Fate's Hand [3.5 ToB Discipline, inspired by Gambit and Twisted Fate]

[Lix Lorn]

Fate’s Hand

The most well known of martial disciplines are those favoured by the hero, Reshar. But while his talents were many, and his prejudices few, he was a swordsman above all. While some disciplines failed to catch his eye for reasons of personality, many more failed due to his preferred weapons.

Fate’s Hand is both. It uses a rare weapon, and is suited more to rogues, liars, and cheats than fair warriors. Nevertheless, in a master’s hand it is a terrific weapon. The associated skill for Fate’s Hand is Bluff, as both games and reality are best played with a lie and a smile on your lips. The associated weapons include most light throwing weapons, such as knives and decks of blades.

Because the Fate’s Hand 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 can easily learn maneuvers from the Fate’s Hand discipline. There are three ways for other classes 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 Fate’s Hand discipline at character creation, you simply replace one discipline that adept could normally learn maneuvers from with the Fate’s Hand discipline.

The second way is to seek out a master of the Fate’s Hand discipline–a martial adept capable of using at least 5th-level maneuvers from the discipline, and to learn Fate’s Hand from them. 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 Fate’s Hand discipline. In addition, you may exchange your maneuvers known for maneuvers of the Fate’s Hand 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 third and simplest way, is to take the feat described below, which provides access to the maneuvers of Fate’s Hand.

New Weapon

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Deck of Blades

Name	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Deck of Blades	550gp	1d4	1d6	19-20x3	15ft	5lb	Slashing/Piercing

A deck of blades appears to be a deck of cards, but its construction is interwoven with subtle spells, while sharp metal edges render the edges effective slashing weapons. The spells and materials allow the cards to be thrown as projectile weapons with a high effective range. A deck of blades is purchased and enchanted as a single weapon, as the enchantments in its construction mean that the cards always find their way back to the deck. Examining a deck of blades will show a very faint aura of Conjuration. A wielder may use a deck of blades in both hands, as if two weapon fighting, with the normal penalties. He is treated as wielding two light ranged weapons.

A Deck of Blades is an exotic weapon. It is a class weapon for any class with exotic weapon proficiency, as well as the Rogue.

New Feat

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Fate’s Chosen
Prerequisites: About to take or have already taken at least one level in an initiating class.
Benefit: You may add Fate’s Hand to your list of class disciplines.
Normal: Only Swordsages get to pretend to be Gambit.

[Lix Lorn]

1st Level
Fateful Blow (Boost): Automatically confirm a crit.
Find the Gap (Strike): Make an attack with a more powerful crit.
Lightning Fingers (Stance): Reduce TWF penalties with matched weapons.
Shuffle (Boost): After this turn, everyone re-rolls initiative.

2nd Level
Club’s Guile (Counter): Resist a save by bending logic.
Diamond’s Strike (Strike): Attack deals slight bonus damage.
Heart’s Embrace (Strike): Target starts to like you.
Mace of Spades (Boost): Next attack strikes several foes.

3rd Level
Bladestorm (Boost): Make an additional attack in a round.
Piercing Strike (Strike): Make an attack that penetrates armour.
Relentless Strikes (Stance): Your flurries of attacks are more accurate.
Twisting Fate (Strike): Roll your damage three times, each with a +1d6 bonus, and take the highest.

4th Level
Azure Renewal (Strike): Make an attack that refreshes one of your other techniques.
Duck Fate (Counter): Teleport away from an attack, possibly avoiding it.
Golden Frost (Strike): Stuns the target with a powerful burst of light.
Scarlet Strike (Strike): An attack that detonates in an AoE.

5th Level
Club’s Bluff (Counter): Negate an effect without fail.
Crystal Blade (Strike): Attack deals moderate bonus damage.
Shadow of Spades (Boost): Next attack strikes many foes.
Strike the Heart (Strike): Target really likes you.

6th Level
Aeon Strike (Boost): Next attack has massive range.
Eyes of Destiny (Boost): Know the location of all nearby foes.
Fate’s Chosen (Stance): Make multiple attack rolls and take the highest.
Rending Strikes (Boost): The more attacks you make, the more damage they deal.

7th Level
Bending Space (Boost): Ignore line of sight rules for a turn.
Gate (Boost): Teleport great distances.
Ricochet (Strike): Next attack bounces from foe to foe until it misses.
Stacking the Deck (Stance): Fourth and subsequent attacks in a single round are far stronger.

