I'm A Leaf On The Wind... [Discipline]

Dancing Leaf Discipline

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The Temple of the Nine Swords was an academy of the Sublime Way, where students learned all the arts of bladecraft–the precise, disciplined strikes of the Diamond Mind discipline; the vicious onslaught of blows that made up the Tiger Claw discipline; the subtle deceptions and powerful throws of the Setting Sun discipline, and more. And yet, there exist a handful of martial disciplines never taught there, for a variety of reasons. Some, like the Oncoming Storm discipline, came about after the Temple's fall, while others, such as the Golden Saint or Dread Crown disciplines, were developed by god-like beings and only taught to a few select champions. The Dancing Leaf discipline, however, is different, because it was known to Reshar, founder of the Temple of the Nine Swords. However, the revered blade adept and Master of Nine rejected the discipline, for its art was that of defense–dodging and counterattacks, deft evasion and trickery. While Reshar was a master of many diverse schools of combat, he saw no value in a discipline that taught only how to avoid an attack, and not how to make one. Thus, the teachings of the Dancing Leaf discipline were never brought together in a single place of learning, instead remaining in the hands of a few elder adepts. While these masters have not kept the discipline's ways a secret, few have sought them out to learn the arts of the Dancing Leaf, and fewer still have mastered the ultimate defense.

The Dancing Leaf discipline's associated skill is Escape Artist, the understanding of graceful movement and evasion the skill entails being essential to the discipline's defensive techniques. The associated weapons of the Dancing Leaf discipline are the longspear, longsword, quarterstaff, scythe, and whip.

Because the Dancing Leaf discipline was never taught widely at the Temple of the Nine Swords or any similar center of training, most martial adepts do not know any maneuvers from it, or even know it exists. Only Swordsages and Warblades can learn maneuvers from the Dancing Leaf discipline. There are two ways to master the discipline. The first is to have been trained in it. If you choose to make a martial adept that has already been trained in the Dancing Leaf discipline at character creation, you simply replace one discipline that adept could normally learn maneuvers from with the Dancing Leaf discipline.

The other way is to seek out a master of the Dancing Leaf discipline–a martial adept capable of using at least 5th-level maneuvers from the discipline and to learn Dancing Leaf from that source. You must train for a month under the master, or spend a month in research, and spend 1,000 xp at the end of your training. You gain the ability to learn maneuvers from the Dancing Leaf discipline. In addition, you may exchange your maneuvers known for maneuvers of the Dancing Leaf discipline. You may exchange one maneuver of each level, and the new maneuvers you learn must be of the same level as the exchanged maneuvers, unlike normal. The difficulty of finding an appropriate mentor or text is left to the DM to choose.

Maneuver List

1st level
Crawling Ivy Strike: Strike–Make an attack, gain +2 dodge bonus to AC against foe's attacks for 1 round.
Escape the Blade: Counter–Negate an attack of opportunity.
Mocking Dryad Stance: Stance–Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC against last enemy to miss you with a melee attack.
Vigil of Steel: Counter–Negate penalties from being flatfooted or flanked.

2nd level
Autumn's Breath: Counter–Gain +3 dodge bonus to AC against one attack.
Rose's Thorn Riposte: Counter–Make a counterattack against a foe who attacks you in melee.
Turn Back the Wind: Counter–Block and reflect a ranged weapon attack.
Whirlwind Gyre: Counter–Disarm, feint, or trip a foe who attacks you in melee.

3rd level
Cloak of Falling Leaves: Counter–Gain concealment for 1 round.
Creeping Moss Strike: Strike–Attack deals +2d6 damage, gain +4 dodge bonus to AC against foe's attacks for 1 round.
Oaken Roots Stance: Stance–Dodge bonus to AC increases each round.
Twilight Ambush: Strike–Attack foe who missed you with a melee attack, deal +2d6 damage.

4th level
Step Past the World: Counter–Gain spell resistance equal to 12 + your initiator level against one spell.
Walk the Thorn-Strewn Path: Counter–Take a move action to leave the area of a spell.
Weeping Autumn Leaves: Counter—Gain +6 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round.

5th level
Heart of Elderwood: Counter–Reroll a failed save.
Mantle of Rose Petals: Stance–Melee attacks that miss you provoke an attack of opportunity.
Phantasmal Elegance: Counter–Daze foe who misses you in melee.

