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This is a result of the Refactoring ToB archery thread which is itself an outgrowth of the Age of Warriors thread. It is a remix of Fax's Falling Star and I_got_this_name's True Arrow with additions by DracoDei and myself. You do not need to know any of those threads to evaluate this discipline.
Nightingale Feather I do not aim with my eye; I aim with my mind. I do not shoot with my hand; I shoot with my heart. I do not fire my bow; I fire my self.
This is the archery school of mysticism and magic. If asked for an explanation, an adept will likely ask a riddle about archery and life. It would be tempting to write practitioners off as cranks, were it not for their power.
level 1
Flaming Arrow Boost - arrows light on fire.
Phantom Arrow Strike - arrows can strike ghosts and other incorporeal creatures.
Lightning Bolt Boost - arrows spark with electricity.
Soul Archery Stance - all attacks are magic and aligned
level 2
Thunder Bolt Boost - arrows do sonic damage
Phasing Arrow Strike - one shot is touch attack and ignores dr
level 3
Ignited Shot Strike - Set fire to an enemy
Reciprocating Shot Counter - deal damage to opponent equal to damage received
Phantom Hail Stance - do not need bow or arrows; all arrow gain ghost touch property
level 4
Farsighted Focus - See from a different perspective
Line of the Impaled Strike - Attack several enemies in a line
Exploding Arrow Strike - one arrow gains flaming burst and keen properties and deals extra damage
Pilot Arrow Strike - one arrow gains +20 to hit and deals extra damage; successive arrows are at +5 to hit and deal extra damage
Lightning Fury Boost - move suddenly and gain electricity damage
level 5
Vengence Stance - all arrows fired gain the bane property
Bursting Shot Strike - arrow becomes area effect
Veiled Arrows Boost - arrows turn invisible
level 6
Elemental Arrow Strike - one arrow gains shocking burst, flaming burst, freezing burst, and keen properties and deals extra damage
Endless Lightning Stance - all arrows gain shocking burst and keen properties
Earth-rending Shot Strike - Attack all enemies in line, do +6d6 damage
level 7
Mindcrush Strike - render opponent blind, deaf, silenced, and shaken
Terror Arrow Strike - Stun an enemy with a shot
level 8
Skyfire Strike - attack one foe; deal extra fire and electrical damage to that opponent and all within 30'
Hidden Archery Stance - see from a different angle and shoot around corners but leave your body vulnerable
level 9
Obliterate Strike - deal extra damage; add bane and slaying properties to one arrow
Details:
Spoiler
Bursting Shot
Nightingale Feather (Strike) Level: 5 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: weapon range Area: 20 foot radius sphere
When your arrow reaches a chosen point in its arc, it explodes into a multitude of shards. Roll a single attack and resolve it against every target within 20 feet of the point you specify. Deal damage normally to any hit. This counts as an area-effect attack for use against swarms. You cannot deal precision damage or critical hits with this attack.
Earth-Rending Shot
Nightingale Feather (Strike) Level: 6 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: 1 range increment Area: 5' wide line out to maximum range
You loose a single shot, tumbling through the air in a deadly dance.
As part of this maneuver, make a ranged attack against every enemy in the area of effect. You need only expend one piece of ammunition to initiate this maneuver. Each creature that is hit by this attack takes 6d6 damage, in addition to your normal damage.
Elemental Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Fire, Cold, Electricity] Level: Crusader 6, Swordsage 6 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 full-attack action Range: Weapon range Target: One or more opponents Duration: Instantaneous
As part of this maneuver, you make a full-attack. Each arrow you fire this turn deals an additional 1d6 fire damage, 1d6 cold damage, and 1d6 electrical damage. In addition, all arrows you fire this round gain the flaming burst, freezing burst and shocking burs properties, and double their threat range as if by the Improved Critical feat.