8th Level
Ace of Hearts (Strike): Target loves you.
Diamonds Are Forever (Strike) Attack deals tons of bonus damage.
Mobius Clubs (Counter): Negates oncoming attack, reflecting it onto its caster.
Slick Spades (Boost): Next attack strikes all foes.

9th Level
Lady Luck is Smilin’ (Boost): Next attack is guaranteed to crit, if it strikes.

[Lix Lorn]

1st Level

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Fateful Blow
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 1
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: One swift action
Range: Self
Target: Self

Manipulating fortune, you will your attack to strike a blow deep in the enemy's weakest point.
This maneuver is used when you score a critical, and means that you automatically confirm it.

Find the Gap
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 1
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: One standard action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe within range

Twisting the functions of fate, you send your weapon into a spot where it can do terrible, terrible damage.
Make a normal attack, but increase the critical strike range and the critical damage multiplier by one for this attack.

Lightning Fingers
Fate's Hand (Stance)
Level: 1
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Target: You

With practice, you develop tremendous dexterity, capable of easily wielding identical weapons in both hands.
If you do not possess it, this stance grants you the benefit of the Two Weapon Fighting feat. If you do, it instead reduces the penalties caused by two weapon fighting by two.

Shuffle
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 1
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: Encounter
Target: All

The user shifts the workings of time, resetting the battle on a whim. Each participant rerolls initiative. This initiative takes effect at the end of the initiator's round, starting with the highest roll.

2nd Level

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Club's Guile
Fate's Hand (Counter)
Level: 2
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: Self
Target: Self

You resist a dangerous effect with the surity of eternity, and the cocky deception of a gambler. You gain a bonus equal to 1+1/4 of your initiator level on one saving throw made this round.

Diamond's Strike
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 2
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe within range

You launch an attack fortified with the power of diamonds. This attack deals +2d6 damage on a successful hit.

Heart's Embrace
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 2
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe within range

You draw on the symbolic power of the heart to invoke fellowship in your target. If your attack hits, the enemy must make a will save, or be affected as if by Charm Person. You may choose not to deal damage with this attack. This effect lasts for one minute per initiator level, but continuing to harm the charmed foe ends the effect.

Mace of Spades
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 2
Prerequisite: None
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: Any three foes in range

Your attack echoes throughout potentiality, striking multiple foes. Make a single attack roll, and compare it to each target's AC.

3rd Level

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Bladestorm
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 3
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand Maneuver
Initiation Action: Free action
Range: Self
Target: Self

With a mixture of pure skill, and a little temporal cheating, you attack with phenomenal speed.
The next time you make any attack action this round, you may make one more attack than you would otherwise be allowed to. If you do, you suffer a -1 penalty to hit on each attack this round.

Piercing Strike
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 3
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand Maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe within range

Examining your target with mundane and incredible senses, you deduce the perfect spot to target, and send your weapon straight into it.
You make a single attack, which is treated as a touch attack.

Relentless Strikes
Fate's Hand (Stance)
Level: 3
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Self

Your experience allows you to attack with incredible speed and accuracy, while a lesser warrior would be fortunate to make a third strike, let alone hit with it.
The penalties on iterative attacks gained from BAB are reduced. Rather than -5, -10, -15, (Level 6, 11, 16), you make an additional attack at -4, -8, -12, -16 (Level 5, 9, 13, 17.) This also enhances the pseudo-iteratives granted by the Two-Weapon-Fighting tree.

Twisting Fate
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 3
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

Making an attack, you examine three paths of causality, and collapse into the best one. Make three attack rolls, and then make damage rolls for any that hit, each with a 2d6 bonus. After rolling damage, choose one of the sets of rolls to use.

4th Level

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Azure Renewal
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

Feeling the weight of magic and power that hangs in the air, your attack is beautifully timed to scoop some up, and waft it right back to you.
Make a single attack. If it hits, you may immediately refresh one other maneuver you know, as long as that maneuver is at least one level lower than the highest level of maneuver you can use. If you know them, you may instead regain one used spell slot of the second highest level you can use, or regain enough power points to manifest a power of the second highest level you can. The maneuver or spell recovered may not be one which in turn recovers maneuvers or spells.