6th level
Black Lotus Riposte: Counter– Make a counterattack against a foe who attacks you in melee.with +6d6 damage, make a 5-ft. step.
Dance of Falling Leaves: Counter–Increase your place in the initiative count by one.
Entangling Bramble Strike: Strike–Attack deals +6d6 damage, gain +8 dodge bonus to AC against foe's attacks for 1 round.

7th level
Mirror of the Soul: Counter–Reflect a spell back on its caster.
Pearl of Perfect Grace: Counter–Block foe's attack, render them flatfooted.

8th level
Rain of Jagged Thorns: Counter–Make a counterattack against a foe who attacks you in melee with +10d6 damage.
Walking on the Wind: Stance: Gain +30 ft. bonus to speed, +5 bonus on skill checks, and freedom of movement.

9th level
Absolute Perfection of Movement: Counter–Parry a melee attack and ake a counterattack with +15d6 damage.

1st level

Spoiler

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Crawling Ivy Strike
Dancing Leaf (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round

With a quick, unexpected attack, you throw a foe off his guard, allowing you to dodge his blows with ease. As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. If the attack is successful, then you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against any melee attack that opponent makes for 1 round.

Escape the Blade
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With a quick step and a pivot, you can deny opportunistic foes the opening they seek. Whenever you take an action that would provoke an opportunity from a creature, you may initiate this maneuver. That action does not provoke any attacks of opportunity.

Mocking Dryad Stance
Dancing Leaf (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

Nothing is more revealing about a foe's combat style than how they miss. By paying careful attention to your foes, you can read their attacks, adapting your defenses appropriately. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you and misses, you may gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against all melee attacks that enemy makes. You may only have this bonus against one enemy at a time. If you choose to apply it against the attacks of a new enemy, you must give up the bonus to AC against the previous enemy.

Vigil of Steel
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 1, Warblade 1
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With a watchful eye, you can avoid even sneak attacks and ambushes. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you while you are flatfooted or flanked, you may initiate this maneuver. You gain your Dexterity bonus to AC against that attack, and the enemy making it does not receive any bonuses to the attack if you are flanked, nor do they gain sneak attack or sudden strike damage. This maneuver cannot be used if you are immobilized or unconscious. You may use this maneuver while you are flatfooted, but doing so does not count as an action for purposes of ceasing to be flatfooted.

2nd level

Spoiler

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Autumn’s Breath
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

Moving like a leaf on the wind, you can duck and weave to avoid almost any blow. Whenever an enemy attacks you, before they make the attack roll, you may initiate this maneuver. You gain a +3 dodge bonus to AC against that one attack.

Turn Back the Wind
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With incredible speed, you can catch an arrow or bolt and redirect it, sending it back to strike your foes. Whenever an enemy attacks you with a ranged weapon and misses, you may initiate this maneuver. You may redirect the projectile, attacking any creature with a range equal to the weapon’s range increment. You use the original attack roll to determine if the attack hits its new target, and roll damage as if the weapon had been fired normally. You cannot redirect projectiles whose size is more than one size greater than your own.

Twilight Ambush
Dancing Leaf (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You take advantage of your enemies’ mistakes, waiting for them to miss you and them responding with a driving attack. As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. If that opponent missed you with a melee attack at any time since the end of your last turn, the attack deals +2d6 damage.

Whirlwind Gyre
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 2, Warblade 2
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You can quickly gain the upper hand in combat by taking advantage of the openings in your foe’s defenses when they attack. Whenever an enemy attacks you, you may initiate this maneuver. After they have made their attack, you may attempt to disarm, trip, or feint them. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity if you choose to disarm or trip them.

3rd level

Spoiler

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Cloak of Falling Leaves
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Level: Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

With graceful weaving and dodging, you can move with such speed that you appear to not be there. Whenever an enemy attacks you, before they make the attack roll, you may initiate this maneuver. You gain a 20% miss chance from concealment against all attacks for 1 round.

Creeping Moss Strike
Dancing Leaf (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round

With a quick, unexpected attack, you throw a foe off his guard, allowing you to dodge his blows with ease. As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. If the attack is successful, it deals +2d6 damage and you gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against any melee attack that opponent makes for 1 round.

