New Feat: Riposte

[Erasmas]

Alright... so I was working on a homebrew class design when I was struck with an idea for a new feat - Risposte. Now, I played Gladius (original Xbox) and loved it. Risposte was an ability that you could buy for your light class fighters and allowed them to make a free swing every time an opponent missed them in a melee attack. I thought, when I played the game, "That would be cool to have in D&D". However, when I sat down and tried to work out the kinks... it was just way too overpowered to work the same way.

And then it struck me just the other night. I want to post it here, to get feedback from players before I try incorporating it into my games.

Riposte - If an enemy takes a melee attack against you and misses, it provokes an attack of opportunity.


Thoughts?

[Doughnut Master]

{{scrubbed}}

[Boci]

It all depends on your group's power level. Depending on that it could be underpowered, overpwoered, or just right.

If its underpowered, add to it. Such as:
1. If your riposte hits, any further attacks made by that enemy take a -2 penalty until the start of your turn.
2. If the attacks hits, the nemey is rendered flat footed until the star/end of your turn.

If overpowered, add limitation:
1. Player must be wielding a light weapon (I assume this was intended to already be in affect).
2. Play must be fighting defensivly/using the combat expertise feet.
3.sing this ability overextends the player, giving them a -2 penalty for AC until the start of their turn.

Really though it should be fine as it is in a lower-mid optimization group.

[Erasmas]

Hmm... not quite, Doughnut.
That feat allows you to take a swing after every attack that someone takes against you. This would only be if someone missed you on their attack, and would still be limited by how many Attacks of Opportunity you get in a round (could be improved by Combat Reflexes, though not against the same enemy in the same round).

Boci: I think it should be pretty balanced with how we typically run; seems on par with other feats like Cleave, and Mobility (as far as power level is concerned). But awesome suggestions... thank you!

I was also toying with the idea of adding another feat, later on in this 'tree' (along with Combat Reflexes) that would allow the character to take multiple Attacks of Opportunity against the same enemy in a single round, however, still limited to their maximum allowed amount. Slap a Dexterity and a BAB prerequisite along with Combat Reflexes, and that should keep it fairly balanced for higher level play. I don't think Riposte should be a pre-req, but more of a "lateral step" to this.
No idea what to call it though...

[D@rK-SePHiRoTH-]

though not against the same enemy in the same round

this rule does not exist

[Malachei]

There's a Riposte feat in Dragon 304, reprinted in Dragon Compendium, which does exactly this. Also, Robilar's Gambit, as pointed out above, and Karmic strike (which grants AoO on a hit, though).

[Fooliscious]

Fiery Riposte in Tome of Battle. Just change the the fire damage to weapon damage. If you don't want to use martial maneuvers change it to AoO's, increase it with combat reflexes. Only difference is you actually have to get hit. A riposte isn't dodge then strike, its deflect/block/absorb then strike.

Page 53, Tome of Battle
When a creature successfully strikes
you with a melee or natural weapon, you
can use this maneuver to give yourself
the ability to make an immediate melee
touch attack. If your attack hits, your
target takes 4d6 points of fi re damage.
This maneuver is a supernatural
ability.

[Person_Man]

What you're looking for already exists in various forms.

• Riposte alternate class feature: Replaces Skirmish (a Scout base class feature, from Complete Adventurer). Gain a bonus to damage and AC against any enemy who attacked you in the past round. Online.
• Karmic Strike feat: Every time an enemy hits you, you get an attack of opportunity against that enemy. Requires Dodge and Combat Expertise. Complete Warrior.
• Robilar's Gambit feat: Enemies get a +4 bonus to hit and damage rolls against you, but after every attack against you (whether or not they hit) you get an attack of opportunity against that enemy. Requires +12 BAB and Combat Reflexes. Player's Handbook II.
• Mantle of Flame soulmeld: Every time an enemy hits you, they take fire damage. Requires Incarnate or 1 feat (plus essentia if you want the damage to scale well). Magic of Incarnum.
• Heart of Fire soulmeld bound to Waist chakra. Every time an enemy hits you, they take fire damage (although the mechanics of how are slightly different from Mantle of Flame). Requires Totemist levels or 2 feats (plus essentia if you want the damage to scale well). Magic of Incarnum.
• Fiery Riposte stance: Noted above. Requires Swordsage levels or 2 feats. Tome of Battle.

[gbprime]

There's a Riposte feat in Dragon 304, reprinted in Dragon Compendium, which does exactly this.

Seconded.

[JadePhoenix]

Also, it's riposte, not risposte.

[gbprime]

Also, it's riposte, not risposte.

Touche.

[Erasmas]

Oops... typo!
Sorry.
Edit: Wow - not just a typo. Apparently I wasn't paying attention to what my fingers were doing with that word. Fixed!

And thank you guys for all the information. I do not read much of the supplemental material that is out there, as a lot of what I came across was unbalanced, silly, or just plain stupid.

Dark Sephiroth- Unless I am mistaken, you cannot take more than one Attack of Opportunity against the same creature in the same round, as per the description of Combat Reflexes. Unless they changed that in 3.5?

[Venger]

Dark Sephiroth- Unless I am mistaken, you cannot take more than one Attack of Opportunity against the same creature in the same round, as per the description of Combat Reflexes. Unless they changed that in 3.5?

You are indeed mistaken. I have found the relevant bit of rules info that I think is confusing you though:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#combatReflexes

there's combat reflexes. no such addendum. however:

Combat Reflexes and Additional Attacks of Opportunity
If you have the Combat Reflexes feat you can add your Dexterity modifier to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity). Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn’t count as more than one opportunity for that opponent. All these attacks are at your full normal attack bonus.

emphasis mine. You probably remembered "can't make more than one AoO per attack" as "can't make more than 1 AoO per enemy per round, which this explicitly states that you can do.

[Malachei]

And you can also make them while flat-footed, which saved one of my characters' life just recently again.

[Venger]

And you can also make them while flat-footed, which saved one of my characters' life just recently again.

that's a huge deal when someone SA's you or comes at you while invisible. it's another real pain in the ass when fighting hydras.

[Andorax]

this rule does not exist

It used to. 3.0 was "one AoO per person per round". 3.5 changed it to "one AoO per opportunity".

[JadePhoenix]

It used to. 3.0 was "one AoO per person per round". 3.5 changed it to "one AoO per opportunity".

I don't think that's right.

[gbprime]

I don't think that's right.

No, that's right. Each time an individual enemy provokes an Attack of Opportunity, you can take one. If he stands up right next to you and fires a bow, you can hit him twice if you have that many AoO.

Robilar's Gambit is a special case, because it states that every time they swing at you you get an AoO. So if the guy tries to hit you 3 times, you get to hit him back 3 times.

[JadePhoenix]

No, that's right. Each time an individual enemy provokes an Attack of Opportunity, you can take one. If he stands up right next to you and fires a bow, you can hit him twice if you have that many AoO.

Robilar's Gambit is a special case, because it states that every time they swing at you you get an AoO. So if the guy tries to hit you 3 times, you get to hit him back 3 times.

I meant I don't think the 3.0 rule was like he mentioned.