Homebrew DesignRoll up your sleeves and get working: there's lots of homebrewin' to be done! Post your custom creation for critiques or review those of your peers.
Of all the disciplines overlooked by Reshar, one of the oddest is the so-called Perfect Seamstress Discipline, which is a tad... unique among the different martial forms.
For, unlike other martial arts that seek to duplicate the mighty beasts of the wild, or the beauty and grace of a glorious concept, the Perfect Seamstress seeks to emulate the quiet competence of the humble seamstress.
This has caused great laughter among great warriors who have heard of it, though some look at the art with some interest, as it is oddly effective...
And so the Perfect Seamstress continues to gather students.
Discipline Skill: Profession (Seamstress)
Associated Weapons: Unarmed Strikes, Ribbons, Whips, Lassoes, Nets, and Tentacles
Discipline Access: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline may be taken instead of any normal discipline that a Martial Adept may be able to learn. Or... <include other methods of access>.
Maneuvers
Spoiler
Level 1
- Innocent Stitch (Stance): Become dressed appropriately for any situation.
- A Thousand Dropped Hems (Strike): Wreck your enemy's armour.
- Web of Silken Beauty (Boost): Fight with twirling ribbons.
Level 2
- Constellation of Stitches (Strike): Your weapons strike swift and sure.
- Needles Left in Silk (Counter): Respond to your enemy's impolite assault.
Level 3
- Flawless Seamstress Method (Stance): Your knowledge of silk and thread comes in handy.
- Scarlet Ribbon Grip (Boost): Learn to stitch hearts as well as you do cloth.
Level 4
- Perfect Clothier's Art (Counter): Reflexively repair what could possibly be broken.
- Seventeen Stitch Atemi (Strike): Demonstrate sewing's offensive uses.
Level 5
- Utter Lace Defense (Stance): Become almost untouchable in your elegance.
- Seam-Splintering Understanding (Strike): Sometimes, you need to remove a stitch.
Level 6
- Impossibly Elegant Couturier (Boost): Do not allow petty indignities to mar your hard work.
- Inimitable Needlework Reversal (Counter): ???
Level 7
- Wounds-as-Accoutrements Dismissal (Counter): Stitch cloth out of your open wounds, repairing the open wound.
- Weaver's Violent Snarl (Strike): Make a full attack, entangling those within reach.
Level 8
- Woven Heart-Strings (Stance): Understand that your relations to others are just another kind of clothing.
- Ever-Present Wardrobe Envisionment (Boost): ???
Level 9
- Exquisite Silken Unwoven Blossom (Strike): What can be made, can be unmade.
Re: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
1st Level
Spoiler
Innocent Stitch
Perfect Seamstress (Stance) Level: Perfect Seamstress 1 Initiation Action: Swift Action
Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
It would be undue for a person of elegance, and a seamstress at that, to wear clothing unfit for the situation! And so, by adopting this beautifully mystic stance, one's wardrobe approaches perfection.
As long as the Martial Adept is wearing clothing, they receive an Armor bonus to AC equal to their Charisma modifier, which is treated as if it came from the clothing itself.
In addition, the clothing reflexively shifts to become appropriate to whatever situation that the martial adept may find themselves in, negating any circumstance penalties to checks due to their clothing; this allows the Martial Adept to change what kind of outfit that they are wearing as a free action, as well as allowing them to wear filthy, torn clothing in front of the court without detracting from the court's opinion of them.
Finally, the Martial Adept can don and remove armor as a Full-Round action if it would normally take longer, as they instinctively know the ways that cloth falls.
A Thousand Dropped Hems
Perfect Seamstress (Strike) Level: Perfect Seamstress 1 Initiation Action: Standard Action Range: Melee Attack Target: Creature struck Duration: Until their armor is repaired.
Clucking and fretting over an outfit, raising and lowering a hem while sweating about what the client wants... all these things lead a truly talented needleworker to realise how cloth fits together.
As long as this maneuver is readied, the Martial Adept may make a DC 20 Profession (Seamstress) check over the course of a minute to duplicate the effects of a Mending spell, using their Initiator Level as the Caster Level for the effect.
When this strike is initiated, the Martial Adept makes a single melee attack; if it hits, it deals normal damage and the creature struck takes a penalty to their Armor bonus to AC equal to half the Martial Adept's ranks in Profession (Seamstress). For every point of the penalty beyond the creature's armor bonus to AC, the Martial Adept deals an additional 1d6 damage with their attack.
If the penalty is equal to or greater than the armor bonus derived from the armor, the armor falls broken at it's wearer's feet, and cannot be used until it is repaired with either a Craft (Armormaking) check or a spell that repairs objects supplemented by a caster level check, both at a DC equal to the Save DC of this maneuver.