Oaken Roots Stance
Dancing Leaf (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

You raise up a powerful defense, a fluid, constantly changing stance that lets you adapt to your enemies. You gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC. Each round you remain in this stance, the bonus to AC increases by one, to a maximum of one-quarter your initiator level, rounded up. The bonus does not increase during rounds not spent in an actual encounter. At the end of an encounter, the bonus falls back to +1.

Rose’s Thorn Riposte
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 3, Warblade 3
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You can make an effective if opportunistic counterattack, taking advantage of the momentary opening just after your foe attacks you. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you, you may initiate this maneuver. After they have made their attack, if they are within your reach, you may make a single melee attack against them.

4th level

Spoiler

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Step Past the World
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With a calm mind and a serene soul, you can let spells run through you without affecting you, yielding to them in order to overcome them. Just as you might dodge a blade, you can now avoid spells. Whenever an enemy targets you with a spell that allows spell resistance, you may initiate this maneuver. You gain spell resistance equal to 12 plus your initiator level against that one spell.

Walk the Thorn-Strewn Path
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With a surge of adrenaline and a rapid dash, you can throw yourself out of the way of the spell. Whenever an enemy casts a spell that includes you in its area, you may initiate this maneuver. Before the spell is cast, you may move up to half your base land speed, but must end your movement in a square that is adjacent to, but no part of, the spell’s area. If you cannot end your movement in such a square, you cannot move at all. The spell must be one that could damage, harm, or otherwise pose a threat to you.

Weeping Autumn Leaves
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 4, Warblade 4
Prerequisite: 1 Dancing Leaf maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round

With elegance and perfection of movement, you can outmaneuver all your foes, effortlessly dodging their attacks. Whenever an enemy attacks you, before they make the attack roll, you may initiate this maneuver. You gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC for one round.

5th level

Spoiler

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Heart of Elderwood
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

By tapping hidden reserves of inner strength, you can gain a second chance against your foes’ attacks. Whenever you make a save, after you see the result of the roll but before your DM tells you whether you succeeded on the save, you may initiate this maneuver. You may reroll the save, keeping the result of the reroll. If you reroll a Reflex save, you gain a +2 dodge bonus on the rerolled saving throw.

Mantle of Rose Petals
Dancing Leaf (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

You adapt a stance ideal for counterattacking, letting you lash out like a skilled opportunist. Whenever an enemy misses you with a melee attack while you are in this stance, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you. However, if you make an attack of opportunity provoked by a miss, you cannot make any immediate actions that round, and if you have already made an immediate action, you cannot make any attacks of opportunity with this stance (you can still make attacks of opportunity provoked normally).

Phantasmal Elegance
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 5, Warblade 5
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: 5 ft.
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Will negates

You can use such graceful and confusing movements when dodging an attack that your foe’s attention is caught by you, preventing them from acting in combat. Whenever an enemy misses you with a melee attack, you may initiate this maneuver. They must make a Will save, DC 15 + your Wisdom modifier, or be dazed for 1 round.

6th level

Spoiler

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Black Lotus Riposte
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You can make an effective if opportunistic counterattack, taking advantage of the momentary opening just after your foe attacks you. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you, you may initiate this maneuver. After they have made their attack, if they are within your reach, you may make a single melee attack against them that deals +6d6 damage.

Dance of Flying Leaves
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With a desperate surge of adrenaline, you can act before your foes. After all initiative rolls have been made, but before any creature acts, you may initiate this maneuver. Your place in the initiative order increases by one, swapping places with the character immediately ahead of you in the initiative order. You may use this maneuver while you are flatfooted, but doing so does not count as an action for purposes of ceasing to be flatfooted.

Entangling Bramble Strike
Dancing Leaf (Strike)
Level: Swordsage 6, Warblade 6
Prerequisite: 2 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round

With a powerful attack, you force your foe onto the defensive, letting you dodge his attacks with ease. As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. If the attack is successful, it deals +6d6 damage and you gain a +8 dodge bonus to AC against any melee attack that opponent makes for 1 round.

7th level

Spoiler

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Mirror of the Soul
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Prerequisite: 3 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With utter calm and a pure serenity of heart, you can drive a spell back with sheer force of will. Whenever an enemy targets you with a spell, you may initiate this maneuver. You make an initiator level check, opposed by a caster level check from the spell’s caster. If you succeed, that spell rebounds on its caster, as with the spell turning spell. You cannot turn spells with a level greater than half your initiator level, rounded up.

