Blocking (feats)

[GoC]

A few feats I came up with while bored.

Block [General]
You gain the ability to block an opponent's strikes.

Prerequisites
Base attack bonus +2.

Benefit
Once per round when you are about to be hit you may choose to block. Roll opposed strength checks and on success reduce the amount of damage you take (to a minimum of 0) by the sum of your str modifier and your shield bonus (or enhancement bonus of weapon being used to block).

Notes
Blocking doesn't work if you are unaware of the attack (while flatfooted for instance).
You cannot block while unarmed or using a two-handed weapon.
Shield bonuses gained by unwielded shields such as an animated shield or a mages shield spell don't count when determining damage reduction.
You must decide if you are going to block after the enemy has rolled for attack but before damage is rolled.

Special
A fighter can select Block as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Rapid Blocking [General] (need help with name)
Prerequisites
Block, base attack bonus +6.

Benefit
You may make a number of blocks each round equal to your dexterity modifier.

Normal
Without this feet you may only perform one block per round.

Special
A fighter can select Rapid Blocking as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Improved Block [General]
Prerequisites
Block, base attack bonus +6.

Benefit
You gain a +4 bonus to both the strength check and the damage reduction when attempting a block.

Special
A fighter can select Improved Block as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Deflect Blow [General]
Prerequisites
Block, base attack bonus +10

Benefit
When you have an opportunity to block you can forgo your normal block to attempt a deflecting block. Make an opposed attack roll against your opponent, if your check result is higher then you deflect the blow causing it to miss.

Variant
Instead of an opposed attack roll make a check (d20+BaB+dex bonus+shield AC or weapon enhancement bonus if you don't have a shield) against your opponents attack roll.

Special
A fighter can select Deflect Blow as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Counterstrike [General]
Prerequisites
Block, base attack bonus +12

Benefit
If you successfuly deflect an attack or reduce the amount of damage you take to 0 using the Deflect Blow or Block feats respectively you may choose to counterattack. You may make one normal melee attack with any weapon you are wielding against the enemy that attacked you.

Special
A fighter can select Counterstrike as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Perfect Block [General]
Prerequisites
Block, base attack bonus +8

Benefit
You don't need the strength check in order to execute a normal block.

Special
A fighter can select Perfect Block as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Greater Block [General]
Prerequisites
Block, Improved Block, base attack bonus +12

Benefit
The amount of damage reduced by a successful block increases by 1 per two points of BAB.

Special
A fighter can select Greater Block as one of his fighter bonus feats.

I think one or two of these are similar to some feats found in splat books but if you don't have those then you could use these versions instead.
Are they balanced? Are there already 20+ homebrewed versions of these? What needs tweaking? Extra fluffy text needed?

[Paragon Badger]

A flat-out strength check to reduce damage? Perhaps it should be opposing strength checks. Else you'd need to do 20+ damage to have any chance of denting a raging barbarian. ;-)

And flat-footed or otherwise dex-denied characters should lose this ability.

[Yakk]

In my block homebrew, I required an opposed attack roll to block. (d20+BaB+dex bonus+shield AC)

Then, if you succeeded, you got to soak (shield AC+str bonus), or something like that, from the attack. (I actually gave a "mitigation pool" equal to BaB+shield AC+str bonus+shield enchantment, that could be refreshed by fighting defensively).

...

1 block per round is reasonable. I'd grant the greater of (dex bonus) or (shield AC) bonus blocks per round, or have two feats (one grants dex, the other shield AC bonus blocks).

Counterstrike is good. I'd any attack whose damage is reduced to 0 via blocking provoke an AoO?

I also had feats that made mitigation points refresh faster, or have them be a larger pool.

...

Things I don't like about yours:

d20+strength bonus is huge. It could make someone nearly undamagable at low levels.

Deflecting block can also make someone nearly immune to attacks.

Blocking with a shield is easier: but your system grants no bonuses for using a shield.

...

Other options: you burn your next round's attacks to block. You beat your opponent's attack roll, you get to reduce the enemy's base damage (before multiplication from charging/criticals/etc) by your damage roll.

Shields grant their AC bonus to both the block roll and the damage soak roll.

If you use more than one iterative attack from next round, you must either take the full attack or full defense options next round.

[Catch]

I like the blocking in SW: Saga. As a reaction--which is kind of like an immediate action--you simply oppose one attack roll with another, and take a -5 penalty for every time you've attempted a block in the current round. Simple, effective, and scales with attack bonus.

[GoC]

*snip*

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is the perfect response to a homebrew idea.

Maybe I should just scrap this idea and replace it with a link to your homebrew?:smallbiggrin:

If you're so superior to the enemy that deflecting block makes you immune to them then your DM needs to adjust the CR of the monsters he throws at you because they probably can't hit your AC either!:smallbiggrin:

I'll have to think about your other suggestions but some have been implemented in the first post.

