The Age of the Warriors - a ToB expansion book idea

[Shyftir]

Just dropping a Link to Sohei Adept.
Your criticism/suggestions welcome.

[elliott20]

nice. Added to the list.

I leave the actual class criticking to the pros.

[TwistofCain]

Oh, and a thought–would anyone be interested in seeing some Epic Martial Styles? I'd come up with an idea for doing them a while ago, but never actually implemented it.

I would love to see some epic martial styles. Heck, I just wanna see more styles by you.

[elliott20]

at the moment, I think I'm going to leave the epic level stuff out of the project.

for one, I just don't see too many campaigns going into epic without it falling apart very easily, and considering the existing material out there often doesn't support epic level play very well either, I don't feel that effort put towards this is going to see a huge payoff.

Of course, feel free to write up stuff and what not. I'm just saying I'm thinking that for now I'm going to leave it out of the book.

[DragoonWraith]

Hmm, I don't see why it'd be a problem. It's not like pixels are expensive...

Actually, that brings up another issue - what's the format of this? I was thinking a Wiki would be best, but it sounds like you're thinking of a .pdf - both have their advantages, but it makes a big difference for things (like how trivial it is just to include everything).

[jokey665]

First off: I think epic stuff is actually a great idea. There's not enough content for epic play out there.

Second off: I think a .pdf with nice presentation would be awesome, I'd love to have it as close to being an official book as possible.

[elliott20]

at the moment, I'm just throwing everything I have into a word doc for now, just because it's easier for me to manipulate. But yeah, I was thinking more of an actual PDF of some sort.

Wiki is not a bad idea either. I think Surgo's D&D wiki can fill the same role. But with that I'm not nearly as good with manipulating the content organization and all that.

[The Demented One]

First off: I think epic stuff is actually a great idea. There's not enough content for epic play out there.

Second off: I think a .pdf with nice presentation would be awesome, I'd love to have it as close to being an official book as possible.

Well, since I guess a couple people want to see it, I'll whip up some rules for epic disciplines, and Invincible Sword Princess style.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Well, since I guess a couple people want to see it, I'll whip up some rules for epic disciplines, and Invincible Sword Princess style.

I have been waiting for this for ages.

[The Demented One]

Here's the rules framework. Once I figure out some of the math, I'll get ISP up.

Epic Martial Disciplines

Epic martial disciplines are the fighting styles of the most powerful warriors and swordsmen in all creation. Powerful secret techniques wielded by gods, archfiends, and epic heroes, they represent the absolute pinnacle of the Sublime Way.

Learning Epic Martial Disciplines
Every epic discipline has an epic feat associated with it, called an initiation feat. Once an epic character has taken the initiation feat of a discipline, he gains the ability to learn the maneuvers of that epic discipline. Unlike normal maneuvers, epic maneuvers must be learned individually–each one has a unique XP cost and training time to learn. Learning even a single epic maneuver is an arduous quest for the mightiest of heroes, as they must seek out a master of the discipline to learn it from. Such beings include deities, demon princes, and things far more strange. Without such a mentor, the training time required to learn an epic maneuver is doubled–and even then, the pinnacle maneuver of an epic discipline can never be learned without a mentor. As with normal martial maneuvers, a martial adept must meet certain prerequisite number of maneuvers known from the same discipline to learn epic maneuvers. Each discipline has a single “pinnacle” maneuver, one that requires all other maneuvers of the discipline to be learned before it can be mastered.

Using Epic Maneuvers
Epic maneuvers are readied and initiated differently than normal maneuvers. Whenever a martial adept readies his maneuvers, he may choose a single epic martial discipline to ready for that day. Doing so readies all epic maneuvers of that discipline that he has learned. They do not count towards his normal maneuvers readied. Each readied epic maneuver can be initiated once per encounter–they cannot be recovered by any means. The martial adept may enter epic stances of his readied discipline as if they were normal martial stances, save that no ability or effect can ever allow him to gain the benefits of any other or second stance at the same time as he gains the benefits of an epic stance. Epic maneuvers do not have a level, but are treated as being of 10th level for all purposes. The saving throw against an epic maneuver has a DC of 20 + the listed ability modifier, although many epic maneuvers list ways in which their DC can be increased. All epic maneuvers are extraordinary abilities, unless otherwise listed.

[Zovc]

I think a .PDF is more professional than a wiki. Then again, a wiki seems easier to host.

[The Demented One]

I think a .PDF is more professional than a wiki. Then again, a wiki seems easier to host.

.pdf's aren't that hard. We find a download place, stick it there, give folk a link. Yahtzee.

[Eldan]

So, if I understand you correctly, instead of making epic maneuvers of existing styles, like other people have suggested, you say we should make new, epic styles, which would work similarly to epic spells?

