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I am homebrewing a campaign in the Mwangi Expanse, along the Korrir River that will eventually lead into and back out of the slithering module. Nearly all of levels 1-5 and 10 to probably 15, maybe later, take place along the Korrir River, and my dwarven monk player has realized that Underwater Marauder doesn't stack very well with a monk. I think there may be legitimate design reasons for this, but as a boon, to help justify wanting to take feats that only give 50% benefit to the class, I decided to make a new combat stance that would at least give the monk piercing unarmed attack. The party just spent a fair bit of time hanging out with a lizard folk tribe that lives on the river bank and I decided that would grant the player access to an uncommon Lizardfolk wrestling stance (he participated in a ritualistic wrestling performance with the tribes chosen warriors. This is what I came up with: (Bikanga is the name of the Iruxi tribe)
Bikanga Crocodile stance 1 action
Traits: Uncommon, Monk, stance
You stiffen your arms, puff up your chest, and group your fingers into penetrating spikes. While in this stance, you can make the Crocodile Maw attacks. These deal 1d8 piercing damage; are in the brawling group; and have the agile, grapple, nonlethal, and the unarmed trait. While you are in Crocodile stance, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to athletics checks to swim, and you can hold your breath for 10+your constitution modifier rounds before falling unconscious, instead of the usual 5+ con modifier rounds.
I'd be interested in what people think about the design and balance. If the player choses it, I will provide a write up of how it works out in play.
I think its quite balanced, but maybe you should reduce a bit the number rounds you can hold your breath to 8 + con modifier - 5 more rounds of breath in underwater combat is a bit deal because you can endure more attacks before being in grave danger.
I think its quite balanced, but maybe you should reduce a bit the number rounds you can hold your breath to 8 + con modifier - 5 more rounds of breath in underwater combat is a bit deal because you can endure more attacks before being in grave danger.
I made it 10 because I wanted someone using it to be able to hold onto a grapple underwater and be able to outlast an enemy that decided to take no offensive actions while being grabbed. Anytime you take an attack action underwater, it counts as 2 rounds. The best counter strategy against a trained underwater grappler shouldn't be to just wait them out.
I Get it. Furthermore, I changed my mind: the benefit is situantional, so it can be a bit higher than 8.
The idea of drowning foes is intresting and suits the animal this stance is named after.
Monk is my favorite class and since 2e has come out, I've exclusively played various monk builds in 4 different campaigns. From my POV, this is a well-balanced level 1 stance feat. I can image a 2-action level 6 companion feat that gives a free grab after a successful strike to up the crocodile flavor. Something like the following which is modelled after Wolf Drag
Crocodile Death Roll - Feat 6
Monk
2-action
Prerequisite: Crocodile Stance
Requirement: You are in Crocodile Stance
Make a crocodile maw Strike. Your crocodile maw gains the fatal d12 for this Strike, and if the attack succeeds, you grab the target. The target remains grabbed until the end of your next turn or until it Escapes, whichever comes first.
That is cool. My player is interested in seeing this developed into a specialized combat style archetype so I might use that one.
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Have you considered making this a d12 Unarmed Attack and have the stance take up 2-hands at all times? I think that fits the theme pretty well and would more generally describe what I'm imagining visually.
Also, you may want to add the "...these are the only strikes you can make while in this stance" wording as well.
Otherwise, I think it looks pretty neat, I just think d8 is a bit milquetoast for a croc attack.
Have you considered making this a d12 Unarmed Attack and have the stance take up 2-hands at all times? I think that fits the theme pretty well and would more generally describe what I'm imagining visually.
Also, you may want to add the "...these are the only strikes you can make while in this stance" wording as well.
Otherwise, I think it looks pretty neat, I just think d8 is a bit milquetoast for a croc attack.
I can see how someone might want to go that route. I really wanted to make the base stance feat be about wrestling and requiring two hands for the basic attack gets a little awkward with that. Plus a D12 attack with grapple and agile is definitely going to break the game.
@Unicore, I'm glad you liked the Death Roll idea. Along those lines, I'd like to suggest the following as a way to expand on the Bikanga Crocodile Stance feat tree. NOTE: the below is inspired by Tiger Rend (feat 8), Disrupt Ki (feat 12) and Mountain Quake (feat 14)
Crocodile Death Grip Feat 12 or 14
Monk
Reaction
Prerequisite: Death Roll
Requirement: You are in Crocodile Stance and a target you have applied the grabbed condition to uses the Escape action to get out of the grab
Whether or not the target succeeds in its attempt to Escape your grab it takes persistent Bleed damage equal to your Strength modifier. If it critically fails, the persistent Bleed damage it takes equals 1d4 + your Strength modifier.
Special: If you have this feat, you gain a Swim speed equal to your Speed while using Crocodile Stance
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Also, if they are interested in drowning people, I assume they have take the “breath control” general feat (CRB)? Puts their underwater time to crazy levels and written well enough to blend with your stance bonus. They will be able to swim underwater for at least 25 minutes by my count.
Also, if they are interested in drowning people, I assume they have take the “breath control” general feat (CRB)? Puts their underwater time to crazy levels and written well enough to blend with your stance bonus. They will be able to swim underwater for at least 25 minutes by my count.
That was the idea: For it to be a feat that would stack with a lot of other existing underwater combat feats, rather than flatly supersede them.