More Epic Martial Adept Feats [Epic 3.5 Feats]

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

More Epic Martial Feats

Dread Bearer of the Malignant Crown [Epic, Vile]
Only archfiends walk the same molevolent path that you do, a merciless force of the Dread Crown discipline.
Prerequisites: Any evil alignment, Intimidate 24 ranks, Cha 21, Chosen of Evil*, Evil Brand, Power Attack, ability to use the feed the maw of hell and profane consumption maneuvers.
Benefit: You manifest a crown of congealed malevolence as a sign of your own undying evil. This crown is considered a minor artifact an can only be worn by you, any attempt put it on anyone else causes it to disperse in a cloud of smoke and appear back upon your own brow. Unlike normal magic items, this crown does not take up a slot of the body. The crown grants a +10 bonus to all Intimidate checks, and a +4 to all attack rolls dealt with Dread Crown maneuvers, but does not grant the bonus if only using a Dread Crown stance. The bearer of the crown also gains the benefit of having any foe slain by him rise as a zombie or skeleton(their choice)the next round. The limit of HD in undead he can control is equal to twice his initiator level and the undead are temporary, only lasting until the end of the day, at which point they crumble into ash.
There are also several bonuses not requiring the wearing of the crown. You are capable of using both greater teleport and greater plane shift at will, but only on yourself or any special mount or animal companion you might have. If already capable of using greater teleport or greater plane shift at will, you are now capable of using it as a move action once per round. All attacks against good-aligned foes deal an additional 2d6 damage, or 4d6 against outsiders with the Good subtype. You gain the Evil subtype.
*Feat can be found in Elder Evils

Epic Quick to Act [Epic]
You move with such swiftness and alacrity that those that act after you rarely see you even move.
Prerequisites: Dex 25, Improved Initiative, quick to act class feature, your quick to act class feature must be at least +5.
Benefits: The bonus granted to you by your quick to act class feature now equals to one third your swordsage level instead of the limit normally put upon you by your swordsage level. In the event of tying with someone in initiative, you add your Wis modifier to see who goes first. If you are the first in initiative you are granted the effects of the haste spell for a number of rounds equal to one quarter of your initiator level.

Epic Steely Resolve [Epic]
Your ability to ignore the assaults of your enemies is legendary, even standing against it for days.
Prerequisites: Con 25, steely resolve class feature, furious founterstrike class feature, your steely resolve pool must be at least 30.
Benefits: The pool for your steely resolve class feature is now limited to 10+your initiator level, you can refrain from taking this damage for a number of hours equal to your Con score. The bonus granted to you by your furious counterstrike class feature is now equal to one quarter of the damage pool from your steely resolve class feature, instead of one fifth.

Master of One [Epic]
You know every little secret of your discipline, nothing eludes your talent and skill in the ways of the discipline of your choice.
Prerequisites: Blade Mediation (chosen discipline), Weapon Focus (any one of the chosen discipline's associated weapons), 27 ranks in the discipline's associated skill, ability to use at least one 9th level maneuver of the chosen discipline, must know at least 10 maneuvers and/or stances from the chosen discipline.
Benefit: You gain knowledge of all of the maneuvers and stances of the chosen discipline, with the exception of those with an alignment subtype opposite yours. This does not change how many maneuvers you have granted or any other aspect of maneuver or stance use, it simply allows you to prepare any of the maneuvers of the chosen discipline.
Special: Once this feat is taken it cannot be taken again, signifying a character's lifetime mastery of a single martial discipline.