[The Demented One]

So, if I understand you correctly, instead of making epic maneuvers of existing styles, like other people have suggested, you say we should make new, epic styles, which would work similarly to epic spells?

Yep. I'm treating existing martial disciplines as complete styles–no new maneuvers, at any level. Instead, you get the unique fighting arts of supreme warriors.

[Zovc]

.pdf's aren't that hard. We find a download place, stick it there, give folk a link. Yahtzee.

Not quite as easy as "finding a download place," a lot of places have (understandable, but) inconvenient limits on things such as registrations, bandwidth limits, file size limits, et cetera. Also, I imagine there are places that claim some sort of rights to whatever you host on their site.

I've been considering messing with making .PDF files, so I'll start looking at authoring software and playing around with whatever I can get my hands on. I'll see how close to "WotC-style" formatting I can get (Columns, 'sidebars', tables, pictures).

[The-Mage-King]

...Dear malevolent dieties, this is... Awesome... Maybe I'll get to work on a Sublime monster or two...

Or maybe a Sublime PrC... Psionic class/Martial Adept never got any love...

[Eldan]

Not quite as easy as "finding a download place," a lot of places have (understandable, but) inconvenient limits on things such as registrations, bandwidth limits, file size limits, et cetera. Also, I imagine there are places that claim some sort of rights to whatever you host on their site.

I've been considering messing with making .PDF files, so I'll start looking at authoring software and playing around with whatever I can get my hands on. I'll see how close to "WotC-style" formatting I can get (Columns, 'sidebars', tables, pictures).

Googledocs should work, actually.
We would have to watch out with the pictures used in many of these PrCs and styles, though; most of them are probably not open source, and in the case of a "publication", there could theoretically be problems.


Edit: for Psi/ToB interaction, have a look at the Sleeping Goddess Discipline: it's for manifesters.

[Zovc]

Googledocs should work, actually.
We would have to watch out with the pictures used in many of these PrCs and styles, though; most of them are probably not open source, and in the case of a "publication", there could theoretically be problems.

Google docs could work. I, personally, don't really care for them... I only use them for personal, portable endeavors.

I was actually hoping we could get our own artwork. :3

[jokey665]

Upload it to sharebee and call it a day.

[Nero24200]

Just an FYI, I know how to use, and have access to, autheroing software, so if you wanted I could make the info into a PDF. I could then just upload it to my Deviantart account (which, to my knowledge, can let you upload and let others download the PDF).

[The Tygre]

Well, since I guess a couple people want to see it, I'll whip up some rules for epic disciplines, and Invincible Sword Princess style.

Please tell me there's going to be Exalted references in here.

[The Demented One]

Okay, here it is. Balance may be a bit wonky, but it's a gem compared to epic casting.

[Eldan]

Okay, here it is. Balance may be a bit wonky, but it's a gem compared to epic casting.

Well, what isn't

I'll go have a look at it.

[Mulletmanalive]

Though it's ultimately Fax's decision if it's used, i profer a creature for inclusion: Bow-back Monkupine as the covered up origin of the Falling Star Discipline.

[elliott20]

nice. I like how embarrassing the actual creature is of an inspiration.

So how should we do the documentation for this? I mean, I wanted to just do a word doc converted to PDF, and have already started organizing the basic framework in the word doc, but it's very crude at this moment and so if people can figure out a better software, that's fine too.

Or should we just try to get it all onto a single doc, and then I'll pass it off to someone who knows how to do PDFs?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

nice. I like how embarrassing the actual creature is of an inspiration.

So how should we do the documentation for this? I mean, I wanted to just do a word doc converted to PDF, and have already started organizing the basic framework in the word doc, but it's very crude at this moment and so if people can figure out a better software, that's fine too.

Or should we just try to get it all onto a single doc, and then I'll pass it off to someone who knows how to do PDFs?

If you can put it into a document, I'm sure there are plenty of people who can get it in PDF form, decorate it like the books, etc. Concentrate on getting everything together first, and then go from there.

[elliott20]

alright then, sounds like a plan to me. Now it's just up to me to get it all in the book and organized.

[Eldan]

Though it's ultimately Fax's decision if it's used, i profer a creature for inclusion: Bow-back Monkupine as the covered up origin of the Falling Star Discipline.

Actually, that gives me an idea for a new mechanic for learning maneuvers:

Find a creature epitomizing the style you want to learn and defeat it in single combat, unarmed. If you survive, you can learn the new manuever.


Thoughts?

[Shyftir]

Mystic Cobra Style!

The first couple levels of my Discipline for pole-armists are up.

[elliott20]

heh, you said "pole-arm love". that's sounds dirty.

but seriously, looks promising.