Web of Silken Beauty
Perfect Seamstress (Boost) Level: Perfect Seamstress 1 Initiation Action: Swift Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 5 rounds, or until all the ribbons are sundered.
What a beautiful thing ribbons are! How the float and dance on the wind... it's almost as if they were alive!
When this boost is initiated, a pair of ribbons lazily unravel themselves from the Martial Adept's clothing, before snaking out and striking their enemies; treat these ribbons as if they were Tentacles sized for a creature of the Martial Adept's size, each dealing 1d4 damage for a Medium creature. The Ribbons may be sundered as if they were manufactured weapons, using the material properties of the Martial Adept's armor to determine how difficult it is to sunder them.
At Initiator level 5, and every 4 Initiator levels therafter, increase the number of "tentacles" produced by this maneuver by 2, and increase the damage die of the "tentacles" by one step.
If a creature is struck by at least 3 Ribbons in a given round, they must make a Will save or become Dazed for 1 round, as they are utterly distracted by the odd patterns that the ribbons make.
As a seamstress, it would be unseemly to be slow in sewing up a garment; through long years of practice, the needle borne in a needleworker's expert fingers flies swift and sure.
As part of this maneuver, make a full attack; instead of the normal complement of attacks that the Martial Adept would receive, they instead make a number of attacks equal to a third of of their ranks in Profession (Seamstress), each at their full base attack bonus. However, each attack made that round take a cumulative -2 penalty to their attack roll for each attack made so far in the round, which is halved against any creature that has been successfully struck by the Martial Adept this round.
This maneuver does not stack with any effect that adds additional attacks, or which multiplies the number of attacks made in a full attack.
Needles Left in Silk
Perfect Seamstress (Counter) Level: Perfect Seamstress 2 Initiation Action: Immediate Action Range: Range of Original Attack Target: Creature Who Attacked the Martial Adept Duration: Instantaneous
It is unseemly to attack someone, and, gods forbid, muss their perfect outfit. Such audacity is to be punished in the most expedient manner possible.
If a creature attacks the Martial Adept, the Martial Adept may make a single attack, either with their unarmed strike or with a Ribbon, against the attacking creature, regardless of the range of that creature's attack, as the Martial Adept's very essence rebels against such an insult to their perfectly arranged wardrobe.
At Initiator level 7, the definition of "attack" for the purposes of this maneuver expands to include any insults made to the Martial Adept's appearance or dress sense made within the Martial Adept's earshot, allowing them to strike down their most ignorant critics.
At Initiator level 11, if the Martial Adept has a Perfect Seamstress Strike readied, they may use that strike in place of a normal attack, with any attacks made as part of that strike only being directed towards the attacking creature; if this option is taken, the Martial Adept is Dazed during the next round.
3rd Level
Spoiler
Flawless Seamstress Method
Perfect Seamstress (Stance) Level: Perfect Seamstress 3 Initiation Action: Swift Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
As she nears perfection, a Seamstress find many applications for her art; soon, she shall eclipse even the masters of her craft.
Upon learning this stance, the Martial Adept completely loses access to the Innocent Stitch stance, and, if they formerly knew that stance, may select another stance that they qualify for.
Upon entering this stance, the Martial Adept receives all the benefits of the Innocent Stitch stance, and may additionally use Profession (Seamstress) checks in place of any Grapple checks, Use Rope checks, Escape Artist, or Disguise checks that they make.
Finally, a Martial Adept that has this stance as a stance known may use their Charisma modifier in place of their Wisdom modifier for the purpose of Profession (Seamstress) checks.
A seamstress has sewn countless garments, meant to catch the eyes and hearts of men and women. Is it such a leap, then, to start sewing hearts together directly?
Upon initiating this maneuver, all targeted creatures must make a will save or be Charmed for the duration of this maneuver; the Martial Adept may choose which creature "initiated" each Charm effect, so they could have the two targeted creatures "charm" each-other, or they could have each creature be "charmed" by a different creature entirely.
The first attack in any given round made by the Martial Adept against a creature Charmed by this maneuver is made as a Touch attack.
At Initiator level 9, and every 4 Initiator levels thereafter, the number of creatures charmed by this maneuver is increased by 1.
In addition, at Initiator level 9, the duration of this effect increases to 1 hour; this increases to 1 day at Initiator level 13, and to 1 week at initiator level 17th.