Pearl of Perfect Grace
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 7, Warblade 7
Prerequisite: 3 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You

With an almost effortless sidestep and a graceful, weaving pivot, you step just outside the range of an attack, leaving your foe confused and defenseless. Whenever an enemy attacks you, before they make the attack roll, you may initiate this maneuver. That attack automatically misses you. In addition, the enemy that made the attack is flatfooted for 1 round.

8th level

Spoiler

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Rain of Jagged Thorns
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 8, Warblade 8
Prerequisite: 3 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You retaliate against your foe’s attack with a devastating counter. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you, you may initiate this maneuver. After they have made their attack, if they are within your reach, you may make a single melee attack against them that deals +10d6 damage.

Walking on the Wind
Dancing Leaf (Stance)
Level: Swordsage 8, Warblade 8
Prerequisite: 3 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Stance

With perfect control of your movements, you unlock hidden reservoirs of speed and grace. You gain a +30 ft. enhancement bonus to all movement forms, and a +5 enhancement bonus on all Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, Swim, and Tumble checks. In addition, you may move unimpeded by obstacles, as the freedom of movement spell. Finally, you may run on walls. You can take part of one of your move actions to traverse a wall or other relatively smooth vertical surface if you begin and end your move on a horizontal surface. The height you can achieve on the wall is limited only by this movement restriction. If you do not end your move on a horizontal surface, you fall prone, taking falling damage as appropriate for your distance above the ground. Treat the wall as a normal floor for the purpose of measuring your movement. Passing from floor to wall or wall to floor costs no movement; you can change surfaces freely. Opponents on the ground can make attacks of opportunity as you move up the wall.

9th level

Spoiler

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Absolute Perfection of Movement
Dancing Leaf (Counter)
Level: Swordsage 9, Warblade 9
Prerequisite: 5 Dancing Leaf maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature

You retaliate against your foe’s attack with a devastating counter. Whenever an enemy makes a melee attack against you, before they make the attack roll, you may initiate this maneuver. Their attack automatically misses. if they are within your reach, you may make a single melee attack against them that deals +15d6 damage.

Initail questions:
Did you really mean to explicitly NOT limit the size of the projectile that "Turn Back the Wind" can effect?
I would think that "Oaken Roots Stance" would reset the bonus any time you moved from the spot (sorta like Dwarven Defender Defensive Stance), as it is, if you were in it before combat started it is always going to be at full power.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DracoDei

Initail questions:
Did you really mean to explicitly NOT limit the size of the projectile that "Turn Back the Wind" can effect?

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Wow, a "not" should have really been in that sentence.

Quote:

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I would think that "Oaken Roots Stance" would reset the bonus any time you moved from the spot (sorta like Dwarven Defender Defensive Stance), as it is, if you were in it before combat started it is always going to be at full power.

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I'll word it so only rounds in an encounter count, and have it reset at the end of an encounter.

Generally, I like it. A swordsage could combine this and Setting Sun in interesting ways.

A typo: in your 2nd post, 8th lvl maneuvers, Rain of Jagged Thorns is listed as a Strike.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dyslexicfaser

Generally, I like it. A swordsage could combine this and Setting Sun in interesting ways.

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Yeah, the original inspiration was that you could effectively run a Swordsage as a ninja with Dancing Leaf/Setting Sun/Shadow Hand.

A typo: in your 2nd post, 8th lvl maneuvers, Rain of Jagged Thorns is listed as a Strike.[/QUOTE]
Nice catch, fixed.

This is one of the most interesting disciplines i have seen, very different feel than the 'original' ones, and it fits very nicely with Krimms druid/swordsage prestige class

I dunno, 9th level maneuver seems a bit lackluster... 15d6? I know it's a defensive discipline, but that just means it should have a counter that does something more reactive that doesn't add damage. Maybe deflecting all attacks that round to anyone in range?

I am disappointed by the lack of Alan Tudyk in the first post

Well, for the final maneuver, I think the big thing is that the attack automatically misses. That can be huge at this level, especially with attack spells that require attack rolls. The extra damage is icing on the cake. Perhaps it could also give you a dodge bonus to AC for the rest of the round, though.

That picture is what my armor for this avatar is based on. :smallbiggrin:

Anyways, the style of this discipline is awesome. Nice job. :smallsmile:

This is a lovely school, I'll see if my DM will allow it thanks!