Endless Lightning
Nightingale Feather (Stance) [Electricity] Level: Crusader 6, Swordsage 6 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
While in this stance, all your arrows gain the shocking burst property. In addition, each of your arrows deals an additional 2d6 points of electrical damage.
Exploding Arrows
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Fire] Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4 Prerequisite: One Nightingale Feather Maneuver Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of turn
Your arrows become wreathed in flame and explode on contact. For the rest of your turn, your ranged attacks deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage per initiator level and gain the flaming burst and keen properties.
You sight on a point in the distance, then leave your body behind to watch that point, improving your focus
When you initiate this maneuver, you create a magical sensor at any point that you can see and have line of effect to within range. You may see as if you were at the sensor, but your other senses (such as hearing) continue to originate from your body. You may only see things that you wouldn't normally be able to see (from where you initiate the maneuver) within a 30' radius of the sensor, although you are aware of anything that you can see from both sides (you would not be able to read writing on the back of castle battlements more than 30' from the sensor if you can only see the front, but you can see the battlements). Your memories of this vision are sharp enough to allow you to make ranged attacks on your next turn against creatures that have concealment (even total concealment) from your position but were revealed from the sensor ignoring their concealment.
While you project this sensor, you are unable to properly tend to your own body, and, as such, all attackers are effectively invisible when attacking you, unless using ranged attacks from within 30' of your sensor. You are, however, still as aware of these attacks (being able to see them from a distance, hear them, and so on). You also may not take attacks of opportunity, or do other actions that require a similar level of presence of mind. As an immediate action, you may dismiss this maneuver; however, you lose the benefit of being able to bypass concealment.
Initiating this maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity.
Flaming Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Fire] Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of turn
A moment of focus is all it takes to cause your arrows to burst into flame. When you initiate this maneuver, fire trickles down the curve of your bow and leaps to your arrows when you fire them. For the rest of your turn, your ranged attacks deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage, +1 point per initiator level.
Hidden Archery Technique
Nightingale Feather (Stance) [Scrying] Level: 8 Prerequisite: Three Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
You place the better part of your spirit outside your body, leaving just enough within to operate your weapon. This gives you unprecedented observation and control.
This stance gains you two benefits, but has some drawbacks
First, when you enter this stance, you create a scrying sensor in your space. You may move this sensor as if it had a flight speed of 5 times your initiator level with perfect maneuverability, however it must always remain within 20xIL feet of you. Moving the sensor counts as your movement for action purposes. You see equally well out of the sensor and your own eyes.
Also, whenever you attack with a bow or sling, your ammunition follows whatever path you desire (instead of going straight or arcing by gravity). It cannot pass through solid objects, but can pass through holes barely large enough to fit it. You must be able to see every part of the route (using a mirror or scrying sensor counts). Calculate range penalties based on the total distance traveled.
The partial disconnect between your spirit and body limits your immediate perception and movement. You are flatfooted (no dex to ac, no attacks of opportunity). You suffer a -5 penalty on all dex-based skill checks, ability checks and saves. You cannot walk, swim, burrow, climb or fly with wings. You can still crawl. If you have spiderclimb or equivalent, you can crawl along walls and ceilings. If you can fly without wings, you can still do that, but your speed is cut in half and your maneuverability falls to poor. Most importantly, you cannot use boosts, strikes, or spells with somatic components of the 5 highest levels you normally could (for example, if you are a 15th level swordsage, you could nor use boosts or stikes from levels 4-8).
Ignited Shot
Nightingale Feather (Strike) [Fire] Level: 3 Prerequisite: One Nightingale Feather maneuver Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Ranged attack Target: One creature Duration: See below
You fire and loose an arrow, sending it to burn through your enemy
Make a ranged attack as part of this maneuver. If it hits, your burning arrow sets its target ablaze, inflicting 1d6 points of fire damage immediately and 1d6 additional fire damage per round on your turn (starting next turn). This lasts until your target either immerses himself in water or succeeds on a Reflex save (DC 13 + your Dexterity modifier); attempting such a save is a standard action.