Duck Fate
Fate's Hand (Counter)
Level: 4
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand Maneuver
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: 10ft/2 IL
Target: Self

As an attack closes in on you, you suddenly find yourself elsewhere, perhaps nursing a pint of ale.
In response to an attack, you immediately teleport up to 10ft away for each two initiator levels you possess. If this takes you out of range of the attack, you are unaffected.

Golden Frost
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

Your strike is imbued with enough power to stop someone dead in their tracks-and it does.
If the attack hits, the target must make a fortitude save. If he fails, he is dazed for one round.

Scarlet Strike
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 4
Prerequisite: One Fate's Hand Maneuver
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon, 10ft radius
Target: One foe in range, all foes in area

You excite your weapon, making a burst of energy fly out when it strikes your foe. On asuccessful hit, you deal half the damage dealt to the primary target to all foes within the area, including harming the primary target again. A successful reflex save halves the AoE damage.

5th Level

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Club's Bluff
Fate's Hand (Counter)
Level: 5
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: Self
Target: Self

When confronted with terrible danger, you convince reality that actually, you're not in terrible danger.
You automatically pass the next saving throw you are called upon to make, and are treated as having Improved Mettle and Improved Evasion until you next make a saving throw this round.

Crystal Blade
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 5
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

You invest your attack with the destiny of one far greater, allowing it to strike with amazing power. Make a normal attack, but dealing an additional 6d6 damage.

Shadow of Spades
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 5
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: As weapon, +15ft
Target: Any five foes in range

You tangle the destiny of your strike, making it echo forcefully enough to strike several distant foes.

Make one attack roll, melee or ranged as your weapon dictates, and apply it to all chosen foes.

Strike the Heart
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 5
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

Your strike tangles the target's fate with yours. If the attack hits, the foe must make a will save, or else be so eager to please that they are treated as if affected by Dominate Person. You may choose not to deal damage with this attack. This effect lasts for one minute per initiator level, but continuing to harm the charmed foe ends the effect.

6th Level

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Aeon Strike
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 6
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Self (+100ft)
Target: Self

You will your attack to travel not through the full distance of space, but to bend reality around it.
Your next attack has its range increased by 100ft. Treat melee weapons as having 5ft range.

Eyes of Destiny
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 6
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: 50ft+10ft/2IL
Target: Self

Closing your eyes, you look for the tug of destiny instead. You sense all friendly or unfriendly beings within 50ft, 5ft per two Initiator levels.
You do not 'see' those that have neither a positive or negative opinion or plans towards you, and you do not see creatures that cannot be located with Mindsight.

Fate's Chosen
Fate's Hand (Stance)
Level: 6
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Target: Self

You settle into a comfortable stance, concentrating less on your weapons and more on the flow of fortune that controls them.
Whenever you make an attack roll, make two attack rolls and choose one. If you roll a natural one on either dice, it is always a failure, unless the other dice was a natural twenty, in which case you may choose as normal.

Rending Strikes
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 6
Prerequisite: Two Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Self
Target: Self

Your attacks become a veritable deluge of power, each one striking harder than the last. Each attack you make deals bonus damage equal to twice its position in your attack sequence. (The first attack deals +2 damage, the third attack +6...)

7th Level

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Bending Space
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 7
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Self
Target: Self

Focussing on the narrative of destiny, you do not need to see your foes. You may target any foe within 30ft without seeing them, regardless of intervening terrain, invisibility, or miss chance. They do not benefit from any concealment or cover against these attacks. Even a foe who is unreachable from your position is not safe.
However, you do not become capable of seeing the target. You merely target him regardless.

Gate
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 7
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Full Round Action
Range: 1 mile/IL

You forge a brief gateway between two unconnected points, stepping through. This may lead to any point you have seen, or one of which you have had extensive description. It may not cross planar boundaries. The gate persists until your position in the initiative order comes around again.

Ricochet
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 7
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon, initially
Target: One foe in range, initially

You imbue your attack with a grand destiny, before letting it fly. If it strikes its target, you may choose a new target, measuring range from the original target. Make an attack roll with a -2 penalty. if you hit, you may choose a new target, measuring range from the second target, and making an attack roll with a -4 penalty. This continues in this manner until an attack roll is failed.

Stacking the Deck
Fate's Hand (Stance)
Level: 7
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Target: Self

Your repeated attacks are generally weak, keeping your foe off balance, but now and then you strike with terrible force.
Whenever you make multiple attacks in the same round, each fourth attack deals 5d6 bonus damage.

