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So, after some random pondering and a bit of Tome of Battle Nostalgia, I cam up with the idea of adapting the Stances from Tome of Battle into Pathfinder style Feat chains. So, time to see if the ideas are reasonably balanced and interesting.
Similar to the monk, you can only use a single style at any given time. All of these feats are combat feats, and thus may be taken as fighter bonus feats.
Elemental Styles: (Formerly Desert Wind, tweaked to work for all elements)
Each of these styles exemplifies the qualities of one of the four classical elements, whether it be the fluid grace of water, the burning might of fire, or the rough solidity of the earth itself.
Elemental Blessing
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Knowledge (Planes), 3 ranks Knowledge (Arcana), ability to speak the elemental language associated with your chosen element.
Benefit: Chose one element. The character's growing attunement to one of the four elements increases their resistance to damage from that source. The character gains damage resistance to their chosen Element equal to one half of their character level. This does not stack with any other source of elemental resistance.
Elemental Cloak:
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Knowledge (Planes), 6 ranks Knowledge (Arcana), Elemental Blessing, BAB 6+
Benefit: Any adjacent opponent who makes a successful melee attack against the character takes damage of the character's chosen Element equal to 1/4 of their character level.
Elemental Strike:
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Knowledge (Planes), 11 ranks Knowledge (Arcana), Elemental Cloak, BAB 11+
Benefit: As a swift action the character may add 1d6 elemental damage to all of their attacks for the rest of their turn. This damage stacks with the Flaming, Frost, Corrosive, and Shocking weapon properties.
Devoted Spirit:
A relentless style that emphasizes dogged perseverance, and forcing your opponents to remain engaged in battle until they can no longer continue.
Iron Glare
Pre-Reqs: Combat Reflexes, Step Up
Benefit: Enemies you currently threaten take a -4 to attack anyone other than you.
Martial Spirit
Pre-Reqs: Iron Glare, BAB 6+
Benefit: Any successful attack against an enemy with at least half your hit dice restores two hit points.
Thicket of Blades
Pre-Reqs: Martial Spirit, BAB 11+
Benefit: Any movement which would take an opponent out of the character's threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity, even if it a five foot step, the withdraw action, or any other movement that normally does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Special: The effects of this feat stack with Step Up and Strike, potentially allowing for two attacks of opportunity.
Diamond Mind:
A battle style that emphasizes the idea of mind over matter. Battle is not a simple matter of cut and thrust, but contest of wills between two opponents.
Stance of Clarity
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Sense Motive, Iron Will
Benefit: At the start of your turn, designate a single opponent. You gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against that enemy.
Special: Once you gain 10 ranks in the Sense Motive skill, you may designate two opponents to gain this benefit against.
Pearl of Black Doubt
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Sense Motive, Stance of Clarity, BAB 6+
Benefit: Every missed attack against the character grants that character a +1 Insight bonus to AC, stacking to maximum of +5. This bonus resets at the start of the character's turn.
Adaptive Style
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Sense Motive, Pearl of Black Doubt, BAB 11+
Benefit: The character gains a +1 bonus to AC and a +1 to hit against an opponent for every turn he threatens that enemy at the end of his turn. If the character ceases threatening an opponent, even for a single turn, this bonus resets.
Iron Heart:
This style emphasize the link between warrior and weapon—victory can only be achieved when the two work as one.
Bonded Weapon
Pre-Reqs: Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization
Benefit: The character can upgrade a single weapon of the type you have the Weapon Focus and Specialization Feats in as if you possessed the Craft (Arms and Armor) feat. If your bonded weapon is lost or destroyed, you must wait at least one week before bonding with a new weapon. The benefit of any enhancements added by this feature only apply when the character bonded to the weapon is wielding it.
Special: This feat can be used on to two one-handed or light weapons, but any enhancements applied by using this feat only take effect when the two weapons are being wielded together.
Firm Grip
Pre-Reqs: Greater Weapon Focus, Bonded Weapon.
Benefit: The character gains +1/2 character level to CMD against any disarm maneuver targeted at his bonded weapons, or on saves against any effect that would make him drop his bonded weapon.
Dancing Blade Form
Pre-Reqs: Greater Weapon Specialization, Firm Grip.
Benefit: When wielding their bonded weapon, the character's reach is extended by five feat while attacking (but not for the purposes of threatening or making attacks of opportunity).
Special: The effects of this feat do not stack with the Lunge feat.
Setting Sun:
A combat style that emphasized mobility, maneuver, and the use of advantageous terrain.
Step of the Wind
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Acrobatics, Nimble Moves
Benefit: The character gains +2 on attacks rolls against any opponent who is wholly or partially in difficult terrain. In addition, any circumstance bonus from advantageous terrain (such as high ground) is increased by two.
Shifting Defense
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Acrobatics, Step of the Wind, BAB 6+
Benefit: The character may make a five foot step as a swift action after a successful attack, or as an immediate action if an opponent misses an attack. This is in addition to the normal five foot step a character can make as a free action once per round.
Ghostly Defense
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Acrobatics, Shifting Defense, BAB 11+
Benefit: So long as the character has moved more than five feet in a given round, that characters gains 20% concealment.
Shadow Hand:
A combat style that emphasizes stealth and striking from ambush, attempting to overwhelm and destroy the enemy before said opponent even realizes that they are under attack.
Shadow Strike
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Stealth, Blind-Fighting
Benefit: Gain +2 to attack and damage rolls against any opponent who is flat-footed.