You must have a way of lighting a fire (flint and steel, a Tindertwig, or a smaller fire, for example) to use this maneuver. If the fire is lit with flint and steel or a tindertwig, igniting it is part of this maneuver (and it a small blaze may be left on the ground for future lightings). If you do not have any of those, you may also ignite the arrow if you know any supernatural maneuver (except this one), spell, psionic power, or similar effect with the [Fire] descriptor; you need only know it, not have it readied or prepared. In that case, this maneuver is a supernatual ability.
Lightning Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Electricity] Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of turn
A moment of focus is all it takes to cause your arrows to spark with electricity. When you initiate this maneuver, electricity cascades down the curve of your bow and leaps to your arrows when you fire them. For the rest of your turn, your ranged attacks deal an extra 1d6 points of electrical damage, +1 point per initiator level.
Lightning Fury
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Electricity] Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4 Prerequisite: One Nightingale Feather Maneuver Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of round
When you initiate this maneuver, you may immediately move up to your speed. This does not count as your normal movement for the round, so you can immediately move again or perform a full-attack. If you do attack this round, all your attacks deal an additional 2d6 points of electrical damage.
Line of the Impaled
Nightingale Feather (Strike) Level: 4 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Ranged attack Target: One or more creatures
You loose a shot through one creature and let it continue through to the next.
As part of this maneuver, make a ranged attack. If it hits, it inflicts an extra 3d6 points of damage, and the projectile continues in a line past the original target; you must make attacks against every target in that path, in order, until you miss; your attack bonus decreases by two for each target hit before. Every target hit takes normal weapon damage, plus the 3d6 from this maneuver.
Mindcrush
Nightingale Feather (Strike) Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7 Prerequisite: Three Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Weapon range Target: One opponent Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Fort and Will partial
As part of this maneuver, make a ranged attack against one opponent. This attack deals an additional 6d6 points of damage. In addition, if the arrow strikes, your opponent must make a Fortitude save (DC = (Spot ranks / 2) + Wis modifier) or be rendered blind and deaf for 1d4+1 rounds. He must also make a Will save (same DC) or be rendered silenced and shaken for 1d4+1 rounds.
Obliterate
Nightingale Feather (Strike) Level: Crusader 9, Swordsage 9 Prerequisite: Four Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Weapon range Target: One opponent Duration: Instantaneous
When you initiate this maneuver, you immediately make an attack against one opponent. This attack deals an additional 10d6 points of damage. In addition, this arrow is considered to have the bane and slaying properties for a type of your choice.
Phantom Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Force] Level: Crusader 1, Swordsage 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of turn
A moment of focus wreathes your arrows in cascading force energy. When you initiate this maneuver, your bow and arrows become surrounded with force energy. For the rest of your turn, your ranged attacks deal an extra 1d6 points of force damage and can strike incorporeal creatures.
Phantom Hail
Nightingale Feather (Stance) [Force] Level: Crusader 3, Swordsage 3 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
While in this stance, you manifest a bow and arrows of force. This bow is a longbow, and the arrows deal damage as normal. In addition, all your attacks while in this stance gain the ghost touch ability.
Finally, all your arrows ignore wind of all sorts, including magical effects such as [/i]Wind Wall[/i].
Pilot Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Strike) [Force] Level: Crusader 4, Swordsage 4 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Weapon range Target: One opponent Duration: 3 rounds
Your first arrow becomes charged with energy, drawing the rest of your arrows towards it. When you initiate this maneuver, you make a ranged full-attack on one enemy. Your first arrow receives a +10 to hit and deals an extra 4d6 points of damage. If the first arrow hits, the rest of your attacks this round and any attacks you make against that opponent for the next three rounds receive a +5 to hit and deal an additional 3d6 points of damage.
