And Touch the Face of God [Martial Discipline, PEACH]

[Kellus]

Maneuvers
"Okay, this maneuver requires a maneuverability within two stages of your enemy's maneuverability, but your maneuverability is poor and his maneuverability is perfect. That's three stages of maneuverability. So why don't you try this other maneuver? First you'll need to maneuver next to him and then if the maneuver hits it brings his maneuverability one step closer to your maneuverability, to good maneuverability. Then your respective maneuverabilities will be close enough for you to initiate that first maneuver."
(Not actually what this section is like)

1st Level

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Chandelle
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

This is a fairly simple aerobatic maneuver which allows you to climb a great deal. Whatever your maneuverability, you may freely climb in place up to your fly speed, and you must also turn exactly 180 degrees at the end of it.

Dogfight
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Ongoing

This maneuver represents a fairly common tactic in aerial fights, which allows slower fliers to catch faster aerial threats and pin them down. As part of this maneuver you make a single melee attack at your full attack bonus against an aerial enemy. The attack deals no damage if it succeeds, but the enemy is then considered to be dogfighting with you. While you are in a dogfight you are limited in speed and maneuverability to the slower and less maneuverable of the pair of fliers. In addition, whenever you move, the opponent is allowed a chance to spend a move action from their coming turn early in order to stay in the same relative position to you. If one of the dogfighters makes an attack against a target outside the dogfight, the other dogfighter is granted an attack of opportunity.

A dogfight ends if one of the fliers chooses not to pursue the other, or if one of them lands. Alternatively, one of the fliers can spend a standard action forcing a key skill contest between the two of them in an effort to get free. Each of them can choose which key skill they would like to use.

Flutter
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

As part of this maneuver you make a key skill check when targetted by an attack while flying. you may substitute the result for your AC against this one attack roll. If you have the Mounted Combat feat, you can also expend this maneuver to use the feat a second time in a single round without spending any additional actions.

Knife Edge
North Wind (Stance)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance

In this stance, you turn perpendicular to the ground, allowing you to make brutally sharp turns. You don't need to spend fly speed on turns even if you don't have perfect maneuverability and you can turn in place even if you have poor or clumsy maneuverability. In addition, mounted characters receive full cover while in this stance, although any attack or effect which misses because of this cover is targetted against your mount instead.

Stall Recovery
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

This boost allows you to instantly recover from a stall, without losing altitude or being forced to make a Reflex save as normal. Most stalls result from fliers of average or worse maneuverability failing to maintain a forward movement of half their fly speed. If you wish you can purposely allow yourself to fall up to the full 150ft. before initiating this maneuver in order to lose altitude. This maneuver can only be used when you first go into a stall, and not on subsequent turns where you are trying to recover.

Terminal Velocity Catch
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Fly speed
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant

This maneuver can be triggered when someone is falling freely through the air. Their falling distance of 200ft. per round must take them within a distance of up to your fly speed in order to use this maneuver. As part of it, you immediately fly to the location where their fall path intersects with your flight range, and can make a free grapple check (which they can choose to fail, of course). Mounted characters can have their mounts activate this maneuver even when they're not riding them, such as in case they're knocked off in flight.

Any movement used up in this maneuver is taken from your available movement in your first move action on the following round.

2nd Level

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Do a Barrel Roll
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: Partial move action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

This maneuver is initiated during one of your normal move actions, and requires no special action on top of it. You can immediately take up to half of your move speed at 90 degrees to your current heading, without changing your direction afterwards. This movement counts towards your minimum forward speed for the round to maintain to avoid stalling out. You gain a +4 deflection bonus to ranged attacks until your next turn.

Dragon's Dive
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Charge distance
Target: One or more creatures
Duration: Instant

This maneuver is much like a charge, except as follows. This charge allows you to dive at a target below you, and after the attack allows you to instantly change trajectory up to a 45 degree up angle in order to climb out (consuming movement as normal to pivot upwards). It also allows you to finish your movement after your attack, moving up to your full charge distance. Finally, you can choose to use a ranged attack with this charge instead of a melee attack, or even a breath weapon. If you choose to use a breath weapon, you can apply the charge bonus to attack rolls to the DC of your breath weapon instead.

Interception Zone
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Fly speed
Target: One projectile
Duration: Instant

This maneuver can be activated as an immediate action whenever a projectile (including things like magical rays but not including siege weapons) passes within your fly speed distance. It allows you to immediately move over to a point of your choosing where it passes through your flying zone, and attempt to knock it out of the air. This requires a key skill check against the attack roll. If successful, the projectile is neutralized. If you fail, you are targetted by the projectile instead of the intended target.

Any movement used up in this maneuver is taken from your available movement in your first move action on the following round.

