When The Melee Guys Win

[Rithaniel]

Alright, you are needed. You are needed to help come up with some form of 'overpowered' ability that functions in melee, which is not based around speed, and that does not necessarily kill an opponent. Whatever idea that you have, post it below. These are supposed to be ideas that almost completely break a meleer, so, come on, what is the best, most ludicrous thing you got?

[Eldan]

Okay... let's throw out a few ideas.


"You sunder every nonliving object within [ludicrous distance], even those held or worn by creatures"
-> mean, but probably not actually overpowered compared to high-level mages.

"You become immune to all effects except direct damage"
-> Is a defensive effect, so unless you also have a way to actually deal with opponents, they will ignore you


More when I get any ideas.

[Volthawk]

When you hit an enemy, they lose all beneficial special attacks and qualities, and for each one lost, they take 2 points of permanent ability drain to all attributes.

[Eldan]

You hit the enemy in the head. He permanently loses points of intelligence.

[Prime32]

Your attacks carry an Extraordinary targeted dispel magic effect which automatically succeeds, and is resolved before the attack.

Your opponent loses a random limb.

[ZeroNumerous]

You hit something so hard it penetrates anything less than or equal to a Wall of Force?

For the flyers: You're so precise with your bow that you can shoot through magical defenses?

[Xefas]

Lets see...not based on speed, and does not necessarily kill the opponent.

We can crib some stuff from Exalted.

Crack the Sky (Ex): You may activate this ability when you have an opponent grappled that weighs less than your medium load of encumbrance. You hurl the held opponent, who flies, over the span of approximately 5 minutes, 1 mile per point of strength you possess, before impacting the earth at terminal velocity and dealing appropriate damage. Every creature within your Strength score x 6 feet of the impact zone must roll a Fortitude save versus DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your strength modifier or be knocked prone.

[Eldan]

Your bow can strike targets you can not see by flying at impossible angles, even beyond the horizon. Probably still not overpowered.


Your hit the target with such force, his loved ones fall in a coma two continents away.

Or how about:

Strike a guy in melee range. Your strike hits, no matter what.

[Odd the Tall]

Strike someone in melee. You automatically hit, also make sunder attempts on your target's armour and shield and disarm attempts on any weapons they are holding.

[Mongoose87]

You can grapple a planet.

[Cespenar]

Ooh, ooh, I has some!

-One attack you make has its damage converted directly to Strength damage.

-You can block and cut through spells that are cast in 15' area around you as immediate actions.

-You can block one attack perfectly (without a roll), and counter with an attack 1,5x its damage (FFT, anyone?).

-You can shake off hostile spells and effects cast over you, which damages and stuns whoever responsible.

-For a limited amount of time, each hit you take gives you cumulative Rage boni instead of dealing damage to you.

-A Gust of Wind effect follows your each attack.

-Each time you hit and drop an enemy with a bludgeoning weapon, it explodes in a 10' circle of gore, dealing half the final strike's damage to everyone (ref save for half, etc.).

-Each time you hit a crittable enemy with a slashing weapon, that damage is recorded as bleeding damage that the target takes each round unless healed magically or succeeded in a Heal check of said damage in DC. Oh, and the bleeding is cumulative.

I can go on, you know.

[Xefas]

You can grapple a planet.

Yes.

You reach down, grab the planet, lift it up and to the side, and then bludgeon the enemy about the head with it.

[Eldan]

I think there might be differing definitions of overpowered around in this thread.

Hitting an enemy back? Dealing more damage? Exploding enemies? Honestly, in the context of high-level 3.5, those aren't overpowered.

Overpowered are things like endless solar gating, wish chaining, building a future prediction computer out of contingencied divinations or the locate city bomb (if it worked).

So, you intimidate the universe into granting you wishes.

[Volthawk]

Alright, I got one. You know what, where and when all your future fights will be.

[Eldan]

Interesting. Do you have any chance to change the fact, or is it absolute, unchanging prophecy? (You will fight your best friend three months from now).

Now, stealing from DEATH:
Your weapon can cut any of the following:
Atomic bonds, light, sounds, time, space and abstract concepts.