You may initiate this maneuver immediately after taking damage. When you initiate this maneuver, you immediately make a single attack at your highest attack bonus at the creature that struck you. If you hit, your attack deals an amount of damage equal to your maximum hit points minus your current hit points. If the targeted creature makes a Fortitude save (DC = 5 + Spot ranks + Wisdom modifier), they instead take half that amount.
Skyfire
Nightingale Feather (Strike) [Fire, Electricity] Level: Crusader 8, Swordsage 8 Prerequisite: Three Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Weapon range Target: One opponent Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Reflex half; see text
When initiating this maneuver, you make a ranged attack against one opponent. If this attack hits, your opponent takes an additional 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 electrical damage. In addition, all creatures within 30' of the struck creature (including the target) take 4d6 fire damage and 4d6 electrical damage from great gouts of fire and lightning bolts that fall from the sky. A successful Reflex save (DC = 5 + Spot ranks + Wisdom modifier) halves this damage.
Soul Archery
Nightingale Feather (Stance) Level: 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: Self Duration: Stance
You embew every shot you make with a tiny bit of yourself. All attacks count as magic and as your alignment for purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Terror Arrow
Nightingale Feather (Strike) [Phantasm, Mind-Affecting] Level: 7 Prerequisite: Three Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: 1 range increment Target: One creature Duration: 1d3 rounds Saving Throw: Will negates
You focus your gaze on an enemy and draw your bow, empty. You turn it on your enemy, and loose a shot seen only in your mind to hit unerringly
Nightingale Feather masters know that their true greatest weapon isn't their arrows or their bow, or their hands, but the mind behind it all. Certain among them have developed this technique to emphasize this point, letting an attack that is almost purely mental (although focused through a range weapon) strike their enemy. The enemy is then stunned by the mental onslaught, unable to ignore the attack as it is more than nothing, yet unable to simply shrug it off as another physical wound.
When you initiate this maneuver, its target must make a Will save (DC 17 + your Wisdom modifier). If it fails this save, it is stunned for 1d3 rounds.
Thunderbolt
Nightingale Feather (Boost) [Sonic] Level: 2 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of turn
For the rest of your turn, your ranged attacks deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage, +1 point per initiator level.
Veiled Arrows
Nightingale Feather (Boost) Level: 5 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: End of Turn
All arrows you shoot this round are invisible from the time they leave your bow to the time they hit something. They do not reveal your location, and cannot be actively countered. See invisibility or True Seeing negates this.
Vengeful Stance
Nightingale Feather (Stance) Level: 5 Prerequisite: Two Nightingale Feather maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
While in this stance, all your arrows gain the bane property. Select a creature type when you enter the stance. Changing the creature type is equivalent to changing a stance (i.e. a swift action).
Rising Phoenix is the name of a Desert Wind stance... you used to have it as "Phoenix Feather", but you didn't like it. If I am remembering my "Intercontinental Union of Disgusting Characters" right, then the Nightingale is considered a "Magic User Bird", so maybe "Nightingale Feather" or "Singing Nightingale" or something?
I actually picked up the name "Rising Phoenix" from one of your posts on AoW where you accidentally referred to Phoenix Feather that way. I thought "that sounds better, and clearly it flows naturally." I'd forgotten all about the desert wind stance.
Perhaps Soaring Phoenix would be an appropriate name?
Also, how does one gain access to an archery discipline like this one, and Iron Rain for example. Spot and Search are both absent from the martial initiators skill list.
I like this as a premise, but this is not balanced against the material proffered in the Tome of Battle at all. Particularly with the higher levels maneuvers (Mindcrush, Terror Arrow, Obliterate) -- there is nothing in the Tome of Battle comparable to these maneuvers, as far as I know. Even some of the lower ones look questionable (Pilot Arrow is unbelievably good). I'm not necessarily saying this is broken, but it is far superior to anything presented in Tome of Battle.