Low Corner
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Fly speed
Target: One creature engaged in a dogfight above you
Duration: Instant

You can use this maneuver when there is an ongoing dogfight above you where your intended attack target is within your fly speed from you. As part of this maneuver you fly up to and adjacent to your intended target and make a single melee attack roll at your full attack bonus. If successful, the target takes full damage and the dogfight is broken up.

Skidding and Slipping
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Charge distance
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant

When you initiate this maneuver you can choose from two different variations on an aerial charge. Each of these works like a regular charge except as noted. In a skidding charge, you can turn up to 60 degrees in your charge, broken up into smaller turns if you like. You can also pass through occupied squares. In a slipping charge, you can only fly level or descend, but you don't provoke attacks of opportunity as you fly.

3rd Level

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Drift Correction
North Wind (Stance)
Level: 3
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance

While in this stance you count as up to three size categories larger for the purposes of winds. Your projectiles gain the same benefit, and can pass through wind walls.

Friendly Flier
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 3
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: Ongoing

As part of this maneuver you spend an immediate action to activate it whenever you are adjacent to another flier or when one flies by you. If unwilling, they can attempt a grapple check (opposed by a key skill check) to shake you off. Otherwise, you are considered attached to them and you move along with them until you disengage. You cannot move under your own power while flying like this, although you can choose to disengage without taking an action, even on someone else's turn. Every turn the target can spend a swift action to try to shake you off again as described above. The target is considered flanked so long as you are attached to them.

Midair Unseat
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 3
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 attack action (following charge)
Range: Melee attack
Target: One mounted flying creature
Duration: Instant

This maneuver can be initiated whenever you would make a normal attack roll against a mounted flying creature after a charge. You can choose to replace the normal attack with a special maneuver instead. This is made at the same attack bonus, but if successful you deal no damage. Instead, the target is knocked off their mount, and they immediately fall up to 150ft. On their following turn they will begin to fall 300ft. every round, as normal.

Rocket Climb
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 3
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

This maneuver is a special move action that allows you to push yourself straight up to a ridiculous height. You move twice your fly speed straight up with a single move action, but leave yourself flatfooted against threats until your next turn.

Turnabout
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 3
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Reach
Target: One instigating creature
Duration: Instant

This maneuver can be activated when someone attempts to overrun you or trip you (which is pretty bad when you're flying, since it knocks you prone). When they come into your reach, you can force them to make opposed key skill checks. You can each pick which key skill you want to use. If you succeed, you can immediately attempt the same maneuver they were going to try, without spending an action and without provoking an attack of opportunity.

4th Level

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Autorotational Blow
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: One standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One flying creature
Duration: Instant

This maneuver is used to knock someone out of their air. You make a normal attack roll at your full attack bonus. If successful, you deal full normal damage, and the target is immediately considered stalled. They fall 150ft., and must recover from the stall on their next turn or continue to fall (for reference, they must make a DC 20 Reflex save to recover or fall 300ft. per round).

Closing Eight
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: One standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One flying creature
Duration: Instant

As part of this maneuver you make a single melee attack at your full attack bonus against a flying creature. If successful, you can then move through it's square(s) to any other adjacent square to it, and attempt a second attack at the same bonus. Both attacks deal full damage, and the creature is considered flanked for your second attack as well as any attacks it sustains until your next turn (no matter where they come from). The target also loses one attack of opportunity when you make your movement.

Fly Circles
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 4
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 move action
Range: Fly speed
Target: One creature with worse maneuverability
Duration: 10 rounds

With this maneuver you fly over to someone within your fly speed, and can attempt an opposed key skill check. You can each select which key skill you would like to use. If successful, you fly circles around the target, stirring up the air. The target is considered flatfooted until they leave the area, which extends for 50ft. in every direction from them. While in the area they take a -6 penalty on key skill checks, and their fly speed is halved.

This effect lasts for either 10 rounds or until they leave the field of effect, but only effects the target.

Snatching Dive
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisites: One North Wind maneuver
Initiation Action: 1 attack action (following charge)
Range: Melee attack
Target: One or more creatures
Duration: Instant

This maneuver replaces the attack you normally make following a charge. Instead of the normal attack you get, you can choose to make a free grapple attempt as if you had the Snatch monstrous feat (even if you're not huge). If you have either more than one set of arms or more than one natural attack (ie two claws, two talons and a bite, and so on) you can choose to make additional grapples if there are extra targets in range, up to a maximum of one for every natural attack you possess or extra set or arms you have. You can apply the normal charge bonus to attack rolls to your grapple attempt(s) instead. Finally, you can make a vertical trajectory change of up to 90 degrees up after your grappling, and finish your full possible charge movement.