Patron Saint of the Golden Light [Epic, Exalted]
You carry the very essense of the upper plains within your very soul, a beacon of holiness in golden light. You are a master of the Golden Saint discipline.
Prerequisites: Any good alignment, Diplomacy 24 ranks, Wis 21, Nimbus of Light, Subduing Strike, ability to use the hand of heaven's judgment maneuver and the deific vigor stance.
Benefits: Your body glows with burning positive energy, making you glow like the sun. This counts as a daylight spell but with double the range, it counts as a 9th level spell in regards to darkness and any undead creature that comes within 20 feet of you takes 1d6 damage plus 1d6 damage for every three initiator levels you have. When the aura is active, it also grants you a +10 to Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks and grants you a +4 to attack rolls when using Golden Saint maneuvers, but not when merely using a Golden Saint stance. Your aura can be activated and deactivated as a free action, but only once per round.
Even when the aura is not active, you gain other benefits from this feat. Once per round as a standard action, you are capable of using dispel evil as a spell like ability. You gain a +8 divine bonus to your armor class against attacks done by evil creatures or creatures being manipulated by evil creatures. This bonus doubles if the creature in question has the Evil subtype.

Rage of the Oncoming Typhoon [Epic]
You strike with inscrutible speed, where even the penalties to your damage are barely there, and you are capable of summoning the very symbol of the discipline. You are a true master of the Oncoming Storm discipline.
Prerequisites: Sleight of Hand 24 ranks, Dex 25, Oncoming Storm Expertise, Improved Feint, Sturmundrang, ability to use the sudden death maneuver and the grace of the winds stance.
Benefit: You gain an additional attack per round at you full attack, the attack being in addition to any effect that would grant you bonus attacks, such as a speed weapon or the haste spell. If you make a single attack action in a round, you can instead make two at your full attack bonus. Instead of taking a simple 5-foot step once per round, you may instead make a 15-foot step, though you still cannot make move actions in the round you do. Any time you use an Oncoming Storm maneuver while wielding an Oncoming Storm discipline associated weapon, or using said maneuver in an Oncoming Storm stance, your attacks deal an additional 6d6 points of damage.
You are constantly surrounded by a torrent of violent clouds and wind. Treat this as a fog cloud spell centered on you, and the wind speed within it is considered very windy, but will not disperse the cloud. By concentrating on the cloud, the character can treat the wind speed as hurricane winds. This ability can be suppressed and reactivated as a standard action. This is a supernatural ability.

Sure Footing of the Stance Master [Epic]
You are a master when it comes to the footing of your stances, most particularly with a single discipline, allowing you to control the motions of them all at once.
Prerequisites: Blade Mediation (chosen discipline), Dual Stance Mastery, Martial Lore 15 ranks, 30 ranks in the discipline's associated skill, ability to use one 8th level stance of the chosen discipline
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose one martial discipline. Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into as many desired stances that you know from the selected discipline. This does not change the number of stances you know from any discipline and does not change how each individual stance functions, simply that they all function simultaneously. Similar abilities from stances do not stack, with the exception of extra damage.
Entering all stances at once only requires the space of one stance, allowing you to also enter another stance of another discipline at the same time(or two if you have the warblade's Stance Mastery class feature).
Special: Once this feat is taken it cannot be taken again, signifying a character's lifetime mastery of a single martial discipline's stances.

[Godskook]

Hey, cool new feats, man. Here's hoping the campaign I'm in lasts long enough to use some(read: all) of them.

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

Sure Footing of the Stance Master [Epic]
You are a master when it comes to the footing of your stances, most particularly with a single discipline, allowing you to control the motions of them all at once.
Prerequisites: Blade Mediation (chosen discipline), Duel Stance Mastery, Martial Lore 15 ranks, 30 ranks in the discipline's associated skill, ability to use one 8th level stance of the chosen discipline
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose one martial discipline. Whenever you are in a stance of that particular martial discipline you are considered to be in all stances of that discipline that you know at once. This does not change the number of stances you know from any discipline and does not change how each individual stance functions, simply that they all function simultaneously. Similar abilities from stances do not stack, with the exception of extra damage.
Special: Once this feat is taken it cannot be taken again, signifying a character's lifetime mastery of a single martial discipline's stances.

1.I'm pretty sure you mean that, essentially, one's chosen discipline's stances are now treated as a single stance(thus, a player can still enter additional stances from other disciplines allowed from the prereq feat, or a class feature, correct?), but the feat doesn't explain how it interacts with previous feats/features. Perhaps some clarification?

2.Martial Lore 15 ranks? That's a joke. My L10 character is 4 skill points away, and I'm not even trying. If you're going to require it, I'd say at least make it an epic requirement, at 24 ranks.

