until the creature receives magical healing. While some tendons are visible, others require knowledge(nature) checks to deduce the locations of (regardless of creature type).

Bloody Raking Drop
Clambering Wolverine (Boost)
Level: 8
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 3 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

Drop onto your enemy from above while holding a piercing weapon, then drive the weapon into the enemy's side and use the tearing action to slow your fall. Because of the velocity on arrival, you only need a touch attack to succeed. You then deal 2d6 damage for every 10 ft fallen. At the start of your turn on every supsequent round, deal half this damage again until the creature dies, receives magical healing, or receives a dc 15 heal check. If your touch attack fails, you continue falling.



Nerve Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 8
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 3 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

When climbing a one-headed enemy and within reach of its spine, you may attempt to sever its motor nerves. Make a normal attack. The creature must then make a fort save (dc 18 + your str mod) or become paralyzed from the neck down.

You can also attempt this maneuver against a multi-headed creature, but the results will vary by the creature's exact neuroanatomy. A dc 40 relevant knowledge check will reveal the effect.


Vital Strike
Clambering Wolverine (Strike)
Level: 9
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 4 Clambering Wolverine Maneuvers

Ignoring what's accessable, you climb to the single most vulnerable part off your enemies anatomy. Make a single attack. If successful, it is automatically a critical hit and your critical multiplier is tripled.


Notes

If you have a climb speed for multiple reasons, including a dual stance ability, the +8 bonuses do not stack.

lunaramblings
2013-01-02, 12:48 AM
Critiqued in line.



Details

Climb like an Ape
Bulldog Tooth (Stance)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

You gain a climb speed equal to half your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. Furthermore, you can climb while holding a light pick in one hand (you can use it to help climb).


Drop Attack
Bulldog Tooth (Boost)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

Drop onto your enemy from a higher position. Make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage, then fall again to the ground.

This is a bit confusing. How do you take normal falling damage before you fall to the ground? Also the DC of the climb check seems high.



High Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action

Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.

How does say a Human climb a gnome? I mean the image I get is Hilarious. But this should probably have at least a size requirement of equal to your own.



Counter-Grapple
Bulldog Tooth (Counter)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action

When a creature at least one size category larger than you attempts to initiate grapple, including through the use of improved grab, you can climb the limb it tries to do it with instead. Make a touch attack and a climb check (against the normal DC for the enemy's skin). If both succeed, you are climbing the limb instead of grappled.

What exactly is the normal climb DC of someone's skin? Perhaps eliminate the touch attack, make it an Climb check vs their AC?



Dropping Charge
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action

You charge straight downward at an enemy. Resolve this like a normal charge, except that it only requires a standard action. If you use power attack as part of the charge, increase the damage multiplier by one.

After resolving the attack, make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage, then fall again to the ground.

Again the climb DC seems really high. And also again your taking damage before you hit the ground?



Spring-Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 full round action

Climb across your enemy, making a single normal attack at any point of the climb.

So an inferior and limited version of spring attack?




Catch and Swing
Bulldog Tooth (Counter)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action

When falling past something with handholds, you grab one and swing -- turning rather than canceling your velocity. You then fly off in a direction you choose. You can travel a horizontal distance this way up to the distance you fell, as well as traveling up or down by up to 5 ft. Make climb checks at -10 penalties both to perform the swing and to grab hold at the end of your horizontal movement.

Note sure this is really likely to come up often enough that the maneuver is really worth having? I don't think that this has every come up in any game I have played.



Climb like a Dire Ape
Bulldog Tooth (Stance)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 swift action

You gain a climb speed equal to your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. In addition, you can climb while holding something (such as a weapon) in one hand.

For a third level stance this seems incredibly weak.



High Critical Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere particularly vulnerable that it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. On the real attack, your critical threat range is doubled (this stacks with other crit-improving effects such as keen). Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.

Ok. Again. Human uses this on a gnome. Hilarity ensues. Also again, I might suggest making this a single "attack" Climb vs AC, or even AC plus a small bonus or something?



Death from Above
Bulldog Tooth (Boost)
Level: 4
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

Drop onto your enemy from a higher position while holding a piercing weapon. The enemy takes damage equal to the weapon's base damage. Make a climb check (dc 15 + 5 for every 10 ft dropped) to stop without hurting yourself. If you fail, you take normal falling damage, then fall again to the ground.