5th Level

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Dangerous Game
North Wind (Stance)
Level: 5
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

While in this stance you assume a deadly aerial focus, and are able to control the flow of battle. Whenever you try to disengage from a dogfight or when someone tries to disengage from your own dogfight you can roll the opposed key skill check roll twice and pick whichever result you prefer. You can also hold up to two active dogfights at a time, either through the normal 1st level melee maneuver dogfight or through the 5th level maneuver pin down.

If you have two melee dogfights going at once, both enemies are limited in their movement, but are not restricted to each other's interactions with you. Basically, they can pull you in opposite directions in order to get away from you. If you move out of reach of on of them while following the other, that dogfight's automatically disengaged unless they decide to follow you. For this reason, the most useful way to use this maneuver is to have one melee dogfight and one ranged dogfight going at the same time.

You also no longer provoke attacks of opportunity from your dogfighting partner for attacking targets outside of the dogfight.

G-Defense
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 5
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Reach
Target: One attacking creature
Duration: Instant

The G-Defense is usually a last resort, where the defender makes random and bizarre changes to speed, attitude, and direction in an attempt to confuse or dodge an attacker. You can initiate this maneuver as an immediate action when you're targetted by a melee attack. You can immediately make an opposed key skill check with the attacker. If you succeed, the attack is foiled and the enemy's turn immediately ends. They're also considered dazed until their next turn.

Headache Tumble
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 5
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 5ft. step
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

You can activate this maneuver as part of a 5ft. step that you take while flying. You can move up to half your fly speed in the 5ft. step, and can act as if you had perfect maneuverability for it. You can move through occupied squares, and anyone whose square you move through must make a Reflex save (DC 15 + your Dex modifier) or be flatfooted until their next turn. Like all 5ft. steps, you don't provoke attacks of opportunity with this movement. If you're engaged in a dogfight when you initiate this maneuver, your partner can choose to move with you by expending the 5ft. step from his next turn.

Pin Down
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 5
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Ranged attack (1 range increment)
Target: One creature
Duration: Ongoing

This maneuver works like the 1st level maneuver dogfight, except as follows. You target the enemy with a ranged attack instead of a melee attack. Once the enemy is engaged in the dogfight with you, they are considered to be still in the dogfight unless they move outside of a single range increment of the ranged weapon you used to initiate the dogfight. This means that unless they try to leave that zone you don't need to follow them around in order to maintain the dogfight. If they try to leave the zone of control, you can still choose to spend your next round's move action early following them, as normal.

If the enemy has a ranged weapon of their own, they can choose to use it in this kind of dogfight, imposing the same kinds of limitations on your movement. Otherwise, they need to follow the normal melee rules for the dogfight.

6th Level

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Falling Fury
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 6
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 attack action (following charge)
Range: Melee attack
Target: One or more creatures below you
Duration: Instant

This maneuver is used after an aerial charge against a target below you. It's initiated with the attack action you would normally receive after a charge, and instead allows you to make a full attack, much like the Pounce special ability (except only while flying).

Knock Out of the Sky
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 6
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One creature you've grappled
Duration: Instant

Before using this maneuver you must be either engaged in an aerial grapple with someone, or have attached yourself to them with the friendly flier 3rd level maneuver. You make a melee attack against their touch AC, and if successful they take no damage but instead are forced to immediately descend at least 5ft. for every point of damage your attack would have done. If they're forced to fall at least 150ft. in one round, they're considered to be freefalling and stalled, and automatically detach from you. On their next turn they must recover from their stall or continue to plummet at a rate of 300ft. per round (again, for reference they must make a DC 20 Reflex save to recover from a stall).

Trickster's Loop
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 6
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Instant

This maneuver can be activated whenever someone attacks you with a melee or ranged attack. You can immediately switch places with another flier who is within your fly speed in distance from you. They are allowed to attempt an opposed key skill check with you in order to avoid this effect. If you succeed on the check, you switch places and the attack which would have targetted you instead targets your victim. This uses up a single move action from your next turn.

7th Level

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Break
North Wind (Counter)
Level: 7
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: You

You initiate this maneuver when an enemy charges you. You can declare that you're using this maneuver in order to sideslip his charge, and you move 5ft. in a direction of your choice. The enemy continues his charge past you to his full charge distance without turns (even if he could normally turn or change angle of attack during a charge). If there is an obstacle in his path impeding his movement (like, say, a mountain) he takes damage as if from falling the distance he charged into it. You can make an attack of opportunity as normal for having him move out of your threatened zone.