[The Tygre]

Dammit, Krimm. Why must you always produce awesome things that make the Tome of Battle look like the Holy Bible? Do you realize how your awesomeness hurts the rest of us? How am I supposed to react to that much epic?

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by The Tygre

Dammit, Krimm. Why must you always produce awesome things that make the Tome of Battle look like the Holy Bible? Do you realize how your awesomeness hurts the rest of us? How am I supposed to react to that much epic?

Like the rest of us do, with sunglasses.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Godskook

1.I'm pretty sure you mean that, essentially, one's chosen discipline's stances are now treated as a single stance(thus, a player can still enter additional stances from other disciplines allowed from the prereq feat, or a class feature, correct?), but the feat doesn't explain how it interacts with previous feats/features. Perhaps some clarification?

Sure, I'll work out that kink.

Originally Posted by Godskook

2.Martial Lore 15 ranks? That's a joke. My L10 character is 4 skill points away, and I'm not even trying. If you're going to require it, I'd say at least make it an epic requirement, at 24 ranks.

Well, I'm just basing this off my own personal experience with the skill... that being that I have never ever used it once. Ever. It signifies passive knowledge of the ability to fight using maneuvers and whatnot without draining ALL of your skill points. True an epic feat should have epic prerequisites, so I'll probably change it to 24.

Originally Posted by The Tygre

Dammit, Krimm. Why must you always produce awesome things that make the Tome of Battle look like the Holy Bible? Do you realize how your awesomeness hurts the rest of us? How am I supposed to react to that much epic?

Originally Posted by Godskook

Like the rest of us do, with sunglasses.

Fools! there is no escape, nothing you can do will protect you! Muahahahahahahahaaaaa!

[The Rose Dragon]

Originally Posted by Godskook

Like the rest of us do, with sunglasses.

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

Fools! there is no escape, nothing you can do will protect you! Muahahahahahahahaaaaa!

So basically, you're trying to say:

"Ze goggles! Zey do nothing!"

[Eldan]

I love this.

No, wait. I just love you, Krimm. In a non-sexual way.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Eldan

I love this.

No, wait. I just love you, Krimm. In a non-sexual way.

As much as one daelkyr can love another.

[Cieyrin]

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

As much as one daelkyr can love another.

Oh gawds, my brain! Bad mental images! Bad!

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Cieyrin

Oh gawds, my brain! Bad mental images! Bad!

Come now, who wouldn't love this face?

[tonberrian]

That's a face?

EDIT: If you take Sure Footing of the Stance Master for Stone Dragon, knowing Giant's Stance and Crushing Weight of the Mountain, and then move more than 5 feet (cancelling Giant's Stance), what happens? You cancel out of Giant's Stance due to all stances functioning as normal, but you are also always treated as being in all stances that you know from Stone Dragon (and thus in Giant's Stance still).

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by tonberrian

That's a face?

Yeah... somewhere on there.

Originally Posted by tonberrian

EDIT: If you take Sure Footing of the Stance Master for Stone Dragon, knowing Giant's Stance and Crushing Weight of the Mountain, and then move more than 5 feet (cancelling Giant's Stance), what happens? You cancel out of Giant's Stance due to all stances functioning as normal, but you are also always treated as being in all stances that you know from Stone Dragon (and thus in Giant's Stance still).

Then the prerequisites of the one stance don't function. The rest of them ought to since you're not violating the requirements of being in the stance.

[tonberrian]

Okay, but it still reads wonky. How about

Sure Footing of the Stance Master [Epic]
You are a master when it comes to the footing of your stances, most particularly with a single discipline, allowing you to control the motions of them all at once.
Prerequisites: Blade Mediation (chosen discipline), Duel Stance Mastery, Martial Lore 15 ranks, 30 ranks in the discipline's associated skill, ability to use one 8th level stance of the chosen discipline
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose one martial discipline. Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into all of the stances that you know from the selected discipline. This does not change the number of stances you know from any discipline and does not change how each individual stance functions, simply that they all function simultaneously. Similar abilities from stances do not stack, with the exception of extra damage.
Special: Once this feat is taken it cannot be taken again, signifying a character's lifetime mastery of a single martial discipline's stances.