4th Level
Spoiler
Perfect Clothier's Art
Perfect Seamstress (Counter) Level: Perfect Seamstress 4 Initiation Action: Immediate Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 round
Every so often, a mistake will be made, and that is rather... unfortunate. Fortunately, as they say, a stitch in time saves nine!
This counter maybe initiated in response to an effect that forces the Martial Adept to make a save, or which would deal damage to the Martial Adept.
If this maneuver was initiated in response to an effect that would force a save, the Martial Adept may use their ranks in Profession (Seamstress) in place of their base save progression for that particular saving throw; if it was made in response to an effect that would deal damage to the Martial Adept, they instead gain a number of Temporary Hit-Points equal to twice their ranks in Profession (Seamstress).
It is far from true that sewing is not a warrior's art; without it, many of the small luxuries a warrior has would go away. Even so, this particular piece of esoteric knowledge brings sewing into a more... direct form of usefulness.
As part of this maneuver, make a melee attack; if it is successful, make a Profession (Seamstress) check. The creature struck takes damage equal to the check result, and must make a Reflex Save or become Flat-Footed until the beginning of your next round.
5th Level
Spoiler
Utter Lace Defense
Perfect Seamstress (Stance) Level: Perfect Seamstress 5 Initiation Action: Swift Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
In her elegance, a seamstress floats in a world of lace, and ribbon, constantly avoiding the prick of a needle against her much-punctured skin. So, too, must a warrior fight if they are to win the day.
When a Martial Adept enters this stance, they may make a number of Attacks of Opportunity each round equal to their Charisma modifier; in addition, once per round, they may grant themselves Total Cover from a single attack or effect targeting them.
In many ways, magic is much like a piece of clothing, elegant in its own way. A good seamstress should always know how to "repair" a tacky outfit, when it comes down to it.
As part of this maneuver, the Martial Adept makes a melee attack and a Profession (Seamstress) check; if it is successful, they deal normal damage, and their target is affected as if by a Dispel Magic spell, using the check result of the Profession (Seamstress) check in place of the dispel check.
6th level
Spoiler
Impossibly Elegant Couterier
Perfect Seamstress (Boost) Level: Perfect Seamstress 6 Initiation Action: Swift Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 round
An excellent seamstress must be entirely focused on her work, ignoring petty distractions that would prevent her from performing to the best of her ability.
While under the effects of this boost, a Martial Adept ignores all penalties and restrictions to their actions that are not inherent in that action itself. For example, a Fatigued Martial Adept could initiate this maneuver and then charge, but would still take the normal -2 penalty to AC for charging, and would only be able to make a single attack at the end of the charge unless they had the ability to Pounce.
Wounds-As-Accoutrements Dismissal
Perfect Seamstress (Counter) Level: Perfect Seamstress 7 Initiation Action: Immediate Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Instantaneous
It is almost as easy to stitch up wounds as it is to stitch together cloth; there is a trick to both, of which a good needleworker is well aware.
Upon initiating this maneuver, the Martial Adept may perform any one function of the Heal skill on themselves as part of the maneuver's initiation action, using a Profession (Seamstress) check in place of the Heal check. If they choose to apply Long Term Care to themselves, they may treat the round in which this maneuver is initiated as if it were an entire day for the purpose of how many hit points they heal, and may ignore the normal restriction that a character cannot apply Long Term Care to themselves.
This maneuver may only be used to duplicate the Long Term Care function of the Heal Skill once per day; otherwise, there are no limits on its use.
It is a horrible thing for any clothier to have their threads and cloth snarled together in a clump, useless until they are seperated. It is a useful thing for a warrior to be able to inflict that horror on others.
As part of this maneuver, make a full-attack; each attack in the full-attack forces the creature struck to make a Reflex save or become Entangled for 5 rounds.
If the Martial Adept is under the effects of the Web of Silken Beauty boost, the Ribbons foam with lace; for the remainder of the Web of Silken Beauty boost, each Ribbon is treated as if it were a Net instead of a Tentacle, though it still deals damage as stated in that maneuver, is still treated as if it were a natural attack, automatically "refolds" itself after each attack, and the Martial Adept may use a Profession (Seamstress) check instead of a Strength check to control the "trailing rope", which is as long as the original Ribbon's reach.
8th Level
Spoiler
Woven Heart-Strings
Perfect Seamstress (Stance) Level: Perfect Seamstress 8 Initiation Action: Swift Action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance
Much like a perfectly tailored garment, one's emotions tend to fit like a glove; after all, they are yours, aren't they? Couldn't they be said to be another sort of garment?