8th Level

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Ace of Hearts
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 8
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range.

With a deep breath and a prayer for forgiveness, you irrevocably tie your destiny to that of your target. Make an attack roll. If you succeed, you deal no damage, but the target is completely taken with you. This may be romantic love, brotherly love, or the strongest of friendship. If you treat them badly, the spell will last only for a day per initiator level, and end, leaving you with the twin hatreds of a scorned lover and someone you controlled. If you treat them as you would a true friend or lover, then only magic on the level of wish or miracle will end it, and, if they have seen enough of you to change their opinion without magic, they may remain with you even then.

Diamonds Are Forever
Fate's Hand (Strike)
Level: 8
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Standard Action
Range: As weapon
Target: One foe in range

You grant your attack the destiny of a meteor, striking the foe with impossible might. You make a normal attack, but deal 13d6 bonus damage.

Mobius Clubs
Fate's Hand (Counter)
Level: 8
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Immediate Action
Range: Self
Target: Cause of the effect you countered

You dodge a painful destiny, spinning and turning it around, redirecting it towards he that tried to pin it on you.
You automatically pass the next save you make this turn, and are treated as if you possessed both Improved Evasion and Improved Mettle. In addition, the originator of the effect must pass the same save, or be affected by the same effect, with the original DC and other determined effects, but otherwise as if you had caused it.

Slick Spades
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 8
Prerequisite: Three Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: 100ft
Target: All foes in range

You weave your attack once, and copy it a hundred times in the mirror of fate, striking every foe you can reach. The next attack roll you make targets every foe within 100ft.

9th Level

Spoiler

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Lady Luck Is Smilin'
Fate's Hand (Boost)
Level: 9
Prerequisite: Four Fate's Hand Maneuvers
Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Self
Target: Self

Sometimes, luck can't enter into the equation.

Your next attack is considered to have a critical hit ratio of 1-20, after all modifications. It even effects creatures immune to critical hits, but reduces its critical modifier by one against them.

[lunaramblings]

Hi Lix. So, I like the idea of Gambit turned D&D. However the deck of cards is just a bit ridiculous for the cost.

You basically have a Glove of Endless Javelins, that are Keen and have an increased Crit modifier for 550gp and an EWP. Compared to the base Gloves which are 7000. Game balance-wise, this is crazy.

Other than that there isn't a ton of information about what the various maneuvers do, once you get that up I will try to take another look.

[Draken]

Hi Lix. So, I like the idea of Gambit turned D&D. However the deck of cards is just a bit ridiculous for the cost.

You basically have a Glove of Endless Javelins, that are Keen and have an increased Crit modifier for 550gp and an EWP. Compared to the base Gloves which are 7000. Game balance-wise, this is crazy.

Other than that there isn't a ton of information about what the various maneuvers do, once you get that up I will try to take another look.

Technically, the Glove of Endless Javellins produces +1 weapons, and it is quite overpriced for the benefits it provides, to begin with.

[vasharanpaladin]

Fate’s Hand

The most well known of martial disciplines are those favoured by the hero, Rengar.

I think you mean Reshar?

[Morph Bark]

I think you mean Reshar?

What a mix-up, LoL. /shotforpun

As I had been planning on doing a PrC called "Dealer of Fate's Cards", this should be interesting for me.

[Lix Lorn]

Hi Lix. So, I like the idea of Gambit turned D&D. However the deck of cards is just a bit ridiculous for the cost.

You basically have a Glove of Endless Javelins, that are Keen and have an increased Crit modifier for 550gp and an EWP. Compared to the base Gloves which are 7000. Game balance-wise, this is crazy.

Other than that there isn't a ton of information about what the various maneuvers do, once you get that up I will try to take another look.

Ammunition is a rule that gives FAR more complexity and irritation than it actually adds anything positive to the game, IMO. The Glove is pretty overpriced, too. As for the higher stats, an Exotic weapon proficiency SHOULD be fancier.

Technically, the Glove of Endless Javellins produces +1 weapons, and it is quite overpriced for the benefits it provides, to begin with.

^^

I think you mean Reshar?

...whoops.

What a mix-up, LoL. /shotforpun

As I had been planning on doing a PrC called "Dealer of Fate's Cards", this should be interesting for me.

Rengar is clearly a Tiger Claw stylist.