This way a character changes his stance, chooses to be in all the stances from one discipline, and if he's forced out of one for whatever reason, he can change his stance next turn to get back in all of them.

You may also want to add in a blurb about how it interacts with a Warblade's Stance Mastery. Furthermore, I think "Duel" in "Duel Stance Mastery" should be "Dual" instead.

[Godskook]

I'm not wholly familiar with the devoted spirit discipline, but the 6th level stances are alignment specific. What happens if a player happens to know one of a conflicting alignment, and has Sure Footing of the Stance Master?

[tonberrian]

Originally Posted by Godskook

I'm not wholly familiar with the devoted spirit discipline, but the 6th level stances are alignment specific. What happens if a player happens to know one of a conflicting alignment, and has Sure Footing of the Stance Master?

Presumably, since there doesn't seem to be any restrictions on knowing the stances (that is, a lawful martial adept seems quite capable of learning Aura of Chaos), you would gain the benefits of them all, though you might want your DM's ruling on this before you try it.

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by tonberrian

Presumably, since there doesn't seem to be any restrictions on knowing the stances (that is, a lawful martial adept seems quite capable of learning Aura of Chaos), you would gain the benefits of them all, though you might want your DM's ruling on this before you try it.

Isn't there repercussions to spellcasters who cast spells of the different alignment descriptors? I'd assume that it would be the same for a stance with an alignment descriptor, hence my concern.

[Salvonus]

Love 'em! Can you make one for the Sleeping Goddess discipline?

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by tonberrian

Okay, but it still reads wonky. How about

Sure Footing of the Stance Master [Epic]
You are a master when it comes to the footing of your stances, most particularly with a single discipline, allowing you to control the motions of them all at once.
Prerequisites: Blade Mediation (chosen discipline), Duel Stance Mastery, Martial Lore 15 ranks, 30 ranks in the discipline's associated skill, ability to use one 8th level stance of the chosen discipline
Benefit: When you take this feat, choose one martial discipline. Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into all of the stances that you know from the selected discipline. This does not change the number of stances you know from any discipline and does not change how each individual stance functions, simply that they all function simultaneously. Similar abilities from stances do not stack, with the exception of extra damage.
Special: Once this feat is taken it cannot be taken again, signifying a character's lifetime mastery of a single martial discipline's stances.

This way a character changes his stance, chooses to be in all the stances from one discipline, and if he's forced out of one for whatever reason, he can change his stance next turn to get back in all of them.

Looks dandy to me, thanks!

Originally Posted by tonberrian

You may also want to add in a blurb about how it interacts with a Warblade's Stance Mastery. Furthermore, I think "Duel" in "Duel Stance Mastery" should be "Dual" instead.

D'oh.

[tonberrian]

Originally Posted by Godskook

Isn't there repercussions to spellcasters who cast spells of the different alignment descriptors? I'd assume that it would be the same for a stance with an alignment descriptor, hence my concern.

The closest you get is clerics unable to cast spells opposed to their alignment or their diety's, and that's brought out in the text describing their spellcasting ability. Other than that, I think there's a blurb somewhere about casting spells with an alignment descriptor is an act of that alignment, and it's likely to be ruled that the same applies to martial manuevers, since it's based on the descriptor. Anything other than that would be a houserule.

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by tonberrian

The closest you get is clerics unable to cast spells opposed to their alignment or their diety's, and that's brought out in the text describing their spellcasting ability. Other than that, I think there's a blurb somewhere about casting spells with an alignment descriptor is an act of that alignment, and it's likely to be ruled that the same applies to martial manuevers, since it's based on the descriptor. Anything other than that would be a houserule.

That's my point. Say you have a CE Warblade who grabs Aura of Chaos with a feat(or whatever, really), and then converts to a LG god, and joins an order of Crusaders. He goes epic in his fight against evil, an picks up this feat and chooses Devoted Spirit. In order for him to gain the benefit of this feat, he'd have to commit a chaotic act, which is silly.