While under the effects of this stance, a Martial Adept may see any and all emotional connections that a creature has with other creatures as if they were garments that they were wearing; in addition, they may treat these "garments" as physical armor for the purpose of effects that would remove or damage armor, with each personal attachment having an armor bonus equal to half the hit dice of that creature, plus two for each step that relation is away from indifferent.
If a given emotional attachment is damaged enough that it is removed or destroyed, the creature becomes Indifferent towards that creature or group, regardless of their former emotional attachments; if the attachment was originally Indifferent, they completely lose all memories of that creature, as those memories lose all emotional importance.
If a given emotional attachment is magically enforced, or the creature has an ability that causes orders to act against creatures that they have an emotional attachment to be treated as suicidal, that creature receives a Will save to prevent any effect that would damage that attachment.
A Martial Adept that is under the effects of this stance may remove any emotional attachments that they have as if they were Light armor, which produces a silvery-white garment which may be stored as it were normal cloth. If they chose to repair any emotional attachments that they removed from other creatures, they may store and wear it as if it were their own. They may have any of these emotional garments enchanted as if it were normal armor. They may, in turn, wear any number of emotional attachments without losing their ability to wear actual armor.
A Martial Adept may chose to invert any "emotional garment" before they wear it; if they do so, the creature that the attachment is towards feels that emotional attachment towards the Martial Adept if they wear that garment.
The effects of removing or wearing an emotional attachment are retained even when the Martial Adept leaves this stance.
Finally, the Martial Adept may, as long as they remain in this stance, treat any given emotional attachment that they are "wearing" as if it were actual Light armor, preventing them from wearing other armor and allowing them to use half of its effective armor bonus as an armor bonus to AC, and any enhancements that may have been added to the armor while it was stored.
As a project is finished, a seamstress places one final, definite stitch, completing their hard work. So too does a warrior go for the killing blow.
As part of this maneuver, double the Martial Adept's reach, and make a single melee touch attack.
Any cover in the way of the attack is targeted as ignored and, within 5' of the point where the Martial Adept is attacking through, collapses as each fastening is removed. The creature struck has all of its non-magical armor automatically destroyed, with its magical armor being affected as if by the A Thousand Dropped Hems strike.
Any spells or effects that would give the creature a bonus to armor class, or which would make the attack miss, are ignored by this attack, and any ability that would give the creature a bonus to armor class, damage reduction, Fast Healing, or Regeneration is suppressed for 1 round unless the creature succeeds on a Will save.
Finally, if the Martial Adept is in the Woven Heart-Strings stance, they may target every single emotional attachment that the creature has as if they were magical armor.
Re: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
Alright, at this point I need a detailed PEACH for the maneuvers, and some ideas for Inimitable Needlework Reversal and Ever-Present Wardrobe Envisionment.
Re: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
Oh, I love this. Brilliant! I haven't given the maneuvers a thorough read, but you asked for ideas, and I shall respond.
Inimitable Needlework Reversal:
~You hurt them by undoing healing they've received, or preventing healing they are receiving?
~You negate an attack by causing their skin to loosen, tangling them up (what happens if they don't have skin? bleh.)
Ever-Present Wardrobe Envisionment seems pretty straightforward. You get to change around your armor properties for 1 round (or grant yourself new ones).
EDIT: As soon as you have something down for the last two maneuvers, I'll add it to the compendium.
__________________ (member in good standing of the troll-feeder's guild)
Re: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
Overall, most of these look balanced.
Woven Heart-Strings and Scarlet Ribbon's Grip should probably be supernatural.
I'm a little worried about Woven Heart Strings. The ability is interesting, but it isn't completely clear how much and what information the adept gets about each item. And the bit about "A Martial Adept may chose to invert any "emotional garment" before they wear it; if they do so, the creature that the attachment is towards feels that emotional attachment towards the Martial Adept if they wear that garment." might lead to serious abuse, especially because unlike say a Dominate spell, it isn't clear how one gets rid of this sort of thing.
Re: The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
Do you have any suggestions on how to fix that up? I originally added that because a really, really situational benefit is kinda weak (without that, it just boosts A Thousand Dropped Hems and Exquisite Silken Unwoven Blossom).
Perhaps I could have it so that they treat anyone that they are wearing a "garment" from as if they were that Familiar with that person (you know, as with the bonus to Spot checks when used against the Disguise Skill? So if you stole someone's love for their wife, you could wear it and get X benefit (perhaps a bonus on your Profession (Seamstress) checks equal to that amount?))
I'd probably drop the ability to enchant the armor, if I did that.
And I'll add the Supernatural tag when I get around to it. Thanks for catching that.
RSS Feeds: 
The Perfect Seamstress Discipline [Discipline, 3.5e, PEACH]