[Matthew]

Here's a bunch of other people who had basically the same idea.

Z-Axis’s Combat Action and Feat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3020404#post3020404)
Skjaldbakka's Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48609)
Talanic & Erk's Interception System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44108)
Tough Tonka's D20 Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38214)
Elliott20's Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36139)
Magic8Ball's Parrying Feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34053)
Munchy's Parrying Fighter Feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23175&page=2)
Senir's Parry Skill (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25404)
Matthew's Active Defence (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22979&page=2)

Tower’s Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54235)

I stopped counting a few months back, but this idea comes up very frequently.

[Stycotl]

nice, goc. they look good. i'm always looking for ways to improve the defense of the characters. always thought it was odd that bab went up, but a 30th level character has the same defensive expertise as a 1st level...

[GoC]

Here's a bunch of other people who had basically the same idea.

Z-Axis’s Combat Action and Feat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3020404#post3020404)
Skjaldbakka's Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48609)
Talanic & Erk's Interception System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44108)
Tough Tonka's D20 Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38214)
Elliott20's Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36139)
Magic8Ball's Parrying Feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34053)
Munchy's Parrying Fighter Feats (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23175&page=2)
Senir's Parry Skill (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25404)
Matthew's Active Defence (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22979&page=2)

Tower’s Parrying System (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54235)

I stopped counting a few months back, but this idea comes up very frequently.
I thought so...:smallfrown:
Anyway which are your favorites?
Should this be included in the FAQ or something?:smalltongue:
"Q: Has anyone thought of a parrying system for D&D? A: YES! Lot's of people have had ideas for it. Here are some of the better ones:"

[Matthew]

I thought so...:smallfrown:

If it makes you feel any better this idea was first published for AD&D in 1989. :smallwink:



Should this be included in the FAQ or something?:smalltongue:
"Q: Has anyone thought of a parrying system for D&D? A: YES! Lot's of people have had ideas for it. Here are some of the better ones:"

Nah, nobody reads FAQs, that's why they're frequently asked questions. :smallbiggrin:



Anyway which are your favorites?

As I recall, they're all broadly similar and my ideas about them have changed over time. You should also be aware that there is a Manoeuvre in Tome of Battle that allows for this as well (Wall of Blades, maybe?). You should probably also make the acquaintance of a Feat called 'Block Arrow'.

Anyway, my feeling these days is that this either shouldn't be a Feat chain, because, frankly, there are more than enough things to spend Feats on, or it needs to be obscenely powerful to compete with doing Two Handed Power Attack Damage.

One option is to allow characters to expend a 'Immediate Action' to activate a Parry and another is to simply allow it X times per Level/BAB per Round.

To cut down on dice rolling, consider not rolling, but 'taking 10'. Give Daggers +0 Parry, Light Weapons +1 Parry, Heavy Weapons +2 Parry, Great Weapons +3 Parry, Small Shields +2 Block and Large Shields +4 Block


So, for example

Fighter 5 AB 5(10), AC 22
Attributes: Strength 16, Dexterity 14,
Feats: Weapon Focus (Long Sword), Shield Specialisation (Large Shield)
Defences: Parry 22, Block 24, [Alt: Parry 1d20+12, Block 1d20+14]
Equipment: Mail Armour +1, Large Shield +1, Long Sword +1,

Once per Round he may use a Free Action to Parry a Melee attack
Once per Round he may use a Free Action to Block a Melee or Missile attack

[GoC]

As I recall, they're all broadly similar and my ideas about them have changed over time. You should also be aware that there is a Manoeuvre in Tome of Battle that allows for this as well (Wall of Blades, maybe?). You should probably also make the acquaintance of a Feat called 'Block Arrow'.

Anyway, my feeling these days is that this either shouldn't be a Feat chain, because, frankly, there are more than enough things to spend Feats on, or it needs to be obscenely powerful to compete with doing Two Handed Power Attack Damage.
Well deflecting block works very well against power attack but doesn't seem overpowered as it's just negating an overpowered feat.

I've added two more feats. What do you think of them?

[Matthew]

It's not really a question of their power opposed to another character using Power Attack, but a question of 'why would I choose this over Two Handed Power Attacking?' The problem with D20 is that success as a melee character very much depends on the amount of damage you can pour out at an opponent.

As far as it goes, this all seems reasonable to me. You might want to consider whether these Feats will work equally against a Human as it would against a Dragon or Giant.

I probably wouldn't use these as written because of the extra layer of math involved, but for folk who are happy to track this sort of thing, I don't really see any balance issues, except perhaps by allowing the number of Blocks to be equal to a Character's Dexterity bonus. That is a trap, I think. Much wiser to limit it by BAB, in my opinion. [i.e. 1 Block at BAB 1-5, 2 blocks at BAB 6-10 , etc... or some variant thereof].