Post/Author/DateTime	Post
StruckingFuggle 09-19-07, 04:16 PM	Yeah, working on a remake of OA's Iaijitsu Master to make it 3.5 / ToB / not-OA. I want to bring back the Iaijitsu Focus Roll = bonus damage mechanic. I want to keep it based off of a skill and just have a class ability to use a skill as that. As such, I want it to either be a special boost that does not take a swift action, or make it a non-maneuver for a ToB class. I thought about bringing IF back to key the ability to that, but that's something I'd like to avoid. So I've thought of four skills to key it to: Concentration Pro: It makes sense in the light of how Diamond Mind uses it, and it really is a sort of concentration. It's also Diamond Mind's key skill. Con: It's a PrC that builds off of the Diamond Mind school - an adept going in is already going to have Conc out the wazoo, this may be too much synergy. Martial Lore Pro: Uhm ... "It comes from being wise in the school's ways, and ML kinda represents that, sort of". Con: The above justification is really weak. Intimidate Pro: It's cha-based, and a iaijitsu stare can be pretty intimidating, and the class uses some intimidation mechanics. Plus, the secondary use of IF isn't much different that Intimidate's 'duel of wills' thing. Also, it's not conc, so it requires a bit of dis-synergy to really abuse it. Con: It's a stretch to make it fit. Balance Pro: It's sort of flavorful, a class skill, and meshes well with the faint Iron Heart elements in class. Con: It's maybe more of a reach than Martial Lore. So ... I'm leaning towards Concentration, but the listed con keeps me from just going with it. And so I turn here for input. Help?
bkdubs123 09-19-07, 05:07 PM	Hmm... ya know I've always wondered why it is that only a Rogue should be able to use sneaky attacks to deal extra damage. Why can't a fighter sneak up on a creature and hammer his sword through its belly? Or for that matter drop out of nowhere and do the same? Iaijutsu Focus allowed the OA Samurai to do these things and deal comparable amounts of damage to a Rogue's Sneak Attack. I'm all for saying that Rogue's are just better at sneak attacks and therefore deal more damage when using such tactics, but I think anyone ought to be able to use the tactics to deal extra damage. If I were to update the system, and make it skill based I would modify the feint rules to allow extra dice of damage after a successful feint. Very close to the Iaijutsu Focus method, and it makes sense across the board. I would however alter it so that "feinting" isn't always what you have to do with a bluff in combat. Running up to someone without a weapon drawn and then in a single instant drawing and slashing is a bluff, but not really a feint. Nevertheless they were certainly caught flatfooted. They didn't expect you to attack with the weapon, and if they did, they certainly didn't expect it so suddenly. Facing off against an enemy, staring him in the eyes with your guard ominously held down is another type of bluff, but not a feint. ******** Another way you could try to port Iaijutsu Focus to 3.5 would be some sort of special Sense Motive check. A sort of reverse feint. You watch your opponent carefully, not making any attacks for a single round, and in the next round, depending on your check, you attack quickly and decisively dealing extra damage as you note a weakness in your foe's defenses.
StruckingFuggle 09-19-07, 07:05 PM	The damage might be comperable to sneak attack (but built for it, it could easily exceed sneak attack on a single blow, which was a tradeoff for it being non-(easily)-repeatable. Plus, it works on objects. :) So neither Sense Motive (which also doesn't really work with the flavor of utter focus on the single draw and attack aimed right at the perfect place to strike) nor a feint in general would work. Still. Thank you for your input. :)
EpicEvokerElf 09-19-07, 07:50 PM	Either go with Concentration or keep it as a new skill, Iaijitsu Focus. Both work.