Archery tends to be weaker than melee in most respects, so it can be argued that it needs a bit of Oomph above and beyond what melee gets... I don't know for sure.
Can't speak for the entire discipline, but to my mind Pilot Arrow's not that badly unbalanced; a first level Duskblade gets True Strike which gives a +20 to one attack. And although it does give a good deal of extra damage on subsequent shots, Desert Wind allows +3d6 damage on some of its 3rd level ranged maneuvers, and IIRC the bonus damage from its ranged maneuvers scales roughly like this: +1d6 per level of maneuver. Crusader or Swordsage won't pick this up until 7th level at the earliest, at which point Crusader's BAB is +7/+2 and Swordsage's is at +5.
Possibly the "+5 to all subsequent ranged attacks against that target for 3 rounds +3d6 damage" is a bit overpowered, though; I'd drop the bonus or the duration, personally, mostly because that bonus damage is like multiple applications of a 3rd-level strike Desert Wind maneuver, which is a very powerful ability to give to a 7th level melee'er...
let's also not forget that most of these are electrical or fire damage, and a lot of stuff out there has resistance against that. (It's the reason why Desert Wind is considered one of the weakest disciplines, IIRC)
Phantom Hail Stance, btw, is awesome. I don't know why I like it so much.
One more thing, was this inspired by Kyudo stuff by any chance?
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I like this as a premise, but this is not balanced against the material proffered in the Tome of Battle at all. Particularly with the higher levels maneuvers (Mindcrush, Terror Arrow, Obliterate) -- there is nothing in the Tome of Battle comparable to these maneuvers, as far as I know. Even some of the lower ones look questionable (Pilot Arrow is unbelievably good). I'm not necessarily saying this is broken, but it is far superior to anything presented in Tome of Battle.
Terror Arrow isn't that much stronger than Disrupting Blow (diam). It's 1d3 rounds instead of 1, but that's reasonable for 2 levels higher. And Obliderate is downright weaker than Feral Death Blow (lower save). Mindcrush, perhaps, should be nerfed a bit (at least the save DCs).
Terror Arrow isn't that much stronger than Disrupting Blow (diam). It's 1d3 rounds instead of 1, but that's reasonable for 2 levels higher. And Obliderate is downright weaker than Feral Death Blow (lower save). Mindcrush, perhaps, should be nerfed a bit (at least the save DCs).
There is a significant discrepancy between stunned and unable to act, so yeah, you're quite wrong on that point.
Feral Death Blow I had forgotten, I will admit, but it requires three confirmations to kill (Jump check vs. AC, attack roll vs. AC, saving throw vs. your DC), as opposed to just two. Granted if you've gotten to that point you've probably maxed Jump and it's a relative non-issue, but supposing you hadn't the third check is a rather significant hurdle from a statistical perspective. Furthermore, Obliterate offers +3 to hit (Feral Deathblow has no modifications) and can effect constructs and undead (and when do either of those successfully make Fortitude saves?). It is also a standard action as opposed to a full-round action, so no, definitely not weaker.
Really seems like no actions is the main part of stunned.
Meanwhile:
Mindcrush
Rising Phoenix (Strike) Level: Crusader 7, Swordsage 7 Prerequisite: Three Rising Phoenix maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Weapon range Target: One opponent Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Fort and Will partial
As part of this maneuver, make a ranged attack against one opponent. This attack deals an additional 6d6 points of damage. In addition, if the arrow strikes, your opponent must make a Fortitude save (DC = (Spot ranks / 2) + Wis modifier) or be rendered blind and deaf for 1d4+1 rounds. He must also make a Will save (same DC) or be rendered silenced and shaken for 1d4+1 rounds.
One thing I noticed in all three of your archery disciplines is that you use a LOT of stances. Is there a particular reason for this, as you're pretty much telling all archers save Swordsages "Yo, if you want this, you need to take Martial Study, dawg!"
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