High Corner
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 7
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Fly speed
Target: One creature engaged in a dogfight below you
Duration: Ongoing

This maneuver works like the 2nd level maneuver low corner except as follows. You target a dogfighting creature below you, not above you. When you attack, you make a full attack instead of a single attack roll, and the maneuver is considered to be successful if any of the attacks connect. If you succeed, instead of breaking up the dogfight you instead engage the target in a dogfight of your own, as if by the 1st level maneuver dogfight. The other dogfighting partner is automatically disengaged from the dogfight and left to go on his merry way.

Snap Roll
North Wind (Boost)
Level: 7
Prerequisites: Two North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: 1 round

This maneuver allows you to quickly roll out of the way of incoming attacks. While under the effects of this maneuver, you can substitute a key skill check for your AC against all ranged attacks until the beginning of your next turn. If you're a mounted flyer, you can apply the benefits to your mount as well, without having to resort to the Mounted Combat feat.

8th Level

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Stance of Aerial Superiority
North Wind (Stance)
Level: 8
Prerequisites: Three North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 swift action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Stance

While in this stance you can perform a single boost of your choice every round from levels 1-3 of this discipline. This boost does not use up an action and does not need to be prepared. If they borrow against future actions, you don't need to spend those actions, either. Basically, this stance gives you a bunch of cool basic flying tricks since you're such an ace flier by now. For reference, the boosts you can pick from include chandelle, stall recovery, terminal velocity catch, do a barrel roll, and rocket climb.

Threefold Falcon Strike
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 8
Prerequisites: Three North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 full round action
Range: Three charges followed by a movement
Target: One to three creatures
Duration: Instant

This maneuver represents the pinnacle of mundane aerial combat. You can make three consecutive aerial charges. If you have maneuvers readied which can be activated in place of the attack action following a charge, you can choose to activate a different one for each charge. These charges follow all the normal rules for charging, although when you begin the second and third charges you don't provoke attacks of opportunity from your previous charge's target. You cannot target the same creature with two subsequent charges, but there's no reason you can't use your first and third charges against the same creature. If you like, you can use the middle charge to simply fly to a distance to set up for the third charge.

After the third charge, you can immediately take a move action to fly away from the last target, again avoiding an attack of opportunity for leaving a threatened space.

9th Level

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Breath of the North Wind
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 9
Prerequisites: Four North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Breath weapon
Target: One or more creatures
Duration: Instant

This devastating maneuver is known only to the most aged and experienced dragons. Although rare, it is rightly feared as it can destroy masses of ground troops in an instant. It can be activated when you would normally be able to use your breath weapon. Your breath weapon's area of effect is Enlarged (its area is doubled, as if by the Enlarge Breath metabreath feat), and the DC is replaced by the result of a key skill check. If it deals damage, it deals an extra 100 cold damage (before the Reflex save typically offered). You're automatically considered to have rolled a 1 on your breath recharge roll.

Sonic Rainboom
North Wind (Strike)
Level: 9
Prerequisites: Four North Wind maneuvers
Initiation Action: 1 attack action (following charge)
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature + surrounding creatures
Duration: Instant

Perhaps the most talked-of aerial combat maneuver, many dismiss the devastating sonic rainboom as a myth. This maneuver can be activated in place of the attack which normally follows a charge. You fly ludicrously fast, somehow breaking the speed of sound. If your attack at the end of the charge is successful the target is struck as if by a prismatic wall effect (DC 19 + your Dexterity modifier) and thrown backwards as if with the Awesome Blow feat (with an additional 10ft. of distance for every 25 points of damage).

The attack deals double damage, and every creature within 100ft. must make a Fortitude saving throw (same DC) or be permanently deafened (the deafening effect comes from your speed, and is not contingent on the attack succeeding).

If you declare that you are going to use this maneuver at the end of a charge, your fly speed for the charge is doubled (following normal additive D&D rules for multiplication). However, you must charge at least twice your normal fly speed before you reach your target in order to build up enough speed for the attack, and your target must be at a lower altitude than you when you begin your charge.

[hr]

Ruler of the Winds Template

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Dragons with the Ruler of the Winds Template vastly improve their aerial abilities, and have many more options for flying combat.

Creating a Ruler of the Winds: "Ruler of the Winds" is an inherited template that can be added to any true dragon of any age category which can fly.

Maneuvers: Starting at Juvenile age, the base dragon learns a single maneuver from the North Wind discipline at each age category. The maneuver can be of any level equal to 1 + the number of age categories above Juvenile. The base dragon's racial HD add to any initiating class levels to determine its total initiator level.

The dragon has the same recovery method for its natural maneuvers as the warblade.

Speed: The base creature's fly speed improves by 20ft. and its maneuverability rating improves by one stage.

Spellcasting: The base creature loses all spells except those actually derived from spellcasting class levels. A dragon maintains its spell-like abilities based on its breed.

Challenge Rating: No change.