Again with the really high DC and also the taking damage before you actually hit ground.



Swinging Dodge
Bulldog Tooth (Counter)
Level: 4
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

When the creature that you are climbing attacks you, you can use a climb check in place of AC.

This I like.



Climb like an Ape of War
Bulldog Tooth (Stance)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

You gain a climb speed equal to half your normal speed. This grants a +8 bonus to all climb checks and allows you to take 10 on them. It also means you are not flat-footed while climbing. Furthermore, you gain a +4 dodge bonus to your AC against attacks from whatever you are climbing. In addition, you can climb while holding something (such as a weapon) in one hand and can hold on with no hands. Remember that you can carry (but not wield effectively) a two-handed weapon in one hand, and can shift to a proper grip as a free action.

I see no reason that as a 5th level Stance for this to be limited to half your speed.

Greater High Critical Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers


Beginning on the ground, you grab a handhold on the enemy and then swing up to strike somewhere particularly vulnerable that it thought was out of your reach. First make a touch attack to find the handhold, then the real attack against which the enemy is flat-footed. On the real attack, your critical threat range is doubled (this stacks with other crit-improving effects such as keen) and your critical multiplier is increased by 1. Afterward, you may choose to either drop to the ground or remain climbing the enemy.[/quote]

See all the similar ones about.



Jointlock
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 5
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

Grapple a single limb of a creature you are climbing as if it were a creature in its own right. Adjust its size modifier appropriately, and decrease its effective strength by 8 for every size category smaller it is. You must be within reach of but not on the limb in order to do this.

This doesn't actually do anything. The limb is grappled... so you are incredibly more vulnerable to the rest of the body, and at best, have limited the use of that one limb. Not a good trade off.



Eye-gouge
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 6
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

When climbing an enemy and within reach of its eyes, make a single normal attack. If it hits, the creature is also blind until it receives magical healing.

Not bad. I kinda like this. Though since you are sharing a creatures square when climbing on it, I am pretty sure that you are always going to technically be within reach of their eyes from a RAW perspective.



Raking Drop
Bulldog Tooth (Boost)
Level: 6
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 2 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

Drop onto your enemy from above while holding a piercing weapon, then drive the weapon into the enemy's side and use the tearing action to slow your fall. Because of the velocity on arrival, you only need a touch attack to succeed. You then deal 2d6 damage for every 10 ft fallen. If your touch attack fails, you continue falling.


Arterial Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

When climbing an enemy and within reach of a major artery, you leave a wound that will bleed. Make a single attack normally. If it succeeds, deal half as much damage on the start of your turn until the creature dies, receives magical healing, or receives a dc 15 heal check.

See Eye-Gouge

Esophagus Climb
Bulldog Tooth (Counter)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Prerequisites: 1 Bulldog Tooth Maneuver

When an enemy swallows you whole, you climb back up the esophagus into the back of the mouth. This requires a dc 30 climb check. In the back of the mouth you are immune to bite attacks, but automatically fail saves against the mouth's breath weapon (if any). Furthermore, the enemy is flat-footed and denied any armor or natural armor bonus, and all successful hits are critical. On the creatures subsequent turns, it can try to swallow you (its str vs your climb) or spit you out (its str vs your str) as a swift action.[/quote]

Not sure that an immediate action counter should give you multiple rounds of benefit like this.



Tendon Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 2 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

Incapacitate a limb
When climbing an enemy and within reach of a tendon, you can try to sever it. Make a normal attack. If successful, the joint served by the tendon becomes inoperative until the creature receives magical healing. While some tendons are visible, others require knowledge(nature) checks to deduce the locations of (regardless of creature type).

Knowledge Nature? Seems like Heal would be far more appropriate.



Bloody Raking Drop
Bulldog Tooth (Boost)
Level: 8
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Prerequisites: 3 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

Drop onto your enemy from above while holding a piercing weapon, then drive the weapon into the enemy's side and use the tearing action to slow your fall. Because of the velocity on arrival, you only need a touch attack to succeed. You then deal 2d6 damage for every 10 ft fallen. At the start of your turn on every supsequent round, deal half this damage again until the creature dies, receives magical healing, or receives a dc 15 heal check. If your touch attack fails, you continue falling.



Nerve Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 8
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 3 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

When climbing a one-headed enemy and within reach of its spine, you may attempt to sever its motor nerves. Make a normal attack. The creature must then make a fort save (dc 18 + your str mod) or become paralyzed from the neck down.