[Prime32]

Alright, I got one. You know what, where and when all your future fights will be.

You know all of your opponent's stats, abilities, thoughts, and where they trained just by looking at them, and can use nonmagical counterspells against them.

Your attacks ignore defenses based on divine rank or salient divine abilities.

[Jane_Smith]

When you draw your weapon, you win the game. If two or more characters with this ability draw their weapons at the same time, they must duel to see who wins the game. The winner of the game gets the cheetos and the mountain dew in the fridge.

[Ilmryn]

Large size+improved trip+spiked chain+good defense against ranged.

[Xefas]

When you draw your weapon, you win the game. If two or more characters with this ability draw their weapons at the same time, they must duel to see who wins the game. The winner of the game gets the cheetos and the mountain dew in the fridge.

That might be useful in D&D (which, as far as I know, a system wasn't specified), but it's a bit lacking for Exalted as it's still blockable by Heavenly Guardian Defense. You need something more meta like.

Ability Name: You are the GM.

[DragonOfLies]

A liberal reading of Iron Heart Surge

[Ouranos]

-You may now add your BAB to your saves against spells, at will
-You may now add your speed to your initiative, all non-spellcasters do this. For every 10 points you beat a spellcaster on the initative roll (total), take an extra turn before they do.

[boj0]

Probably not broken but:

Grandmaster's Parry(Ex): Whenever you are targeted by an attack that targets your AC or Reflex, you may add your attack bonus to that stat (d20 + BAB + modifiers for held weapon).

[Cespenar]

I think there might be differing definitions of overpowered around in this thread.

Hitting an enemy back? Dealing more damage? Exploding enemies? Honestly, in the context of high-level 3.5, those aren't overpowered.

Overpowered are things like endless solar gating, wish chaining, building a future prediction computer out of contingencied divinations or the locate city bomb (if it worked).

So, you intimidate the universe into granting you wishes.

I was thinking more of a playable level of awesome instead of loophole abusing cheesy wizard stuff-level.

If you want that...

-You can cut someone's age in half, effectively making them younger.

-You can not only grapple the planet, but pin, immobilize and silence it.

-Your shield can block. Anything.

-You can bull rush people off or through planes.

-You can ready attack actions from more than 1 round beforehand, and can use those anytime you want. This stacks.

-When people breathe, they draw AoOs from you.

-When you unsheathe your sword, anyone who sees is affected by insanity. On a successful save, they die instead.

-You can cut something so well that it actually isn't cut at all.

[Eldan]

Heh. I like those.

"Okay. In the morning, while the wizard prepares spells, I prepare 596 full attacks and 4 planar bull rushes."

[DracoDei]

What do you need this for?
I have something... but it is supposed to be a dramatic discovery for any 20th level PCs I ever get the chance to GM: "Wait... the artifact lets him do WHAT?!?", so I don't want to reveal it lightly...

[Volthawk]

You hit someone so hard, they go back in time.

[Cespenar]

Heh. I like those.

"Okay. In the morning, while the wizard prepares spells, I prepare 596 full attacks and 4 planar bull rushes."

Thanks. I have more, you know.

[Xefas]

You hit someone so hard, they go back in time.

But what if you punch yourself, get sent back in time a few minutes, hide and wait for your future self to prepare to punch themselves, and then as they wind up, you leap out and grab their arm yelling "Stop hitting yourself!". However, having stopped yourself from going back in time, you're never there in the first place, so as you disappear, your arm is then released, punching yourself in the face to send you back in time again...

[Volthawk]

But what if you punch yourself, get sent back in time a few minutes, hide and wait for your future self to prepare to punch themselves, and then as they wind up, you leap out and grab their arm yelling "Stop hitting yourself!". However, having stopped yourself from going back in time, you're never there in the first place, so as you disappear, your arm is then released, punching yourself in the face to send you back in time again...

Then add another time-puncher...

[Prime32]

-You can bull rush people off or through planes.

"Space-time Level..."
"Burst Spinning..."
"PUUUUUNCH!!!"

Also provides a trick for warforged with really high ranks in Ride.