Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ddraig_Goch 04-20-07, 02:54 PM	I have been toying with the idea of a weapon familiarity feat to represent the shifter band communities from deep in the eldeen reaches. I envision them as relying heavily on basic materials available in the area. I would imagine the shifter focus on self sufficiency would be greatly enhanced in these communities, breeding a interest in weapons that can be made without outside help. It took me quite a while to find the rules for the atlatl (the sandstorm rules are insufficient) in a dragon magazine, luckily for me they were accompanied by some other awesome primitive weapons. DEEP REACHES SHIFTER [RACIAL] Your people's instinctual need for self sufficiency has driven you to master the primitive but brutally effective weapons of the deep reaches. Prerequisite: Shifter, proficiency with greatclub, region of origin Eldeen Reaches Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on damage rolls when making an attack with a club, greatclub, stone celt, or atlatl as long as you are shifting. If you have any of the following feats for the club, greatclub, stone celt, or atlatl, you can apply the feats' effects to all four weapons: Improved Critical, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, or Greater Weapon Specialization. Additionally, when you spend an action point to influence an attack roll made with either a club, greatclub, stone celt, or atlatl, you also add the result of the action point roll to your damage for that attack. Atlatl: are flexible wooden sticks around two feet long. They are used for launching darts, 4-9 feet in length, great distances. Some people call them "spear throwers" but they really don't throw spears, they throw flexible darts. Stone Celt: This L-shaped wooden club has a stone attached, making it a forerunner to the heavy mace. The rules for both of these weapons are in Dragon #331. I am not sure if I am allowed to post the rules, so I thought it better to air on the side of caution. Advice, suggestions, problems (etc) are all welcome. This is just the rough draft so if people have ideas for more suitable weapons, I would love to hear them. Thanks!
Shaqrai 04-20-07, 05:50 PM	I like the feats except for one fact. Why just when shifted? How can you develop a combat technique with a type of weapons if you can do so only about 12 to 72 seconds a day as a level 1?
Ddraig_Goch 04-20-07, 05:54 PM	I like the feats except for one fact. Why just when shifted? How can you develop a combat technique with a type of weapons if you can do so only about 12 to 72 seconds a day as a level 1? Thanks, Well, it just seemed like a logical choice at the time. The other familiarity feats provide circumstancial damage bonuses (mounted, moving, stationary, etc). Shifting just seemed like a good choice. Do you have any suggestions for better options?
taski 04-20-07, 08:57 PM	Hmm, the "while shifting" requirement seems okay to me. I don't see the shifters taking regimented practice sessions in front of hay-stuffed burlap sacks to develop a sophisticated technique, but rather allowing instinct to take over when the situation calls for it. In the wild, you don't want that situation to happen too often. If you get into combat with an aggressive bear, you already lost the "notice the bear and avoid it" game; those who don't manage to kill it don't get the luxury of continued existence. That right there is incentive enough to fight real hard. I could see this as a [Shifter] feat. That would mean an increase to the shifter's duration of shifting (see page 19 of the ECS), and thus the ability to use this feat. That said, I think adding action points to damage rolls (even with the specific weapons) may be a bit much to have in the same feat. Extra damage is usually a big deal. So that'd be call for a new, different feat. :)
Ddraig_Goch 04-20-07, 09:18 PM	Hmm, the "while shifting" requirement seems okay to me. I don't see the shifters taking regimented practice sessions in front of hay-stuffed burlap sacks to develop a sophisticated technique, but rather allowing instinct to take over when the situation calls for it. In the wild, you don't want that situation to happen too often. If you get into combat with an aggressive bear, you already lost the "notice the bear and avoid it" game; those who don't manage to kill it don't get the luxury of continued existence. That right there is incentive enough to fight real hard. I could see this as a [Shifter] feat. That would mean an increase to the shifter's duration of shifting (see page 19 of the ECS), and thus the ability to use this feat. That said, I think adding action points to damage rolls (even with the specific weapons) may be a bit much to have in the same feat. Extra damage is usually a big deal. So that'd be call for a new, different feat. :) Thanks for the comments. I hadn't thought about making this a shifter feat. The fact that battleshifter training and ragewild fighting are not shifter feats makes me wary of the idea. As for the action point issue, this feat follows the same structure as a number of other feats in RoE (drow skirmisher, mror stalwart, darguun mauler, bladebearer of the valenar, etc). I can definetly understand the criticism, that is a lot of stuff going on in one feat, but the precedent seems well established. They are actually quite intersesting feats, I suggest giving them a look.
Edymnion 04-20-07, 09:39 PM	I don't see the shifters taking regimented practice sessions in front of hay-stuffed burlap sacks to develop a sophisticated technique, but rather allowing instinct to take over when the situation calls for it.No, but they do like sport and competition. Just doing target practice might not appeal to them, but making a contest out of it, to see who was the best? That I could easily see them doing. Remember, these are the guys that play hide and seek for real to keep their skills up, and like to play the Eberron equivolent to football for the competition.
Ddraig_Goch 04-21-07, 02:56 AM	Does anyone have any suggestions for how to use those weapon familiarity feats with the weapon group system from UA?