You can also attempt this maneuver against a multi-headed creature, but the results will vary by the creature's exact neuroanatomy. A dc 40 relevant knowledge check will reveal the effect.

Again I think Heal would be a more appropriate skill to understanding the inner workings of a living being. Also size issues. Human vs. Gnome and all.



Vital Strike
Bulldog Tooth (Strike)
Level: 9
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Prerequisites: 4 Bulldog Tooth Maneuvers

Ignoring what's accessable, you climb to the single most vulnerable part off your enemies anaotomy. Make a single attack. If successful, it is automatically a critical hit and then the damage is tripled on top of that.

Really clunky wording. Not sure how exactly to fix that due to the way multipliers work in DnD Math, but this wording is kinda off. Say I crit for 20, do I then add 60 more? That would be how I read this, though I think, and I could be wrong that what you were saying it to triple the damage you would have done, which means it would be 60 total.

Overall a lot of this school seems incredibly situational. And there are a few things I think you should change. But good start.

Frathe
2013-01-02, 02:04 AM
I realize that it's called Bulldog Tooth because practitioners' ability to cling on, but the class itself is climbing based, so the name should probably better reflect that. Bulldogs are not exactly known as great climbers.

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 03:02 AM
This is a bit confusing. How do you take normal falling damage before you fall to the ground?

First you land badly on the giant's shoulder, twisting your ankle. Then you slide off and topple uncontrolled to the ground, cracking your skull.

Also the DC of the climb check seems high.

Remember that the stances give 18 without trying. That's up to 9 ft -- an impressive drop for real life. 4 ranks gives 22: 19 ft. A perfectly reasonable 16 str allows 29 ft. Dropping 30 ft onto a hard moving target and landing securely should take some optimization.


How does say a Human climb a gnome? I mean the image I get is Hilarious. But this should probably have at least a size requirement of equal to your own.

Should be at least one size category larger. I just need to think how to phrase it without repeating myself constantly.

Or three size categories smaller if you have 5th level Falling Anvil maneuvers and are panicked :-)


What exactly is the normal climb DC of someone's skin? Perhaps eliminate the touch attack, make it an Climb check vs their AC?

Depends on the availability of handholds. I'll write something up.


So an inferior and limited version of spring attack?

Yes. It's 2nd level, so imitating a feat with many prerequisites isn't crazy.



Note sure this is really likely to come up often enough that the maneuver is really worth having? I don't think that this has every come up in any game I have played.

But it'll be fun if you do arrange for it to come up :-)

For a third level stance this seems incredibly weak.

It's a little better than Ape-Totem Barbarian's 6th level class feature.


I see no reason that as a 5th level Stance for this to be limited to half your speed.

Indeed not. Oops.

This doesn't actually do anything. The limb is grappled... so you are incredibly more vulnerable to the rest of the body, and at best, have limited the use of that one limb. Not a good trade off.

If you succeed in pinning one arm, that's one less it can attack with. This works best if you have an ally on the other arm.

Not sure that an immediate action counter should give you multiple rounds of benefit like this.

It probably won't. To avoid being coughed out, you need to make an opposed strength check against something big enough to swallow you whole.

And being able to stay there just makes sense.


Knowledge Nature? Seems like Heal would be far more appropriate.

Could go either way. The example heal DCs are for bandaging wounds, not tying tendons back together, and I'm not sure the dndverse has surgery that advanced. Then again, I'm not sure it has impractical biology that advanced. Mostly it came down to gameplay: no one is going to put ranks in heal for this maneuvers, but they might have ranks in knowledge(nature) already because that's useful.

Really clunky wording. Not sure how exactly to fix that due to the way multipliers work in DnD Math, but this wording is kinda off. Say I crit for 20, do I then add 60 more? That would be how I read this, though I think, and I could be wrong that what you were saying it to triple the damage you would have done, which means it would be 60 total.

60 total. I'll look for a better wording.

Overall a lot of this school seems incredibly situational. And there are a few things I think you should change. But good start.

It is situational, but in the right campaign, the situations might come up often.

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 03:03 AM
I realize that it's called Bulldog Tooth because practitioners' ability to cling on, but the class itself is climbing based, so the name should probably better reflect that. Bulldogs are not exactly known as great climbers.

