Pressing Pummel: Does this feat make anyone else desperate for another agile backswing weapon?

[Unicore]

The poi looks like it is going to be the most fun weapon to use with this feat with, but it would be awesome to get a lethal version, even if it has to lose finesse.

So many press actions can be a tough pill to swallow, but with a backswing agile weapon, if you try to trip and succeed with your daring stunt (using the poi one handed, so you have a free hand) you can make your pressing pummel attack at a -3 vs an AC lowered by 2, for essentially only 1 point behind your first attack. If you fail to trip, your attack is only -2.

Otherwise you are probably using a meteor hammer, in which case your second attack is -2 on the successful trip and -3 on the failed trip. Any worse than -3 and it doesn't seem like Pressing Pummel is a useable feat to me.

The only thing saving it is that the Daredevil class is going to pretty much always have to make a maneuver action first so this is a class that will never be making a first strike without MAP except for reactions.

What weapons have you been thinking about using as a Daredevil?

[shroudb]

Unicore wrote:

The poi looks like it is going to be the most fun weapon to use with this feat with, but it would be awesome to get a lethal version, even if it has to lose finesse.

So many press actions can be a tough pill to swallow, but with a backswing agile weapon, if you try to trip and succeed with your daring stunt (using the poi one handed, so you have a free hand) you can make your pressing pummel attack at a -3 vs an AC lowered by 2, for essentially only 1 point behind your first attack. If you fail to trip, your attack is only -2.

Otherwise you are probably using a meteor hammer, in which case your second attack is -2 on the successful trip and -3 on the failed trip. Any worse than -3 and it doesn't seem like Pressing Pummel is a useable feat to me.

The only thing saving it is that the Daredevil class is going to pretty much always have to make a maneuver action first so this is a class that will never be making a first strike without MAP except for reactions.

What weapons have you been thinking about using as a Daredevil?

Initially (before the actual playtest came out) I too thought that it would be a loop of "stunt maneuver followed by press Strike" for most of the turns.

But there are several Pres maneuvers and several Risky Strikes. In fact, initially upon reading the feats, I was kinda disappointed by the scarcity of Press Strikes available, especially early on.

So, You could build for a Risky Strike as an opener to get your Adrenaline followed by a Press Maneuver, espcially as you get later feats and so on.

[Unicore]

My playtest character is going to be starting off with pressing pummel to see if the two action press ability is just too difficult to set up pre not, but I do agree that this class does have a lot of potential flexibility!

[Agonarchy]

Pressing Pummel has some math to consider per character.

There are plenty of ways to get a handless maneuver, such as Kholo's Crunch feat, which then open up d12 weapons. Pile on the generic weapon energy runes and strength and it's pretty trivial to get to 4d12+3d6+13 per strike for 49.5 average damage per strike vs. 16.5.

[MEATSHED]

There isn't really a reason to use pressing pummel with a d12 weapon, as that just makes it a worse vicious swing with press, as it always add d10s.

[Unicore]

MEATSHED wrote:

There isn't really a reason to use pressing pummel with a d12 weapon, as that just makes it a worse vicious swing with press, as it always add d10s.

Yeah, this is my read too. Pressing pummel seems like it is here for the dexterity centric Daredevil that will otherwise really struggle to hit hard when hard hits are necessary. That is why traits like agile and backswing together feel like the best way to maximize it to me.

[Agonarchy]

Even with a dagger or fist it's maybe 30.5 vs 16.5 with full runes. Certainly ways to make it work, but I feel like it needs a small additional effect to not be highly niche.

[Khefer]

Ya, noticeably since there's a lack of d12 weapons with maneuver traits. Guisarme, Gillhook, and Greatclub (hmmm...3 G's) seem like good options for a 2H Daredevil.

Though about the Agile+Backswong Poi, I guess technically any 1H Agile weapon at lvl. 8 can become one due to Accompanying Strike?

Accompanying Strike:

Requirements: You used your previous action to make a melee Strike with a one-handed weapon that missed
Though your first attack missed, you bring your weapon around for another blow. Make a Strike with the same weapon, adding the backswing trait and increasing the size of the damage die by one step.
Press Trait

Turn that d6 Agile Shortsword into a d8 Agile+Backswing Shortsword.

Though it is a lvl. 8 feat and you had to have missed with the first Strike. Which...I don't see a lot of Risky Strikes for an opener.

Looks like one combo will be Rushing Stride [6] -> Accompanying Strike [8] OR Pressing Pummel [1] depending on whether Rushing Stride hit or not.