I'd add something like:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into as many desired stances that you know from the selected discipline."

Instead of:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into all of the stances that you know from the selected discipline."

[LunarWolfPrime]

These feats are nuts.
I love them.

[Kallisti]

Gods above! How do you keep making all of this? How?! How can you produce so much awesomeness without the well of inspiration running dry?!

Originally Posted by Godskook

That's my point. Say you have a CE Warblade who grabs Aura of Chaos with a feat(or whatever, really), and then converts to a LG god, and joins an order of Crusaders. He goes epic in his fight against evil, an picks up this feat and chooses Devoted Spirit. In order for him to gain the benefit of this feat, he'd have to commit a chaotic act, which is silly.

I'd add something like:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into as many desired stances that you know from the selected discipline."

Instead of:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into all of the stances that you know from the selected discipline."

I second the motion to change the wording. It seems kind of silly that you'd enter a stance you don't want to enter...

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Godskook

That's my point. Say you have a CE Warblade who grabs Aura of Chaos with a feat(or whatever, really), and then converts to a LG god, and joins an order of Crusaders. He goes epic in his fight against evil, an picks up this feat and chooses Devoted Spirit. In order for him to gain the benefit of this feat, he'd have to commit a chaotic act, which is silly.

I'd add something like:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into as many desired stances that you know from the selected discipline."

Instead of:

"Whenever you use a swift action to initiate or change your stance, you may choose to enter into all of the stances that you know from the selected discipline."

I suppose what happens there is based on what your DM decides to do. I mean, what do you do to a NE sorcerer that still knows dispel good but turns NG?

I like that stance rewrite, I'll take it.

Originally Posted by LunarWolfPrime

These feats are nuts.
I love them.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Kallisti

Gods above! How do you keep making all of this? How?! How can you produce so much awesomeness without the well of inspiration running dry?!

Well, it has been dry for a good amount of time now. I don't know if anyone's noticed my lack of homebrew in the past oh... month or three, maybe more. Only recently has it been filling back up(and these feats were mostly in the works a long time ago and I just now finished them).

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Salvonus

Love 'em! Can you make one for the Sleeping Goddess discipline?

Woops, forgot to hit this one up.

Sure!

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

I suppose what happens there is based on what your DM decides to do. I mean, what do you do to a NE sorcerer that still knows dispel good but turns NG?

I hate to push it, but the differences are:
1.Sorcerer spell's known have a mechanic for unlearning them.
2.Far as I know, there's no mechanic that forces you to cast all x spells you know(where x might be school or spell level or something).

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

I like that stance rewrite, I'll take it.

Glad to help. Here's hoping I get a chance to use them one day.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

When it comes to maneuvers, you can learn them while evil and still retain it even if you turn(actually same goes for spells...). It's the same as a skilled serial killer converts to a life of virtue, but he still know a hundred ways to skin a man and turn it into a nice pair of pants. If he's put into a situation where he NEEDS that knowledge, he'll probably use it.
And there is a mechanic for unlearning maneuvers by replacing it at 4th level and every even level thereafter(I houserule it's based entirely on initiator level, not just core class).

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

And there is a mechanic for unlearning maneuvers by replacing it at 4th level and every even level thereafter(I houserule it's based entirely on initiator level, not just core class).

Everything I've read says that that mechanic doesn't apply to stances.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Originally Posted by Godskook

Everything I've read says that that mechanic doesn't apply to stances.

That's true, but I've always found that stupid.

[Godskook]

Originally Posted by Krimm_Blackleaf

That's true, but I've always found that stupid.

You and me both, pal:)

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Hm, this is in my portfolio. I can do this.

AND SO FROM THIS DAY FORTH, STANCES CAN BE SWITCHED OUT EVERY TIME A NEW ONE IS LEARNED, AS LONG AS THE REPLACEMENT STANCE IS OF AN EQUAL LEVEL OF THAT WHICH IS REPLACED! SO SAYS KRIMM, THE LORD OF THE NINE SWORDS!