I'm not really happy with the name, for all that I like the quote. I tried to think of a creature that routinely climbs up its victims but all I thought of were ticks, and they're just not impressive enough.

Midwoka
2013-01-02, 03:24 AM
I'm not really happy with the name, for all that I like the quote. I tried to think of a creature that routinely climbs up its victims but all I thought of were ticks, and they're just not impressive enough.

Tree Frog discipline!

Lemur Paw? Koala Claw? Slooooth Styyyyle? Climb Solais? =D

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 03:41 AM
Koala Claw?

I almost named one of the falling maneuvers after drop bears. Couldn't quite make it sound right.

Frathe
2013-01-02, 03:41 AM
Oops, I should've said "school" above, instead of "class". I'm not used to ToB. As for names, the first animals I think of when I think of climbing are monkeys and other apes, and I notice you already have "Climb like an Ape". Unfortunately, they climb trees, not victims. :smalltongue:

Monkey Paw? It's symbolic and sounds martial artsy, but it's not very threatening.


Rodents are good at climbing (believe me, I used to own pet rats), small enough to climb up other creatures, and good at biting. Something with "Rat" could sound relatively threatening, although perhaps the relationship to the climbing theme is too unclear. I'll give "Rat Claw" as a fairly generic example.

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 03:45 AM
I think there already is a Monkey Paw discipline.

Rats have potential, but they don't usually attack things bigger than they are. Unless they have rabies. Rabid Rat? Mad Rat?

Frathe
2013-01-02, 03:55 AM
I think there already is a Monkey Paw discipline.

Rats have potential, but they don't usually attack things bigger than they are. Unless they have rabies. Rabid Rat? Mad Rat?

Just using a search engine, the only ToB Monkey Paw I found was a homebrew on these forums. If there's one I can't find it.

I prefer Mad Rat; Rabid seems oddly specific and almost like a bad thing; I mean, it is a deadly disease.

I would suggest Jumping Rat (to imply agility) or Rat's Tooth, but from what you've said you want a reason in the name for a rat to act aggressively.

Durazno
2013-01-02, 04:12 AM
Maybe some kind of weasel? Wolverines (http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/wolverine-info.htm), for instance, are said to take down elk and other large animals by climbing on them and finding something vital to bite. (I don't know if that's how they really operate, but I do know that they can take down a moose.)

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 04:37 AM
Nice! They even make drop attacks (http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/Wolverine.html)! Wolverine it is.

None of the "Wolverine's X" options sound good to me (and half of them sound x-men related). Perhaps an adjective. "Clamboring Wolverine"?

Frathe
2013-01-02, 12:08 PM
I was going to suggest "Iron Hand", but it looks like you found something.

I believe that's spelled "Clambering," though. Not a big thing.

dspeyer
2013-01-02, 02:05 PM
Renamed.

I also added the following:

General Rules for Climbing Creatures

You can only climb creatures at least one size category larger than oneself. This includes briefly, such as the High Strike series of maneuvers.

You never suffer attacks of opportunity from a creature for climbing it.

This table should help determine DCs (though it is the DMs responsibility to handwave circumstance modifiers as needed):
{table]Fur or other substance with many handholds|15
Skin, such as on a human|20
Scales|25
Solid bone or exoskeleton|30
Surface is sloped forward|-5
Surface is overhung|+5
Creature is actively trying to make climbing difficult|+5
Creatures joints are close enough together that you can use them as primary handholds|-10
Defensive Slime|+5[/table]

A creature being climbed can attempt to shake the climber off. If the climber is on a limb that moves freely, this is an unarmed attack roll opposed by a climb check. If the climber is on the creature's torso or similar, it is a strength check opposed by a climb check. Either way is a standard action that affects all climbers on the creature. Note that shaking is not the only way to deal with climbers -- if the creature can reach, it is more likely to attack or grapple the climber.

JoshuaZ
2013-01-02, 02:25 PM
Should maybe include a clarification that the various ape stances don't have their bonuses stack even if one has some way of getting multiple stances at once? (Actually, it probably wouldn't be that much of an issue since this would normally be happening only at very high levels. Not sure. )

dspeyer
2013-01-03, 02:50 AM
I've added a note to that effect.

I've also rewritten vital strike to simply triple the critical multiplier. It works out the same unless there are bonus damage dice.