Island of Blades
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Stealth, Shadow Strike, BAB 6+
Benefit: A character with this feat is considered to be in a flanking position if if any ally threatens the same enemy, regardless of position.
Assassin's Stance
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Stealth, Island of Blades, BAB 11+
Benefit: The character gains 2d6 sneak attack damage, as the rogue class feature. This stacks with sneak attack gained from any other source.
Stone Dragon:
This style emphasizes raw strength and endurance, shrugging off the mightiest of blows and then returning them tenfold, while remaining firmly planted in place.
Roots of the Mountain
Pre-Reqs: Toughness, Power Attack, Strength and Constitution 13
Benefit: The first two points of lethal damage the character suffers from any attack is converted to nonlethal damage, and the character gains a +2 to CMD against any trip, bull rush, overrrun, or other combat maneuver that would change his position.
Special: The character loses the benefit of this stance if they move more than five feet in a given turn.
Strength of Stone
Pre-Reqs: Roots of the Mountain, Strength and Constitution 15, BAB 6+
Benefit: When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on the character, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally. This does not stack with similar abilities that negate critical hits and sneak attacks (such as fortification armor). If the character's constitution is 21 or higher, this effect increases to 50%. If the character's constitution is 25 or higher, it increases to 75%.
Special: The character loses the benefit of this stance if they move more than five feet in a given turn.
Giant's Stance
Pre-Reqs: Strength of Stone, BAB 11+, Strength and Constitution 17
Benefit: The character counts as one size category larger for the purposes of weapon damage and combat maneuvers.
Special: The character loses the benefit of this stance if they move more than five feet in a given turn.
Tiger Claw:
A combat that emphasizes speed and ferocity over finesse and subtlety, seeking to swiftly and viciously crush the enemy before they can offer any counter.
Wolverine Stance
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Survival, Improved Initiative
Benefit: Gain a +2 to attack and damage rolls whenever your character is below half of their maximum hit points.
Blood In the Water
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Survival, Wolverine Stance, BAB 6+
Benefit: Scoring a critical hit against an enemy grants a +1 on attack and damage on any additional attacks made that round. This benefit stacks to a maximum of +5.
Prey On the Weak
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Survival, Blood in the Water, BAB 11+
Benefit: You may make an attack as an immediate action whenever an opponent you threaten falls below zero hit points.
White Raven:
This combat style emphasizes tactical coordination and teamwork over individual combat prowess.
Swarm Tactics
Pre-Reqs: 3 ranks Diplomacy, Any Teamwork Feat
Benefit: The flanking bonus to attack rolls now applies to damage as well.
Special: Any or ability which increases the flanking bonus to attack rolls (Such as the Outflank Feat or a menacing weapon) also increases damage.
Press The Advantage
Pre-Reqs: 6 ranks Diplomacy, Swarm Tactics, BAB 6+
Benefit: Take a second Five Foot Step or allow an ally to do so as a swift action
Coordinated Strike
Pre-Reqs: 11 ranks Diplomacy, Press the Advantage, BAB 11+
Benefit: As a free action, allow an ally to gain the benefit a single teamwork feat you possess until the start of your next turn.
Combat Style Mastery
Pre-Reqs: Fighter level 13, six combat style feats.
Benefit: The character may use their of combat styles to fuse two styles into a single unique form. This allows the character to benefit from two combat styles at once.
I like these styles, I was trying to find a way to convert the stances from Tob for a while. Good job, I'll be using Stone Dragon later.
The only one that does IMO have the right feel from what I remember is Iron Heart. I remember a lot of focus on damage and self healing as well. Also the last feat in Setting Sun already exists.
The only one that does IMO have the right feel from what I remember is Iron Heart. I remember a lot of focus on damage and self healing as well. Also the last feat in Setting Sun already exists.
Yeah, Iron Heart was one of the tricky ones to work with, because it's stances aren't very focused around a single theme, and don't mesh very well with the maneuvers.
Just for reference, the Iron Heart stances are:
1) Absolute Steel: Boosted movement and AC
2: Dancing Blade Form: +5 ft reach.
3) Punishing Stance: -2 attack for +1d6 damage
4) Supreme Blade Parry: Gain DR 5/-
To be honest, from what I recall of my Tome of Battle-playing days, I loved Iron Heart for it's maneuvers, but didn't use any of it's stances. Plus, the stances aren't particular indicative of the way the rest of the school works; the damage boosters and self-heal/conditional removal.
The actual fluff of the style is all about the bond between warrior and weapon, so I did some reworking based on that. I might take another look through ToB, and see what I can come up with.
Yeah, I remember that problem as well. Some OK stance (-2 for d6), great for 2handers. But otherwise kinda off or sucky compared to desert winds lvl 1 stance of fire resistance to eventual immunity.
Interesting Thread, I'm currently working on something similar.
I tried to categorize them into the Ability what makes each style unique.
I dropped White Raven, as i think it doesn't really fit into fighting style, it seems more like something you can do with every fighting style. Also I dropped Devoted Spirit, I think the Abilities for this style in Ultimate Combat didn't really define a style.
So what i came up with (still working on my rules, just a short overview, what the basis is):
Desert Wind: Movement related Benefits
Diamond Mind: Benefits that require Concentration and Preparation, mostly less strikes, but stronger
Iron Heart: Weapon usage benefits, pretty much as you described it
Setting Sun: Counter Benefits. You use the enemies strength against him.
Shadow Hand: Surprise and Stealth.
Stone Dragon: Pure Strength.
Tiger Claw: Ferocity and Ambush. Kinda based on one big attack.
also /dotted
I really like your ideas ;)